Congratulations are due Santorum for his surprising wins in Mississippi and Alabama. Waking up this morning, this victory is surely disappointing Santorum, and his erstwhile supporters, as he is now even further behind in delegates than he started out yesterday. Yes, one step forward and two backward.

Delegates are what count and, depending on who’s scorecard you follow, Santorum lost ground by at least six delegates and now trails Romney by over 260 delegates. Romney increased his clear majority of delegates.

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Santorum is welcome to celebrate his moral victory in Alabama and Mississippi but, in the long run, these wins don’t change the trajectory of the march to the Republican nomination. It is all about the delegates and, despite Saint Rick’s wishful thinking, Romney wrapped up more delegates that moves him closer to the final prize.

Two key stories out of this. First story line, which the cable media will beat to death over the next week, is the blood feud between Santorum and Newt. Newt got clobbered today. He needed to prove he could win in other parts of the South. Instead, he continued to come short of getting a validating victory in another Southern state. Newt only has South Carolina and Georgia notched on his prodigious belly belt. But don’t count on Newt to bow out or run up the white flag. Like all good bipolar maniacs, he still believes he’s the one.

The second story, which is more troubling for the Republicans, is the lousy turnout. Read the rest

There are four primaries today. Alabama and Mississippi, with 90 delegates between them as well as Hawaii and American Samoa.

At this point in time the polls show a tight race. Gingrich is slightly ahead in Mississippi with Romney close behind and Santorum close on their heels. At stake are Mississippi’s 40 delegates as well as the 50 delegates that are up for grabs in Alabama. Hawaii has 20 delegates and American Samoa has 9. There is little information available about polling in Hawaii but many believe that Romney is set to win there. 

I haven’t been able to find much about who is up, or down, in American Samoa. Still those 9 delegates can be important as Romney proved when Santorum  won Kansas and gained 33 delegates to Romney’s seven.  Romney then gained four delegates by winning the Virgin Islands, and took nine by winning Guam, nine by winning the Northern Mariana Islands, and seven from Wyoming with three going to Santorum. That’s Romney 36, Santorum 33. Read the rest

* Bumped Up (the post for today’s primary/caucus results goes up next) *

At this point, by most accounts, Romney will secure the Republican nomination by continuing to win a plurality and occasional majority of votes in the remaining contents. Santorum, on the other hand, needs to win two-thirds and Gingrich nearly three-quarters of the remaining delegates.

MSM would have you believe that Saturday was Santorum’s day but a casual glance suggests otherwise with 80% of the contests going to Romney.

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I live in Kansas, just barely.  Kansas City straddles the border with Missouri, but it was founded and flourished on the Missouri side.  Those of us in Kansas City, KS live in “KCK.”  On the Missouri side, they live in “Kansas City.”

But lately, I keep asking myself this same question over and over:

WHAT’S WRONG WITH MISSOURI???

Why?  Oh, let me count the ways…

You’re no doubt familiar with the Rush Limbaugh foot-in-mouth controversy this last week or two.  The big fat idiot managed to embroil himself in an ugly imbroglio of his own making, losing many sponsors and listeners in the process.  This ugly-minded, addle-brained buffoon uses the public airwaves of his radio show to blast an innocent woman, a woman who is not a public figure, because she had the audacity to testify before Congress about the needs of many low-income women to have contraceptives paid for by their health insurance, no matter where they worked.  This, of course, is part of the Catholic Church’s objections to paying for contraceptives through government-mandated insurance policies, i.e., Obamacare.

In the twisted mind of Rush Limbaugh, a son of the state of Missouri, this woman was fair game for his astounding insults at her expense.  He called her a “slut,” and a “prostitute.”  And to make the bizarre truly berserk, he goes on to say he’d support her position if he could watch her have sex!!!

WTF???? So with all this mind-boggling outrageousness from Limbaugh still burning in everyone’s brains, here comes … Read the rest

First, lest I forget, I have to share a couple prize comments from the quick wits at CNN’s Outfront. That’d be host Erin Burnett and her frequent guest John Avlon, a delightful guest and substitute host on The John Batchelor Show, and an avowed moderate active in “No Labels.” Avlon is married to Margaret Hoover, great-granddaughter of President Herbert Hoover. On the March 12th show, Burnett and Avlon chatted about Tuesday’s southern primaries, and Newt Gingrich’s chances at, once again, rising from the dead. Avlon dubbed Gingrich’s possible feat “a triple Lazarus,” to which Burnett responded, “That’s a Biblical hat trick.”

Now, here’s Burnett on our wily neighbor to the north, and a photo from the U.S. base home to the soldier who murdered at least 16 Afghans: Read the rest

The frenzied Rush Limbaugh bash-fest that resulted from his disgusting description of Sandra Fluke – calling her a “slut” and a “prostitute” – have led women on both sides of the aisle to demand that men on the left get held equally accountable for their misogynist rhetoric. It’s about time. While I have no doubt that Ms. Fluke’s statements on contraception are being co-opted by the White House to scare women back into the fold during an election year, and I wouldn’t be the first person to make that observation, it is also true that speaking about women in derogatory terms reminds us that neither side has any respect for 52% of the population, but continues to use us as a political football.

