Ballsy:

February 24, 2009: Britain has revealed that, when British troops were under heavy attack in southern Iraq in 2006-7, Iran offered to stop these attacks if Britain would stop trying to halt Iran's nuclear weapons program.

Britain refused the Iranian offer, and eventually the attacks stopped because British and Iraqi troops killed or arrested most of the terrorists. British and American special operations forces also began working inside Iran, and it was Iran that was persuaded to back off.

Just to underscore how important Iran's nukes are to them -- and to highlight the puerile joke of a position held by liberals that merely talking to Iran will help them see the light.

Thanks to Arthur.

Posted by: Ace at 09:16 AM | Comments (39)
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Oh dear sweet mercy:

And by the way, my camera was a mechanism that probably prevented brutality like happened at New School in December where they werenÂ’t on top of that as muchÂ…the black trench coat guy threw me an elbow and I was trying to keep a level head as people were panickingÂ…the rest of the negotiations absolve meÂ…IÂ’m going to post those soon for you to poo poo. NYPD has used violence on protesters in the past. We were lucky NYPD didnÂ’t get in the night before or else you might have been scrubbing our blood off the walls like at Columbia in 1968.

Can I come in from the terrace to consense on this claim?

A commenter also tips this editorial he wrote, which is ten pounds of stupid stuffed in five pound stupid-bags.

At colleges speckled all over our country, young minds are awakening to a startling reality that our parents, or at least their generation, were right, and better off for it. We, on the other hand, are not better off because we did not follow their path of resistance. From the impending financial crisis, to indentured servitude by student debt, to the old menÂ’s War on Terror fought by teens and 20-somethings, to an overwhelming, propagandized society at war for our hearts and minds, we are a generation with subcultures that have ceased to steward social change.

Keffiyehs are sexy, sold at the malls. Peace signs are embroidered next to buttons for presidential candidates of war. Hipsters donÂ’t think itÂ’s hip to talk about militarism like their hippie ancestors. Millions are made from the circle-A for anarchy by marketing executives. Our music is corporate, we consume culture, and we feel obliged to validate a system of oppression for which we are raw materials, by their calendar.

But students have not always been subordinated.

Four decades ago, our parentsÂ’ struggle shook the conscience of our society that set precedence for every student struggle since. They were our age; they had no funding, no parental support, no internet, no Facebook, and no cell phones. Yet, they stopped a war, founded universities, championed civil rights, practiced environmentalism, revived feminism, halted nuclear energy expansion, ended apartheid, and desegregated their campuses.

...

I assert that “freedom is participation in power” according to the Greek philosopher Cicero. [sic, and stupid]

...

We have been tokenized on faculty academic committees that are closed to the College community, sought out as insurance against insurrection, [???] subjects of their curriculum power experiment. Even Student Council has been sequestered into predominately a party planning and student club ATM. What happened to defending consent “by all means necessary?”

Um, you took over a cafetorium and, um, taped the "insurrection" on a fucking digital camera, dude.

Get over yourself.

Posted by: Ace at 08:28 AM | Comments (186)
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BARA, Pakistan — More than 70 United States military advisers and technical specialists are secretly working in Pakistan to help its armed forces battle Al Qaeda and the Taliban in the country’s lawless tribal areas, American military officials said.

The Americans are mostly Army Special Forces soldiers who are training Pakistani Army and paramilitary troops, providing them with intelligence and advising on combat tactics, the officials said. They do not conduct combat operations, the officials added

This is the type of piece that can only be dealt with by holding an Uncle J Press Secretary event. So without further ado.

The jackals are gathered in the east room of the White House expecting another session kicking the crap out of hapless Robert Gibbs.

The lights dim and several disco balls descend while tendrils of smoke spill out from behind the podium. Suddenly the pounding beats and dulcet tones of Kid Rock's "Cowboy" fill the room. Through the fog strides a man diametrically dissimilar to their usual target and Uncle Jimbo takes the stage.

UJ: Greetings Jackals, I bet you thought you were through with me when W rode off to his new job as  greeter in a Texas hardware store. No such luck, you see I don't serve as a partisan mouthpiece for whichever political hack and his band of thieves occupies this building. No, no no I represent the American people. You know them the ones who just had the future of their country mortgaged off on sub-prime loans to the Chinese by that Parliament of Hoors down the road aided and abetted by The Obama  and his collection of tax cheats and influence peddlers.

Now stop cringing and get back in your seats, you know the doors are locked anyhow. We will be hosting a couple of special guests today on one of my favorite segments. "Who is publishing classified secrets?" Yes once again the excremental New York Times, currently owned by a Mexican telecom tycoon and a couple of guys who hit the Lotto, has published classified information and compromised a vital national security program. Lets welcome ERIC SCHMITT and JANE PERLEZ to the show.

A gate clangs open and Chuck D formerly of Public Enemy and the S1W's stride into the room dragging the two journalists who are dressed in mountain tribal garb and a burka respectively.

