September 2008

Lipstick on a Pig

ArchPundit September 9, 2008 No Comments

It’s McCain who is the pig, Just ask the DNC in July:

When John McCain rolls out his “Jobs First” economic tour in Denver today, he’ll have a lot of explaining to do to the American people. Senator McCain, according to the Wall Street Journal, “isn’t expected to say anything new” and will only “repackage proposals he has already outlined,” the equivalent of putting lipstick on a pig. With his support of George Bush‘s disastrous economic policies that have hurt America, voters will see Senator McCain offers nothing more than four more years of lost jobs, pain at the pump and a squeeze for the Middle Class.

That Nedra Pickler wrote that crap is another demonstration of  stenography instead of reporting.

Let’s see some other example of Lipstick on a Pig

CNNMay 15, 2008 Thursday
SHOW: CNN ELECTION CENTER 8:00 PM EST

CROWLEY: Well, Bush is a big part of the problem, but I also think that they just don’t have a clear vision for how to get out of this hole. So they’ll be happy to get rid of Bush and they’ll be happy to be associated more closely with McCain than with Bush.

But Bush made them walk the plank on a lot of tough votes. They’ve taken a lot of positions. It’s going to be hard for them to run away from. Anyone who’s been there for a little while has to explain the record that the Congress has shown, that as Tara just explained, totally flew in the face of a lot of fiscal values.

Spending went through the roof. They didn’t get a lot done. They said they were going to. So it’s not going to solve their problem completely. I don’t really know how they’d get out of this fix. I mean, they’re trying to put lipstick on a pig.

I think to some extent, they’re just –it’s like when a team in sports just takes the hit and they rebuild, you know, and you just start from the bottom again. They’ve got to get some new leadership, some new guys to chart a new course.

National Journal’s CongressDaily
April 03, 2008 Thursday 19:00 pm Eastern Time

“Right now our fundraising sucks,” Boehner said. “There’s no other way to put it … There’s no use putting lipstick on a pig.” Afterward, Boehner said to win seats “you need a credible candidate, you’ve got to have issues and you’ve got to have resources.” He then added, “We have to raise more money.”

Federal News Service
February 1, 2007 Thursday

: It gets down to whether you support what’s being done in this new strategy or you don’t. You can put lipstick on a pig. It’s still a pig in my view. (Laughter.) And so we are — it fundamentally gets down to that.

Candy Crowley, John Boehner and John McCain–sexist bastards.

Rich mentioned reasons to hate Washington–this is a perfect example.

Familiar Tone to a Relationship

ArchPundit September 9, 2008 No Comments

Sounds like a place I know:

Palin has spent little time in Juneau, rarely coming to the state capital except when the Legislature was in session, and sometimes not even then.
During a recent special session called by Palin herself, she faced criticism from several legislators for not showing up personally to push for her agenda.
Someone at the Capitol even printed up buttons asking “Where’s Sarah?”
Rep. Andrea Doll, D-Juneau, called it a telling question.
“At a time when her leadership was truly needed, we didn’t know where she was,” Doll said.

Even more so

More on Sarah Palin’s great scam of the state of Alaska, charging the state of Alaska for “travel” expenses while staying at home, all while making a big show of “saving taxpayer money” by getting rid of her private chef (all mooseshit, of course).

From the Anchorage Daily News, 7/29/2007, via Lexis/Nexis:

“Holding a special session in Anchorage last month cost the state at
least $103,500, according to the head of the Legislative Affairs Agency.

Criticized for adjourning the regular session without renewing a
program that gave cash payments to low-income seniors, legislators
called the one-day meeting on June 26 […]

Legislators earned a per diem of $278 each. The money is meant to be
used on meals and hotels, she said, and is a little more than
legislators would get in Juneau.

Holding the session in Anchorage costs about $2,000 more per day for
per diems, which are based on rates set by the federal government,
she said.

The overall price tag struck Gov. Sarah Palin as too high.

“That makes absolutely no sense, that a seven-hour meeting costs our
Legislature over $100,000,” Palin said. “What the heck were they
charging the state for then?”

Yeah! What /were/ they charging the state for? Were they living at home, yet squeezing travel expenses out of it? Were they bringing the whole family down to Anchorage on the government’s dime? Were they staying in $707 per night hotels?

