Election 2006 Part II

It is nearly impossible for me to believe. John Kerry demeaning the intelligence of our troops a week prior to election day.

Now it is clear to me he meant to slam the President's intelligence and say if you're stupid you get stuck in a Iraq quagmire. (Get it? Like Bush is stupid, har har!) But that is not how it came out.

Then Kerry responded. I seriously thought this was a joke. Sadly, it was not. It is not that it is simply incoherent, but this approach is fundamentally stupid. The simple thing is to say he misspoke, apologize and get another zinger in on President Bush. But nooooooo! (What is a "Katrina foreign policy" anyway?)

Every Republican should call on his or her challenger to take a stand on Kerry's remarks.

The Democrats are set to make big gains next week, but are hellbent on screwing it up.

UPDATE: Kerry is getting off the campaign trail and uses the phrase "Republican hate machine." Is this like a "capitalist running dog"? Why do left wingers sound like the "other side"?

Ba-da Bum

SI's Ten Spot has this little tid bit:

"A top substance-abuse expert from across the pond says that addiction to Internet porn is a growing problem for soccer players in England's Premiership. Well, sure. Players have to release tension somehow after running around for hours and never scoring."

Election 2006 Part I

Ahhhh. One week to go. For political junkies, this is nirvana. I will probably do a series of posts on this, but wanted to through two things down that are under the radar.

Religion: Matt Yglesias has a post about religion which I am trying hard to understand. Wretchard wrestles a bit with this, too. The Left's problem is not with evangelicals per se, but with religion. Matt clearly does not believe in Christianity's miracles, but I don't take that personally, because I doubt he believes in the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, Mohammed's Night Journey from the Dome of the Rock, etc. Wretchard's point is "fine, you are free not to believe, but don't lie about that disbelief." Matt is a brilliant guy, but he typifies that Elite Left view that anything is game as long as you win elections.

Religion is more important in an off year election, because that is what drives voter turnout on the right.

Future Stars: Michael Steele is running for Senate in MD. A black conservative, Steele has crossover power that Barack Obama has yet to prove. A Black Democrat will not be the first (elected) Black president. A Black Republican may. Steel as a VP candidate in 2008, could set himself up for a run in 2016 when he will be 58.

Duncan Hunter has established an exploratory committee for a 2008 run. Dismissed on the even on the Right, he is a Vietnam War vet (Airborne and Rangers) and is Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. A California conservative with a strong military background who is, at first glance, squeaky clean should NEVER be counted out in these times. His political career is more mature (he is 10 years older then Steele), so this is his shot.

I'm Back Baby

After a long and boring drive across the country to a new home on the West Coast, Thew is back online and full of...well, hot air.

Gays and marriage. Gays and unions. My comments to follow soon, it's 1 am and I need to get some shut eye.

Glad to be back to torment you Tilam.

Gay in NJ

Gays made a huge step toward equal "marriage" rights in NJ yesterday with the NJ Supreme court ruling. Glenn Reynolds has a round-up.

My position is the same as InstaPundit's...to wit, the government should sanction the contract of the union between couples. I would further state that "marriage" is a sacrament under the province of religious authorities and no business of the government. I think the NJ opinion is conscience of this distinction, but the use of "equal protection" to grant these rights gives me the creeps.

To wit, there is not logical distinction between same sex couples and Oedipal/Electra couples or a brother/sister union. (I obviously believe there are distinctions between same sex couples and marrying a minor or other individual - or beast I guess - who does not have the legal capacity to consent to the marriage.) That is why this needs to be settled in the legislatures not the courts.

I think gays do a disservice to their cause by using the courts to attempt wholesale change. I think this is because they are ultimately trying to impose moral acceptance as well as legal acceptance. I think I am like a great many Americans: while I support gay rights, I find gay sex repulsive. Does that make me a bigot? Maybe. Should the gay community care. No.

It always seems to me the objective of the gay community is not support, but approval. I am sorry, but I don't. And if push comes to shove, they will get neither rather then both.

UPDATE: Count Taranto in. And the Chicago Tribune also. Why is this so hard??? (See prior paragraph.)

Poster Girl

BlackFive brings us Beccy Cole and her video, Poster Girl.

I will keep quiet and let you see the video. And take a look at BlackFive for great stuff military and not...

My Next Gig

The WSJ reports that the media is looking for the next great centrist pundit.

My big chance!

Of course, what constitutes "centrist" from the point of view of a very liberal media is open to debate. Is a centrist a political "everyman" or "average Jane" who can articulate what the majority of Americans are feeling on a particular issue? Or is a centrist someone who relects the average position in the news room?

Around the Horn

So A-Rod stands for Another Round One Disappointment?

