Mexico Strikes At US

Mexico’s punitive tariffs raise stakes on US trucking dispute | csmonitor.com: "MEXICO CITY – By slapping punitive tariffs on 90 products from the US, Mexico has followed up on threats to retaliate after the termination of a cross-border shipping program.

In doing so, Mexico is simultaneously raising the stakes in the decade-long dispute and creating a diplomatic stumbling block for President Obama’s new administration..."

The Daily Uh-Oh

BBC NEWS | Europe | Russia announces rearmament plan: "Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said Moscow will begin a comprehensive military rearmament from 2011.

Mr Medvedev said the primary task would be to 'increase the combat readiness of [Russia's] forces, first of all our strategic nuclear forces'.

Explaining the move, he cited concerns over Nato expansion near Russia's borders and regional conflicts..."

Young McCain Flogs Idiots

Charlotte Front and Center: Meghan McCain Strikes Back: "kiss my fat ass"
"Meghan McCain has a point in her blasting attack against Laura Ingraham. Laura referred to young McCain as a Valley Girl gone awry” and a “plus-sized model.”

McCain was not in the mood for non-sense and had some very sensible words to reply back with as she visited The View on Monday: “What do young women think when I speak my mind about politics and I want to have a political discussion about the ideological future of the Republican Party, and the answer is, ‘She’s fat, she shouldn’t have an opinion.’ What kind of message are we sending young women?” she asked..."

Good Lord, thank you Ms.McCain. If she is fat, I'd hate to think what fat really is. And, as a fatty, I can tell you that we are all tired of the on-going and endless crap about our heft. No one wants to be overweight, but it is damn hard to control your appetite when it is constantly stimulated on every side. I've had any number of people tell me "Why don't you just quit eating?" To which I now reply, "Why don't you just quit breathing?" Unless you're are walking a mile in a fat man's shoes, or a smoker's shoes, or a heroin addict's shoes, don't offer unsolicited and usually stupid advice. Physical appearance has nothing to do with mental acuity. Addiction of all sorts is not an issue easily solved by "don't do that."

And. Laura Ingraham? Please.

Backing A Bonus Plan

New bill would tax AIG bonuses at 100 percent -- newsday.com
"The $165 million in bonuses set to go to American International Group executives would be taxed at 100 percent under a new bill introduced Tuesday in the House..."

O'Rage

Obama outraged over AIG bonuses | U.S. | Reuters: "NEW YORK (Reuters) - President Barack Obama said on Monday that American International Group Inc's payment of $165 million in bonuses is an 'outrage' and ordered the treasury secretary to take all legal measures to block them..."

Like dying, outrage is easy; like comedy, action is hard. Do something-- don't just talk about doing something. Executive order memo pad, please.

Lest We Forget

World War II MIAs Recovered in Germany: "HENRI-CHAPELLE, Belgium - A line in the Airman's creed states, 'I will never leave an Airman behind.'

For the McMurray Crew 801 with the 492nd Bombardment Group, that promise was fulfilled, albeit 60-plus years after their B-24 bomber went down during World War II.

An international crowd gathered Feb. 20 at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery and Memorial in Belgium to honor the McMurray Crew's nine members who were listed as missing in action. Their remains were recovered in a field southwest of Berlin in 2002..."

Silver Dies

Actor Ron Silver dies after two-year battle with cancer
"Actor and political activist Ron Silver died Sunday after a two-year battle with cancer, according to a spokesman for the Creative Coalition, the public policy organization he co-founded..."

He played some great villains, eh? In addition to his other more traditional roles, I should add, hastily.

Kettles, Pots, and Letters Updated

Commenter Billy Pilgrim enticed a tale from me concerning the inevitable consequences of blaming everything on your predecessor:

...There is an ancient story in academia about a new Dean being left two letters by his predecessor; letter one to be be opened when the new Dean encounters his first crisis. The first letter says "Blame everything on your predecessor." Letter two is opened when the new Dean encounters his second crisis. It says "Prepare two letters."

Kettle 'n Pot

Obama Sharpens His Reminders That He Inherited Fiscal 'Mess' From Bush - washingtonpost.com: "In his inaugural address, President Obama proclaimed 'an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.'

It hasn't taken long for the recriminations to return -- or for the Obama administration to begin talking about the unwelcome 'inheritance' of its predecessor...""

