One of the things that drove the Dubya supporters, such as myself, nuts was the ways he barely defended himself and his policies. Obviously, one doesn’t want to spend much time when the attacks are personal, giving them credence, or, as the old saying goes “never argue with an idiot. They’ll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.” But, in politics, one has to engage to some degree. And, it looks like Sarah Palin has decided that she will smack the vicious McCain aids in the face with a salmon

Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska fired back Friday at the unnamed McCain campaign aides who have been maligning her in recent days, saying that their criticism was “cruel and it’s mean-spirited, it’s immature, it’s unprofessional, and those guys are jerks.”

“So, no, I think that if there are allegations based on questions or comments that I made in debate prep about Nafta, and about the continent versus the country when we talk about Africa there, then those were taken out of context,” Ms. Palin said. “And that’s cruel and it’s mean-spirited, it’s immature, it’s unprofessional, and those guys are jerks, if they came away with it taking things out of context and then tried to spread something on national news. It is not fair and not right.”

The only person who can truly stop this is John McCain, and, while he has made some public calls for the aids to cut it out, they don’t seem to be listening. Of course, we do not know what is occurring behind the scenes. And, McCain made some inroads with the conservative base. He could certainly continue that stature by coming to Palin’s side, rather then acting as Big Daddy during a siblings dispute.

Anyhow, it is nice to see a Republican fighting back, and, if the McCain aids want to continue their anonymous smears, they will have a tough road, because she will not take it, and the conservative base will not take it.

Congratulations to our new DeID*, as Ace of Spades has taken to calling Obama. But, buck up, little campers. Life will go on. Obama will only be able to screw so much up. With every pink cloud there is a platinum lining.

Remember, the finally tally is around 62 million to 55 million. That is not bad for a candidate that none of the conservatives wanted in the first place, who pushed many non-conservative ideals, with an almost rudderless campaign, in a year that was expected to be massively Democrat. Without SarahCuda, how bad might it have been?

What happens next? Here are my expectations for the first 2 quarters of the year

1. Congress repeals the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts in total by, at the latest, mid-March, to take effect in 2010. They may give a slightly better tax rate for those in the bottom 2 brackets, below the $32k level. I really expect this to happen by mid -Feb. Dear Leader then signs the Bill, saying it is the will of the people. The media is strangely silent on his campaign promise about tax cuts for 95% of the people.
2. The Fairness Doctrine is passed by April. Watch the lawsuits fly.
3. Congress passes a resolution forcing the “redeployment” of all troops out of Iraq immediately. Obama says “OK,” throwing another campaign monicker out the window.
4. The stock market stays down.
5. The $500 and $1,000 checks promise never makes it out of committee. If Barry thinks he will have any control or sway over Queen Nancy or Dingy Harry, he is sorely mistaken.
6. Energy prices start spiking again. A windfall profits tax is instituted. Prices go up more.
7. Some sort of global warming legislation is passed. Energy prices spike more.
8. Expect a Bill allowing the telecoms to be sued over the “domestic wiretapping” to be passed. Expect quality of service and advancement to then be affected, particularly in wireless.
9. Obama shuts down much of the NSA programs, and to hear from whistleblowers in the small papers, Fox News, and the Washington Times. Papers such as the NY Times, Washington Times, and LA Times will poo poo the whistleblowers.
10. The Islamist nations that were becoming at least a little bit better, more willing to talk, more willing to fight the extremists backtrack. Obama is tested, either by Syria or Iran, and fails miserably. Voting present will not work.
11. A true amnesty bill is passed by May, just in time for Cinco de Mayo.
12. The Leftist agenda of Obama will not appear during the first half of 2009. He will hold off on the thought of trying to appear moderate. But, his small steps, such as pre-pre-school education and changes to the healthcare and insurance industries, combined with the actions of Congress, will have even the most liberal of the MSM reintroducing the Misery Index.

What do you think will happen?

