Co-Presidency Fears Gaining Momentum

I mentioned last week that I thought the idea of Bill Clinton back in the white house was pushing the envelope in interpreting the 22nd amendment. From the Washington Post Blog;

The real concern may be a co-presidency, which raises intriguing constitutional questions. Is Bill Clinton pulling a Putin -- or a Kirchner? The Russian president couldn't seek re-election again, so he tapped a relatively unknown crony to run as his candidate in March, and is largely expected to continue running the show behind the scenes (maybe even as prime minister). Nestor Kirchner of Argentina decided not to run for re-election last fall, but made way for his wife Cristina to win the presidency and keep the Pink House in the family.

They are tacitly campaigning for us to accept an oligarchy. I know, I know there is already a secret cabal of old white guys running the country now.) But there is little doubt that Bill would love to be the Power Behind the Throne, Constitution be damned. From Wikipedia;

The phrase power behind the throne refers to a person or group that informally exercises the real power of an office. In politics, it most commonly refers to a spouse, aide, or advisor of a political leader (often called a "figurehead") who serves as de facto leader, setting policy through influence or manipulation.

Off topic but an interesting take on Bill. From Victor Davis-Hanson;

4. The problem is not that Bill Clinton occasionally lies—he does. But instead, almost serially he exaggerates and fudges—and in ways beyond not inhaling or redefining “is”, or insisting oral sex is not sex. The result is a Forrest Gump like effect, that we are to believe he and Hillary were the font of every almost every liberal gift of the last quarter-century—Yale, then Arkansas being the Mecca of social change.
5. It would be cruel, but understandable to ask amid these long encomia on Hillary’s character, her talent, and her morality—prefaced by Bill’s commentary that he almost alone realized her singular gifts, why in the world, then, did he spend over thirty years trying to escape her in almost every way imaginable? Why if she walked on water, did he find company, carnality, conversation with Paula Jones or Gennifer Flowers, or feel the need to talk trash and more with Monica? In other words, he is asking the voter to take on a partnership, a political marriage if you will, that he, mutatis mutandis, never would or has.

Election Satire

Flotsam and Jetsam

We can all use a single image that speaks to us of love, harmony, peace, joy and happiness; an image that suggests the universality of us all. I have been sent that image, and I want to share it with you. All I ask is that you take a moment to reflect on it.
Thx. Dave

It was a fun night at the bar.
But last call was soon not too far.
Censored .....
Now a swear I'll drink liquor no more.

Photo Removed by Order of the Salmon Shack Thought Police.


Keeping to the theme, Beer is Evil. Video here. and the Beer Song Here.

Freedom of Speech...As long as you don't offend anyone.

I have been following the case of Canadian publisher Ezra Lavant who facing charges by the Canadian Civil Rights Commission on a complaint from a person "offended" that Lavant had the courage to run the Danish Muhammed Cartoons in his magazine. Lavant has posted video of the proceedings in defiance of Commission rules against such action. It is an interesting exercise in bureaucracy vs. citizen and Lavant makes an excellent case for his right to free speech and the right to offend a prophet that has been dead for 1400 years.

On the lighter side, the Iowahawk has searched the dumpster outside the Canadian Civil Rights Commission office and found a duplicate of the Official Investigative Hearing Report.

Back to School Week

*Sorry to say that Christmas break is over and Spring Semester started yesterday. I am looking forward to this term though because unlike last semester when I endured four history courses I have a little variety in this new schedule. One American History Pre 1800 and Educational Psych. Plus two Poli Sci courses, (Foreign Policy and Political Behavior) I hope I can keep my mouth shut in discussion and not be ostracized for my less than liberal views. That doesn't really happen does it?

*Caution, Crass Self-Congratulations Ahead!....

Last semester was the first at the big school after receiving an associates degree from Tall Corn College and Technical Institute. I was sure that I was drowning the first two months at Iowa, (isn't educational water boarding illegal?) Things gradually began to click and I ended the Semester with a 3.52 gpa and a spot on the deans list. Woohoo!

Barrack Responds.

*I want to thank Obama for taking my advice and putting Hillary on notice that he's mad as hell and isn't going to take it anymore. His remark during Mondays debate that "its hard to tell who I am running against" was on target but I'm afraid that it may be too little too late. He is being double teamed in a steal cage death match. In the end they will kiss and make up for the sake of the country and he will become the bottom of the ticket.

