Who Said 'Oh God' Just Before Jindal's Speech

Given that Governor Bobby Jindal gave a most lacklustre rebuttal speech, I want to know if the person who is audibly muttering, "Oh God" can read palms too.

He's obviously a fortune teller.



(Via Allahpundit)

Incidentally, if Bobby Jindal were black and not brown (as Juan Williams of Fox constantly likes to point out that he is) and I were a Democrat who loves to read these things into every moment, I would say what Olbermann - or whomever - said, has a racist tinge to it.

Too bad no one watches MSNBC else people would be justifiably outraged.

ADDED: Just in case anyone thinks the 'Oh God' was not about Jindal, I say nuts. Check out the inside laugh by an MSNBCer in the studio, just after the dismissive phrase.

Hold The Pepperoni

I am not too keen on the ACLU, but they certainly show us how pizza-ordering might be in the future.

CLICK HERE.

Dame Stella Rimington recently said that the British government have turned the island-nation into a security fortress since she was head of MI-5. It starts incrementally, with the best of intentions, CCTV protecting the populace from thugs, national ID cards to effectively mete out bureaucratic goodies, etc. etc. but it always starts. More importantly, it never ends.

Talkin' 'Bout A Revolution

Find your city here.

Would you go to American Tea Party near you? Count me in.

HBO -- One Step Forward, Two Backwards

As you know, HBO just transmitted a Sundance selected film about a Marine's coming home, after having been killed in action in Iraq. "Taking Chances" was exceptional because without in the least being pro-Iraq, it gave a person's life sacrifice its due without editorialising.

That is unusual not only for HBO, but for the current movie industry in general.

But just when you thought HBO would leave the topic alone for a while, its cable subscribers like myself are about to be treated to Will Ferrell's one-man Broadway show about the outgoing President Bush.



"You're Welcome America - A Final Night with President Bush" will be televised live from its Broadway stage, so you too can enjoy seeing a large penis of George W. Bush being superimposed on the screen.

That was the scene which prompted many first-nighters to leave and ask for their money back.

Gee, I can't wait.

It's nice to know HBO is looking out for the little people's interests, those of us stuck in the boonies who would otherwise miss out laughing with the sophisticates in New York City.

Set your TiVo for March 14th at 9 PM.

Jindal's Decision

Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal, has rejected the 98 million dollars in Stimulus money for his State. It is a principled move, but also a canny one.

In one fell swoop, I think he has checkmated Governor Palin in the 2012 stakes.

It will be interesting to see her reaction, as Alaska has long been the most massive porkers in our Union. There is only so much she can do in one term to reverse that historical course.

(I am so very embarrassed that Governor Crist of my home state of Florida campaigned for the Stimulus Bill's passage openly, never mind not rejecting it as Jindal has done. I am sick to death of RINOs)

IN THE COMMENTS: Ron is sensible, cautioning me not to jump to conclusions too early.

mmm...It's a marathon, not a sprint. This is a good move on his part, but checkmate? Perhaps a good pawn capture, but not a mate, surely. Way too early for such things, and nothing he's done has matched Palin being the VP candidate. He's yet to be tested under national fire yet.

I'm more interested in what Palin will do in the next 6 months to a year...As yet I have no real inkling outside of setting up a PAC, which is an interesting turn. If she can be ready with a compelling narrative when Barry has a more glaring miscue that even the press can't quite paste over, then we'll see.

Palin-Jindal? Possible in your view or not?

In response to the first paragraph, I think you are right about the lack of experience on the national level, but for some reason, I think he is not the kind that would be rattled by the spotlight (as Palin was, at times). He is an unusually calm person, projecting a staid competency that is very reassuring.

In response to the last question, do I think Palin-Jindal is a possible ticket in 2012 -- I suspect it would be double-jeopardy for oh so many people.

Two social and fiscal conservatives, but one almost quintessentially American, folksy, who has unbelievable amounts of star power with Republican voters; the other adding the much-needed minority clout to broaden the Party in the world's eyes and from a crucial Southern State, to boot.

I think it is a more formidable ticket than many Democrats think.

The Extinction Of The Republican Party

The Democratic Underground forum didn't think the post suggesting that the Republican Party be "eliminated" was too outré for them -- free speech giving birth to another kind of death wish, presumably.

Thus encouraged, their collaborators tried to outdo each other in hatred for their political counterparts.

However, one gentle soul wrote a poem capturing his feelings instead.

From: Mike Malloy: The Republican Party needs to be eliminated.

POETIC EXTINCTION...desperate , grasping
barely holding....unexplained convulsions of logic
....Lashing out fierce screams of blame...........
........thinking of survival, Wailing Flailing.....

lying dealing death to survive
Screams..... Pain.....hate....agony

Fear, oh yes FEAR

Eating one's own, you know that kind of Fear
......The fear of nightmares.....
Camouflage it....hide behind it....meta morph it

puffing plumage...raising hackles... loudly barking
..changing colors...altering strategies ..

smokescreens of stench

hungry predators...following the trail...searching

weakened hiding running Scared
hoping hoping predators circling
focused dedicated hungry
backed into a corner

Cowering Sniveling Crying

THE EXTINCTION OF THE REPUBLICAN PARTY:

by Proud Patriot

(...smokescreens of stench. I have to remember that)

I think it's good that they're not hiding their inner dictator anymore. It feels cleaner.

UPDATED: Of course, with doctored videos via HuffPo, you can be forgiven for thinking the other side is nuts.

This is the original saved video which Huffington Post already retracted.



I think that could be the nail in their reputation coffin. What little they had to begin with.

Do You Think Katie Couric Would Look As Thrilled

If Vice-President Sarah Palin had been kissing her at the Abraham Lincoln celebrations, instead of President Barack Obama?



IN THE COMMENTS: Starless comments on the different Courics available for popular consumption.

Aside: I think it's really cute that Katie thinks she's a real journalist now. She puts on her big girl professional suit and her "serious" face. Its just adorable.

