About
Captain Ed is a father and grandfather living in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, a native Californian who moved to the North Star State because of the weather. He lives with his wife Marcia, also known as the First Mate, their two dogs, and frequently watch their granddaughter Kayla, whom Captain Ed calls The Little Admiral.
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The Crows Nest
Would Early Primaries Allow More Donations?
Jim Geraghty at The Campaign Spot believes that candidates will benefit if primaries and caucuses get pushed into 2007. A loophole in campaign finance regulation appears to allow an extra $2,300 per donor for candidates if those elections are held this year. Be sure to check out Jim's analysis, and the surprising candidate that may benefit the most.
When Tom Met Jeralyn
One of the interesting aspects of politics is finding out that opponents are people, too. Jeralyn Merritt of TalkLeft met Rep. Tom Tancredo backstage at NBC's studios, and found him more likable than she had anticipated. Perhaps it was their mutual interest in Dog, The Bounty Hunter ...
Joe Lieberman A Right-Wing Nut?
That's what CAIR says, according to Joe Kaufman. He has a link to a CAIR official's blog post that calls Lieberman, along with John Bolton, former CIA director James Woolsey, and the Heritage Foundation's Peter Brookes as "extremists". Affad Shaikh also calls Dick Cheney a "fat bastard of a liar," apparently not meant as a pop-culture reference to the Austin Powers movies. (via Let Freedom Ring)
Broadband Homelessness
The Japanese have made homelessness more efficient, and more Net-friendly, too. Their Internet cafés have become homeless shelters for the struggling manual-labor sector. The problem has grown into such a problem that government intervention will shortly become a political priority.
Found My Law Firm
Power Line links twice to this story regarding an attorney at Faegre & Benson who refused to become a victim and helped capture a very dangerous man. Keith Radtke is a partner in the firm as is Power Line's John Hinderaker. Radtke is listed in satisfactory condition after getting shot in the back, but that didn't keep him from locking up his attacker in a wrestling grip until police could arrive. I don't know about you, but that's the kind of man I'd want as my counsel ....
Don't Click That YouTube E-mail
The latest in spam seems to be redirections from YouTube links in e-mail to IP addresses without domain names. They attempt to entice people by making it seem that they have been inadvertently YouTubed. I'm sure most people can see through this scam, but just in case, you've been warned ....
Rick Moran Escapes The Floods
Rick Moran has kept us up to date on his travails along the Algonquin River. Yesterday, the police showed up to get him evacuated before the river flooded his home -- but today, Rick finds that a minor miracle has taken place, and that his house survives ... at least for now. Keep Rick in your prayers, and keep checking in at Right Wing Nut House for updates.
Rule 1: Drag The Corpse On Over First
If I've learned anything in four years of blogging, don't try to be out in front of the death rumors, especially with the villains of the world. Saddam died a hundred deaths before we caught him alive in his spider hole, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi almost as many before his demise last year. Osama may or may not be alive, but everyone's avoided speculating on his fate for a while now. Maybe Val at Babalu Blog will get luckier with his "Castro Is Dead" story. We all hope so. I'll wait for the announcement ....
Hobbs Choice
Volunteer Voters is holding its annual "Best of Nashville" on-line polls, and one of the categories is for the best political writer. Our friend Bill Hobbs, now posting at Newsbusters, and he'd like his on-line fans to cast their votes. Drop by and put one in for Bill if you get a chance!
Murtha Getting Backlogged On Apologies
Gary Gross of Let Freedom Ring sees another case collapsing on the Haditha charges. He's called for Murtha to apologize earlier, and adds another reason to the tally.
No Such Thing As 'Moderate' Islam?
Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan told a television interviewer that he finds the label "moderate Islam" offensive. Shrink Wrapped has a lot more on this, but at least in the same interview Erdogan acknowledged that "radical Islam" exists, and that it's been a catastrophe. Be sure to read the whole post.
MS-NBC Gets Punk'd
Power Line has a great post on a lack of journalistic effort on the part of MS-NBC. In covering the Michael Vick story, they reported on what they thought was Al Sharpton's website proclaiming Vick's innocence. I guess Alex Johnson and two other MS-NBC reporters couldn't bother to read the title bar of the site, which proudly proclaims it as a "parody site".
