August 16, 2009
— Ace There's a lot left.
Individual mandates, for one.
To be perfectly honest with you, I personally am not completely opposed to this one, in principle, assuming it would take a tolerable form.
But I don't assume that. It will take an intolerable form. I assume it will take the form of the stupidest, vote-buyingest, most socialistic scheme possible, so I oppose it in fact.
more...
Posted by: Ace at
10:20 AM
| Add Comment
Post contains 1390 words, total size 8 kb.
— Ace A very unpleasant escalation.
I was 2-300 meters, and 2 or 3 blast walls, away when it happened. In a solid building, and it rattled the place.I haven't seen any of our own official reports, but the AP says we (we meaning NATO) had 3 soldiers from Macedonia slightly wounded. A whole bunch, close to 100 according to the AP story, of civilians wounded and some dead. Some of those are kids.
Those kids are at the gate every day, selling gum and such to people walking in and out. The bombers obviously did their reconnaissance, so they had to know it. And they did their bomb anyway. That's the kind of evil that you just can't negotiate with.
It appears to have been a VBIED. There is a bit of good news, which I leave at the link.
Here's the AP brief:
A suicide car bomber struck near the front gate of NATO headquarters in Kabul killing seven people and wounding nearly 100 in a brazen daylight attack less than a week before Afghanistan's landmark presidential election.Also Saturday, U.S. Marines pushed deeper into the strategic Helmand province town of Dahaneh for a fourth straight day, meeting fierce Taliban resistance as surface-to-surface missiles and Harrier fighter jets pounded insurgent positions in the surrounding hills.
The blast, which occurred about 8:35 a.m. in Kabul's heavily guarded diplomatic quarter, appeared aimed at frightening Afghans against participating in Thursday's presidential election and demonstrating that insurgents can strike whenever and wherever they want.
I don't know if I'd call that last sentence bias, but I would note that it is not surprising, nor much of an accompishment, that guerrilla terrorists and suicide bombers can "strike whenever and wherever they want."
Of course they can. They always could. No one can stop every suicide truck from detonating at least near a target. If you stop them at the outer level of security (as was the case here), they can still blow up the truck and kill the guys manning the gate and the civilians nearby.
This is hardly a revelation. Any army, especially a terrorist army, can always manage some amount of senseless, strategically-useless mass-murder if they have a mind to do so.
But -- to what end? You've butchered some kids and reminded people you can do so every once in a while, and that does cow a population, but it hardly demonstrates (as the AP strongly implies) you have anything approaching control-by-force of the area.
A psychotic kid can walk into a school or college and start shooting people. Obviously that is not a military victory in the sense that that kid is on a pathway to exerting military control over an area. It just proves that (unarmed) civilians are pretty easy to murder, but that is a proposition that hardly needs proving at this point.
Posted by: Ace at
09:34 AM
| Add Comment
Post contains 505 words, total size 3 kb.
— DrewM Don't get cocky but the walk back on health care may have begun.
Momentum behind a new government-run health care plan appeared to slow considerably Sunday, as a lead Democratic negotiator called the option a "wasted effort" and President Obama's health secretary suggested the White House is ready to accept a health care reform package without it.Sen. Kent Conrad, D-N.D., one of six negotiators trying to hammer out a bipartisan compromise measure on the Senate Finance Committee, told "FOX News Sunday" that the so-called public option simply does not have the votes to pass.
"The fact of the matter is there are not the votes in the United States Senate for the public option. There never have been," he said. "So to continue to chase that rabbit I think is just a wasted effort."
Yes, they can pass some elements of the package on a simple majority vote through 'reconciliation' but there are limits to what can be voted on by that process. Harry Reid and company may want to press those limits but if they succeed they will blow up the Senate and bring it to a grinding halt.
Before we get too excited keep in mind Democrats (and some of the usual suspect Republicans) can still do a lot of damage to the health care system without a public option but dropping this major provision will not only be good policy but great politics for those who don't want the government mucking things up.
Health care reform is one of those issues that a lot of people are for in the abstract. The problem is many groups have very different ideas of what is desirable in a bill and they are often contradictory.
Up until now, it's been mostly the deficit hawks and small government types objecting. Take out the public option and you start to shed liberal support. Pretty soon there's no one left supporting anything.
Also fun...the rift between the House and Senate Democrats. After walking the plank on Cap and Trade only to see the Senate walk away, House Democrats can't be too happy with their colleagues in 'the other body' for not being able to get this done, despite having 60 votes.
It's pretty amusing watching the signature issue of the Democrats become a self inflicted wedge issue. And we may even get the right policy outcome as well.
That really is Change! I can believe in.
UPDATE: Sebelius also retreated on the public option today saying it's "not the essential element" of reform. Yeah, try telling that to the nutroots (aka, Obama's base).
Posted by: DrewM at
08:32 AM
| Add Comment
Post contains 475 words, total size 3 kb.