You mean, this face...?



The Death of Miss Perky is much longer drawn out than even I thought it would be.

Welcome To The Rahm-Bo Era

Thumbing their noses at the American public since January 20, 2009.

Boris Johnson Gets Wikijacked

There is a fine old tradition on Wikipedia of altering entries with every intent to either amuse or fraudulently claim something about the subject at hand. To be expected, given that it's user-generated content -- this allows for the modern equivalent of the old Chinese whisper campaign and general hijinks.

Anonymity just seems to bring out the worst in humans, alas.

Maybe it's my rotten luck, or maybe it's far more common than I imagine it to be (who controls these things?), but often when I'm looking up a conservative politician or famous figure, their entry has just had some funny business done to it.

I call this phenomenon Wikijacking.

In the past, I have been around at the right time for Margaret Thatcher's reputed date of death. Let's not forget the time I posted on Benedict XVI's entry reflecting his reputedly unusual method of election (which Dan Brown should call "Secrets of the Gay Opus Dei Conclave" and make another fortune).

And now, Boris Johnson joins this distinguished list of conservatives who some people simply cannot keep from altering with their dirty typing paws.

Behold, Boris Johnson's Wikipedia entry, of a few moments ago!



Lovely.

Can you imagine if some wag uploaded a photo of Barack Obama like that? My dears, we'd never hear the end of it.

But for the wispy, blond-haired toff Mayor of London, well, he's just fair-game, isn't he?

Actually, knowing Boris as we all do, he'd probably be the first to laugh. I too laughed. Similarly, I am not suggesting someone SHOULD put up a photo of President Obama in such a guise. Only the terminally obtuse would think that.

What I am suggesting is that conservatives are quite often the targets of monkey business, err, so to speak, done to their entries on Wikipedia.

Furthermore, if an exactly similar entry was fudged by someone about say, Fidel Castro's date of death, or putting up a gorilla photo on President Barack Obama's Wiki entry -- that we'd never hear the last of those "hateful, racist conservatives" and their appalling deceitful behaviour.

See, it's not the fact of Wikijacking that bothers me, though as an historian I confess it rather does. It's the double-standard associated with it.

No worries though.

I'll keep posting on this activity so long as I catch it and, as the saying goes, shame the devil whilst I'm at it.

Extra

POPE BENEDICT'S WIKIJACKED ENTRY




MARGARET THATCHER'S WIKIJACKED ENTRY





UPDATE: As of 13:24, almost 20 minutes after I first noticed it, the ape pic is still up. LATER: 13:32...finally rectified.

ADDED: What brought me to Wiki BoJo? Simple, I was watching a BBC series called "Who do you think you are?" -- a genealogical programme which shows famous people's attempts to locate their ancestors.

As everyone knows, Boris is particularly cosmopolitan, being the descendant of a journalist/politician in Turkey, who was executed for daring to oppose their beloved talismanic President, Mustafa Kemal. The programme had just gotten to the part where he uncovered that his great-great-grandmother was the illegitimate daughter of Prince Paul of Württemberg when I said, "Aha, interesting. I think that is Queen Mary's ancestor, wonder if it's the same chap. Maybe Wikipedia has more information?".

The rest, as they say, is bingo what's my name-o.

I'm about to watch the Jerry Springer episode, though you'll be happy to know his Wikipedia entry is virgin. Democratic ex-mayor of Cincinnati, don't you know.

Hey Viejo Chocho -- It's Called HEBREW

Immanuel or Emmanuel or Imanu'el (Hebrew עִמָּנוּאֵל "God [is] with us" consists of two Hebrew words: אֵל (’El, meaning 'God') and עִמָּנוּ (ʻImmānū, meaning 'with us'); Standard Hebrew ʻImmanuʼel, Tiberian Hebrew ʻImmānûʼēl).

Dear God, Fidel Castro has come out with a kind of op-ed piece in the Cuban news organ (think Pravda), Granma.

I refuse to link to that sack of smegma, so here is a blogpost that does.

In this piece, el Comandante-en-barba muses out loud about the possible origins of the name "Rahm Emanuel". Get this -- his first thought was that it appeared Spanish! You know, like Manuel the porter. ¿Qué?

"WHAT a strange surname! It appears Spanish, easy to pronounce, but it’s not. Never in my life have I heard or read about any student or compatriot with that name, among tens of thousands."

...what a diseased, parochial mind, dios mio.

Next he'll be telling us about how funny that he met an Arab girl called Fatima, because he always thought that was Portuguese.



But just so that Chris Matthews gets a tingle up his leg about his thought processes, Castro adds this little gem, remembered from his Jesuit boarding school teachers, no doubt.

"Where does it come from? I wondered. Over and over, the name came to mind of the brilliant German thinker, Immanuel Kant, who together with Aristotle and Plato, formed a trio of philosophers that have most influenced human thinking. Doubtless he was not very far, as I discovered later, from the philosophy of the man closest to the current president of the United States, Barack Obama."

What the bloody hell kind of logic is this?

It reminds me of reading a Woody Allen biography, which mentioned his real name was Allen Konigsberg, immediately segueing that it's no wonder Woody Allen is so interested in philosophy -- because Königsberg was the birthplace of (you guessed it) Immanuel Kant!

Castro wasn't done.

Not only did he use his squirelly logical skills to make snide inferences about the forthcoming American implosion, but he actually had the gall to reference Kant's aphorisms.

"Of course, it was not the only objective or the only inspiring idea, but what is certain is that after the triumph of the revolution in our homeland on January 1, 1959, I still recalled some of the German philosopher’s aphorisms:

“A wise man can change his mind. A stubborn one, never.”

“Do not use others as a means to your end.”

“Only through education can a man finally be a man.”

Ain't that funny, Fifo!

Especially since you're stubborn as the muck stuck to the sole of one's foot; you've used everyone and I do mean EVERYONE to get and keep yourself in power for 50 years; and you deny your people the basic human right to have an education.

