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Global Warming a scientific fraud says Aussie author

Crikey, it's blasphemy!

Even as a beaming and tuxedoed Al Gore was picking up his Oscar for Best Documentary of the year, greenhouse skeptics were planning to congregate in Canberra, Australia for the release of a new book claiming that environmentalism is the new religion.

In the land of Crocodile Dundee, it is still safe for skeptics to openly congregate, risk of retaliation notwithstanding. In North America, questioning the science of global warming can get you outed by lefty politicians for purportedly being on the payroll of the big oil companies.

Indeed, Evans sees global warming as a scam that has been, "arguably, the most extraordinary example of scientific fraud in the postwar period."

Nine Facts About Climate Change author Ray Evans told The Age in an interview a month ago that Gore's film is "bullshit from beginning to end".

Well put Mr Evans. 
Baker/ Christopher Disband SCOTUS Declare Themselves Absolute Authority on Constitution

Good grief....

WASHINGTON - Former Secretaries of State James A. Baker III and Warren Christopher will head a private, bipartisan panel to study a lingering and gnawing national question: Who does the Constitution say has the power to begin, conduct and end wars.

The dispute over the authority to wage war has historically divided presidents, members of Congress and scholars. Through the years, the White House gradually has assumed increased control of U.S. war-making, and it has arisen anew amid the shrill debate in the new Democratic-controlled Congress over President Bush’s war buildup in Iraq. 
Jamil Hussein?

CNN is now reporting that the original report of 18 young boys killed on a soccer field was erronious. The military confirmed it was a controlled explosion that was bigger than expected.

CNN also admitted that they independently confirmed the report from other media sources.

To their credit, at least they admitted the screw up.

Fox has the real story. 

Alternate Universe Alert From Redstate...

“I think we ought to take action on all fronts including Syria.” — Sen. Levin, today at an Armed Services Committee hearing.

Get ready for Carl Levin to get shot by Cindy Sheehan or some other angry lefty. I'm not sure what happened to him, but he's making sense right now. On Sunday's Meet The (De)Press(ed), he finally admitted that Al-Qaeda is in Iraq and American troops needed to stay there for "a counter-terrorism purpose."

Today, he got bolder and and called for escalation of the offensives against both Iran and Syria. Bravo. Speaking at a Senate Armed Services Committee meeting, Senator Levin said to John Michael McConnell, Director of National Intelligence.

I don't trust Levin as far as I can spit. Would love to know what suddenly motivated this. 
This Time CDS Rears it's Ugly Head.

No doubt you have already heard about the attempt on Vice President Dick Cheney's life in Afghanistan by the Islmofascist Taliban. Unsuprisingly the event gave the moonbats an opportunity to show their true colors.

From MND

Targeting an American Leader, the Liberal Left over at The Huffington Post are celebrating the attempt on the life of Cheney and trumpeting their disappointment over the failure of the Islamic Terrorists to kill Cheney.

Here are some examples of the Derangement:

You can’t kill pure evil. Like an exorcism you have to drive a stake through it. By: Ceaser

If at first you don’t succeed …

Better luck next time! By: TDB

They missed?? Dammit. I hope they try again before he leaves. By: tripd

The world would be much better off without Dick Cheney in it. By: shrike

Such compassion, sympathy, heartfelt concern from the party who cares. These people truly have lost their soul not to mention their minds. 
Pelosi Falls Short On Election Promises

Decent article although it is highly debatable whether Ms Pelosi ever had any intention of fulfilling her campaign promises.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is discovering the cold truth about governing with a slim majority: It's much easier to promise behavioral change for Congress than to deliver it.

Pelosi vowed that five-day workweeks would be a hallmark of a harder-working Democratic majority. So far, the House has logged only one. Lawmakers plan to clock three days this week.

The speaker has denied Republicans a vote on their proposals during congressional debates -- a tactic she previously declared oppressive and promised to end. Pelosi has opened the floor to a Republican alternative just once. 

Kurdish Officials to Back Iraq Oil Law (Updated & Bumped)

This IS a big deal folks....

SULAIMANIYAH, Iraq (AP) - Kurdish authorities have agreed to back a draft law to manage and share Iraq's vast oil wealth, removing the last major obstacle to approving the measure and meeting a key U.S. benchmark in Iraq, a top Kurdish official said Saturday.

Approval of a new oil law could help open the way for international oil companies to invest billions to upgrade Iraq's decrepit wells and pipelines and exploit the country's reserves, among the world's largest.

The bill also provides a formula for distributing revenues among all major ethnic and religious groups, easing Sunni fears of being cut out of a future bonanza because their central and western homelands lack extensive reserves.

Update: Iraqi Cabinet approves draft oil law

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Iraqi Cabinet approved a long-awaited draft oil law on Monday, sending it to parliament for consideration, the prime minister said, calling the agreement "another founding stone in state-building."

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government had promised a new oil law by the end of 2006 but missed the deadline due to objections from the Kurds, and it faced pressure from the Bush administration to come through. Many of
Iraq vast oil reserves can be found in the Kurdish north and the Shiite south, and the Kurds wanted a greater role in awarding contracts and administering the revenues
 
A Real Inconvenient Truth

What say you Al....

Finger-pointing critics often vilify Americans as the sole cause of global warming. But the typical image of SUV-driving, energy-hogging Yankees may be bogus -- a new analysis of U.N. data reveals that U.S. efforts to reduce greenhouse gases actually beat European policies.

"Despite constant criticism from environmental activists at home and across Europe claiming the U.S. government is doing nothing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, new evidence suggests America's efforts are more effective than those of Europe's," according to a study by H. Sterling Burnett of the Dallas-based National Center for Policy Analysis, a nonprofit, nonpartisan research institute. 
Major Weapons Cache Seized in Iraq

Good news from Iraq

BAQOUBA, Iraq -- U.S. and Iraqi forces have seized a large weapons cache that includes parts for sophisticated roadside bombs that are believed to originate in Iran, U.S. military investigators said.

Details of the find were expected to be announced Monday at a news conference in Baghdad.

