Presidentin' Is Hard

Sheesh.

President Barack Obama won't accept any of the Afghanistan war options before him without changes, a senior administration official said, as concerns soar over the ability of the Afghan government to secure its own country one day.

Uh, Mr. President? It has occurred to you that dithering on this decision also makes it harder for the Afghan government to secure its own country, right?

Lightning Round 111109

Very quickly:

I don't think the notion that Maj. Hasan was a lone nut is going to hold up to scrutiny. And while it's too late in many respects, a little scrutiny is in order.

Then again, maybe we don't need to scrutinize Maj. Hasan that much. The redoubtable Richard M. Daley, Mayor of Chicago, has figured out the real villain in this event.

Do you remember the case of Gerald Walpin, the inspector general who was investigating an Obama friend and was fired based on trumped up charges? Well, the truth is out. And now Walpin wants his job back. We'll find out a lot about the Obama administration by watching how this matter unfolds.

Speaking of inspectors general, it's sure nice to see that Fan and Fred have figured out a way to rid themselves of their meddlesome priest. And hats off to HuffPo for covering this story.

And speaking of meddlesome priests....

Obama at Fort Hood

We do a lot of Obama bashing around here, but if we're going to be fair, we need to give the man credit where it is due. And today, the President gave an excellent speech honoring the 13 people who were killed at Fort Hood last week. The transcript of the speech is at the link and you can watch it here if you are so inclined.

The president did two important things today: he took the time to speak about each victim by name, and he said the following:

For history is filled with heroes. You may remember the stories of a grandfather who marched across Europe; an uncle who fought in Vietnam; a sister who served in the Gulf. But as we honor the many generations who have served, I think all of us — every single American — must acknowledge that this generation has more than proved itself the equal of those who have come before.

We need not look to the past for greatness, because it is before our very eyes.

This generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen have volunteered in a time of certain danger. They are part of the finest fighting force that the world has ever known. They have served tour after tour of duty in distant, different and difficult places. They have stood watch in blinding deserts and on snowy mountains. They have extended the opportunity of self-government to peoples that have suffered tyranny and war. They are man and woman; white, black, and brown; of all faiths and stations — all Americans, serving together to protect our people, while giving others half a world away the chance to lead a better life.

The president is correct about all of this. We have an extraordinary military and the men and women who serve have done extraordinary things. It's easy to take their efforts for granted as we live and work and play. Even in a time of great challenges and great disagreements about many issues, we are incredibly fortunate to be Americans. And the President said exactly the right things today in describing those who work so hard to ensure our good fortune.

Home Truth

David Warren, writing at Real Clear Politics:

Falsehood has more consequences than the revelation of personal insincerity. What happened at Fort Hood was no kind of "tragedy." It was a criminal act, of the terrorist sort, performed by a man acting upon known Islamist motives. To present the perpetrator himself as a kind of "victim" -- a man emotionally distressed by his impending assignment to Afghanistan or Iraq -- is to misrepresent the reality.

This man was a professional psychiatrist, assigned to help soldiers cope with traumas. Is this the profile of a man with no control over his own emotions? It appears he had hired a lawyer to get him out of the military before his deployment overseas. Is this consistent with spontaneity?

He reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar!" before opening fire on American soldiers. Would that perhaps offer a little hint of the actual motive? He shot about 40 people, over 10 minutes, with two pistols, neither of them military issue. Might that perhaps suggest premeditation?

There's more. Read the whole thing.

I'm not in favor of. . .

firing Mike McCarthy and/or Ted Thompson. Yet. But a few more games like this last one and I might be persuaded.

New London to New Brighton

Every year as part of the Stockyard Days celebration, the City of New Brighton has an antique car run between the town of New London, MN and New Brighton.

There's another New London that has a direct connection to New Brighton -- New London, Connecticut. That New London is the city that used eminent domain to force out homeowners to provide land for a new facility for local pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. The subsequent litigation went all the way to the Supreme Court and formed the basis for perhaps the worst decision of the Court of the decade -- Kelo vs. City of New London.

The decision of the Court essentially eviscerated the the "takings clause" of the 5th Amendment and cleared the way for governmental entities to take land through eminent domain for whatever reason they deem necessary. As it happens, our outgoing leadership in New Brighton greatly admired the Kelo decision and used it as a rationale for stepping up its efforts to take the land of various businesses for the Northwest Quadrant development. Once David Souter and his pals gave the green light, Mayor Larson and Co. went into action.