New Instapundit Podcast On Pharmaceuticals
I just caught this e-mail from Glenn Reynolds about his new podcast with Richard Epstein, the author of Overdose: How Excessive Government Regulation Stifles Pharmaceutical Innovation. Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but the topic is important enough to make sure I carve out time for it tomorrow. Get their first and tell me what I'm missing ....
Fed Trying A 'Stealth Easing'?
The Federal Reserve seems to have conducted a quiet campaign to steady markets that started spinning out of control, according to King Banaian at SCSU Scholars. He thinks that the Fed has conducted a "stealth easing". Be sure to read his explanation and follow his lnks.
A Shameless Bit Of Sel-Promotion
Gateway Pundit and Val at Babalu Blog note a crass PR move by Hugo Chavez. Venezuela has responded to Peru's eathquake disaster with food shipments -- and with Hugo's smiling picture on the cans. He also uses the tuna-can label to undermine President Garcia of Peru, who narrowly defeated Chavez' pal Ollanto Humalla, whom the labels extol for his "solidarity" with Chavez.
Tacky beyond belief.
Comments (16)
Posted by Gary Gross | July 6, 2007 11:45 AM
As I said here, this is just the first White House shot across the bow. Expect other shots to happen when President Bush vetoes a number of the spending bills this fall.
It's long past time we got their attention.
Posted by Carol Herman | July 6, 2007 11:57 AM
Ah, yes, the ONE-PERCENTers are in charge of the freak show.
Too bad for them that between pelosi's rag and her driving skills, they're really not in a position to either brag. Or hide. Seems like they've made the radar screen, though, before "touch down."
Touch down happens when lots of people vote.
And, so far? The Bonkeys aren't adding voters. And, you have to exclude from the sounds you hear from them, that they've got their base screaming louder. Pounding harder.
While, it's the Inernet that grows.
I call this a TIPPING POINT. See? All you need is one guy. Like Paul Revere. To start alerting the farmers. Then? The best instruction remains: Don't fire until you see the white's of their eyes."
This means? The fightings up close. And, personal. So let the Bonkeys be led by a woman whose big on waving her rag. See if I care?
Posted by Lightwave | July 6, 2007 12:27 PM
It's not only long past the time the White House hits back on the "oversight" but that it works to put an end to the Democrats' grandstanding.
The ads write themselves: "You put them in charge in order to get something done. All they did was waste time and money with nothing to show for it, when the most important issues of our time were ignored."
And when the President correctly kills the billions of extra pork dollars in these spending bills this summer, it's going to get even more important that this White House wins the war of words.
Posted by brooklyn | July 6, 2007 12:29 PM
Interesting subject...
In relation to the criticism for the Bush Administration's communication, the cynics were happy with it prior to the reelection of 2004.
In an objective light, fairness, the Bush Administration faces one of the most slanted press, media, opposition, etc., in modern memory.
Again, no one should ever believe a President can do it alone...
Posted by the fly-man | July 6, 2007 12:29 PM
Oh, so now it's time for accountability. How many investigations did Dan Burton preside over? Give me a break.
Posted by Tom | July 6, 2007 12:33 PM
Oh, so now it's time for accountability. How many investigations did Dan Burton preside over? Give me a break.
Posted by: the fly-man
I believe Burton issued over 1050 subpeonas to the Clinton administration. Thats quite a few, no?
Posted by TW | July 6, 2007 12:50 PM
Only six a day? They're just getting started! There's so much to dig into between now and, oh, I dunno, election day 2008?
Given that Congress is evenly divided there's no way the Dems can pass any meaningful legislation on their own anyway - can we say 'Stem Cell Research'? I knew you could.
Besides, it's starting to look like Congress may have a bigger task:
Majority favors impeachment of VP:
http://americanresearchgroup.com/
Posted by IanY77 | July 6, 2007 1:05 PM
I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who wasn't in a coma during the 90's. Remember when we had to look at Chelsea Clinton's slumber party list to check into executive power abuses? Oh, and Ms Herman, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone on this website is now dumber for having read it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112508/quotes
Posted by Darren | July 6, 2007 1:09 PM
Hey, isn't it GOOD when Congress doesn't get much done? I'd love to see them spend all their time fussing about the Executive branch (as part of the system of checks and balances) rather than getting legislation passed!
