Links and Minifeatures 2008 09 10 Wednesday

Dems sue to shut down talk radio

In the suit, David Birke and attorney Johnny Birke argue that KRLA uses public airwaves to push Republican Party causes, an old lefty chestnut. Named in the suit are Salem, CEO Ed Atsinger and seven talk show hosts, according to the Glendale News-Press:

Haven't they heard of Air America? It's not like there isn't a polar opposite available. Not to mention Oprah, MSNBC, CBS, etcetera. IMHO, even if they win the case the Democrats lose this argument based upon the precedent shutting down their own propaganda factories, which are far more numerous and pervasive..

Still, it's morally abhorrent. You always know who's morally bankrupt and incapable of winning an argument on its own merits when they try to shut down the opposition.

HT: Michelle Malkin

New Palin scandal: She billed the state for stuff she was allowed to bill

I seem to recall several instances of desperation like this in the last couple of decades - blowing up perfectly normal stuff into scandal, claiming hyperbolic consequences, etcetera. Thing is, every measure and candidate I can remember that resorted to this sort of thing lost badly. Keep it up, and this could be a 49 state landslide where the Republicans regain control of Congress. Keep it real, and you've got a chance.

It sure looks like the Obama campaign is running scared.

DISASTER!... Obama Gets Chewed Up & Spit Out On O'Reilly (Video)

How dare Bill O'Reilly not throw softballs underhanded.

A message from an Iraqi veteran:

Stick with it until the end. The end is worth the time.

HT neo-neocon

Don Surber points out a certain contradiction.

I am going to speak in favor of Obama for a moment

Could Clinton have Palin-proofed Dems?

It really depends upon whether Obama wants to be president badly enough to die for it.

The Clintons have a long history of doing whatever it takes for advance their own interests. Not that Bill is in any way shy about self-aggrandizement, but Hillary is even more ruthless. To people who have been watching for the last sixteen years, she has made it clear she will do anything.

Now, imagine that the only thing standing between Vice President Hillary, who has very little official power, and the Presidency of the United States, the most powerful single person in the world, is the life of Barack Obama.

I wouldn't give you odds of one in a hundred thousand he'd last four years. Lloyds of London wouldn't insure his life. He'd check into Bethesda for a routine check up and suffer a fatal freak accident with a blood pressure meter. He'd fall down the stairs. He'd get crushed by a falling object. Air Force One would suck a pigeon through a jet intake and explode. You get the idea.

If I were in Barack Obama's shoes, there is no way in hell I would have chosen Hillary for the bottom half of the ticket. Quite frankly, a sane person would rather lose than take Hillary for Vice President. Nor is Obama going to drop Biden for Hillary. Pelosi, maybe, or any of half a dozen other Democratic women (and he'd lose, assuming an honest election. With Biden he's got a chance). Hillary: No way. There's risk taking, and then there's suicide. Choosing Hillary for Vice President would (at best) be a bet that he could off her and make it look like a Republican dirty trick before she could do it to him (He's a Chicago machine candidate, so his odds are probably better than many people might think - maybe 3:1 against)

So Barack Obama was quite sane and intelligent in my opinion for not choosing Hillary, who is well aware that her own chances of winning the presidency are a lot better in 2012 if Barack Obama loses. Therefore, look for her to do whatever she can to keep Barack Obama from getting 270 electoral votes.

While I'm at it, a word of caution to the Republicans. Don't build Sarah Palin up too much. She's human, and she's going to fail at something in a human way. The consequences of such a failure are a lot less dire for a respected or even beloved but human figure than they are for a cult's object of admiration. Witness Barack Obama's current implosion.

Don't deceive yourselves about how ruthless Sarah Palin can be, either. She also didn't take on the entrenched Republican establishment of Alaska and win by being Mahatma Gandhi or Martin Luther King. I don't understand the mechanics of how it worked, but the evidence is pretty solid she's capable of playing some vicious politics of her own. Don't get me wrong about this. I like Sarah Palin a lot, and thus far, she's been on the right side of all but a small minority of issues, and she's done a lot that is right and good while causing very little damage. But just because "Sarahcuda" is on the right side of most issues doesn't mean she's not dangerous. So was Teddy Roosevelt.

If Arnold as the Terminator came knocking on doors looking for Sarah Palin, I'd bet on Sarah Palin, even without what's his name to help. That's a compliment, but it's also a warning. Enough said.

We just had my younger daughter's birthday party. She's four years old today!