Right Pulse

For those following the US elections, here is a good article about the problems facing voters, by popular US radio host Glenn Beck:

One thing that I have decided is that Democratic contender Sen. Barack Obama isn’t the guy for me. If you watch my show on Headline News, you may have picked that up already. Don’t get me wrong, I want hope and change just as much as the next guy, but I think Barack and I are hoping for different kinds of change. To me, his vision for America appears to be somewhere between Sen. Hillary Clinton and Karl Marx. Being a conservative, that’s definitely not what I’m looking for.

While I like Republican candidate Sen. John McCain on certain issues, he’s not really a conservative. He’s put his name on too many pieces of legislation that are downright antagonistic to the right. McCain-Kennedy on illegal immigration. McCain-Feingold on campaign finance reform. McCain-Lieberman on global warming. He’s massively frustrating on far too many things to make voting for him anything other than an excruciating-eating-a-spider-Fear-Factor type of experience. You close your eyes, you pull the lever and you cringe when you think back about it.

Some of my friends say that McCain is simply the lesser of two evils. He’s not great, but he’s all we’ve got. And when you’re up against Barack Obama, not so bad looks really good. While, by my standards, I don’t doubt McCain would be less damaging for the next four years, he might be worse for the next four decades.

The scenario that keeps running through my head goes like this: John McCainsomehow wins; the major problems we’re likely going to face regardless of who is elected kick in; McCain gets blamed; and conservative ideals take the fall for McCain’s decidedly nonconservative policies. Plus, it’s always been my theory that you should be voting for something, not against something. Trying to win an election by just being against something is usually fruitless; see John Kerry.

I think voters here would be facing a similar problem if Turnbull become opposition leader.

According to Algore we are all going to die in ten years time, again:

The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk. And even more – if more should be required – the future of human civilization is at stake.

Another classic passage from his recent speech:

Of course there are those who will tell us this can’t be done. Some of the voices we hear are the defenders of the status quo – the ones with a vested interest in perpetuating the current system, no matter how high a price the rest of us will have to pay. But even those who reap the profits of the carbon age have to recognize the inevitability of its demise. As one OPEC oil minister observed, “The Stone Age didn’t end because of a shortage of stones

Al Gore is not exactly what one would described as a disinterested party in these matters, thanks to a $500 million dollar ‘green’ investment fund he is a partner to. One might even say he has a financial vested interest in promoting a future system of carbon cap and trade as much as ‘carbon’ industry seemingly has interests in promoting the status quo. And for Algore, his business interests could do with a bit of a kick along:

And further from Algore:

To those who say 10 years is not enough time, I respectfully ask them to consider what the world’s scientists are telling us about the risks we face if we don’t act in 10 years. The leading experts predict that we have less than 10 years to make dramatic changes in our global warming pollution lest we lose our ability to ever recover from this environmental crisis. When the use of oil and coal goes up, pollution goes up. When the use of solar, wind and geothermal increases, pollution comes down.

Note the speech is devoid of primary sources and citations. Also note that Algore seems to like ten year moving deadlines. Back in January 2006 Algore also claimed we only had ten years left to save the planet otherwise we would all fry, from Rush Limbaugh (requires member log in):

He’s (Algore) attending parties and posing for pictures with his fans. He’s enjoying macaroni and cheese at the Discovery Channel’s soirée. He’s palling around with Laurie David of Curb Your Enthusiasm, who is the husband of Larry David, who drives the Prius and then flies the GV. Larry David says, “You know, Al is a funny guy, but he’s also a very serious guy who believes humans may have only 10 years left to save the planet from turning into a total frying pan.”

In serious need of a share price kick along more like it.

King Canute was a Danish King that lived in the early 1000s. He was famous for the following story:

Canute had learned that his flattering courtiers claimed he was “So great, he could command the tides of the sea to go back”. Now Canute was not only a religious man, but also a clever politician. He knew his limitations - even if his courtiers did not - so he had his throne carried to the seashore and sat on it as the tide came in, commanding the waves to advance no further. When they didn’t, he had made his point that, though the deeds of kings might appear ‘great’ in the minds of men, they were as nothing in the face of God’s power. “Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings. For there is none worthy of the name but God, whom heaven, earth and sea obey”.

