Bolton Smacks the Beeb

Washington Times- Samuel R. Berger, the Clinton White House national security adviser who was caught taking highly classified documents from the National Archives, has agreed to forfeit his license to practice law.
    In a written statement issued by Larry Breuer, Mr. Berger’s attorney, the former national security adviser said he pleaded guilty in the Justice Department investigation, accepted the penalties sought by the department and recognized that his law license would be affected.
    “I have decided to voluntarily relinquish my license,” he said. “While I derived great satisfaction from years of practicing law, I have not done so for 15 years and do not envision returning to the profession. I am very sorry for what I did, and I deeply apologize.”

So, Berger’s taking a slap on the wrist that affects  him not at all, as the extent of punishment for his involvement in what is likely the most imprtant intel scandal of our time. Further, this action protects both him and the Clintons from punishment;

In giving up his license, Mr. Berger avoids being cross-examined by the Board on Bar Counsel, where he risked further disclosure of specific details of his theft.

 Of course Demorats see nothing wrong with this.

More at HotAir

Andrew the Excitable, a.k.a Andrew Sullivan, has breathlessly proclaimed that following Paul’s debate debacle, that Paul has “elevated” the debates..

Meanwhile back the land of the sane, John Hawkins, Right Wing News,  douses Sullly in sanity:

Oh, that Sullivan really has his finger on the pulse of conservatism, doesn’t he? Of course, it’s hardly a surprise that a guy like Sullivan, who tried to claim that John Kerry was the conservative choice in 2004, is clueless enough to believe that Paul is now somehow a hot property after a performance at the debate that nauseated most decent people.

(H/T photo:  America )

Some interesting points from George Will today:

WASHINGTON — Democrats, seething at the injustice of gasoline prices, have sprung to the aid of embattled motorists. So resolute are Democrats about defending the downtrodden, they are undeterred by the fact that motorists, not acting like people trodden upon, are driving more than ever. Gasoline consumption has increased 2.14 percent during the last year.

That probably is explained by the inconvenient (to the Democrats’ narrative) truth that Speaker Nancy Pelosi was characteristically overwrought when she said that Democrats intend to do this and that because the price of gasoline recently “set a record” at $3.07 a gallon. In real (inflation-adjusted) rather than nominal dollars, $3.07 is less than gasoline cost in 1981.

 

Other points:

“since 1975, energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product has fallen 48 percent.” Furthermore, “oil represents a shrinking share of total U.S. energy consumption — from 44 percent in 1970 to 40 percent in 2005.” The oil America consumes — only one-eighth of which comes from the Middle East — is used almost entirely in transportation, and accounts for about 40 percent of energy uses. Half of America’s electricity is generated by coal, of which America has a huge abundance.

Hmm. Sounds to me like there’s a lot being made of nothing.  And the BIGGEST nothing is what the Demcrats have added to their stated goal of reducing price at the pump;  the date of 1975 as he mentions is the last time anyone’s managed to get through the EPA driven red tape… red tape provided quite willingly by the Democrats… to build a new refinery.

So, let’s take inventory… lots of  crude, but limited refining capacity, (Which means short supply on gas and higher prices) and no sign the Democrats are going to allow people to build a refinery anytime soon, despite their claims they want to lower prices.

If you takes these jokers, err ministers, seriously, apparently the feelings of Moslems are more precious than the lives of non-Moslems.   The ministers call, “Islamophobia Worst Form of Terrorism:’ 

ISLAMABAD, 17 May 2007 — Foreign ministers of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) yesterday expressed grave concern at the rising tide of discrimination and intolerance against Muslims, especially in Europe and North America. “It is something that has assumed xenophobic proportions,” they said in unison.

While the ministers rail against offended Moslems sensibilties, no actual violence against Moslems is ever cited.  The Minister mention thousands of deaths of non-Moslems, but only in passing.

“The increasingly negative political and media discourse targeting Muslims and Islam in the United States and Europe has made things all the more difficult,” the foreign ministers said. “Islamophobia became a source of concern, especially after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, but the phenomenon was already there in Western societies in one form or the other,” they pointed out. “It gained further momentum after the Madrid and London bombings. The killing of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh in 2004 was used in a wicked manner by certain quarters to stir up a frenzy against Muslims,” the ministers pointed out. Van Gogh had made a controversial film about Muslim culture.

The deaths of non-Moslems are to be excused, ignored, forgotten.  On the other hand, the feelings of Moslems must be protected at all costs.  So to take the minister at their word, if Molsems kill non-Moslems, there no reason for concern.  Yet if Moslem sensibilities are slighted, there should be grave concern.

(H/T:  Ethel C. Fenig, American Thinker )

Addendum:  More, Robert Spencer, Jihad Watch )

The server this site is hosted on had some issues apparently this morning, preventing readers… and writers… from accessing it, though it looks OK at the moment.

I’ll be watching.

If the Speaker thinks she has been feeling heat from the Republicans, she’d better watch her back and check the skies. The vultures are already circling around this Speakership

Mark I, Red State.

