Dick Morris on how McCain can win, and other Sunday items

Dick Morris, in today's Washington Post: Obama Has the Upper Hand. But McCain Can Still Take Him.

To sum it up: A candidate who cannot get elected is being nominated by a party that cannot be defeated, while a candidate who is eminently electable is running as the nominee of a party doomed to defeat.

In this environment, McCain can win by running to the center.

His base will be there for him; indeed, it will turn out in massive numbers. Wright has become the honorary chairman of McCain's get-out-the-vote efforts. It would be nice to think that race isn't a factor in American politics anymore, but it is. The growing fear of Obama, who remains something of an unknown, will drag every last white Republican male off the golf course to vote for McCain, and he will need no further laying-on of hands from either evangelical Christians or fiscal conservatives.

So McCain doesn't have to spend a lot of time wooing his base. What he does need to do is reduce the size of the synapse over which independents and fearful Democrats need to pass in order to back his candidacy. If the synapse is wide, they will stay with Obama. But if they perceive McCain as an acceptable alternative, there is every chance that they will cross over to back him in November.

Who am I to disagree with Dick Morris, but the way I see it, McCain has an even bigger problem: many Republicans are assuming that McCain will win, and they are doing next to nothing to help him win, to get out the vote or even donating.

I've been discussing this with a friend who has been watching and participating in American politics for decades. Her appraisal is very somber when it comes to the cult of Obama and the upcoming Obamatopia (^TM).

She recognizes that McCain is against a mighty juggernaut (the Democrat party machinery, of course), but also against a cult-like following "that victimizes itself with politics of hatred", in which propaganda "worms/ingratiates/infiltrates and then stays like a stubborn virulent disease with no fact overrides" (her words). At the same time, McCain is not stirring the Republicans.

Dick Morris says that McCain can win by moving to the center.

The question is, can McCain mobilize the country to effectively win over what has turned into an article of faith?

Cross-posted at PoliGazette
--------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's WSJ's Five Best Books on the American West, selected by Alexandra Fuller:




--------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's shoes: Clark's Korbin, available in seven colors.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
The Carnival of the Insanities is up.

Charlton Heston 1923-2008, and a few Sunday items

We had a great time at last night's BlogFest, and I'll be posting a few photos later. For now, here are a few Sunday items:

Charlton Heston died yesterday. Few in Hollywood care to remember that at the height of his fame,

He was one of the major Hollywood stars who marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the civil rights era.

But then, few care to remember that the NRA helped many blacks in the South in the post Civil War era defend themselves.

Update
Belmont Club:

Not very many people will remember that Charlton Heston picketed a segregated theater premiering his own movie; or that he accompanied Martin Luther King Jr on the 1963 Civil Rights March on Washington. All at a time when no one in Hollywood was willing to speak out against racism. It's more likely that he'll be remembered as the six foot three inch tall actor, who played Moses and Ben Hur, and later became the president and spokesman for the National Rifle Association advocating the right to keep and bear arms; or recall that he opposed affirmative action. But Heston the marcher and Heston the NRA president come closer together if one recalls that in the actor's mind at least, racial segregation helped the cause of Communism. The fight for freedom took many forms, but underneath its varied guises it was always the same thing.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's WSJ's 5 Best Books, on journalism, selected by Roger Mudd



--------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's shoes, Merrell Barrado. They tend to run small so you might want to order a half size larger.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
Pat has the Carnival, don't miss it.



Share on Facebook

The missing top models, and other Sunday items

The other day Matt was posting about the disappearance of Waris Dirie, who had launched a campaign against female genital mutilation in 1996. The Waris Dirie Foundation website has more information on her campaign.

Dirie was later found on Friday and the police are investigating the disappearance:

Dirie's manager, Walter Lutschinger, said she had been involved in an altercation in a hotel reception area after a taxi driver took her to the wrong branch of the Sofitel hotel chain. The police were called and drove Dirie around Brussels looking for the correct hotel because she had apparently forgotten where she was staying.

UPDATE
Model Dirie apologizes for 3-day disappearance
'A little misunderstanding,' she says of absence from women's conference.

