For the things we have missed.
Petraeus and Hewitt
I am actually pretty shocked that Gen. Petraeus took time from his busy schedule to appear on what is little more than an organ of the right-wing spin machine.
Just kidding. It isn’t surprising at all.
You would honestly think that the military, at the very least, would want their leadership to appear to be more than GOP party organs. Instead, Petraeus is appearing on Tinkerbell central, and now brings his credibility into question.
Excellent work, General. Was Limbaugh busy, or something?
*** Update ***
Hewitt responds to the links of disapproval:
The interview with General Petraeus generated a long list of links, some from silly people, some from extremists who denounce the general for talking to a member of the center-right media thus revealing themselves as anti-intellectual screamers, and some from writers who carefully assessed his words and made some interesting observations. Among the latter is The Belmont Club, and I think you should read all of Wretchard’s analysis.
Some examples of the “intellectual rigor” on display during this purely political interview:
HH: Do you think al Qaeda in Iraq is buckling, General Petraeus?
HH: Now stepping back a little bit from the day to day, General Petraeus, how would you explain to the civilians listening, and hundreds of thousands of them at this moment, the strategic interest of the United States at stake in Iraq?
HH: Is the media doing a good job of taking that ample amount of information and transmitting it in an objective fashion in your view, General Petraeus?
HH: Wow.
And I thought you had to go to the Creationist Museum for that kind of “intellectual rigor.”
The Emperor Speaks
Al Sharpton has issued his latest decree to the PC Police:
The Rev. Al Sharpton, who urged the Imus’ firing, wouldn’t object if the radio personality returned to the airwaves. “He has a right to make a living,” he said in a telephone interview Wednesday.
Sharpton said he hadn’t softened his views about Imus, who was dismissed from his syndicated program (simulcast on MSNBC) in April for calling the Rutgers University women’s basketball team “nappy-headed hos.” But he added that, under the right conditions, the radio star’s banishment could eventually end.
Sharpton said he hoped that any broadcast outlet that hired Imus would take steps to ensure that he wouldn’t return to a brand of humor that included race- and gender-based insults.
“We had never asked him to never work again,” he said, echoing comments he first made to Radar magazine.
It appears “Off with his head” has been followed up with a somewhat meeker “But I am ok if you sew it back on at sometime.”
If you needed any proof that this was little more than an event seized upon by Sharpton and others for some tawdry self-promotion, you have it now.
It’s The Economy, Stupid
Generally, the economic numbers suggest that things are chugging along:
Initial claims for jobless benefits fell to their lowest level in two months last week, but a forward-looking indicator of economic activity suggests cooler growth in the second half of 2007, according to reports released today.
Skip to next paragraph ReutersFirst-time claims for state unemployment benefits fell to 301,000 in the week ended July 14 from an upwardly revised 309,000 claims the prior week, the Labor Department said. Economists had expected them to rise slightly.
It was the second consecutive weekly decline and took initial claims to their lowest level since mid-May.
I am wondering if 2008 will be yet another election with the economy taking the backseat. Iraq really is overshadowing everything else at the moment, so it is hard to tell. This most likely should be looked at seriously, though.
Abortion 4 Ever
Surprise, GOP hopeful Fred Thompson either has a crappy memory or he lied when his campaign denied that he ever lobbied for abortion rights. Honestly, I’ll never get why the Thompson camp denied these allegations. Everybody involved seemed to remember him there. Sooner or later someone would find the box with the contracts in it. Is it really that hard to say sure, I occasionally lobbied for things that I didn’t believe in. Lawyers represent people whom they would rather see in jail, doctors cure cop-killing thugs who might or might not deserve it. It’s part of being a professional.
Instead Thompson denied it and the story lives to harrass him another day. The difference is that the headline last week read, “Thompson did some mildly embarrassing lobbying work almost twenty years ago.” Today it reads, “Thompson campaign lied last week.” Amateurs.
Every day I remind myself that somebody has to win the GOP nomination.
Another John In the Senate
Via the Political Wire, I see that Larry Flynt may have the goods on another Senator:
KING: Will we be — I don’t want to get into names yet. Will we be shocked?
FLYNT: Yes.
KING: Were you shocked?
FLYNT: I was shocked, especially at one senator but…
KING: One senator especially?
FLYNT: Yes.
I hate that these stories make me feel like a petty, small man, but I relish them with almost unrestrained glee every time I come across them. I don’t like people outing people, I don’t like people having their private lives used against them- even if they are hypocrites.
I guess there is a simple solution, though- If you are an elected offical, stop fucking prostitutes while pushing idiotic morality laws and advocating jail time for the rest of us for the same behavior.
The Force Is Strong With This One
The problem with the Kung Fu Monkey is that he does not post enough, so sometimes almost a week can pass before I catch something he has written that I really enjoy.
Like this, for example.