Hugh is in the Blog Polling Game Now

Now that Patrick Ruffini has stepped away from his blog, the blog polling masta is now Hugh Hewitt.

His first poll, on the Alito nomination, is here.

And some folks from Democrat Underground actually showed up to vote. Shocker: they skew mostly negative. Go figure.

Speaking for the Great State of Maryland...

I support the Fiscal Watch Team Offset Package.

Unfortunately, I don't see our mediocre Senators doing the same. But I'll ring 'em up anyway.

(See also: Porkbusters)

Plame Name Blame Game... part 341,504

And the winner is...!

Some guy named Scooter? (photo, right, is the best I can do since I wouldn't know I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby if he stepped on my foot on the Metro.)

He's affiliated with Cheney, and it is said that CIA lifers have a bug up their tail about the VP going back 20 years or maybe more.

This isn't the end. With the blood of the VP's chief of staff in the water, the Dems are only going to want to get their hooks into Cheney that much more. And then the President. (And that's what this has been about every since the Clinton was impeached. Bank on it.)

So who did noted paleocon Novak get the name from? Was it Scooter? Someone else?
Was Joe Wilson [pictured above with his lovely wife] questioned before the Grand Jury? I'll bet that would make for some interesting times.

The take away message here is: never agree to talk to the grand jury. If they want to take you, they'll find a way to take you... even if it had nothing to do with the original theory of the investigation.

(And if only poor Scooter had been talking about sex... ah well... lawyer up.)
(Wilson photo source: Vanity Fair via Michelle Malkin, if memory serves)
(The Muppet photo I found here; I disagree that the Swedish Chef was among the worst Muppets ever, however.)

UPDATE: Power Line's Paul Mirengoff predicts no further indictments. That would really tick off the Rove haters... but it wouldn't end anything.

UPDATE II: I did find the Vanity Fair pic at Michelle Malkin. Here's the link to her story.

UPDATE III: Monday, 31 October: "I feel sorry for Libby, whose life is ruined even if he beats the wrap. But after him, the Libs are the big losers. They sent Patrick Fitzgerald out to hunt for bear, but all he bagged was a squirrel." -- Jack Kelly. Read the whole thing.

UPDATE IV: The base is fired up about Samuel Alito for SCOTUS. Bush is The Grinch That Stole Fitzmas.

Rosa Parks

Rosa Parks's body will reportedly lie in state in either the Lincoln Memorial or the Capitol. Det News shows both to be the case.

I wonder if she could have imagined while refusing to give up her seat on the bus that decades later she would be honored in the same manner as deceased government officials.

Rest in peace, Mrs. Parks.

Live from Southern Command in Melbourne, FL

Kory's back in the Lounge.

Perhaps her nom de Rantburg will become Beach Blondie rather than Desert Blondie?

Sweep!

Congratulations to the White Sox, particularly to Chairman Reinsdorf who had said while the Bulls were winning that he'd be willing to trade some of those basketball rings for a World Series ring. Now he's got one.

Congratulations to Jermaine Dye, World Series MVP. He had the highest World Series batting average at .438 in White Sox history.

Congratulations to Kenny Williams for assembling the team and to Ozzie Guillen for managing it. Wire to wire in first place doesn't happen by accident.

Congratulations to the Astros for making it. Watching them in this series I was reminded of the Sox, the last time they made it to the playoffs against the Mariners: otherwise reliable hitters popped the ball up or grounded out. Something tells me Houston won't have to wait 46 years to go back, especially if they maintain that pitching staff.

Now I need to find a new hat. Maybe a T-shirt. Or two.

(See also: "Mold Remediation...")

Al-Qaeda in Iraq Fails Again: Constitution Ratified

Twelve members of the Kurdish peshmurga in Sulaimaniyah were killed by a car bomb.

Nonetheless, the Constitution of Iraq passed muster with 78% voting in favor. A few predominantly Sunni provinces voted against it. (Not a twitch from the Suprise-o-meter.)

"It's a landmark day in the history of Iraq," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "We congratulate the Iraqi people. ... The political process is continuing to move forward in Iraq, and it is an encouraging sign to see more and more people participating in the process."

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said Iraqis "have shown again their determination to defy the terrorists and take part in the democratic process." Italian Foreign Minister Gianfranco Fini also welcomed the results, saying Italy would keep supporting the political process in the country.
(Source: Fox News)

Zarq's organization fails again.

Common Cause With Terrorists

Warriorjason has this pic up at warriorsvoice. It is crystal clear to our soldiers in the field that to lobby for withdrawal from (e.g. defeat in) Iraq is to make common cause with the terrorist enemy. It bolsters the resolve of the enemy while eroding the will of the people in this country, bit by bit.

