The First Sunday Of Advent

For many churches today marks the beginning of the liturgical year. It is the fourth Sunday before Christmas, the first Sunday of advent. It is a season marked by a spirit of expectation and preparation as we ready to celebrate Christ's first coming in anticipation of his second.

May you find hope and peace in this time of promise.


"For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders; and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
Isaiah 9:6-7

The Bad Guys Are Still Out There

While we were sitting around lamenting the economy and stuffing down turkey for a couple of days, we received a horrible reminder: the bad guys are still out there. Just because American intelligence agencies have been turning away post 9/11 psycho attacks like nerds on prom night it doesn't mean that the butchers aren't out there and just as deadly.

Witness India

Terrorist attacks on 10 sites in Mumbai have left at least 195 dead (including 6 Americans) and 300+ injured. 9 terrorists were killed and one was capture and is currently being interrogated . . . and something tells me the Indians will not get jelly-kneed should they need to consider water boarding for answers. Current reports list the terrorists as Pakistani and followers of radical Islam.

This gruesome attack on the people of India should illustrate to dozing Americans that the battle is not over. We are not fighting a war against Al-Qaeda, Osama Bin Laden or even the late-wormbait Saddam Hussein. They are (or were) just players in the war we are fighting against radical Islamic terrorism. Hunting down Bin Laden (who may already be dead) will not end the struggle. There are others, some not even associated with him, who share his hatred for "The Great Satan" and anyone else who stands in the way of their misguided Holy War.

We need to be vigilant. We need to be armed. We need to be victorious.

The Khaki Elephant Endorses Akindele Akinyemi For Outreach Chair Of The Michigan Republican Party

He said it best on his blog, "The Republican Party cannot go into the graveyards seeking answers." If you read Akindele's essays then you know he is a man of intense intelligence and solid beliefs, far from the failed outreach strategies that would be better left in the tomb. He's exactly the type of party leader who can help the GOP expand in a state that is contracting in so many ways.

I won't wish you good luck, Akindele. I don't believe in luck. So instead I wish you success. You'll be a great asset.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

You may not be feeling cranberry-stuffed love this Thanksgiving.

Maybe the country's economic woes have become your own. Perhaps you're fretting that Karl Marx will be smiling down on the Oval Office come January 20th. Or, it's possible that you are just a hate-filled, bitter human being. Whatever the cause, rest assured, there is a reason for you to be thankful today.

• A teacher taught you to read, allowing you to love, hate or feel informed apathy toward this blog.
• A mother gave birth to you, offering a chance for you to better the world you inhabit.
• If you're reading this there's a pretty good chance that you're not married to Michelle Obama.
• If you believe in God you can have heavenly hope. If you don't, you can feel earthly freedom.
• You're not currently pinned in a revolving door because somebody stuck a spear through your head.
• Soldiers have sacrificed for you. And they always will.
• There is majesty in a bird and grandeur in a snow flake.
• Barney Frank will not have any children.
• With keen eyes you can witness living magic through a child's unbridled imagination.
• Sometimes the wind really does whisper "Mary."
• Norm Coleman still leads Stuart Smalley in Minnesota.
• Regardless of your situation, a library can take you to Denmark with Hamlet, the moor of Dartmoor with Sherlock Holmes or Trantor with Hari Seldon.
• Salmon
• Unless you're one of my unfortunate neighbors, you don't have to watch me rake leaves, shovel snow or dance in the moonlight.
• You are alive and capable of making others thankful for that fact.
• No matter what you're doing today, you are not going to be served burned turkey by the creepy Rockwell woman in the picture I posted above

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

America's First Pro-Terrorist Attorney General?

I can't say that I disagree with Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State. Given the ship of fools that Barack Obama was considering for the position, she seems the most capable of swimming should the ship sink.

And I like the idea of Obama keeping Robert Gates on board, even if it is an interim position, as the Defense Secretary. It's a dangerous world out there and it would be nice to have somebody who has actually had some experience fighting terrorism on Obama's team giving advice on how to dust thugs, even if he's only an interim thug duster.

But what in the name of Lionel Hutz is Obama thinking to foist Eric Holder on America as the Attorney General? This is the legal beagle "who played a major role" in the despicable pardon of ga-zillionaire fugitive (and Clinton financial supporter)Marc Rich, breaking a 200 year tradition of not pardoning fugitives who had never come to trial . . . but then, the Clinton administration also broke the 200+ year tradition of Presidents not having credible charges of rape against them, so maybe this is small potatoes.

But that wasn't the end of the pardon participation of Eric Holder. As Bill Clinton's deputy attorney he also played a role in the pardon of 16 murderous FALN terrorists and later, during the investigation of this particularly pardon (which included a bitch-slap from Orrin Hatch), attempted to defend the president's decision to pardon without any additional investigation of the clemency or conversation with the terrorist victims. And I suppose it goes without saying that Holder's team didn't attempt to get any information concerning deadly at large members of FALN, one of whom was on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted List at the time. That might have been intrusive to the terrorists.

