It’s Called Integrity, Bill. 

I’m going to say this at the outset, I think there are probably microbes on whale crap at the bottom of the ocean that are higher in the food chain than Bill Maher. I think it’s a measure of how far we haven’t gone to the left, and that Maher doesn’t have his ABC seat, anymore. Put another way: If the US and it’s voters were in the pocket of the far left as such as Stoller likes to claim, the Bill Maher would still have his ABC gig.

That said…Noel Shppard at NewsBusters examines the recent run-in between Maher and Damien Cave, who is a bright spot at the New York Times, a paper all too devoid of them.

RTWT.

Sheppard nails it well in his closing lines:

The reality is that to Maher and his ilk, Iraq is exclusively a political issue at home to be solely used to bash Bush and Republicans. As such, they ignore the millions of Iraqi lives at stake, as well as what happens to the war on terror if America loses this battle.

Sadly for them, this is only about poll numbers and the next election, and this is why folks like Maher and most of the media can’t bear the thought of the surge working, and America turning what looked to be a huge loss in this region into an historic victory.

Alas, you have to wonder what kind of a person puts vindication and political opportunism ahead of America and Iraq’s future.

The answer?

Democrats would.

Allah notes the story and says in part:

Given all the Times-bashing the righty blogosphere does, it’s worth acknowledging that their Iraq team plays it pretty straight: Cave, John Burns, Michael Gordon (whom the left loathes for his military “stenography”), Ed Wong, etc. It’d have been easy for Cave to seize this as an opportunity to make himself a media property by telling Maher what he wanted to hear. Kudos to him for resisting.

Indeed. It’s called integrity, and it’s something that Bill Maher lacks.

Email from several sources:

Regardless of where you stand on the issue of the U.S. involvement in Iraq, here’s a sobering statistic: There has been a monthly average of 160,000 troops in the Iraq theatre of operations during the last 22 months, and a total of 2,112 deaths.  That gives a firearm death rate of 60 per 100,000 soldiers.

The firearm death rate in Washington D.C. is 80.6 per 100,000 persons for the same period. That means that you are about 25% more likely to be shot and killed in the U.S. Capital than you are in Iraq.

Conclusion: The U.S. should pull out of Washington

Passed on from email without comment…

A United States Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and!
French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of officers that included personnel from most of the
countries.

Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English. He then asked “Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?”

Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied “Maybe it’s because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.”

You could have heard a pin drop …….

Captain Ed notes something odd, but not unexpected, in Florida:

For once, Howard Dean is right, and he’s likely to pay a large price for it.  Dean warned Florida Democrats that he would refuse to certify their delegates at the Democratic National Convention in 2008 for their participation in fouling up the primary schedule, which has Florida Democrats irate:

Florida lawmakers angrily assailed the Democratic National Committee and its chairman, Howard Dean, saying he is threatening to “disenfranchise” the state’s voters by considering a plan to invalidate the state’s presidential primary.The DNC’s rules committee is to vote today whether to sanction Florida for violating party rules by moving its primary up to Jan. 29 and violating a party rule against holding a primary before Feb. 5. The action would deny Florida its delegates at the party’s national convention next year and prohibit Democratic presidential candidates from campaigning in the state before the primary.

In a conference call with reporters yesterday, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said the DNC “is poised to assault the basic right of a person to vote at its meeting tomorrow.” He threatened to sue the national party to prevent the sanctions from being imposed.

The ban would extend to the candidates themselves. If the DNC followed through on this threat, the presidential candidates would be barred from campaigning in Florida during the primaries.

Leave it to the Democrats to find a new way to shoot themselves in the foot. Does anybody really think that enforcement of this particular rule is going to help Democrats get elected to office?

And in reality, this Florida situation is the result of them are falling around with Nevada, Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina’s primaries in an effort to up the number of Hispanic and black voters in the early primaries.  In short, they screwed themselves, because as it turns out the voters in and other states don’t like having their gravitas lessened.

