MotherJones.com | MoJoBlog - Social Issues and Political Commentary: "Humor is a Form of Common Sense": Further Notes on Franken's Minnesota Run

MotherJones.com MoJoBlog - Social Issues and Political Commentary: "Humor is a Form of Common Sense": Further Notes on Franken's Minnesota Run:

"Franken has an aura of authenticity that Minnesotans were buzzing about. Maybe
it's that he sometimes gets so angry over a Bush Administration sin that he
stumbles over his words and loses any semblance of a politician's veneer. Maybe
it's that he has confronted all of the Right's biggest bullies (O'Reilly,
Limbaugh, Gingrich, Wolfowitz, among others) and no half-hearted liberal would
put his reputation in harm's way so recklessly and frequently. Regardless of the
reason, people buy in. 'We tend to send the same kind of people [to
Washington],' said a retired farmer I spoke with Minnesota. '[They] are
arrogant, have ambition, and have drive, and when they get there they kind of
forget why they went. I think Al is the kind of person who if he got there would
be the same kind of person he is now.'"

Appears that our friend Al Fraken is doing well with his senate run. I don't know that much about his politics, but his stand on the issues comes across to me at least as being thought out and mature. He doesn't strike me as a person that would hold the party line, he isn't afraid to challenge either side when he feels that needs to be done. For me character is sometimes more important than issues, you will never agree with everyone on the issues. It is important to know that they get to their positions thoughtfully and not by following either the party line or the polls.

lgf: Islamic Countries Denounce Freedom of Expression

lgf: Islamic Countries Denounce Freedom of Expression:

"The Organization of the Islamic Conference, infamous for its antisemitic
statements and tacit support for terrorism, and comprised of nations with
absolutely abysmal records on human rights, where freedom of religion is utterly
nonexistent, wants the world to de-link Islam from terrorism. They’re not
talking about stopping the actual terrorism, of course—just “de-linking” the
word “terror” from Islam. They want the West to give up that pesky “free speech”
thing, and stop offending Muslims. The same old drill."

If they want those words to no longer be connected, then they need to take strong action to stop terrorists that use Islam as a cover. They need to stop terrorists who act in their name, work from their countries and share their faiths. If they want the west to stop thinking about Islam and terror as connected ideas, they have to take action to show the world that they are not connected.

Unless the fact is that they are connected.

Robert Kaplan On The Surge and General Petraeus

Townhall.com::Blog: Robert Kaplan On The Surge and General Petraeus

"The idea that General Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker are front men for
the administration is ludicrous. Until he took the job as overall ground
commander in Iraq, Petraeus was a favorite of liberal journalists: the Princeton
man who enjoyed the company of the media and intellectuals, so much so that he
was vaguely distrusted by other general officers who envied the good ink he
received. As for Crocker, he is a hard-core Arabist, a professional species that
I once wrote a book about: He is the least likely creature on earth to buy into
neoconservative ideas about the Middle East. Neither of these men are identified
with the decision to go to war. If I had to bet, I’d say that Crocker especially
would have been against it, like his other Arabist colleagues. Thus, these men
have no personal stake in proving the president right. They and their staffs are
much more likely to provide a balanced analysis of the reality in Iraq than
senators and congressmen looking over their shoulders at opinion polls and
future elections. As Petraeus said, “I wrote this testimony myself,” meaning,
the White House had nothing to do with it. Watching them brief Congress Monday,
I came away convinced that they made a better impression on the public than
anyone else in the room."

Democrats have gotten to the sad state that all those who disagree with them are stooges of Bush. They can't believe that someone would have an honest opinion about the war that is different than them.

Wiping The Floor With Tariq Ramadan

Advice Goddess Blog: Wiping The Floor With Tariq Ramadan

"Finally, here's the audio of Hitchens crashing Tariq Ramadan's session at
Festivaletteratura in Mantua (after Ramadan wriggled out of debating Hitchens,
probably knowing Hitchens would make quick work of his po-mo bullshit claims
about the kumbaya-ness of Islam)."

I love hearing Hitchens take on people. I don't always agree but he is smart and knows how to ask good questions. Click the link for the site with the audio link.

Daily Kos: Things that make you go "huh??????"

Daily Kos: Things that make you go "huh??????":

"But Gingrich, who represented Georgia for 20 years, indicated that a push
he is making for a grass-roots change in how the country is governed, with less
partisanship, would take at least five years to develop into a coherent
alternative to the current system."

Gingrich does not seem like the ideal person to be talking about bi-partisanship.

Ted Stevens had oil company employees renovate his home - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth

Ted Stevens had oil company employees renovate his home - AMERICAblog: A great nation deserves the truth:

"Ex-Veco Corp. CEO Bill Allen admitted in court Friday that he had company
employees work several months on a remodeling project at the Girdwood home of
U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens. The former head of the oil field services company made
the admission Friday while testifying in the federal corruption trial of a
former state lawmaker."

This clearly sounds dirty to me, he should be voted out of office. Seats of congress are not a ticket to get work done on your house for free. That is taking advantage of the trust the people have placed in you as a leader.

Crooks and Liars » Romney Attacks Democrats Lack Of Experience in Foreign Policy

Crooks and Liars » Romney Attacks Democrats Lack Of Experience in Foreign Policy:

"If nothing else, Mitt Romney is a perpetual irony machine. Yesterday, Romney
added to his legend by proclaiming that his three leading Democratic opponents -
all U.S. Senators - lack his foreign policy experience"

He has a point, but it isn't a point that helps him any since he doesn't have any more experience than they do. The best person in terms of foreign policy experience is Hilary. She has been around the world and met leaders as the first lady.

Hugh Hewitt's Ron Paul Interview

Mary Katharine Ham talks Iraq, Hillary

Geraldo Rivera apologizes to Michelle Malkin