Nightly Ramble:Chavez Endorses McCain, Sheilded From Reality, the Four Horsemen, Self-identity, And More

• Yeah, I guess you’re right, Bruce. McCain couldn’t get a better endorsement.
• I’m not sure about Nancy Regan’s endorsement, however.
• I see Boortz’ web wench saying:
  

  Chelsea Clinton says that this college student was the first person to ever ask her about Hillary’s handling of the Monica Lewinsky scandal … yeah right

  Well, now, actually, I believe her. Look, she’s only been playing to very friendly crowds. It’s been arranged so, and to a large degree that arrangement didn’t take much effort. Who but a true Clintonista for the most part, would show to these things at this stage of the game? That’s why this question got her all flustered. Reality leaked in, and liberals are simply not prepared for reality on any level.

• Billy notes:
  

  ” “With McCain, Hillary, and Obama in the race, all we need is one more horseman and we’ve got the Apocalypse.”  Referring to Matt Welch’s prosecution brief on John McCain, Robert Bidinotto puts the thing in one sentence.

  What, you’ve forgotten Al Gore?

• There is an election time wisdom which states that voters tend to vote for someone who reminds them most of themselves. Which, it seems to me, explains Elton John’s support for Hillary Clinton. That it’s possibly illegal, of course doesn’t seem to phase the Clintons at all.
• I see where Texas is a fast growing state. DFW, mostly.  All over the south seems to be growing, really. Atlanta,Where are the folks coming FROM? Detroit, qnd Buffalo, Pitt, Philly. All Democrat run. Detroit in particular lost something like 30,000 people in a year. And you’ll recall, we’re written about them just recently.

From Philly.com:

Puerto Rico’s governor and four Philadelphians, including prominent fund-raiser Robert M. Feldman, were charged this morning in San Juan with federal campaign-finance related crimes.

The investigation of Gov. Anibal Acevedo-Vila, a Democrat who faces re-election this year, was triggered by the FBI’s Philadelphia City Hall corruption probe in 2003.

Feldman, who raised more than $1 million for Democrats, including U.S. Sen. Bob Casey Jr. and Gov. Rendell, was a former business partner of Ronald A. White, the late power-broker who was the lead defendant in the Philadelphia corruption case.

Feldman was investigated but not charged in the Philadelphia case. In San Juan, he was charged with one count of conspiracy to violate federal election laws.

The governor was charged with conspiracy to violate federal campaign laws, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the IRS and filing a false tax return.

 Of course, Acevedo-Vila is an Obama supporter. Gee, I wonder if further investigation would find that Obama got funds from this group, hmmm??? A lead pipe sinch that it’ll never be investigated, then.

Ya know, at some point, we as a nation are going to start putting this together, and identifying the degree of this stuff that is coming from the Democrats.

[T]he first black president should be the caliber of a Jackie Robinson, and Barack Obama is not. Mr. Obama has charisma and charm but in terms of character, values and understanding, he is no Jackie Robinson.

Walter E. Williams, Washington Times.

A note from Pollster.com’s Mark Blumenthal gives us some indication of those numbers I mentioned yesterdayl, about hom many Democrats would vote McCain, if their boy didn’t win. (Yes, I mean Hillary, too)

Some Context on the Democratic Defectors

Brian Schaffner provides some helpful context for the Gallup “Democratic defector” results that we linked to earlier today. He notes a Pew Research Center survey from March 2000 that suggested similar fallout for George W. Bush as a result of his primary against John McCain.

Here are the key passages from the Pew report, starting with the lead paragraph:

The presidential primary season may prove to be a decisive factor in Campaign 2000, not only for who won, but for the way the winners emerged from the process in the eyes of the voters. Al Gore was clearly helped, and George W. Bush was just as clearly hurt. The vice president has improved his personal image, while making gains among two key groups whose support had eluded him last year, independents and men. In contrast, many people have come to dislike Bush personally, especially former supporters of John McCain. As a consequence, the Texas governor now trails Gore for the first time in a nationwide Pew Research Center survey, by 49%-43%….

Later, the report turned to the impact of the primaries:

Primaries Costly for Bush

Moreover, Gore leads Bush by a 51%-44% margin among voters who say they backed McCain during the primary process.(1) These McCain supporters are especially vocal critics of Bush as a person — nearly half (48%) of those who support Gore point to Bush’s personality as the thing they like least about him.[NOTE 1: Unless otherwise noted, former McCain and Bradley backers/supporters are those who say they strongly supported McCain/Bradley for their parties’ nomination.]

