Gone Fishing

Ryan, being Jeff's blue eyed, blond haired mini-me, has definitely inherited his father's love of fishing. The two of them wake up early on most weekend mornings to hit the lake at the nearby state park. Can't say I love the sport like they do but I have learned to appreciate spending my weekend mornings in solitude (KK sleeps late... very).

Today was especially bountiful for the guys... see the pics below of Ryan's 22 and 25 inch catfish (Jeff displayed them while Ryan did the photography). The picture of Ryan with the large mouth bass is from a few weeks ago.

Wins And Losses

John Cole ponders the list of Bush's successes and failures at the sunset of Bush's term in office. The list of failures is long but Cole does manage to find two wins: the Do Not Call list and Robert Gates.

I will add one additional success to the list... increasing aid to Africa. Not only is it the right thing to do on a humanitarian/moral level, it's a wise thing to do for our national security if we'd like to prevent terrorism from becoming Africa's most significant export.

It is somewhat amusing, however, that the Bush administration doesn't play up its African achievement a bit more. The reason for this is hardly the liberal press -- God knows the Bush administration doesn't hesitate to cram talking points down anyone's throat -- but rather the fact that aid to Africa is about as conservative an idea as saving the spotted owl. Bush is doing the right thing but the liberal nature of it is not one that sits well with his party base... thus the administration chooses to downplay it.

One might actually say the same thing about Bush's position on immigration, which in theory is closer to liberalism than conservatism. Pity that he tried to spin up it into something conservatives could stomach, which in the end only caused him to alienate both conservatives and liberals over the same issue -- quite an achievement.

As for the greatest failure... there are so many to choose from. Entering Iraq under false pretenses and then screwing it all up, attempting to divide the country into "patriots" and "liberals" in order to push an agenda, failing to capture Osama, and pissing on the constitution all come to mind. Playing chicken with the economy by purposely keeping the dollar weak instead of working to transform the fundamentals is a huge failure that, I think, many haven't even recognized yet. Refusing to take even the most basic steps to ensure that oil scarcity -- both an economic and national security vulnerability for the US -- won't destroy us (unless you count invading Iraq, see above).

The magnitude of any one of Bush's failures alone is wrenching. Together, they're spectacular.

Six Degrees Of Ugly

There appears to be nothing power won't corrupt. I wonder if the talking heads on the teevee will take note of this one:

But last week, McCain's subsequent effort to redo the tanker deal was dealt a setback. Government auditors ruled that the Air Force made "significant errors" when it rebid the contract and awarded the $35 billion project to Boeing's chief rival, partners European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co. (or EADS) and Northrop Grumman. It's likely the Air Force will have to redo the bid yet again, which analysts say will delay the replacement of the fleet's 1950s-era refueling tankers. The auditors' ruling has also cast light on an overlooked aspect of McCain's crusade: five of his campaign's top advisers and fund-raisers—including Tom Loeffler, who resigned last month as his finance co-chairman, and Susan Nelson, his finance director—were registered lobbyists for EADS.

Critics, including some at the Pentagon, cite in particular two tough letters McCain wrote to Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England in 2006 and another to Robert Gates, just prior to his confirmation as Defense secretary. In the first letter, dated Sept. 8, 2006, McCain wrote of hearing from "third parties" that the Air Force was about to redo the tanker competition by factoring in European government subsidies to EADS—a condition that could have seriously hurt the EADS bid. McCain urged that the Pentagon drop the subsidy factor and posed a series of technical questions about the Air Force's process. "He was trying to jam us and bully us to make sure there was competition by giving EADS an advantage," said one senior Pentagon official, who asked for anonymity when discussing a politically sensitive matter. The assumption within the Pentagon, the official added, was that McCain's letters were drafted by EADS lobbyists. "There was no one else that would have had that level of detail," the official said. (A Loeffler associate noted that he and Nelson were retained by EADS after the letters were drafted.)

FISA Disgust

Congressional capitulation. Right wing exaltation. Left wing frustration.

Sounds like bad legislation:

That's the "compromise" Steny Hoyer negotiated and which he is now -- according to very credible reports -- pressuring every member of the Democratic caucus to support. It's full-scale, unconditional amnesty with no inquiry into whether anyone broke the law. In the U.S. now, thanks to the Democratic Congress, we'll have a new law based on the premise that the President has the power to order private actors to break the law, and when he issues such an order, the private actors will be protected from liability of any kind on the ground that the Leader told them to do it -- the very theory that the Nuremberg Trial rejected.

I don't know what else to say at this point other than I'm disappointed President Hillary won't get a chance to use it on those whom she deems fit.