August 15, 2009
— Open Blog Ever get that not so fresh feeling? Then that probably means you should step into the shower once in a while. A more pressing question is, do you ever get hungry? Or have birthdays? Often at the same time? If so, you can probably appreciate this story about a man who is preparing a 40 course meal for his 40th birthday. Put aside the Cheetos for a moment and stand in awe (well, sit in awe and take this opportunity to wipe off your orange-colored mitts):
” Ian Saunders is saying farewell to his 30s today, not with misgiving but with, well, a big bash and a mega-meal. He's marking the transition to the big 4-0 tonight with a 40-course mega-meal, much of which he will prepare. Mega, as in the need for 640 plates and 240 wine glasses, which wiped out a rental outfit with everything but its Christmas settings. ("It's not like I had 640 plates in the cupboard," he said.) And mega, as in the price tag. "Probably about $2,500," he said. "I figure you only turn 40 once. 'What do I do when I turn 80?' is the real question."
Kick ass!!! There must be at least 10 flavors of buffalo wings alone. Never mind the many ways you can present a slab of ribs (and rib smoothies make a delicious beverage choice as well.) Sadly though, Mr Saunders has chosen an unwise path andÂ…well, youÂ’ll see:
“For his 40-course shindig, he's moving the furniture out of his small Capitol Hill house to accommodate dozens of guests. He also sent Facebook messages to two classmates he hadn't seen in a decade. They replied within an hour, offering to fly to Seattle and help him with the cooking. They showed up Friday.The only rule: The food must be French. (Saunders and his wife visit France every year, always staying in the same room in the same Paris hotel.)”
Ok. ItÂ’s ok. The French make some passable food, so all is not lost. Is it? IS IT? (cue ominous music):
” Most items on the menu are secret, but a few have leaked out: Chicken-liver mousse, fava-bean soup, a single radish with salt and herbed butter, and a special chocolate dessert. Out of necessity, some dishes will amount to simply a bite or two. He wants to make the final course a single strawberry he'll pick himself from a greenhouse, served with a dollop of lemon quark.”
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! A single strawberry. And what the hell is a “quark” anyway, besides being an elementary particle and/or a character on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?” Will a single dollop do? I’m just asking is all, between the wracking sobs I’m experiencing over what could’ve been. I need to be alone now. You understand.
TonightÂ’s sponsor below the fold. WeÂ’ll all get through thisÂ…somehow.
more...
Posted by: Open Blog at
05:30 PM
| Comments (4)
Post contains 657 words, total size 5 kb.
— Slublog Remember all of the liberal outrage over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? If you do, you're probably not part of the netroots.
What's truly striking in Greenberg's poll is the degree to which the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have fallen off the progressive radar. I attended the first YearlyKos convention, in 2006, and have kept up with later ones, and it's safe to say that while people who attended those gatherings couldn't stand George W. Bush in general, their feelings were particularly intense when it came to opposing the war in Iraq. It animated their activism; they hated the war, and they hated Bush for starting it. They weren't that fond of the fighting in Afghanistan, either.This really isn't surprising, but it does show just how contrived the outrage over the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan really was among the activist left. Seems it was more about indulging in frothy hatred of George W. Bush than any real concern over the direction of American foreign policy.Now, with Obama in the White House, all that has changed. Greenberg presented respondents with a list of policy priorities and asked, "Please indicate which two you think progressive activists should be focusing their attention and efforts on the most." The winner was passing comprehensive health care reform, with 60 percent, and number two was passing "green energy policies that address environmental concerns," with 22 percent. Tied for eighth place, named by just eight percent of respondents, was "working to end our military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan."
Real shocker, huh? Well, I know my faith in the sincerity of liberals has been shaken to the core.
(h/t: Treacher)
Posted by: Slublog at
03:46 PM
| Add Comment
Post contains 282 words, total size 2 kb.
— DrewM No word on whether of not Webb had to turn the Burmese dictator upside and put his penis in his mouth.
Sen. Jim Webb of Virginia was also granted an unprecedented meeting with the junta chief, and was allowed to hold talks with Suu Kyi, the first foreign official permitted to see the Nobel laureate since she was sentenced to 18 more months of house arrest on Tuesday.American John Yettaw, who was sentenced to seven years of hard labor for swimming uninvited to Suu Kyi's lakeside house in Yangon, will be deported on Sunday, Webb said in a statement from his Washington office.
The impending deportation indicates "good relations between the two countries and hope [that] these will grow," Yettaw's lawyer Khin Maoung Oo said. Webb echoed the sentiment.
Obviously this is good for Yettaw, though IÂ’m not sure one should expect rescue for having done something so stupid. You decide to enter crazy, dictatorial countries swim in a restricted lake to 'visit' a political dissident illegally at your own risk but good for Webb. Hopefully it leads to something better for the Burmese people as well, though that seems doubtful.
There’s no truth to the rumor that Bill Clinton released a statement saying, “I would have gone but then I found out the American wasn’t a hot chick. What’s the point of that?”
*Yes, yes, I know. I simply donÂ’t care what brutal dictators want to be called.