Oh, don't tell me that because your educational system is free, that it's worthy, because that's another slap to our faces. When your own people cannot go into a library and check out non-approved literature, have no access to the internet unless they are higher-ups in the government, and have to samizdat their way to enlightenment, that is no education worth speaking of.

Hipocrita. Viejo chocho. Caso perdido!

Keep your thoughts to yourself next time, why don't you.

Related

Reflections From The Twilight Zone
Rahm Emanuel Is Driving Fidel Castro Crazy
From The Department Of Delirium

Fear Itself

I recently pounced on a peculiar pro-Obama board called, "The Obama Forum".

Let me tell you, it's a doozy of a place. Like discovering Youtube that first time, you can lose yourselves in there for hours.

Any forum which features a section called "OBAMA NATION WATCH ~ Keeping an eye on our enemies" is itching for an Instalanche, or a Hot Air Ballooning (coinage!). At the very least, they should expect horrified readers wondering what on earth they are banging on about.

The thing of it is, The Obama Forum is clearly a parody site. Clearly.

You know why I know that? Apart from the fact that I have a brain, can use it to think, and I didn't fall out of the turnip truck yesterday or even the day before that, it's evident that what they say is done for effect. Think of it like the Onion, only with less carbonated burps.

The question then becomes, who owns the site, and what is their motivation for maintaining it? I can think of a few reasons.

Let's pretend the moderators are Democrats. They could either (a) want to poke fun at other Democrats who take Obama worship too far.

- or -

(b) Hope those not savvy enough to realise it's a parody site, who they believe would invariably be Republicans or those against Obama, would write-up an outraged piece on it. This would lead the anti-Obama crowd to look doubly stupid, and humourless when someone leaked the truth. The Obama Forum folks could then point and snigger at them because they behaved in the expectedly gullible/paranoid way, and much fun would be had at HuffPo by all.

Now let's pretend the moderators are Republicans.

Most people can instantly come up with many more reasons for this version, all invariably narrowing down to "they want to make Obama supporters look bad".

Additionally, they could be apolitical creatures who just want to have a little fun at the expense of all concerned. In other words, jerks with time on their hands.

I think I like that scenario the best, don't you?

By now, if you haven't clicked on the link above to The Obama Forum itself, you are wondering just how egregious their posts could be. Well, even though it's a parody site (I allege), certain incovenient posts have a tendency to fall off the face of the earthscapade, especially when it relates to anything to do with Barack Obama.

So for your convenience, I've made screencaptures of that one particular thread which first caught my eye.

It's called:

"List enemy license plates here"

I want you to click on the images below so you can read them yourselves. On the off-off-off-chance these are real licence plates, I don't want to contribute to their dissemination on Sundries, capiche?

Plus, I've always liked a slow reveal. It's sexier.

THE FORUM SUB-FORA



THE LORD OBAMA AND HIS MINIONS ARE WATCHING YOU!




THREAD MISSION STATEMENT



OMG LULZ!!1! HE KEYED SOME1'S CAR ALREADY



A FREEBIE TWO-FER OF HATE



OH SWEET IRONICAL FORUM ID, AND YES I KNOW IRONICAL ISN'T A WORD, DON'T EMAIL ME



THE MASK BEGINS TO SLIP (Chauffered Mercedes, indeed)



THIS POOR N00B STILL DOESN'T GET IT



IN ANOTHER THREAD, A LITTLE DAYLIGHT OF TRUTH PEEPS OUT



Of course, you could ask why there are very few blogposts exposing this forum, by either gullible righties or appreciative lefties. Good question. I don't know. I did find an article about it on the NoBama blog.

The poor blogger didn't know what to make of the thing.

It could be a parody site…at least, I certainly hope so. If you can stomach it, here’s the link.

The board’s social groups include:

* Black Panther Party (”dedicated to protecting the black race, and the extermination of all whites”),

* Jewish Posters Union (”Any goyim gentiles are not allowed in our group. We are racist because G-d is racist.) ,

* People’s Independence Movement for Progress - P.I.M.P. (”We struggle for the good of all under the principles of Marx, Obama, Mao, Stalin, and Ashley Judd. We plan to lead the U.S.S.A. for the common good of all men, no matter how lazy.)

Dude, get a clue. P.I.M.P. Ashley Judd. 'Nuff said.

Of course, the fact that the owners of this site began it as a parody site, doesn't mean that every one of the 1800 registered users are in on the joke themselves. More than once in a while, you get the sense in a reply that they are down with worshipping Obama.

In a private sub-forum, which is visible briefly to you on registering, you are given the opportunity to learn how to worship the Lord Obama via the:

Temple of Latter Day Universalism ~ A Place Of Worship For OBAMATOLOGISTS

The regulars like to browbeat outraged newbies, most of them Christian, urging them to accept Barack Obama as their saviour.

The Christians in turn claim they have no need for Jesus-Barack; they believe in the real one who died for our sins, who had He lived, would certainly have been a registered Republican, thankyouverymuch.

It's all very amusing to observe these exchanges, in an outer Socratic circle kind of way.

Having exposed this hilarity to you, let me now change gears a bit.

Let me ask any of you out there reading this blogpost if you disagree with me, and think this is a genuine site, and all these outlandish posts are, on the contrary, very real indeed?

Or even better, if you are a Democrat, and had you found a similar forum lavishing praise on Bush (or being patently against Obama), would you automatically think it were real, and it never ever could be a parody?

Because I have news for both sets of people.

You are the kind of person who tends to believe the worst about those who oppose your political beliefs. This makes you weak intellectually, and liable to fall for any hoax, conspiracy theory, or libel out there.

I tend not to think in these terms about those I disagree with, however strongly.

This is why people like me are able to ascertain within a degree of certainty just exactly what is what therefore being less likely to fall prey to these tricks, and look like raving looneys.



My admission is not some pat on the back, even if it may sound it. On the contrary, I am saddened by the need for this ability. For in this day and age, such an ability almost ranks as a gift from God.

