Wishful Thinking

"The day I say Dick Cheney is going to run for president, I'll kill myself." - Helen Thomas, American journalism's crazy old aunt in the attic. (HT: Best of the Web Today)

Welcome back from vacation, Best of the Web Today.

You've got to love James Taranto's re-telling of the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill brou-ha-ha from 14 years ago:

"Who is Anita Hill? She is best known as a pioneer in bawdy broadcast humor, a sort of American counterpart to England's Benny Hill. In 1991 she made history by becoming the first person ever to utter the phrases 'Long Dong Silver' and 'pubic hair on my Coke' on national television. Everyone knows what happened next. Americans turned out to have an appetite for juvenile sexual comedy. The following year they put Bill Clinton in the White House. In 1993 'Beavis and Butt-head' picked up where Anita Hill had left off. After Clinton's second inauguration, in 1997, 'South Park' took televised ribaldry to new extremes. Part of Hill's shtick was to allege that that Clarence Thomas had written her gags a decade earlier. Although he disclaimed authorship, some Democrats said that they believed her and that this made Thomas unsuitable to be a justice. Thomas was of course confirmed, but given Hill's role in trying to keep a black man off the Supreme Court, for her now to pose as a champion of diversity seems the height of hypocrisy."

Hugh Hewitt is best when excoriating the LA Times.

It's hard to pick just a few lines from Hugh Hewitt this morning:

"The Los Angeles Times' Ronald Brownstein writes on the 2008 presidential race today. He does not disclose that his wife is a senior aid to John McCain. Which candidate does McCain favor getting the Democratic nod? My guess is that it has to be Hillary as that will significantly boost the Beltway chatter about McCain's cross-party appeal.


Indeed, it seems odd that this article does not mention the DLC's role in blunting a potential McCain or Rudy challenge from 'the center.' You have to wonder if Brownstein is holding back on references to McCain because of the problem his wife's employment poses.


The Times recently pledged transparency in conflict-of-interest matters. I guess that means if you declare a conflict once in print, every reader for all time is presumed to know and not care about it. BTW: To my knowledge, the paper has still not detailed Mrs. Brownstein's job or salary, or how funds paid her by Senator McCain are not part of Ron Brownstein's direct financial interest that would preclude him from covering McCain or related stories, like today's on Hillary: '[S]taff members may not cover individuals or institutions with which they have a financial relationship.'"

Bravo, HH. The Times will never learn.

Vince Vaughn, I'd cast this guy in a heartbeat.

"'I keep my politics to myself--I am just an actor making movies.'": Cue the Alleluia Chorus! How long have we waited for a Hollywood actor to say something like this? (HT: Alarming News)

Michelle Malkin comes out early with her 2008 Endorsement

"DICK CHENEY FOR PRESIDENT": is the succinct and provocative response from Michelle Malkin regarding her choice for 2008. Given her growing influence, this should cause a little stir in the blogosphere.

OC Chronicle back and better!

Dear Readers:

I'm sorry for the lack of posts over the last 2 weeks. Our home office has moved to a new location and we were out of commission for the time of the moving process. But now, the Chronicle is back and BETTER!

We've upgraded our operating system at the office to MAC OSX and we are now capable of utilizing all of the bells and whistles Blogger makes available through the Safari Browser. What does this mean to you, our loyal reader (all 9 of you)? It means that blogging will be easier for me here at the office making posts more frequent and rapid!

Stay tuned and click back often!

Thanks for your support,
Larry O'C

Friday Fun Blogs for all to enjoy.

Hair History & Fun With Hair is a fascinating blog worth clicking through. I want to know who spends their day putting this stuff together.

A Red Sox Fan In Pinstripe Territory is fun to read once you get over the dillema of hating both the Red Sox AND the Yankees so who really cares about these particular issues?

FREEDOM EDENIs an AWESOME blog. I only wish the OC Chronicle looked as sharp. I have to get to work on a new look. The author describes herself as: "Mary Location:In a Blue State, in a Red State of Mind, United States"... this isn't a certain Mary I know in New York, is it?

Congratulations to "The Elder", The Frater is now a Father

Best wishes to Chad and Mrs. Chad at Fraters Libertas on the birth of their son, Nathaniel. Despite his questionable taste in baseball teams, The Elder seems to be a stand up guy and he'll make a pretty cool dad.