The Obamanator

Love it:

MoveOn, the advocacy group supporting Barack Obama, has decided to permanently shutter its 527 operation, partly in response to the Illinois Senator's insistence that such groups should not spend on his behalf during the general election, I've learned from the group's spokesperson.

MoveOn's decision, which will dramatically impact the way it raises money on Obama's behalf, is yet another sign of how rapidly Obama is taking control of the apparatus that's gearing up on his behalf.

I don't believe Obama is going to everything I want and do it to my satisfaction but, damn... he's off to a good start.

These 527's are about the worst thing to happen to our democracy since [insert favorite democratic travesty from the past 8 years].

Obama's Deci$ion

The teevee talking heads are all upset that Obama is not sticking with his public funding pledge (which wasn't really a pledge but whatever).

Eh.

I suppose I should be disappointed but the fact is that just I'm too damn happy to see a guy who is raising heretofore unheard of amounts of money by appealing to regular everyday peeps like me donating $20 at a time. Not lobbyists. Not big biz donors. Not $2000 a plate dinners with Lincoln bedroom overnight giveaways. Just people who are excited about participating in the political process for a change.

Now THAT'S democracy!

HuffPo has a slightly more logical defense here.

Express Yourself

I'm not really a "Peace on Earth" person but I have to admit this kind of civil disobedience is rather appealing to me.

Oh My

I would hate to be the Mozilla IT guy who told his execs he was ready for GA.

Mozilla launched its newest browser on Tuesday along with a marketing stunt that went a bit wrong. The company announced that it wanted to set a Guinness World Record for the largest number of software downloads in a 24-hour period. However, the volume of downloads crippled Mozilla's site, and so customers in the U.S. couldn't begin downloading the software until two hours later than expected. Still, Mozilla said it logged more than 8 million downloads within 24 hours. There is currently no record for number of software downloads in a day, but Mozilla must now wait for review of the stunt by Guinness officials.

Best. Show. Ever.

Mobile Home Disaster (CMT).

Mobile Home Disaster takes deserving families and makes their dreams come true. Each week, the design team, which includes a contractor, designer and two carpenters, hits the road to turn one lucky family's world upside down. Lead by comedic host, John Caparulo, the Mobile Home Disaster team surprises a family, sends them on a journey and in just four short days transforms their home into the crown jewel of the neighborhood. The family is the envy of their friends and family as everyone comes together for the big reveal of the family's new home.

Where were these people when I was living in a trailer park mobile home community? I would have loved to have had my home transformed into the crown jewel of Loves Parkansas!

Please Make It Stop

Enough with the stupidty. Please... just stop.

Obama is not a terrorist, he's not a muslim, he's not a whitey hatin' racist, he's not any of the things the right would desperately like us to believe. It just makes them look borderline retarded to keep pushing rumors and innuendo that are so obviously untrue in a creepy attempt to play on the worst in us.

I have no doubt that Obama will continue to conduct himself with integrity (even when I wish he'd just punch someone in the mouth) and that, in itself, will probably lead to an even bigger backfire against the right.

YouTube'n

Random Question

It's interesting to me that the religious right is so fixated on the inherent goodness of Israel (from a religious, and not pragmatic, perspective). I can't help but wonder, though... would those same people vote for President John McCainstein?

The End Of The World As We Know It

Or so they tell me.




The last couple, btw, tied the knot after 55 years together.

In a way I can kind of understand the anti-gay marriage hysteria. The idea of two middle aged women who love each other and want to bind their lives together (in the same way that millions upon millions of hetero people have loved each other and wanted to bind their lives together) is just wrong, wrong, wrong.

Everyone knows that lesbianism is only acceptable if it involves two young, hot women having sex for the explicit pleasure of a male viewer.

It's about morals, people... morals!!!

Et Tu, John?

The ultra-exclusive Town Hall meeting concept -- it's not just for Bushies anymore.

What is it about Republicans that make them unable to resist rigging these things? Is it fear of the unwashed masses? Is it a sense of entitlement? Lame.

Bitter Much?

By giving one of those statements that is true but not entirely correct, Joe Lieberman proves why he is a giant flaming douchebag.

Lieberman has wasted no time in questioning Obama's positions on Iran and Israel, two topics on which Lieberman and McCain agree. Just one day after Obama clinched his party's nomination, Lieberman joined Republicans on a McCain campaign teleconference call assailing Obama following his foreign policy address to a leading Jewish group.

Lieberman accused Obama of blaming U.S. policies for "essentially sort of strengthening" Iran.

"If Israel is in danger today, it's not because of American foreign policy, which has been strongly supportive of Israel in every way," he said. "It is not because of what we have done in Iraq. It is because Iran is a fanatical terrorist, expansionist state."