As has been well documented, the Northwest Quadrant development has been a disaster and the resulting uproar was a primary reason that Mayor Steve Larson was unseated last week. Now comes word that the Kelo site has gone belly up, too:

The private homes that New London, Conn., took away from Suzette Kelo and her neighbors have been torn down. Their former site is a wasteland of fields of weeds, a monument to the power of eminent domain.

But now Pfizer, the drug company whose neighboring research facility had been the original cause of the homes' seizure, has just announced that it is closing up shop in New London.

To lure those jobs to New London a decade ago, the local government promised to demolish the older residential neighborhood adjacent to the land Pfizer was buying for next-to-nothing. Suzette Kelo fought the taking to the Supreme Court, and lost. Five justices found this redevelopment met the constitutional hurdle of "public use."

A "wasteland of fields of weeds," huh? That seems oddly familiar. And the intended beneficiary of the taking walking away from the land? That seems oddly familiar, too.

There's a lesson here and we'll trust our readers to draw the proper conclusions. Maybe someday our leaders will draw the proper conclusions, too.

(H/T: Captain Ed)

Lots of Bad Things Happen on Saturday Night

So Nancy Pelosi fought off the gag reflex of her chamber just enough to get the health care bill passed late last night, by a final vote of 220-215. The vote results are here.

Here's how I see the battle shaping up:

• The bill now goes to the Senate. Harry Reid now has a choice: take this crap sandwich as it is, or insist that the Senate bill go forward. Reid knows that if he tries to get the House bill voted on as is in the Senate, he's in for trouble. Tom Coburn, the physician who represents Oklahoma in Senate, has already pledged to have the entire bill read aloud on the floor of the Senate. That would be a problem for two reasons: one, it's highly dilatory and will slow the Senate to a crawl, essentially forcing any vote well into 2010. More importantly, if people really understand the entirety of what's in this bill, public opinion will swing even harder against it. Reid knows this and doesn't want to chance it. Meanwhile, Joe Lieberman has already promised that he will filibuster any bill with a public option. The House bill has one.
• So what does Reid do? Most likely, it means that Reid will have to put the Senate version of the Obama Care crap sandwich in play. That means there will be a conference committee and that the final bill that comes out of that process will have to be voted up or down by both chambers. They won't be able to get that done this year, no matter what Obama says, but it's probably the only way Reid will have a chance to hold up his end of the deal.
• Despite yesterday's vote, time remains on the side of the opposition. The more people learn about the monstrosities contained in this bill, the more it will become clear to people that this reform will actually make things worse. That was the reason why the Democrats wanted to do this cram-down style. Their gamble is that if the law was passed early enough, and the implications of it were pushed out far enough into the future (many of the provisions wouldn't take effect until 2013 or later), people might forget about the bill in the two election cycles. That's unlikely now.
• Meanwhile, the vote was very close. Even so, there were a few potentially vulnerable Democrats who voted for the bill this time. All it would take is to flip 3 of them and the thing would go down in flames when it matters. Looking at the votes, I can think of 3 people in the region who would have reason to flip their votes: closest to home, consider Tim Walz, who represents the 1st. His district has long been a swing district and when the DFL has controlled it, it has usually required someone like Tim Penny to hold the district. Walz is considerably to the left of Penny, who ultimately left the DFL. Walz can expect to get some heat for this vote. Next, I'd suggest another vulnerable vote would be Steve Kagen, the irascible dermatologist who represents my hometown district, WI-8. The 8th is generally quite conservative; over the past 50 years, the Democrats have held the seat only about 10 of those years. Kagen, who won an open seat in the bad Republican year of 2006, is in his second term and would be vulnerable in any event but this vote is going to hurt him. As for the 3rd potential vote, I'd suggest that Earl Pomeroy of North Dakota had better watch his back. And I'm sure there are others.

Bottom line: this isn't over. Not by a long shot.

Benster and D Pick Your Games -- Week 9

Well, we're back. And we're going doing the things we do.

And what are those things?

Picking some football games and adding a little outrageousness, all at no extra charge. You should know that by now, Decrepit! Unless you've been living under a rock.

Well, I think you know where I live, Seabiscuit.

Well, last week you were living in my wake, because I kicked your behind! And yet you come back for more. When it comes to abuse, I'm open 24/7/365!

So I've noticed. Let's pick some games, grasshopper.

Illinois Fighting Zooks (+7) vs. Minnesota Golden Gophers. Juice Williams is back from the dead! After a confidence-boosting win against "Hail to the Victors" (who aren't, by the way), they come up to the Twin Cities, but Adam Weber has found some weapons in the absence of Eric Decker and I am expecting to see some Marqueis Gray out of the Wildcat, too. Minnesota 31, Illinois 20.