UJ: Tell us about our two unlucky contestants and what they have won Chuck.

CHUCK D: Listen up jackals. These fools have exposed a program where our Special Forces are doing exactly what they are supposed to do. Running around in indian country helping the slightly bad guys kill the extremely bad guys in Pakistan. Since the P-Stan government has cut and run from the tribal areas, somebody has to make sure that the banditos of ass up there don't send an exploding candy gram back our direction. Now for some reason these shit birds thought it would be a good idea to tell the whole damn world about that. I don't know what part of classified and top secret they don't understand, but they will have a chance to think long and hard about that.

UJ: Do you have something planned for them Chuck?

CHUCK D: Bet. Hell me and Professor Griff had a few cold ones and talked about what might be a good experience for some low down dogs who feel like their boolshit scribbling is more important than the freedoms those guys up in the damn mountains were giving them.

The lights dim again and the smoke drifts while a horrible wailing and clanging "music" eerily similar to the noise created when two alley cats and a hobo drunk on Valu Rite vodka share a dumpster fills the room.

A tall man in tribal garb and staring out of his one good eye strides out.

CHUCK D: Welcome Mullah Omar, Salaam Alaykum

MO: Alaykum as-Salaam to you Chuck my brother. I have come to collect the new Taliban Press Agents you text messaged me about.

CHUCK D: They are right over their your one-eyed eminence, but I gotta ask you a damn question. I mean I can understand you wanting to show up and collect these collaborating dung beetles who have done you such a solid, but did you really think I was gonna let your punk ass waltz in and out of here? Shit man, I'm an American and you are a terrorist nut case. S1Ws lock this crazy, Muslim freak up and shave that nasty ass beard off while you at it.

Griff has this bastards handlers out back and they can send these two new PR pimps back to Ass-Crackistan on the Rendition Express, load 'em up fellas.

Chuck D and the S1Ws march off stage with the shaken and shaking journos in tow.

UJ: And there you have your lesson of the day Jackals, classified programs are classified for a reason. I don't give a rat's ass if you are trying to save that rag you call a newspaper from foreclosure. Hell the building would be better of as a shelter for drunken bums than a haven for the terrorist sympathizers and anti-American shit birds that currently inhabit it. So write this the fuck down. Don't tell our secrets or there may be a cozy berth on a shipping container floating around the Indian Ocean for your ass. Now hit the bricks and file your shite, I have to get the good Mullah ready for his afternoon waterboarding.

Previous Uncle J Press Conferences:

Torture Press- UJ Style
Uncle J Perp walks the press
WH Press Brief Uncle J & Chuck D
WH Press Brief- W leaked what?

Posted by: Uncle Jimbo at 08:22 AM | Comments (15)
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In many of the stories previewing tonight's speech by President Obama, the media points out how popular he remains with the American people. Andrew Malcolm looks a little deeper into those numbers, and finds some troubling signs for The One.

One month down, 47 to go.

And Barack Obama's poll numbers have slid almost 10% already. According to the latest Gallup Poll, the new president's approval rating of 68% in January has slipped now to 63%, about average for recent new presidents one month in.

What isn't average, however, is Obama's new disapproval rating -- 24%, or 50% higher than the 16% average for a month-old new presidency.

And it's twice the 12% disapproval rate that Obama had last month.

Gee, I wonder if Obama's idea of bi-partisanship ("I won.") has anything to do with his falling poll numbers among those he promised to work with?

Posted by: Slublog at 08:20 AM | Comments (30)
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What the Funk and Wagnall's?

Clinton's proposing this, hoping to use the money as a catspaw to increase Fatah's popularity and get them back in charge, rather than Hamas.

Um... I see what she's doing here but 1) it won't work and 2) it's not worth it.

This is a rather large sum of money. This is the sort of jack we pay out to cinch a peace deal, to pay the Palestinians off to accept a peace. Not to just hope we can make a three-bank play and reap some minor, temporary advantage as far as who exactly runs the murder-pit called Gaza.

Zing: EC writes:

All of Gaza is 'shovel ready'.

Indeed.

Posted by: Ace at 07:47 AM | Comments (36)
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See? The stimulus worked!

The Conference Board's index of leading economic indicators has risen for two months in a row.

Producer prices have increased for two straight months.

Consumer prices rose in January -- the first monthly gain in six months.

The Baltic Dry Index, which measures the cost of shipping key raw materials like copper, steel and iron, has more than doubled from its recent lows.

Existing-home sales rose in December, and participants in our weekly survey think that another rise took place in January.

Pending home sales went up in December.

Builders' confidence inched up this month.

Thanks to lower interest rates, applications for both new mortgages and refinancings of existing mortgages are rising.

Real hourly earnings rose 4.5% in December following a 3.3% increase in November.

An index of consumer expectations rose in January.

Retail sales shot up by 1% in January -- the first monthly rise since June.

More indicators up at the link.

He makes the point that this doesn't mean the economy is growing, but rather contracting less sharply. But that presages actual growth.

