EASTERBROOK ADMITS WOMEN WHO SAY "NO" DON'T WANT TO BE RAPED

Actually, don't hold your breath on that one.

Here's some interesting Moonie propaganda. The Father's wire service, UPI, has published the following report:

WASHINGTON, April 1 (UPI) -- Fully half the voters surveyed in a new poll said allegations made by former U.S. national security staffer Richard Clarke were a partisan attack.

And here's what the poll cited actually says:

Why Is Clarke Making Accusations Now?

Help John Kerry 17%
Sell Books 33%
Tell the Truth 39%

So "partisan attack" isn't even one of the choices. If you equate "Help John Kerry" with partisan attack, you still get less than 17 percent, not one-fifth.

I've never heard of the pollster, Rasmussen Reports. Its site says that the president of the company, "Scott[,] and his father founded ESPN, the cable television sports network." Here's a bit more on the senior Rasmussen's later career.

Enough of that... I was starting to want to deny due process to someone, or have someone else invade a country for me while I crammed Cheet-Os down my gob.

It's good to be back.

The Shame of Ohio

As if we needed further proof that liberals are entirely devoid of ideas: read this. This hollow man has the temerity to mock Professor Glenn Reynolds and journalist Mickey Kaus.

Persecution

Terry A. Dalton sets the record straight on journalist and victim of the left Jack Kelley:

.... Kelley never had any trouble communicating with -- indeed, inspiring -- college students. I know this because I witnessed it, both during field trips with my McDaniel College students to USA TODAY from 1998 to 2002 and especially at a remarkable talk that Kelley gave to an overflow audience on my campus in September 1999.

At his newspaper, Kelley not only was a compelling speaker on three occasions, but also a journalist who seemed to genuinely care about what was on the minds of the students.

At every session, he was gracious, polite to a fault and unfailingly inspirational.

During his multimedia presentation on the McDaniel campus, his message was so moving and passionate that some students were in tears and most others were in awe.

In nearly 20 years of bringing professional journalists and college students together, I never have witnessed a more convincing or effective speaker than Kelley. Students talked about him for weeks after his 1999 visit, and many of them even kept in e-mail contact with him.

Read David Limbaugh's meticulously researched book, people. It's all in there.

Ben Shapiro is on fire with a blog entry about John F. Kerry's hypocrisy.

Shapiro quotes the Massachusetts liberal as blasting President Bush's self-deprecating humor:

"[KERRY PRESS RELEASE:] That's supposed to be funny?

If George Bush thinks his deceptive rationale for going to war is a laughing matter, then he's even more out of touch than we thought. Unfortunately for the President, this is not a joke.

585 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq in the last year, 3,354 have been wounded, and there's no end in sight. Bush Turned White House Credibility into a Joke George Bush sold us on going to war with Iraq based on the threat of weapons of mass destruction. But we still haven't found them, and now he thinks that's funny?

But Ben quickly reveals just what a fraud Kerry is:

"Well, Senator Kerry, if it's so tasteless and unfunny to joke about the failure to find WMD, why didn't you say that to Dennis Kucinich? In your Jan. 11, 2004 Iowa Black and Brown Forum Debate with the other Democratic candidates, Rep. Kucinich said this (from the Washington Post transcript):

KUCINICH: You know, first of all, I've been wondering why the president would, while we're still in Iraq, talk about gong to the moon and going to Mars. Maybe he's looking for the weapons of mass destruction still.

(LAUGHTER)

(APPLAUSE)

Here's video of the offensive incident. How did you react Senator Kerry? You certainly didn't tell Kucinich that missing WMD were no laughing matter. In fact, it looks to me as if you're laughing when Kucinich makes that joke. But how could you laugh about that? It's SOOOO offensive!

Ben's brief against Kerry is logically airtight.

The biggest mistake the Bush campaign has made to date is not putting Ben on the payroll.

And don't miss this Kevin McCollough column recommended by Ben: "Massachusetts Burning: 'Gay Marriage' Leads to Incest," which tackles the Massachusetts Supreme Court's opinion in Commonwealth v. Rahim (available here.) I think we've found our new Antonin Scalia.

The eloquence of Ross MacKenzie is once again on display in his latest column, "Better Batten Down And Head For The Hills":

"Imagine the sleepless nights of Kerry and his handlers as they lie awake worrying about the quivering protoplasm to which, as president, Bush well might reduce the real thing."

Indeed.

Please welcome the newest member of the Roger Ailes blogroll, Hugh Hewitt.

Mr. Hewitt debunks John Kerry's unmistakable charge that President Bush "caused the terrorists." No wonder that Ken Mehlman knows that Hewitt is the "go-to" guy when he needs to get President Bush's message past the media filter.

