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Silver to Bill O. For, well, being Bill O.!
Bronze to the folks at Fox and Friends for taking the old “Two Fingered Approach”
Gold to Fl. Congressman Sterns for asking Congress to take a few days off, so he can go to a football game
It seems that the race baiters won.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid opened a potential path to seating Roland Burris in the Senate after a 45-minute meeting with the former Illinois attorney general at the Capitol this morning.
After days in which Senate leaders had demonstrated determined resistance to Burris’ appointment to the Senate by scandal-tainted Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, Reid praised Burris as “candid and forthright.” And he suggested the testimony Burris is to give Thursday before the state legislature’s impeachment committee could be crucial to his prospects of gaining the seat.
“He’s going to go answer any other questions they might have. He’s not trying to avoid any responsibility and trying to hide anything,” said Reid (D-Nev.) “Once that’s done, we’ll be in a different position and see what we are going to do.”
One Democratic aide said the Senate leadership’s attitude toward the appointment had now “thawed.”
Still, citing a Senate rule, Reid said the Senate would not seat Burris until his certificate of appointment is signed by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. White has declined to sign the certificate but Burris has gone to court to seek an order requiring White to certify the governor’s appointment.
Reid said he still would ask a Senate committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the appointment before Burris is seated but said he hoped the process would move swiftly.
“There’s going to come a time when the entire Senate is going to have to act on this, and that day I hope would come sooner rather than later,” Reid said.
Burris said at a news conference in Washington this afternoon that he expects to join the Senate “very soon.” A Burris advisor said his camp’s understanding is that the Senate will move to seat him swiftly if Burris’s testimony before the Blagojevich impeachment committee goes well.
Burris’ appearance at the opening of the Senate session and the refusal to seat him stirred saturation media coverage, eclipsing efforts by Democrats to promote their economic stimulus plans.
On Tuesday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), an influential Democrat, broke with the Senate leadership and urged them to seat Burris.
Yeah, I’ve been following this. I wanted to wait and see what happened before I Blogged about it.
I just find it very interesting that this joker got seated or will get seated. Ol’ Rocking Rod Blagojevich played the Blacks in Chicago like a damned fiddle; and they just went along with it! Unbelievable! Say what you wish, but if this guy had been a White Man, he would be turned away and this would all be over with. But, because he is black, he gets this special free pass. Kinda like our soon to be “President”.
Sorry Democrats; but sometimes, you just make it too damned easy. Do you all see now why I refused to ever vote for another Democrat? 🙄
There’s a word I thinking of here…. Oh, right! It’s called Identity Politics. Bobby Rush played that hand, very well.
This is classic live T.V. hilarity at it’s finest.
Chuck Todd’s “You’re killing me” deadpan was quite funny.
(H/T to Flap’s Blog)
(Memeorandum‘s now following the story)
Yes, she was on there. It was not as bad as I thought it would be. She made some valid points. She does, however, come off as a bit snobbish and haughty, but that’s just Ann. I can see why people find her revolting, heck even those over at the National Review do not like her. She’s like your typical rich, white, Connecticut girl with the volume turned way, way, way, up!
Here’s the video: (via Breit Bart)
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)You know, I totally understand Jeffrey Goldberg‘s point about this situation over in Gaza, believe me, I do. But for Andrew Sullivan to print a picture of a damn dead little girls face on his Blog, that’s just fucking uncalled for man. Sorry for the language in this posting, but damn it, that’s just wrong. 😡
Careful with that link, it’s quite disturbing to look at.
Besides, there’s a possibility that the photo was faked anyhow.
Others: The Sundries Shack
There are some Conservatives who are saying that picking Dr. Sanjay Gupta was a bonehead move by Obama. I disagree. Why?
Watch these two videos and you will completely understand:
I say anyone that has the stones to basically make a Liberal gas bag like Michael Moore look like an idiot, has my respect, and I hope like hell that Obama will pick this guy. Gupta made Moore look like a tool and basically discredited his movie “Sicko”. I think this was a brilliant move. I might not agree with Obama’s Politics, but this was an excellent move! 😀
Others: Washington Monthly, The Swamp, Michelle Malkin, CBS News, The New Republic, The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room, Michael Calderone’s Blogs, NewsBusters.org, Paul Krugman, Outside The Beltway, Hot Air, TVNewser, The Washington Independent and Spin Cycle
(Via Memeorandum)
A writer over at the Infidel Bloggers Alliance says what I’ve been saying all along. That we should not allow Muslims in this country.
I’ll go a step further, that we should outlaw the practice of the islamic religion in this country and deport those who choose not to do so.
It is the only way we will ever be to ensure that radical muslims will not gain entry to this country.
Don’t believe me??? Then go to my bookstore and buy some books on this subject of islam.
So much for that stupid Neo-Con line saying that the slump in auto sales is the automakers fault.
Via the New York Times:
TOKYO — Toyota Motor will idle its plants in Japan for 11 days in February and March to reduce output in the face of steeply declining global vehicle sales, the company said Tuesday.
The Japanese auto giant said the suspension would affect production at all 12 of its directly operated domestic plants, which include four vehicle assembly plants and also factories that make transmissions, engines and other parts. The closings are in addition to a three-day shutdown this month at these plants that Toyota had already announced.