Some day, I hope, little Nate will get some positive exposure to some quality teams. Instead of suffering with the Twins, Timberwolves, Wild and the Vikings, he should start following the Angels, Lakers, Kings and ...... well, I guess the Vikings are OK for now.

OC in SD.

One of the great privileges of living in OC is to be able to hop in the car and drive for an hour and a half and be in a totally different and fantastic place! This week, the O'Cs of OC are in the Greater San Diego area staying at the Welk Resort San Diego Resort.

Niece Kate from Detroit is here for the week and we expect to relax and enjoy all of the great San Diego attractions.

We'll blog as much as possible to make you all the more envious of our Life in the OC.

Today's weather, 72 degrees, gentle ocean breeze, 5% humidity.

Memo to President Bush: Nominate Bork!

Judge Robert Bork has a thoughtful and scathing editorial on OpinionJournal this morning regarding the Judiciary and their proper role in the three branches of government:

"Once the justices depart, as most of them have, from the original understanding of the principles of the Constitution, they lack any guidance other than their own attempts at moral philosophy, a task for which they have not even minimal skills. Yet when it rules in the name of the Constitution, whether it rules truly or not, the court is the most powerful branch of government in domestic policy. The combination of absolute power, disdain for the historic Constitution, and philosophical incompetence is lethal."

I know he's not young, and I know it would be a bloody battle, but wouldn't it be great if President Bush nominated Bork as Chief Justice? Give they guy another chance! And let's see if after proper reflection, Senator Spector repeats his shameful performance of 1987.

Little Ron, Your 15 Minutes are up.

If you missed Ron Reagan Jr.'s MSNBC show (and who doesn't regularly miss it) you missed a fantastic dressing down by Christopher Hitchens. The transcript is on Radio Blogger but here is a critical exchange between Hitchins, a man who has reported from hte belly of the terrorist beast since the eighties, and Reagan, a man who has been fortunate to stretch his inherited fame all the way to a TV show on a third rate cable station:

"CH: Excuse me. When I went to interview Abu Nidal, then the most wanted terrorist in the world, in Baghdad, he was operating out of an Iraqi government office. He was an arm of the Iraqi State, while being the most wanted man in the world. The same is true of the shelter and safe house offered by the Iraqi government, to the murderers of Leon Klinghoffer, and to Mr. Yassin, who mixed the chemicals for the World Trade Center bombing in 1993. How can you know so little about this, and be occupying a chair at the time that you do?

RR: I guess because I listen to the 9/11 Commission, and read their report, and they said that Saddam Hussein was not exporting terror. I suppose that's how, Christopher.

CH: Well, then they were wrong, weren't they?

RR: No, maybe they just needed to listen to you, Christopher.

CH; Well, I'm not sure that they actually did say that. What they did say was they didn't know of any actual operational connection...

RR: That's right. No substantive operational connection.

CH: ...which was the Iraqi Baath Party and...excuse me...and Al Qaeda. A direct operational connection. Now, that's because they don't know. They don't say there isn't one. They say they couldn't find one. But I just gave you the number, I would have thought, rather suggestive examples."

Note the smug attitude from Little Ron as he attempts to sound intellectually superior by reading his DNC talking points. He is silly enough to bring up the 9/11 commission findings as "proof" that Saddam was not involved in international terror and then within ten seconds must concede that they actually stated they had no PROOF of a "substantive operational connection" between Hussein and Al Qaeda. Of course, he concedes this point and his hoisted with his own petard.

The most important point that Little Ron never concedes in his depate is that he is an amateur and is completely out of his league with Hitchins. how much you wanna bet Mr. Hitchins is not invited back for a while? Some producer in MSNBC land is in BIG trouble right now... you never book a guest that will make your show's talent look THIS stupid!

Baldilocks agrees that Ron Reagan was not even closely matched with Hitchens... nice stuff here.

Winston would be proud.

Michelle Malkin has links to some great pictures made by citizens of the world telling the terrorists where to go. This one is my favorite.

Hugh Hewitt's round up of must reads

Hugh Hewitt has the most inspiring and the most depressing takes on yesterday's terror attacks.