The little cardboard sign now reads "Liberals & news media, THANKS for your support! Together we can defeat the American infidels."

Note to the hard Left: you are counted among the infidels, too, lest you should forget. They would like you every bit as dead as anyone else in America.

Click the image for Jason's take.

Meanwhile the hard Left in the United States is awaiting the 2000th serviceman to be killed in action with all the solemnity usual reserved for a supermarket's 1 Millionth Customer. Here's a site where you can find a gathering of Leftwing ghouls near you. (via Rantburg and Little Green Footballs)

It is a sad thing to lose your young men and women in combat, but it is a thoroughly disgusting thing to rally behind the bodies of the fallen as evidence that the war should end immediately. Should that occur, every one of the fallen would have died in vain.

Mold Remediation...

...on my jacket and my trusty White Sox hat. They had been in the trunk of my car since I didn't really need the jacket at this point, and the hat was somewhat hidden. With all the rain we got starting the day of our wedding, the conditions in the trunk must have become wonderful for mold growth. After a week away I opened the trunk and there was both WTF? and OMG!

Sadly the hat was a loss, but then it didn't quite fit anymore. (I was a 7-1/4 when I bought it back in the early Nineties as they switched to the current logo.) [You're a crawly amphibian... your head couldn't have swollen from that -- Ed.] It will give me an excuse to get a new one. (Hopefully no one will think of me here in Maryland as a Johnny-Come-Lately front runner!)

The jacket, however, was a rather pricey item from The North Face. I've heard borax works, so I'm trying Clorox II right now.

Any other thoughts?

New Milblog Added to Blogroll

I found warriorsvoice linked at Beth's place and thought I'd add it to the blogroll here, too.

Whenever Big Media reports on something going on in Ramadi, I'm going to crosscheck it at warriorsvoice, since he is there.

The first story regards Big Media's usual report that one of our airstrikes has killed "civilians". Sure, if you count a civilian as anyone who doesn't wear a uniform but still sets up IEDs to blow up our troops... that would cover them. Read Warriorjason's account here.

Air America Radio in DC...

...has no measurable listenership.

Air America, the liberal talk network carried on WWRC-AM (1260), went from bad to nonexistent. After WWRC recorded a mere fraction of a rating point in the spring with syndicated shows from the likes of lefty talkers Al Franken, Janeane Garofalo and Stephanie Miller, Arbitron couldn't detect a measurable listenership for the station this time around.

The signal had trouble dribbling across the Potomac into Northern Virginia, so no one there could hear it if they wanted to. And no one in the District apparently wants to.

(From the bottom of this article in the WashingPost. Via Hugh.)

Today Show Infobabe Attempts to Stage Stunt

It didn't work out so well for Michelle Kosinski on the scene in flooded New Jersey. There she was talking about the horrors of getting around by canoe when a couple of fellows in hip-waders walk right in front of her.

As Laura Ingraham says "Oopsie!"

New Busters has the pic and the video. Go check it out.

If you are going to get all huffy about someone staging an event, it is best not to get caught doing the same, yeah?

(via Darleen, and also Rush Limbaugh)

A Compilation of Quotes From Our Trip to Aruba

Wildlife
"Look! A pelican!"

"Crabs!" (a couple times... once for some sand crabs at night on the beach, the other for some other kind skittering around the rocks on De Palm Island.)

"Where did the iguanas go?"

Her: "Mourning doves? Here?"
Me: "They must smell the impatiens on you."
(An inside joke)


Hardship, Palm Beach, Aruba style
Her: "What time is it?"
Me: "I can't see... the palm tree is in the way."

"I banged it [my forehead] on the hut." (Did the hut survive the impact -- Ed.)

"Must be rush hour"
After 4 cars in a row passed on Irausquin Blvd as we were trying to cross the street


Other Fond Memories
[parrot at the Wyndham] "Cracker!"
Me: "I'm not a cracker. You're a cracker!"
[parrot] "Cracker!"
etc.

The iguana that seemed to have adopted a strict diet of maraschino cherries from the Tambu Bar.

Declaring our hut #15 to be our own private Umpapa Mau-Mau. Then coming back from a dip in the surf to find that I hadn't extended the boundary line far enough, I created the newly annexed land of West Umpapa Mau-Mau.

Me: "Good morning, Honey."
Her: "Good morning, Mooner."
After the T-Shirts we were awarded at the General Manager's cocktail party last Tuesday night. Oddly enough, we didn't see anyone wearing them.

Her: "She rubbed my hair. All the way to the ends!"
In reference to our dual hour-long massage at the Intermezzo Spa on De Palm Island. Should you find yourself in need of relaxation, seek out Adriana and Adriana from Intermezzo. They do good work.

