Spreading my wisdom for all to enjoy. Where I do little research and pass off my opinion as fact, then close debate by reminding you, "I'm right, you're wrong."
Virginia class production is definitely going to go to 2/year, according to this Aviation Week article, highlighted below:
"Negotiations between the U.S. Navy and industry over a multiyear contract for eight Virginia-class submarines will begin 'soon,' and the Navy expects to sign a deal late this year, according to Allison Stiller, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Ship Programs, and Vice Adm. Barry McCullough, Deputy CNO, Resources and Requirements.
"They also told House Armed Services Committee (HASC) seapower panel members this month that the program continues to progress toward the goal of building two subs annually for $4 billion in 2005 dollars. " The article also informs: "Other efforts, all of which are geared to closing an attack sub shortfall, include extending the service life of a few Los Angeles-class subs, and, if necessary, deploying a small number of submarines for seven months."
You can read the quick recap from tonight's guest blogger below. Now, my predictions and opinions, before I check dialidol.com:
Best of the night:
David Cook by a runaway mile. We all thought Daughtry was good, and his commercial success proves that. But, this guy is taking rotten rock songs (like Billie Jean tonight) and making them marketable in 2008. He's the best, but can he beat the 12-15 year old girls fave? (Update: Rodney Ho over at ajc.com informs that this is a version by Audioslave.)
Other good performances:
David Archuleta - The judges like to say silly stuff like "make it your own" or "own the song" and David A does that each time out. You can tell he chooses these songs for their meaning to him. Tonight, no different.
Brooke White - despite her stumble, she's still the best of the girls. Her voice is unique, and, like David C., she brings something special to each performance, though she's not at his level. With a good producer, though....
Michael Johns - Michael was in danger of being lost in the shuffle, but tonight, he made himself relevant again.
Kristy Lee Cook - Ok, Kristy's voters are looking for her to give them a reason to vote for her, besides her looks. Tonight, she did that. Somehow, it would be un-American to oust someone who actually performend "God Bless the USA" so well.
In serious danger (or, my bottom 3):
Carly Smithson - with the continued wierdness, the tattoos, and the robotic delivery, she's in real trouble. I think last week we saw where her peak is. She's a number 8 contestant, at best.
Ramiele Malubay - Very quickly, everyone's fave Filipino is singing herself into oblivion.
Chikezie - We love him here, but....he runs the risk of getting lost, and I don't know how strong his base is.
The Rest:
Syesha Mercado - I don't think we're going to lose Syesha, but, she's becoming irrelevant. Like Carly, a robot.
Jason Castro - decent enough tonight. His base can carry him to a top 4 finish, but, he's not top 4 material.
Leaving us: Carly.
Dialidol as of 12:43 ET puts Carly in the top 4 (safely). They have Chikezie and Jason last. Tomorrow, we shall see.
Guest blogging tonight, Margaret, the other Idol fanatic:
Ramiele - Alone by Heart It was badish but it was okay. Randy said that it was the wrong song choice but i thought it was goodish. Paula was claiming she was "sick". Yeah right. Simon said squeaky which it kinda was.
Jason Castro - Fragile by Sting I don't like it. Randy said it was good choice of song. Paula said it was his niche. Simon said he has had two bad weeks, and that he sounded like someone at a subway station......he would do a peace sign...weirdo.
Syesha - I'm Every Woman I like her. It was boring. Randy said it was the best he ever heard her sing. It was steller! Paula said it was the moment everyone remembered. It was pitch perfect, and brilliant. Simon said it was the best so far. And the ending wasn't as good as Randy thought i was.
Chickezie - Only for One Night He's one of my favorites. He's different, i guess. The end was kinda weird. Randy said it sey. emed old, and he compared it was Syesha. Paula liked it. Simon said he sang it well, but the performance was cheesy.
Brooke White - Every Breath You Take by Police Oopsie, she messed up! I like it - ish. It was okay. Randy said interesting song choice, and should have not had the band. Paula said she enjoyed the performance. Simon agreed with Randy.