And FALN members weren't the only terrorist on the Clinton pardon list that Holder sanctioned. There were also two Weather Underground terrorists, whose lengthy terrorism sentences were commuted. Wait, the Weather Underground? Didn't Obama have some connection to them as well? Anyway, given the FALN and Weather Underground pardons could it be that America will have its first pro-terrorist attorney general? Now that would be a CHANGE.

Of course, my favorite charming chapter from the tome of Eric Holder is that whole seizure of Elian Gonzalez dealio. You remember that debacle: the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that once INS chooses the guardian, and an application for asylum has been made by that guardian, the INS cannot choose a different guardian. But that is exactly what they did. And then Clinton's legal team (including Holder) ignored the ruling and ordered the boy seized without a court order.

Shortly after the seizure of Elian Gonzalez, Holder gave an interesting interview with Andrew Napolitano of Fox News:

Napolitano: When is the last time a boy, a child, was taken at the point of a gun without an order of a judge. Unprecedented in American history.

Holder: He was not taken at the point of a gun.

Oops. I guess Mr. Holder forgot that Alan Diaz snapped this shot that would snag a Pulitzer

But back to the interview . . .

Napolitano: Tell me, Mr. Holder, why did you not get a court order authorizing you to go in and get the boy?

Holder: Because we didn't need a court order. INS can do this on its own.

Napolitano: You know that a court order would have given you the cloak of respectability to have seized the boy.

Holder: We didn't need an order.

Napolitano: Then why did you ask the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals for such an order if you didn't need one?

Holder: [Silence]

Napolitano: The fact is, for the first time in history you have taken a child from his residence at gunpoint to enforce your custody position, even though you did not have an order authorizing it.

Clearing fugitives from justice. Freeing convicted terrorists. Seizing children at gunpoint without a court order. This is our new Attorney General? CHANGE?

It's Not Too Early

Who gets your early support for 2012?

Sweeping Up The Shards Of A Broken Dream

I've always considered myself an optimist at heart. Problems always had a humorous side; pain always contrasted neatly with bliss and provided the perfect opportunity for alcohol.

But one day your dreams are shattered. The shards scatter into a hundred fragments painfully piercing your joy. Hope pumps out of you with each heartbeat and you try to stop the bleeding by wrapping the wounds with pitiless self-indulgence.

Yet there is a healing balm. Not in trying to pick up those fractured pieces in a futile attempt to reassemble what is forever lost, but in sweeping up the shards of a broken dream to clear them forever from your life. There are new dreams waiting for us all if we make room for them. New opportunities to rise above destruction and do what we CAN to make our lives happily worth living.

Few people truly inspire me, but Dick and Rick Hoyt are among them. They are the father and son who form Team Hoyt and together compete in marathons, triathlons and other grueling feats of endurance -- an amazing thing when you consider that Rick can neither walk nor talk.

Theirs is a story of sweeping aside every family's dream of sweet health to make room for a new kind of hope. It is about love through action and inclusion. And it is a tale worth remembering.



Thanks for the link, Terry.

Barack Obama's Nature

I was just commenting on Angel's blog and it struck as to why I believe Barack Obama will eventually govern from the far, far left. Yes, I've heard pundits I respect like Dick Morris claim that Comrade Obama might just center his policies to survive, but I'm not feelin' it. Oh, he may give us a moderate start, but eventually we'll see the politics of his past on full display at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

Why do I believe this?

A scorpion and a frog meet on the bank of a stream and the scorpion asks the frog to carry him across on its back. The frog asks, "How do I know you won't sting me?" The scorpion answers, "Because I cannot swim and if I sting you, I will die as well."

The frog is satisfied and they set out, but in midstream the scorpion suddenly drives its lethal tail deep into the frog. The frog feels the onset of paralysis and starts to sink, knowing they both will drown, but has just enough strength to gasp "Why?"

Replies the scorpion: "Because . . . it's my nature."

I'm Gonna Miss W

It was nice having a Prez who wasn't afraid to slap the hummus out of Hamas or any other terrorist who had the misguided belief that they could tread on US.


Found the image at: GraniteGrok

How Obama Got Elected

This election cycle . . .

You knew the mainstream media traded hard-nose journalism for sloppy bumper sticker slants and agenda-driven stuff of fluff.

You knew that Obama supporters sputtered like clogged '63 Mercury Outboards when you asked them about Obama's past, present or policies.

So I give you, How Obama Got Elected:

Where Have All The Homeless Gone?

An amazing thing happens in America every time a Democratic President steps into the oval office: all discord and discontent disappears . . . or at least hourly cable coverage of discord and discontent disappears.

Remember when Bill Clinton was president? Television broadcasts and Hollywood productions simply stopped talking about icky-ugly things like poverty. In fact, if you never walked city streets you might have believed that the homeless had disappeared. Why, when Clinton was president virtually every paper carried stories about the fantastic economy while those same papers peddled doom and gloom during the Bush years, despite the fact that until the recent democrat-guided banking collapse the Bush economy was stronger than Clinton's. Oh, and do you remember how we were regaled with stories of how popular and beloved our slick Willie was . . . um, the same guy who never actually received even 50% of the popular vote in a national election? (But then, perhaps this is all a logical perspective from a group that believes treating "big business" like the Ripper treated White Chapel hookers will produce jobs.)