But military officials told The Associated Press that the arsenal is one of the biggest found north of the Iraqi capital and contains components for so-called EFPs _ explosively formed projectiles that fire a slug of molten metal that can penetrate armored vehicles.

and more good news.... Baghdad sectarian killings at year low-US military.

and yet more...More Than 100 Insurgents Killed In Iraq. 

"Liberal" Advice

DEAR ABBY: Our 17-year-old twin son and daughter met with military recruiters who came to their school and made the military sound exciting and glamorous. They are now saying that after they graduate next year, they want to join the military instead of going to college. They have even put up military posters in their rooms that they received from the recruiters.

My husband and I are horrified. We cannot stand the thought of them going off to war, and do not believe that war is the answer to the world's problems. It will be a year, and hopefully the novelty of the idea will wear off by then. However, I don't want to take a chance. How can I counter the idea? -- CLEVELAND MOM

DEAR CLEVELAND MOM: Before your children commit themselves to the idea that the military is all foreign travel, shiny medals and glory, they should see firsthand that there is a more serious side. Contact your nearest veterans hospital and inquire about you and your children paying some visits and volunteering to help wounded vets. It may be a sobering experience, but it should open their eyes in no time flat.

I wonder if Ms. Phillips (Dear Abby) would also recommend that girls see videos of abortion procedures and aborted fetuses prior to having an abortion.
Posted by traderrob at 3:38 PM 0 comments 
The Oscars

Oscars, Emmy's, Tony's, Peoples Choice, Grammy's, Golden Globe, Independent Spirit, SAG, Guild, Film Critics Choice, American Music, CMA, MTV video, movie, TRA, Daytime Emmy's, TV Land, GIVE ME A FREAKIN BREAK!

Hysterical hoopla and hype for a group of shallow self absorbed narcissists gathering once a year to tell one another how wonderful they all are. It's the height of social triviality masquerading as cultural significance.

You will never see me devote even one line to the coverage of the Oscars or, for that matter, the annual meeting of any mutual admiration society. They are silly and have the socially redeeming value of gawking at a automobile accident with fatalities. 

Iraqi Sunni Lands Show New Oil and Gas Promise

I had read this a week or so ago and couldn't remember where. Well I found it and have posted it FYI....

KARABILA, Iraq In a remote patch of the Anbar desert just 20 miles from the Syrian border, a single blue pillar of flanges and valves sits atop an enormous deposit of oil and natural gas that would be routine in this petroleum-rich country except for one fact: this is Sunni territory.

Huge petroleum deposits have long been known in Iraq’s Kurdish north and Shiite south. But now, Iraq has substantially increased its estimates of the amount of oil and natural gas in deposits on Sunni lands after quietly paying foreign oil companies tens of millions of dollars over the past two years to re-examine old seismic data across the country and retrain Iraqi petroleum engineers. 
Iraqi PM says some 400 militants killed in crackdown

I was just musing after reading this article.....has any major news organization kept track of how many foreign and al-Qaida terrorists have been killed or captured since the war in Iraq began. The answer is they haven't. My guess is those figures wouldn't support their prevailing narrative.

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. and Iraqi security forces have killed around 400 suspected militants since the start of a major crackdown to stem violence in Baghdad, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Saturday.

Maliki visited the command center for the operation which was launched 10 days ago and urged security forces taking part in it not to be influenced by sectarian loyalties.

He told reporters 426 suspected militants had been detained in the crackdown "and around that number have been killed". 
Israel seeks all clear for Iran air strike

Israel volunteering to do the worlds dirty work?

A senior Israeli defence official said negotiations were now underway between the two countries for the US-led coalition in Iraq to provide an "air corridor" in the event of the Israeli government deciding on unilateral military action to prevent Teheran developing nuclear weapons. 


Semper Fi!

February 23, 2007/NYP -- A retired 70-year-old Marine killed a mugger with his bare hands after a tour bus of U.S. senior citizens was held up in the Costa Rican city of Limon, authorities said yesterday.

The retiree squeezed the 20-year-old mugger in a headlock, broke his clavicle and choked him, police said.

The thief's two accomplices, who were armed, fled as other retirees on the bus started defending themselves. The group then drove the unconscious mugger to a local Red Cross clinic, where he was declared dead. 
Michelle Gets Her Own Show on Fox

We have been hearing scuttlebutt for a couple weeks that this was in the works. Atta girl Michelle!

Fox News Channel is testing another pilot on Sunday that will air following its experiment in news satire, "The ½ Hour News Hour."

"It's Out There," a half-hour of stories derived from blogs, will get a half-hour test run following Joel Surnow's satirical take on news.

Show, fronted by conservative blogger-columnist Michele Malkin and former Clinton administration operative Kirsten Powers, will take on political and cultural issues enflaming the blogosphere. 
12th-grade scores gloomy

What the unions have done for the American automobile industry they are now doing for the American educational system.

Years of education reforms have failed to lift the performance of U.S. high school students, according to a gloomy set of numbers that stunned educators and brought calls Thursday for more urgency.

In the most recent national test on reading, the nation's 12th-graders scored lower than they did in 1992. Only 73 percent scored at or above the "basic" level in the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nation's Report Card. That was down from 80 percent in 1992.

Bottom line, untill school administration has the authority to fire bad teachers and reward good ones based on performance, this trend will continue. 

Lieberman Says War Vote Could Prompt Party Switch

The "slow bleed" policy advocated by many on the left could very possibly push him over....

Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut told the Politico Thursday that he has no immediate plans to switch parties, but suggested Democratic opposition to funding the war in Iraq might change his mind.

Lieberman, a registered independent who caucuses with Democrats, has been among the strongest supporters of the war and President Bush’s plan to send another 21,500 combat troops into Iraq to help quell the violence there.

Even though Lieberman is unquestionably a liberal the Republicans are responsible for him winning his seat.
 
Odierno: Two Chopper Shootdown Suspects Nabbed

Waterboarding anyone?

The operational commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq says the U.S. has apprehended two suspects believed involved in the shootdown of U.S. helicopters, and he says the U.S. military is working aggressively to combat the threat of a new insurgent weapon -- the chlorine truck bomb.