Her: "Whoo... this [pina colada]'s strong."
Me: "I could get a cup and you could dump a little of the rum out, if you want."
Her: "It's the Caribbean... I want the rum."

The Aruba Aloe Guy
He would come around a couple times a day hawking sun care products from Aruba Aloe. One of his pitches ended with "And fellas, it is better than Viagra."

Wow.

Other than during 'Rain Delay Theater', I've never gotten to hear the "White Sox are the champions!" in my lifetime. After beating LAA 4 out of 5, and 4 in a row... with 4 complete games by the starters, at that, now I can.

Here's the Sox official site which shows the end of Fox TV's coverage of the game.

Considering they lost their last World Series appearance 46 years ago to LA (the Dodgers), maybe beating LA (Angels, in this case) is a sign that it really can be their year.

At any rate, what a great season. I'm glad all the talk of a late season collapse was premature.

ObWhiteSoxFanPessimism: It figures that it happens the year I move from Chicago. :) Did they sound the air raid sirens like in '59?

White Sox Solidarity: Bama Pachyderm has this quote as her thought for the day over at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy, 10/17:

"The Magic Number is none!"
Bill Veeck, September, 1959

(Go White Sox!)

You can put it on the board... YES!

We're Back

After a week in Aruba, I think I can best summarize my feelings by paraphrasing a cruise line's commercial: "I think of this as a temporary exile."

I'll post more about our stay at the Wyndham Aruba Resort, Spa and Casino later, but I'll summarize that by calling it "Adventures in Housekeeping." Note to the Wyndham: teach your staff the names of the various towels and the exact number that should go in each room every day. Don't get me wrong, we did enjoy the dozen or so washcloths we ended up with by week's end, but multiple washcloths don't readily equate to a handtowel.

Oh... and putting a honeymoon couple in a room with two beds was NOT amusing. Not even slightly. Thanks to them for moving us to the king room we had initially requested based solely on a phone call.

We'll definitely go back to Aruba again, but next time we'll probably try one of the Marriott properties.

D-2 Day

With our wedding 2 days away, my folks are on their way to Maryland by road. My soon-to-be inlaws will be arriving at DCA some time this afternoon, and at the hotel in the early evening.

LOML was a cleaning tornado last night, adding a bit of extra sparkle to a place that is always vastly tidier than my old joint in Chicago. She's at work now, keeping her mind off all the preparations and the myriad of things that could go wrong. (Delegation is a hard thing for her.)

Me? I'm entering this last blog entry for awhile.

Pray for us, if you would. I'll see y'all again October 17.

Two New Blogs in the Blogroll

I've linked to BizzyBlog and Stones Cry Out this morning. BizzyBlog can be thought of as the business section of the blogosphere. Stones Cry Out features news and commentary from a Christian point of view, and I occasionally comment there, as well has link back to them (and sometimes vice versa).

Harriet Miers for SCOTUS

I can't say as I've ever heard of her. Paul over at Power Line says that she never would have been picked if a) she wasn't a woman, and b) a Bush associate. John is cautiously optimistic that she is a Conservative. Time will tell.

Confirm Them has some posts already about Miers's judicial philosophy. She sounds like a person who will read the text of the Constitution without trying to find anything eminating from the penumbra.

Bench Memos has a great deal up already, including several from K-Lo. A reader of theirs posited this:

Don't worry, it's all just a Rovian strategy to pick someone who has little apparent qualifications so the Dems can spend all their capital attacking her. Eventually, Bush will give up and she won't be confirmed. Then, he announces his TRUE pick, and the public runs out of patience for the dems trying to defeat two in a row. Eh? Eh?

I doubt it. Bush is loyal to a fault. He wouldn't gratuitously hang someone out to dry.

How about this, which goes toward the Bush cronyism angle: "She was National Co-Chairman of Lawyers for Bush-Cheney in 2000 and helped manage the Bush v. Gore litigation effort." Confirm Them's Krempasky sounds underwhelmed, but it could become a rallying point for the loony left nonetheless. "Who's next?" they will cry out "Ken Starr?!" (Sounds good to me. Or Bork. -- Ed.)

I was hoping for McConnell, if for no other reason than to stick it to everyone who said it just had to be a woman replacing O'Connor. He's also supposed to be a good First Amendment guy, who would be just the kind of guy to help straighten out the previous Court's hash of church/state decisions.

Hugh's Bummed

Hugh is bummed. The White Sox swept the Indians at the Jake to eliminate them from the playoffs.

I'm a little bummed, too. After the great first half that the White Sox had, and the great second half of the season that the Tribe had, I really wanted both to make it to the playoffs.

I don't know if the Indians ran out of gas, or if the pressure got to them. Maybe both. Maybe neither. Whatever it was, the playoffs will be a little less fun without CWS's division rivals.