Michael Johns - We Will Rock You and We are the Champions by Queen I dont like it, it sounds more like screaming. Better though. Randy said finally it was good. Paula said it was the perfect song for him. Simon said it was the first time he saw "star potential." It was the only memorable performance.
Carly Smithson - Total Eclipse of the Heart Weird facial expressions. But so far, so good. Its like screaming towards the middle. Randy said it was just okay. Paula liked it. Simon said she was tense, and he didnt enjoy it.
David Archuleta - i dont know what the songs called. I love him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's so cute (: Randy said it was a strange song choice, but it was very nice. Paula loved it. Simon said he didn't like it.
Kristy Lee Cook - God Bless the USA I think she needed something easy to sing. It was her best. Randy said good song choice, and it was very nice. Paula said it was a good choice and she has seen better performances from her. Simon said it was her best performance so far. And the best song choice.
David Cook - Billy Jean by Michael Jackson He's one of my favorites. Randy said hes the most original ever. Paula said he was smart, brave, and willing. He was brilliant. Simon said he was brave, and it was amazing.
Why would a land-locked country like Czechoslovakia (I spelled that without cheating!) need a submarine????? Hmmmmmmmm, well, this article explains all.
As pointed out in this article in the New London Day, if BRAC had gotten its way, the Submarine Base at Groton would be closing its gates about now. Instead, it's getting more improvements as "The Navy plans to invest $104 million in the base over the next five years."
I know many of you out there served on boats out of Groton, this must surely cheer your hearts!
By those you travel with, we shall know you, or something like that...
Anyway, by now, you've heard all about it, but have you heard what Jeremiah Wright actually said?
Look, I don't need to recount for my audience why Barack Obama is a big phony. I happen to think he shares some of these views of his wife and his "pastor" (if this guy can be considered a pastor). Steve Sailer, in this article says it better than I can. Mickey Kaus sums up Obama, "If it offends you, I condemn it."
There was a time when I believed Obama-Rhetoric. But, he's not interested in changing the tone in Washington, he's interested in getting his socialist agenda passed and making America a welfare state in the mold of Western Europe, surprisingly, as a time when most Europeans are figuring out what a mess they are in.
Anyway, the more I learn about him, the more scared I am of what might happen if he were to actually be elected.
The Navy says sonar is little harm to whales, and has the Environmental Impact Statement to prove it. Of course, little things like the facts don't really matter to our friends in the rabid environmentalist movement:
"It goes through the motions of assessing what the impacts to marine animals would be," said Michael Jasny, Natural Resources Defense Council senior policy analyst. But its preferred alternative is to continue training without restrictions, he said. 'This document has all the hallmarks of a political document, not a scientific decision made by environmental planners.'"
If you don't care to read the EIS, just read the press reports.
Or, trust me:
"The Navy's environmental impact report said it's difficult to measure sonar's impact on marine mammal injuries and behavioral disruptions because of variations in sonar intensity and duration and because hundreds of unique marine species have different habitat conditions."
John Murtha does not think we're going to be able to skip building DDG-1000's in favor of nuclear cruisers, telling Defense Daily,
"The big problem we have if we do it without the design work, it costs a lot more than we anticipated in the first place," Murtha said. "As much as I'd like to see because of the fuel costs...I would guess that you won't see that happen."
BUT, he added that nuclear cruisers will happen at some point.
If John Murtha is involved, somewhere there's pork for his district.
Well, actually, the problem was, we knew too much of you. More, David, than we wanted to know. So, I am sure you'll make the big time, just like Governor Spitzer's "Kristen" is making the big time, and stands to make even more of it.
Anyway, you deserved to be voted off first, and you saved Kristy Lee Cook for us to look at another week.
Syesha Mercado - Given that I am writing this as Ramiele is singing, and can't remember what Syesha sang, that's not a good sign. I remember her being solid, but nothing special.