The pitfalls, especially for the young or impressionable, are overwhelming at the moment. They are exacerbated on both sides by rank hatred for the opposing viewpoint.

But I have also noticed it doesn't help if you come from or were raised in a closed society, where truth was rarely obtainable, and doubt was your mother's milk. Heck, I too might've come out that way if the Arab street had been my playground. I understand whilst never condoning.

No, the Obama Forum doesn't pass the smell test.

The EightMaps site, on the other hand...well, that's another kettle of fish.



Their goal is to list every address of all the donors who contributed to the anti-Prop 8 campaign in California. Though no one has explicitly given any orders, already there are reports that people are being harassed at their domiciles.

What other outcome could there possibly be, but harassment, repression, or even God forbid, possibly the death of a person targeted by these lunatics?

What other conclusion can there be, other than this group wants to make sure you know your life will be laid bare in future, should you behave the same way again?

Unlike the Obama Forum, the Eightmaps site's intent is crystal clear. That's the one you should fear, and blog about 'til you're blue in the face.

Up and at 'em.

This is no time for giving the benefit of the doubt.

I'll Stop Making Fun Of Obama

When an ex-SNL alum goes on Broadway to lampoon President Obama by, amongst other things, projecting a photo of the presidential penis on the stage.

Don't hold your breath because unlike what occured to ex-President George W. Bush, it just won't happen.

The New York Times via Gateway Pundit:

So far six audience members have stormed out midperformance of the Broadway show “You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W Bush,” the comedian Will Ferrell’s lampooning of the 43rd president, according to those keeping count at the Cort Theater. But they haven’t been leaving after a particular Ferrell quip.

They’ve been standing up, instead, after the projection of a supersize photo on the backdrop of the stage. A photo of a penis. Specifically, as Mr. Ferrell (who plays President Bush) leads the audience to believe, the president’s penis. Except that’s not quite right.

“It’s an anonymous but age-appropriate public domain Internet penis,” said Adam McKay, the play’s director. “We went on the Web and got a penis.”

“It’s not the president’s penis, as far as I know [edit: Heh. Heh. Just how would he know?], and Will is 41, so we weren’t going to use his,” Mr. McKay added. “What I do know is that the photo gets one of the great shrieks of delight from the audience, and it’s also the one moment that is followed by people walking out.”

It's not just my sense of lese-majesté horning in. I loved Spitting Image puppets, and howled for hours at the various interpretations of my heroine, Maggie T, and the royals.

When I read in the NYT that the Lebanese had a similar show called "Democracy" (bit vanilla, no? But then, so is "48 Hrs"), which poked gentle fun at the politicians of the day, I clucked approvingly when the show's creator said that everyone is fair game, except the President, since it's against the law to poke fun at the head of government.

Thank God that's not the case in the West, save for ex-Soviet satellites, uncoincidentally enough...

"Mr. Bou-Gedeon becomes grim when asked about the role of comedy, and dramatic art in general, in Lebanon. Only shallow work is possible, he said, because the Lebanese are always trying to escape themselves.

“Shakespeare said, ‘Show a mirror to the people,’ ” he said. “But people do not want to see themselves here. They want an image that is false, not the truth."

No one should be above comedy, especially our leaders. It's a healthy society which can poke fun at those who would rule us. Moreso, when there is absolutely no punishment for doing that.

But with Bush, and with conservatives, it's never gentle, it's never even-handed, it's never even funny -- it's always this side of juvenile, and demented (hello Margaret Cho).

Theirs is no mirror they wish to show us. It's an iron maiden, and yet we're supposed to be both Torquemada and torture victim.

QUICK QUIZ

Is this funny?



How about this?



A) Hellz yeah.
B) How dare you?!

If you answered differently for each, you've got an hypocritical sense of humour.

Look, either both are funny, or none are. You can't have it both ways. That's why some of us are upset -- because you only want it one way. Your way.

Sorry, kids. It's our turn now. Being in opposition is fun.

Hey, Whatever Happened To That Nice Barack Obama?

(Strewth, my second Instalanche in as many days! Thanks, Glenn, and welcome all! ADDED: Welcome Ace of Spades HQ readers!)

You remember him? This guy.



That cool cat with the million dollar smile. The post-partisan uniter of all Americans, the guy who was going to cure our nation's ills with his wonderful speeches, and steady calm hand. Mr. Cute Puppies, Happy Rainbows and Chocolate Chip Cookies. HIM.

Because when he took his first Air Force One trip to Williamsburg, VA (9 minutes one-way from D.C.; take that carbon credits!) to address the House Democrats' retreat, he belted forth with such angry frustration at the Stimulus Package meeting resistance, that I had to blink.

Surely someone had told him that winning a Presidential election does not equal to a general assuming Supremo command, and expecting everyone to follow orders. Right?

Or do you reckon that in the 47 years of his time on earth, no one had actually, really told him "no", "you can't", "you have to wait", "hey, what's your hurry", and lastly, "settle down, you're behaving like a brat throwing a tantrum" and, "Oh my God, did you just totally give me the bird"?

Because that would explain his petulant, almost Reverend Wrightish delivery, with that strange preacher cadence he assumed on the campaign trail -- which is so very at odds with his new Office.

Alas, I'm afraid I've come to the conclusion that Barack Obama is a rather spoilt man, unused to waiting for anything he wanted, unused to real challenge after having been everyone's darling since the time he was very young.

He will find it very difficult to control his temper, and his emotions, if he doesn't learn grace under fire.

Because right now, he's very, but very unpresidential.



You know, I'm not sure his mask had never slipped before, though. Come to think of it, I've seen Barack Obama looking angry in the past. But just in case you yourself missed it, here's a little refresher.

THE MANY ANGRY FACES OF BARACK OBAMA



















I don't blame you for not remembering him ever looking pissed off though. Media weren't exactly rushing out those stories.

Nope. This is the Obama we were told we were going to get.



Welcome to reality.