Earler last week the police had found the body of another model who had spoken against FGM:

News of Dirie's disappearance came a week after French police said they had found the body of another former model of African origin who had campaigned against female genital mutilation. Guinean-born Katoucha Niane was discovered floating in the River Seine in Paris.

The French police said an autopsy showed no signs of foul play, raising the possibility that she may have fallen accidentally into the river. However, Katoucha's family members say they suspect homicide.

French police

initially said an autopsy showed no signs of foul play, pointing to the possibility that the could have fallen accidentally into the river.

The ex- model and mother of three died from "rapid submersion with no traces of violence," said a source close to the investigation. "She fell into the water and went straight to the bottom," he added.

Her family insists that a homicide investigation continue, and have requested a second autopsy.

France2 did a report on Katoucha's campaign against FGM which you can watch on YouTube (in French)

--------------------------------------------------------------------
The WSJ's Five Best books on gambling, selected by Richard Hoffer:



--------------------------------------------------------------------
Pat has the Carnival of the Insanities
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's shoes, looking forward to warm(er) days, the Clarks Hydrangea in bronze.

Exodus on TCM

Turner Classic Movies is playing Exodus, and as I write this post Barak Ben Canaan (played by L. J. Cobb) is imploring the Arabs to remain in their homes and work together.

The British mandate ended on May 14, 1948, the state of Israel was proclaimed on the same day, and the following day five Arab states - Egypt, TransJordan, Syria, Lebanon and Iraq - invaded Israel.

Fast-forward sixty years later, and what have we got?

Arab Ideological Doctrine Syndrome: A Crippling Plague (h/t Larwyn)

If the central issue is pride, not material benefit, and if battling the West and Israel are the prime directives, whether this policy leads to defeat, bankruptcy, tyranny, and general disaster is irrelevant. And despite the existence of courageous dissenters from this doctrine, it still rules the Arab world, something every Arab but few in the West understands. This is why peace, moderation, and pragmatism still cannot win there.

Indeed, PA president Mahmoud Abbas is saying he's opposed to an armed struggle against Israel - for the time being - "because we cannot succeed in it" (h/t Gringo)

but maybe in the future things will be different," he said.

Somebody ought to tell King Abdullah when he's in town talking about how "moderates" are ready to "negotiate".

In the meantime, the UN is criticizing Israel for defending itself, with a mild chiding to the Palestinians for attacking Israel.

Peace process? Only if the Hamas thinks it'll wipe Israel off the face of the Earth.

UPDATE
Attacks Widen: Netivot, Psagot and Jerusalem Under Fire (hat tip Pamela, via Larwyn)
Thinly-veiled fiction at Siggy's.
---------------------------------------------------------------
For more insanities, Pat has the Carnival
---------------------------------------------------------------
This week's WSJ 5-best books, on composers' lives, selected by James Penrose


---------------------------------------------------------------
This week's shoes:




Share on Facebook

The Turn of the Screw, and other Sunday items

The Fox Movie Channel is playing The Innocents, with Deborah Kerr, the film adaptation Henry James's The Turn of the Screw.

The Turn of the Screw kept you wondering if you were reading a ghost story or a tale of insanity.

Deborah Kerr is always an excellent actress and she was particularly good at portraying women tottering at the edge of insanity (in Black Narcissus she not only tottered but fell in head first). In The Innocents she makes perfect sense at the same time as the back of your mind tells you she's totally nuts.

The Innocents is an enthralling movie showcasing a tour de force performance by one of the best film actresses of the 20th Century.


--------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's WSJ's 5-Best Books, on psychology, chosen by Steven Pinker:




I read The Nurture Assumption several years ago and found it fascinating.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's shoes:
Merrell" Relay Tour. Very comfortable, sporty, and look great. They tend to run small, so order a 1/2 larger just in case.


--------------------------------------------------------------------
Pat has the Carnival of the Insanities, complete with the dancing fidel

Lessons from tango

Before we all go and check the Superduper Tuesday Carnival of the Insanities, here's a tango report:

Yesterday I had the pleasure of participating in the Tango for Parkinson's fundraiser. I ended up learning the first steps and danced for a total of four hours. It was so much fun I could have stayed for an additional four hours if I hadn't had family obligations.