It’s important those questions get answered, otherwise, this episode will start to look suspiciously like … hypocrisy. I know, I know, this is all hard to believe given that she eats mooseburgers and chose life, but there it is.

This episode may just have bought Sarah Palin another two weeks of isolation from the media.

You’ll have excuse me, but I’ve seen this play and I didn’t like it the first time.  That, my friends, is not change we can believe in and it’s not rocking the system.

She didn’t show up often, got paid extra for not showing up, and then criticized others for getting per diem.  That’s testicular virility, my friends.

Because You Want More Cycling News

ArchPundit September 9, 2008 No Comments

Bobby Julich retired

Largely overshadowed by Lance, he did come in 3rd in the 1998 Tour.

Bonnie D. Ford with More on Lance and a Little On Landis

ArchPundit September 9, 2008 No Comments

One of my favorite sports writers addresses the Lance speculation:

Confusion reigned as the rumors — still unconfirmed by any of the principals — bloomed like algae on the surface of the mainstream media. What in the world could be motivating him? It couldn’t be money, and it couldn’t be titles. Could it be ego? Altruism, in the form of increased revenue for cancer research? Boredom? Enough with the tabloid headlines and the blondes, already? The need to respond in a different way, to the doping innuendo that never dies, even though Armstrong never tested positive, and stirs afresh every time some ex-teammate gets caught?

Chances are that if this story moves from the realm of the theoretical into the concrete, there’s a bit of all of the above at work, but the last item on the list is the most elusive. The seven-time Tour winner is said to be planning a comeback with Astana, where his former boss Johan Bruyneel runs the show. Last year, Bruyneel contracted with respected Danish anti-doping researcher and certified cynic Rasmus Damsgaard to put his riders under the microscope, in the form of rigorous out-of-competition blood testing that is designed to show suspicious deviations from an athlete’s normal biological parameters. The VeloNews report suggested the Texan will race in five big events, including the Tour of California, and put his testing numbers online to offer proof that he is not cheating. In so doing, he would be jumping on a bandwagon that got rolling only after he left the sport.

I don’t think Lance knows what to do with himself if he’s not racing.  It’s the same thing as with Michael Jordan–both identify themselves as competitors.  That he can torment those claiming he used to dope* is just a bonus.

Landis is apparently team shopping and for those that only know the story from the headlines, I have long been convinced the drug tests for Landis are simply not reliable and the lab made enough procedural errors we cannot know whether he doped reliably.  The system is stacked to uphold findings regardless of what problems are identified and in Landis’ case, the evidence would never have stood up in a US Court.  The saddest thing is we can never know whether he doped or not–which is the worst outcome for the sport.  For detailed coverage on the problems regarding dope testing and such make sure to visit Trust but Verity.

*  I’ve always thought Lance probably doped before cancer–after cancer, there’s no evidence.

Astana!

ArchPundit September 8, 2008 No Comments

Lance is getting the band back together!

Armstrong, who turns 37 this month, will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, the Dauphiné Libéré and the Tour de France — and will race for neither salary nor bonuses, the sources, who asked to remain anonymous, told VeloNews.

Armstrong’s manager, Mark Higgins, did not respond to questions. And an Astana spokesman denied the report to The Associated Press.

“He is no part of our team,” Astana team press officer Philippe Maertens told the AP in an e-mail. “Team Astana has no plans with him.”

However, sources close to the story have told VeloNews that an exclusive article on the matter will be published in an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, expected later this month. Vanity Fair editors did not respond to requests for comment.

Rumors of Armstrong’s return swirled at last week’s Eurobike trade show in Germany and this week’s Tour of Missouri.

The rumor speculates that Armstrong will reunite with former team manager Johan Bruyneel at Team Astana — a viable option given Armstrong’s long-lasting relationships not only with the Belgian director but also Trek, Astana’s bike sponsor.

According to sources, the Texan will post all of his internally tested blood work online, in an attempt to establish complete transparency and prove that he is a clean athlete.

This is a giant screw you to WADA and UCI

With any luck it will be Lance and the royally screwed over Floyd Landis competing for first place.

According to sources, the Texan will post all of his internally tested blood work online, in an attempt to establish complete transparency and prove that he is a clean athlete.

That way when the Chatenay-Malabry lab screws up the samples, there is something to compare it to–in fact every team should do this for exactly that reason.