I’d like you to consider something, however… it’s something the democrats don’t dare say, publicly, and of course the news media isn’t going to touch it, either.  The dirty little secret, what they’re not telling you, is this;

The Democrats wouldn’t be so busy stirring the pot on this, if they didn’t figure they needed to.  But why would they need to?  The fact of the matter is they are losing influence amongst minorities…  particularly blacks and Hispanics, who are increasingly showing up in rolls of Republican voters.

(Edit:Bit, Link repaired)

Update: HotAir’s got the story

The story of Cpl. Dale A. Burger Jr is a story of duty, honor and sacrifice. A young leader so concerned with his men he refused to stay out of combat even though wounded, and ended up making the ultimate sacrifice in support of other Marines.

So says McQ, in Today’s Project Hero.

Go. Read. Learn.  And wonder at how fortunate we are to have such men, wearing our country’s uniform.

Project Hero, is a worthy attempt on McQ’s part to remind us that we have heroes among us. Further, that these need to be honored as such. We at BitsBlog are proud to lend our voice to such a project.

Matt Stoller, idiot extraordinaire, has decided to declare war on centrist Democrats.

We’ve been working to identify the group of conservative Democrats in the House who are holding back progressives from being able to effectively govern. These are concentrated in two main caucuses, the Blue Dog Caucus and the New Democrat caucuses. Blue Dogs consider themselves heirs to the Southern conservative wing of the party, and tend to vote for socially restrictive policies and a hawkish foreign policy. The New Democrats tend to be more partisan, but often are key to passing important pieces of right-wing legislation, such as the Bankruptcy Bill. In the last few years, these two caucuses have expanded their numbers, and the Blue Dogs have become the swing vote in the House allowing for effective conservative control of the Congress. We want to put a stop to the embrace of conservative values among House Democrats, and make sure that when Democrats are elected, they act like Democrats.

(Chuckle) What does this idiot want?
Do they need to lie and cheat their way into office, Raise taxes at every turn?  Demand our military fail in Iraq? Bigger Government?  That would be acting like a Democrat.  The people who do so are invariably the people that Stoller has been lionizing on that site of his.

In any event, Stoller’s effort is doomed to fail.
The Democrats are already perceived as being too far to the left for most voters.  Indeed, the very reason that he thinks there’s a problem, is because most people, even democrats, are electing pols who are not as far to the left as Mr. Stoller would seem to prefer. There just isn’t the popular support for it.  Therefore, he may very well succeed in pushing his party to the left, and further into the kind of behavior I’ve described. But in doing so, he will be pushing his party even further out of the mainstream, and further away from being electable, thereby.

On that basis I say, more power to him. It’ll be the best thing the Republican party has had happen to it in a while.

Memorandum is abuzz with blogs repoting the death Fidell Castro, as if a dead man could die. Here is Perez Hilton:

Sources reveal exclusively to PerezHilton.com that U.S. officials will be holding a press conference shortly to announce the death of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.

The story has even breached the main stream media:

MIAMI -(AP)- The official word in Cuba is that Fidel Castro is still very much alive — but you’d never know that on the streets of Miami.
Premature rumors of Castro’s death are a staple in this heavily Cuban-exile city. But their frequency has intensified in recent days after his 81st birthday came and went Aug. 13 with neither pictures, letters nor recordings from him.

Update: (Bit)

Look at it this way; In Chicago Dead leftists can vote, repeatedly.   In Cuba they’ve perfected the process, and there, the dead can rule.  

 [/snark]

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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – The NFL indefinitely suspended Michael Vick without pay Friday just hours after he acknowledged in court papers that he did, indeed, bankroll gambling on dogfighting and helped kill some dogs not worthy of the pit. Vick, however, insisted he placed no bets of his own nor took any winnings.

Michael Vick has played his last down in the National Football League.  Killing dogs is a public embrassasment to the league.  However it is the involvement in gambling which killed Vick’s career. 