Collegians for Bush

If there's anything today's youth love more than watching college basketball, it's President George W. Bush. Meet your future Senators and Congressmen:

Over 200 Pennsylvania student leaders from 25 schools gathered in Hershey to plan for the fall campaign -- the largest such gathering in the Keystone State in over a decade.

Arizona Students for Bush got together for a Bush-Cheney '04 training session. School colors from across Arizona were much in evidence.

Students from Butler University in Indiana send in this tabling photo.

Finally, students in Minnesota were inspired to get together to celebrate their triumphal come-from-behind victory in the Sweet Sixteen -- grabbing hold of the standard of their vanquished foe and a life-size cutout of President Bush.

Anyone fearful for the future of this great land doesn't know this diverse group of scholars slash Gopher lovers.

There are, however, still decadant enclaves of fifth-columnists on campus:

This year at Yale University, Valentine's Day was far from ordinary. Instead of making plans for a special date (or bemoaning the lack thereof) students at Yale were preoccupied with the popular events of "Sex Week at Yale." Organized by Yale senior Eric Rubenstein, using Yale funds and with the full support of Yale faculty and administrators, Sex-Week was devised in order to allow students "to explore sex in a safe and open environment."

Events at Sex-Week were varied but consistently vulgar. One Yale professor gave a lecture on the "History of the Vibrator." Students gave talks on the secrets of great sex, hooking up, and how to be a better lover. At "Sex Toys 101," people who admitted to never having used a sex toy were given miniature vibrators.

This is a campus where our President is shown less respect than a miniature dildo. Is it any wonder President Bush preferred Yale as a same-sex institution?

Yorkshire Pudd'nhead Wilson

"I think of welfare reform and gay marriage as very similar ideas."

The point of this entry, if there is one, appears to be that gay marriage will civilize promiscuous homos, just as welfare reform civilized promiscuous ... you know. But, really, it's just incoherent.

Plugola

I'm going to give another plug for Air America Radio, even though I won't be able to hear it broadcast and its website is (at present) underwhelming. It does appear there will be program archives at the website, which will be a very good thing if it pans out.

The premiere of the Majority Report (8 to 11 Eastern) will feature appearances by lefty bloggers, including Atrios, Markos Zuniga and the marvelous Julia of Sisyphus Shrugged. And some guys named Howard Dean and Ben Cohen.

Jack and Jail?

David Aikman may get his wish to visit Jack Kelley in the pokey after all.

[USA Today] also described questionable payments. For instance, a Pakistani translator denied receiving $3,450 for services that Kelley put on an expense report.

"Anytime you have suspicion of a fraudulent invoice, you can make an argument for law enforcement interest," said Jacob Frenkel, a former prosecutor now in private practice in Washington, adding that "ethical breaches" don't usually rise to criminal conduct.

The Apostles used to pull that exact scam in the old days.

Here's a well thought out and substantive post criticizing the New York Times for its failure to publish corrections of false claims by its editorial columnists. Guess how many of the wingnut bloggers who were pissing themselves over the Times' alleged attempts to "shut down the National Debate" will link to this critique.

Hint: None.

Faith-Based Moral Relativism, or, Blessed Are the Excuse Makers

Jack Kelley's good pal David Aikman weighs in on Kelley's misconduct. Aikman first tries an Instacracker dodge (I don't like where this story's going, so I'll feign ignorance):

First, Gegrapha takes no official position in Jack Kelley's case. The matter is still under investigation and there may be further legal proceedings. There may be many further facts that will be uncovered as various investigations proceed.

Uh, dude, there haven't been any legal proceedings so there can't be any "further legal proceedings." Kelley tried siccing his lawyer on USA Today, but the paper called his bluff, and I doubt she'll be filing any lawsuits on Kelley's behalf.

But then Aikman says Kelley's still a soul brother:

At the same time, even if Jack had robbed a bank and were arrested and imprisoned, we would not desert him as a Christian brother who is paying the price for a serious violation of the law. If, in the course of time, the allegations against Jack Kelley are borne out by further investigation, he will pay a heavy price personally and professionally. So should anyone in this position. But Jack remains a Christian brother and will need the support of Christian family and friends as he comes to terms with everything that has happened.

I wonder what transgressions Kelley could commit which would break the fraternal bond for Aikman -- Paying for an abortion? Supporting the rights of gay clergy? Hitting on his daughters? Voting for John Kerry?

Fresh Air

I haven't gotten too excited yet about the left-leaning Air America Radio, mainly because it won't be available where I live and I can't listen to the streaming audio at work.

One thing I am excited about is the number of female broadcasters in their lineup: Randi Rhodes, Janeane Garofalo, Lizz Winstead and Laura Flanders all host or co-host their own shows. At least on the question of gender equality, Air America is as progressive as it says it will be.