Loved every minute of it.

I learned a couple of things:

• You're never too old to tango, but you probably can be too young for it.
• You don't get tired while learning the tango.
• Never judge a guy by his cover: Young long-haired hippies, chubby old guys, nerds with thick eyeglasses and shy guys with thick foreign accents all are stars of the tango ballroom.
• The most beautiful woman also does the best tango. Yes, life is so unfair.
• Argentine tango is challenging because you need all your concentration.
• You have to concentrate in what you're doing but at the same time you have to be totally focused on how the guy leads you.
• Regardless of its image as sex-in-the-ballrom, acquiring the body memory to get to that point requires all of your mental skills. Tango might have originated in the brothels of Buenos Aires but it takes a sharp mind to get it together.
• It does take two, but you have to practice your technique on your own, too

I took a couple of pictures with my new camera phone; once I figure out how to download them I'll post them here.

For those of you who want to know, I was wearing the right shoes. See below.

Here's a Reuters report on tango tourism in Buenos Aires


Here's Sally Potter:


That clip is from Potter's movie The Tango Lesson, which is the fantasy of every middle-aged woman who's had to do extensive structural repairs to her home - she gave the keys to her contractor and left for Argentina to learn the tango while the work was being done (and the work was miraculously finished - and done the right way - when she got back):


--------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's shoes, for tango practice:
Two of the girls who danced very well wore dansneakers

I wore the classic Capezio character shoe with a Dr. Scholl's innersole for the whole four hours, and could have lasted another four hours. There were at least ten other women (including two instructors) wearing these:

If I ever progress beyond the clunky-beginner stage I'll be looking at these, or perhaps something from FeatherLite:


Many men wore the Capezio oxfords

--------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's WSJ's Five Best books on conspiracy theories, selected by Mark Holland:






Share on Facebook

Did Obama get the most Nevada delegates? and other Sunday items

At The Nation

Barack Obama may have won the most delegates in Saturday's Nevada Caucus, even though Hillary Clinton bested his statewide turnout by about six points.

We were discussing just that possibility in last night's podcast.

Bring out Algore and let's count those hanging chads!
--------------------------------------------------------------------
TigerHawk explains how The "public editor" of the New York Times really is nothing but a flack for the lefties

Until I read his post I had no idea who Linda Greenhouse is.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Princeton blogal marwing alert:
23^oF and sunny.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Pat has The Carnival of the Insanities.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Guess who's building the southern border fence?

--------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's WSJ's Five Best books, on fanaticism, chosen by history scholar Alan Charles Kors:




Of the above books, I read Son of the Revolution years ago and highly recommend it. It's compelling, well written, and ultimately heart-breaking.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's shoes: Hiking boots!

Waterproof uppers, Timberland-sturdy, and a good price.



Share on Facebook

Hero of the year, the "none-of-the-above" primary, focus on Afgahnistan, and other Sunday items

Hero of the year:

Siggy has The Other "Person Of The Year", Dr. Liviu Librescu, who saved the lives of his Virginia Tech students at the cost of his own.


Click on the photo above for more on Dr. Librescu.

As far as TIME's kleptocrat goes, Vladimir Putin will now use Time magazine's honor to enhance his own power, as one would expect.

---------------------------------------------------------
Yesterday I mentioned that Sarko was visiting Afghanistan. Well, Australia's new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi went to Afghanistan this weekend, too:

Mr Rudd said: "We're committed to being here for the long haul."

He added: "Over the next several months, I would also be encouraging other friends and partners and allies in Nato to continue their commitments and where possible extend them."

Matt Dupee at Long Wars Journal reports on Northwestern Afghanistan: Badghis province seeks security, revitalization

---------------------------------------------------------
The "none-of-the-above" primaries: Ed Morrissey asks, Can't anyone play this here game?

Skip the lede of this story and check the numbers at the link. Even the best showing for the candidates, Barack Obama (-6%) and John McCain (-11%) have bigger negatives than positives among all voters. This doesn't bode well for the 2008 campaign in either the primaries or the general election. Not only has no one really caught fire, but no one has managed to convert more voters than they've driven off.