Posted by: DrewM at
12:49 PM
| Add Comment
Post contains 263 words, total size 2 kb.
— Ace They pistol-whipped an employee and were told to leave.
They didn't.
Out came the Remington.
Two dead, two wounded, all hostiles.
Augusto and his employees tried to get back to business as usual yesterday, although it wasn't easy. When a woman came to place a candle outside the shop, J.B. [the pistol-whipped worker] angrily kicked it across the pavement."Who's this for?" he demanded of the startled woman. "For the guy who died? F- - - him!"
Posted by: Ace at
10:30 AM
| Comments (1)
Post contains 106 words, total size 1 kb.
— Ace She just wants to get the facts out and dispel "myths."
Sometimes.
BLITZER: Did PhRMA, in exchange, make a promise of $150 million to pay for advertising to help the president's plan go forward?DOUGLASS: What -- what you have, Wolf, is this deal that is $80 billion. And we are very pleased, obviously, that -- that the pharmaceutical industry agrees with us, that there's an urgent need for comprehensive health insurance reform that's going to protect Americans from unfair rules, from rising costs. They agree with that. They've agreed with it from the beginning. That's why they came to us and we worked out this agreement with the pharmaceutical industry. And they're supporting health reform legislation. And that is good for the country.
BLITZER: So is part of the deal that they would support this legislation, go forward with $150 million in advertising?
DOUGLASS: You know, Wolf, part of the agreement here is that we're all going to work together to bring comprehensive health reform. I mean, clearly, the pharmaceutical industry said we are going to support comprehensive health reform. And that's what they're doing.
Transparency. Negotiations to be "on CSPAN" so we can see "who's carrying water for the drug companies." Lies.
Posted by: Ace at
08:38 AM
| Add Comment
Post contains 236 words, total size 2 kb.
— Ace With support for ObamaCare itself down to 35%.
That's good, but we need it up to 60%. The Democrats know two things: 1, this is their last, best opportunity to socialize the health system, and they will not let this moment pass unless the consequences for going full-retard are politically catastrophic. A lot of Blue Dogs can be bought off, and not just with pork: Promises (illegal as hell) can be made that anyone who loses his seat due to his vote can be set up in style as a top lobbyist. Obama's said he's willing to be a one-termer, shoving a politically unpopular socialist agenda down America's throat, if that's what it takes. And I believe him.
2, no matter how much opposition there is to this bill, the liberal base loves it -- partly just because they want to score an all-mighty "win" for their Earthbound God -- and so for wavering Democrats, this is a lose-lose proposition. They can either lose the moderates and independents, or they can lose their base. Both are critical. Many Democrats, even the Blue Dogs are hopes are pinned on, will likely decide that if they're going to lose a critical bloc of voters, they might as well "do the right thing" and commit America to the grueling misery of socialism before they're out the door.
All of this majority-opposition is nice and all, but we need a passionate supermajority to let the Democrats know that this will not merely be a painful vote, but a potentially devastating one.
Bear in mind 70% of the public was strenuously against Amnesty, and yet they tried to push that through three times (IIRC), and each time they were only short by a vote or two. (And the final votes were deceptive, as many Senators' votes were released by the whips when it was clear that they were one or two votes shy -- had they had those one or two extra votes, many of the "nays" would have bit the bullet and voted "aye.")
Obama and the Democrats will pass this over widespread public objection, so long as the damage is moderate. Only if the damage is truly grave will they stop.
Thanks to AHFF Geoff.
Posted by: Ace at
07:34 AM
| Comments (11)
Post contains 388 words, total size 2 kb.
— DrewM From Brooks Brothers mobs to Wal-Mart Trash in two short weeks!
Any port in a storm for a sinking ship I guess.
But lawmakers have also had to deal with innumerable folks who believe that the legitimacy of their protests over reform will be determined solely by their lung capacity. The louder and more obnoxious the scream, the more their message will register with the power brokers in the nation's capital -- or at least that is the thinking. There is, of course, a smidge of logic to this strategy. After all, if the squeaky wheel gets the grease, then perhaps the bellowing citizen can influence policy.In the meantime, however, the ugly-American images coming out of these town hall shouting matches resonate in a way that does the nation no favors. It highlights the obvious disconnect between the politicians and the people they represent. The photographs do particular damage to the protesters who aim to make a convincing argument that their position is both logical and righteous. But it is hard to have faith in the cool syllogism of someone whose face is scrunched into a road map of rage.
By and large, the shouters are dressed in a way that underscores their Average Guy -- or Gal -- bona fides.
"[T]heir Average Guy -- or Gal -- bona fides?" Er, maybe thatÂ’s because they are average people who are genuinely pissed off?
Perhaps the people who are so concerned with elevating “the tone of the debate” could move past trivializing it by worrying so much about who is wearing what and why.
It seems the debate will be better served by focusing on things like ObamaÂ’s continuing lies.
Posted by: DrewM at
07:29 AM
| Add Comment
Post contains 334 words, total size 2 kb.
44 queries taking 0.2892 seconds, 151 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.