Well, as Ronald Reagan would say, here we go again. The day after Barack Obama was elected Wall Street suffered a record collapse, but the mainstream media passed of this violent corporate reaction to promised Red Square redistribution as a slump due to the economy Obama inherits. Nice whirl, Dervish. Get ready folks, in four years the Democrats will try to run against Bush again claiming that Comrade Obama's failed policies were the result of problems he inherited from Dubya.

Hours after Obama's election Russia aimed missiles at Poland while Hamas fired rockets into Israel, but the press ignored those violent maneuvers in the wake of Obama's rise and instead sought out Obama support parties around the globe to pretend that the world was a peaceful orgy of celebration.

And soon we'll hear stories of how popular and beloved President Barack Obama. The media will stop covering protests and flag burnings in front of American Embassies abroad (and, yes, I lived in Germany during the Clinton years and can confirm that they were hatin' on old glory back then too). Stories of the bad economy will disappear and we'll all be asking ourselves, "Where have all the homeless gone?"

A Child's Dream Of Space

Having grown up in Florida I've seen my share of space shuttle launches. I remember the first mission and the second (Coach Green even stopped football practice to watch Columbia's return to space). And later, of course, I remember watching those ominously split smoke trails streaming upward as my brother and I rushed to the radio to find out if something had happened to Challenger. But after a while the launches became just something ordinary that happened, like the Thursday night smell of Mrs. Ferdnor's overcooked meatloaf that wafted through the neighborhood.

How extraordinary that something so spectacular could become mundane.

Friday night I watched the Endeavor launch on FoxNews with my two sons sitting next to me. The truth is that I didn't even remember that it was scheduled. I was just clicking the remote to hear the man-comforting sound when I saw that familiar black and white form poised on the launchpad. I decided to call my boys in to watch. "T - 1:59." I figured they might enjoy it. And as ignition was reached I found myself looking from the TV to their spellbound faces and I discovered its wonder again.

The boys were transfixed as the spacecraft rocketed upward, taking them with it to a place of imagination. I was a child again, no longer wondering how much fuel or horsepower was being expended, but transported with my sons from our sofa toward a bold adventure to worlds where no one has gone before.

Children still dream of space. They always will. We always will.

Barack Obama's Secretary Of State

Right now it looks as though Barack Obama's field of candidates for his administration's Secretary of State has narrowed to a three horse race between Hillary Clinton, Bill Richardson and John Kerry (who would be automatic if I'd said "horse face" rather than "horse race"). Apparently Obama is turning to former political rivals to fill this critical foreign policy post since his friends have already shown disdain for our democratic allies.

Let me give some Washington outsider advice to the President Elect (and need I remind you, if his acolytes had listened to my advice we wouldn't be in the quaking quandary of calling him "President Elect"). When you line up the three candidates, who is the best of the worst?

John Kerry? Are you kidding me? While previous attacks on Kerry introduced the verb "swift boating" into pop dialogue, they also did something a little more important: they revealed the truth about John Kerry. His political and military careers are more fabrication than fact. This petticoat purse chaser constructed (and even filmed) bogus Vietnam data only to come back from the war to accuse his comrades of atrocities. He then joined the Senate and began a career that truly defined the word "atrocity." This is not the guy we want representing us to foreign leaders.

Bill Richardson? Likable guy, but you wouldn't trust him to pet your chinchilla. Face it, the Clintons made this guy's career. When Bill Clinton appointed Richardson as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations it threw him into the international spotlight. Unfortunately, he didn't pay much attention while he was there since he is oblivious to even the most obvious UN facts, like Russia's veto power on security resolutions. However, despite his ostrich-like observations, he did provide some support to the White House when he gave Monica Lewinsky a "shut your trap" position on his staff. Bill Clinton later appointed Richardson as the U.S. Secretary of Energy. And how did Richardson reward the Clintons for building his career? As soon as he saw the nomination tilting for Obama he hitched his political wagon to "The One" by endorsing him, instead of Hillary, for the presidency. So, while Obama may be tempted to reward this turncoat, he should remember that the high-priests didn't trust Judas either.

Hillary Clinton? What a loudmouthed, arrogant, contentious witch -- exactly what Obama needs in his administration. Listen, if you've been following The Khaki Elephant than you know that I am not a fan of the Clintons. Hillary is a left-wing ideologue who would take this country in the wrong direction. That said, I trust her more than Obama. While I don't agree with her on a number of issues, she is smart, tough and a cunning negotiator. If I had an international squabble, I'd want her on my side. And if you're choosing between these riders of the apocalypse, despite the baggage of Bill, she is far and away the most qualified choice.