But Gore’s most important gains from supporters of McCain and Bradley come among independents who now disproportionately favor the vice president. In contrast, the party regulars have largely returned to the fold, with Republicans supporting Bush and Democrats supporting Gore.

So, if past be prologue,  we’ll see this swing to McCain not only remain, but grow… and the independents are what will make the difference. As I keep saying, it’s early, yet, but it was then, too.

Mind, I’m saying all of this without making a pronouncement about the relative worth of McCain in terms of policy. But obviously, if getting elected is the goal, as opposed to actually implementing conservative policy, McCain  seems to have an edge, here.

Treason defined, ‘Lectric Law Library:

TREASON – This word imports a betraying, treachery, or breach of allegiance.

The Constitution of the United States, Art. III, defines treason against the United States to consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid or comfort. This offence is punished with death. By the same article of the Constitution, no person shall be convicted of treason, unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.

Michelle is all over Baghdad Jim McDermott’s  Weekend in Baghdad.   That aside, Ed Morrissey, Hot Air, raises an interesting question:

The trip cost Saddam 2 million barrels of oil. To give that some perspective, Saddam allegedly paid George Galloway about 18 million barrels for his consistent outspoken support as a member of Parliament. Millions of barrels went to other politicans in France, Russia, and elsewhere as the means to keep the UN humanitarian mission in operation and to keep the US from calling a halt to Saddam’s rule.

At the time of Baghdad Jim’s excellent adventure, Oklahoma Senator Don Nicholes asserted, NBC::

“[S]ound somewhat like spokespersons for the Iraqi government.”

An unpaid spokesman or a well paid spokesman, Senator Nichols?  At the time oil was circa twenty-five dollars a barrel., and Saddam Hussein’s going rate was in the millions of barrels.   So with Saddam so lavish, why did Baghdad Jim sell out for a mere thirty pieces of silver and an airline ticket?

Melanie Morgan suggests, “Follow the Money: Towards Treason:”

Following Ben Bradlee’s excellent advice to Woodward and Bernstein during the Watergate era to ‘follow the money’, the Associated Press has learned that Saddam Hussein’s secret agents financed the trip towards treason.

In closing, I second TigerHawk:

Ba’athist is as Ba’athist does. Somebody ought to check into who paid for Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Syria

Addendum:(Bit)

A look at the record shows that some at least knew what was up. The Weekly Standard, from an article that was posted at the time of this trip said:

EVEN BEFORE the Baghdad boys left Iraq, media outlets throughout the Middle East gleefully highlighted divisions in the U.S. government and the travels by the “antiwar” congressmen. The Iraq Daily, for example, published by Saddam’s Ministry of Information, printed daily updates of the trip and posted them in English on their website.

For example, a September 30 report says, “the members of the U.S. Congress delegation has underlined that this visit aims to get acquainted with the truth of Iraq’s people sufferings due to ongoing embargo which caused shortage in food and medicine for all Iraqi people.” (That article appeared next to a report on Saddam’s continuing financial support for the families of Palestinian suicide bombers or, to use the paper’s formulation, “intrepid Palestinian uprising martyrs.” Also in that issue is an article by American white supremacist Matthew Hale, “Truth About 9-11: How Jewish Manipulation Killed Thousands.”)…

So how does it feel to be used as a propaganda tool against your own country? McDermott, who was asked that question by CNN’s Jane Arraf when he was still in Baghdad, said it feels fine. “If being used means that we’re highlighting the suffering of Iraqi children, or any children, then, yes, we don’t mind being used.”

Bolding is my own.

The Standard’s  Stephen Hayes notes the same article and says now:

Thompson and McDermott would have us believe that they visited a sworn enemy of the United States — one who had tried to assassinate a former president and declared that the “Mother of all Battles” had never ended — without doing even the most basic research about who was funding their trip? That’s hard to believe. And Bonior, who was from Michigan and had taken money from al Khafaji before, had no idea that he was backed by Saddam Hussein? When I spent a week reporting in Michigan for a story on Iraqi exiles, virtually every Iraqi I spoke to told me about al Khafaji and his dirty money. Is is possible that nobody ever mentioned this to Bonior, who recently chaired John Edwards’ presidential campaign, before he traveled to Iraq with al Khafaji? Again, hard to believe.