Chikezie - She's a Woman - i liked it, and so do the judges. Simon is correct that Chikezie is completely different tonight than before. He's actually very good and original. He has to get past the last few weeks, where he's been borderline bad. I hope he stays.
Ramiele Malubay - In My Life - One of my fave Beatles songs. Seems like a pageant version. Paula warns that she should have done much more with this song. Simon says he was bored. That's what Randy thought, too.
Jason Castro - If I Fell - Decides to keep it pretty traditional on this song. I'm pretty underwhelmed. He has a nice way about him. Randy and Simon are bored. Paula thinks there's some connection... Read on below the fold...
Read on below the fold...
5. Carly Smithson - Come Together - I have to admit, I hate her. There seem to be entire spots of emptiness in this song, which in its original form was all manic activity. She HAS to wear some clothes so we don't have to see that stupid tattoo. Keep pimping her Paula and Randy. Simon says this was a great choice for her. I guess they want some competition for David Archuleta. I can't stand her. 6. David Cook - Eleanor Rigby - This is a guy who has a uniquely rock voice, and can make a song sound modern by his voice. So, he does work something with this song. Is he better than Daughtry? I don't know. He's similar, yet different. Randy says "it was rockin." Paula thinks he's "fantastic." Simon says "brilliant." Observation tonight: Paula's drunk. 7. Brooke White - Let it Be - My first thought is that Brooke could seriously suck tonight. This is a seriously dangerous choice, but maybe a good one for her voice. She has that kind of crying sound that suits this song. I like her in front of the piano. Randy's going to complain about pitch problems, just watch. The thing I do like about her, is her voice isn't perfect. Randy and Paula actually agree with me that she does connect with the songs. Simon really likes it. Another observation: Brooke and David Cook have unique voices, they don't have to do too much other than choose songs that suit them. 8. David Hernandez - I Saw Her Standing There - I hope he sucks (oops, apparently he does). He's also singing a song about girls. That seems incongruous for him. He's not selling it to me, but, like Carly, I don't like him to begin with. Lame performance, IMHO. I predict no likey from the team. Randy says too overdone. Paula says (surprise) the same thing as Randy. Simon hated it. You go Simon! 9. Amanda Overmyer - You Can't Do That - with a little more normal hair, Amanda is an attractive woman. Ok, first, VFTW is going to keep Amanda around. Let's see her rip a Beatles song to shreds. Part of my personal problem with Amanda is I can't understand her and she manages to make every song she sings sound the same. Randy loves this crap. Paula loves this crap, too (because Randy says so). Simon didn't like it as much as last week, and like me, he can't understand 70% of the song. 10. Michael Johns - Across the Universe - Michael's another person in trouble. I just don't feel like I'm a part of the Michael Johns bandwagon. I'm thinking we need to take his green card. Randy is waiting for something to happen with this. He's not as bored as he was on others. Unbelievably, Paula will disagree with Randy. But, she's drunk and Michael's a handsome guy, so Paula has a soft spot for those things. Anyway, Simon is with Randy. 11. Kristy Lee Cook - Eight Days a Week - Did anyone tell you Kristy had to sell a horse to get to Idol? Hmmm? Did you know that? So, she's going to make this country? Let's see. But, as Simon likes to say, is she believable? Randy is ambivalent. He sort of likes it. Paula is going to parrot Randy. Simon says, "horrendous." 12. David Archuleta - We Can Work it Out - How does David get the pimp spot again? David said in the open he was nervous, and his nerves just ate him up. He forgot the words twice. Randy didn't like it, Paula didn't like it, and Simon says it was a mess. He's got a huge 12-14 year old girl fan base (my 12 yo daughter is voting for him now). Wrap up: Safe: Carly David A Jason C Brooke David C Amanda Worst: Kristy Ramiele In Trouble: Chikezie Michael Johns David Hernandez Syesha Mercado
If you haven't discovered Peter Brimelow's vdare.com (named in honor of Virginia Dare, and I hope you know that story), I highly recommend it as one place that is trying to save the United States and Western Civilization. If you care about the future of this country and are appalled at what we are doing to ourselves, you may find some fellow travelers here. You may also find (ahem) some controversial writers there as well (such as Jared Taylor, author of Paved With Good Intentions: The Failure of Race Relations in Contemporary America). Before you reject vdare, I recommend you read Brimelow's reply to those trying to paint vdare as "White Nationalist.". And here is the rest of it.