Speaking from Camp Liberty in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Ray Odierno made the comments today during a 30-minute satellite link news conference with journalists at the Pentagon. 
Iraq Insurgents Use 2nd 'Dirty' Attack

The fact that this story is flying under the radar of most major news organizations speaks volumes.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Insurgents exploded a truck carrying chlorine gas canisters Wednesday - the second such "dirty" chemical attack in two days - while a U.S. official said ground fire apparently forced the downing of a Black Hawk helicopter. All nine aboard the aircraft were rescued.

The attacks offer a sweeping narrative on evolving tactics by Sunni insurgents who have proved remarkably adaptable.

Adaptable is not the word most would use to describe the viciousness, brutality and barbarity employed by these murdering scumbags, but this is AP after all. 

'Crazy' views of Weather Channel climatologist assailed Maybe Climofascist Heidi Cullen is the one who should have her AMS Seal of Approval revoked.....

A growing number of meteorologists are publicly countering the claims of environmental activists who argue manmade global warming threatens the planet's existence.

The Weather Channel's climate expert, Heidi Cullen, recently said the American Meteorological Society should revoke its "seal of approval" from any television meteorologist who does not believe in manmade global warming. However, a veteran meteorologist and hurricane expert says Cullen's views on global warming are "crazy" and "misinformed."

"I wonder how she knows so much more than the rest of us," says Dr. William Gray, a professor emeritus in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University. "I doubt if she has as much experience with the atmosphere and knows as much as the long-term TV weathermen who have been at it for many decades and have a built-in understanding for how the atmosphere ticks," offers Gray, who has been called "the world's foremost hurricane expert."

Last week a panel of veteran Cleveland TV meteorologists said global warming should not be considered a scientific fact. One of the panelists estimated that 95 percent of meteorologists nationwide shared his skepticism over global warming.
 
Pipeline blown up

The 3rd such attack in a week.

Quetta/Iran: Suspected Baloch militants blew up a gas pipeline near Quetta on Tuesday, cutting supplies to a power plant and several areas, a gas company official said. Gas supplies were cut to four districts near Quetta and a 95 MW city power plant. Supplies might be restored to some areas within 24 hours, Nawaz said. No one was hurt in the early morning blast in the outskirts of Quetta. “They planted explosives under an 18-inch pipeline that blew out a 4-foot piece of the pipe,” said Sheikh Nawaz, general manager of Sui Southern Gas Company. agencies 

100,000 HITS! Lucky #100,000 was from Elk Grove California.

Thanks for reading. Next stop 1,000,000. 
Misreading the Electorate (Updated & Bumped) The reason the Democrats won in 06 was due almost entirely to the dissatisfaction with the progress being made in the Iraq war. The other reasons that have been bantered around ie. corruption, straying from conservative principals etc. are hogwash. Americans like winning , preferably quickly and when they don't see enough progress to that end, they react.

Showing dissatisfaction with lack of progress in Iraq and desiring us to pull out with our tail between our legs are two vastly different animals. The left in their irrational exhuberance are under the misguided belief that the two are synonymous.

If they continue to pursue this path of undermining our effort at any cost based on a misinterpreted mandate, the 08 election will make 94 look like a gift.

IBD Poll via Powerline.

Update: Appears our analysis was correct....The survey was conducted nationwide February 5-7 among a bi-partisan, cross-section of 800 registered voters. It has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent. The survey was commissioned by The Moriah Group, a Chattanooga-based strategic communications and public affairs firm.

The survey shows Americans want to win in Iraq, and that they understand Iraq is the central point in the war against terrorism and they can support a U.S. strategy aimed at achieving victory, said Neil Newhouse, a partner in POS. The idea of pulling back from Iraq is not where the majority of Americans are.

By a 53 percent - 46 percent margin, respondents surveyed said that Democrats are going too far, too fast in pressing the President to withdraw troops from Iraq.

By identical 57 percent - 41 percent margins, voters agreed with these statements: I support finishing the job in Iraq, that is, keeping the troops there until the Iraqi government can maintain control and provide security and the Iraqi war is a key part of the global war on terrorism.

Also, by a 56 percent - 43 percent margin, voters agreed that even if they have concerns about his war policies, Americans should stand behind the President in Iraq because we are at war. 
Hillary's Plea for Attention Hillary Shaves Head to Grab Limelight from Obama.

Opinipundit's editorial staff issues one impassioned appeal to Ms. Clinton: PLEASE WEAR UNDERWEAR! 
Post #214 ROP Chronicles-Cabbie runs down students after argument over religion (Updated & Bumped)

Chalk it up to Acute Jihad Syndrome....

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A local cab driver allegedly tried to run over two customers after a fight over religion became heated.

The incident happened early Sunday morning on the Vanderbilt campus and left one man hospitalized and a cab driver arrested, said police

Two students visiting from Ohio were coming from a bar downtown when they got into an argument with their driver over religion, said police. After they paid the driver he allegedly ran them down in a parking lot.

Ibrihim Ahmned, of United Cab, was arrested and charged with assault, attempted homicide and theft. One of the passengers, Andrew Nelson, managed to outrun the cab but Jeremy Invus was taken to the Vanderbilt University Medical Center with serious injuries, said police.

Update: The initial reports of this story conspicuously avoided identifying the perp's religious pursuasion. That alone would generally be a pretty reliable indication he is Muslim. What we assumed is confirmed by Fox as well as some additional interesting tidbits on this pillar of the community.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A Muslim cab driver who is being charged with attempted homicide after he allegedly tried to run over two college students after a religion dispute stole the cab he was driving and was pocketing the fares, the owner of the cab company told FOX News. Ibrahim Ahmed, a 37-year-old Sunni Muslim from Somalia, tried to run over two college students near Vanderbilt University early Sunday morning after getting into the argument, police said. Ahmed picked up the two fares — college students visiting Nashville from Ohio — near the Vanderbilt campus, according to the incident report. Capt. Mike Alexander of the Nashville Police Department said the two men were on their way back to the campus. It was first believed that Ahmed worked for United Cab Co., but owner Roderick Brown told FOX News on Tuesday that he was not an employee and was fired last year after a high-speed chase with Nashville police. 
Court rules against Guantanamo detainees

A win for the good guys and a loss for the terrorists and their sympathizers on the left.