Those like Matt Taibbi, Keith Olbermann, Chris Matthews, Ed Schultz, Jack Cafferty, David Schuster, Dana Milbank, Chris Cilizza, to name a few, have long enjoyed deep cover because of their supposed stance on social issues. That does not nor never should have bought them a pass. These men purport to be journalists and serious commentators. Never was their vile behavior more evident than the sexist horror show of 2008 against Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin. Their vile, sniggering behavior continues unabated. In fact the only half-hearted apologies ever elicited from any one of these men has only come after a hand slap, a loss of ratings or advertisers…Is that the level of political discourse in this country when discussing women: She devil, bitch, Nurse Ratched, bubblehead?

Rush was forced into the same kind of apology last week. Was he sincere? Doubtful. Will he do it again? Very Likely. Has Bill Maher ever apologized for his endless litany of demeaning statements about women?

Rush Limbaugh is entitled to like or dislike whomever he wants, but if the best way he has to discredit Hillary Clinton is by saying she has “a testicle lockbox” or by calling her a “Femi-Nazi” – I’d say he’s lost the argument. And if Bill Maher likewise has to insult Hillary by saying “They fined CBS a million dollars for showing Janet Jackson’s nipple. Just think what they could get for Hillary Clinton’s c*nt,” and calls Sarah Palin a “c*nt” and a “twat” – it is pretty obvious that the cheap shot is all he is good for. It doesn’t say much for his mental capacity otherwise. Read the rest

No Quarter’s owner, Larry Johnson, an expert on foreign affairs who is often called upon by national media for his observations, has written here recently that the drum beat for war with Iran has been increasing lately, and the ramifications and possible outcomes are covered from his expert perspective. Very compelling reading! (links below)

Adding to all this frustrating worry over an Israel-Iran war is our president, the Neville Chamberlain of US foreign policy.  His 2-faced approach to dealing with Muslim countries and Israel have only made matters worse, emboldening the enemies of Israel while basically telling Israel, “you’re on your own.”

Now there is some major opposition to Obama’s re-election from a group of American Jewish leaders who are forming a SuperPAC, The Emergency Committee for Israel (link below).   Some of their backers are American Jewish power brokers who fund presidential campaigns and have traditionally backed Democrats.  Now they are turning against this Democratic president because he has abandoned Israel to its own defenses.

Here is a 30-minute video they have produced to state their case. Below the fold, there are segments of an interview with one of the PAC’s money-men, as interviewed recently by the blogger Ulsterman (link below).

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 Just when I was content in my new identity as an Independent I read an article that suggests that I am no such thing. I am instead a “swing” voter. Whatever the hell that is. Cause to tell you the truth, even in my younger days; I wasn’t a “swinger.”

Evidently some of those who are so much smarter than you and me, or at least believe that they are, have decided that most Independent Voters are tethered to one party or the other. Or they “lean” in one direction.

One of those smart fellers is Ruy Teixeira, an American Political Scientist. He is co-author of the book “The Emerging Democratic Majority” wherein he declares that the Democrats are destined to be the majority party in the early 21st Century. He wrote the book in 2002 so perhaps he couldn’t see past very early in the 21st Century to 2010. Read the rest

The dire circumstances of our weak economic recovery were fully revealed yesterday (Friday) by the over-the-top celebration of news that only 227,000 jobs were created in February. While this is a positive number, it is very weak and is not going to put a dent in the millions of unemployed Americans who have stopped looking for work. Want proof of the partisan bullshit of this celebration. Let’s go back in the time machine to October 2004. Here’s the BLS release for that month:

Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 337,000 in October, and the unemployment rate was about unchanged at 5.5 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today.  Construction employment rose sharply over the month, and several service-providing industries also added jobs.

So, how did Democrat leaders, such as Senator Dick Durbin react to that good news?

“This President has created a climate in this country where the number of jobs is not growing. It did not have to be that way.” (Sen. Dick Durbin, Congressional Record, 10/08/04, p. S10764)

So, in the upside down world of Democrat delusions 337,000 new jobs is “not growing”, but 227,000 new jobs is evidence of economic recovery? Read the rest

Republished with the express permission of Steve Clemons. Clemons is Washington editor at large for The Atlantic and editor in chief of Atlantic Live. He writes frequently about politics and foreign affairs.

My Atlantic colleague Jeffrey Goldberg just scored an extensive interview with President Obama in which Obama says to Iran and Israel, “As President of the United States, I don’t bluff.”

Goldberg’s preamble is important and must-read, but the interview itself is vital and gives one a good sense of both Obama’s strategic strengths and weaknesses.

