or, Maiden Error. Jennifer Rubin at Commentary:
The McCain camp is circulating this exchange from a Newsweek interview:
RICHARD WOLFFE: “You’ve been talking about those limited missions for a long time. Having gone there and talked to both diplomatic and military folks, do you have a clearer idea of how big a force you’d need to leave behind to fulfill all those functions?â€Â
BARACK OBAMA: “I do think that’s entirely conditions-based. It’s hard to anticipate where we may be six months from now, or a year from now, or a year and a half from now.â€Â
McCain foreign policy advisor Randy Scheunemann then put out a statement declaring:
“Today Barack Obama finally abandoned his dangerous insistence on an unconditional withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by making clear that for the foreseeable future, troop levels in Iraq will be ‘entirely conditions based.’ We welcome this latest shift in Senator Obama’s position, but it is obvious that it was only a lack of experience and judgment that kept him from arriving at this position sooner. . . Now that Obama has finally met with General Petraeus, it appears that he has also come to the conclusion that troop levels in Iraq must be based on the conditions on the ground.â€Â
After attempting to lay claim to Prime Minister Maliki’s support for a 16-month timetable did Obama really throw in the towel and concede McCain was right on a conditions-based withdrawal? Perhaps, but I think this is more likely the latest example of his propensity for sloppy, unfocused language. Jerusalem is “undivided† or then again, maybe not. He throws around words and phrases, devoid of real analytical understanding and offered whenever the moment seems right. Others have explained that Obama’s infatuation with words does not betray a consistent, logical or factually-grounded intellectual bent.
Only his hairdressers know for sure.
We all know that when he issues his correction for this statement, he will say that his position has always been for conditions-based troop withdrawal. Even though it hasn’t. He’s slippery that way, and he knows that he won’t get called on it by anyone except the “Right Wing Noise Machine™.”
Saw a movie about Barack Obama recently. It was called ‘Elmer Gantry’.
or two years from now, or even two and a half years from now, that’s difficult to anticipate as well. Also, three years from now. And three and a half years? I wouldn’t care to venture any specifics at this moment. As I’ve said all along, it’s hard to anticipate and I would hesitate doing so at this time, uh, at this moment.
Wouldn’t be prudent.
This is not an error; he said something similar to Perky Katie, calling it a “tactical” issue, when I’m pretty sure military types would say it’s higher on the chart than “tactical.”
Both Ways Barack
heh.
So with his failure to follow up his question to Obama by asking about the bald contradiction with past positions, Richard Wolfe confirms his uselessness as an interrogator.
Who’s proposals are running the show here, jon? Obama’s or Wolfe’s?
What I can affirmatively say is that the wheels on the bus, they go round and round, at this time, which is what the commanders on the ground are telling me… round and, uh, round, and I would anticipate that they will continue to go round and round, based on certain conditions. Prime Minister Maliki is in express agreement with me on this. These wheels, on this bus, which go round and round, they do so all through the town, and as commander in chief it will be my job to take that under consideration.
And, unh, I’ll also be taking into consideration Iraqi logistics and lift capabilities and, um, uh, indirect fire needs, and uh, attack helicopter needs and um, surface warfare inadequacies, and defensive missle systems and, and well, you know, the list does kind of go on but, uh, we’ll get all that done within my sixteen month parameters, so, uhm y’know there’s that.
“It’s hard to anticipate where we may be six months from now, or a year from now, or a year and a half from now.â€Â
He was a lot more certain before about this. I think he should stay home more and quit going out and learning things, it seems to confuse him.
Not a single candidate today wished Americans a Happy Parents Day today. By operation of federal law (US Code, Title 36, Section 135), the fourth Sunday in July is officially known as Parents Day, and every level of local, state and federal government is directed by this law to officially recognize the importance of parents in the lives of children “through proclamations, activities, and educational efforts.” Hopefully CNN and FOX come through on the importance of parents and these candidates wake up and realize that most of the social problems can be solved by ensuring parental rights are respected and protected so they can be just that… parents. The government is doing a horrible job at it.