On the inspiring side, Christopher Hitchins:

"We shall track down those responsible. States that shelter them will know no peace. Communities that shelter them do not take forever to discover their mistake. And their sordid love of death is as nothing compared to our love of London, which we will defend as always, and which will survive this with ease."

And the must read of the day, Daniel Henninger in today's Opinion Journal: 'Close Guantanamo'? Our politics fiddles while London burns.

'Nuff Said.

As always, Shakespeare says it best...

Brits on Bus, originally uploaded by OC Chronicle.

This royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall,
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessed plot, this earth, this realm,
this England. - From RICHARD II (II,i)

Mr. Chirac, Meet a Genuine Leader.

HughHewitt.com: "'It is important that those engaged in terrorism realise that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world. Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilised nations throughout the world.'
Prime Minister Tony Blair "

Air America Radio - Why "Progressives" can't be trusted with National Security

It's 12:45 AM, I can't sleep, and in a fit of insomniac desperation I turn the radio to Air America and I hear something called theMike Malloy Show. I was informed by Mr. Malloy that "over the last few years America is the greatest purveyor of terrorism in the world today" and that when he first heard of today's attacks in London, his first thought was that "the Bush crime family must have been behind this".

He and his callers went on to explain that the Bush administration coordinated today's bombings to help pass the Patriot Act and to divert the G8 discussions away from global warming.

If memory serves, Air America was launched to help the Democratic Party better communicate its message to the American public... I hope it's working, I think everyone should hear this, it's disgusting.

More proof that God has a sense of irony.

Breasts not Bombs, originally uploaded by OC Chronicle.

When I heard that a group of women in San Francisco went topless to protest the war I was somewhat interested. I investigated to see of there were any photos of this historic event. Here is the one I found..........

Why is it the women who decide to make such an important statement always look like this?

Angels vs. Twins.. a walk down memory lane.

4th of July Rally Time! 
On Independence Day it's important to stop, take a moment and remember the people who came before us to make this country the truly miraculous haven that it is. People like.... Adam Kennedy!

You'll recall that Adam Kennedy knocked in 3 homeruns in Game 5 of the 2002 ALCS to send the Angels to their first World Series and to knock out those pesky Minnesota Twins from the playoffs!

Today at Angel Stadium, perhaps AK can re-live the magic by continuing the Angels hot streak and start the firworks show a little early.

Go Angels! Kill the Twins!

Hey Fraters... how about a little action on the series? Angels sweep and I get to guest blog on your page?

More Intrigue at Best of the Web

Check out yesterday's "Special Thanks" section of James Taranto's great web page: (Emphasis ours)

(Carol Muller helps compile Best of the Web Today. Thanks to David Vest, Ethel Fenig, Peter Rice, Michael Segal, Mark Van Der Molen, Michael Kingsley, Charles Barr, Doug Levene, Thomas Brueckner, Allen O'Donnell, Monty Krieger, Michael Zukerman, John Williamson, Tim Graham, Joe Seely, Rick Langel, M. Gilbertson, David Stauffer, Charlie Gaylord, Jim Swift, Stuart Creque, Bill O'Reilly, John Fletcher, Barak Moore, Jerry Skurnik, Kenneth Bennight, Patrick Price, Buddy Smith, Chris Mario, Geoff Hiten, James Wittenbach, Gerard Farrell, Daniel Goldstein, Cathy Fasano, Jack Archer, Chris Stetsko, Daniel Foty and William White. If you have a tip, write us at opinionjournal@wsj.com, and please include the URL.)

We here at OC Chronicle have become OBSESSED with the names in this daily list of honor. Now the LA Times Editorial Page Editor and the "Factor" are included in the list... why?

What is Taranto thanking O'Reilly for? Picking up the tab at The Palm last night? That hot tip on the 2nd race at Belmont today?

And Kingsley? Is he thanking him for helping create the legend of Monkey Fishing? God knows Taranto's gotten a lot of mileage out of THAT one!

It remains a mystery... I half expect to see Jimmy Hoffa in there next!

Now WE are the most influential OC in the Country!

The other O'C, originally uploaded by OC Chronicle.

Happy Trails to Aunty Sandy. We're always big fans of prominent O'Connors and she pretty much did us proud.

Now it's time for the OC Chronicle to step up and take our rightful place as the most influential O'Connor voice in the country. It's a tough burden, but we are up to it!