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The NY Post is reporting this morning:

August 24, 2007 — WASHINGTON – Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton yesterday raised the prospect of a terror attack before next year’s election, warning that it could boost the GOP’s efforts to hold on to the White House.

Well, that’s just wonderful.  She’s not worried about what this would do to the American people.  She’s not worried what an attack would do to the economy.  She’s not concerned what would happen in terms of impact on first responders. She’s not worried about how such an attack would affect our place in the world.  No, she’s worried about whether not it damage is her chances for the White House.

You know, time was, when someone wanted to hold a public office via the least where he  could fake, reasonably, the impression that they wanted to make life better for Americans.No our Hillary.  This woman knows nothing but what will aid or harm her own power grab.  That’s all any of this is.

And not to take on Hillary Clinton, so much, I will point out that other democrats have been saying the same thing.  They view such terrorism threats, not as threats on the American people, but as threats on their path to power.

A Marine Corps officer has reccomended dropping all charges iin another Marine slandered by Okinawa Jack Murtha.  Josh White
Washington Post:

An investigating officer has recommended that a Marine Corps general drop all charges against a Marine accused of murdering civilians in Haditha, Iraq, finding again that the 2005 shootings were “tragedies” but that the Marine did not violate the laws of combat.

Sister Toldjah, calls this, “Bad news for military-hating mediots and far lefties alike.”

Update:(Bit) Michelle has more.

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Michelle Malkin this morning,points to the Democrat screaming  for some kind of loan relief, and says:

Insane: Take from responsible taxpayers and give to homeowners who made bad investments and are up to their eyeballs in debt.

True enough.  But as I remarked elsewhere, let’s remember the involvement of the government enforcing the banks into those loans in the first place in the name of “equal opportunity” shall we?  They were the ones responsible for creating this situation and the first place.  And let’s remember that it was people like John Edwards who were most profiting by these loans existing in the first place….  To the tune of millions of dollars, in the case of Edwards.

Now that their money is made, there are asking for government to bail out the people who couldn’t pay the bill.  Essentially, what we have here is a guaranteed income for people like John Edwards.  At the expense, of course, of the taxpayer.

Now, perhaps, you begin to understand why the press was all fired up about the mortgage “crisis” that I still maintain exists only in the myths of the left and the otherwise mindless. It is part of the consistent effort exhibited of late on the part of the left to convince the American voter that the American economy is in the crapper.

And why would they do that? Fine, I’ll spell it out for you:
What has been, thus far the one unassailable success during the Bush administration?  The economy.

Now…  Tell me, what happens in November of next year?

Douglas Hanson over at the American Thinker, this morning, raises some questions about a story I blogged about the other day:

Yesterday, AT relayed a report  from AdnKronos International that Saddam’s former deputy and current leader of the banned Baath Party, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, has decided to quit Al-Qaeda and to join forces with Iraqi forces and the Coalition.  A former top Baath official, Abu Wisam al-Jashaami, told pan-Arab daily Al Hayat that al-Douri wanted to deal directly with US forces in Iraq.

This would certainly be a major breakthrough in bringing peace and stability to the country.  In fact, it would be such a huge deal that one would think press releases would immediately issued on the MNF-I , CENTCOM, or DoD websites; but there are no news items even hinting at this possibility.  Also, this isn’t the first time we’ve seen conflicting reports about al-Douri’s whereabouts and his possible death.  A $10 million reward will do that to people.  For example, in September of 2004, a man was arrested in Tikrit who Iraqis said was al-Douri, but DNA testing showed they captured the wrong guy.

The real problem with this report is that the US would even consider talking with this killer.  We have in the past violated our own policy of not negotiating with Sunni Baathists who had “blood on their hands,” but cutting a deal with al-Douri is a real stretch.