Compare that to right-wing talk radio. Apart from "Doctor" Laura Schlessinger, wingnut talk is dominated by men. And those men are either misogynistic (Big Pharma, Michael Wiener-Savage) or at least hostile to equality and women's rights (Hannity, O'Reilly). All the other women wingnuts on the radio are C-list losers (Ingraham, Parshall, the Bat, etc.) toiling in obscurity.

Of course, most radio formats are dominated by men. It's nice to see a network with a few less old boys.

Krugman Calls A Whore A Whore

From tomorrow's column by Professor K:

"But other journalists apparently remain ready to be used. On CNN, Wolf Blitzer told his viewers that unnamed officials were saying that Mr. Clarke 'wants to make a few bucks, and that [in] his own personal life, they're also suggesting that there are some weird aspects in his life as well.'"

Here's the original. Wolf has established his place in the sewer, next to Novak and Drudge.

FU, Pumpkinhead

This is my favorite exchange from Richard Clarke's appearance on Meet the Rove:

MR. RUSSERT: Now, when you resigned, you sent a very polite letter to the president: "It's been an enormous privilege to serve you these past 24 months. I will always remember the courage, determination, calm leadership you demonstrated on September 11. I thank you again for the opportunity to serve you. You have provided me"--was that just being polite?

MR. CLARKE: Yeah.

MR. RUSSERT: Or are you now just being disloyal?

MR. CLARKE: No. Well, my mother taught me to be polite. ...

....

MR. CLARKE: Condi Rice. And I said, "Well, can I brief him on cybersecurity?" "Oh, yes, you can brief him on that." Now, you read my letter to him. Let's read his letter back to me. Maybe you'd like to read it, if you can read this.

MR. RUSSERT: Go ahead, please.

I didn't see it, and I don't think Clarke was questioning Russert's literacy. Rather, it sounds like a dig at Russert for his little trick of reading pro-Bush talking points with feigned objectivity. "Oh, yeah? Well read this, Pumpkinhead." Russert couldn't bring himself to read Bush's words praising Clarke. It's like Clarke handed Russert his own balls while asking him, "pardon me, Tim, but did you leave these at the Crawford ranch?"

The Vision Thing

A constitutional amendment to prohibit gay men and lesbians from marrying.

Steriod-free athletics.

A manned mission to Mars.

Subsidized broadband for the Red States.

Howie the Putz explains how those humorless, ungrateful military families just can't take a joke:

I was at the Radio-TV Correspondents Dinner Wednesday when Bush did some slide-show shtick that includes some jokes about WMDs. I remember thinking this was pretty sensitive ground for the president to be trodding on, but it was in the spirit of good humor, and most people laughed. It's since become a hot talk-show topic, with some members of military families upset about the lightheartedness, even though Bush was poking fun at himself.

Did he poke himself hard enough to earn a Purple Heart, Howie?

Clowning For Cash

Clownhall.com has just completed its 2004 fundraising drive, and it reportedly has raised $150,000 in just 13 days. From the looks of the blood-splatered map, it looks most of that dosh was raised in the Blue (sic) Democratic Party states. Admittedly it's easier to sell your organs in those states, where inbreeding is less common and thus the prices remain high.

Embarrassingly, California leads the nation in both the number of Clownhall benefactors and the total amount raised, which is more than 1/8th of the total take.

And what does Clownhall do with its tax-deductible contributions? It reprints insightful and articulate commentary such as this:

The times in which we're living are darker than Rob Zombie listening to the Insane Clown Posse in Jimmy Page's dungeon… or something like that. The fact that our current cruddy culture is doing things that make demons blush takes no great insight for the honest person to perceive.

Wow. That analogy is crappier than George Bush's underwear on the morning of September 11, 2001.

Barnicle Mike The Bigot

Unreformed plagiarist Mike Barnicle -- bosom pal to Tim Russert, Chris Matthews and Don Imus -- has decided that making racist jokes is less of a career-killer than stealing the writing of others and fabricating sources.

On his radio show last week, Barnicle referred to the interracial marriage of former Republican Senator and Secretary of Defense William Cohen and Cohen's wife, Janet Langhart, as "[k]ind of like 'Mandingo.'" Barnicle's defense is that he forgot the plot of the 1975 film Mandingo involved slavery and the rape of slaves. Maybe he got it confused with The Bodyguard.

The Boston Globe points out that Barnicle pal Don Imus "refer[red] to interracial couples as Mandingos." Strangely, the Globe doesn't mention that Imus specifically referred to Secretary Cohen's relationship with Ms. Langhart as "the Mandingo deal."

