dick, "it was calimed".
On May 12, 4:15 pm, dick thompson <[email protected]> wrote: > [ Attached Message ]From:"WSJ.com Editors" > <[email protected]>To:[email protected]:Tue, 12 May 2009 > 15:27:02 -0400 (EDT)Local:Tues, May 12 2009 2:27 pmSubject:Best of the Web > Today - May 12, 2009 > > > > Online Journal E-Mail Center May 12, 2009 -- 3:27 p.m.See all of today's > editorials and op-eds, video interviews and commentary onOpinion > Journal.FORMAT TODAY'S COLUMN FOR PRINTINGObama FlambéLike it or not, he's a > war president now. > > ByJAMES TARANTO > > > > An astute reader notes an Associated Press photo accompanying aNew York > Timesstory about Pakistan. It depicts a crowd of South Asian men, some > holding signs saying GO AMERICA GO, and a ball of flame in the middle, which > the caption explains: > > Supporters of a Pakistani religious group burned an effigy of President Obama > at a rally on Sunday in Lahore, Pakistan. > > Presumably GO AMERICA GO is meant in a spirit of unwelcome rather than > encouragement. Yet in an odd way, it is encouraging. > > PODCAST > > James Taranto on Obama and the war. > > > > Many of Obama's critics have worried that he will translate his conciliatory > rhetoric into a dangerous policy of appeasing America's enemies. That's an > entirely legitimate worry, but it's hard to go very far down the road if > those enemies refuse even to make a show of being appeasable. The burning of > Obama's effigy symbolizes, to all Americans who may doubt it, that Obama is a > war president. > > > > The new president is undergoing another rite of initiation: facing the > ingratitude of foreign allies.Bloombergreports on comments by Pakistan's > President Asif Ali Zardari over the weekend: > > Obama has tied Pakistan to his strategy for dealing with Afghanistan as > militant Islamic Taliban forces and other extremists threaten both nations > from bases along their border. As part of an effort to reduce the appeal of > extremists to Pakistan's people, Obama has said he will support legislation > increasing nonmilitary aid by $1.5 billion a year.U.S. aid has not been > enough, Zardari said."Altogether this aid package is not even one-tenth of > what you give AIG," Zardari said, referring to New York-based American > International Group Inc., the insurer bailed out four times by the U.S. > government, including an injection of as much as $70 billion in capital, > $52.5 billion to buy assets owned or backed by AIG, and a $60 billion credit > line. "So let's face it, we need in fact much more help." > > Zardari's comment about AIG, although directed at the U.S. government and not > specifically at the Obama administration, may represent another milestone for > the new president. As wenoted in 2005, there are numerous recent examples of > presidents' being blamed or credited for actions that seem in character but > in fact were carried out by other administrations: the federal speed limit > (blamed on Carter, actually a Nixon-era initiative), the Ruby Ridge killings > (blamed on Clinton, occurred under George H.W. Bush), gasoline price > decontrol (credited to Reagan, actually initiated under Carter). > > > > The AIG bailout began while George W. Bush was still president, but we > wouldn't be surprised if, some years hence, the common practice is to lump > all bailouts together as a legacy of Obama's. > > > > 9/11 Jokes Are So Gay! > GWB déjà vu strikes again. "The White House is keeping its distance from an > entertainer's joke comparing commentator Rush Limbaugh to a terrorist," the > Associated Press reports from Washington: > > Presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs on Monday was asked for President Barack > Obama's reaction to the joke by comic actress Wanda Sykes at Saturday's White > House Correspondents' Association dinner. Obama took part in the > event. . . .Gibbs said the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is a topic "better left > for serious reflection than comedy." > > The way President Bush's press secretary put it was: "Americans need to watch > what they say." > > > > Let's give Gibbs (and, by extension, the president) half a cheer for > recognizing that Sykes's joke was in poor taste. This does not, however, > change the fact that Obama grinned widely as she was telling it--a display > that does not speak well of the president's character. > > > > Gibbs also rather misses the point. Yesterday we noted at least five taboos > Sykes violated, all without any payoff in genuine humor and insight--and 9/11 > was not one of them. Although there are aspects of 9/11 that are rightly > off-limits to humor, there has certainly been 9/11 humor that is funny if > tasteless (such as the "South Park" episode in which Cartman tried to prove > that the attack was a conspiracy orchestrated by