Anagram: …And Another Thing/…And Then Tag Rhino

      Here are a few things that I am looking at at this point in my day. 

       More Fun with Samantha Power.  The Woman who Left the Obama Campaign over the “Monster”  Quote about Hillary Clinton has done Barack Obama even More, and possible more lasting Damage.  In an interview she gave to the BBC she said that the Planned Iraq Exit strategy That Sen. Obama has been touting as The Centerpiece of his Entire Presidential Candidacy is Not set in stone and may not pan out as he has said.  Quoting Ben Smith On www.Politico.com : 

What he’s actually said, after meting with the generals and meeting with intelligence professionals, is that you – at best case scenario – will be able to withdraw one to two combat brigades each month. That’s what they’re telling him. He will revisit it when he becomes president,” Power says.    The host, Stephen Sackur, challenged her:”So what the American public thinks is a commitment to get combat forces out in 16 months isn’t a commitment isn’t it?”  ”You can’t make a commitment in March 2008 about what circumstances will be like in January of 2009,” she said. “He will, of course, not rely on some plan that he’s crafted as a presidential candidate or a U.S. Senator. He will rely upon a plan – an operational plan – that he pulls together in consultation with people who are on the ground to whom he doesn’t have daily access now, as a result of not being the president. So to think – it would be the height of ideology to sort of say, ‘Well, I said it, therefore I’m going to impose it on whatever reality greets me.’”  ”It’s a best-case scenario,” she said again.

      On The Face of It, what she says is good, that he will Consult with The People who are doing the Troop withdrawal, rather than Just force them to pull out at a pace that he wants.  But when you are talking about the Centerpiece of your entire Presidential strategy, You HAVE to tell the People EXACTLY what you are going to do.  To say It will take 16 months to get the combat troops out and then have it come out that the Number you’ve been touting isn’t what will actually happen is Outrageous.  He Needs To come out NOW and tell us whether it’s true or not, whether 16 months is THE Number, or if could Take 2 years, or 3 years, or however long.  Or just say you aren’t sure.  That you Don’t know.  That It will take as long as it takes.  Hillary’s exit strategy is to ask the Joint Chiefs of staff and Others in charge in the Military and use those assessments to base the Pullout Timetable on.  Amazing that that’s exactly what it sounds like Sen. Obama is saying In private.  Wonder where he Got the Idea…. Hmmm……

       The Wyoming Numbers are Coming in and It’s looking Like a Win For Senator Obama. It hasn’t been called yet, but the numbers are very much In his Favor.  With 87% of Precincts Reporting, The Junior Senator from Illinois is Up On The Junior Senator from New York 58% to 41%.  I am presuming that Sen. Obama Is going to win.  So I am going to Avoid the Christmas Rush and Congratulate Sen. Obama On an expected win in Wyoming.

       In Republican News, The President is still an Idiot.  

       Seriously.  He is.  Check This.  He says the Economy will Not go into a recession.  Hmmm… Let’s see, 85,000 jobs lost in the last two Months,  Oil over $100 a barrel, a Multi Billion Dollar Housing Meltdown in Progress, the National debt currently at $5,572,737,000,000.  Nah, we’re Fine.  This is Just a Blip on the Radar.  We don’t need MONEY.  we’re ok.  Our Grandkids Might be in debt with all the debt we are amassing now, but WE are fine.  Gotta Love these Republicans.  Not a CLUE about the Economy. Here’s a Link if you want to learn about economics, especially you, Georgie Porgie—> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics

       That’s it for me.  Catch ya Later.

Today’s Nuggets:  This process of election affords a moral certainty that the office of President will seldom fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications.    Alexander Hamilton

Reason and free inquiry are the only effectual agents against error… They are the natural enemies of error, and of error only… If [free enquiry] be restrained now, the present corruptions will be protected, and new ones encouraged.   Thomas Jefferson

Anagram: Musical Politics/Illicit Soup Scam

      Sometimes I look out there at the political landscape and i wonder why things happen the way they do.  Samantha Power, an Advisor to The Barack Obama Campaign Resigned after calling Hillary a “Monster”  I can understand her making statements about Hillary, I can even understand her calling Her a Monster.  She thinks, and rightly so, That Senator Clinton will try just about anything to get elected, which in my mind isn’t a bad thing.  It is senator Clinton’s job to try whatever she can to get elected, and  It was Samantha Power’s job to question that.  She was a top advisor to THE Top candidate in the Democratic party right now, she has to protect him and say whatever SHE can to protect her client, Sen. Obama.  I see absolutely nothing wrong with that.  But then again, in this politically correct world, in this Politically correct campaign, it should be expected that stupidity like this will occur.  You do have to think before you speak in this day and age, and she just didn’t.  However I don’t think she should have felt it necessary to resign her post over it.  I have read pieces of the Interview where she made the remark, and they were, needless to say biased against Hillary, derogatory, and just plain silly, But nothing That bad.  A quote from the Scotsman, the newspaper in question, in a story about Samantha Power resigning over this, quoting the original story, no less :