Finally, rather then write virtually the same thing, let’s let Ace say it

So Obama won. It’s not the end of the world. Everybody chill out.

1) It’s hardly a popular vote blowout. McCain kept it close in a tough anti-republican climate, and there’s a still a significant proportion of the population that’s with us, nearly 50%, in fact.

3) It’s important to remember that we’re conservatives, not liberals, or “progressives” or whatever they’re calling themselves this week.

4) Don’t give the fucktards on the left the satisfaction of seeing you all act like a bunch of hysterical schoolgirls. They’re the ones who can’t take defeat. We can take our lumps, get up, and keep fighting. We should be Happy Warriors. whose proper response to this is mockery, good humor, and hard work. We lost and election, but we’re still right, and they’re still wrong.

Anyway, it’s time to cowboy up, and get ready for the next go round.

Exactly. Life goes on. America will go on, no matter what the Democrats try and do. We as Conservatives and the country as a whole have faced tougher times, and, we and the country will survive. If you want to attack Obama, do so, but, do it on the issues. Do not get in to the type of moonbattery that the Left engaged in for 8 years. Don’t make it personal. Have fun.

And get on the butts of the GOP, force them to start fighting back, and, if not be Conservatives, at least be razor edged Republicans, rather then squishy RINO’s.

Michelle Malkin says to gird your loins. Don’t wallow or get pouty faced. I totally agree. I am going to go off to work in a bit, and it will be a day where I will be a bit down, just like when my Giants lost to Baltimore and my Devils lost Colorado. But, I was still in good spirits. Because life happens.

Powerline looks at Obama’s rise to the presidency.

Now, thank God, we can finally talk about something else other then the elections, at least for awhile. So, congratulations, President Obama, you have my backing till you prove otherwise, but, good or bad, you are the President.

*DeID=Decider in Defeat

Dear John McCain, a Great American. Thank you!

Thank You John McCain!

Senator John McCain, you are a Great American. You gave your youth and devoted your life for the good of this country. You are one of the very few American politicians that we could know would put country first. We would sleep better at night knowing you were at the helm.

Thank you for giving us a glimpse of what kind of REAL change could have been brought to Washington. Thank you for your proven record of cleaning up corruption and courageously doing the ‘right thing’ in spite of the political risk to yourself. Thank you for your honor, courage, integrity and grit. You should be President. I truly believe you would be among the greatest of our Presidents.

You inspired many of us to stand up and fight, to work hard and to put country first. You reminded many of us that America still produces real heroes and real patriots. You gave many of us hope for a better future for our country.

As the mother of an American Soldier, I thank you for caring about our military and understanding the sacrifices made by those young men and women that so many in our country have put out of their minds. You, more than anyone, have understood how badly we need and should appreciate that thin green line that stands between us and danger. Thank you for never forgetting them. Thank you for never giving up and never giving in.

Many of our nation stand proudly with you.

Thank you and God bless you.

Beth, a Blue Star Mother

I’m going to fight to make sure every American has every reason to thank God, as I thank Him: that I’m an American, a proud citizen of the greatest country on earth, and with hard work, strong faith and a little courage, great things are always within our reach. Fight with me. Fight with me.

Fight for what’s right for our country.

Fight for the ideals and character of a free people.

Fight for our children’s future.

Fight for justice and opportunity for all.

Stand up to defend our country from its enemies.

Stand up for each other; for beautiful, blessed, bountiful America.

Stand up, stand up, stand up and fight. Nothing is inevitable here. We’re Americans, and we never give up. We never quit. We never hide from history. We make history.

Thank you, and God Bless you.

~ John McCain, September 2008

Good thing ACORN illegally registered them early, eh? OCTOBER SURPRISE: ALIEN ENDORSES MCCAIN!

In a shocking reversal, the Alien has switched his endorsement from Barack Obama to John McCain.

With major implications for the U.S. presidential election, political kingmaker the Alien has changed his endorsement amid furor. Both political camps are buzzing about the implications, as the Alien has correctly predicted the winning president in every election for the past 28 years.

