Trains Are Cool

Paul Krugman notes that George Will doesn't like trains. Except when Will rides on a train.

Joel Award: Fred Barnes

It is time to give out the Joel Award. The award goes any celebrity, pundit, blogger or politician that purposely contradicts himself or herself.

The speed at which Fred Barnes contradicts himself on Fox News is amazing.

And then when you see, you know Obama has used — the most pathetic thing is to say, gee, well, we were involved in 1953 — 1953! This is an extremely young society. You think those demonstrators are thinking, well, we hope the U.S. stays out because they were involved in 1953? That's total nonsense.

Barnes then declares inside knowledge to the collective memories of the Iranian people.

POWERS: I think there is a history there.

BARNES: 1953?

POWERS: They do remember the United States meddling.

BARNES: No, they don't.

Barnes doesn't seem to have a problem remembering 1953 Iranian coup d’état engineered by the CIA on President Eisenhower's orders. The Democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammed Mosaddeq. The Prime Minister nationalize Iran's oil industry. The British wanted the oil and unsuccessful attempting to overthrow Mosaddeq. The British imposed an embargo.

The Shah and Mosaddeq had a fallout over the contol of the military. Mosaddeq resigned and protesters took to the streets. Three days later Mosaddeq would be back in office.

The West interfering with Iran's oil revenue and political process. Barnes is a fool if he believes Irans won't remember their own country's history.

Conservative columnist George Will explains how short sighted the neoconservative criticism President Obama is.

WILL: The president is being roundly criticized for insufficient, rhetorical support for what’s going on over there. It seems to me foolish criticism. The people on the streets know full well what the American attitude toward the regime is. And they don’t need that reinforced.

George Will Baseball Parody

Dana Carvey lampoons George Will's baseball obsession. Will is actually more boring when discussing the national pasttime. Check out this quiz the real Will wrote in his op-ed.

1. Who are the four players with 10 or more letters in their last names who hit 40 home runs in a season?

2. Who are the 11 players who have four or fewer letters in their last names and hit 40 home runs in a season?

3. Which two players who hit back-to-back home runs have the most combined letters in their last names?

Who is the most boring baseball writer with four letters in his last name? Give your answer in the comments.

Sarah Palin On Stem Cell Research

The McCain campaign made a horrible mistake running stating that Sarah Palin supports stem cell research. The whole point of putting Sarah Palin, on the ticket, was to appease Christian conservatives. Now the McCain campaign pulls this.

Palin's spokeswoman Maria Comella told CNN that Palin does and does not support stem cell research. At the same time.

Palin's spokesperson Maria Comella confirmed those remarks constitute Palin's position, but said that "a McCain-Palin administration will be pro-stem cell research."

Even though Palin opposes it?

"Yep," Comella said.

On the Issues listed Palin as being against stem cell research. The Washington Post quotes Palin's 2006 postition. The GOP platform is to ban "all embryonic stem-cell research, public or private."

In a gubernatorial debate in 2006, Palin said, "With a pro-life position, and it's interesting that so many questions revolve around this centeredness I have for respecting life, and the potential of every human life, but no, stem-cell research would ultimately end in the destruction of life. I couldn't support it."

The McCain campaign has been screwing up their talking points. A radio ad for stem cell research will not have much single issue impact. Thr ad feeds into the image that McCain and Palin lies about their positions.

McCain has never found his voice during this campaign. McCain has the desire to be President. He never figured out why he wanted to be president. Earmarks (which no one likes) is the domestic message that McCain is the most passionate about. That tells me McCain hasn't spent time thinking about the economy, housing market or education. The This Week panel members Sam Donaldson and George Will commented how McCain went into panic mode.

George Will on McCain: "Populism is always pandering. And pandering is always the reverse of leadership."

It's desperation.

Conservative Hunk Saturday: George Will

There is nothing that drives a woman crazy with passion than a man wearing a bow tie.

Thompson Continues to Stumble

It is easy to see why Richard Nixon thout Fred Thompson is dumb. He doesn't know why he backed McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform bill.

He also is unfamiliar with the details of his own positions. Consider his confusion the next day when talk radio host Laura Ingraham asked him about something he ardently supported -- the McCain-Feingold expansion of government regulation of political speech. His rambling, incoherent explanation was just clear enough to be alarming about what he believes, misremembers and does not know.

Thompson said he had advocated McCain-Feingold to prevent, among other things, corporations and labor unions from "giving large sums of money to individual politicians." But corporate and union contributions to individual candidates were outlawed in 1907 and 1947, respectively.

George Will proceeded to take Thompson to task. Will pointed out that Congress has passed several bills limiting the amounts that unions and corporations can give. What Will doesn't point out is that both get around the law by running several bogus businesses at the same address. Florida Senate member Ronda Storms received several $500.00 contributions from Fairfax Park Tuscaloosa, Al 35406.

None of this matters since Fred Thompson is sexy.

George Will Refers to Ann Coulter As Him

I mentioned this at Litbrit's place. Anyone have any idea why George Will referred to Ann Coulter as him? There is a delicious irony that a woman who questions the sexual identity of other's has one of America's most respected conservatives call her a guy.