Links and Minifeatures 2008 02 29 (Leap Day)

Volokh Conspiracy on the silence of Justice Thomas in arguments.

I keep running across this allegation, so:

Snopes on allegations that Barack Obama is Moslem

There are as many reasons as anyone rational could ask for not to vote for Barack Obama, and reasons why he would be severely bad for the country. However, being Moslem or somehow in sympathy with radical Islamics is not one of them.

If you don't want him to be elected president, don't spread this pile of manure. It draws attention away from many other areas where he would do great harm, and false accusations give the impression that he is being persecuted. There are plenty of reasons not to vote for him that are rooted in fact. His economics. His health care plan. His utterly naive and uninformed pronouncements about foreign policy, al-Qaeda, and Iraq. (it's not worth stressing over when the Kossacks or the Huff'nPuffs spout nonsense. But someone who seriously wants to become president needs to be held to a higher standard of sanity)

You want reasons not to support Barack Obama, all the ones you should need can be found at his official campaign website. When you ignore the feel good stuff and focus on specific policy actions, his economics are a suicide pact. Actually, even the feel-good stuff says a lot about him, and what it says isn't good to anyone with a decent grasp of economics.

Mukasey refuses probe of Bush aides

Attorney General Michael Mukasey refused Friday to refer the House's contempt citations against two of President Bush's top aides to a federal grand jury. Mukasey said White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former presidential counsel Harriet Miers committed no crime.

Executive powers in the Constitution, Long standing use, yada yada yada. There is no case and no crime - only political games.

Democrats say Bush's instructions to Miers and Bolten to ignore the House Judiciary Committee's subpoenas was an abuse of power and an effort to block an effort to find out whether the White House directed the firing of nine U.S. attorneys in 2006 for political reasons.

Republicans call the whole affair a political game and walked out of the House vote on the contempt citations in protest.

The Democrats are using their control of the house as a campaign tool. No different in principle from when the Republicans were in control, but the Democrats are going a lot further with the partisan politics. I don't recall any Republican votes to force Democratic aides of President Clinton to testify, despite much better reason and much better evidence.

Nancy Pelosi is one of the top five "reasons to vote Republican" list for this fall. Most of the Democratic congressional leaders are way up there on the list, as well.

Unfortunately for the Republicans, most of their congressional leadership are on the "reasons to vote Democratic" list.

I know we're a two party system. But does it have to be these two parties?

On the other hand, we have it much better than Russia: Putin's Presidency Ends, Not His Rule

Still, despite his predictable election as President, Medvedev may be less the heir to Putin's throne than its caretaker. Putin has made clear he will stay on as Medvedev's Prime Minister "for as long as [Medvedev] is President," explained Putin at his annual press conference earlier this month. (Putin has already ensured his accession to the premiership by heading the electoral list of his United Russia party in the carefully orchestrated recent Duma election, in which they achieved full control of the legislature.)

And whereas Putin's own Prime Ministers were obedient technocrats, he has a vastly expanded idea of the office now that he plans to occupy it: "The Cabinet, headed by Prime Minister, is the highest executive authority in the country," he told his press conference, adding that the Prime Minister's responsibilities will include managing the national budget, foreign and domestic policy, and national security.

Kind of like playing a game of musical chairs, where whatever chair Mr. Putin sits him gives him power and immunity from losing it.

McCain tags Dems on NAFTA

"One of our greatest assets in Afghanistan are our Canadian friends. We need our Canadian friends, and we need their continued support in Afghanistan," McCain said. "So what do we do? The two Democratic candidates for president say they're going to unilaterally abrogate NAFTA.

"How do you think the Canadian people are going to react to that?" McCain said.

The article calls this a false accusation as Clinton and Obama haven't used the word "abrogate" in response to NAFTA. However:

Rather, both Democrats said at a debate Tuesday in Cleveland they would insist on renegotiating NAFTA and would threaten to opt out of the agreement unless Canada and Mexico come to the negotiating table.

"Come to the table and negotiate something better for us or we'll opt out" seems to be extortion as well as failing to live up to our agreements. But it's all for a good cause - getting their favorite person elected!

Powerline reports Obama's head economic advisor as saying it's just campaign rhetoric, and that the Canadian government shouldn't worry.

My question: How does this make it better? To all of the aforementioned stupidity, he's now adding lying with malice aforethought.

Intellectually dishonest doesn't begin to cover it.

Q and O has some information on what happens if we do leave NAFTA. Bye bye, Canadian and Mexican oil. Adios to $380 billion dollars worth of US Exports.

Volokh Conspiracy has some good stuff on why John McCain is a "natural born citizen" and thus, eligible for the presidency.