Two Georgia coeds were savagely murdered by animals with no regard for human life this week. But, today, there is some news which can give us solace that perhaps we will find their murderers and see them face the ultimate judgement (that means your death, if you're reading this, savage beasts).
Auburn coed and Marietta native Lauren Burk was murdered at school in Alabama, and her alleged assailant was arrested today.
UNC student body president and Athens native Eve Carson was also murdered this week, and the police have released a photograph of a "person of interest" (read: her killer) today as well.
As a father of two teenagers, I am sickened by these murders and am considering buying a handgun and letting my two children learn how to use it properly, so that when they are on their own at one of these unsafe universities, they can choose whether they might want to be one of the protected ones, or a sacrificial lamb.
Be that as it may, I wonder, will these gentlemen, when they are finally formally charged, face additional penalties for their hate crimes?
Update: America's Most Wanted will feature these cases tonight.
Last night, I dropped by some friends' of ours house to leave some things for them, and I noticed that they had a recent copy of Time magazine. Now, I must admit, I do not get my news from Time, or Newsweek, or any of their ilk.
However, growing up in a family of journalists, I remember Time, US News, and the occasional Life or Newsweek laying around my house. Oh, and Sports Illustrated, too.
My magazine reading doesn't extend past Car & Driver and National Review, and I/T industry rags, which I get for free.
But, I digress, so back to the story, which is that apparently, Time is in serious trouble. Why? Because, there's less advertising in Time than there is in those I/T trade rags that managed to survive the 2000/2001 Internet bubble bursting. I mean, National Review, which I always found pathetic in its lack of advertising and constant begging for donations, has more ads in it than Time.
You've all probably seen the circulation numbers for Daily Newspapers, and, I have twice cancelled subscriptions to Sports Illustrated after non-sports-relate leftists screeds, so , I think we can take some solace in the fact that, although John McCain is who we have to vote for, no one reads the leftists "news"magazines, the mainstream newspapers, network news, or listened to Air America (apparently, no one got paid there, either).
My local paper, The Atlanta Urinal-Constipation, recently had the nerve to print this opinion piece touting the incredible safety record in the civilian nuclear power industry.
I don't believe that global warming is being caused by man, nor that it's entirely a bad thing, but I do think nuclear power is a great way to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, and a way to reduce the demand for that oil.
But, I'll speak more about that some other time.
Nothing after the jump... And here is the rest of it.
49 minutes behind, so this isn't technically liveblogging, since we're on DVR.
Blake Lewis is so horribly bad, we FF'd through it. After the commercial.
So, Paula's video is numero uno on iTunes. Is it free? No iTunes on this PC, so I can't check now.
To fill an hour, we look at the synopsis of Tuesday's guys, and yes, the guys were generally better, and I am thinking we could see 3 guys in the final or 4. I think only Carly or perhaps Brooke can break through.
Predictions tonight were Chikezie and Luke. Dialidol thinks Stripper David is in trouble.
Ryan treats us to some guys getting in. No surprises with David A, David C, Jason Castro. Now, Ryan is going to give us three girls. Will there be any surprises?
But first, we have to endure the recap. They were generally awful. Recall, our predictions were Kady and Kristy. But, I also think Ramiele hurt herself badly last night. Dialidol did not like Syesha's chances. So, we will see.
First, Brooke. She's in. Next Syesha, she's in. So, Kristy and Kady are in bigger trouble. Kady Malloy is up next, and she's OUT. No surprise there, not even from her. She's so uneven, we're skipping the performance.