Oh. I think it’s neat that every level of local, state and federal government is directed by this law to officially recognize the importance of parents in the lives of children. Yay! Also, breakfast… most important meal of the day, it is. Especially for children. And don’t forget to floss you guys! National flossing day is just around the corner, but really, EVERY day is flossing day I think. Especially for children, and levels and levels of government can’t be wrong, so let’s all do our part through proclamations, activities, and educational efforts! Unless you hate children I mean.
phwew! so I don’t have to change my plans today.
I buy floss in those little silver packets and have my kids use them on the way home from school, but I worry about what it might be doing to the environment? Am I justified?
Also, Jeff already celebrated Parents Day in a sort of a big way, yesterday, and what about one-parent families? How are they supposed to take this plural slur?
But mostly I agree with Larry and thanks for
remindingnotifying me.Does Baracky have an issue paper on that flossing stuff? Wait a minute, what about FireAnts? I really hate those bugs. Has Baracky got a way to fix that for me?
I think Barack Hussein there really wouldn’t want you to floss. By not flossing, it will likely create disease and other problems. He can then nationalize another welfare benefit for each of you, and Americans will then nab onto the concept and stop brushing their teeth so they can get something for free for themselves rather than buy their own toothpaste.
That is pretty much his stance on American’s Flossing. Because that is his stance with everything else. Don’t solve problems, setup government programs for symptoms, allowing control and bureaucracy over your private lives.
I think that’s prudent, Larry. But what about the fire ants?
You can always recycle floss to make thongs and string bikinis.
The planet will thank you, and I will thank you.
I think Glide would work best, but probably not the mint-flavored kind. I’m just guessing.
You’re a good sport Mr. Holland. You want you can have an r. I’m going to Target laters to stock up.
Well, all I know is that I am watching “Disturbia”, and every time I see Sarah Roemer, I am kicking myself in the ass for being so old and living on the East coast.
How stupid of me to be born so long ago! What was I thinking?
Yeah, but those were good times to be drinking and driving, wot?
Hey Dan, the fire ants are and easier solution. It is called preemption. Since it is unlikely possible to keep the fire ants at bay and it is possible that they will start an uprising soon… he will preemptively declare a state of emergency so he can make more discretionary spending budgets otherwise not available, and since he will never solve the problem, he can maintain the state of emergency to continue spending our tax dollars… “WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Barack Obama (D-IL) today sent a letter to Governor Rod Blagojevich asking him to consider preemptively declaring state disaster areas for some Illinois counties that expected to be severely affected by major floods next week. Declaring state disaster areas in advance of the flood will allow the state to make more resources available to local governments to mitigate the widespread damage that is expected while enabling the state to request federal disaster assistance in a timely manner.”
Clever. But considering teh Global Warming, will the fire ants be in Illinois any time soon? I mean, we should anticipate having to pacify them there, shouldn’t we, maybe by building a giant anthill in a dry place on the federal dime?
You don’t need to build anything really, Dan. Just preemtively import the little buggers and they’ll do all the building they need. You might have to get the NatSciAcad to jigger their genome a little for the cold but that couldn’t cost more than, what? 745mill? Peanuts!
Fire ants are quite pesty, but what were those little beetle like thingies with the brighr red thorax that are way more painful? They were all over the place in Georgia, and they HURT WAY BAD when they bit (stung?) me. I thought they were cute until THE PAIN hit me.
The pain from those little suckers puts fire ants into the “not all that bad” category.
I love the South, but not so much their bugs.
I can’t believe you posted “j*gger”.
I don’t know them. Whatddaya think LD, search goog for stingingbugsofgeorgia?
Oh, they certainly were. You could plow into somebody head on, drunk as a skunk, and you couldn’t even buy a DWI.
Shit, when I was drinking, I could’ve blown a .08 three days after my last drink.