Dick Pound’s head just exploded.  Heh.

I’m not sure what it will mean for the rest of Astana which has both Leipheimer and Contador on the team–two people who on their own are GC threats-Contador winning the 2007 race.

Daily Dolt: Illinois Review

ArchPundit September 8, 2008 No Comments

Apparently, the fine bloggers over at Illinois Review are now posting viral e-mails now.

Before you dismiss the fact that Sarah Palin is Commander of the Alaska National Guard consider this.

• Alaska is the first line of defense in our missile interceptor defense system.

• The 49th Missile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard is the unit that protects the entire nation from ballistic missile attacks. It is on permanent active duty, unlike other Guard units.

• As governor of Alaska, Palin is briefed on highly classified military issues, homeland security, and counter-terrorism. Her exposure to classified material may rival even Biden’s and certainly by far exceeds Obama’s.

• She’s also the commander in chief of the Alaska State Defense Force (ASDF), a federally recognized militia incorporated into Homeland Security’s counterterrorism plans.

• Palin is privy to military and intelligence secrets that are vital to the entire country’s defense.

• Given Alaska ‘s proximity to Russia, she may have security clearances we don’t even know about.

According to the Washington Post, she first met with McCain in February, but nobody ever found out. This is a woman used to keeping secrets. She can be entrusted with our national security, because she already is.

Not so much according to the Alaskan Adjutant General

Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, considers Palin “extremely responsive and smart” and says she is in charge when it comes to in-state services, such as emergencies and natural disasters where the National Guard is the first responder.

But, in an interview with The Associated Press on Sunday, he said he and Palin play no role in national defense activities, even when they involve the Alaska National Guard. The entire operation is under federal control, and the governor is not briefed on situations.

Stephen C. Donehoo, managing director of Kissinger McLarty Associates in Washington, and former military intelligence officer specializing in Latin America:

1. This is the greatest line though:

Given Alaska ‘s proximity to Russia, she may have security clearances we don’t even know about

While security clearance levels are generally not discussed, there is little reason to believe given the above that she has a different security clearance than most Governors.  She is not in operational command of the National Guard at that level.  Where Governors usually get their clearance is in regards to Homeland Security which can be done by exception or in other cases they do go through the process.  This is a sore point with the National Governor’s Association because clearance for Homeland Security doesn’t give you clearance from the FBI.  One has to go through another one.

Furthermore, the February meeting wasn’t a secret:

McCain first met Palin in February at a National Governors Assn. meeting in Washington, according to Jill Hazelbaker, a campaign spokeswoman.

Another advisor, Charlie Black, said McCain and Palin spent about 90 minutes in a meeting with about six other governors and then spoke privately for about 15 minutes that night at a reception.

Black, who accompanied McCain to the meeting, said the Arizona senator quizzed her about energy issues in Alaska, including a natural gas pipeline that is being built there. McCain, he said, admired her record “of taking on the old boy network” in both parties.

After the meeting, Hazelbaker said, “John McCain followed her career and admired her tenacity and her many accomplishments.”

As a result, McCain added Palin’s name to his list when he first began considering potential running mates, the aides said.

Finally, working from his home in Phoenix, McCain arranged to speak with Palin by telephone Sunday while she was at the Alaska State Fair.

The upshot: Palin and a longtime aide, Kris Perry, flew to Flagstaff, Ariz., on Wednesday and met in secret with two of McCain’s closest aides, Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter. To avoid reporters, they huddled at the home of Bob Delgado, who runs the Phoenix-based beer distributorship owned by McCain’s wife, Cindy.

On Thursday morning, McCain and his wife invited Palin and her aide to their 15-acre compound near Sedona. McCain was so impressed, Hazelbaker said, that he formally invited the Alaskan to join his ticket at 11 a.m., when they were on the deck of the McCain family home.

Posting idiotic viral e-mails without checking them out pretty much sums up Illinois Review.

Kinda Like An Old Soviet Factory

ArchPundit September 8, 2008 No Comments

The road to nowhere:

Meanwhile, work is under way on a three-mile road on Gravina Island, originally meant to connect the airport and the new bridge. State officials said last year they were going ahead with the $25 million road because the money would otherwise have to be returned to the federal government.

So when she says she hates earmarks it would be nice if the press could point out that she is lying.

