RW-(the original) Dancing Madly Backwards Through A Liberal Minefield

There isn't much new in here about the little dust-up between Hillary's camp and Obambi's, but Honu likes PMSNBC and there are a couple of interesting items.

For instance:

The reaction to Geffen's remarks from the Clinton campaign was immediate and outraged. The night before Dowd's column appeared, Geffen had co-hosted a fund-raiser for Sen. Barack Obama, a Clinton rival for the Democratic nomination. At 9:46 a.m., the Clinton campaign issued a statement calling on Obama to cut his ties to Geffen and give back the $1.3 million raised by Geffen's star-studded party. (Jennifer Aniston, Morgan Freeman and Ben Stiller were all there. George Clooney, off shooting a movie, contributed the maximum when Obama first announced and tells NEWSWEEK that Obama is "as good as Bobby [Kennedy] late in his career and Jack from early on.") The press release described Geffen as Obama's "finance chair" and accused him of "viciously and personally attacking Senator Clinton and her husband."

Oh the delicious irony of sending out a press release complaining about being called a liar and lying about David Geffen's position in that very release.

One bit that begs for a newsmanperson. Did Obama promise to pardon Leonard Peltier in exchange for his Hollywood support?

Democratic activist Arianna Huffington, who attended the Obama event but says she is uncommitted, tells NEWSWEEK, "I think [Geffen's remarks] definitely benefited Obama because it brings into the open conversations many people have been having about the Clintons." Clinton's allies suggested that Geffen was motivated by bile. Once a close F.O.B. (Friend of Bill), he had stayed in the Lincoln Bedroom (twice). But when he asked for a presidential pardon for imprisoned American Indian activist Leonard Peltier, Clinton turned him down.

Of course no article about the Clinton's would be complete without the VRWC lurking around every corner.

Geffen may be right about the GOP dirt diggers. Republican conservative activist Grover Norquist, who loathes the Clintons, coyly tells NEWSWEEK, "Hillary is my first choice to be the Democrat nominee." A New York Times story last week suggested that the so-called vast right-wing conspiracy has gone soft. The article quoted Chris Ruddy, a mouthpiece for the conservative conspiracy theorist Richard Mellon Scaife, as saying that the Clinton administration "wasn't so bad." But the right-wingers may just be lying low. David Bossie, the former congressional investigator familiar to journalists for helping them track down Clinton sex scandals, is working with Clinton strategist turned apostate Dick Morris on an anti-Hillary documentary. R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., the editor of The American Spectator, which first printed salacious details from Arkansas state troopers about Clinton's sex life, is publishing a book titled "The Clinton Crack-up: The Boy President's Life After the White House."

So this time the vast right wing conspiracy is attacking the Clintons by not attacking the Clintons.

"She accused me of questioning her patriotism," Cheney said. "I didn't question her patriotism. I questioned her judgment."

"Al-Qaeda functions on the basis that they think they can break our will. That's their fundamental underlying strategy: that if they can kill enough Americans or cause enough havoc, create enough chaos in Iraq, then we'll quit and go home," Cheney added. "And my statement was that if we adopt the Pelosi policy, that then we will validate the strategy of al-Qaeda. I said it, and I meant it."

Why is it that anytime you disagree with a Democrat they claim you're questioning their patriotism? Of course they will quickly tell you that dissent is the highest form of patriotism they minute they want to undermine the war effort.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Senate gridlocked on the Iraq war in a sharply worded showdown on Saturday as Republicans foiled a Democratic attempt to rebuke President Bush over his deployment of 21,500 additional combat troops.

The vote was 56-34. That was four short of the 60 needed to advance the measure, which is identical to a nonbinding resolution that Democrats pushed through the House on Friday.


"The Senate, on behalf of the American people, must make it clear to the commander in chief that he no longer has a rubber stamp in Iraq," said Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., in the final moments before the vote.

Republicans blasted him and the Democratic leadership for refusing to allow a vote on an alternative that ruled out any reduction in money for troops in the field.

To Our Troops We Must Remain Always Faithful
By Rep. Sam Johnson

(Note: The following is the text of remarks delivered by Rep. Johnson on the floor of the House of Representatives today.)

You know, I flew 62 combat missions in the Korean War and 25 missions in the Vietnam War before being shot down.

I had the privilege of serving in the United States Air Force for 29 years, attending the prestigious National War College, and commanding two air bases, among other things.

I mention these stories because I view the debate on the floor not just as a U.S. Congressman elected to serve the good people of the Third District in Texas, but also through the lens of a life-long fighter pilot, student of war, a combat warrior, a leader of men, and a Prisoner of War.

Ironically, this week marks the anniversary that I started a new life - and my freedom from prison in Hanoi.

I spent nearly seven years as a Prisoner of War in Vietnam, more than half of that time in solitary confinement. I flew out of Hanoi on February 12, 1973 with other long-held Prisoners of War - weighing just 140 pounds. And tomorrow - 34 years ago, I had my homecoming to Texas - a truly unspeakable blessing of freedom.

While in solitary confinement, my captors kept me in leg stocks, like the pilgrims... for 72 days....

As you can imagine, they had to carry me out of the stocks because I couldn't walk. The following day, they put me in leg irons... for 2 ½ years. That's when you have a tight metal cuff around each ankle - with a foot-long bar connecting the legs.

I still have little feeling in my right arm and my right hand... and my body has never been the same since my nearly 2,500 days of captivity.

But I will never let my physical wounds hold me back.