Wolverines Lose 8 For The First Time Ever (Fire Rich Rod)

Today Northwestern beat Michigan, giving the Wolverines 8 losses (5 at home) for the first time ever. Today Ann Arbor suffers through the first losing gridiron season in over 40 years. 129 years of football tradition and now we have to witness Northwestern and Toledo victories in the Big House during the same season.

Look what Rich Rod has wrought.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I don't care if there is a new system in place. I don't care if he lost his entire offense and most of his defense. I don't care if his name is fun to say.

Rich Rod needs to be fired!

Michigan doesn't rebuild. Michigan doesn't have off years. Michigan doesn't lose 5 home games.

Thanks a lot, Les Miles.

Sarah Palin "Africa" Smear Was A Blog Hoax

It turns out that Sarah Palin did know that Africa is a continent and not a country, but the media didn't know the difference between a blogger hoax and quotes from "an unnamed McCain campaign figure."

Read all about it here: A Senior Fellow at the Institute of Nonexistence

What Do You Get When Democrats Run Things?

A friend of mine sent this to me as an e-mail (thanks, Tim). Listen, I don't know if these facts are 100% true or not, but I'm not going to waste the time bouncing the data against snopes or myth-busting websites because, if it's not 100% legit, it sure as hell could be.

So what do the poorest places in America have in common (besides really bad polo venues)?

• Detroit , MI (1st on the poverty rate list) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1961
• Buffalo , NY (2nd) hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1954
• Cincinnati , OH (3rd)...hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1984
• Cleveland , OH (4th)...hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1989
• Miami , FL (5th) has never had a Republican mayor
• St. Louis , MO (6th)....hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1949
• El Paso , TX (7th) has never had a Republican mayor
• Milwaukee , WI (8th)...hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1908
• Philadelphia , PA (9th)...hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1952
• Newark , NJ (10th)...hasn't elected a Republican mayor since 1907.

Yup, there seems to be a trend.

Camille Paglia On Sarah Palin (Not Literally)

Philosopher, Art Critic, Feminist and Scholar Camilia Paglia has once again stepped beyond her personal politics to praise Palin's intelligence and warn the left of their visceral hate.

"Liberal Democrats are going to wake up from their sadomasochistic, anti-Palin orgy with a very big hangover. The evil genie released during this sorry episode will not so easily go back into its bottle. A shocking level of irrational emotionalism and at times infantile rage was exposed at the heart of current Democratic ideology"

American Princess has a fantastic take on Paglia's latest piece.

Katie Couric Is Flippin' Insane

Katie Couric laid some advice on Sarah Palin at Glamour Magazine's 2008 Women of the Year Awards, "I think she should keep her head down, work really hard and learn about governing." Whoa, wait a minute . . . the woman who's viewer ratings regularly hover between record breaking lows and "honey, switch over to channel 13 or we're going to miss the Manimal marathon" is presuming to give advice to a woman who's governing has Alaskans happily forgetting that . . . well, they're Alaskans?

Let me uncork the wine. OK, Palin has an 80% approval rating as governor, forced the oil companies to give each Alaskan resident $1,654 annually, balanced the budget and lowered state taxes -- but according to Couric she needs to "learn about governing."

We already know that Couric is far from an expert in her own field or during her interview with Joe Biden she would have corrected him when he boldly proclaimed that President Franklin Roosevelt "got on the television" to talk about the stock market crash . . . um, Herbert Hoover was President in 1929 and TVs were about as common as iPhones. Ah, but why should Couric know about her teet of television when she implies an encyclopedic knowledge of what it takes to govern? However, given her criticism of Palin's abilities despite scoring the highest gubernatorial approval ratings in the country (and Katie constantly references Bush's approval ratings so she must like thinking about them), I'm left wondering who Couric thinks has worked hard and understands governing.

Perhaps Maryland's Martin O'Malley (D) who's $1.4 billion tax increase will soon bring the state an apparition of the Holy Virgin insisting that they change their name to "Buddahland or Vishnuland or something with less association with the mother of God, thank you very much."

Or maybe Katie admires the really hard work of New Mexico's Bill Richardson (D) who, after Russia's invasion of Georgia said we "could get the Security Council to pass a strong resolution getting the Russians to show some restraint," apparently forgetting from his time as an ambassador to the UN that Russia has a veto power over Security Council resolutions.

No, my money is on Michigan's own Jennifer Granholm (D). Why, Granholm has presided over the worst state economy in the country for the past six years (which oddly earned her a position on Barack Obama's economic advisory board). On top of that, while businesses left Michigan and headed to fiscal friendly Red states like Tennessee, Granholm pushed the envelope by raising personal income tax 17% to really bug-crush any hope of progress. Why, her lack of gubernatorial success is the antithesis to what Sarah Palin has accomplished, so why wouldn't a product of inverse insanity like Katie Couric find her admirably learned?

Governor Perles

Should Michigan survive the disastrous Granholm years, 74 year old George Perles is on the bench waiting for his call to become the next governor of Michigan.