*My contention that people are not attuned to a Clinton return engagement to the White House may be off base. A New York Times article states that up to 37% of SC primary voters don't care which Clinton they are voting for as long as they get their old job back. Sad.

*Fred Thompson: Outside of Fred's acting I really didn't know much about the Senator until he was asked to help with the Justice Roberts confirmation. I was struck by his demeanor and presence and thought at the time that he was a genuinely impressive individual and I hoped he would enter the race when he was toying with the idea. Unfortunately, reality did not meet expectations. He kept people hanging on for too long and once in he never seemed to generate much enthusiasm for himself or Republicans.

The Chimera Candidate

Barack Obama has taken the fight to Bill Clinton when in an appearance on GMA he stated;

You know the former president, who I think all of us have a lot of regard (not respect?) for, has taken his advocacy on behalf of his wife to a level that I think is pretty troubling. He continues to make statements that are not supported by the facts — whether it’s about my record of opposition to the war in Iraq or our approach to organizing in Las Vegas. This has become a habit, and one of the things that we’re going to have to do is to directly confront Bill Clinton when he’s making statements that are not factually accurate.

I just finished listening to a couple talking heads discussing Obama's attack on Bill. One view was that by attacking Bill it takes the focus off of Hillary. She pointed out that the day before the vote in New Hampshire and Nevada, Bill threw a tantrum that for the next 24 hours made him the center of attention, therefore Bill should be ignored. The other commentator believed that it was imperative that Obama respond to Bill. I believe that a third course of action is needed. Obama needs to connect their actions into the quaint “two for the price of one” that they promoted in 1992 and show them for what they are.

I recall a reporter asking Senator Clinton after 9/11 if she, and I will have to paraphrase here, felt that the Clinton administration had done enough to stop Al Queada. She responded “We didn’t have enough support to do more…” My first reaction was, as president there is often a need to gain support or at times act without support, thats called leadership. My second reaction was who the hell is "we"? Do you have a mouse in your pocket? "We" as Americans? Or "we" as Bill and I. I think it was then that I knew that “two for the price of one” was more of a reality than we knew and it is what makes this race to so hard for most people to get their mind around.

We all know their lust for power is a symbiotic relationship, they aren't know as Billery for nothing, evidenced by the fuzzy use of “WE” as a constant component in their rhetoric. Every time that Bill makes an attack on Obama he needs to connect it directly back to Hillary as if it came directly from the horses mouth. She is he and he is she and we have no provision for co-presidency. Obama needs to to emphasize this over and over again!

If Clinton considered herself a co-president as she implies by her white house experience then she has already had a bite at the apple and although it is technically constitutional I suppose for Bill to become first lady he has already had his share of the apple and he can not be allowed a second chance even if it is through his spouse. Hopefully, Democratic voters will show the sense to put an end to this chimera.

Chimera: A thing of immortal make, not human, lion-fronted and snake behind, a goat in the middle,and snorting out the breath of the terrible flame of bright fire. (Homer)

A Psychological Tip

Whenever you're called on to make up your mind, and you're hampered by not having any,
the best way to solve the dilemma, you'll find, is simply by spinning a penny.
No -- not so that chance shall decide the affair while you're passively standing there moping;
but the moment the penny is up in the air, you suddenly know what you're hoping. (Piet Hein)

Via; Dr. Sanity

Flotsam and Jetsam

Will Ferrell has a new one man show based on the premise of "a candidate who says absolutely nothing and refuses to commit in any single direction, ever, for fear of losing supporters”. Is this art imitating life? When I entered "unsure" into every issue on this 2008 Candidate Calculator the results were in order; Biden, Brownback, Clinton, Edwards and Obama.






This would make Rube Goldberg proud. It takes a second to load, be patient.






Pepper the deaf dog enjoying warmer times. She has begun to learn hand signals for sit and drop it although the later one is only partially effective. As a Jack Russel she lives by the creed "if it hits the floor it's mine!"






The moose out my back door this morning. More proof of global warming.

A Historical Look at Isms

Via: Captains Quarters

This Old Shack

Just before Christmas I was informed that I had won a thousand dollars in merchandise at a local home improvement outlet. Visions of new power tools danced in my head but of course a saner head prevailed and I found myself loading a grand worth of laminate flooring and all the fixins into the truck for our dining room and den.