At least neither party has an "annointed".

---------------------------------------------------------
Michael Drida picks this week's WSJ's 5 best Christmas stories:

Full of make-believe and festivity, this wonderful narrative poem possesses a Mozartean lightness and wit. Luckily, several modern versions, particularly those by W.S. Merwin and Simon Armitage, deftly replicate much of the feel and rhythm of the Middle English original. On New Year's Day an eerie Green Knight challenges a champion from King Arthur's court to exchange ax blows. Sir Gawain duly slices through the stranger's neck, only to see the decapitated torso pick up the head, which then speaks: Remember, the Green Knight says, to meet me in a year and a day at the Green Chapel. But where is that? The following winter, riding to what must be certain death, Gawain finds himself alone and desolate on Christmas Eve. Miraculously, a castle hoves into view. There the famous knight is welcomed by a red-bearded lord, the man's beautiful lady and a hideous bent-backed old woman. For the next three days Gawain savors all the sumptuous delights of the Christmas season--while each morning in his bedchamber the seductive wife tempts him to surrender to more sinful pleasures. There are, however, mysteries about this castle--and they are not resolved until Gawain fearfully bows his head to receive the promised ax stroke from the Green Knight.

Sir Gawain is one of my favorite books, and you can find it on line here. I suggest you read the modern English versions, since the Middle English is particularly difficult.

The other four books are




---------------------------------------------------------
Christmas shoes, you ask?
Steve Madden Women's Luvvy Pump in red patent, which I featured last month:


Let everybody else wear a red sweater!

---------------------------------------------------------
Pat has the CARNIVAL OF THE CHRISTMAS INSANITIES - Special Edition!

Sunday shopping, and the Carnival

After spending close to two hours comparison-shopping on line for a particular present for a very special person I finally gave up and bought it through Amamzon.

So here's a selection of gifts in all price ranges available at Amazon:
Electronics:


Games:


DVD sets: Note: None of these are suitable for children


Books:


Apparel:


Classic toys:

-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Carnival of the Insanities is up.

Global warming delays, and Sunday books, shoes and Carnival

American Digest gets snowed, and here in Princeton we got white stuff, too:

Cold?
Heck, yeah!

"Winter wonderland..."
---------------------------------------------------------------
This week's WSJ's 5 best, on journalism, picked by Tom Brokaw:


---------------------------------------------------------------
Today's shoes: waterproof boots

Sudini also makes the 'Princeton' Tall Waterproof Boot, for us here in Princeton, of course.
---------------------------------------------------------------
The Carnival of the Insanities is up, but truncated because of a winter storm.

So much for Global Warming today.

The gift-giving (and taking) season

Bill & Hillary: the gift that keeps on giving and taking
Doug Ross has an excellent post on The bizarre ties between the Clintons, Vin Gupta and InfoUSA. Doug asks,

Questions for Hillary
Several obvious questions for Hillary Clinton arise from these many, varied relationships.

* Why would you and your husband sell the Clinton Library Donor List to InfoUSA but not disclose the list to the public?

* Will you describe all of your family's financial ties to Vinod Gupta and InfoUSA, such as your husband's true compensation?

* Should we trust any poll coming from CNN/Opinion Research Corporation given various financial ties -- not all of which have been disclosed -- between Vinod Gupta and your family as well as other key Democrats?

After you read Doug's post make sure to visit Gateway Pundit (to which I linked on this post).
-----------------------------------------------------------
Never one to stop giving,
The Archbishop of Canterbury misplaces his empire anxiety, again.
-----------------------------------------------------------
For your shopping pleasure:
Gerard VanderLeun has come up with this year's Black Friday American Digest Home Shopping Guide.

Unfortunately he left out the Freudian suckers.
-----------------------------------------------------------
The first minister of Scotland "chooses works that reflect the spirit of his native land" for the WSJ's 5 Best:


A couple of comments on these selections:
Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations should be required reading in high schools around the world. If you haven't read it yet, now is the time.