The decision of the White House to talk to Goldberg reflects their desire to speak to what Obama defined in the interview as “the Israeli people, and. . .the pro-Israel community in this country” less than a week before the annual Washington meeting of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. 

This was not an interview designed to warn Iran of the consequences of proceeding down a nuclear weapons acquisition track. Read the rest

I was just casually reading a post I wrote years ago after Byron York attacked Larry Johnson. Given Larry’s “Going to War With Iran?,” I’m posting a relevant segment. One of the names will turn you off. Screw that. What matters is not who said it but that it had to be said again.

[T]his [is an] example of just how clueless George Bush was about the complexities of what we are facing in this age of nuclear proliferation, from the first 2004 presidential debate between him and Democratic candidate John Kerry:

BUSH: First of all, of course I know Osama bin Laden attacked us. I know that. [GOOD, GEORGE. GOOD BOY.] And secondly, to think that another round of resolutions would have caused Saddam Hussein to disarm, disclose, is ludicrous, … We tried diplomacy. We did our best … he would have been stronger had we not dealt with him. He had the capability of making weapons, and he would have made weapons.

LEHRER: Thirty seconds, Senator.

KERRY: Thirty-five to forty countries in the world had a greater capability of making weapons at the moment the president invaded than Saddam Hussein. And while he’s been diverted, with 9 out of 10 active duty divisions of our Army, either going to Iraq, coming back from Iraq, or getting ready to go, North Korea’s gotten nuclear weapons and the world is more dangerous. Iran is moving toward nuclear weapons and the world is more dangerous. Read the rest

You might think that, with all the endless laments about the nasty slurs by Rush Limbaugh, the Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner would be a bitty-bit sensitive about issues like sexism. You would be wrong.

 This year the Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association Dinner will feature “comedian” Louis C.K. I wasn’t familiar with Louis C.K. so I went to YouTube and watched some of his “routines.”  To me, not funny. I have a rule that if someone finds it necessary to use the word fu*k in every sentence then they don’t have room for the funny words. Fu*k isn’t funny. At least I don’t find it so. I prefer Jeff Dunham’s comedic style. And I confess I still laugh at “Who’s On First.”

 Louis C.K. is, to me, a poster boy for many of the things wrong with this country. He’s obnoxious, vulgar and sexist. Therefore he’s popular and probably making more money that I could ever dream about. So obnoxious, vulgar and sexist equals success? I always preferred Bill Cosby to Eddie Murphy when it came to comedy. I wonder if Bill Cosby, as a stand-up comedian, would be as popular today.

 Here’s a Louis C.K. quote I found amazingly NOT funny: Read the rest

Odds are high, very high, that we will be drug into a war with Iran within the next four to five months. There is only one bit of good news from this–it will mean the end of the Obama Presidency. Obama and team are terrified by the prospect of Netanyahu and his cronies launching an attack on Iran because Israel does not have the ability to deliver a knockout punch. Instead, Israel may get knocked on its ass.

Let’s review the possible scenarios.

Scenario 1–Israel launches a pinpoint airstrike on key Iranian nuclear facilities. Israel experiences minimal losses and Iran’s nose is bloodied. Iran fails to mount a credible campaign of retaliation and Israel has achieved a victory in severely damaging Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

Scenario 2–Israel launches a massive airstrike with drones and manned jets on key Iranian nuclear facilities, but loses upwards of 30% of its planes and pilots. The airstrikes are largely ineffective but serve to rally the Iranian public around the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. Iran, rather than retaliate, turns to Russia and China for support. The world at large condemns Israel and rallies to the side of Iran. Notwithstanding his promise to get “Israel’s back,” Obama leaves Israel hanging. Israel finds itself weakened militarily and will be attacked from both Gaza (with the support of Egypt) and Lebanon.

Scenario 3–Same as Scenario 2 except Iran launches a massive counter attack. This includes closing the Straits of Hormuz for three weeks, sinking five U.S. Navy ships, blowing up key Saudi pipelines and carrying out a series of terrorist strikes on transportation and diplomatic targets around the world. The price of gas soars to over $6 a gallon. The global economy stalls. Read the rest

NINE POINT ONE. 9.1. Uh, wasn’t unemployment just in the 8 range? Weren’t Obama and crew sporting swaggers, certain they will crush the GOP in November? Well, that only works if one depends on crossing one’s fingers. Especially if one blows three years of a presidency, particularly the rare golden years of an all-Democratic Congress.

Substituting good luck for problem-solving? Farming out the hard work to underlings? No way. The pragmatic leader — while not as sexy and and rather geeky — focuses on REAL ways to change the unemployment numbers.

Gallup: “U.S. unemployment, as measured … without seasonal adjustment, increased to 9.1% in February from 8.6% in January and 8.5% in December.”

To the fools who still believe campaign speeches tell us all about a candidate, I say, “Get a clue. There’s a world of difference between talking and doing.” Read the rest