IN THE COMMENTS: Orion sums up the underlying threads perfectly.

Some of that "anger" is an act. He's almost certainly focus-grouped it and been told that "acting tough" scores him more points than being polite. Trouble is, he really doesn't have much bite behind that bark. The congressmen he sneered, "I won." to, also won, some by larger margins than he did. And they'll be there after he's gone.

I think we're going to see the most blatantly partisan president in decades for at least the next 2 years. He's going to bully and hector the GOP and get increasingly frustrated when they ignore him - or worse, start winning arguments with him. Because the Democrats in marginal seats in Congress are NOT going to want to go over the cliff with him. He hasn't figured that out yet.

Ironically, President Obama is not as proficient at acting as his Democratic counterpart, President Bill Clinton, was.

When the latter was given the near-hourly polls of each given topic, he knew how to fine-tune himself to reflect the latest nuance in public opinion to a remarkable degree.

Obama is too green in politicking and also temperamentally unable to know how to do that. This might be at the root of his famous faux-pas when going "off-script" (the Green Lantern reference, the Weezy mistake, Nancy Reagan's necromancy).

His only point-of-reference seems to be assuming a Reverend Wright-like persona, whereupon he plays to the crowd, the crowd then laps it up, immediately giving him a false sense of momentum. That only leads to him acting even more out of control.

It's a recipe for destruction. In real-time...

Just Do It

The last time I read an opinion piece in a newspaper by a sitting President of the United States, was George W. Bush's Wall Street Journal piece on the incoming Democratic Congress in 2007.

He wrote then:

Our Founders believed in the wisdom of the American people to choose their leaders and provided for the concept of divided and effective government. The majority party in Congress gets to pass the bills it wants. The minority party, especially where the margins are close, has a strong say in the form bills take. And the Constitution leaves it to the president to use his judgment whether they should be signed into law.

That gives us a clear challenge and an opportunity. If the Congress chooses to pass bills that are simply political statements, they will have chosen stalemate. If a different approach is taken, the next two years can be fruitful ones for our nation. We can show the American people that Republicans and Democrats can come together to find ways to help make America a more secure, prosperous and hopeful society. And we will show our enemies that the open debate they believe is a fatal weakness is the great strength that has allowed democracies to flourish and succeed.

To the new members of the 110th Congress, I offer my welcome--and my congratulations. The American people have entrusted us with public office at a momentous time for our nation. Let them say of these next two years: We used our time well.

Barack Obama doesn't want two years of politicking. He wants everything done in 2 weeks.

He wrote in the Washington Post today:

That's why I feel such a sense of urgency about the recovery plan before Congress. With it, we will create or save more than 3 million jobs over the next two years, provide immediate tax relief to 95 percent of American workers, ignite spending by businesses and consumers alike, and take steps to strengthen our country for years to come. [...]

These are the actions Americans expect us to take without delay.They're patient enough to know that our economic recovery will be measured in years, not months. But they have no patience for the same old partisan gridlock that stands in the way of action while our economy continues to slide. So we have a choice to make. We can once again let Washington's bad habits stand in the way of progress. Or we can pull together and say that in America, our destiny isn't written for us but by us. We can place good ideas ahead of old ideological battles, and a sense of purpose above the same narrow partisanship. We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity and, together, write the next great chapter in our history and meet the test of our time.

The comparison in message is not that stark.

Both sitting Presidents invoke our Founders -- that's usually done to prey on Americans' sense of needing to better themselves each and every generation. Not just as a people, but as a country. Each chapter of American history has to be loftier than the next, so each president tries to make sure his administration is not the one "to let down the side".



What is stark are the platitudes written by Barack Obama, unhighlighted above. It's like he has not been able to come out of campaign mode, and his writing (once filled with wiry energy, and elegance) has become stilted beyond belief.

He began each sentence in the middle of the piece with "Now is the time to...", in what I presume he meant to sound more Patton than Eisenhower. Charge up the troops! Get them to believe your message! Be inspiring by aspiring!

Bush's message was categorically different in tone, though he too employed a rhetorical device. Instead of the rising alarmism that Obama has in each sentence, he used the self-confident: "I believe...".

Though his emphasis was, as ever, on the military defence of our country, Bush did touch on the pressing economic situation which, with 20/20 hindsight, now seems portentous to me. He was sending a hidden code that Democrats would probably not work well with Republicans in the next years, fearing the public would only hold the President accountable.

Well, I hold both he and that do-nothing Congress highly accountable, but in Bush's case, he had a handy (if cynical) out: 'The economy was fine when we Republicans were in charge, but went completely downhill in the last 2 years of my administration'.

Since President Obama doesn't have that handy out, he is laying himself completely bare in the first two weeks of his administration. There is not even a pretense to calming the nation now.

WE MUST PASS THIS STIMULUS BILL OR AMERICA IS DOOMED! DOOMED I SAY! I AM OUT IN FOUR YEARS!

Ironically, of course, this is the tone ascribed to President Bush during the heady, awful days following the attack on American soil in 2001. The Patriot Act and other system-altering legislation passed in record time. A war on two fronts was announced, and Congress didn't blink.

The public who were against these measures, which later included the distancing of media from the Bush Administration (accused as they constantly were by progressives of "carrying Bush's water"), said this was rank warmongering.

So tell me: what is it today, but that very note of urgency, so pregnant with panic if acts are not taken immediately, if not alarmism? What is this situation if not taking advantage of an opportunity, as Barack Obama wrote, using another meaning of the word "opportunity".

"We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity."

Both the freedom of our country and the economic stability of our country mean everything to the world's foremost superpower. One without the other is unthinkable. It's therefore inevitable that the President leading the nation would sound the warning bells with the full force at his disposal.

Just don't tell me one was warmongering, whereas the other is compassion on stilts.

Let's be honest for once, about what both these op-eds mean.

They want to protect their country by first protecting their legacy as Presidents. To do that, they must plant an idea that others are actively preventing them from implementing their plans, and it's not their fault if it all goes bang.