WASHINGTON - Guantanamo Bay detainees may not challenge their detention in U.S. courts, a federal appeals court said Tuesday in a ruling upholding a key provision in President Bush’s anti-terrorism law.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled 2-1 that civilian courts no longer have the authority to consider whether the military is illegally holding foreigners.

"Federal courts have no jurisdiction in these cases," Judge A. Raymond Randolph wrote for the court majority in his 25-page opinion. 
Officials seek key to unlock frozen gas BP teamed with government agencies to drill an exploratory well this month that could help unlock a fabulous new supply of North Slope natural gas.

The well probed a layer of material just beneath the permafrost, called gas hydrate. The hydrate is a solid, crystalline form of gas, usually methane, mixed in sandstone and water. A combination of cold and pressure keeps the gas as a solid.

Hydrates exist in many locations around the world, including under seabeds. On the North Slope, government geologists estimate there are 450 trillion cubic feet of gas hydrate. That's a staggering volume -- more than 12 times the amount of conventional gas known to exist within Prudhoe Bay and other North Slope oil fields.
 

Celebrate Presidents Day Playing Dress Up Have Presidents Day off and your bored? Well go HERE and play "Dress up the Prophet". It's free and great fun for infidels of all ages.

Thanx Band of the Banned Member Macker. 
Thai actress dressed down for revealing gown Interesting in a city with more brothels per square block than anywhere in the world.

BANGKOK (Reuters) - A student and aspiring actress who appeared in a revealing dress at the Thai equivalent of the Oscars has been given two weeks community service by her university as punishment for undermining morality.

Chotiros "Amy" Suriyawong, a final-year student at Bangkok's prestigious Thammasat University, ensured maximum media exposure by stepping out last week in a full-length black gown, tantalisingly split from cleavage to hips to hem.

But university chiefs were unimpressed, describing the outfit as "obscene" and giving her 15 days of book-reading to the blind as punishment, newspapers reported on Friday. 

Senate Democrats promise `relentless' flood of anti-war legislation Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Democrats would be "relentless." 

Senate Cloture Vote Fails

Despite 7 Republican nimrods, the Senate WILL NOT pass a non-binding resolution condemning the Iraq troop surge. Congratulations to Mitch McConnel for holding the line.

The 7 surrender monkeys....Specter, Snowe, Collins, Warner, Coleman, Smith and Hagel. 
IA Captures Al Qaeda In Iraq Cell Leader, Recovers Weapons Cache


BAGHDAD – Soldiers of the 5th Iraqi Army Division captured a suspected Al Qaeda in Iraq cell leader during operations Feb. 15 in Muqdadiyah. The suspect is believed responsible for coordinating and carrying out several improvised explosive device and rocket attacks targeting Iraqi civilians and Iraqi Security Forces in the area.

During the operation, several munitions caches were recovered by Iraqi Forces.

Munitions confiscated included 12 152mm artillery projectiles, ten 130mm artillery projectiles, five 105mm artillery projectiles, ten 120mm mortar rounds, 15 82mm mortar rounds, ten 60mm mortar rounds, 23 anti-tank mines, explosives and detonation cord. 

Inapropriate Headline of the Week

"Procter dumping adult diaper business"

via Bizzyblog 
Cross Bad, Porn Good

Words escape me....

Out with the cross, in with the strippers.

The formerly Christian college that sparked a national furor by removing a cross from its chapel in the interest of diversity this week packed out its auditorium with an explicit porn show.

The historic College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, whose chancellor is former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, was the scene of the Sex Workers Art Show Monday night – featuring topless dancers, demonstrations of sex toys, Q&As with male and female prostitutes – all in the name of empowering "sex workers." 
Why They Really Want Us to Lose

What is the real reason many on the left want the war in Iraq, and for that matter, the war on terror to be a failure?

Nobody on the left and only the most bold on the right even admit this is the case but make no mistake, there are a plurality maybe the vast majority of liberal progressives in this country cheerleading our enemies. Although this phenomenon is readily observable in the Entrenched Media, Congress and numerous nutroots organizations, the greatest reservoir of this attitude resides in the average liberal peacafist who quietly roots for the other guys.

Conventional analysis tells us that it's the profound hatred of Bush and his policies that drives this inexplicable sentiment but this blogger believes it goes a great deal deeper than that.

Granted the Bush hatred does play a part but substantially more significant is the lefts hatred of the military and all that they represent. A win for the miltary is the worst possible scenario because it validates the position that there are times when force can best achieve the desired results. Most liberal/progressives believe that negotiation and diplomacy can solve ALL our problems and that military action ALWAYS makes things worse. Any success the United States acheives through military means is a full frontal assault on those dearly held beliefs and are therefor intolerable.

Those who adhere to this philosophy look back to the aftermath of Vietnam with profound nostalgia. In their minds, a major loss for our military served as a total and complete validation of their political religion. They knew that the consequences of this "military defeat" would be both considerable and lasting. They quietly celebrated "It will be a long time before this country involves itself in a military conflict again" and they were right.

Now 35 years later the peaceniks yearn for another major military defeat. They realize that such a failure would be crushing to even a moderately hawkish psyche. A rebuke of this magnitude would make the crusading hegemonous imperialists gunshy for decades to come and that's just the way they like it.

Bottom line, the hard left does not support our mission, our military or our troops. They didn't in Viet Nam, they don't now and will likely not the next time we are called to arms. 

Antarctic Temperatures Disagree with Climate Model Predictions

Well then, those Antarctic temperatures are just plain wrong!

A new report on climate over the world’s southernmost continent shows that temperatures during the late 20th century did not climb as had been predicted by many global climate models.

This comes soon after the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that strongly supports the conclusion that the Earth’s climate as a whole is warming, largely due to human activity.

Seriously this makes sense. The Antarctic temperature record disagrees with the CO2 warming theory but it is consistent with the theory that cosmic rays cool the earth by stimulating cloud formation. Clouds cool the Earth everywhere but Antarctica where the ice reflects as much sunlight as the clouds. 
Al-Qaida in Iraq leader wounded Hopefully he's wounded and in custody as the report doesn't specify.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The leader of al-Qaida in Iraq was wounded and an aide was killed in a clash Thursday with Iraqi forces north of Baghdad, the Interior Ministry spokesman said.