Well apparently there is one who is greater. Introducing Obama, commander of the seas!!!

I face this challenge with profound humility and knowledge of my own limitations. But I also face it with limitless faith, in the capacity of the American people, because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when … the rise of the oceans began to slow, and our planet began to heal.

I wonder if that is an election promise? I’m sure someone will try to hold him to account.

John McCain is proposing a Presidential question time for the United States Congress:

I will ask Congress to grant me the privilege of coming before both houses to take questions, and address criticism, much the same as the prime minister of Great Britain appears regularly before the House of Commons.

Iain Murray of the National Review  is offering speculation as to how it would work:

I presume the Constitutional basis would be Article II, section 3, “He shall from time to time give to the Congress Information on the State of the Union” and allowing representatives and senators to ask questions on the State of the Union would be consistent with that, I think.

Well, which is the best model for the US to follow? Despite the constitutional issues that may arise, Mark Steyn has a suggestion:

Iain, over the years I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Question Time live at Westminster, Ottawa, Canberra, a couple of Caribbean parliaments and maybe one or two other parts of the Commonwealth. And I would say the Aussie model is the one to go for. It would be great fun, and make a useful contribution, especially if accompanied by the abolition of press conferences with those preening White House correspondents.

And where did Steyn get the idea that Australia would serve as the best model? Steyn with Hugh Hewitt:

HH: Well, I was reading Bill Bryson’s Notes From A Sunburned Country, and he says that Australian politics are the most vicious in the world in terms of the debate that goes on within the Parliament. Do you agree with that? 

MS: I think so. I think they’re so splendidly magnificently robust. When I was there, I went into the chamber during question time, Prime Minister’s question time, and the Prime Minister let the foreign minister, Alexander Downer, answer a couple of questions. And the then-leader of the opposition said, asked a question about Iraq. And Foreign Minister Downer just thwackted back at him, saying that this was the politics of surrender and appeasement, and that Australians would never march under that shabby banner. 

HH: (laughing) 

MS: And I was told afterwards that he put a particular spin on it, because he was seeing me afterwards, and he knew I’d appreciate the line. But whether that’s true or not, I left there thinking I wish, I would just love to see Condi Rice slap down Nancy Pelosi like that, and you never do. I love a lot of things about this country, but if you ever go into the Senate and watch some drone like John Kerry giving a speech, you really pine for the give and take of the Australian Parliament. 

Potentially another Howard legacy.

This is interesting:

Amazingly, Barack Obama claims to have visited 57 states!  I’m going to be generous and chalk this gaffe up to exhaustion, because it is difficult for me to fathom that someone who wants to be the President of the United States could actually be this stupid.

Well there are 57 states, Islamic states:

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations which has membership of 57 states spread over four continents.

Michelle Obama recently said of her husband, “…Barack has seen it all…”, as a community organiser in Chicago. Apparently being a POW in Vietnam for 5 years does not count for much, or anything else that does not involve drugged up single mums. And if you think ‘Obama is as green as ivy’, then what does that say about Hillary Clinton and her inability to defeat him? From Rush Limbaugh:

We got to thinking, Snerdley and I did, the reputation that Mrs. Clinton has… (sigh) Well, she hasn’t earned it, but the reputation that has accrued to her is so incorrect, it is so embarrassingly wrong.  This was never the smartest woman in the world, and this was never a woman who always got what she wanted and never screwed up.  This, in fact, is a woman who messed up everything she touched. She hires Craig Livingstone, 500 FBI files, the Paula Jones case (she was the advisor on that), health care — which probably led in large part, not to mention me, to the loss of the House for the first time in 40 years of the Democrat Party…

Now, maybe it’s because Mrs. Clinton is the one that’s leading this thing and she’s just not competent.  But, folks, I’m here to tell you: You have a rookie who’s been in the Senate a year and a half. You can’t take this guy out?