Coach Perles guided the Michigan State Spartans to a pair of Big 10 titles and a Rose Bowl victory during his tenure as the head football coach, even serving as school's athletic director during the last couple of years. He was also one of the founders of The Motor City Bowl. Oh, oh, and he's been elected to the Michigan State University board of trustees. Given the fact that the Democrats have given us the likes of Jennifer Granholm and Jefferey Feiger as candidates, the coach's qualifications seem stone solid to me.

And I know what you're thinking, could George make things any worse for the state? Well, relative to where Jenny has taken us, a pink ballerina hippo bedridden from the gout couldn't make things worse. In fact, maybe that's who the GOP will nominate to counter the coach.

Veterans Day 2008

Today is a day to remember those who have made the ultimate sacrifice to keep Old Glory flying, to thank those who walk among us having answered the call of duty, and pray for those who still stand in harm's way to defend our liberty from tyranny.

God bless those who have served: The Air Force, The Army, The Navy, The Marines, The Coast Guard. Those veterans who fought for their country and those who were never called to take up arms but stood at the ready.

One of the reasons that I am a Republican is our party's concept of America. While Democrats scrambled after 9/11 to find out what we had done wrong and worry incessantly about what the world thinks of us or how we can become more like Europeans, Republicans see America as that shining light on a hill. We see America as flawed, but great; imperfect, but profound in our message of hope. And while the world criticizes us from beneath our protective umbrella, we stand unique as both voice and fist of freedom.

This is the vision of America that surges through our military. This is the idea that makes those men and women determined for victory yet tempered for justice. This is why they deserve every American's respect, admiration and gratitude.

Anniversary Of The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald (November 10, 1975)

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called 'Gitche Gumee'

The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty.
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early.

The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good captain well seasoned
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship's bell rang
Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too,
T'was the witch of November come stealin'.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the Gales of November came slashin'.
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain

In the face of a hurricane west wind.

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck

Sayin' fellas, it's too rough to feed ya.
At Seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in

He said fellas, it's been good t'know ya
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
And the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when his lights went out of sight

Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put fifteen more miles behind her.
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
They may have broke deep and took water.
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the rooms of her ice-water mansion.
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the Gales of November remembered.

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral.
The church bell chimed till it rang twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call 'Gitche Gumee'.
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early!

© 1976 Moose Music, Inc.

SS Edmund Fitzgerald Online

Sniveling Cowards Attack Sarah Palin

Trying to redirect criticism of the failed campaign they coordinated, anonymous voices within the McCain . . . make that former McCain campaign staff launched a series of cowardly attacks against Sarah Palin reminiscent of, well, cowardly anonymous attacks from trolls across the blogosphere.

These Benedict A-holes shot gossip to Newsweek and FoxNews claiming that Palin is an ignorant, harsh-tempered, fashion obsessed Diva who answers the door wearing nothing but a towel and a smile. Naturally Palin blasted the rumors. And those who actually know her call the accusations absolutely ludicrous. The Alaskan governor even went so far as to invite journalists to check out her Alaskan home and closet to measure her Diva-osity. No word as to whether she offered to greet them with naught but a towel.

But the question that keeps bothering me is where is John McCain in all of this? Some in his staff are attempting to salvage their careers by throwing Saracuda under the blue wave of Obama's election . . . a vain effort if you ask me since Palin's place in the GOP is secure while they (once we find out who "they" are) will now become caribou in season. That said, isn't it time for John McCain to step forward and defend his Veep choice?

Where are you Senator McCain?

Check out Michelle Malkin's take on this (you won't be sorry): "Cowards: The character assassination of Sarah Palin"

Jennifer Granholm . . . An Economic Advisor??

Barack Obama added Jennifer Granholm to his board of economic advisers. Yes, Jennifer Granhom the Governor of Michigan. That's right, the same governor who has led the Great Lakes State to its worst 6-year economic stretch since sieur Antoine de Lamothe-Cadillac scrambled out of his skiff to form Detroit and lay a fire water tax on the natives.

In other news, Obama added Captain Edward J. Smith to his naval advisory board, named General George Armstrong Custer as chief military advisor and demanded that all secret service agents be given red shirts.

Obama Victory: The Aftermath

The Onion Reports. You decide.



H/T: PaleoCon Command Center

Will We Ever Elect Another Old White Dude?

A talking head on the radio blathered out that Barack Obama has broken through the electorate constructed barrier of only electing old white men. He said it with confidence and the show's host supplied a verbal nod of agreement. And as I reflected on the point I found myself eventually rolling down the car window and shouting to the world "WTF?!" (which I shouted as letters since saying the words would have been inappropriate given the Dodge Caravan rocking to Laurie Berkner right next to me).

Khaki Factoid: The era of electing old white dudes ended with Ronald Reagan.

When America elected the Gipper, we voted for the promise of his integrity and experience, but since then we have sided with youth and enthusiasm. OK, we did elect George H.W. Bush, but it's hard to count that election since everybody was voting for a third Reagan term. When Bush the senior ran for a second term on his own merit he lost to the younger sax and sack playing Bill Clinton. And in the next election Clinton defeated the age-staggered, pen-pointing, 3rd-person-referencing Bob Dole.