The Problem With Mathematical Illiteracy

ArchPundit September 8, 2008 No Comments

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YzTRsMpddQ[/youtube]

Drilling doesn’t solve anything:

FRIEDMAN: Oh, about 1% to global demand, or global resources if we find anything. I tried to imagine if there were Russian, Saudi, and Iranian observer at that convention listening to them say “Drill, baby, drill” what would they have been doing? They would have been up their high fiving each other. They would have been leading that chant, because that means you, American, you’re going to be focused on 19th century oil, rather than giving birth to a 20th century which could threaten us, renewable energy.

Energy efficiency is the first step and then pushing for clean energy sources is the second. If you want to truly be ready for this century, developing the technology for clean energy is where the money is to be made.  Doing it first means you get to profit from the technology.

The nuclear power fetish is the most odd–there’s no where to put the waste–if Yucca opens, it will be full on day one.  So before one can committ to nuclear plants, someone has to identify how to dispose of the waste.

Oh, and McCain’s lying about renewables

Given the fact that Senator McCain deliberately avoided voting on all eight attempts to pass a bill extending the vital tax credits and production subsidies to expand our wind and solar industries, and given his support for lowering the gasoline tax in a reckless giveaway that would only promote more gasoline consumption and intensify our addiction to oil, and given his desire to make more oil-drilling, not innovation around renewable energy, the centerpiece of his energy policy — in an effort to mislead voters that support for drilling today would translate into lower prices at the pump today — McCain has forfeited any claim to be a green candidate.

So please, students, when McCain comes to your campus and flashes a few posters of wind turbines and solar panels, ask him why he has been AWOL when it came to Congress supporting these new technologies.

=======

Palin’s nomination for vice president and her desire to allow drilling in the Alaskan wilderness “reminded me of a lunch I had three and half years ago with one of the Russian trade attachés,” global trade consultant Edward Goldberg said to me. “After much wine, this gentleman told me that his country was very pleased that the Bush administration wanted to drill in the Alaskan wilderness. In his opinion, the amount of product one could actually derive from there was negligible in terms of needs. However, it signified that the Bush administration was not planning to do anything to create alternative energy, which of course would threaten the economic growth of Russia.”

So, college students, don’t let anyone tell you that on the issue of green, this election is not important. It is vitally important, and the alternatives could not be more black and white.

I’ve never understood the desire to remain reliant on regimes that do not have our best interests in mind.

Flippity Floppity

ArchPundit September 8, 2008 No Comments

For it, against it–you know the drill:

HE FACTS: Palin did abandon plans to build the nearly $400 million bridge from Ketchikan to an island with 50 residents and an airport. But she made her decision after the project had become an embarrassment to the state, after federal dollars for the project were pulled back and diverted to other uses in Alaska, and after she had appeared to support the bridge during her campaign for governor.

McCain and Palin together have told a broader story about the bridge that is misleading. She is portrayed as a crusader for the thrifty use of tax dollars who turned down an offer from Washington to build an expensive bridge of little value to the state.

“I told the Congress ‘thanks but no thanks’ for that Bridge to Nowhere,” she said in her convention speech last week.

That’s not what she told Alaskans when she announced a year ago that she was ordering state transportation officials to ditch the project. Her explanation then was that it would be fruitless to try to persuade Congress to come up with the money.

“It’s clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island,” Palin said then.

Palin indicated during her 2006 campaign for governor that she supported the bridge, but was wishy-washy about it. She told local officials that money appropriated for the bridge “should remain available for a link, an access process as we continue to evaluate the scope and just how best to just get this done.”

She vowed to defend Southeast Alaska “when proposals are on the table like the bridge and not allow the spinmeisters to turn this project or any other into something that’s so negative” — something that McCain was busy doing at the time, as a fierce critic of the bridge.

Even so, she called the bridge design “grandiose” during her campaign and said something more modest might be appropriate.

WTF?

ArchPundit September 8, 2008 No Comments

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO4k1fIjivg[/youtube]

Huh?

Speaking before voters in Colorado Springs, the Republican vice presidential nominee claimed that lending giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had “gotten too big and too expensive to the taxpayers.”

They are expensive now that they are being taken over. Yes. However, the above makes no sense whatsoever. In fact, given the depth of the housing crisis, it’s more than a little bizarre that a Governor unfamiliar with the two.