As I indicated some time ago, something is going on here:

Presumptive GOP presidential nominee John McCain isn’t expected to attend the state Republican convention in Houston in June. But a presumptive GOP non-nominee — former Massachusetts Gov Mitt Romney — will be the featured speaker at a June 13 fundraising banquet at the convention site, the party confirms. (Yes, Romney will be speaking on Friday the 13th.)

More than likely a senior Republican Party position for Romney. Meanwhile, dumb just keeps getting dumber:

Former Republican presidential contender Mike Huckabee has signed a contract with Creative Artists Agency (Hollywood talent agency) in Los Angeles, daughter and senior advisor Sarah Huckabee tells CNN.

Some speculation in the US regarding the consideration of a 3rd choice candidate for US Democrats, given that the nasty fight between Obama and Clinton does not look like ending any time soon. The main promoter is the number one talk back radio host in the US, conservative Rush Limbaugh:

Now, yesterday, I made my own pitch to the superdelegates of the Democrat party, as we initiated the doomsday phase of Operation Chaos, and it is clear after this debate in Philadelphia on Wednesday night that neither of these two can get elected. Obama is falling apart before our very eyes. The messiah characteristics of Barack Obama have been obliterated, and he has been revealed to be nothing more than your average politician who hasn’t yet acquired the experience sufficient to let him get away with all the lies that he tells. Mrs. Clinton is known by enough people that half the country hates her. They cannot win. So my pitch to the superdelegates, “You’ve got to get rid of these two. Somehow you have got to come up with a third candidate if you hope to win.”

Either way it is good news for McCain, who is a friend of Australia, as reported some time ago by SMH:

McCain is openly fond of Australia.

He was courted by former Australian prime minister John Howard and, according to the government sources, has a cordial relationship with new Prime Minister Kevin Rudd.

“John McCain is seen as a great friend of Australia,” an Australian government official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of commenting on the US political race, told AAP.

“The consensus in Canberra, on both sides of politics I would say, it would not be a bad result for Australia if McCain became president.”

The more confusion and chaos that reigns in the US Democrats the better it is for McCain. It gives him a campaign head start and provides him a sense of certainty, integrity and direction in voters eyes. Now if I was a US conservative I would be no fan of McCain, but he is better for Australia than either Obama or Clinton by a long way. He is committed to free trade, an ongoing US military presence in East Asia and he recognises the importance of the US-Australia alliance. Enough said…

I thought this was pretty funny. You may need to be fairly familiar with US politics to understand it. Next to Dick Cheney, Romney comes across as a pretty funny guy.

Link: sevenload.com

Why is it that the left (small l liberals) are so concerned about freeing Tibet from Chinese Communist repression, but couldn’t care less about the people of Iraq? From The Corner:

Liberals, as are all Americans, are rightly angry over Tibet, but since a dictatorial communist China holds a substantial investment in U.S.-government-backed bonds, it is unlikely that any street protesting will lead to much more than a few meaningless resolutions in Congress, akin to the Armenian genocide flap with Turkey. But in Iraq, where we do have leverage and capability, an elected government is trying to ward off fundamentalist terrorists of all stripes — and yet from the recent reaction to the Petraeus/Crocker testimonies, liberals seem eager to leave the Iraqi democrats to fend for themselves.

If you’d like a taste of some home grown Australian hypocrisy then look no further than the organisation called GetUp! Chip in for Tibet, as GetUp! says, but when it comes to Iraq, well that’s a different story. Let tyranny reign there. Three democratic elections, tens of thousands dead and millions more having putting their lives on the line for their freedom and democracy apparently means nothing to the GetUp! people. They were just concerned about withdrawing 500 highly trained Australian Army personnel from Iraq. Troops who hardly needed GetUp!’s help in determining military strategy.