I have to admit, everything I know about construction has been gleaned by a lifetime of Saturday mornings hanging out with Norm Abram. I have over the years accumulated enough equipment to tackle most any project and have done everything from finishing the basement in our Anchorage home to remoldeling the kitchen in the current Salmon Shack. These projects always have a way of growing beyond original expectations. "How bout fresh paint, how bout new trim, how bout a crown molding, how bout.....". So for the past week I have been doing my best to keep this little project on schedule and I have to say that thanks to Norm the room is looking great.

Left Wing Stats 101

Making the rounds on the dark side of the Internet is this example of fuzzy math claiming to show that the Democrats are some sort of electoral powerhouse this election cycle. As proof, some statistical genius has determined the number of votes per candidate as a percentage of the total turnout in the Iowa Caucus.

Percentage of total vote
24.5% Obama
20.5% Edwards
19.8% Clinton
11.4% Huckabee (R)

If ever there was an example of figures lie and liars figure this is one.
A.) The Iowa caucus is two separate processes with two different sets of rules. When comparing apples and oranges you can't throw then all in the same barrel and determine if something is statistically significant.
B) Whereas the Republican Caucus rules allows one vote per person, the democrats force those caucus goers whose candidate receives less than 15% support to leave the caucus or change their vote to a second choice. (One person one vote, what a concept) So where the republican vote was dispersed over seven candidates the Democratic vote was artificially distributed to the top three.
C.) Iowa voting law allows caucus goers to change their party affiliation the day of the caucus and there was a faction of Republicans that made the switch to vote against Hillary Clinton. Hence the larger than expected Obama support.

(Caution Mixed Metaphor Ahead!)
The delusional lemmings on the left wing bandwagon pee all over themselves with the sort of mindless drivel that these figures portend/pretend to display. To learn more about left wing delusion Dr. Sanity has an excellent article that sheds some light on this sad affliction. When their prediction of domination turns out to be false they'll at least have "the election was stolen" meme to fall back on.

I came, I saw, I caucused

I arrived at my polling place at the local elementary school at 6:30 as suggested and when I entered I found myself in the middle of a raucous sea of caucus goers and a feeling of excitement filled the air. Being a caucus novice I took a moment to survey the situation and soon realized by the posters and buttons that this was the democratic caucus. I was obviously in the wrong place. At the other end of the hallway, quietly queued to enter the school gymnasium were my fellow republicans.
The event opened with about a hundred republicans from two different precinct's joining in the Pledge of Allegiance. We were then given two minutes each to stand up and make a case for our candidate. I cringed as one little mousy girl opened her statement by saying she liked Huckabee because he is an evangelical Christian and she then went on to read several pages from Huckabee's web site. She was followed by a young guy that qualified his remarks by telling us that he has been a history teacher for six years and was supporting Ron Paul because he supports the constitution. Who could be against the Constitution? That's like being against mom and apple pie for heavens sake, but did he listen to anything else Paul was saying? The last one to speak was an old gentleman that said he had spent the last six month investigating Romney's experience and had traveled around the state to hear him speak. After the vote most stayed behind to hear the results but few stayed for the party platform and election of delegates.
The Republicans were, shall I say, rather conservative. There was not the buttons, banners and cajoling of fellow caucus goers but instead a certain seriousness in the choices that people had made. If you want a raucous caucus good time I think you go with the Dems, but then again if your candidate gets less than 15% of the vote you don't have to make a second choice. One person one vote, hey, what a concept.
In my precinct Huck beat Mitt by a couple votes with Thompson a distant third. On the other end of the gym Huckabee beat Romney by three to one. That was kind of a shock but in a such a small group it didn't take much to skew the outcome.
You can argue that this process gives Iowa too much power, (I would disagree) and that other places more representative of America should go first. (that may be true) but one thing is certain. Overall caucus goers are a group of deeply interested, dedicated, super voters that take this process and their responsibility to it very seriously and Iowa as whole is also willing to be the stage for a wide range of candidates to roll out their positions not only for itself but for the nation in a very intimate and open process. That is something I don't believe you would get in very many places.