The clash occurred near Balad, a major U.S. base about 50 miles north of the capital, Brig. Gen Abdul-Karim Khalaf said.

Khalaf said al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri was wounded and his aide, identified as Abu Abdullah al-Majemaai, was killed.

Update: From MSNBC Al-Masri reportedly hurt, in custody; aide slain in skirmish north of Baghdad.

As always we need to look at these reports skeptically when they come from the Iraqi govt.

Photo via Rusty.

Update II: NBC has removed the paragraph from its story about al-Masri’s capture. No correction acknowledging their mistake was included. How AP-esque of them.
Posted by traderrob at 2:26 PM 0 comments 
Operation Imposing the Law Update From Iraq the Model

Meanwhile a new bird appeared in the sky; not exactly new but one that's been absent for a long time; since the end of major operations in 2003.In fact this is the first time ever that I see the B-1 flying over Baghdad. Since Tuesday, the long-range huge bomber appeared several times over the city spending as long as 75 minutes in some cases. Unfortunately with only 3x zoom this is the closest I could get.
 
National Guard Troops Are Having a Deterrent Effect

Considering they have virtually no power to do anything, this is a surprise.

One phrase sums up both the chief achievement and complaint of National Guard soldiers and airmen posted along this dusty strip of border with Mexico: "Nothing happening."

That's good news for Operation Jumpstart, President Bush's eight-month-old initiative to reinforce America's southern border with National Guard troops until enough border patrol agents are trained. The extra troops appear to be discouraging people from trying to cross illegally.

Apprehensions of illegal immigrants in the Yuma sector – one of the busiest for the past two years and a top target for the operation – have dropped 62 percent in the last four months compared with the same period a year ago. That's the biggest drop of all nine border patrol sectors on the frontier with Mexico and double the average decline. The amount of marijuana seized in the Yuma sector fell 36 percent for the same period.

Not near enough but it's a start. 

Obama's Canard Contemplating the coming out of Barack Obama this weekend and his comments on Lincoln coupled with his "wasted lives" screw up one could reasonably assume we are in for 21 months of significant amusement.

After a 72 hour dose of Obamarama by the Entrenched Media this quote by old Honest Abe himself came to mind:

"Half finished work generally proves to be labor lost...."

I have come to the inescapable conclusion that Barack Obama is not only decidedly unlike Lincoln but is positively the antithesis of him. 
Taliban flee battle using children as shields - NATO

The headline says it all....

KABUL,(Reuters) - Taliban fighters used children as human shields to flee heavy fighting this week during an operation by foreign and Afghan forces to clear rebels from around a key hydrolectric dam, NATO said on Wednesday. The Taliban have used human shields before, but never children, local residents say.

The fighting occurred during Operation Kryptonite on Monday, an offensive to clear insurgents from the Kajaki Dam area in southern Helmand province to allow repairs to its power plants and the installation of extra capacity. "During this action ... Taliban extremists resorted to the use of human shields. Specifically, using local Afghan children to cover as they escaped out of the area," Colonel Tom Collins, a spokesman for the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), told reporters in Kabul. The fighting was in an area where 700 mainly foreign fighters, including Chechens, Pakistanis and Uzbeks, arrived from Pakistan this week to reinforce Taliban guerrillas targeting the dam, according to local officials. 
Bomb Near Iran's Border With Afghanistan Kills 18

Likely this is Jundallah group who are comprised of Sunnis fighting the Iranian mullahcracy.

Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- A bomb in Iran's southeastern city of Zahedan left 18 people dead, the most deadly incident to hit the country's Sistan-Baluchistan province since 22 people were killed by gunmen in March.

The bomb was placed in a car near a bus belonging to Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps ground forces, a provincial official in Zahedan, who declined to be identified, said in a telephone interview. State-run Islamic Republic News Agency IRNA reported the death toll of 18.

The victims were Revolutionary Guard employees, the official said, adding that two people had been arrested. Iran's Revolutionary Guards are the most radical element in the clerically controlled military. 

Al-Qaida's No. 2 calls Bush an alcoholic

Just another terrorist spewing the DNC talking points.....

Al-Qaida's No. 2 said President Bush was an alcoholic and a lying gambler who wagered on Iraq and lost, according to a new audiotape released Tuesday by a U.S. group that tracks extremist messages. The Washington-based SITE Institute released a transcript of the audio by Ayman al-Zawahri, which it said it had intercepted from Islamic militant Web sites where his messages are usually posted.

"Bush suffers from an addictive personality, and was an alcoholic. I don't know his present condition ... but the one who examines his personality finds that he is addicted to two other faults — lying and gambling," al-Zawahri said in the audiotape.

Bush, who is now 60, has acknowledged he had a problem with drinking but gave up alcohol when he was 40 years old. 
Iranian sniper rifles in the hands of Iraqi insurgents From the Telegraph: Austrian sniper rifles that were exported to Iran have been discovered in the hands of Iraqi terrorists, The Daily Telegraph has learned.

Bill Roggio comments:

The transfer of the deadly sniper rifles provides irrefutable proof Iran is supplying weapons to Iraqi terrorists. While not stated in the article, the weapons can be directly traced back to Iran as the serial numbers have been recorded prior to the sale and transfer.
 

Tentative Deal in N. Korea Nuclear Talks BEIJING (AP) -- The U.S. envoy to talks on North Korea's nuclear program said Tuesday that negotiators reached a tentative agreement on initial steps for the communist nation's disarmament.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said the agreement outlined specific commitments for North Korea and would set up working groups to implement those goals to begin meeting in about a month. He declined to give other details.

Sounds to me like deja vu all over again. 
Federal Deficit Drops As Revenue Rises

Three words: TAX CUTS WORK.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The deficit for the first four months of the current budget year is down sharply from the same period a year ago as the government continues to benefit from record levels of tax collections.

The Treasury Department reported Monday that the deficit for the budget year that began Oct. 1 totals $42.2 billion, down 57.2 percent from the same period a year ago.

The amount of revenues collected from October through January were up 9.7 percent from the same period a year ago, climbing to a record level for the period of $834.1 billion.

