Change We Can Believe In!

We’re heading towards #1!

The US ranks near the bottom of developed global economies in terms of financial stability and will stay there unless it addresses its burgeoning debt problems, a new study has found.

In the Sovereign Fiscal Responsibility Index, the Comeback America Initiative ranked 34 countries according to their ability to meet their financial challenges, and the US finished 28th, said David Walker, head of the organization and former US comptroller general.

And with a Congress that is arguing about cutting 6 or 50 billion from a budget with a deficit of 1.5 trillion, well, look out below!

Quote of the Day

“Of course you realize, this means kinetic military action.”
— Bugs Barry

Actually, Jim Treacher.

As If a Baker’s Dozen of Perezes Weren’t Enough

You gotta have some luck with who’s asking the questions you can’t answer…

SAN DIEGO (AP) – At first glance, the white van seemed full of clean-cut Marines in uniform – not necessarily an unusual sight near the Border Patrol’s desert checkpoint along Interstate 8.

But a plainclothes Border Patrol agent who had served in the Marine Corps wasn’t fooled, especially when the driver didn’t know the birthday of the Marine Corps – something every Marine is taught.

Well This Sadly Really Isn’t Surprising

She has shown that high-level of incompetence that we expect from Obama and his appointees

(CNSNews.com) – Jamie Gorelick, a former Clinton administration official who reportedly has made the Obama administration’s short list to become the next director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), was paid more than $26 million in total compensation as a top executive at Fannie Mae–before taxpayers had to bail out the mortgage giant.

…In 2001, Gorelick announced that Fannie was buying subprime loans encouraged by the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and bundling them as securitized financial instruments. Securities made from bundles of guaranteed mortgages were to contribute to the banking crisis later in the decade.

…In remarks before the American Bankers Association on Oct. 30, 2000, Gorelick explicitly how the procress would work and what Fannie Mae would do to make it feasible for banks to lend to low-income applicants.

“We will take CRA loans off your hands–we will buy them from your portfolios, or package them into securities–so you have fresh cash to make more CRA loans,” she said. “Some people have assumed we don’t buy tough loans. Let me correct that misimpression right now. We want your CRA loans because they help us meet our housing goals.”

…In the memo, “Instructions on Separation of Certain Foreign Counterintelligence and Criminal Investigations,” Gorelick set out guidelines for concurrent investigations into the 1993 World Trade Center bombing by both criminal investigators and intelligence officers within the Department of Justice.

…Bush Attorney General John Ashcroft later testified before the 9/11 Commission that Gorelick’s “wall” was a “structural cause” in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 being allowed to occur.

In his prepared testimony, he said, “In 1995 the Justice Department, imposing a series of restrictions on the FBI that went beyond what the law required. … The single greatest structural cause for September 11 was the wall that segregated criminal investigators and intelligence agents. Government erected this wall. Government buttressed this wall. And before September 11, government was blinded by this wall.”

She was instrumental in creating the sub-prime disaster. She greatly hindered our domestic security prior to September 11th.

God, she’s perfect for this administration.

“Apparently While I Was Out…”

“…someone got into the kitty treats.”

WHO says they don’t know?
(Via a friend’s feed)

$591,000 Per Second

Your tax dollars at work

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP/WBTV) – North Carolina transportation officials say they’ve reached an agreement that will allow them to obtain $461 million in federal grants to improve train service.

The agreement will allow faster and more frequent passenger service between Charlotte and Raleigh. State transportation secretary Gene Conti says the agency will seek bids for contracts for tracks, bridges and trains.

Officials say the new service would cut travel time from Charlotte to Raleigh to less than three hours, even with seven stops along the way. However, the ride will only be 13 minutes faster.

This is beyond insane.

TWO HOURS After a Terrorist Bomb Explodes in the Center of Jerusalem

…killing one and injuring at least 25, has anyone heard anything from the United States?

Anyone?

…No U.S. official has made a statement as of 11:00 a.m., two hours after the attack. The State Department’s spokesman says that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton may speak at a 2:00 p.m. press availability with the Moroccan foreign minister make a statement. Has anyone from the State Department spoken to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu? “Not yet,” e-mails the spokesman. The national security adviser’s spokesman did not return my request for similar information about the White House’s statements and contacts.

Moreover, the Jerusalem incident comes as Gaza terrorists hit Israeli cities:

This administration turns my stomach.

Ladies! LADIES!!!

Play nice! Where’s the new civility?

Fox News Reporter Lambastes CNN Rival, Calls His Reporting ‘Bullsh*t’

The hostilities between the Libya correspondents for Fox News and CNN continue to play out in the media. Responding to Monday’s fusillade by CNN’s foreign correspondent Nic Robertson, Fox News reporter Steve Harrigan questioned his rival’s manhood in an interview with Huffington Post.

“He puts on his blue blazer and gets on the government bus, and then pats himself on the back and calls that news?” Harrigan says.