How the Scots Invented the Modern World is not only very interesting, it's also amusing and entertaining, particularly if you're fond of men who like to tinker, and are inclined to engineering and the sciences.

I specifically chose The Wind in the Willows edition illustrated by Ernest Shepard (who also illustrated the original Winnie the Pooh) because of its charm. A friend gave me this particular edition when my son was born. However, do not for a moment think this is a book intended solely for children. It isn't. It's a book about home, longing for one's place in the world, and the value of friends. And it's also very funny, too.

I highly recommend the Wordsworth Poetry Library editions.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Shoes for the Holidays
I'm in a red shoes mode right now, and Steve Madden Women's Luvvy Pump in red patent are perfect:

If red patent is not to your liking, they also come in navy pinstripes, or in tweed (unfortunately the Amazon link shows them in polka-dots, not to my liking at all).
-----------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Sanity has The Carnival of the Insanities




Share on Facebook

Channeling, books, shoes, and Carnival

Channeling:
GM Roper channels Elizabeth Barret Browning.

Siggy channels A Post Modern Christmas.

No Pasaran channels a VW van.

An illegal alien wants to cross the channel...again.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Speaking of immigration, lose weight before you move to New Zealand (h/t Mark Steyn/The Corner)
---------------------------------------------------------------
This week's WSJ's Five Best, on "extraordinary journeys of discovery", chosen by Dava Sobel:


---------------------------------------------------------------
This week's shoes:

---------------------------------------------------------------
CARNIVAL OF THE INSANITIES - Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday books, shoes, and Carnival

This week's "Five Best" from the WSJ, business books:


The only book I haven't read of these five is the Email book. I highly recommend Twyla Tharpe's book: entertaining, insightful, and very enjoyable.
---------------------------------------------------
This week's shoes, Ugg's Tie Bow:
Yes, I know they're ugly, but these will keep your toes warm

A slipper with a sheepskin insole and driving shoe treads on the outside. Make sure to change into dress shoes when you get to the office!
---------------------------------------------------
The Carnival of the Insanities is up.


If that's not enough insanity for you, read about what happened when Bill Richardson started wathing the X-Files.

Shallow Sunday items

Mark Steyn takes on the shallow children in Congress:

Last Thursday, Nancy Pelosi, as is the fashion, used the phrase "the children" like some twitchy verbal tic, a kind of Democrat Tourette's syndrome: "This is a discussion about America's children … We could establish ourselves as the children's Congress … Come forward on behalf of the children ... I tried to do that when I was sworn in as speaker surrounded by children. It was a spontaneous moment, but it was one that was clear in its message: we are gaveling this House to order on behalf of the children."

Etc. So what is the best thing America could do "for the children"? Well, it could try not to make the same mistake as most of the rest of the Western world and avoid bequeathing the next generation a system of unsustainable entitlements that turns the entire nation into a giant Ponzi scheme.

Blue Crab Boulevard:

That is the real danger of the "for the children" mantra. It really is "sticking it to the children."

Update, Monday 22 October: Betsy has more----------------------------------------------------------------
The beautiful RightWingSparkle shares some Shallow Political Thoughts

Update 8PM: The Republican debate started. It looks like Mitt listened to Kathleen.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Via Beth,
Shallow Man's Guide to the 2008 Republican Presidential Candidates
----------------------------------------------------------------
Panty power!
----------------------------------------------------------------
David Kennedy critiques a shallow book.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Not shallow but a lot of fun, this week's Carnival of the Insanities

----------------------------------------------------------------
This week's shoes, via The Manolo, who, for a change featured a pair of shoes under $100:

The Manolo shows them in black, I prefer them in red. ----------------------------------------------------------------
Amazon is now carrying Rolex:

----------------------------------------------------------------
Last but not least, this week's WSJ's Five Best, picked by Brian Williams,

Sunday Hsu, Sunday shoes, Sunday book and Sunday Carnival

Several readers have asked me when will I post about the Atlantic City revolving mayors. You can read my article Forget it, Jake, it's Atlantic City at Pajamas Media today.