       “In Ohio, they are obsessed, and Hillary is going to town on it because she knows Ohio’s the only place they can win,” Ms Power said, before the former first lady’s team victory in the state was announced.   “She is a monster too – that is off the record – she is stooping to anything.”  Ms Power agreed that Mrs Clinton had looked desperate in recent interviews, adding, in reference to international audiences: “You just look at her and think, ergh. But if you are poor and she is telling you that Obama is going to take your job away, maybe it will be more effective. The amount of deceit she has put forward is really unattractive.”  End Quote.   If you want to read the whole thing, follow the Link—> http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/latestnews/Obama-aide-quits-over-Scotsman.3857569.jp

       The kid was tired, had just flown across the Atlantic and said a few things she should not have said.  The Obama camp shouldn’t have accepted her resignation.  Yes it was in poor taste, but this is politics as it is played.  I guess I could say the same thing about the resignation tho.  She’ll be fine, she’s  a helluva writer from what I understand,  she’ll be ok. 

     Onto The Republicans.  I am looking at Google news headlines here, under George bush, and I was struck by something.  Something that strikes me every time I see a headline that Involves this man.  He Is an Imbecile. Yes that one’s pretty Obvious, and if it keeps striking me, maybe it means I just don’t know how to duck.  Silly me.  Two headlines  and I’ll just throw them at you here, just the Headlines, and tell me what’s wrong with this picture.  Reuters — “BUSH Vetoes bill outlawing CIA Waterboarding”  And The Press Association –”BUSH: World Silent over Cuba Abuses” ….  Mmm Mmm Stupid.    Ok I understand that some pretty bad things have happened in Cuba, but to have those two news Items on the Same day illustrates just how bad this guy is.  He can in the same day say Cuba is a Horrible and Oppressive place and then turn around and Veto a Torture Ban!  I understand you wanna get answers out of The bastards, but C’mon Brother.  Just because our enemy uses methods that are less then scrupulous does not mean we should do the same.  Aren’t we supposed to be better than these evil  Al-qaeda bastards?        All that and I haven’t even looked at the stories involved yet.   I’ll get to them later.  No worries.

       John McCain lost his temper at The New York Times reporter who asked Him a question about a Private Conversation he had with John Kerry in 2k4 about being asked to be his running mate.  The Questioner, Elisabeth Bumiller, apparently was persistent and this Pissed of the Arizona Senator.  Quoting a story by www.Kutv.com in utah (I get’em from everywhere)  “Can you describe the conversation?” Bumiller continued.  “No… I don’t describe private conversations,” McCain said.  “It’s well known. Everybody knows. It’s been well-chronicled a thousand times,” the senator elaborated.  “John Kerry asked if I would consider being his running mate. And I said categorically ‘no… under no circumstances.”  End Quote.  Johnny, Johnny, relax, Brother.  It’s not a big deal.  She’s a reporter.  She wants Facts.  You’re gonna get questions where people want those pesky things every day if you make it to the Oval office.  It shows an incredible lack of discipline on his part to blow up like this over something this small.  If he’s gonna blow his lid like this here and Now, what happens later on the trail when the questions get harder and the Stakes are even higher than now?  I don’t think that John McTurkeyneck can handle it, folks.  He’ll have a stroke before his first year in office with that Kinda temper. 

     That’s it for News and Politics, Onto My world.

      No Run today.  I woke up early and could have gone, but My calves are Giant knots right now and were worse before I rolled them out.  Meaning I used a large round object, placed on the ground and rolled my leg over it to get the kinks out.  Felt good but it wasn’t enough.  I’ll run On monday.  No Worries.

       Guitar:  Played a fair bit. Played the usual stuff, The alternate picking single string exercises, Major and Minor and Pentatonic scales.  In all keys, did two modes today, locrian and Mixolydian, because i have been slacking off on that front recently.  What made today different was that i played one octave scales, major and minor, 3 string variety, starting on the sixth string,up and down the neck, then did the modes right after that, same 3 string variety, same bass string, then move to the 5th string and do the same thing all over again.  Different and cool.  I actually found that the locrian mode is easier when played beginning on the 4th or third strings than when it is started on the 6th, something I never would have thought until I tried to play the One octave locrian exercises starting on the higher strings for the first time.  Played a bit more with the Whole half diminished scale again, this time working out chords and triads. Key of E, Played around with it while playing G Aug and  A# m6 and F# Dominant 7th #9 (no 5th).  Kewl stuff. 

       That’s it for me, I’m gonna go make dinner and play a little more guitar before i go to work.  Jam On!

Today’s Nuggets:  So when black Americans refer to Obama as “one of us,” I do not know what they are talking about. In his new book, “The Audacity of Hope,” Obama makes it clear that, while he has experienced some light versions of typical racial stereotypes, he cannot claim those problems as his own – nor has he lived the life of a black American.   Stanley Crouch

The most dangerous man, to any government, is the man who is able to think things out for himself, without regard to the prevailing superstitions and taboos. Almost invariably he comes to the conclusion that the government he lives under is dishonest, insane and intolerable, and so, if he is romantic, he tries to change it. And if he is not romantic personally, he is apt to spread discontent among those who are.  H.L. Mencken

Last Edit:  1:39 P.M. EST 3/8/08