Is it Iran's nature to hate Israel? Yes. And that is exactly why it's so tragic that our invasion of Iraq has undeniably strengthened Iran's position in the region. To gloss over that truth in a petty anti-Democratic tirade is pretty disgusting.

Shame.

Failed Energy Policy

Everyone is suddenly aware that we're dependent on oil. Baby steps, I guess. My questions continue to be:

1. If oil (a known finite resource!!) is so vital to national security that we'd go war for it, why hasn't the government been pouring money into developing alternative energy sources? Especially knowing that oil money funds despotic middle eastern regimes and terrorists. Two birds.... one stone. Blah blah blah.
   
2. Why hasn't the government been pro-actively, incrementally, pushing aggressively higher energy standards on cars? Car companies would have been much closer to handling the need/desire for fuel efficient cars we're going to start seeing and American car companies, in particular, could have become industry leaders instead of standing on the verge of bankruptcy with their giant trucks and SUVs.
   

Just think where we might be today (like, not in a massive economic panic) if we'd spent the last eight years or so turning the ship around instead of staring at the iceberg and trying to install democracies on it.

"It was the campaign equivalent of Intelligent Design."

The lie of inevitability... this is the best essay I've seen so far on Hillary's defeat.

The Lieberman Factor

It perplexes me that Republicans who refused to vote for Lieberman (anyone else remember "Sore Loserman"?) when he ran with Al Gore for the White House are suddenly giving him national hero status for railing against his own party. It's not that he's providing a taste of 'corrective medicine' to the party where they've strayed from their ideals... he's actively slamming the Dem candidate while endorsing the Republican nominee. That's extreme.

One might question why Lieberman is still caucusing with the Democrats at all. For the time being, Dems may be finding tolerance for him in the fact that he gives them their thin Senate majority. But if the Dems sweep up in November, this little marriage of convenience may come to a bitter end rather quickly. Lieberman may truly find himself alone in the Independent wilderness.

Or maybe he'd rather become a Republican. But the truth is that Lieberman's popularity among Republicans exists only as the result of him being a disgruntled Democrat. In the actual scheme of things, Lieberman's positions cast him far enough to the left of the GOP that he'd be a difficult fit for the party. I mean, if Lincoln Chafee chafes their ass, what would Joe Lieberman's voting record do to them? I'd pay money to witness that.

Oil At $139

I am shocked.

Shocked, I tell you!

Huh?

Hillabeast supporters keep saying that the 2008 primary was riddled with sexism. If it was there, I didn't see it (unless you count all the blah blah blah about Hillary's tears, which actually ended up giving her such a valuable boost among women that she attempted to repeat it).

What I did see was the Hillabeast campaign's shameless attempt to ignite a wave of racism toward Obama. At least I'm not the only one.

"Terrorist Fist Jab"

Why are these people even on my teevee?

Drunken Blogging From Denver

Seriously... I am sitting here at the bar in the Hyatt (they have free wifi!), having a few beers, and I realize that I miss my neglected corner of the blogiverse. I do. Really. Think, Dammit! may have a regular readership of 2 but it's still mine-all-mine. I miss staking my claim.

But here's the thing. This year is sucking pretty big at work. A major disaster in March caused a major crisis of confidence for me -- very, very humbling -- and commentating about politics and Other Serious Matters just seemed like bad karma. Suddenly it became an all-consuming observation that I don't know it all, can't control even my own domain, and probably have no business propagating my opinions on an unsuspecting populace.

*sigh

So now I'm thinking that maybe it's time to cut myself some slack. Life is about learning... we're all learning, every day, with every success, with every mistake. And, honestly, there's nothing like a brutal failure to kick one in the ass and sharpen ones wits.

Anyway, I've been traveling a lot lately (or at least a lot for me) between Boston, DC, and Denver. Trying to balance it with the spouse, the house, and the kids has been perpetual chaos but they've been pretty good about my absences (and I appreciate it).

Brief catch up on personals... KK just turned 16 last week and Kirsten is registered for summer semester (and seems to be excited about it). Jeff and Ryan have been fishing almost every weekend since the ice melted off the lake (with more fish tales than fish). We've booked a brief family vacation to St Pete's beach in Florida. Yeah, I know, who goes to Florida in the summer? But it's cheap this time of the year and the beach is still the beach. Sister Dani and I are spending more time together, an awesome (and awesomely unexpected) development. (why it took 40 years to discover that it's fun hanging out together remains a bit of a mystery). In all, the non-work side of life has been good.

Anywhoooooo... I think I'm ready to ease my way back into writing, hopefully starting with the Obamanomination! Signing out for now, though, since there's an ancient man across the bar who will not stop staring at me (what, he's never seen a laptop before??). Creepy!