From Boehner’s office by way of Goldberg:

DEMOCRATS TO CHANGE 185 YEAR-OLD HOUSE RULE TO ALLOW TAX HIKES WITHOUT HAVING TO VOTE

May 16, 2007

In a stunning move, House Democrats today revealed they will attempt to rewrite House rules that have gone unchanged since 1822 in order to make it possible to increase taxes and government spending without having to vote and be held accountable. House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today vowed Republicans will use every available means to fight this unprecedented change.

“This is an astonishing attempt by the majority leadership to duck accountability for tax-and-spend policies the American people do not want,” Boehner said. “The majority leadership is gutting House rules that have been in place for 185 years so they can raise taxes and increase government spending without a vote. House Republicans will use every tool available to fight this abuse of power.”

Last November, House Democratic leaders promised the most open, ethical Congress in history:

“[W]e promised the American people that we would have the most honest and most open government and we will.” (Nancy Pelosi press stakeout, December 6, 2006)

“We intend to have a Rules Committee … that gives opposition voices and alternative proposals the ability to be heard and considered on the floor of the House.” (Steny Hoyer in CongressDaily PM, December 5, 2006)

The rules House Democrats are seeking to change have not been changed since 1822.

Republicans have already achieved significant legislative successes on the House floor with 11 consecutive “motion-to-recommit” victories that exposed flaws and substantively improved weaknesses in underlying Democrat bills. But rather than living by the same rules which have guided the House of Representatives for 185 years, Democrats are proposing to change the rules in order to game the system and raise taxes and increase spending without a House vote. What are House Democrats afraid of?

Welcome to yet another of the benefits of ‘mixed government’.

…. and the winner is Fox.

The Sister is right.  Fox coverage was better, much better.  Stephen Spruiell, NRO-Media Blog,has a montage of first questions from the NBC debate and then from the Fox debate.  The contrast is dramatic and stark.  Democrats do not do themselves a service by boycotting Fox.

More, Sister Toldjah.

The man who organized the “Live Aid” concerts to help feed the hungry back in 1985 is not happy with Al Gore’s plan to stage his “Live Earth” concerts this summer to fight global warming. Bob Geldof tells a Dutch newspaper that while the names are similar, too similar, he says, there’s one big difference — the Gore concerts have no specific purpose. Geldof says: “Why is Gore actually organizing them? To make us aware of the greenhouse effect? Everybody’s known about that problem for years. We are all … conscious of global warming.” Geldof says he would only organize the shows if there was something important to announce. Otherwise, he says, “it’s just an enormous pop concert.”

 

So says Jim Angle, last night.

Geldof has it half right; It has a purpose: Political fundraising.

New York Senator Hillary Clinton, who changes accents as easily as jewellery, is using an image of Mother Teresa from a campaign video narrated by her husband former President Bill Clinton. Only Hillary would try to don Mother Teresa like a string of pearls. There are those who would say that Mother Teresa and Clinton don’t belong in the same sentence. “It is wholly inappropriate, disrespectful and disturbing that Hillary Clinton is using an image of Blessed Mother Teresa as a political tool, especially given their radically different views on abortion,” said Joseph Cella, President of Fidelis, a Catholic advocacy group. The nun, revered as The Patron Saint of Gutters during her life on earth, fought lioness like to protect unborn children. Hillary Clinton “staunchly supports abortion on demand in all nine months of pregnancy, including partial birth abortion and taxpayer funding of abortion,” said Fidelis.

 

So says The Hillary Project.

The very living definition of “Shameless”.

I’ve already spoken about Opie and Anthony. Events have prevented that post from being the last word on the subject.

Paul Lamonica likely won’t get that honor, either.

So much for satellite radio being a medium where shock jocks can get away with anything. XM Satellite Radio (XMSR) announced Tuesday that the network was suspending Gregg “Opie” Hughes and Anthony Cumia and ceasing to broadcast their “Opie and Anthony” show for 30 days effective immediately.

The two came under fire last week after they aired a segment that featured a homeless person saying he wanted to have sex with Condoleeza Rice, Laura Bush and Queen Elizabeth. The two even joked about Rice being raped and punched in the face. (We’re not going to link to their comments, but for those of you who want to hear exactly what they said, the audio can be easily Googled.)

Although the shock jocks apologized on Monday’s show, XM did not seem satisifed with their remarks.

“XM Radio deplored the comments aired on “The Opie & Anthony Show” last week. At the time, the company strongly expressed its views to Opie and Anthony, and they issued an immediate apology,” the company said in the statement.

“Comments made by Opie and Anthony on yesterday’s broadcast put into question whether they appreciate the seriousness of the matter. The management of XM Radio decided to suspend Opie and Anthony to make clear that our that our on-air talent must take seriously the responsibility that creative freedom requires of them,” the company added.

The bottom line, gang, is the bottom line. The duo may very well be right in terms of corporate America bowing to the PC Police.  But what O&A need to get a grip on is the reality that they serve at the pleasure of the XM folks…. just like any other corporation hires and fires.

This exemplifies how in a free market… IE,  unregulated… world, corporate pressure is as effective as is the power of government.