Should we believe Barnicle's defense? After all, this is the guy who wrote a column filled with George Carlin jokes without crediting Carlin, then denied having read Carlin's book until a televsion clip surfaced showing Barnicle holding the book and endorsing it earlier in the year. It's not hard to believe that Barnicle stole the Mandingo insult from his pal the I-man. When you hang around bigots like Imus, the only reasonable assumption is that you share Imus's bigoted views.

(Thanks to a reader for the tip.)

Are the rats deserting the sinking ship? Last Monday, we reported that the World Journalism Institute's "May Term" journalism course had dumped scandal-plagued Jack Kelley as a guest lecturer and added Gregg Easterbrook to its faculty.

A week later, Easterbrook is off the lecturers list -- and so are Freddy Barnes, Terry Eastland, Barbara Bradley Hagerty, David Cho and Tim Goeglein. (Here's the old list.)

This seems like a bit of a bait-and-switch, dropping all the big names, without explanation, after advertising their participation in the course for weeks (except for Easterbrook).

And the tuition ain't cheap - $500 for three weeks' classroom training. On the other hand, that charge does include "shared housing" with "a complimentary USA Today." (Not complimentary of Kelley, we'd imagine.)

Also of interest: Elements of Style is considered recommended reading by WJI, while The New Thought Police by Tammy Bruce is required reading.

For more detailed info on the WJI, see Eschaton and John Gorenfeld.

Truthful Tomorrows

Mega kudos to Dr. E. Alterman, the bearded liberal, for smacking down the lie that Peaceful Tomorrows, a 9-11 survivors' advocacy group, is a front organization for the Kerry Campaign. Eric unspins the lie in one elegant paragraph:

Here are the facts: The Tides Center does provide administrative and financial services to Peaceful Tomorrows and is paid 9 percent of all the funds the organization raises in return. The Tides Foundation, which funds the center, among many other causes, made four grants to Peaceful Tomorrows during 2002 and 2003, totaling $34,665. Meanwhile, the Heinz Endowments, of which one is headed by Teresa Heinz Kerry, made grants to the Tides Foundation of $230,000 between 1994 and 1998. These were specifically earmarked to support a pollution prevention initiative and other environmentally friendly practices by industries in western Pennsylvania. In other words, there is absolutely no connection between Mrs. Kerry and the Heinz Endowments and Peaceful Tomorrows. The Heinz donations were made between four and eight years before the group even existed. They were made to support local environmental causes. And absolutely none of the money in question ever ended up in the coffers of this tiny, frugally funded organization of those who lost someone the day America was attacked.

Eric's column names the liars who spread this slander; unfortunately, these folks are beyond shaming.

Science Saturday

Joshua Marshall has a devastating post about the Administration's all-consuming yet pathetic attempts to smear Richard Clarke, who brought much-needed honor and dignity to the Reagan, G.H.W. Bush and G.W. Bush White Houses. As ever, Josh's insights are spot on. I believe, however, that Josh is wrong on one point:

"Maybe instead of being 98% water like the rest of us [Richard Clarke is] 98% wax."

Now, I'm no Ira Flatow, or even that disturbing, unitard-wearing Slim Goodbody, but is the human body actually 98 percent water? A number of sources say "no." Almost all 'net sources I could find say the human body is 50-75 water. Those are the stats from the International Bottled Water Association and the American Dietetic Association, the Yale-New Haven Hospital, UC Davis Medical Center. Tufts and, according to this site, Al Gore.

On the other hand, here's a Ph.D. who makes the 98 percent claim in terms of molecular composition.

I realize I'm giving Bill Frist all the ammunition he needs to accuse Josh of perjury and sedition, but as a kitten-molesting M.D., Frist should know this already. In any event, this site holds everyone accountable, without fear or favor.

High F-Liar

Jack Kelly was a member of the mile-high liar's club:

The management of USA Today made him their Employee of the Year in 2002 and the Pulitzer Prize Committee made him one of their finalists for best international reporting in 2001. (Kelley also spoke at a 1997 journalism conference co-sponsored by Christianity Today.) His editors gave him free rein and his publisher at one point flew Kelley on an around-the-world reporting trip in the company's jet. Critics say that editorial indulgence and the cult of celebrity cut Kelley off from accountability.

Counterspin

Check out this week's Counterspin, with Norman Solomon on Richard Clarke's testimony and John Gorenfeld on Jack Kelley. Plus bonus Jim Lehrer and John "Smackdown" Stossel bashing.

The Ghoul Kids

Mickey Kaus wasn't offended by Bush's Weapons of Mass Destruction gags at the correspondents' dinner.

Then again, Kaus thinks that Bush should deliver the eulogy at a servicemember's funeral as "the PR solution" to the American deaths in Iraq.

Kaus is Karl Rove, but without the tact and self-restraint.