That's a surprisingly sensible pick from you, youngblood. That's about the way I see it, too. The Illini are a major disappointment and Gophers have a chance to get into some bowl in Detroit or something. So I'll assume they can get this job done before hated South Dakota State comes calling. Gophers 27, Illini 20.

Beloved Wisconsin Badgers (-10 1/2) vs. Indiana Wants Me, Lord I Can't Go Back There. Not surprisingly, you can blame Decrepit for that evil hyperlink. R. Dean Taylor, Dad? Really? What is wrong with you? Let's get back to the game. After Indiana's nightmare in Iowa City, hardcore Hoosier fans will forever call the Iowa quarterback Ricky Freaking Stanzi. Or maybe Ricky Bleeping Stanzi. Foul language is a given. Anyway, you'd think the Hoosiers would get some salve from the schedule. Yeah, right. They have to play a very good Badger team, which trounced Purdon't last week. Wisconsin 49, Indiana 2.

Well. I'm not sure it will be that bad. Indiana isn't helpless and the game is at home. But it's a winnable game for the Badgers, who smell a good New Year's Day game in their future and won't let the Hoosiers get in their way. Badgers 31, Indiana 17.

The Ohio State University Buckeyes (+3 1/2) vs. Penn State Paternos. A very good Big 10 game will be going down in Happy Valley. Penn State -- I've said it before -- is the best team in the Big 10. In fact, I'm even going to say that Darryl Clark is better than Ricky Stanzi. Penn State gets the win and stays on track for a big bowl game. Penn State 29, Ohio State 24.

I tend to agree that Penn State is the better team. However, it's close. And Ohio State really needs this win to salvage their season. With Iowa on the horizon, if the Buckeyes stumble here they could be off the New Year's Day schedule. And they wouldn't like that. Ohio State 21, Penn State 17.

Glorious Green Bay Packers (-9 1/2) vs. Tampa Bay Agent Orange. The Bucs are wearing their awful orange throwback uniforms this week, which won't win on Project Runway. Also, they gave up a home game to play in Wembley Stadium and I'm surprised the Customs officials let them back in the country. Unline Indiana, Green Bay will get some salve this week. Packer Backers 50, Agent Orange 0.

So that's a silly pick, too, but I understand the impulse, young fella. The Packers used to kick Tampa's butts back in the day, especially when Tampa wore those awful orange uniforms. This will be nostalgic. Packers 34, Bucs 13.

Arizona Cardinals (+3 1/2) vs. Bear Down Chicago da Bearz. Arizona is a Jekyll-Hyde team. Last year they almost won the Super Bowl and now they're unmasked. It doesn't help that they're in the Central time zone this week, which might cause some fatigue. Da Bearz will win. Chicago 37, Cards 27.

You are way too young to remember this -- heck, I'm too young, too -- but the Cardinals used to play in Chicago until about 1960. They never won much in Chicago when they played there then, either. Some old South Siders might still love the Cards after all these years. But the Bears won't care. Bears 27, Cardinals 24.

Motor City Kitties (+10) vs. Seattle Seabags. Well, everybody, the Walrus has left Seattle for Antarctica, where he's currently on an ice drift somewhere. Instead, Jim Mora Jr. is the coach in Seattle and he should win, because the Lions really bring the stink. Watch Seattle win in a driving rainstorm, because it's Seattle. But Jim Mora's dad was a lot funnier. Seabags 40, Lions 10.

I don't know how to pick this game. Both of these teams are terrible. Seattle's at home, so I guess they should be favored, but I'm not convinced that the point spread makes much sense. Look for a really ugly game and I'm hoping that Benster is right and they play in the rain, because NFL Films needs some more new blooper footage and these two squads are fully capable of producing some bloopers. Seattle 17, Lions 12.

Hey, do you know what I'd like to see? The 0-14 Bucs against the 0-16 Lions. It would be a throwback game, a scoreless tie! NFL Films is coming to town!

Back in those old days, a reporter asked Tampa Bay coach John McKay what he thought of his team's execution. McKay replied, "I'm in favor of it." One of the funniest lines in sports history. Glad he had a sense of humor about it. Thanks, grasshopper. Any last words?

Playoffs? Playoffs? Playoffs? I'm outta here. Ben out! Get off my lawn!

Guilty Pleasures Part Fifty-Seven -- She's Not There, But We're Here With the End of the Alphabet!

Fearless Maria reminded me that it's been a long time since we've done a Guilty Pleasures, so she's joined me this evening to fix that problem.

