Hey Minnesotans! Thanks for nothin’!

Great.

The only redeeming quality about this whole thing is that we can all get a little chuckle out of Drudge’s creativity. That laughter, of course, will soon turn into despair, as we all realize just how far down the road 2014 is.  All I’m saying is Republicans better show up to the polls in 2010, 2012, 2014, and every time an election is held from now on in this country. What a joke it is that Al Franken is now a United States senator. Wow.

If you can bear it, click the pic above to read the story.

Dennis Prager interviews Amir Taheri

I previously posted Amir Taheri’s interview with Fred Thompson, which was excellent, but Prager goes a little more in-depth. From June 18th:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3

Part 4

Obama voters about to get punk’d

Well, we all are, but unlike the Obama voters, Conservatives were already expecting it.

Gibbsy, bring it on home for us:

Ahh, I love it. All these naive Obama voters who bought into the, “I won’t raise taxes on families making less than 250k/yr” line, are now going to deeply regret making that mistake.

Suckers.

(HT: HotAir)

Updates from Iran

First, from the Times Online in the UK, via Hugh Hewitt:

The International Federation for Human Rights said yesterday that more than 2,000 people are still in detention and hundreds more are missing across Iran since a government crackdown on the opposition. Among those arrested are reformists, journalists and analysts, including supporters of Mr Mousavi and even some figures close to top officials, in a sign of cracks appearing within the regime over the election.

And this is from Persian-Canadian, Winston, at The Spirit of Man blog:

As I was going to bed, I received some messages from a friend in Tehran asking me to mention these four points:

1- The SMS service is still shut off and internet access is not available in most parts.

2- Uniformed police presence in Tehran has been less visible these days but plain clothed agents and Basijis keep a close eye on every one.

3- Basijis run check points every night at major intersections or streets of Tehran.

4- People still chant anti-regime slogans on their rooftops every night.

Keep the Iranian people in your prayers. This uprising isn’t over yet.

Will Iraq war vets play key role in possible GOP resurgence in 2010?

Duncan Hunter is doing his best to see that they do.

From CQ Politics:

Ex-Rep. Hunter Touts Iraq War Vets To Revive GOP

Duncan Hunter, a retired Republican who once chaired the Armed Services Committee, has decided that Iraq War veterans are the perfect candidates to revive the Republican Party in 2010.

Hunter — a Vietnam War vet who briefly sought the 2008 Republican presidential nomination — is already backing two such candidates as they launch challenges to two of the more junior members of the House Democratic majority: Jesse Kelly, who wants to take on two-term incumbent Gabrielle Giffords in Arizona’s 8th District, and Vaughn Ward, whose target in Idaho’s 1st District is freshman Democrat Walt Minnick.

[…[

Hunter said he has “a real appreciation” for “the guys coming off the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan,” and, moreover, thinks they can make great candidates. He said the GOP needs to get away from its typical approach “where we stand up a businessman,” and instead get behind “young, hard-charging” candidates like Kelly and Ward.

[…[

But the recent electoral track record of military vet candidates is mixed, at best. The 2008 election cycle saw a proliferation of military veterans running for federal office, but few were competitive and even fewer won their races.

[…[

Hunter concedes that building up campaign infrastructure — particularly fundraising — is a challenge for candidates recently returned from the front lines. “These guys have great quality, what they didn’t have in the last race was a couple million dollars in the bank,” Hunter said.

So he’s out to change that. Hunter said he plans to continue campaigning and attending fundraisers throughout the 2010 cycle for a handful of GOP candidates.

Hopeful 2010 candidates who served in Iraq include:

– Will Breazeale for North Carolina’s 7th district.

– Kevin Calvey for Oklahoma’s vacant 5th district seat.

– Wayne Mosley for Georgia’s 12th district.

– Lee Zeldin for New York’s 1st district.

– The aforementioned Jesse Kelly for Arizona’s 8th district, and Vaughn Ward for Idaho’s 1st district.