I'm sure you all remember that line from Chinatown.
------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday Hsu, via Instapundit:
Hsu's love of wine and Clinton on display:

Until recently, Hsu, 56, traveled in glittering circles as one of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's most prolific supporters, raising more than $1.2 million for the New York Democrat and other Democratic candidates in the last three years.

In August, however, The Times revealed he was a fugitive, wanted in connection with a 1991 theft case. Since then, federal prosecutors have accused the Hong Kong native of masterminding a $60-million Ponzi scheme and breaking election laws by reimbursing associates for political donations made in their names.

Hsu also has been sued by investors in Southern California and New York who say he defrauded them and, in some cases, pressured them to make campaign contributions.

What I want to know is, who was bankrolling Hsu?
------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday shoes:

The Delman Xosa pumps in patent leather, available in red or black. A classic style that will carry you through every ocassion from the office through the weekend.
------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday book:

Essential Manners for Men: What to Do, When to Do It, and Why

Anecdotes on cricket matches and beach houses aside, this is a very entertaining book explaining the when and how of ettiquette without lapsing into metrosexual/henpecked/women on pedestals mannered foolishness. Post (Emily's great-grandson) is especially good in explaining the why for manners (page xxi):

Etiquette is governed by three principles: consideration, respect, and honesty. These provide the framework for defining every manner that has ever been formulated. Each of these principles is timeless. These principles transcend cultural boundaries, cross socioeconomic boundaries, and apply equally to all ages.

In today's world, where everybody's life is laid bare on the internet, cell phones and emails, this is most valuable advice.

While the book is aimed at men, women need to learn how to behave appropritately, too, particularly towards men. I recommend this book to women not so they find fault in men's behavior and go nagging them into propriety, but to understand that there are limits to a man's forebearance (which many women tend to forget), and that it is appropriate for a man to not want to be with a woman who only demands (but can't deliver) consideration, respect and honesty.

May we all live by all three.
------------------------------------------------------------
This week's book selection at the WSJ is by Michael Barone, who says, "These books illuminate the shared heritage of America and Britain." I also include a link to Churchill's A History of the English Speaking Peoples.
Churchill won a Nobel for Lit (1953), not for peace.



------------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Sanity has the Carnival of the Insanities

Sunday books, Sunday shoes, Sunday Carnival, IV

Today's must-read: The New York Times Mourns the Loss of Their "Defining Atrocity" from Gateway Pundit.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Today's books:
Michael Ledeen picks the best five books on Iran for the Wall Street Journal:



-------------------------------------------------------------------
This week's shoes:
The Geox Geox Women's Donna Kyra Moc Slip-On in platinum.
A ballet slipper look with comfort and style.

-------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr Sanity has the Carnival!

The three stooges

The UN, Columbia, and the National Press Club

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad got a really big send-off before his trip to NYC

In the parade, some of the trucks carrying Iranian missiles were painted with popular slogans: "Down with the U.S." and "Down with Israel."

Later today I'll be posting about the three stooges that will be entertaining 'Jad once he gets to the US.
As I mentioned Thursday, Iran is

intent on wiping Israel off the map,
financing Hezbolla,
arming Shiia terrorists in Iraq,
and swearing to develop nuclear weapons

For this, Ahmadinejad gets rewarded and feasted by the three stooges:
Curly/The UN,
Larry/Columbia University,
and Moe/the National Press Club.

Curly:
The UN invites him as a speaker. That is hardly surprising, since the UN has distinguished itself as a cesspool of tyrants. The UN is officially a platfrom from which tyrants can harange againt the USA. We have witnessed this time and time again.

Larry:
Columbia University, however, has shown it true colors. While the Minutemen and the ROTC are not allowed to speak, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the anti-Semite terrorost-in-chief, who believes in the Mahdi but not in the Holocaust, is featured Monday as part of its series entitled "World Leaders Forum". As The Oxford Medievalist explains,

Apparently, Columbia University feels they should provide Ahmadinejad with a forum to further air his prima facie absurd and hateful rhetoric, so long as he's willing to debate. I didn't know his rhetoric needed to be debated, let alone given yet another platform; I thought the conclusion was plainly known: Mahmoud is an apocalyptic madman Jew-hating president of a regime bent on spreading its Islamist revolution throughout the Middle East and, eventually, the world.