Dubya's first run was an age-negated race with both candidates recent car seat graduates (and America's indecision showed with a split between the popular and electoral tallies). But when he faced a man who eerily reassembled the crypt keeper, Dubya won both the popular and E-College votes.

And now there is McCain's lose to the younger, hipper, more Holden Caulfieldish Barack Obama.

Politics aside, all sane Americans would agree that electing the first African-American President has the positive effect of providing hope to all Americans that the American Dream belongs to everyone. But as far as the age thing -- you know, given the direction this country has gone since Reagan . . . maybe we should give the old guys another chance.

Why Did John McCain Lose?

For the next few days, weeks, months . . . and in the case of this historic election . . . years, "experts" will pour over exit polls and demographics like maggots on days-old dung to explain why John McCain lost (and yes, I felt the need to use the word "maggot" today . . . and yes, I will focus on why McCain lost rather than Obama's win because of the type of uphill battle the republican had . . . and yes I will keep using ellipses . . . does this trouble you?).

You'll hear lots of explanations for the outcome. Like, oh, for example:

• People were angry at Dubya. True, but then you have yo ask yourself why couldn't McCain convince independents and centrist democrats of the very thing that had conservative republicans threatening to hit the poles instead of the polls . . . primarily the fact that McCain was far from being Bush?
  
• Sarah Palin was a bad choice. Listen, if Dan Quayle didn't cost Papa Bush his first election, then don't fool yourself into blaming Palin (unless you're a McCain advisor trying to commit career suicide by attacking a now powerful Republican voice). Examine the people who hate Palin or said that they wouldn't vote for McCain because of her . . . they were either going to vote for Obama anyway or they have the reasoning faculties of a rusted lawn chair. According to the exit polls referenced on CNN, among those who think a Vice President actually matters Palin probably pulled in an extra 3 or 4 points for Mac. But for most people the VP choice just doesn't mean much. No American President has ever won or lost an election based on their Veep.
  
• The mainstream media was in the tank for Obama. There is no doubt that it's true. For the sake of argument, let's skip the fact that, oh around 80% of them vote democratic and that Katie Couric keeps the cold shower running after an Obama interview. Instead let's look at undeniable facts . . . network expenditures. Brit Hume (who would never lie) produced numbers on the amount of money each network spent following the candidates and the number was around 3 to 1 in favor of Obama. In fact, even the "conservative" FoxNews spent more money following Obama than McCain. But does it really matter? Republicans have overcome the media in the past. The mainstream press hates Dubya and he was elected . . . twice.
  
• Americans wanted to vote for an African American. For some this is true. When I went into work on election day a white colleague of mine was smiling ear-to-ear and when I asked her how she was doing she said, "Fantastic! We're going to elect our first black president!" Interesting . . . she didn't say "a democrat in the White House" or "a liberal behind the country's wheel" or even "somebody who isn't named Bush." Her first inclination was to identify Obama by pigmentation. So yes, everyone knew he would carry the black vote, which tends to be largely monolithic anyway (excepting mavericks like Neo and 'Zo), and that he would draw in white-guilt sufferers, but seeing color they would have voted democratic anyway. So I doubt the color of his skin did anything beyond proving that America is not a racist country . . . or it never could have elected a black man with little experience and ties to William Ayers and several anti-Semitic friends and organizations.
  
• Ohio Sucks. The Buckeye state went blue and no Republican has ever won the presidency without Ohio. But this is a symptom rather than a cause.

Yes, you'll read all sorts of reason as to why the election went the way that it did, with each day finding a new "expert" searching for a different angle. Was it McCain's age? Did the GOP leave their conservative values? Was it ACORN enhanced voter fraud? How about the death of Obama's grandma? Biden's saucy hair plugs? A heavy Venusian body-snatching turnout? But don't be fooled. There is one reason and one reason alone why Obama won. And it is as simple as it is obvious.

Mammon

When Barack Obama decided to renege on his agreement to public funding he won the election.

Before securing the Democratic nomination, Obama told the world "If I am the Democratic nominee, I will aggressively pursue an agreement with the Republican nominee to preserve a publicly financed general election." Hillary Clinton and John McCain made the same commitment. The difference is that, John McCain kept his word (and something tells me that Hillary would have as well)

As the WSJ put it, by flip-flopping on public funding, Obama "probably dealt a death-blow to the cause of campaign-finance reform." You see, in keeping his promise, John McCain decided to adhere to the financing restrictions so he had spending limits and could not accept private donations after 1 September - the official start of the campaign. In breaking his promise Obama was swimming in cash, collecting about as much as Bush and Kerry combined in the last election . . . leading to blech-fest infomercials and campaign ads at levels that have never been seen before. Sure, McCain put out ads distancing himself from Bush, blaming Fannie & Freddie on the Democrats and explaining his own policies . . . but they were drown out by the deluge of Obama spots that only the gobs of money collected outside of public finance restrictions could have bankrolled.