– Adam Kinzinger for Illinois’ 11th district.

– Bill Russell for Pennsylvania’s 12th district.

– Allen West for Florida’s 22nd district.

Iran Punditry Roundup, 6-29-09 edition

Jennifer Rubin:

It was never clear what could be achieved by engagement or what magic words Obama might utter that had not be transmitted to the mullahs by our European allies or through other channels for years now.

But in the fog of tear gas and the spray of fire hoses used on peaceful protestors, the Iranian regime has revealed its true nature, for any who were confused. Now even the president must concede: “There is no doubt that any direct dialogue or diplomacy with Iran is going to be affected by the events of the last several weeks.”

[…[

For now the president has thankfully stopped equating Ahmadinejad and Mousavi and ceased to use the honorific title “supreme leader.” He hasn’t suggested lately that we need to “engage more than ever.” But it is uncertain what he intends to do now.

Bill Kristol on Fox News Sunday:

He [Obama] cannot have engagement with Iran as the centerpiece of a serious foreign policy to deal with the Middle East. He is not going to be able to engage successfully with this regime if it cracks down. If it succeeds in staying in power, it’s going to be, I think, even more hostile than it has been, even less prone to make any kinds of concessions, et cetera.So is he willing to — is he just going to kind of mindlessly go on this path, and let them get nuclear weapons and possibly force Israel to take action if it feels it has to? Or is he going to actually rethink where he is and go for what — as the Washington Post put it yesterday, the serious realistic policy on Iran now is now to help accelerate regime change.

That’s the only prospect for Iran, not being a nuclear power. It’s the only prospect for any relative peace in the Middle East. And there are ways to do that, with serious sanctions, not waiting for Russia and China. Let’s see if Obama is able to rethink his Iran policy in light of changing reality.

Jack Kelly:

The president’s limited criticism of the Iranian regime took place a week after the leaders of Canada, France and Germany issued stronger ones. Andrew Malcolm of the Los Angeles Times was not the only commentator who thought it was prompted by Sen. John McCain’s “angry Senate Neda speech Monday” which made it politically difficult for Mr. Obama to continue to sit on the fence.

[…[

At least some protesters in Iran think Mr. Obama’s equivocation is a tacit endorsement of the regime. “The people of Iran will not forgive Barack Obama for siding with the evil regime,” Kianoosh Sanjari, an exiled student protest leader, said in an interview last week.

Charles Krauthammer on Fox News:

You know, we Americans have a sentimental idea that in the end justice and truth will win out. Well, it happened here and it has in our own history, but it doesn’t happen around the world.

And the idea that this freedom movement cannot be suppressed with bullets and snipers and beatings — it can, and it’s succeeding. The opposition is marginalized.

And the real issue is Mousavi. Where is he, and will he speak up? And will he be a Yeltsin who will stands on a tank and declare essentially a revolution? I doubt it.

Brit Hume on Fox News Sunday:

And I sense here that, in addition to a foreign policy that he had devised and was planning to pursue, there was also a political component to this. You notice in his wording about what the — what he kept saying the Iranian protesters wanted. He [Obama] didn’t say freedom. That’s George Bush’s word.

He kept talking about justice. This wasn’t about justice, except in some broad sense. This was about freedom and about a free election. And I think that he was afraid early on that if he gave voice, as he eventually did, condemned the regime, called for the freedom of these people, he would be charged once again by his political base with emulating or imitating George W. Bush , which is something he very much did not want to do, and I think it hurt him.

Most-decorated Marine aviator in history, Kenneth L. Reusser, dies at age 89

What an incredible man.

From the Democrat Herald in Oregon:

Retired Marine Corps Col. Kenneth L. Reusser, called the most decorated Marine aviator in history and was shot down in three wars, has died at age 89.

Reusser flew 253 combat missions in World War II, Korea and Vietnam and was shot down in all three, five times in all.