Ongoing investigation points to Cindy McCain as being the cause for this historic shift in allegiances.

Uncovered photos suggest that in a last ditch effort to help her husband’s failing campaign, Cindy McCain seduced and then blackmailed the Alien for his endorsement.

Now, if our soon to be alien overlords endorse McCain, shouldn’t you? I know, I know, it’s not the same as getting the all important Hamas and Hugo Chavez endorsements, but, the invasion fleet will be here soon.

Everyone voted? If not, go, vote! Even though all the liberal media is already calling the election for Obama, just like they did for Kerry.

And, is everyone ready for the riots, whether Obama wins or loses?

By now, you probably heard Senator Barack H. Obama (using his middle initial is racist, BTW) say it was selfish to not pay higher taxes. We already knew it was unpatriotic to want to pay lower taxes, thanks to Senator Foot In Mouth. For those who missed it, here ya go

Special, eh?

Let’s take a simplistic overview of what McCain and Obama say they are going to do with the tax rates. Now, if you hit 10 different websites, you will find 10 different answers to how much people will pay or save on taxes. But, the salient point is that McCain says he will not change the tax rates, except to lower a few. Obama says the same thing! Unless you are making $250K or more (which is certainly up for debate based on his and Biden’s talk of late,) Obama says he will not change the tax rates either. How many times has he promised (and you know what a Democrats promise on taxation is worth) to repeal the “Bush tax cuts on people making $250 and above?”

In essence, both McCain and Obama are promising “more of the same,” with more perks and breaks, which is the norm during a political campaign, as you well know. You can check out the marginal tax schedule for 2009 here. Interestingly, while Barry sneers at “more of the same old Bush tax policy that has hurt the middle class,” let’s say you are true middle class, making $45,000 a year. You are $506 over pre-Bush taxation in 2008. Calculate it for yourself.

What Obama promises: Cut taxes for 95 percent of workers and their families with a tax cut of $500 for workers or $1,000 for working couples. In fact, he is talking about doing this for upwards of 150 working people. Depending on how the figures work out, that is about $40 to $50 billion in “tax cuts.” Since he plans on not reducing your rates, I’d call that welfare. Granted, if he sends you a check, and you are in the 25% tax bracket, the check would be larger then a rate cut of 1 to 2 percent. Many are probably saying “Hey, Teach, if I make $50K, and you drop me from 25% to 24%, I will save that same $500.” Unfortunately, taxation doesn’t work like that. I mention this not to insult anyone, but, because so many are not aware that you pay taxes not on the overall income you earn at one rate, but at multiple rates. If you are making $50K, you only pay taxes in 2008 on the income from $32,551 to $50,000.

Anyhow, Barry is going to hand you a check, and, I do not want you to be considered selfish. So, a few ideas to help you out if he wins and actually manages to convince Nancy and Harry to not only NOT repeal the “Bush tax cuts” in full (prediction: Nancy tries to repeal them by mid-February), but give out these welfare checks.

First, you can take the welfare check and redeploy it to a Republican interest, such as the RNC, the Republican Senatorial Committee, a Republican politician (hint: SarahCuda 1012), or a Conservative group.

Second, you could use the money to build a Rightroots Movement, as John Hawkins recommends. Think about tens of thousands of right-o-sphere bloggers and readers taking $500/$1,000 checks and putting them towards building a Conservative answer to (Never)MoveOn. Our own 527. Our own PAC.

Third, you could buy one of these before Barry makes the regulations so burdensome that it will be darned impossible to purchase

Nominee for the “Let’s Tone It Down To Nap Time” headline award, the LA Times is a sure winner: U.S., Iraq fatalities dip in October

The number of Iraqis killed in war-related violence in October was the lowest since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, Iraqi officials said Friday.

The death toll was 278, including 22 policemen and 18 Iraqi soldiers, according to the Ministry of Health. In addition, 46 suspected insurgents or militiamen were killed, and 846 were arrested, Iraqi government officials said.