Torre will be back; so I am happy. Lou Pinella would be a disaster...an '00s version of Billy Martin. Beside, Torre is not the problem. In fact, I would say that there really is not a problem, they lost the Divisional Series, that's it.

Not to say I would not make changes; Sheffield is the old horse in a crowded (but talented) outfield. I can see why you play the veteran Sheffield even though he is coming off of an injury, but the guy is almost 38 and as us oldsters know, recovery does not come that quickly anymore. Cano certainly did not have a good series, but sometimes that happens. A-Rod has none of those excuses.

I take issue with Thew's criticism of Giambi. Giambi is a unique player and need to be evaluated a bit differently. Because of his power and the amount of HBP and BBs he draws, a deeper analysis of the stats is required. So, Bobby Abreu hit .333 with a OBP of .412 and a Slugging % of .400. No issue there for me (and Thew). Giambi hit .125 (8 at-bats, 1 HR), but had a OBP of .417 and a Slugging % of .500. I would say he had a decent series.

Cory Lidle dies in a plane crash while flying VFR on the Hudson and East Rivers. It seems they were coming up north along the East River when they crashed. The pilot likens it to flying in a canyon (i.e., you can't simply turn around). No word on whether there is any truth to the rumor that his last word's were: "Sorry Goose, but it's time to buzz a tower."

Atlanta Braves Disease...

Where to start...

Well, clearly King George will make some stupid knee-jerk reaction and probably fire Joe Torre. And make a bigger knee-jerk reaction and hire Lou Pinell. Of course, that isn't a given, but all the stories and "sources" are claiming it to be true. Lou Pinella for Joe Torre. Interesting change of attitude - Joe is the ultimately relaxed people manager, Lou is a psychopathic volcano who'll kick the ass of players who don't perform...possibly literally, as Rob Dibble can attest.

But where does the true blame lie?

Well, A-CLOD sucked AGAIN in a post-season. And I mean really sucked. 1 hit in 14 at bats for the "best player in baseball". Same with Gary Sheffield, although in HIS defense he didn't play much of the season because of an injury, and frankly, I wouldn't have played him much. But 1 for 12 isn't going to cut it. Cano at .133 and Giambi at .125 blows too. Bottom line is the Yankees didn't hit. Period. Sure, Jeter and Posada were around .500, and Abreu was over .300, but the rest of teh team couldn't hit it out of the infield if you spotted them the dirt. But the GLARING people who didn't perform were A-CLOD and CANO, neither of whom had an RBI...at all. And frankly, A-CLOD gets paid a SHITLOAD of money to perform, especially in the post-season. And he hasn't.

So here's Thew's opinions on the Yankees (and he's a Yankees fan)...

Keep Joe Torre (although I'm only about 75% sure here)...
Trade A-CLOD for pitching.
Keep Mussina, he's still got a couple of good years left.
Keep Randy Johnson, I still think that he can chuck it (he did win 17 games).
Now that Abreu is in RF, you can trade Gary Sheffield for pitching...please. Matsui/Damon/Abreu is an outfield I LOVE - and Cabrera is a decent subtitute.
Jaret Wright MUST GO. This guy was a flamethrower once, like a million years ago, but it's obvious his best years are behind him.
Mike Myers has to go too. I don't care that he's a submarining left, he's got control problems and only throws like 2 pitches, and is too inconsistent.
I like Bruney, Farnsworth (could use some control tweaks), Proctor, and Henn in the bullpen (Rivera is a given). Johnson, Mussina, Wang, and Lidle (give him a full year in the Bronx) are a decent starting rotation, and if we can trade A-CLOD for a quality pitcher that would be peechie. Villone is ok, I'm neutral about him.

And a GRUDGING congrats to the Tigers and a $25 gift card to my friend Mark who lives right outside Detroit. Bleah...

Scramble Golf Cheats

Thew relayed to me his annual journey to his old home town to play in a scramble golf tournament. His group tied for second low round with 14 under par. The winners were...

20 under. In this case it was 1 par, 15 birdies and 3 eagles.

I have played in many scramble charity tournaments and occasionally see a number like this, but I find it nearly impossible to believe it was done honestly. With everything going your group's way and a very judicious use of mulligan tickets, I can believe a 16 or 17 under, but 20 under???

I suspect that it is not outright fraud - that is getting a par, but writing down a birdie - but more like a very generous interpretations of the rules, whether it be gimmes, mulligans, etc. But even so, I have played on some mighty fine teams and it just seems so contrary to experience.

Tomorrow, I am plying in a charity scramble of my own. Last year my team won...with a 14 under. I will let you know how it goes.