Now, three more words: MAKE THEM PERMANENT. 
No 10 backs US claim over Iran arms

The only two groups denying this are the left in this country and Iran....

Downing Street has backed American claims that Iran was involved in arming Iraqi insurgents with powerful roadside weaponry used against allied forces.

Prime Minister Tony Blair had first warned in October 2005 of concerns over improvised explosive device technology and weaponry coming from Iran, said the premier's official spokesman.

He added: "Those concerns have not gone away at all. 

Al-Qaeda praying for Obama win, says PM (Updated and Bumped)

Absolutely dead on!

PRIME Minister John Howard has blasted US presidential candidate Barack Obama, saying his policy of withdrawing troops from Iraq will destabilise the entire Middle East.

In a strongly worded foray into US politics today, Mr Howard said an Obama victory in the presidential election would be disastrous for the war on terrorism.

"I think he's wrong. I think that will just encourage those who want to completely destabilise and destroy Iraq, and create chaos and a victory for the terrorists to hang on and hope for an Obama victory," Mr Howard said on Channel 9.

Update: Obama to Howard: Chickenhawk!

Update II: Howard steps up attack on Obama 
Grandiose Delusions "I've read Lincoln, I've studied Lincoln, I know Lincoln as well as any man alive and believe me Mr Obama YOU'RE NO LINCOLN." 
Official says U.S. commanders in Iraq showed lawmakers explosives that came from Iran (Updated and Bumped)

One clear thinking Democrat can see the truth, only one ....

MUNICH, Germany -- U.S. military commanders in Iraq have shown members of Congress explosive devices that bear Iranian markings as evidence Tehran is supplying Iraqi militants with bombs, a senior U.S. government official said Saturday.

One of the lawmakers, independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, said he has seen some of the evidence, though he would not be specific. "I'm convinced from what I've seen that the Iranians are supplying and are giving assistance to the people in Iraq who are killing American soldiers," said Lieberman, who was attending an international security conference in Munich.

The senior official said military commanders in December showed lawmakers mortar rounds and other munitions and fragments that had Iranian serial numbers and markings.

Oh wait, he's an Independent, never mind.

Update: BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- The U.S. military alleges that orders to send components for sophisticated bombs into Iraq are coming from the "highest levels" of the Iranian government. 
An experiment that hints we are wrong on climate change

More evidence to refute the "Lemming Mentality".

When politicians and journalists declare that the science of global warming is settled, they show a regrettable ignorance about how science works. We were treated to another dose of it recently when the experts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued the Summary for Policymakers that puts the political spin on an unfinished scientific dossier on climate change due for publication in a few months’ time. They declared that most of the rise in temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to man-made greenhouse gases.

The small print explains “very likely” as meaning that the experts who made the judgment felt 90% sure about it. Older readers may recall a press conference at Harwell in 1958 when Sir John Cockcroft, Britain’s top nuclear physicist, said he was 90% certain that his lads had achieved controlled nuclear fusion. It turned out that he was wrong. More positively, a 10% uncertainty in any theory is a wide open breach for any latterday Galileo or Einstein to storm through with a better idea. That is how science really works.

Twenty years ago, climate research became politicised in favour of one particular hypothesis, which redefined the subject as the study of the effect of greenhouse gases. As a result, the rebellious spirits essential for innovative and trustworthy science are greeted with impediments to their research careers. And while the media usually find mavericks at least entertaining, in this case they often imagine that anyone who doubts the hypothesis of man-made global warming must be in the pay of the oil companies. As a result, some key discoveries in climate research go almost unreported. 

Hillary: I Didn't Vote for War

We have a new name for the Hildebeast here at Opinipundit, Samanatrix Hildy.....

MANCHESTER – New York Sen. Hillary Clinton said yesterday her 2002 vote for a resolution authorizing the invasion of Iraq was "not a vote for a pre-emptive war," but instead a show of support for further United Nations weapons inspections.

The Democratic Presidential front-runner, who has been criticized by hard-line anti-war groups for not apologizing for the vote, emphasized that distinction in a telephone interview from Washington.

While fellow candidate John Edwards, a former senator, has apologized for his vote on the October 2002 resolution, Clinton again did not.

"I will let others speak for themselves," she said. "I have taken responsibility for that vote. It was based on the best assessment that I could make at the time, and it was clearly intended to demonstrate support for going to the United Nations to put inspectors into Iraq."

Spinning like a maniacal top. If she didn't realize she was authorizing Bush to go to war, why didn't she scream bloody murder when he did??? She is a more transparent weasel than her husband and that is saying something. 

Coalition Forces stop insurgent attacks in northern Iraq

Blackanthem Military News, TIKRIT, Iraq - Coalition Forces conducting routine patrols prevented several insurgent teams from emplacing roadside bombs in Salah ad Din and Diyala provinces Feb. 5.

CF observed multiple insurgent teams planting improvised explosive devices along major roadways in the early evening hours north of Tikrit, near Bayji, in Balad and south of Baqubah. Once they were positively identified as insurgents with the intent to harm CF or other Iraqis, CF engaged the enemy.

Among the 10 insurgents killed that night, three were in Balad, four near Bayji and three near Baqubah. Two were injured just north of Tikrit. The injured insurgents were transported to a CF medical treatment facility. There were no reports of civilian casualties.

Don't you just love stories with a happy ending! 
Asinine Comment of the Week

I was listening to Fox an hour or so after the announcement that Anna Nicole Smith was dead. It was either Cavuto or Gibson interviewing Bill McCuddy on that subject and McCuddy said this:

"Anna Nicole Smith was Americas royalty, she was Americas Lady Diana."

SAY WHAT? I've always believed McCuddy to be an imbecile. His analysis in the past has invariably been sensational and superficial but to catagorize an oversexed, goldigging strip club bimbo as "Americas royalty" really is beyond ludicrous.

It appears this guy has been hanging around a bit too much with Geraldo. 

Edwards Campaign is Roadkill

After an initial report, specifically from Salon, that Edwards had fired bloggers Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan we later learned that he decided to retain them and try to mollify the masses with a weasle worded apology.

He has made a grave miscalculation. Rather than pi$$ off a small percentage of his fringe left moonbat base by firing the bloggers, he has chosen rather to alienate a major faith potentially several major faiths and in the process flush millions of votes

Here's what the Catholic League had to say on their web site.