The number of U.S. troops reported dead in October was 13, equal to the low recorded in July, according to independent website icasualties.org.

What, the LA Times couldn’t go to the Department of Defense? Sad commentary in itself, eh?

And, to call it a dip is to ignore not only the tremendous strives in Iraq, but the body of the story itself!

The monthly totals are evidence of the dramatic drop in violence across Iraq in recent months. In October 2007, 888 Iraqis were killed in war- related violence, and there were 38 U.S. military fatalities. The decrease in violence has been attributed to several factors, including the deployment last year of an extra 30,000 American troops to quell sectarian fighting, and the setting up of Sunni Arab paramilitary units to work alongside U.S. and Iraqi forces in providing security.

So, that Surge thang that McCain pushed for and most Democrats, including Senator Barack H. Obama, were against, has worked. Furthermore, setting up the paramilitary units, otherwise known as the police and military (nice dodge, LA Times), was part of the original plan. Anyhow, notice that this is a “dramatic drop,” not a “dip.” In fact, more Marines were killed in motorcycle accidents in the USA then killed in Iraq over the past 12 months.

And from ye olde AP

U.S. deaths in Iraq fell in October to their lowest monthly level of the war, matching the record low of 13 fatalities suffered in July. Iraqi deaths fell to their lowest monthly levels of the year. Eight of the 13 Americans died in combat, most of them in northern Iraq where al-Qaida and other Sunni insurgent groups remain active. The U.S. military suffered 25 deaths in September and 23 in August. (snip)

The sharp drop in American fatalities in Iraq reflects the overall security improvements across the country following the Sunni revolt against al-Qaida and the rout suffered by Shiite extremists in fighting last spring in Basra and Baghdad.

But the decline also points to a shift in tactics by extremist groups, which U.S. commanders say are now focusing their attacks on Iraqi soldiers and police that are doing much of the fighting.

Wait. How’d that get in to print? It almost seems like the AP is saying that the overall plan to turn Iraqi security over to the Iraqi’s has worked.

Meanwhile

Rebuilding schools is a top priority for Multi-National Division – Baghdad to eliminate terrorist and criminal activities and set the condition for a brighter future for Iraqi youth.

Al Tajadud school in the Adhamiyah District of Baghdad reopened, Oct. 26, after undergoing a two-month-long renovation. With $220,000 from the government of Iraq, the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division facilitated the rebuilding of this important infrastructure.

Progress.

I’d ask “what is with the MSM,” but, we all know the answer: in da tank

Herewe have the McCain campaign’s execrable Michael Goldfarb slinging around accusations of anti-semitism–a favorite pastime, as we’ve seen this year, among Jewish neoconservatives. I’ve never met Rashid Khalidi, but he is (a) Palestinian and therefore (b) a semite, so the charge of anti-semitism is fatuous. Khalidi is also a respected academic, the sort of person who is involved in foundation work that John McCain, for one, was willing to support financially. I’d say that if we have a bigot here, it’s Mr. Goldfarb who, if he’s intent on calling people antisemitic–or any other epithet–should be required to provide chapter and verse, which he does not do on CNN. (I’d also like to know on what basis CNN’s Rick Sanchez can stipulate that Khalidi is antisemitic.)

Oooh, we have the fun “neoconservative” word crop up, something I doubt the majority of Lefties can even define, and don’t you love the “accusations of anti-semitism?” We have been treated to a constant call of racism charges ever since Obama broke his promise about running for president to run for president. First they were against Camp Hillary and her supporters, now they are against Camp McCain and his supporters. Remember

• If Obama Loses: Racism is the only reason McCain might beat him.
• Veiled racism seen in new attacks on Obama
• Even if you vote for Obama, you’re still probably a racist, according to Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree

And those are just a few of the hits. When Palin was hung in effigy, not a peep. If Barry is hung in effigy, Racism! If you bring up Bill Ayers? Racism. Bring up Jeremiah Wright? Racism. Pflagher? Racism. Call Barry a socialist? Racism. Everything is racistunless you prostrate yourself at the feet of Obama. I’m surprised Joe Klein didn’t deem that bringing up Khalidi was racist. But, it was “bigoted.”