“Bullshit.”

Oh. Tch tch tch. That’s just awful.

Time out.

Hate to See the Bill If We’d Been “In Charge”

MSNBC: So far, the French have dropped one bomb. The Brits have fired 12 Tomahawks.

We’ve fired 162 Tomahawks and lost a plane.

UPDATE: And ‘note to self’: If “in charge” of future coalition type war, remember to CHECK MISSILE PANTRY before lobbing TWELVE expensive missiles at QUESTIONABLE TARGETS, if STOCKS ARE LOW AND FUNDS EQUALLY DEPLETED.

The [Royal] Navy could run out of Tomahawk missiles after a fifth of the Navy stockpile has been used against Libya, sources disclosed yesterday.

Defence insiders say as many as 12 of the weapons have been fired from the hunter-killer submarine Triumph in the past four days.

If this is correct, the Navy will have used up to 20 per cent of its 64 Tomahawks in the opening salvos of the war, leading to fears that it is “burning through” its armoury.

Filed under, “D’oh!”

UPDATE: HOLD THOSE TOMAHAWKS and hang on a minute! Schmaybe it won’t be so bad, because there may not be much of a “coalition” by Friday anyway.

Who’s in charge? Germans pull forces out of NATO as Libyan coalition falls apart

This is starting to sound like Thanksgiving dinner three hours after the turkey’s been eaten. Isn’t this some sort of record for frazzled? I mean even ~ choose your Bush ~ they held their respective groups together for longer than three weeks right?

Or are we changing history yet?

Yet Another UPDATE: Someone thinks to ask (after the fact): Can Britain and France Run This War?

Should have counted those missiles before they put their hand up for the “Who wants to…”, “Me, me, me Us, us, us!!!” answer part.

Bingley Update Gates has to be fired (along with his boss)

“This command-and-control business is complicated, and we haven’t done something like this kind of on-the-fly before,” U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Moscow today. “It’s not surprising to me that it would take a few days to get it all sorted out.”

Unless it is a dire emergency you don’t commit our forces until that shit IS figured out, Asshat.

UPDATE: Via Jake Tapper’s Twitter feed, his blog post uses…less than flattering imagery.

President Obama Redefines the Term “Exit Strategy

…“The exit strategy will be executed this week,” President Obama said, “in the sense that we will be pulling back from our much more active efforts to shape the environment. We will still be in a support role. We will be supplying jamming, intelligence and other assets unique to us.”

Planes in the air? Ships in the Mediterranean? Intelligence being provided? Doesn’t sound like an exit strategy at all.

What it does recall is Lewis Carroll.

“‘When I use a word,’ Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, ‘it means just what I choose it to mean — neither more nor less.”

I imagine he’ll catch some hell for that column.

Liz Taylor Has Died

She’ll always be Cleopatra first (and Maggie the Cat second) to me, but I’m sure there’re tons of other memories that flashed the second you heard. Growing up with her in the headlines was something else.

RIP, old girl.

Dick Cheney’s Australian Grandson Found

If it looks like a duck and is in the water with the ducks during Wabbit Duck Season well shoot it

A duck-shooting protester has been shot in the face with pellets on the first day of Victoria’s controversial hunting season.

The 43-year-old St Kilda woman was taken to hospital in a stable condition with facial injuries after being hurt at Lake Buloke near Donald in the state’s north-west about 9:00am (AEDT) on Saturday.

Police say the shooter was a 14-year-old boy who accidentally hit the woman while hunting with his uncle.

…The Coalition Against Duck Shooting’s [that’s “CADS” I want you to know -ed] Kurt Opray says the woman was trying to help injured birds.

And promptly became an injured bird herself.

Idiot.

(via Ace again. Yeah, I’m lazy today. Shoot me.)

(or take me duck hunting)

Isn’t This What’s Supposed To Happen To Pirates?

Via Ace comes this tale of Russian Justice sure to chill the heart of Jack Sparrow

BOSASSO — A pirate spokesman, who wished to remain anonymous, contacted Somalilandpress today said at least ten of his men were executed by the Russian navy after the troopers stormed MV Moscow University.

“The Russians commandos stormed the ship before sunrise, starting a firefight with our men, onboard they injured three of them and one was killed,” he said.

He dismissed the Russian navy statement that the men were released because of “the absence of a legal base to carry out prosecution procedures against pirates”.

“The Russians never released the young men instead they shot them point-blank range then loaded their lifeless bodies back on the boat,” he added.

Thus ending their pirating careers.

Via Soon To Be President Paco

It’s time to wish Happy Birthday to William Shatner

And Here I Thought Pete King Was Just a Cranky Raaacist…

Wikileaks says he’s not alone.
Who’d a thunk it?