Mission accomplished.

Man Of Steele

Congrats Michael!!

I've been waiting for this day since November 12th. He's already come out feistier in one speech, than Mike Duncan did in 2 years.

"We're going to say to friend and foe alike, we want you to be a part of us, we want you to with be with us, and for those who wish to obstruct, get ready to get knocked over," said Mr Steele in his acceptance speech.

I'm just sorry that convenient bigot, Steve Gilliard, who the New York Times honoured with a glowing obit even after his disgusting "Minstrel Michael" caricature, couldn't live to see this day.



Living well isn't the best revenge. It's outlasting everyone who dismissed your beliefs.

Door Number 3

Dan Riehl echoes what all of us were thinking about George HW Bush's joke below.

"I suspect only a very old man can get away with saying this about an obvious feminist."

President Bush (who thankfully looks much more hale and hearty than he did at the recent Inauguration, seen visibly leaning on his cane due to hip problems) told an amazed audience of his encounter with what all of us know is one of those zombified, vampirical, Golemish, pro-choice protestors.

As luck would have it, I think I have tracked down some photographs no doubt showing the very woman "41" must've seen!

But my eyes are not what they used to be, so I am enlisting the help of all Sundries readers. Tell me who you think is the lady President Bush clearly saw during that fateful encounter.

VOTE NOW. Was it...?

(A)




(B)



(C)




Or...

(EXTRA SPECIAL CHOICE)

Danger! Danger! Do not Click at Work! ...or whilst eating, and yeah, I don't know if that middle one is a woman or a man either

Doomsday

My dear Sundries readers, it's not often that I read a series of testimonials and I do not know how to react.

As I recount the story of the people who were turned back from watching the Inauguration of President Barack Obama, using their own words, I am filled with such a sympathy for them, but also mixed with incredulity and sometimes even distaste.

It's probably akin to an Obama supporter hearing me say that when I saw Governor Palin's face on that dais as John McCain was giving his concession speech -- when I saw her eyes glisten but not break down, I scrunched up my face in pain, and lowered myself into the sofa crying, unable to watch further. It's not easy saying that, because you know it might not be received the right way. You just hope there is a shred of humanity amongst those who oppose your views, who will not be heartless about your emotion.

I am in that position today.

Have you heard about the purple ticket holders, who had special tickets to view the Inauguration? They had been given away by the likes of Nancy Pelosi, and all the other legislators whose staff members were also included in the mix.

They are calling the tunnel in which they waited an ungodly number of hours to enter the gates, the Purple Tunnel of Doom. They have even made a Facebook group with that name, "Survivors of the Purple Tunnel of Doom", as if they were ex-war combatants, comforted by the presence of others with whom they can share their war stories.



(That won't be the only military allusion you will hear about this, so keep an eye out for that)

The less charitable amongst us, including many Republicans reading this who remember the treatment they received at the hands of pro-Obama supporters, might have trouble giving these people sympathy -- especially since these Purple Tunnel survivors are getting called racist even by their local media, for complaining about the shoddy organisation.

Racist, eh?

Because you have a beef about something related to Obama, and don't feel you should keep quiet in the land of the free? Tough luck there, bub.

But it's not all cold heartless I-told-you-soing from me. As much as I do not share their enthusiasm for President Obama, I am human enough to transpose myself into that tunnel, and imagine I am waiting for the inauguration of the person I had so eagerly campaigned for (perhaps Governor Palin, in this reverie), only to see my dreams of participation shattered. Worse, my pain is therefore dismissed as whining.

It's not that easy, folks. It takes a very brutal person to laugh at their sadness. Yes, they go over the top, and seem like spoilt children who furthermore have the hyperbole of circus posters about their suffering.

If I were so inclined, I would mention that this implosion of organisation in a predominantly black-run city reminds one too eerily of the mess of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina. The problem is that NOLA doesn't get hurricane practise like clockwork, every four years.

Further, considering the tactics required to keep order during the Million Man this or that, Protest this or the other, it just doesn't pass the "well, they can't prepare for such a large event" test.

They should be past masters of this task, no matter how large the crowds. There is no excuse.

Unlike Katrina, there is no unpopular president for Kanyé West to blame. It wouldn't be right anyway, because it's not his doing, but that has never stopped anyone from assigning blame arbitrarily.

I wonder, though, if this is one of the reasons we haven't heard any specifics from those in the Purple Tunnel of Doom in media. They do not know how to approach the story of disaffected Obama supporters, angry, disappointed, and completely depressed about the situation.

It would really harsh that Obama Presidency mellow, so they're shunted off to the backpages.

Fortunately, blogs can rectify that, and the excerpts of the stories below are my way of sharing this situation with those who may know little if anything about it.



Voice Number 1:

- "A reported two million people watched Barack Obama's inauguration today. I, unfortunately, wasn't one of them. If you don't care why, and just want foreign policy blogging, skip the rest of this post and come back tomorrow.

See, I went to the show with a few friends who received excellent Purple tickets as a reward for untold hours volunteering as foreign policy advisers for the Obama campaign. We got down to the security checkpoint for the Purple section bright and early (I left home at 4 AM), and were guided into a long tunnel which had been closed to traffic. We waited in line for nearly four hours, in a claustrophobic tunnel with no porta-potties, no food or drink, and not a single official or volunteer in sight. Finally, we got within sight of the Purple Gate -- only to find that it had been closed. Thousands of people in front of us hadn't gotten in (not that anyone bothered to tell the people languishing in the tunnel that the gate had been closed, mind you). Thousands of purple ticket holders were behind us. It's remarkable that there wasn't a riot. I rode the metro home with a lot of people who had been turned away, including an elderly African-American woman muttering over and over to herself that it had been one of the worst experiences of her life.

Searching for a foreign policy angle so that it isn't just my own bitter rant (and can be justified on FP.com)...