Kyle), as well as 9/11 humor > that, while far from side-splitting isn't tasteless, such as this2007 japeby > a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination: > > Rudy Giuliani--there's only three things he mentions in a sentence: a noun > and a verb and 9/11. I mean, there's nothing else. > > The man who said that is now vice president of the United States. > > > > As for Sykes, a reader sends alongthis videoof a TV public service > announcement she cut for an outfit called the Gay, Lesbian and Straight > Education Network, in which she sanctimoniously lectures some teenage boys > for speaking inappropriately: > > "Don't say that something is gay when you mean that something is dumb or > stupid. It's insulting. It's like if I thought this pepper shaker is stupid, > and I said, 'Man, this pepper shaker is so 16-year-old boy with a cheesy > mustache.' " > > We had actually seen this spot before--on a local New York station during a > rerun of "South Park," a program in which the use of "gay" as an epithet > meaning "foolish" is so common that it usually isn't even for humorous > effect. (A hilarious exception is when Cartman calls his classmates "gay" > anytime they show interest in agirl.) > > > > At any rate, after this weekend's outburst, Sykes is hardly in a position to > lecture anyone about the importance of using respectful language. Who knows, > maybe GLSEN is actually anantigaygroup that used her in its spot > todiscreditthe idea that one should avoid insulting homosexuals. > > > > Making a Virtue of Necessity > John Edwards has been back in the news of late as his dying wife, Elizabeth, > is sacrificing what little dignity she had left in order to humiliate him > further via a tour promoting her archly titled book, "Resilience: Reflections > on the Burdens and Gifts of Facing Life's Adversities." > > > > Fox News, meanwhile, reports that erstwhile staffers for Edwards's campaign > are offering an interesting explanation of their own actions: > > Members of former Sen. John Edwards' presidential campaign reportedly devised > a "doomsday" strategy over his affair with Rielle Hunter in which they would > destroy his bid for office.Several unnamed former campaign officials said > they had prepared a plan in which they would sabotage Edwards' campaign if it > appeared he would secure the Democratic nomination, ABC News' George > Stephanopoulos reported on Sunday."They were Democrats first, and if it > looked like Edwards was going to become the nominee, they were going to bring > down the campaign--they were going to blow it up," Stephanopoulos said. > > Seems as though they're being overly modest here. After all, their plan > worked to perfection! > > > > End of the Road > "A top congressional Democrat says the White House may have oversold the > roads-and-bridges component of the historic stimulus law," the Associated > Press reports: > > An Associated Press analysis of the first $19 billion in transportation > spending showed that communities most in need of jobs are least likely to > benefit from the program.A spokesman for Minnesota Rep. James Oberstar, who > leads the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, says the White > House shouldn't have billed road money as the signature component of the > stimulus, or as a surefire boost to needy communities. > > All we can say is, it's a good thing President Obama is so transparent and > honest, or his administration would havenothingto recommend it. > > > > Metaphor Alert > "Private school vouchers are tantamount to usingbloodsucking leechestotreat > an anemic patient. If Republicans are serious about fixing the nation's > schools, they'll have to come up with more than theBand-Aidapproach that > school vouchers represent."--DeWayne Wickham, USA Today, May 12, 2009 > > > > Life Imitates the Cola Wars > > • "Remember the Three Stooges routine about the law firm called Dewey, > Cheatem & Howe? Although the Coca-Cola Company is not using that particular > fictional firm, it is updating the make-fun-of-lawyers shtick for new > generations in a nontraditional campaign for Coke Zero. The campaign is based > on an oddball thought, that the executives at Coca-Cola who sell the flagship > Coke Classic brand want to hire lawyers to sue their co-workers who sell Coke > Zero. The grounds for the imaginary lawsuits would be 'taste > infringement'--that is, it annoys the Coke Classic executives that no-calorie > Coke Zero tastes so much like their sugared soft drink."