Newspaper Shake Up in 2008

There is no doubt that 2007 was a tough year for the Newspaper Business. McClatchy Co. the second largest chain in the country, saw its stock drop over 70% in 2007. The Gannet Company fared somewhat better dropping only 35%. "Controlling costs" ie. slashing staff and the size of the product in most markets stemmed the flow somewhat but at some point these efforts have a diminishing return.
While the rest of the industry has bled, McClatchy has hemorrhaged. Their troubles can be traced to the decisions of whiz kid CEO Gary Pruitt who jettisoned the McClatchy formula of slow growth through the acquisition of mid sized papers in profitable markets and plopped down $1.4 billion for the Minneapolis Star Tribune in 1998 then sold it 8 years later for half that amount. Followed in 2007 with the purchase of the Knight Ridder chain for $4.5 Billion at a time when readership and revenues are in the tank.
One can only hope that they are capable of changing course this year. If not, those that have relied on this industry for their livelihoods and pensions will be left holding an empty bag long after Gary Pruitt and the other CEO's make off with their severance packages.


McClatchy stock taking a beating. Sacramento Buisness Journal

Flotsam and Jetsam

HAPPY NEW YEARS!!

The Year in Review. Courtesy Jib-Jab

Most Obnoxious Quotes Of 2007. Courtesy of Right Wing News

"To understand the workings of American politics, you have to understand this fundamental law: Conservatives think liberals are stupid. Liberals think conservatives are evil." -- Charles Krathammer

Politics... this ain't exactly a science. Courtesy of Right Wing News







Like the sparrows to Capistrano the RINOs are beginning to return.

Republican identity jumps to two year high.
Courtesy American Thinker







Keith Olberman's Top Ten Lies of 2007. Courtesy of Olberman Watch
Photo: Howard "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" Beal. "Network "1976

A New Years Eve Funny

Bono, lead singer of the rock band U2, is famous throughout the entertainment industry for being more than just a little self-righteous. At a recent U2 concert in Glasgow, Scotland, he asked the audience for total quiet. Then, in the silence, he started to slowly clap his hands, once every few seconds. Holding the audience in total silence, he said into the microphone, 'Every time I clap my hands, a child in Africa dies.' A voice with a broad Scottish accent from the front of the crowd pierced the quiet... 'Well, foockin stop doin it then, ya evil bastard!'

Thx Rick

I Got to Get Me One of These

Alaskan Clydesdale

This story moved back to the top for some crass self promotion.
Other than my two loyal readers, and the occasional hit via the IowaHawk blogroll The Salmon generally plugs along in relative anonymity, but once in a while a story will hit a nerve and visits will skyrocket. The Alaskan Clydesdale was one such post and I want to thank Marlinowners. Com and Levergunowners.com for linking to it.


A friend in the north country sent me this incredible story.


"Only in Alaska....... This guy raised an abandoned moose calf with his horses, and believe it or not, he has trained it for lumber removal and other hauling tasks. Given the 2,000 pounds of robust muscle, and the splayed, grippy hooves, he claims it is the best work animal he has. He says the secret to keeping the moose around is a sweet salt lick, although during the rut he disappears for a couple of weeks, but always comes home.... impressive!"

Thx Steve.

A Dr. Seuss Surprise

I don't do book reviews here so to the following about a child's book is really off the beaten path for me.
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My four year old daughter received a number of Dr. Seuss books from relatives in Ohio and last night she and her mother snuggled onto the couch to read her new books before bed. Half way through the first one my wife suggested that I read "The Butter Battle Book" and what I found was a little shocking. This was not his cute rhyming kids fare you find in works like "Green Eggs and Ham" and I don't know what age group Dr. Seuss was aiming for but this was not a what I would call a children's book.

.

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In his early years, Seuss gained fame as a political cartoonist and a collection of his WWII work can be found at "Dr. Seuss Goes to War". (I tried to include examples that you may find relevant to today)

This book, written in 1984 during the era of Reagan's military build up, is a metaphor for the cold war. Two sides are at odds over which side their bread should be buttered on and live on opposites sides of a long low wall. An act of aggression by one side starts an arms race that eventually ends in both sides standing atop a now very tall wall holding the new "Bitsy Big-Boy Boomeroo." (I got the impression that this was probably a take off of the Little Boy bomb of WWII)

Besides the fact that it was not age appropriate for a four year old, the premise that the cold war was some small disagreement between the US and the USSR was shallow if it was targeted at an older audience. Also the ending left the two sides looking at each other without a resolution. If as I suspect Seuss was a part of the disarmament movement of the day, he could have shown what mutually assured destruction would look like. Or if he would have had the foresight of Reagan he could have pictured the wall coming down.

The Christmas Story

According to Luke:

In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. All went to their own towns to be registered. Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child.While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!"When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us."
So they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in the manger. When they saw this, they made known what had been told them about this child; and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

The Paul Southern Strategy

Ron Paul articulating his southern strategy and other oddities.