And so now, please take your seats and make sure that your lap bar is pulled down, and do not stick any body parts out of the Guilty Pleasures Rock 'n Rollercoaster. Please enjoy your ride!

I think you still have amusement parks on the brain, Maria.

So?

I'm not sure I found that response so amusing, Maria.

Just teasing, Dad! It's pretty easy to give you a little grief. So today I was thinking that we should do acts that have last six letters of the alphabet! So, Dad, can you think of anyone who starts with U, V, W, X, Y and Z?

Why yes, Maria. Yes I can.

Well, that's good. Hopefully these bands won't be your usual fashion victims and weird dudes!

Actually, now that you mention it, some of these folks are fairly well dressed.

Really? Prove it, Dad! Start with the U. Does the U stand for ugly?

Why don't you be the judge. Here's U2, from fairly recently, with a song that was a big hit in this decade, a rarity for this feature:

Vertigo

So Dad, why did the guy count uno, dos, tres, catorce? That means 1, 2, 3, 14? I think he needs to get into Spanish class with Miss Peterman! She's teaching me Spanish and I know that much! And Dad, didn't you used to work for Target?

Yes, for almost 10 years.

So did U2 work for Target, too? They seem to be playing their song on the Target bullseye!

I noticed that, too. Wonder if the Target execs set that one up.

It was an okay song, Dad. But can you do better? How about a good V!

There are lots of V acts in rock, Maria. I could do this guy. Or I could do these guys. Or even these guys.

Why don't you just pick one, Dad? That first guy is Luther Vandross, right? Mom likes him!

That's true, Maria. But Mom also likes this guy. And so do I. It's Stevie Ray Vaughan:

Pride and Joy

Dad, you said you were going to pick guys who dress better this time. Stevie didn't seem to understand that! He has a giant owl feather or something hanging off the back of his cowboy hat! And what's up with the yellow shirt? It looks like he stole the raincoat from the Morton Salt girl! And he's got about a half dozen bandanas hanging off his neck! I think he got the wool sweater thing from the Indian Reservation guys from the last time! Dad, I'm beginning to wonder about YOUR fashion sense a little!

Who could blame you, Maria? Anyway, let's see if our next guy can turn it around. So did you like Stevie Ray Vaughan's song, Maria?

Sure, I guess, but I can think of a guy named Stevie with a W that I like better!

You mean this guy?

Sir Duke/Superstition

Well, Stevie Wonder is amazing! He can do all that music and he can't even see! And the fashion was a bit better, too! At least I like this blue and silver outfit better than Stevie Ray the Morton Salt Girl! But can you find a band that knows how to dress properly?

How about a band that starts with X that wears tuxedos?

Tuxedos, Dad? Show it to me!

Here you go, Maria. It's XTC, with:

Generals and Majors

Those aren't tuxedos, Dad! Those are waiter uniforms! But they do look respectable, except there's one thing I don't get -- by being in that Moonwalk jumpy thing they seem like well-dressed kindergarteners, but they're singing about Generals and Majors. I don't think any schools would except Generals and Majors for kindergarteners, and they sure don't serve gun salads in the cafeteria at my school! The cooks would have to drop and give 100!

I have no idea what that was about, Maria, although I was pretty sure I saw Colonel Mustard in there somewhere. Anyway, should we move on to Y?

Y?

Yes, Y. Why?

Y not! Why are you holding out on Y?

I'd better pick something before this turns into an Abbott and Costello bit. How about the Yardbirds:

Over Under Sideways Down

Dad, I felt over under sideways down trying to watch that Abbott and Costello bit! But that sounds like a good dance, too! Maybe a limbo thing, too! Over the stick, under the stick, sideways near the stick and pull the stick down! That would be fun! Might have to try that for my birthday party in a few months!

You know, Maria, we're just about out of letters here.

Yeah, it's been so long that I feel like a Zombie!

So do these guys:

She's Not There

She may not be there, but there sure were a lot of other screaming girls there! But don't bother trying to find them, they're not there! They're in their 50s! And now they definitely have to color their hair!

You're probably right, Maria. So did you like any of these songs?

Well, sure. But what I want to know is what song everyone else likes! So isn't it time to vote? Let's get with it, people! Pick your favorite in the comments section!

Fearless Maria has spoken, y'all.

Election Day Elsewhere

I didn't spend a lot of time thinking about the races on the Eastern seaboard. It looks like the Republicans won huge in Virginia, took out the odious John Corzine in New Jersey and that the strange special election in NY CD 23 will go to the Democrat.