And, as Jack Straw notes, that means that the bulk of the spendulus will come when it's not necessary and in fact harmful.

Alas, big majorities support the spendulus and paying down people's mortgages, alas.

I suppose all we can do is place our chips now -- and keep hammering the message as much as we can that the economy is already recovering, no thanks to the spendulus.

That, and we can keep explaining to the public that we are seeking to democratically decide these issues in a consensus area. And also, we should mention our demands and ask for an explanation about the heirarchy of power.

Bullshit? Commenters point out the Consumer Confidence Index has plunged to another record low.

Yes, but that doesn't make the indicators any less up. Consumer confidence is important, but it's not the only sign we look to regarding the state of the economy -- indeed, it's a lagging indicator. What people "feel" about the economy is based partly on media reports (the world is doomed!) and partly on their own situations, which are, indeed, now currently diminished. Yes, it's a subjective snapshot of the current mood; but that doesn't contradict more tangible indicators -- and more forward-predicting indicators -- pointing up.

Posted by: Ace at 07:24 AM | Comments (62)
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Sounds like fun.

Aides say the speech, which will have a heavy focus on the economy, will try and strike an optimistic tone. That's a sign Obama has heard the criticism, including from former President Bill Clinton, that he needs to mix sober talk with an upbeat bottom line.

"He believes we will meet these challenges and lift ourselves out of this," one top aide said of the recession. "He will say, 'The best days are ahead of us.'"

The aides said foreign policy will be touched on lightly in the speech so that the president can focus largely on the economy and related issues, including health care, education, and energy.

Aides stressed the speech will be "thematic" and thus will not get into much detail on the president's plans to deal with the credit crunch and housing crisis.

Haven't they tried that before?

I'm glad he will attempt optimism in this speech, but I have my doubts as to whether it will work because I do not believe Barack Obama is an optimistic man at heart. Sure, he sometimes mouths optimistic platitudes, but his entire campaign was based on the assumption that something was wrong with America and only his election would heal the country. That's not optimism, it's conceit.

Since winning the presidency, Obama has flailed a bit because it's hard to run a country on the vision of not being George W. Bush. As we've seen from the market, part of the skittishness of investors is because of the doom and gloom talk on the part of this administration. We'll see if the president can change that tonight, or whether he'll just keep trying to blame the previous administration for the economy's ills.

Update - Volfan, in the comments, brings up a good point. The non-optimistic talk isn't the only thing wrong with Obama's 'cures' for the economy. It's this:

The joint address to Congress, similar to a State of the Union speech, which presidents traditionally give in subsequent years of their administration, is also Obama's first chance for a formal roll out of nuts-and-bolts policy.

He is set to address healthcare, climate change, energy and education, as he argues that the size of the crisis means his key agenda items are more, not less important than they would have been in sunny economic times.

Obama has already driven a 787-billion-dollar stimulus plan through Congress, unveiled a 275-billion-dollar foreclosure plan and tried, so far unsuccessfully, to steady the banking industry.

Posted by: Slublog at 06:19 AM | Comments (75)
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This fucker is more annoying than "Don't Tase Me Bro" dude.

The background is that some fuckheads barricaded themselves in an NYU cafeteria, making various demands, including disclosure of the budget, no more "subcontracted" workers like bus drivers, and scholarships for Palestinians.

This, I believe, is on day three, when security and the cops finally cross the barricades. While they do so, this stupid fuck-shit continues listing his "demands," and insists up on explaining "We're trying to do this in a democratic process, I don't think you understand that."

I don't see who says it, but the words "Fucking brat" and "Dirty scumbag fuck" are tossed at these assholes.

Gawker points out this ribald moment:

(Also: "We need to look at the situation, the hierarchy, the power relationship here."

Okay: you're surrounded by cops.)

more...

Posted by: Ace at 06:04 AM | Comments (123)
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Making it rather definite he's running for federal office, I think.

To some extent he can be criticized for acting in his own interests, rather than his state's. The money, after all, is already appropriated; his protest of refusing it accomplishes nothing for the state, though it does, modestly, help the federal government's finances.

Haley Barbour, however, has explained that a great deal of the stimulus money is not "free." (Of course it's not free, but I mean it's also not free of strings.) A lot of the stimulus comes with unfunded mandates to change state law -- for example, some money comes with the string that the states will have to offer unemployment benefits to part-time workers who lose their part-time jobs, which many states (if not most) have never done.

In classic Chicago fashion, it's pay-for-play.

So partly, Jindal can make his case that the "aid' actually hurts the state to some extent; I hope he does make this case, because I wouldn't want to see him punished at home. He can make the case for federal policy eloquently, but he must make sure his constituents do not resent him for acting as a federal official rather than a state executive.

He Did Make That Case: As several commenters tell me, he laid out that case on Meet the Press. Video below.

more...

Posted by: Ace at 05:45 AM | Comments (33)
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Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 05:05 AM | Comments (47)
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