More commercials, now, David Hernandez, our favorite gay male stripper. He survives! Amazing, but, remember, I chose Chikezie. But, next is Michael Johns. Is this tonight's surprise? No, he's in! We're down to three. Luke is next up. We ALL know Luke is gone, and he is OUT! Again, no surprise. And, we're not going to belabor this by watching the song again.
Now, more girls. Ramiele, she's safe. Carly is next. She's safe. Amanda is up next. She deserves to go, but, she's safe.
This leaves Asia'h and Kristy. So far, I am 2 for 2. Simon thinks it will be Asia'h. Simon is RIGHT! So, I'm 2 for 3. Will it be a nearly lily white final 12? We'll know in a couple minutes...
General Noriega's son, and Chikezie. I would like to see Danny go, but, I fear it will be Chikezie. It is DANNY!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! Sanjaya part deux is gone, gone, gone. Now, Danny, sing Small Town Boy, please!!!!!!! Crap, he sings tainted love. Well, I have the real video of Small Town Boy for you.
I'm actually happy to be 2 for 4 tonight, because Danny is gone.
Ok, so what do you all think? Did we get the best final 12 we could have? Is American Idol racist and homophobic? I think not, we have 1/6 of the final 12 black and 1/12 of it homo/bi sexual. So, by percentages, we have a fairly representative final 12. Quotas are alive and well on AI!
For those sick of me blogging Idol, next week, there are only 2 episodes, and the elimination will be shorter with only one going off. I promise, more submarine stuff next week!
Nothing after the jump And here is the rest of it.
The girls on American Idol tonight. DVR blogging it.
Asia'h and Syesha are the bookends tonight, so, the AI producers have decided they want those two to make it, but, of course, Luke was first last night, and he sucked, so let's see what happens tonight.
Asia'h - I Wanna Dance With Somebody - Randy is going to say she has pitch problems. I thought it was kind of frantic. Well, he didn't say it, he thought it was "hot." I can see her recording music, but, she's driving me nuts. Paula thinks it was "nailed." Simon is going to be more like me. They all think she's top 12 material. So do I.
Kady - Some Queen song - Saddled with the second spot. Going to be tough for her. I didn't realize that Kady had Jessica Simpson's, ahhhh, assets. Think she intentionally had the camera pan so we could tell that? She gets her best reviews of the series so far. Simon likes it better than last week, and she's robotic. I agree. I think she's still in serious trouble, she needs some help from the other contestants. Simon is right, personality is a problem for her.
Amanda Overmyer is next - Joan Jett's Hate Myself for Lovin' You - Votefortheworst.com will have to save her again. This is another rotten performance for Amanda. She had promise, but she has had something go wrong. Her voice is all over the place. These guys like this? I am sorry, it's awful. Let's see what Simon says. She does look much better. Simon says fantastic. But, we have seen the judges do this before when they want to try to con vftw into not supporting a contestant.
Carly - another song I don't know - and Carly has Michael Johns's same inability to connect with an audience. There's no doubt that she can sing. So, she's a good singer, but, she's missing something. There's a reason why she only sold 389 albums back in 2001. I think Paula's mostly sober tonight, by the way. Simon doesn't like the song. Lose the tattoos Carly. She's in.
Kristy Lee Cook - Faithfully - going to sing Randy's songs - did I mention Randy played bass for Journey? My daughter hates that every time I tell her Randy was in Journey. This is another girl who's on the bubble. I don't hate the rendition, but, something in her voice makes me feel it's not good. Now to the judges...Randy liked it...Paula thinks she could make a country hit out of it...Simon says...he likes the country influence, he thinks she's forgettable. I think she's in trouble.
Ramiele - Against All Odds - She is just singing this so she can hit some of those higher notes. I found it solid, but imminently forgettable. Randy - likes the songs with the big vocals, but thinks she's underconfident. Paula really likes texture and dogs, apparently. Simon thinks it was good, but old fashioned. Simon wanted the money shot. I think she's safe.