The move is unusual for a company that just a few months ago seemed unable to keep up with voracious global demand for its fuel-efficient vehicles. But even strong players like Toyota have failed to escape the drastic slowdown in the global auto industry.
The company said it would idle the plants to reduce stocks of unsold vehicles amid a relentless slide in sales, particularly in the United States, its biggest market. Last month, Toyota’s sales there dropped 37 percent, a larger decline than at its struggling American rivals General Motors and Ford.
Plunging sales and a stronger Japanese yen, which reduces the yen value of overseas profits, forced Toyota to forecast last month its first annual loss in 70 years at its vehicle-making operations.
Toyota did not say how many vehicles would be affected by the suspension announced Tuesday. The company said its four domestic assembly plants produced 1.5 million vehicles in 2007, the most recent year for which the company has figures. Toyota-brand cars are also made by other companies in the Toyota group.
The company had already announced that it would shut down truck production at two United States plants for three months
Its American rivals — General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler — have also idled plants across North America in response to the slowdown.
For once, I am in agreement with a Liberal, and yes, it is the same knuckle-headed liberal that insulted Conservatives. Hey, I am one that praises when it’s due and bitches when it’s due too; At least I’m fair. 😉 😀 😛
Matthew Yglesias Weighs in:
This is the conceptual problem with efforts to “save” the car industry through bailouts or union busting or whatever you like. One assumes demand for cars will get higher than it is right now, but the industry has a whole just has more capacity to build cars than there is demand for new cars. Which is fine. When you look across the developed world and try to take stock of the medium- and long-run problems facing the OECD nations there’s just no way you’re going to reach the conclusion that an automobile shortage is a big concern. But obviously it’s not fine for the companies that make cars. There’s going to be a need for some shrinkage.
Yeah, I know, most likely some of the Conservatives who are basically scraping my blog for content are going to try and deride me as a fake conservative, because I stick up for the middle class and because I happen to be the son of retired General Motors Worker and U.A.W. member. Well, I got two words; screw you and the rest of the asshole Madison Ave. Conservatives. 😡
Anyhow, I happen to agree with Matthew here, I live here in the Detroit Area. If the auto industry dies, so does this area. That will cause my parents to suffer, they need the health insurance, as they are both diabetic and the amount of medications that they take is staggering. Anyhow, this article above disproves and basically strikes down the “Meme” that was going around in the Conservative Blogosphere that the issues with the auto industry was the fault of the automakers. Which I totally dismissed as abject bullshit of the highest order. It was the fault of President Clinton for putting pressure on the loan companies to give those toxic subprime loans to those who were considered high risk. That is what started this whole thing. Of course, equal blame can be given to the Republican Congress of 2003 for not changing the laws, after all, they were warned by the Bush White House to do something; and they did nothing at all.
Best thing they could do, was have a hearing, of which the CEO of Freddie Mac pulled the race card, and congress backed off. So, all the blaming of the Auto Companies was nothing more than a feeble attempt by the Republicans at scapegoating the wrong damned people.
Here’s hoping that Japan’s auto industry totally collapses and people, both American and otherwise, have to buy American products, for a change!
The Video Via CNN:
The Story via Chicago Tribune’s “The Swamp”:
Roland Burris of Illinois, rejected in his attempt to take a new seat in the Senate this morning, averted any public showdown by quietly accepting the refusal of his credentials inside the Secretary of the Senate’s office on the third floor of the Capitol.
"My name is Roland Burris, the junior Senator from the State of Illinois," Burris told reporters later as he stood in the rain in a park outside the Capitol. "I was advised that my credentials were not in order."
The former attorney general of Illinois said he would take legal action, challenging the Senate’s refusal, but averted any showdown at the door of the Senate chambers. "I am not seeking to have any kind of confrontation," Burris added.
Off the Capitol grounds where his entry to the Senate had been refused, Burris was left to his own – the Capitol police who had escorted him away from the Capitol leaving him to a press conference in the park.
A podium was set up in a park across the street from the Capitol outside the Russell Office Building.
Timothy W. Wright, a lawyer for Burris, said: "We have presented our credentials to the Secretary of the Senate… Our credentials were rejected by the secretary… We were not allowed to proceed to the floor… ” He, too, vowed to fight the case.
Burris got into a silver minivan with Massachusetts plates at 11:03 am EST and drove away. It was an Odyssey.
Man, where’s Al Sharpton when you need him? 
Oh, wait, it’s winter, he might be available come summer time. 
Can’t a brutha get no respect on the hill? 
Anyhow, enough of attempting to make Liberal and Weak Kneed Conservatives knees jerk. This should be a very interesting story to follow, what will most likely happen is, that Burris will got to court and they will tell the Senate that you have to seat him. Although, seeing his paperwork was missing a signature, he might not have no standing. So, it’s a draw.
It does, however, make for some very cool blogging. 
Others: AmSpecBlog, American Power, American Spectator, WebNewser, Gothamist, QandO, Chicago Sun Times, Michelle Malkin, Hot Air, Gateway Pundit, and PoliPundit.com (Via Memeorandum)
Amazon.com: Guilty