Yes, it is. But so is a lot of what the Democrats have been coming up with on Iraq since day one. There’s a lot of this story we’re not getting into yet, and I’d urge you to do some investigation on your own, to fully understand the depth of what we’re dealing with here. And Remember, gang, these are Democrats who want your vote.

Do you understand the depth of what we’re dealing with, here, people?

Raw Story is reporting:

A federal appeals court approved the release of former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman on bond Thursday while he appeals his convictions in a corruption case.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the former governor had raised “substantial questions of fact and law” in challenging his conviction.

The once-popular Democrat began serving a sentence of more than seven years in June on his conviction on six bribery-related counts and one obstruction count. He has been serving the sentence at a federal prison in Oakdale, La.

Apparently, the Democrats in the House… John Conyers, particularly… want a chance to label his prosecution a political act.

If they’re going to try that for all the Democarts in trouble they’re going to have a long fight of it. Perhaps this weekend, while the Blog is down, (Starting tonight at Midnight, by the way) I’ll spend that time compiling the stuff we’ve written since January, and list all the Democrat office holders up on criminal charges. The list is impressive, I’ll bet.

Jackie Calmes at the Wall Street Journal:

WASHINGTON — The racially charged debate over Barack Obama’s relationship with his longtime pastor hasn’t much changed his close contest against Hillary Clinton, or hurt him against Republican nominee-in-waiting John McCain, according to a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll.

There is but two ways to read this;

1. His voters don’t care about mere facts
2. His voters agree with the racist attitudes held by Obama’s Mr. Wright.

Frankly, I’m not sure which I find of larger concern.

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Ya know, I recognize that places like GoDaddy are getting a lot of legit business from ‘instant on’ operations like this, but there’s no denying their status as a genuine pain in the butt.

‘Nuff said.

Well, so says an article posted at Bluto’s place.

Many of them because of Coptic Christian priest Zakaria Botros, who makes a habit of publicly humiliating prominent ulema, Islamic theologians.

Botros brings up embarrassing aspects of sharia law, like the fact that Muslim men are permitted to have sex-slaves, and challenges the ulema to justify them. Their failure to do so is disturbing to many of the ummah. Deeply disturbing.

Gee, I can’t imagine why….

Bluto points to an NR post you’ll find enlightening.

Credit where it’s due Dept, and Henke got this one going away, today… He had me chuckling for a good 20 minutes with this one:

It’s 3:00 a.m., and your children are safe and asleep. Who do you want answering the phone? If your answer is Hillary Clinton, then who do you want answering the phone the next day when Hillary Clinton is tired?

Jon wins the Award. redeemable at any one of thousands of “Free Parking” locations.

• McQ has an examination of the money situation and Big Oil. Nice…. and worthy, but it doesn’t tell the rest of the taxation story. Note the comments. Sounds like I should be tapping that source from API that wrote me the other day. Maybe I’ll put something together this weekend.
• I must say, I’m a little nervous about the Blog being down for the move this weekend.  Withdrawal, perhaps? Oh, you didn’t know? Here. Read.
• Nice, Billy. You know, there are times in every profession when people watching just sit back and figure you’re doing everything you wanted to do… regardless that what you heard in your head wasn’t what came out of your amp. As to “rhythm guitar players get to drive the whole band when they know what they’re doing”… isn’t that what Mark Knopfler used to sing about? BTW, sorry to hear about Craig. You’ve written about him before, I think. And 80 on THAT road? In the dark? One word: Deer… sheesh.
• Michelle makes mention of the three Democrats making the trip to Baghdad on Saddam’s dime. I’ll likely comment more on this tomorrow, but I have to tell you it’s right in lne with what we know of these idiots.  Granted that they might not have known the source of the money, (More likely they knew damned well what the source was) but, even if, how many times can that excuse get used before someone starts to at least question their competency, if not their honesty?
• Reliapundit suggests that Obama is the farthest left candidate ever nominated. That would seem to place him in the category of “The MoveOn” Candidate. All the easier to crush them with, My Dear.
• Uh-oh….The Atlantic has decided Hillary’s not a nice person, and is now linking her to a church which supposedly has problems. Frankly, I don’t credit it much, but what the hell… pass the popcorn.