Of these, my first take is that the most important result is in New Jersey. Chris Christie isn't necessarily the Republican from Central Casting, but he seems like a smart enough guy and he was certainly a better candidate than Corzine, the limousine liberal plutocrat who essentially bought this seat last time. Jersey is a tough place for Republicans to win and Christie won't necessarily have a lot of room to maneuver, but he'll have a chance to make some needed changes in the Garden State.

Were these results a referendum on Obama? I don't know about that. If Obama and his buds in Congress double down and try to ram the current version of Obama Care down the throats of the country, they'll meet significant opposition and 2010 could get very ugly for the Democrats. The people who are probably paying the most attention locally are Tim Walz and Collin Peterson. And they should be.

The Local Scene -- Victory!

We have a new mayor in New Brighton. Dave Jacobsen defeated the longtime incumbent, Steve Larson, by a substantial 57-43% margin. Results are here.

In addition, council member Gina Bauman was re-elected and she will be joined by Char Samuelson, who had served previously on the council before leaving for the state legislature in 2002. Bauman and Samuelson bested five other contenders for the two available seats on the council. Results for that race are also at the link.

We'll talk more about what it all means in the coming days. Jacobsen, Bauman and Samuelson will join council incumbents Dave Phillips and Mary Burg on the council. This will be a very different city council than we have seen in the past and it means that some of the old ways of doing business are going to change. Mayor-elect Jacobsen and the new council members face some enormous challenges in the next few years and will have to move quickly. But for tonight, congratulations are in order.

Radio Free Dilettante – Election Day Edition

Sometimes I swear this thing reads my mind:

Last Five:
Let’s Face the Music and Dance, Frank Sinatra
Innuendo, Queen
Wake Me Up on Judgment Day, Steve Winwood
Tell Me Something Good, Rufus and Chaka Khan
Sin City, AC/DC

Next Five:
Shapes of Things, The Yardbirds
We’re Coming Out, The Replacements
Which Way to America, Living Colour
Lovesick Blues, Hank Williams
Refried Funky Chicken, The Dixie Dregs

The Local Scene -- The Empire Strikes Back

It would appear that Mayor Larson and his crew are getting a little nervous. Rather than campaign on the merits, they've chosen to take the low road, especially concerning City Council member Gina Bauman. Bauman has provided a long list of outrages at the Enlighten New Brighton blog, and I'd strongly recommend all interested New Brighton voters to click the link and read the piece in its entirety. I would like to highlight one item in particular, however:

Bauman writes as follows:

The next rumor I need to address made my jaw drop when I first heard it tonight (10/1). Did any of you know that I purportedly, single handedly mind you, drove out the hotel from wanting to build on the Quadrant with my stalling tactics? This is certainly news to me. I didn't realize I had such power.

Bauman has one out of five votes on the City Council. Unless she's capable of Jedi mind tricks, she would have no way to personally stop any negotiations. So why would anyone say that? What if the person spreading the rumor had a financial motive? Let Bauman explain:

This ridiculous and mean-spirited rumor is being spread by none other than Bob Benke, who in the worst way needs Mayor Larson re-elected to retain his membership in the the "good old boys" network behind the scenes. And where is Benke getting this so-called information from? He knows that I no longer want the city taxpayers to pay the $10,500 per year it takes for Mayor Larson to belong to the North Metro Mayors Association. This organization is nothing more than a lobbyist group that is very self-serving to its members. Although there is no real benefit for the city of New Brighton to belong, there is a definite benefit to Mr. Benke as he receives payment as a lobbyist for that association that depends on how many cities belong to it.

If you don't know who Bob Benke is, allow me to explain. Benke was mayor of New Brighton before Mayor Larson took over 10 years ago. A check of the records indicates that, yes indeed, Benke is a registered lobbyist for the North Metro Mayors Association. In fact, Benke is the designated lobbyist for the group at the Capitol. That means he has a financial interest in New Brighton remaining a member of the lobbying group, no matter the merits of the organization or the value it provides the city. I can understand Benke's motivation -- it's certainly helpful to Benke personally that his friend and protege (Larson) maintains membership in an organization that pays Benke. Does it smell a little funny? Well, yes.

When Gina Bauman and outgoing council member Sharon Doffing were elected to the City Council, they challenged the cozy relationships and status quo at City Hall. It's easy to see why Mayor Larson would like to rid himself of this meddlesome priest Bauman. It's much more difficult to see why the citizens of New Brighton should grant him his wish, to say nothing of another term in office. Gina Bauman has done an excellent job of challenging the status quo. If she and Larson's opponent Dave Jacobsen are elected, they will be able to change the status quo. And while that might make Bob Benke a little less financially secure, it will help New Brighton move forward.