Bottom Line, the Breck Girl is toast. 

Wardrobe malfunction time?
 
Iraq's deputy health minister detained

This is long overdue. They need to root out the terrorist enablers at the top if they ever hope to limit the damage done at the bottom.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi forces on Thursday detained a senior Health Ministry official accused of being a central figure in alleged corruption and the infiltration of the ministry by Shiite militiamen blamed for much of the recent sectarian violence in the capital, the U.S. military said.

A ministry spokesman said U.S. and Iraqi forces had seized deputy Health Minister Hakim al-Zamili, a supporter of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, from his first-floor office in northern Baghdad. 

Governor Plans to Strip Climatologist of Title for Skeptical View on Global Warming

Believe or you shall be destroyed; Hallowed are the Ori....

In the face of evidence agreed upon by hundreds of climate scientists, George Taylor holds firm. He does not believe human activities are the main cause of global climate change. Taylor also holds a unique title: State Climatologist.

Hundreds of scientists last Friday issued the strongest warning yet on global warming saying humans are "very likely" the cause.

“Most of the climate changes we have seen up until now have been a result of natural variations,” Taylor asserts.

Taylor has held the title of "state climatologist" since 1991 when the legislature created a state climate office at OSU The university created the job title, not the state. So the governor wants to take that title from Taylor and make it a position that he would appoint.

Granted the producers of SG-1 were likely thinking more of Islamofascism when they conjured up the "Ori" but who knew a better comparison might be drawn between them and are own brand of homegrown fascists. 
Iraq - 2 key members of Mahdi Army killed (Updated and Bumped)

Memo to AP: Being gunned down is significantly unlike being killed in a firefight.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two key members of radical anti-American Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's political and military organization were gunned down just days before the U.S. and Iraqi forces planned to open a massive security drive in Baghdad.

Ali Khazim, who ran al-Sadr's political organization in volatile Diyala province northeast of Baghdad, was killed Sunday by U.S. forces at his home in Howaider village, 12 miles east of Baqouba, Saleh al-Ageili, a spokesman for the Sadr Movement's parliamentary bloc, said on Monday. Provincial police confirmed al-Ageili's account.

"What has happened to Khazim is part of the series of provocative acts by the occupation forces against the Sadr movement. The occupation forces know well who are the terrorists and their whereabouts, yet they are targeting our people," al-Ageili told The Associated Press.

and another:

Top Sadr official killed in Iraq raid 
Alumni urge reversal on cross

So simple yet soooo effective.....

College of William & Mary alumni are sending a simple message to the school's governing body: No cross, no cash.

They are encouraging the Board of Visitors (BOV), which meets tomorrow and Friday, to overrule college President Gene Nichol's October decision to remove a cross from the 313-year-old public college's Wren Chapel.

Any bets on whether the BOV reverses their position? 
Play's Controversial Title Leads To Complaints, Change I've always considered the the title of this unimportant little piece of crap gratuitously vulgar but this cracks me up.

ATLANTIC BEACH, Fla. -- A modified marquee in Atlantic Beach has been drawing some attention. "Hoohaa" replaced a word in the title of a play after a driver complained about finding the previous wording offensive.

The marquis for Atlantic Theaters advertises a number of plays including, the Masquerade Ball, Band Jam, and now The Hoohaa Monologues.

Some said hoohaa is a strange word and that its definition depends on its context, while others said it sounds like a country band.

"We got a complaint about this play The Vagina Monologues," said Bryce Pfanenstiel, of the Atlantic Theater.
 

Operation Baghdad Has Started!

This from the blog on the scene, IraqtheModel.....

Minutes after nighttime curfew began in Baghdad at 9 pm we saw breaking news on al-Hurra and al-Jazeera saying that Baghdad's security operation has just started.

The news says the first operation is currently underway in Azamiyah in the northeastern part of the city. However, it looks quiet here at the moment, except for a sudden increase in activity in the skies with US jet fighters patrolling over the northern parts of Baghdad.

We're now only a few kilometers far from Azamiyah, so if there's going to be some action, we'll certainly hear-or see-it, and we'll keep you updated. 
McCain, Hillary Gain Support in Iowa (And Romney)

Romney starts to get name recognition in the midwest and more than doubles his support.

(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - John McCain has become the top 2008 United States presidential hopeful for GOP supporters in Iowa, according to a poll by American Research Group. 27 per cent of likely Republican caucus voters in the Hawkeye State would vote for the Arizona senator.

Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney are tied for second place with 20 per cent, followed by former House of Representatives speaker Newt Gingrich with 11 per cent.

Support for Giuliani dropped by eight points since December, while backing for Romney increased by 14 points.
Posted by traderrob at 4:09 AM 0 comments 

GOP blocks Senate debate on troop buildup

WASHINGTON - Republicans blocked a full-fledged Senate debate over Iraq on Monday, but Democrats vowed they still would find a way to force President Bush to change course in a war that has claimed the lives of more than 3,000 U.S. troops.

"We must heed the results of the November elections and the wishes of the American people," said Majority Leader Harry Reid.

The vote was 49-47, or 11 short of the 60 needed to go ahead with debate, and left the fate of the measure uncertain.

The Democrats offered up this purely political cowpie and it went down in a bigger ball of flames than I anticipated. Too bad, so sad. 
Global Warming: The Cold, Hard Facts?

Here ya go Dr. Ms. Heide Cullen self proclaimed climate expert and global climate cop....

The Global Warming cult as in any religion one must rely on faith rather than proof. There is an abundance of the former and virtually none of the latter.

Read ths whole article, it's worth the time. 

Report: Iranian Nuclear Scientist 'Assassinated'

One down several dozen more to go......

WASHINGTON — A Prize winning scientists has died in mysterious circumstances, according to Radio Farda, which is funded by the U.S. State Department and broadcasts to Iran.

An intelligence source suggested that Ardeshire Hassanpour, 44, a nuclear physicist, had been assassinated by Mossad, the Israeli security service.