Wikileaks documents show growing concern in U.S. government over Gulen’s Islamic movement

…The latest documents from Wikileaks shows growing concern among U. S. officials over Fethullah Gulen’s attempts to create a New Islamic World and the “braining washing of students” that takes place at his charter schools within the United States and throughout the Muslim world.

The cable that speaks of the “brain-washing” was written in 2009 by James Jeffrey, the U. S. Ambassador to Turkey.

In the cable, Mr. Jeffrey describes Gülen as a “political phenomena” in Turkey even when he resides “in exile” within a mountain fortress in Pennsylvania. He says the Gülen movement has gained control of Turkey’s government and dictates Turkish policy which has become increasing anti-Israeli and anti-American. It points out that the leaders of the Justice and Development Party (Adalet ve Kalkinma or AKP) who now govern Turkey, including Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul, appear to serve as Gulen’s puppets.

A Two Part Master Class in Climate Change Bullshitology Debunking

…(complete with LOTS OF COLORED GRAPHS, many, deliciously enough, from NOAA) that addresses the ten worst offending claims of both the Gorebal Warmering movement and the IPCC.

Part the First

Part the Second

It’s a GREAT resource. From a personal standpoint, quite heartening as well ~ all that blue in the SST map! I lurves that. Keep it coming, why don’t ya?

Courtesy of WattsUpWithThat.

Looks Like They’ll Have To Do It Again

Anchor: But Mr. Minister, it isn’t like this film is the first troublesome thing to come out of Canada. Let us not forget Bryan Adams.
Minister: Now, now. The Canadian government has apologized for Bryan Adams on several occasions.

It’s Tuesday

I feel so TECHNO.

A Flat Spin?

A F-15 has crashed in Libya; both crew have thankfully been recovered I believe. Judging by the crash site photos it sure looks like the plane belly flopped.

The cost? Oh, probably another $100 million. Chump change, really.

We’re made of money, right?

Japan Hit Again: 6.6, 6.4 And A 6.6 In The Last Hour

Not what they need

“We’ve Been Snookered. We’ve Seen This Movie Before.”

Shame nobody told the Boy in Brazil, not that he’d listen anyway, being busy with vacation and all…

…There is no question of our military capability to take this down. The question is: Once you break the pottery, what do you do to rebuild it? And Amb. John Bolton and I seldom disagree, but the fact is I don’t like Qaddafi, either. But we knew where we stood with him. He was a fervent anti-Islamist; he did not like Al Qaeda; he was their enemy, and now we’re going to be stuck with this. We do not know who is going to control it. Right now, AFRICOM Gen. Carter hand-controls it, but who do hand it over to, the French, the British? They couldn’t last one week. They can’t even put out a daily air tasking order. They don’t have the capabilities. NATO is not going to touch it. You can tell that the secretary of defense and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff and all the chiefs, two weeks ago were very clear they did not want any involvement with this.

Great News!

Amanpour’s going on vacation. Tapper’s got the sub-gig, AND, if Tapper’s smart, he’ll take the advice of a dear friend of ours and barricade the doors behind her retreating wide load.

He Isn’t the Most Popular Governor Ever

But he can throw a baseball a helluva lot better than, well…wunderkinds wearing mom jeans.

Sounds Like “Peggy” from Capital One Card

…wants to order glasses from my website!

Hello,
I want to place an order in your store,and i will like to know if you ship to US and my method of payment will be CREDIT CARD.so please let meknow if you can assist me with the order ,And please do not forget to include your web page in your replying back to my mail.I will await your prompt response as soon as you receive this mail,i will be be very glad if you treat this email with good concern
Warmed Regards

Nothing like “Warmed” over regards (as opposed to completely fresh ones) to put me in a mood to paint! Bet I can create a new design almost as fast as they can create a new credit card number…or two or three.

Looks Like Somebody Else Didn’t Get the “We’re All in This Together”

…message.

Command Conflict
Turkey Blocks NATO Mission in Libya

The US wants to hand over command of Operation Odyssey Dawn to another country within a matter of days, but so far NATO has been unable to reach an agreement on taking control of the implementation of the no-fly zone in Libya. Turkey is leading the objections.

The conflict in Libya is being described as the first war to be initiated by United States President Barack Obama since taking office, but Washington would like to hand over command for Operation Odyssey Dawn to Britain, France or its partners in the NATO alliance as quickly as possible.

The US has said it would continue to support operations as well as engage itself militarily, but that it would not continue to maintain the “pre-eminent role,” US Defense Secretary Robert Gates told reporters traveling with him on a trip to Russia on Sunday. On Monday, however, it didn’t look likely that a NATO role would develop as quickly as the US government might like.

…Ankara has rejected any NATO intervention against Libya, including the implementation of a no-fly zone….

…Turkey appears to be concerned about its standing in the Muslim world…

(Its “standing in the Muslim world”. Oh, yeah. That’s big.)

I guess President Present can phone it in from…where’s he going next?

“Hire a Security Guard”

Not the kind of viral video BofA really needs.