So Barack Obama's financial pledge reversal had two effects:

1) Obama won the election.

2) Campaign Finance agreements between the parties are gone forever. I doubt any future candidate will accept the restrictions of Public Finance or trust the word of their opponent when it comes to money. . . so expect the 2012 election to see more Benjis than a scruffy K-9 film revival . . . and expect lots of future ellipses from The Khaki Elephant

Wall Street Celebrates Obama Election With Record Plunge

It seems that Wall Street took Barack Obama's campaign promise to tax rich folk and big corporations seriously as the Dow plummeted 486 points, the worst post-election collapse ever recorded.

Wow, he's only the President Elect and already bringing in Change!

This is going to be an interesting four years.

Russia Celebrates Obama Election By Aiming Missles At Poland

Hours after the election results, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced that there would be an old-school Russian deployment of short-range missiles aimed at Poland.

Welcome, President-Elect Obama. It seems the Russians believe there'll be an apple-eyed appeaser in the White House.

NOTE: Could be that Joe Biden was actually right about something.

Congratulations To Barack Obama

My fellow Republicans,

Let's set aside the hate. For eight years we have watched liberals burn effigies of the president, behead images of the free world's leader and call our commander-in-chief "Hitler." But their ways are not our ways.

Let's set aside the hate. Barack Obama has won the election. While we didn't vote for him (or shouldn't have) he deserves our respect as the President Elect and our prayers for wisdom and discernment.

Let's set aside the hate. Based on his record we will have plenty to criticize in the coming years. He will attack the 1st Amendment with the Fairness Doctrine. He will attack the 2nd Amendment with additional taxes and bans. He will attack the 4th Amendment with his threatened civil force. His position on Abortion is extreme. His threats to cut military spending in this dangerous world are terrifying. And his redistribution of wealth philosophy will do what it always does to employment rates. There will be plenty to attack. But do so without the tormented images that we have seen from the Left for the past eight years.

And for tonight, congratulations Senator Obama.

VOTE COUNTRY FIRST

Happy Election Day

UPDATE: Wasn't so happy.

Sarah Palin And A Cause Greater Than Herself

Sarah Palin has been under attack from the left since the day John McCain yanked her from the caribou covered great white north and revealed her to the world. She instills such fear that the democrats call her unqualified (as they campaign for the man with a rice paper resume) they call her stupid (as they did Bush, Reagan and every other Republican politician who makes them sissy sweat) and some even criticize her as a mother, asking how she could leave those kids, especially little Trig, to run for Vice President.

The answer is simple, though perhaps foreign to many of her critics. Like John McCain, she understands the pursuit of a cause greater than oneself. Perhaps that's why both McCain and Palin have raised children who are willing to make the greatest sacrifice one could imagine by joining our troops in the fight against radical Islamic terrorism.

So, if you're a liberal trying to understand . . . maybe this will help. Here are some people who get it.



Shocking footage from MSNBC

Barack Obama's Birth Certificate And Other Records

Barack Obama talks about "transparency in government" but he has kept his own life about as transparent as Joyce's Ulysses.

Yes, he's written two memoirs about his life . . . which at his age must mean that he really, really likes himself . . . but what have those memoirs actually told us?

Obama's people have blocked access to all of his university transcripts, college papers that he had written have mysteriously disappeared from library archives, his records and paperwork (including date books) as an Illinois senator are unavailable, even his birth certificate has been sealed by the state of Hawaii. In fact, Newsmax called him the most secretive democratic candidate ever.

Three questions that may be fun to explore:

Why is Obama so secretive?

When will some of these documents be release?

What will they contain?

Mo' Zo

The latest from Zo and Macho Sauce Productions

The 2008 Khaki Elephant Voter Guide

Hey, Michigan, are you ready for November 4th?

If not, here is the 2008 Khaki Elephant handy and right there on the edge of dandy Voter Guide filled with endorsements, props and tasty recommendations (if need be, a dollop of peanut butter will heighten the appeal). So here are the notes covering some of the candidates and issues on Michigan Ballots this year.


Endorsements:

U.S. President / Vice-President: John McCain / Sarah Palin

U.S. Senator: Jack Hoogendyk Jr. (Carl Levin has done more damage to Michigan than Toyota and Honda combined. Plus, Hoogendyk intends to lower the corporate tax rate, which could lure much needed jobs back to the state).

U.S. Representative (MI District 8): Mike Rogers

U.S. Representative (MI District 9): Joe Knollenberg (who gets my vote and admiration)

U.S. Representative (MI District 11): Thaddeus J McCotter (the name alone scores big)

U.S Representative (MI District 12): No endorsement

University of Michigan Regent: Susan Brown

Michigan State University Trustee: George Scott Romney

Wayne State Governors: Torion J. Bridges & Danialle Karmanos

Oakland County Executive: L. Brooks Patterson

Oakland County Prosecutor: David Law

Oakland County Sheriff: No endorsement

Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court: Cliff Taylor (The only qualified candidate . . . this is a MUST vote -- don't let the negative smear ads make you snooze on this one!)