Richard Widmark has died at age 93.  A great actor but could never match his debut performance:

March 26 (Bloomberg) — Richard Widmark, the actor whose first movie role as a sneering psychopathic killer overshadowed his six-decade career playing gunfighters, lawmen, doctors and even a president, has died. He was 93

Then I hold that color and the end of film noir caused irrevesable damage to Widmark’s career.   Color didn’t do him too bad as Jim Bowie in The Alamo.  Filmography.

Addendum: 

Video from Kiss of Death:

[wp_youtube]FHHJsXH3BiU[/wp_youtube]

A not unexpected development, from Gallup, whose Frank Newport says:

A sizable proportion of Democrats would vote for John McCain next November if he is matched against the candidate they do not support for the Democratic nomination. This is particularly true for Hillary Clinton supporters, more than a quarter of whom currently say they would vote for McCain if Barack Obama is the Democratic nominee.

The numbers are a litle asymmetrical. The number of Hillary Clinton Supporters who would vote for McCain over Obama in the general election, comes out at  28%. The number of Obama supporters who would vote McCain over Clinton, on the other hand comes out at 19%.

The report concludes that:

…the continuing and sometimes fractious Democratic nomination fight could have a negative impact for the Democratic Party in next November’s election. A not insignificant percentage of both Obama and Clinton supporters currently say they would vote for McCain if he ends up running against the candidate they do not support.

First off, It’s hard to judge how accurate these poll data will be, in the end, given it’s early in the season to be making these kind of projections.  In each case, though, they’re quite a bit higher than in previous cycles, at the same relative time frame.

That said however I think Newport misreads the cause vs the effect. The Nomination fight isn’t causing the negative effects for the Democrats, it’s simply a reflection of a deep division that already existed, since 2000, and has been accelerated by MoveOn, and so on. So too, are the candidates themselves, a reflection of this deep factional division. Think of it this way; Does anyone think that a quick end to this nomination fight will end the underlying split?

I certainly don’t. Nor, apparently, do the people polled, if I’m reading this report correctly.

Addendum: (David L)

The grand conspiracy to which Chris Matthews alluded, between Rush Limbaugh and Mrs. Clinton appears to be working.    Please don’t stop slinging the mud.

Of course some of the ‘rats will drift back to the party’s nominee.  However the dissatisfaction among independents has be even higher.   That is the real story.

The Washington Times, this morning:

Researchers at Harvard say that publicly voiced doubts about the U.S. occupation of Iraq have a measurable “emboldenment effect” on insurgents there.

Periods of intense news media coverage in the United States of criticism about the war, or of polling about public opinion on the conflict, are followed by a small but quantifiable increases in the number of attacks on civilians and U.S. forces in Iraq, according to a study by Radha Iyengar, a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar in health policy research at Harvard and Jonathan Monten of the Belfer Center at the university’s Kennedy School of Government.

The increase in attacks is more pronounced in areas of Iraq that have better access to international news media, the authors conclude in a report titled “Is There an ‘Emboldenment’ Effect? Evidence from the Insurgency in Iraq.”

This isn’t rocket science, here, gang. Which party controls the press, again? And which party stands to gain power by means of our enemy being bolder, instead of defeated?

 By the way, in case you’re interested in the facts of the thing, the paper is available, free , (in PDF format).

(I note a number of people charging for it…. while the authors are not charging for it. Welcome to Net 2.0.)

ABC’s Jen Parker at Political Punch:

l just spoke with a Democratic Party official, who asked for anonymity so as to speak candidly, who said we in the media are all missing the point of this Democratic fight.

The delegate math is difficult for Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, the official said. But it’s not a question of CAN she achieve it. Of course she can, the official said.

The question is — what will Clinton have to do in order to achieve it?

Look, we know Clinton is willing to play political hardball, here, and has a scorched earth policy that would make Stalin himself blanch. We know all of that. But what is this noise I’m hearing form Howard Dean by way of Harry Reid, suggesting that Clinton will be well out of the way by the convention? “It will happen” Reid is reported as saying.  No links, yet, but when I get em, you will.

Addendum:  (David L)

Chris Matthews asserts that  the Cllintons would rather John McCain be the next president rather than Barack Obama.   Allah Pundit, Hot Air, links the video.  Then of course, Matthews also believes the Clintons are loyal democrats.   Sure Chrissy.   Personally I think by ‘Twelve, Mrs. Clnton will be less popular than month old garbage.