Posted by docjim505 | July 6, 2007 2:09 PM
Gotta agree with Darren: a do-nothing Congress is a Congress that does no harm. We need to encourage them to waste their time. Could we offer to pay them to stay home?
Posted by hapmoorii | July 6, 2007 2:30 PM
Also with Darren on this one. Why do we measure success by the number of pieces of legislation passed? Whichever side it comes from, the bills usually do more harm than good.
Posted by William | July 6, 2007 3:16 PM
I'm with Darren also. The less they do, the better off we all are.
William
Posted by MarkJ | July 6, 2007 3:21 PM
"Why do we measure success by the number of pieces of legislation passed? Whichever side it comes from, the bills usually do more harm than good."
This is why one of the greatest ideas, in my humble opinion, to come down the pike would be to directly tie congressmen's salaries to how much money they SAVE.
Ergo, the usual suspects could then propose all the spending bills they wanted...but they'd quickly stop once they realized they weren't going to get pecuniary "Scheisse" out of them...because such spending would, in effect, be cutting the pay of their colleagues!
Perhaps this is the key: want to stop the idiocy on Capitol Hill? Then make sure congressmen are hostage...to EACH OTHER.
Posted by Darren | July 6, 2007 4:09 PM
MarkJ, I love it! Now, how to get enough of the pigs to vote themselves off the gravy train...
Posted by docjim505 | July 6, 2007 5:29 PM
"Oversight" is a wonderful thing for a member of Congress: he gets to be on TV so the good folks back home can see him harumph and voice "grave concerns"... but he doesn't actually have to DO anything.
Oh, sure, I know: he has to show up for the occasional committee hearing (usually when the cameras are around), listen to his staffers give a quick summary of the issues (usually while on the way to the golf course), or possibly even read one or two of the staggering number of documents provided by the executive branch (usually while waiting for a lobbyist to drop by the office to discuss the size of this month's payoff... er, campaign contribution).
But he DOESN'T have to cast any votes that might come back to bite him. He gets to look busy and "congressional" without ever having to take a definite stand on anything other than his committment to good, honest, open government. Who could criticize him for that?
And that's the great thing about oversight.
Posted by harleycon5 | July 6, 2007 11:38 PM
Wow, the big bad whitehouse is going hog wild...hmm.
I am not holding my breath waiting for the President and "the Architect" to come up with a master plan to deal with the Dems.
Sure the Democrats are an easy target IF they go on the offensive. But lets look at the pitiful past:
1. Multiple leaks by the CIA results in a probe that uncovered the leaks. The President then prosecuted the culprits, resulting in jail time for the players. Bush then addresses the subject of the "internal enemy" to the American people via a stunning speech where he chastises the NY Times for siding with the enemy.
Oh wait, that never happened, the leaks continue.
2. Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson go on the talkshow circuit saying that she was "outed" by the President and Karl Rove.
The Whitehouse circulates it's own people and make it clear that via the fact that Plame was not under cover for a period of years, she was not considered a "covert agent" so no crime exists. They also remind the American public that it was supreme nepitism that drove Plame to recommend her hb for the job of investigating a Yellowcake purchase in Niger, although Wilson did little more than lie about the truth of the matter, and mostly spent his time lounging around the pool and writing a false story. This claim would also be buttressed by none other than Liberal Christopher Hitchens, who details that the Yellowcake purchase was indeed valid, and that Plame is nothing more than a Liberal prima donna.
Nope, that never happened either.
The Bush Administration decides that certain Federal prosecutors need termination. The Liberal media immediately goes after Alberto Gonzales, spurring an investigation by the Democrats. Upon being questioned about the firings, Gonzales is questioned about the reason for the terminations. He responds, "Any and all Federal prosecutors serve at the pleasure of the President, he has the right to terminate any of them at any time. Next question." Gonzales refuses to apologize for anything.
See a trend here?
Weakness is something that can be expected from the Bush whitehouse. This is something that even the corrupt Clinton Administration never tolerated. I don't have high hopes for any surprises here.