Perhaps.  However there is a larger issue at stake than merely one criminal.  And I would certainly be interested in dealing with someone over there who didn’t have blood on their hands, and yet have a sufficient following to make major changes over there.  I don’t think such person exists.   More importantly, nor do they.

As for Hanson’s mistrust of the situation,  I share it to some degree.  However, there’s far too much about it that rings true.  We have seen over the past month or two, a large number of individuals stepping forward within Iraq, ready to stand up against and fight against “al-Qaida in Iraq”.  (AQI)  (Looks like a stock symbol, doesn’t it?) This change, as Ed suggests, is because of…

…the performance of Petraeus and his work in Anbar and Diyala. The surge came as Sunnis had tired of AQI’s brutal imposition of Taliban-like rule, and the renewed American effort has given the tribes a reason to unite and to work with the Baghdad government.

al-Douri, If I read the signs correctly, considers himself in serious danger, given these change of events.  he’s trying to come out of this with his skin more or less intact.  He figures he has a better chance of doing that, by striking a deal than he does fighting alongside AQI.

There are no clear-cut “nice” answers to the problem presented us by Iraq.  We knew that going in, years back.  We’re not going to be able to solve these problems by sticking to the rule book.   the circumstances have provided as a choice between dealing with AQI, or al-Douri, who at least ostensibly would be willing to work with Baghdad.

The choice seems a no brainer, or is close to one as you’re going to get in that part of the world.

WASHINGTON -LA TIMES- The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is expected to advise President Bush to reduce the U.S. force in Iraq next year by almost half, potentially creating a rift with top White House officials and other military commanders over the course of the war.

Actually, no.  As James Joyner points out this morning this is hardly a major disagreement, since pretty much everyone has been saying this for weeks now:

As the name implies, the Surge was always intended to be a short term spike in forces. Pretty much every knowledgeable observer has said that the current levels are not sustainable for very long. Now, it may be that Gates’ proposal would cut troop strength somewhat further than has previously been announced but, really, it’s just haggling over numbers.

And so the question becomes, what does the leftist press gain by creating the image of an argument going on?  Simple; they get to claim that the left finally overrode President Bush on his Iraq war plans.  The left is desperate for any victory on Iraq it can find.  In other words, they’re looking for our defeat.  Thing is, as usual, it isn’t true.

The FBI has released photographs of persons of interest who were seen acting suspiciouslly aboard several Seattle area ferries.   The attitude of the Council on American Islamic Relations is summed by the Seattle-Times headline, “FBI’s release of ferry passenger photos resented.”

Aside, Mrs. Cilnton feigns anger by accusing the government of ignoring people.  CAIR gets angry when the government does not ignore people   So when is CAiR going to denounce Mrs. Clinton?

More, Newsbusters.

Hat tip photo:  Michelle Malkin

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An illustration of the intense pressure Democrats are under from the anti-war liberal left can be found in news about plans already underway for major protests at the party’s presidential nominating convention in Denver next summer.

The group is called Re-create 68 — a reference to the 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago that saw the party torn apart by anti-war protests.

Re-create 68’s Web site says, “We intend to recreate that revolutionary feeling and pick up where our predecessors left off.” It says it is “for all the grassroots people who are tired of being sold out by the Democratic Party.” And it urges supporters to come to Denver and “resist a two-party system that allows imperialism and racism to continue unrestrained.”

That, of course, is Fox’s Britt Hume.

So they’re going to try and recreate 1968.  Interesting. This effort reveals many things.  Primary among them is that these idiots don’t learn from history.

Perhaps they ought to look very closely at what the effect of Chicago was.  Not just in the 1968 election, mind you; I would suggest that it had a devastating effect on the 72 election as well.  The Democrats in the form of Hubert Humphrey lost big in 68.   But think about what happened between then and 72 … they tried to opening left to accommodate the protesters and their supporters, by nominating George McGovern.
You may recall that that was not exactly a high point of Democratic party politics.

In general, in politics the rule is past = prologue.   Do the math.