Maybe it's a metaphor for how foreign policy advisers to the Obama campaign feel -- thrown out into the cold, shunted into a dismal and dank tunnel, abandoned without any communication, and ultimately locked out of the show.

Or maybe the Israelis could study the experience to learn how to stop the Gaza tunnels -- give every Hamas member a Purple ticket.

Either way, I just hope that Obama runs his foreign policy more effectively than the inaugural committee ran the ticketed sections today. What a dismal way to begin the new era. Bleah. I hope it was a great speech."

Voice Number 2:

"If you are saying we should move on from this, then you MUST not have been there. Clearly you didn't go through the same horrifying experience that I did with my brothers and sisters in this Tunnel of Doom. I was compromised financially and I'm not sure how I will recover in the short term. I will not give up my fight until this situation is made right. I wouldn't be true to myself if I did."

Voice Number 3:

"Regardless of the investigation findings, I've been robbed of a lifetime experience. Further, I brought along my 10 year old cousin to witness history in the making -- an experience I knew would solidify his drive to overcome the obstacles in his life as a young African-American kid living in poverty and within a single parent home. We did everything right to get to the blue gate a little before 8am, including leaving at 4am from Richmond, VA. He endured the bitter cold, the long waits, and even the butterflies in his shoulder. But, as our fears became reality that we would not get through, he started to cry. His tears cut me deeper than missing the swearing-in.

So, I ask my fellow blue and purple ticket holders to consider their loss as a political contribution and withhold any future contributions until you recoup your loss. For me, the experience was priceless, so the math is simple."



Voice Number 4:

"Friends who have seen my emotional aftermath want me to "let it go." But I've been so emotionally invested in this election that getting a ticket to this shared American experience only to have the purple tide rush over me and thousands of others like me, AND crippling my ability to see or hear the inauguration at all, has become hard for me to rationalize."

Voice Number 5:

"I (along with my husband) had Purple tickets. I am heartbroken. We are seniors who have worked actively for Democrats our whole lives. This was our one chance to see our primary and general election candidate sworn in. We can never get this day back. And we are too old to ever try this again. We what we were told. We got there on time. Despite false reports otherwise, all the people I saw were orderly and cooperative. There was simply no line management, nothing. I feel like we were herded like cattle by police who knew they were not going to let us in. No one even tried. Even as our wonderful new president's staff was setting about to end Guantanamo Bay, we were unjustly " imprisoned" (ordered into the tunnel by police), left there to rot like so much garbage. This much I learned: despite all Barack's assurances, I do not count. I was disenfranchised on 1-20-09, a great, but simultaneously devastating, day."

Voice Number 6:

"To those who suggest we 'get over it', and to all the 'organizers' behind this event, may I say I would love to meet with you face to face to discuss this situation. How about say, tomorrow morning at about 6:30am in the 3rd Street tunnel. Just walk down there about 1/4 mile, turn around and stand still for 41/2 hours. I may or may not turn up (NOT) and then you can go home. I will then say sorry and expect you to 'get over it'.

This sense of powerlessness is life-altering, and perhaps it was important to get a taste of that on Obama's inauguration day. I don't think I've ever been in such a situation before, and on the drive home I couldn't help but think of all of those people in this United States who are so completely powerless, who make a monumental effort to give their kids something, only to find themselves a disposable, useless pawn in the game. Power on."



Voice Number 7:

"I saw a grown man defecate in a tunnel in front of thousands of people. This was not OK."

And finally, Voice Number 8:

"Sorry this has been a bit late in writing. I am suffering from an inaugural hangover that NO hair of the dog will alleviate. Back track to the early hours of the am Tuesday the 20th (4:30) to be exact. I had laid out all my layers the night before. Loaded my pockets with only essentials...camera, trail mix, kleenex, 2 packs of therma cares and 4 packs of hand and foot warmers.

Armed with enough gear to give Mt. Everest a go, I grabbed a quick muffin, a banana and some gatorade and began to hydrate so I would only need one possible pit stop. I headed out the door and walked 29 blocks in the chilling cold to the beginning of the line for the purple ticket holders. A line that even now at 6:00 stretched back over a mile through the car tunnel that goes under the mall. As I started walking to the back of the line, I found myself fighting a bit of claustrophobia trying to keep my mind from thinking about all of the the possibilities that could happen to 150,000 people lined up through a mile long tunnel (picture the buried alive scene in Kill Bill). The other thing I noted, was that there were NO security people anywhere to be found. Up top...there were hundreds of military personnel and road closures.

As I took my place in line...I befriended a beautiful young couple who had traveled from NY by bus to get to DC. They were filled with the same hope and excitement that filled us all that morning. As we stood, and stood, and stood, the line was moving painfully slow. It did give all of us a chance to talk and get to know one another. This magic of talking to so many people from so many different places, backgrounds and ages was the same magic I felt working on the campaign. The spirit that Obama was able to instill in an entire nation, a nation badly in need of inspiration. By this time there was a bitter chill in the air, about 23 degrees with a wind chill of...cold. The young girl next to me was complaining of very cold feet so I took out my extra foot warmers and gave them to her. In the 60's, people shared drugs...for this event...foot and hand warmers.

We had gone about halfway into the mile long tunnel, all 150,000 of us and it was starting to get alarmingly close to kick-off. There was a woman and her 3 kids in front of me who was starting to doubt the process but was trying to hold it together for her kids sake. Feeling that the group around me (and myself) could use a bit of a pep talk, I said, "don't worry guys...this is Washington DC, they are so used to doing this, they have handled the masses before and do it better than any city in the world, they are organized and we WILL get in." The woman thanked me and offered me an apple slice.

A moment later...the longest loudest version of if your happy and you know it filled the tunnel, it was incredible.

Did I mentioned that on the other half of the tunnel, emergency vehicles and VIP black SUV's would occasionally drive by the line with sirens blaring at 60 miles an hour...that did a lot for the nerves!!! By now...I had an extreme amount of anxiety standing in this tunnel but tried to hold it together.