--New York Times, > March 5, 2007 > • "PepsiCo Sues Pepsi Bottling Group Over Meeting"--Associated Press, > May 11, 2009 > > > > > His Eyes Aren't What They Used to Be > "Donald Trump on Miss California: Same as Barack Obama"--headline, Politico, > May 12 > > > > They've Already Slashed the Wardrobe Budget to the Bare Minimum > "Executives Weight Frequency, Other Cuts at Playboy"--headline, Associated > Press, May 11 > > > > Look Out Below, Dude! > "National Pot Group Drops Connecticut Chapter After Arrest"--headline, > Arizona Daily Star (Tucson), May 12 > > > > Everything Seemingly Is Spinning Out of Control > > • "Millions of Gallons of Hog Manure Spilled"--headline,Star Press(Muncie, > Ind.), May 12 > • "Zombie Loans Give Life to Blockbuster Amid Defaults"--headline,Bloomberg, > May 11 > • "Winnipeg Couple Say They Found Baby Rodent in Fast-Food Court > Lunch"--headline,Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald, May 12 > • "Hubble Photographs Giant 'Eye' in Space"--headline,Space.com, May 12 > > > > > News of the Tautological > "Safety Net for Airlines Has Holes, a Crash Shows"--headline, New York Times, > May 12 > > > > News You Can Use > > • "Animals Just Want to Have Fun, Survey Finds"--headline,MSNBC.com, May 11 > • "Pet Q&A: After Outings, Be Sure to Check Your Pet for > Ticks"--headline,Star Press(Muncie, Ind.), May 12 > • "Sumo Golfing Isn't Cool"--headline,Detroit News, May 11 > • "Study: Bad Boy Doesn't Always Get the Girl"--headline,Associated Press, > May 12 > • "Oprah: It's Great to Have a Private Jet"--headline,WSJ.com, May 11 > > > > > Bottom Stories of the Day > > • "Cornell Student Negative for H1N1 Flu"--headline,Gazette(Cedar Rapids, > Iowa), May 11 > • "No U.S. Officials Expected to Visit North Korea Soon"--headline,Global > Security Newswire, May 11 > • "Man With Lengthy DWI Record Arrested Again"--headline,Grand Forks (N.D.) > Herald, May 12 > • "In Powell-Limbaugh Dust-Up, Cheney Sides With Radio > Host"--headline,Arizona Daily Star(Tucson), May 11 > > > > > Molars, Not Mullahs > "A Muslim dentist refused to treat patients unless they wore traditional > Islamic dress, it was alleged," London's Daily Mail reports: > > Omer Butt, 32, ordered women to put on head scarves or he would not register > them or their families at his NHS-funded clinic, it was claimed.At least two > patients were left in pain after they declined to follow his self-imposed > rules, the General Dental Council heard.It is the second time that the > dentist--who is the brother of a former spokesman of the radical Islamic > group al-Muhajiroun--has appeared before the council's disciplinary panel on > similar allegations.Two years ago he was reprimanded for telling an Asian > mother-of-two he would not register her unless she wore the Muslim hijab. > > This is certainly a disturbing story. On the other hand, it's reassuring to > know that they now have dentists in Britain. > > > > Click here to view or search the Best of the Web Today archives. > > > > (Carol Muller helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to Tom Haight, > Jeremy Ferris, Michael Ellard, Phli Zukovin, Jonathan Tannen, Abe Beyda, > Ethel Fenig, Ed Lasky, Andrew Pietila, Bob Sauerteig, Ronald Morris, Doug > Black, John Williamson, William Brotherton, Kyle Kyllan, Doug Jeffreys, Tim > Willis, Stewart Seman, Bruce Goldman, Albert Gibson, Ray Hull, Gary Fedinets > and Russ Faria. If you have a tip, write us [email protected], and > please include the URL.) > > ALSO ON THE EDITORIAL PAGE > > • Geithner's Revelation• Scott Gottlieb: How ObamaCare Will Affect Your > Doctor• Global View: Pakistan's Existential Challenge > > advertisement > > > > OPINION VIDEO CENTER > > Paying to Play ... With John Murtha > > Watch the Journal Editorial Report Saturdays at 2p.m. and 11p.m. ET on Fox > News... > > > > The Fed's Stressed Out > > Watch the Journal Editorial Report Saturdays at 2p.m. and 11p.m. ET on Fox > News... > > > > See all Opinion Videos > > TODAY'S MOST POPULAR: OPINION1. Opinion: Was It a Sucker's > Rally?2. Opinion: Scott Gottlieb: How ObamaCare Will Affect Your > Doctor3. Opinion: Geithner's Revelation4. Opinion: Best of the Web Today: The > Two Jokes5. Opinion: Republicans and the 'Public Option'MORE > > > > See all of today's editorials and op-eds, video interviews and commentary > onOpinion Journal.FORMAT TODAY'S COLUMN FOR PRINTING > > TO UNSUBSCRIBE DIRECTLY from this list, clickhere. > Your request will take effect within 48 hours. > > > > TO VIEW OR CHANGE any of your e-mail settings, clickhere. > You are currently subscribed as [email protected] > > > > FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE, please contact Customer Service at 1-800-JOURNAL > (1-800-568-7625) between the hours of 7 am - 10 pm Monday - Friday ET and 8 > am - 3 pm Saturday ET or [email protected]. > > Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Privacy > PolicyContact Us > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum * Visit our other community at http://www.PoliticalForum.com/ * It's active and moderated. 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