Instead, I try to see the silver lining. I say that because in some way ... I'm living a dream...a hope I had for the future. "From April 16, 1966 to February 12, 1973 - I prayed that I would return home to the loving embrace of my wife, Shirley, and my three kids, Bob, Gini, and Beverly...

And my fellow POWs and I clung to the hope of when - not if - we returned home.

We would spend hours tapping on the adjoining cement walls about what we would do when we got home to America.

We pledged to quit griping about the way the government was running the war in Vietnam and do something about it... We decided that we would run for office and try to make America a better place for all.

So - little did I know back in my rat-infested 3 x 8 dark and filthy cell that 34 years after my departure from Hell on Earth... I would spend the anniversary of my release pleading for a House panel to back my measure to support and fully fund the troops in harm's way....and that just days later I would be on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives surrounded by distinguished veterans urging Congress to support our troops to the hilt.

We POWs were still in Vietnam when Washington cut the funding for Vietnam. I know what it does to morale and mission success. Words can not fully describe the horrendous damage of the anti-American efforts against the war back home to the guys on the ground.

Our captors would blare nasty recordings over the loud speaker of Americans protesting back home...tales of Americans spitting on Vietnam veterans when they came home... and worse.

We must never, ever let that happen again.

The pain inflicted by your country's indifference is tenfold that inflicted by your ruthless captors.

Our troops - and their families - want, need and deserve the full support of the country - and the Congress. Moms and dads watching the news need to know that the Congress will not leave their sons and daughters in harm's way without support.

Since the President announced his new plan for Iraq last month, there has been steady progress. He changed the rules of engagement and removed political protections.

There are reports we wounded the number two of Al Qaeda and killed his deputy. Yes, Al Qaeda operates in Iraq. It's alleged that top radical jihadist Al-Sadr has fled Iraq - maybe to Iran. And Iraq's closed its borders with Iran and Syria. The President changed course and offered a new plan ...we are making progress. We must seize the opportunity to move forward, not stifle future success.

Debating non-binding resolutions aimed at earning political points only destroys morale, stymies success, and emboldens the enemy.

The grim reality is that this House measure is the first step to cutting funding of the troops...Just ask John Murtha about his 'slow-bleed' plan that hamstrings our troops in harm's way.

Now it's time to stand up for my friends who did not make it home - and those who fought and died in Iraq - so I can keep my promise that when we got home we would quit griping about the war and do something positive about it...and we must not allow this Congress to leave these troops like the Congress left us.

Today, let my body serve as a brutal reminder that we must not repeat the mistakes of the past... instead learn from them.

We must not cut funding for our troops. We must stick by them. We must support them all the way...To our troops we must remain...always faithful.

God bless you and I salute you all. Thank you.

A decorated war hero, Johnson was awarded two Silver Stars, two Legions of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, one Bronze Star with Valor, two Purple Hearts, four Air Medals, and three Outstanding Unit Awards.

When your star witness is this pathetic it's a pretty sure bet you have no case.

Not only do we have Andrea Mitchell basically telling CNBC that Libby had factual support for his claim about his conversation with Tim Russert, but we have strong indication from Mitchell’s words that Russert’s subsequent denials were untrue. The only thing that would serve to negate this would be the public efforts by Mitchell and Russert to discount what Mitchell said. This series of attempts to reinvent reality is strikingly similar to the conspiracy-theory nonsense about Libby and Cheney that has been coming out of NBC and MSNBC for months.

Russert’s apparent attempts to re-write the past continued throughout his testimony. When Wells questioned Russert about his "Christmas Eve" quote on a later Imus appearance, Russert claimed to "not recall" not only the quote, but the entirety of his appearance. So Russert does Libby one better, and forgets the call completely. This is pretty important stuff that hasn't been reported in any Big Media accounts that I have read. This shows the star prosecution witness capable of forgetting entire conversations, while maintaining his certainty about the content of the Libby conversation to such perfection that he is willing to send Libby to jail over it.

Hat tip: Allahpundit at Hot Air

What always amazes me is how much memorable music they did, but were only together for six years after this appearance.

**UPDATE** Additional video clips here at Newsbusters.

We haven't had a good Pravda story up lately, but anytime fishermen start eating squeaking aliens it's a must post.

Village residents from the Rostov region of Russia caught a weird creature two weeks ago after a strong storm in the Sea of Azov. The shark-looking creature was producing strange squeaky sounds. The fishermen originally believed that they had caught an alien and decided to film the monster with the help of a cell phone camera. The footage clearly shows the creatures’ head, body and long tail. The bizarre catch was weighing almost 100 kilograms, the Komsomolskaya Pravda reports

And who knew they were also delicious?

However, ufologists and scientists were greatly disappointed when they found out that the fishermen had eaten the monster. They said that they were not scared of the creature so they decided to use it as food. One of the men said that it was the most delicious dish he had ever eaten.

Michelle Malkin was kind enough to read the posts that led to Amanda Marcotte's selection so that you don't have to.




**UPDATE** 2/7 6:30PM Part II

The greatest President in my lifetime would have been 96 today.

HOW TO HANDLE IRRITATING SEATMATES

If you are sitting next to someone who irritates you on a plane or train follow these instructions: (and maybe say goodbye!).

1. Quietly and calmly open up your laptop case.
2. Remove your laptop.
3. Start up
4. Make sure the guy who is annoying you, can see the screen.
5. Close your eyes and tilt your head up to the sky.
6. Then hit this link