Hassanpour worked at a plant in Isfahan where uranium hexafluoride gas is produced. The gas is needed to enrich uranium in another plant at Natanz which has become the focus of concerns that Iran may be developing nuclear weapons. 
Two Pearl Destroyers Head for Persian Gulf More resources to bolster the now three (3) carrier groups deployed in the area. Makes for some interesting speculation.

PEARL HARBOR (KHNL) - Hundreds of Pearl Harbor sailors are headed to Iraq. Two destroyers answered the call to duty today, and a unexpected call it was. The Navy is calling a surge deployment.

Destroyers Hamilton and Russell left today on this short notice deployment. Many of the sailors have only been back for a few months and they were not expecting to ship out so soon. Family members say that makes this even harder to deal with.

The 320 sailors aboard the USS Russell make last minute preparations for their mission. They're meeting up with the USS Reagan carrier strike group and they heading to the western Pacific. Sailors have internet and some comforts of home to stay in touch with their families.
 

Romney Would Name Roberts, Alito-Style Jurists

He's telling me what I want to hear and I like it.

Baltimore, Md. -- Mitt Romney said today he would name judges in the mold of Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito "if I am lucky enough" to become President and be able to appoint federal jurists.

At a press briefing following his luncheon address to the Republican Study Committee retreat here, the former Massachusetts governor and '08 Republican presidential hopeful said that the two Supreme Court appointments made by George W. Bush were "exactly spot on" and he would name judges like Roberts and Alito. 
Long Beach teens get probation in hate-crime case

It's only a hate crime if it's inflicted on a minority dontcha know.

LONG BEACH – Angering one victim's family, a judge yesterday sentenced four black youths to probation with 60 days of home detention in the racially motivated Halloween beatings of three white women.

The sentences by Juvenile Court Judge Gibson Lee touched off another series of bitter words in a case that seems to spark outrage at every step. For the past few months, it has tested the harmony of this coastal city of 475,000, which touts its diversity.

“The juvenile system is a joke,” said Barbara Schneider, as her 19-year-old daughter, Laura, sobbed on her shoulder. Her comments outside court came after Lee passed sentence on the only male defendant of the nine youths convicted last week in the attack. The defendant is 18, but was 17 on Halloween. Prosecutors contended that he was the most culpable of all the convicted defendants. 

Pro-Life Attorney Endorses Mitt Romney, Says Abortion Position Solid

As most of you are aware several weeks ago Opinipundit made the decision to support Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for POTUS. We will keep you informed on the latest Romney news and endorsements as best we can.

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A leading pro-life attorney says he's endorsing Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination for president. Jim Bopp, who has served as legal counsel for numerous pro-life organizations, also answered critics of the former Massachusetts governor who say his pro-life conversion is new recent to be trusted.

"As Governor, Mitt Romney has stood side-by-side with those seeking to protect the weakest and most innocent of our society" Bopp said in a statement. "In one of our country's most liberal states, he has acted to protect the sanctity of life."

In addition: Jay Sekulow, the head of Pat Robertson’s American Center for Law and Justice (ALCJ) and one of the most prominent evangelical figures in the country, has placed his seal of approval on Romney and signed on to advise his campaign. No "bikini trim" worries here...

ConservaTexan comments: Burkini trim = shaving hairy toes. 
Al Qaida attacks music stores, western-dressed women in Gaza

Great idea guys, further pi$$ of your bretheren...

Al Qaida cells have come to Hamas's aid in the militia war against Fatah, particularly in the northern Gaza Strip.

Palestinian sources said purported Al Qaida operatives have joined or led attacks on Fatah targets in Gaza City, Beit Hanoun and Beit Layhia, regarded as the remaining Fatah bastions in the strip, Middle East Newsline reported.

Al Qaida cells have claimed responsibility for strikes on music stores and places of entertainment in the Gaza Strip. The cells have also attacked women in Western dress. 

Report: Chirac Eyes Carbon Tax for U.S.

Go ahead Jacques, make my day.

PARIS (AP) - The United States could face possible European carbon taxes on its exports if it does not sign global climate accords, French President Jacques Chirac was quoted as saying in an interview published Thursday.

"A carbon tax is inevitable," Chirac reportedly said in the interview with the International Herald Tribune, The New York Times and French weekly Nouvel Observateur.

Chirac urged the United States to sign the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, which calls for steep cuts in carbon dioxide emissions believed to worsen global warming, the publications said.

And this tin plated socialist cur can kiss may carbon based butt! 
NFL Prevents Church from having a Superbowl Party

Now this is ludicrous.

Fall Creek Baptist Church Family...

We regret to inform you that we have had to cancel our bash to view the Colts game this Sunday in a family friendly environment due to the fact that the NFL believes we would be in violation of the Copyright Act, because we had planned to show the game on a screen bigger than a 55 inch diagonal. We have appealed to their legal counsel and exhausted all options without success. We have been informed that the only exceptions to view the game are given to sports bars and restaurants. While we have argued that we only intend to provide a family oriented environment that will make no profit from the showing, the NFL claims that our event cannot proceed by law. Therefore, we have no choice but to challenge this in court or cancel the event. We choose to cancel the event. We deeply regret that we have been prohibited by the NFL from providing a family friendly environment for celebrating the Colts great season.

Pastor John

If you're so inclined, let them know how you feel about this: National Football League 212-450-2000 
Sun Times Fails Excuse Making 101

What's that I hear? Yes! It's the EM cavalry come to help circle the wagons and defend Joe Biden from the slings and arrows.......

From the Sun Times: News Headline: "Biden launches presidential bid -- then walks into race row over Obama 'slur.' " Wait a minute. Whoa.

This is what Democratic candidate Joe Biden is quoted as saying regarding Democratic candidate Barack Obama:

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy . . ."

But woops. Wait. The print press forgot something. It forgot a comma:

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African American, who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy . . ."

If that's the meaning it makes absolutely no sense. He is not the first AA (to run for Pres) ie. Jesse Jackson, Alan Keyes, Al Sharpton and Sheila Jackson Lee. The only way it makes any sense is the way it was initially interpreted and it's a slur. Not on Obama but every other African American who has strived for the Presidency.

One nice thing though, intellectual dishonesty of this degree is both easy to identify and debunk. Sorry boys, you don't even get an E for effort on this one.