Anyhow, Klein could have at least taken the 5 minutes it takes on the Internet to research Khalidi himself. According to Discover the Network

• Former PLO operative
• Has justified as legitimate Palestinian “resistance” that results in death of armed Israelis
• Rejects the possibility of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

Well, as a former member of the PLO, Khalidi certainly can’t be an anti-semite, right? Does that answer a bit of your question of how Rick Sanchez can stipulate that Khalidi is antisemitic, Joe? Why do Liberals members of the Credentialed Media have such a tough time doing research nowadays?

PS: Khalidi also fits right in to the mold of trotting out the “racism!” charge like other Leftists, as he did over the illegal immigration battle.

The media were incredibly interested in the BIG, MASSIVE story on Palin’s clothes. Will any of them pick up this story from the Columbas Dispatch? Government computers used to find information on Joe the Plumber

“State and local officials are investigating if state and law-enforcement computer systems were illegally accessed when they were tapped for personal information about “Joe the Plumber.”

Public records requested by The Dispatch disclose that information on Wurzelbacher’s driver’s license or his sport-utility vehicle was pulled from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles database three times shortly after the debate.

Information on Wurzelbacher was accessed by accounts assigned to the office of Ohio Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers, the Cuyahoga County Child Support Enforcement Agency and the Toledo Police Department.

It has not been determined who checked on Wurzelbacher, or why. Direct access to driver’s license and vehicle registration information from BMV computers is restricted to legitimate law enforcement and government business.

We can guess which Party’s disciples did it, though, can’t we? Whoever it was was digging for some serious dirt, and, it appears that the person or persons that did it are being tracked down quickly. Story to buried at 6.

If it was an Obama supporter, anyone notice a pattern of them and the actual Obama campaign going after people to silence them?

The Surrender Monkey is really ready to get his groove on today. Surrendie loves all things surrender, but, he particularly enjoys when a supposedly conservative pundit goes catty moonbat, especially at a conservative website

My husband called it first. Then, a brilliant, 75-year-old scholar and raconteur confessed to me over wine: “I’m sexually attracted to her. I don’t care that she knows nothing.”

Finally, writer Robert Draper closed the file on the Sarah Palin mystery with a devastating article in this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine: “The Making (and Remaking) of McCain.”

McCain didn’t know her. He didn’t vet her. His campaign team had barely an impression. In a bar one night, Draper asked one of McCain’s senior advisers: “Leaving aside her actual experience, do you know how informed Governor Palin is about the issues of the day?”

The adviser thought a moment and replied: “No, I don’t know.”

Thanks, Kathy. I could swear I was reading something on the Huffington Post, Daily Kos, or Think Progress. Of course, she is certainly entitled to her opinion, but, like several other of the “elite” conservatives, she seems to have a bit of Palin Derangement Syndrome going on, and seems to expect some sort of Messiah like Conservative to spring forth and save the Party, rather then backing our own candidates.

Now, yes, there are some things about Palin and McCain’s policies I do not care for, such as their illegal immigration stances. But, those are policy disagreements. Conservative “elites” are more interestedin making it personal. Jack M at Ace of Spades HQ paraphrase the gist of the article as “John McCain picked Sarah Palin with his dick,” and he is correct.

Does she have to agree with other conservatives? No. But, it would be a nice if she could stop tearing down the conservative movement and becoming the latest Excitable Andy clone. Particularly considering her columns have been blasted by the readers and given poor marks since Sept. 19. She seems to delight more in attacks on Palin and McCain, rather then the guy who would like to silence her, raise her taxes, surrender to Islamic extremists, etc, and so on. You know the deal.