Finally after what seemed like hours (4 to be exact) the end of the tunnel was visible and the line was moving. The familiar Yes We Can was now the chant of the hour as all of us breathed a sigh of relief, fresh air and natural sunlight. All of us were just happy to be out and could see the Purple VIP gate in site at about 100 yards. As I got within about 50 feet of the gate...I was greeted with a verbal kick in the stomach. People were yelling, "they have closed the gate...they are not letting anymore people in".



Impossible I thought. I have a Purple ticket...a ticket from Nancy Pelosi...they must mean the general gate. As I pushed my way up to the gate...this nightmare had become a horrifying reality...I had taken a week off work, paid a ridiculous sum of money for my plane ticket, woke up at 4:30 in the morning, walked 29 blocks in freezing temperatures, stood in a dingy, dirty, mile long tunnel for 4 hours with 150,000 other people packed in like sardines trusting only the good in people, and fantasized about this moment for the past 2 and a half months only to be turned away at the gate??????

There was no one there to talk to...not one cop or soldier as no one wanted to bare the brunt of this brutal reality. I thought about scaling the fence and thought better about getting shot. It was now about 11:15. The end of the mall (Lincoln Memorial) with a possible entry was 4 miles away with no taxi's or subways that wasn't an option. This can't be real....this is a bad dream.

The reality set in all at once. I slumped into a sickened ball. Washington let me down, the presidential inaugural committee let me down and I could not make the disconnect that Obama too...had let me down. I began to walk with tears streaming down my face away from downtown. I could hear the trumpets sounding from the marine band as I walked. My tears turned into rage and back into tears. My stomach was in knots. Even worse, there were no cabs or subways to get me out of town so I walked (and cried) the15 blocks until I finally reached the cab zone. I had the cab driver take me back to the house I was staying at in Georgetown. My head was splitting and my stomach was in knots.

I made it back to the house in time to here half of Joe Bidens swearing in. As I sat in my room watching the TV I realized I was not really listening, even as Obama was being sworn in I did not hear or see anything. My head hurt, my body was exhausted and my thoughts...stinging with hurt and disappointment. Halfway through the terrible poet, realizing that I did not want to stay in DC thru Thursday, I called Virgin airways and asked if they could get me on an earlier flight. I explained what had happened and was on the 5:15 flight back to San Francisco. I fell asleep before the plane took off.

After sleeping for almost 13 hours last night, I can tell you that I am still not fit for human consumption. I'm angry and my heart hurts and I need some time to sort through it all. I feel I let us all down...as so many of you were living this dream through me. I can't even turn on the TV as it is just a brutal reminder of the day that wasn't.



There were many people who didn't get in with me yesterday including the woman with the kids and the couple from NYC. In the tunnel we were comrades and to all the Purple pass holders who didn't get in...we now have earned our purple hearts. Keep living your dreams because when you lose your dreams...you die."

I know many are tempted to laugh at the hyperbole of the statesments above. Words like Gaza, Hamas, Purple Heart, disenfranchised etc. etc. etc. were bandied about to explain their suffering on the day.

On one level, it's madness, and the particular lack of maturity displayed by those who feel they are entitled to something in life, and then don't get it.

But these are not four or five year-olds who didn't get a lolly. They are grown men and women who made palpable sacrifices to share a moment they had worked for, some with financial sacrifices, all with emotional ones.

I can feel for them, even though at times I feel like they invested so much in the person of this person, that they were bound to come crashing to the ground eventually. In a sense, it serves as a warning to me especially, should I ever participate so fully in a forthcoming Presidential campaign.

One has to say to oneself, remember, nothing in life is about certainty. A ticket does not mean you WILL get inside, just that you MAY.

Just like President Obama's presidency is not certain to succeed, but may fail.

Getting a grip of reality is really just one more layer that wisdom gives you as you grow older. For many, realisations and dreams seem to be one and the same. And sometimes you realise that once your usefulness to a person is over, your importance to them is over too.

This is what happened here, inside this tunnel in shades of purple.

And of course, that is the real disaster of this sad event. Too many people had to grow up the hard way.

IN THE COMMENTS: Some really good stuff like Synova's common sensical and empathic reaction.

"I don't think it's funny and I don't think they're whining either.

I *never* even try to go to anything like this. When my husband worked at Lucasfilm we could have gone to a big premier party for Episode 3 and tried, but when the parking was full we decided not to try to park elsewhere in San Francisco and walk with our four small kids. But it's a situation that I avoid with a vengeance. I don't even go to special sales at stores.

What people go through to participate in an event like the inauguration is not trivial. It's not cheap. And the physical toll is significant. Even without such an emotional component to start... if it had be *me*... I'd have been in tears and I don't even like the guy.

What should have happened is that an announcement should have been made as soon as possible after the problem was apparent that anyone with tickets they hadn't been able to use would be able to redeem those tickets to get into an event staged just for them that Obama would attend. OR that the tickets could be mailed in to exchange for some special bit of swag or memorial item that no one else got."

I agree that would be a nice gesture, but that strikes me as something a President of either Party wouldn't do so as not to establish a precedent.

As my father says, Americans have unrealistic expectations due to your culture of accountability. When things do not go right, whether in ordering a pizza which arrives late and cold, or not getting into an Inauguration, people feel redress is owed them. In other countries, people shrug, and accept it (as Dr. Kill wrote) because "Sometimes, sh*t just happens."

That doesn't make you all wrong, obviously. It might even be the correct expectation to have in this world. But it does make for a lot of disappointment because few things ever go according to plan.

Jeff also points out this nonsequitur.

"I was disenfranchised on 1-20-09, a great, but simultaneously devastating, day.""

sigh. I do not think that word means what that person thinks it does.

I was thinking the same thing. Unless he believes their presence at the Inauguration counts as a "vote" of support...

UPDATE: This being the land of the free -- to make a buck out of anything, we already have the memorial t-shirt.



American Apparel t-shirt. $22. S/M/L/XL.