Brooke - Love is a Battlefield - She is actually the only one (besides Amanda) who brings anything original tonight, so, for that reason alone, I like it. Also, I like the crispness in her voice. Randy liked it, but he said it didn't bring anything new. Simon is with me. She should make it, and I hope she does.
Syesha - Saving all my Love - I just find these songs boring. I find this performance boring. She looks great, though. The judges say...good, predictable. We're obviously rushed for time. She's in.
Ok, so the verdict tonight is: Kady is out and Kristy is out.
Tonight on American Idol, David Hernandez and Danny Noriega cover Bronski Beat (Small Town Boy for Noriega, I Feel Love for gay stripper David H).
I was just kidding, but, they should have. Instead, Generalissimo Noriega butchers Tainted Love and David Hernandez wins kudos for whatever he sang. I honestly can't remember what it was, but, I remember Simon telling him how he was going to sail through. Seriously, though, don't you think he might have had some more embarrassing moments at that gay strip club he worked at? I mean, really.
As for the Butcher of Panama's son, vote for the worst is going to make sure he is a final 6 candidate (he's 3rd on dialidol.com right now), so, even though he deserves to go after this, he won't. Sorry.
David Archuleta shows us he can tap the keys and sings another (yes, I agree with Simon, as usual) depressing song. When Ryan said Phil Collins, I thought he might sing "In the Air Tonight." Anyway, he's pretty much flawless, and is a shoe-in for the final 12, if not the final 2.
My new second favorite amongst the guys is David Cook. I'm starting to warm to him, and I think what he did with "Hello" was awesome. He could be a record producer. It could be a hit. Look for him to go far, even though he looks weird and has those odd facial expressions. Hey, he's a rocker.
As for the rest of them, Luke Menard started out with Jitterbug, or Wake me up before you go, go, whichever title you prefer. I like Luke, think he has a good voice, but, he's got a serious case of white man's disease, and his performances stink. And, come on, one of the two above should be covering Wham!. Luke, are you trying to tell us something??? Anyway, he's my vote for first off Thursday.
Michael Johns sucks up the place with something I can't remember (I remember it being bad), yet, the Carly-like pimping continues from the judges. Here's the deal Randy, Paula, and Simon - I like him, he's got appeal to women, and he might be able to sing, but, come on, this is two rotten performances in a row. He's not as safe as you think.
Chikezie does some song I have never heard before, and while I think he has a great voice and sound, Simon really, really hates guys who cover Whitney (or any girl, for that matter). Chikezie, say buh-bye. He's my number 2 off.
Jason Castro is another guy I am warming too. I liked him tonight, but, I still think he's stoned all the time. Just listen to him. And, tonight, Ryan actually interviewed him.
So, Chikezie and Luke will be gone, although I wouldn't be surprised if Michael Johns took a dive.
Of these guys, David A and David C are the odds on faves to go to the final four. Of course, David A is going to be the winner, so, the rest are playing for second.
Tomorrow, the girls. Will Kady surprise us and give America a good reason to keep her other than her hotness? Will Carly suck and give the judges the challenging task of making her seem the greatest thing since....David Archuleta? We shall see!
Weather Channel founder, John Coleman is mad as hell and he's not going to take it anymore, or, at least I think he is, and I agree with him. In addition to suing Global Warming Alarmists and Carbon Credit Scammers, he is dismayed that the Weather Channel has become an outlet for the Global Warming crowd.
I, for one, am dismayed that the Weather Channel is going the way of MTV. Where once we were able to reliably turn to it and get our local weather, and get insightful analysis of the forecast for our area, now we get "Forecast Earth," "Full Force Nature," and other crap designed to scare us into trading our Suburbans for Prii (that's the plural of Prius).
The dust-up this week between Obama and McCain on Iraq is emblematic of what Obama is and what he stands for. Let's review the facts and the history very briefly:
We invaded Iraq, for whatever reasons, we did it. Whether there were some who were hoodwinked or not into it, those included Democratic Senators Clinton, Kerry, and others. Sure, the most liberal Democrats didn't vote with the President on this. For those Democrats, that was an easy vote.