State Proposals:

Proposal 08-1: A legislative initiative to permit the use and cultivation of marijuana for specified medical conditions.

VOTE: NO

While supporters call this a "compassionate act" to provide a substance that could help patients with illnesses like cancer and multiple sclerosis, the fact is that there are already more effective medications on the market, so why circumvent the rigorous medicine approval process in order to get this less effective substitute on the market? That's just one of the reasons why medical marijuana is rejected by the American Medical Association, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, American Glaucoma Society, American Cancer Society, American Academy of Ophthalmology, National Eye Institute, National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the FDA. If you want to legalize marijuana to cop a buzz that's one thing, but this proposal won't do that. And prescription pot is not the answer to our health care issues.



Proposal 08-2: A proposal to amend the State Constitution to address human embryo and human embryonic stem cell research in Michigan.

VOTE: NO

I've already written about Proposal 2 on The Khaki Elephant. The fact is that embryonic stem cell research has been fairly ineffective to date. Beyond that, the primary reason for destroying these embryos (the harvesting of pluripotent stem cells) is becoming obsolete with the successful research being done in changing multipotent or any other cell type into pluripotent stem cells. For more information on my take see: Michigan's Prop 2: Is Embryonic Stem-cell Research Science Or Social Agenda.

If This Is How Obama Treats His Family . . .

At the Democratic National Convention Barack Obama, framed by the pillars of Olympus, declared, "It's that fundamental belief — I am my brother's keeper, I am my sister's keeper — that makes this country work."

And we wondered why this millionaire didn't help his brother, George Obama, who is living in poverty in Kenya making less than a dollar a month (and why it took a British Newspaper to uncover the story since the U.S. Media spared no expense in trying to find dirt on Sarah Palin).

At the Saddleback Forum Barack Obama, frame by a coffee mug and a pastor who isn't anti-Semitic, said, “We still don’t abide by that basic precept of Matthew that whatever you do for the least of my brothers, you do for me.”

And we wondered why he didn't help the Aunt he'd lovingly referred to as 'Auntie Zeituni' who is living in rundown public housing in Boston (and why it took a British Newspaper to uncover the story since the U.S. Media spared no expense in sending reporters to Vietnam in hopes of finding a hole in John McCain's torture story).

Ah, and now we learn that Barack Obama's Auntie Zeituni has been living in the country illegally for four years, even contributing to her nephew's presidential campaign during that time. This poor woman deserves some sympathy for all she has gone through and for the high-profile negative focus she will now receive, but I hope that she doesn't expect sympathy from the Chosen One. For Barack Obama, Blood is not thicker than the ballot. And remember, he's the same guy who, for the sake of his campaign, threw his own grandmother under the bus.

So my advice to you, Auntie Zeituni, forget Barack Obama's hollow words of wonder and, when you get back to Kenya, look up George Obama. He's only living on $1 a month but he appears to be the more generous brother. Oh, and stay clear of Barack's other half-brother Abongo "Roy" Obama; he's a Luo activist and a militant Muslim. Dangerous stuff, that.

Joe "The Dumber" Biden On Gay Marriage

One area where I differ from many conservatives is that I support gay marriage. I wonder if Joe Biden agrees with me. It's hard to tell.

During the Veep Debate Biden said that neither “Barack Obama nor I support redefining from a civil side what constitutes marriage.” But earlier this week Biden danced a different jig on the Ellen DeGeneres show saying, “if I lived in California, I would vote against Proposition 8.” (This initiative reads, “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”)

Which is it Joe? I mean, I don't really care, but which is it? Can you just give us some straight talk for once . . . or do you only talk straight when you're seeking the straight vote.

What was it Sarah Palin said about these Democrats "saying one thing in Scranton and another in San Francisco"?

H/T: geeeeeZ!

The Obama Censor Machine

Yes, Barack Obama believes in diversity . . . as long as you agree with him.

We all know about the Florida TV station that has be stricken from the Obama Campaign interview list because they dared to ask Joe Biden some tough questions.

Now we learn that a TV station in Biden's old home state has also had their name stripped from Obama's book of life because they dared to question his economic plan in yet another Biden interview.

But Obama's wrath is not just reserved for those who dare question his policies. He will also cast out those few mainstream media outlets that have the audacity to endorse McCain. Journalists from three major newspapers that endorse John McCain, the Washington Times, the New York Post and the Dallas Morning News, have been banned from Barack Obama's campaign plane. The Obama Campaign claimed that they revoked the papers' pre-potential-prez passports because they didn't have enough room . . . but that didn't stop them from adding seats for Obama slappys, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, Essence and Jet.

So if the election falls to Obama we'll have a president with a socialist economic plan who refuses to release any actual information about himself (such as his school grades, transcripts, dissertation or campaign donor info) and attempts to silence any media outlet that dares to defy or even question his views.

Get the signs ready: Welcome to Minsk.