"Six hundred thousand Americans died in a senseless civil war…. [President Abraham Lincoln] did this just to enhance and get rid of the original intent of the republic," Paul said. "Every other major country in the world got rid of slavery without a civil war. I mean, that doesn't sound too radical to me. That sounds like a pretty reasonable approach."

Sounds like a pretty reasonable approach if it had any connection to reality and actual historical events. Every other major country used slaves, mainly in their East Indies and South American plantation system, but only in the American south had the institution evolved into a slave economy dependant on slavery for its very economic survival. Northern politicians made a series of slavery compromises over the course of the first 75 years in the interests of holding the Union together. It was the radical Fire-eaters in the south and the Barnburner Democrats in the north that were willing to go to war over the question of abolition. Lincoln was not an abolitionist initially, he preferred to contain slavery within its current borders in the hopes that it would eventually die. The south equated containment with abolition. Once South Carolina seceded he was determined to settle the question once and for all.

If Ron Paul is trying to link Lincoln to some conspiracy to undermine the Constitution he is more of a loon than I suspected. Perhaps Mr Paul's longing for a return to the original intent of the republic includes the return to the "3/5ths" Compromise.

He goes on to say he'd vote against the Civil Rights Act as it was passed in 1964. "If it were written the same way, where the federal government's taken over property--has nothing to do with race relations," Perhaps the lost property that Paul laments was the black man. The act overturned 100 years of Jim Crow suppression in the south and to argue otherwise is to embrace the type of rhetoric that oozes from the dark side of the Internet. Ron Paul is not the type of man that should be anywhere near the reigns of power.

Trimming the Fat Hog.

It appears that there may be a chance for President Bush to undo at least some of the mind numbing 11,000 earmarks in the recently passed Omnibus spending bill which wallowed its way out of congress this week. The Heritage Foundation describes the Presidents options and the President has directed new budget director Jim Nussel (R.Iowa) to examine the possibilities.

For those on the left that rant that the White House has usurped the Constitution, declared itself a unitary executive, and has underhandedly thwarted the democrats every effort to accomplish anything of substance in the past year, this would be a rather first rate lump of coal for their Christmas Stocking. Merry Christmas.

Flotsam and Jetsam: Swimming in the Shallows

Joke of the Day.....
My husband, being unhappy with my mood swings, bought me a mood ring the other day so he would be able to monitor my moods. We've discovered that when I'm in a good mood, it turns green. When I'm in a bad mood, it leaves a big fucking red mark on his forehead.Maybe next time he'll buy me a diamond. Dumb ass.

Thx Nette.



Thx Amy.


A Day in the Life of a Beluga.

"This is so humiliating, I bet the Orcas don't put up with this shit."

How Can You Tell if Bill Clinton is Lying?

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina (CNN) – Former President Bill Clinton said Monday that the first thing his wife Hillary will do when she reaches the White House is dispatch him and his predecessor, President George H.W. Bush, on an around-the-world mission to repair the damage done to America's reputation by the current president — Bush's son, George W. Bush.
"Well, the first thing she intends to do, because you can do this without passing a bill, the first thing she intends to do is to send me and former President Bush and a number of other people around the world to tell them that America is open for business and cooperation again," Clinton said in response to a question from a supporter about what his wife's "number one priority" would be as president.

I was stunned that Bush Sr. would say such a thing. He has been pretty silent on GW's administration and to say that he would need to come out of retirement to patch up some perceived damage to the nations standing in the world seemed pretty preposterous. Jimmy Carter, Al Gore and Rosie O'Donnell would likely sign on to this traveling road show but I really doubted that Bush Sr. would care to tag along. As it turns out the the whole proposition was indeed preposterous.

WASHINGTON (CNN) In a statement sent to CNN Tuesday afternoon, former President Bush’s chief of staff Jean Becker said that he “wholeheartedly supports the President of the United States, including his foreign policy. He has never discussed an ‘around-the-world-mission’ with either former President Bill Clinton or Sen. Clinton, nor does he think such a mission is warranted since he is proud of the role America continues to play around the world as the beacon of hope for freedom and democracy.

It would be better if the Clinton's thanked the President for erasing the perception that the US is weak and lacks the perseverance to protect itself, a legacy of the Clinton administration which got us into this position in the first place.

Jihad Funny