Pot 'n Kettle

The Republicans' Own 'Diversionary Tactics' - washingtonpost.com

"Regarding House Minority Leader John Boehner's March 5 op-ed column, "Democrats' Diversionary Tactics":

Mr. Boehner is upset because, he says, the Obama administration is "seeking to divert attention toward radio host Rush Limbaugh, and away from a debate about our alternative solutions on the economy." Of course, Mr. Limbaugh ignited the controversy himself with his comments that he wanted to see President Obama "fail," a comment that even Pat Robertson denounced..."

The Daily Uh-Oh

Pakistan Arrests Protesters; Army Prepares to Deploy (Update1) - Bloomberg.com: "Bloomberg) -- Pakistan police arrested demonstrators and blocked highways, as the army prepared to deploy troops if needed to break up a planned protest tomorrow in the capital, Islamabad..."

Blind-Eye Tiger

Saturday: Jon Stewart, heal thyself « The Confluence-- "Jon Stewart took on Jim Cramer of Mad Money a couple of nights ago and raked him over the coals about the uncritical journalism of the press that failed to uncover the chicanery of the financial giants..."

riverdaughter, in good, long post, goes on to rake Jon Stewart over the coals. She expresses my sentiment about the Comedy Central offerings these days since I also quit watching them during the primaries. Like Jay Leno and David Letterman and the rest of the comedic gang, they all left their nuts on the Obama HopeyChangey Doormat. For a long a while, I actually tracked the number of jokes Leno did about various politicians and it wasn't until this past February that Leno told his first joke where Obama was the actual butt of the joke. I don't think has, though, told one since then. So, Comedy Central, grow a pair and you may get some viewers back-- picking on the banks, and the media, is rather like a war novel and using the Nazis as villains.

Info Czar? Who Knew?

Trisha Redwine at Charlotte Front and Center: Obama Info Czar and the FBI Investigation always seems to catch those stealth stories :

"Can you imagine taking a job and one week later you go on leave of absence? That's what a White House official told CNN that Vivek Kundra is taking a leave of absence from his position at the Office of Budget Management until a search of his former office is completed by the FBI..."

Tromping The Middle Ground, Sorta

Always one to prick the hypocrisy ballon, even when it lampoons someone whose mama I like, Jon Swift asks a good (if naturally satiric) question:

Jon Swift: 'Why Bristol Palin Is Different'--- "...Although some Palin supporters have expressed disappointment with such views, many conservatives seem to be reluctant to write about this subject at all. Why aren't more conservatives standing up and defending Bristol Palin? Why can't we unequivocally state there should be different standards for liberals and conservatives? One of the problems with liberalism is that they believe everyone is the same and that all morality is relative. But if there is anything that conservatives reject it is the idea of moral equivalency. When America tortures a terrorist suspect that is not the same as when a terrorist tortures someone. Killing civilians in a war or accidentally executing the innocent is not the same as abortion. Denying gays the right to marry is not the same as outlawing miscegenation. Giving corporations tax cuts is not the same as welfare. David Vitter and Larry Craig are not the same as Bill Clinton. Liberals are always trying to confuse us by making false analogies but conservative ideology is based on rejecting false equivalencies and making important distinctions. So we shouldn't be reluctant to say that indeed it is different when a conservative teenager has a child out of wedlock and an inner-city liberal teenager does. We should have the courage of our convictions and not play the liberal game of moral equivalency. Instead of trying to explain away Bristol's pregnancy we should be defending it, holding her up as an example of the difference between liberal teenage unwed mothers and conservative teenage unwed mothers. Because just as it is true that, as Richard Nixon once said, "When the President does it, that means it is not illegal." when a good Christian conservative has a child out of wedlock, that means it's not immoral."

Promises, Promises

USNews.com: Political Bulletin: Thursday, March 12, 2009: "Hours after calling for reforms to the earmark process, President Obama yesterday signed a spending bill that contains some 9,000 earmarked projects -- described by critics as pork-barrel spending. The move sparked criticism from Republicans and some Democrats, and generated starkly negative media reviews -- including reports in all three networks that suggested that the President's action ran contrary to his own campaign rhetoric. ABC World News, for example, reported that "away from cameras," Obama "signed a massive spending bill containing roughly 9,000 earmarks, despite his past campaign rhetoric." NBC Nightly News noted "critics said the President should have put up more of a fight when it came to those pet projects." The CBS Evening News similarly reported there was "no photo-op for this signing...""

And he broke another campaign promise by issuing "signing statements."