What part of Georgia, LD? The only thing I have encountered worse than a fire ant around North Georgia is a big, fuzzy caterpillar thing that hangs out on the bottom of leaves where you can’t see them, then stings the shit out of you if you brush them walking by. Feels like somebody shot a nail in your arm, but they are fairly rare, I have only got stung a couple of times in 20 years.
Saddlebacks the caterpillars
Well, that didn’t work out too good.
They were sort of a cross between a really fat ant and a beetle (no wings, though), and they were bright cherry red. And I must say I was warned about them, but being the stupid dork that I am….
Always listen to your host or hostess when you are in a different part of the universe.
I’ve heard of assassin bugs stinging (well, more like plunging their needlelike proboscis into your soft flesh) the bejesus out of people but I don’t know of any that are bright red, which isn’t to say there aren’t some that are.
Comment by Dan Collins on 7/27 @ 1:14 pm #
Clever. But considering teh Global Warming, will the fire ants be in Illinois any time soon? I mean, we should anticipate having to pacify them there, shouldn’t we, maybe by building a giant anthill in a dry place on the federal dime?
Or maybe a baloon fence?
Velvet ant?
Oh good on you SBP!
I liked the blue one. Purty.
B. Moe,
It was a place called FDarmingville (I think. It was Farming-something), about seventy miles north of Atlanta.
Our bus blew up and I got the short straw and had to sit there for two weeks (while the rest of the band was touring Florida!). I like the South a lot, but two weeks in a soybean/cotton farming town with a population of 85 people was a little hard on the patience. “Frogs Place” was the only entertainment in town, and it was just a shack with two pool tables and a refrigerator where you could keep your six pack cold.
I loved the people there, but by the time the bus was fixed and I left, it was about ten minutes before my head would have exploded.
Farmingville was also where I learned that, in the rural South, you don’t call anyone an asshole unless you have a gun in your pocket – or you can run really fast.
SDP,
You da man! I’m pretty sure that’s what I’m talking about, but the one that got me wasn’t quite so fuzzy.
And they ain’t kidding when they says dat it fuckin’ hurts like you wouldn’t believe to have a run in with one of these babies.
And Sdferr, the blue ones sure are purty, but if they are anything like the red ones, look at them from many feet away.
One page I saw says that there are a large number of different species.
Never got stung by one myself, but my little sister picked one up when we were kids. The screaming was pretty bad — way beyond what she’d do when she stepped on a bee or something like that.
Apparently they’re known as “cow kilers” in some regions of the country.
It means that he will say anything to get elected. Nothing is permanent with the weathervane. He wishes to remain the tabula rasa in his run for the US presidency; and that cannot happen.
If it wasn’t so serious it would be funny.
Okay, with all of these bugs, I see the need to push for the home possession of napalm.
Or the equivalent we can work out for ourselves. And material to inject it into the base of the hive/colony/whatever.
Better Living Through Caustic Chemistry.
Are you sure you posted the right Commentary link?
oh. It says the velvet ant is actually a wingless wasp. The ones on the ground anyway. Which are females. Which are the only ones that sting. A lot of them are nocturnal. Who knew? It says they’re in Texas but they’re not part of my lore at all. I wonder but maybe fireants keep em under control. I bet Ric might know.
Yes… lore, I said. I has some.
Ok, so spill. Whatcha got?
Dudes, He is talking about the residual force that will be left behind, not the major withdrawal of U.S. troops. Big difference.
um…
Apparently they’re known as “cow kilersâ€Â
And in other parts of the country with better schools, they’re known as “cow killers”.
Ch.3
Today I saw a rainbow. Soon after I caught two tadpoles. These lucky omens proved powerful. I corrected a typo. My own typo. Windward is inward, and my inner pirate powerful.
Compared to chapters 1 and 2, this chapter shows marked improvement, as you can see.
Ch.4
Piss off, thor. Don’t you have some remedial summer assignments that you should be working on?