But you see, Columbia is so open-minded that they would "invite Hitler to engage in debate by Columbia's students and faculty."

Additionally, The Columbia Coalition Against the War doesn't want progressives to demonstrate against 'Jad because they are worried about publicity:

A rally where each speaker denounces Ahmadinejad's reactionary policies and just a few call explicitly for military action will still be perceived, on campus and around the U.S., as pro-war.

Mind you, the Coalition is echoing Iran's top diplomat in Argentina, who has said that criticizing Iran means supporting war against Iran (h/t Harry's Place).

The Coalition has not given one moment's thought to the fact that Ahmadinejad's entire trip is already being touted as a propaganda victory for the murderous Iranian regime.

Moe:
The National Press Club's innagurates its first-ever videoconference luncheon by having Ahmadinejad speaking and taking questions. Rest assured that 'Jad's replies will be spun and respun as propaganda soundbites all across the Islamic world.

Not that coddling tyrants is new at the NPC. Earlier this summer the National Press Club cancelled a "newsmaker" event on press freedom organized by Venezuelan students, at the request of the Venezuelan Embassy.

The bottom line on Ahmadinejad is, if he can demonstrate that he is treated abroad as a respected leader, he will be better able to counter his critics at home.

'Jad belongs in Gitmo.

And for the record, I like Ike.

In the meantime, Dr Sanity has The Carnival of the Insanities.


[Clarification and apology:
I am using the Stooges as a metaphor for clownish behavior. My apologies to the descendants of the Three Stooges - Larry Fine (Larry), Joe deRita (CurlyJoe), and the Howard brothers, Curly, Moe and Shemp - whose parents and grandparents have brought so much enjoyment togenerations of Americans and who supported the war effort during World War II.]



Share on Facebook

Sunday books, Sunday shoes, Sunday Carnival

First the books:
Here are the books the WSJ reviewed this weekend, which include two about Hugo.

You can read Mary Anastasia O'Grady's review of both books here







Sunday Shoes:
I just bought these downtown, and I love them:

While they look a little clunky in the photo, they look great when you're wearing them and you can spend hours walking in them.

Sunday Carnival:
Dr. Sanity has it!

20 Questions

GM Roper asked me 20 Questions this week, and I am honored to answer them. GM's one of the "Friends I Haven't Met Yet", and I'm a big fan of his blog so this is a real treat.
----------------------------------------------------
There's a big bruhaha over a new book about Mother Theresa. Mother Theresa had doubts!

Well, I submit to you this thought:
That's what made her a saint.

Blind faith isn't.
----------------------------------------------------
Dr. Sanity has the Carnival

Teach your Children Well

Teach your children well,
Their father's hell did slowly go by,
And feed them on your dreams
The one they picked, the one you'll know by. Schools are run by Islamic group Blair pledged to ban

Members of a radical Muslim group that Tony Blair promised to ban after the July 7 bombings have set up two schools in Britain to educate primary age children.

The Islamic Shaksiyah Foundation, a registered charity that runs private schools in Haringey, north London, and in Slough in Berkshire, was established two years ago by female members of the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir.

Between them, the schools educate more than 100 children. A 2005 Ofsted inspection report for the school in Slough was glowing about its work, stating: "The school's provision for the pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is very good."

The schools' curriculum contains elements of Hizb ut-Tahrir's ideology, which calls for the union of all Muslim states into a worldwide empire, the khilafah (caliphate).
...
Although Hizb ut-Tahrir states it is nonviolent, the organisation has radicalised a number of British Muslims who have gone on to commit terrorist acts after leaving the group.
...
According to the Islamic Shaksiyah Foundation's curriculum document, children aged 7-8 are taught "our rules and laws come from Allah" and asked to contrast Islam with "other belief systems where human beings make rules". At age 9-10 children should be taught: "There must be one khali-fah [ruler of the caliphate]."

----------------------------------------------------------
Dr. Sanity has The Carnival of the Insanities