We didn't find mass caches of WMD, and the aftermath was bloody and poorly planned.
In 2007, we shifted to the "surge" strategy under General Petreaus and supported vociferously by Sen. McCain. The surge has inarguably worked.
This week, McCain's campaign issues this press release in response to statements Obama made in Tuesday's Ohio debate with Sen. Clinton:
"Last night, we also heard Sen. Obama say that once he withdrew US forces from Iraq he would 'reserve the right' to act 'if Al Qaeda is forming a base in Iraq,' Is Sen. Obama unaware that Al Qaeda is still present in Iraq, that our forces are successfully fighting them every day, and that his Iraq policy of withdrawal would embolden Al Qaeda and weaken our security?"
In response, Obama unleashed this at a campaign event:
“But I have some news for John McCain, and that is that there was no such thing as al Qaida in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq… he took us into war along with George Bush that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged. They took their eye off the people who were responsible for 9/11, and that would be al Qaida in Afghanistan that is stronger now than at any time since 2001. I’ve been paying attention, John McCain! That’s the news. So John McCain may like to say he wants to follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of hell, but so far all he’s done is follow George Bush into a misguided war in Iraq…”
First off, for the guy who is all about change, this is a typically Liberal reaction to McCain's statement. Obama panders to his far-left, anti-war crowd, who are still "all fired up" over the fact that we went to war with Iraq to begin with. There's no change, Senator Obama, when you're mired in the past. It's a childish, school-yard type response and not what we would expect from the guy who's going to change the way things work in Washington.
But, notice that he starts the reply off with a semi-falsehood, that there was no "al-Qaida in Iraq." While there may have indeed not have been any al-Qaida, nor any of the organization known as "al-Qaida in Iraq," there we certainly terrorists harboring in Iraq, and there was certainly a desire by al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein to cooperate on some levels.
Next, he wants to talk about "should have beens." I honestly ABHOR people who talk this way. It makes for nice flowing rhetoric and all sorts of "I'm smarter than you, because I knew what SHOULDA been," but, it is an attempt to divert attention from what IS the reality on the ground, and how Barack Obama would react to that. Mr. Obama, unless you have a time machine, you don't get to go back and change those votes. So, what are you going to do now?
Next, Obama tells us the real news, and that is, dun-dun-dun, that he's been paying attention! Wow!
Finally, he excoriates McCain for not, in Obama's estimation, doing enough to get Bin Laden. Does this mean that Obama would take the 140,000 troops we have in Iraq and take them all to Afghanistan (and Pakistan), maybe to do a cave-by-cave search? is he making an argument that we don't have the means to fight these two fronts at once? Liberals make the argument that fighting terrorism tends to be useless because for every one of them we call, they come back tenfold, yet, at the same time, they think that if we just chopped off the head (Bin Laden), we'd need n
I know the current talking points today are that a McCain administration is 4 more years of Bush. There is ONE defining issue in this election, it's who will prosecute the War on Terror in a way that keads to victory, and, do the American people believe that victory in Iraq is critical to that final outcome.
It may not be absolutely necessary, but, we're there, and we need to press on. McCain acknowledges that, and is willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve that victory. Obama and the dems do not.
Via the subreport, we have a slideshow of the Ohio. I recommend the pictures, but, you all may find the captions on them funny, as did I. For example:
ABC compares the Ohio to an underwater version of an aircraft carrier.
Without the aircraft.
They say she's a new class of submarines built from 1970's vessels.
I guess they technically are a new class, and the Ohio was launched in mid-1979 and they were designed in the '70s, but, I always thought of them as '80s vessels.
Crew members monitor displays in the "navigation room."
Looks surprisingly like the control room, and the specific area in question the helm. Anyway, I guess you sort of "navigate" from here. Do Ohio's have a NavCenter??
Finally, in a product from a major news organization, they managed to use the word "rejiggered." And here is the rest of it.