His 59 medals included two Navy Crosses, four Purple Hearts and two Legions of Merit.

In 1945, while based in Okinawa, he stripped down his F4U-4 Corsair fighter and intercepted a Japanese observation plane at a high altidude. When his guns froze, he flew his fighter into the observation plane, hacking off its tail with his propeller.

In 1950 in Korea led an attack on a North Korean tank-repair facility at Inchon, then destroyed an oil tanker almost blowing himself out of the sky.

In Vietnam he flew helicopters and was leading a rescue mission when his Huey was shot down. He needed skin grafts over 35 percent of his badly burned body.

Reusser, who lived in the Portland suburb of Milwaukie, was born Jan. 27, 1920, the son of a minister.

Reusser raced motorcycles to help pay for college and earning a pilots license before WWII.

After retiring from the Marine Corps he worked for Lockheed Aircraft and the Piasecki Helicopter Corp. He remained active in veterans groups.

Reusser died June 20 of natural causes. He is survived by his wife, Trudy; and sons, Richard C. and Kenneth L. Jr. Interment was Friday in Willamette National Cemetery.

USA vs. Brazil in Confederations Cup Final

UPDATE: Video I captured from the Sounders FC win over Colorado:

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UPDATE: Just got home. I’ve known about the 3-2 loss for hours now, and am still devastated. At least the Sounders FC won 3-0.

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UPDATE: USA 2-0 over Brazil at half. Unbelievable. Won’t be able to watch the 2nd half, as I’m off to watch the Seattle Sounders FC play the Colorado Rapids, but GO USA!

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UPDATE: USA 2-0 over Brazil in the 32nd minute. Do you believe in miracles!?

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All I have to say is:

Match is on ESPN/ESPN 360 at 11:25am PT. Previews from ESPN here and here and from SI here.

The cap-and-trade eight

The eight guilty RINO’s (click to zoom):

(Top L-R) Mary Bono Mack of California; Michael N. Castle of Delaware; Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois; Frank A. LoBiondo of New Jersey

(Bottom L-R) Leonard Lance of New Jersey; John M. McHugh of New York; Dave Reichert of Washington; Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey

CQ breaks down cap-and-trade vote

From Greg Giroux at CQ Politics:

Most of the 52 House members who didn’t side with their party on Friday’s climate change vote represent congressional districts that backed the presidential nominee of the opposite party in last year’s election.

A lot of these members will face competitive races in 2010, and no doubt they will be brandishing this against-the-grain vote as evidence of their political independence.

Here’s a catalog of the 44 Democratic “no” and eight Republican “yes” voters, broken down by how their districts voted for president. The bill passed 219-212.

I won’t post all of the members from the Democratic side, but it’s important to remember the eight Republicans. As I said before, one of those eight (Reichert) represents my district.

• Democrats who voted “no” and represent McCain-voting districts (29)
• Democrats who voted “no” and represent Obama-voting districts (15)
• Republicans who voted “yes” and represent Obama-voting districts (7): Mary Bono Mack of California; Michael N. Castle of Delaware; Mark Steven Kirk of Illinois; Frank A. LoBiondo and Leonard Lance of New Jersey; John M. McHugh of New York; Dave Reichert of Washington.
• Republicans who voted “yes” and represent McCain-voting districts (1): Christopher H. Smith of New Jersey.

All I really have to say is, what was Christopher Smith thinking?? Unlike his fellow Repubs who voted for the bill, he actually represents a McCain-voting district. That means he literally has NO excuse for voting for the bill. How foolish.

As for the Dems, The Hill has this:

One Democrat was upset that his leaders would needlessly force vulnerable Dems to vote for a bill that will come back to haunt them. Mississippi Rep. Gene Taylor (D) voted against the measure that he says will die in the Senate.

“A lot of people walked the plank on a bill that will never become law,” Taylor told The Hill after the gavel came down.

Yes, many of whom will be jobless next November.