Fear not for the future, weep not for the past.
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Get Out of Libya: At Minimum, Get Congressional Consent
The basic gist is that the Obama Administration seems to believe, in their nuanced view of the US Constitution that war isn't war (i.e., the War Powers Act) unless it fulfills certain politically convenient categories (like boots on the ground). I am not indifferent to the war crimes committed by the Qaddafi regime. But what I seem to be seeing is the same group of nations paying a disproportionate part of the price. So far we have spent the better part of a billion dollars on this endeavor.
It's important to keep pressure on the President to comply with the demands of the US Constitution. I fully agree with the recent lawsuit by legislators If Obama does not comply, it is material grounds for impeachment and removal for office.
Political Potpourri
First, I don't want to pay undue attention to the long-overdue resignation of Brooklyn/Queens Congressman Anthony Weiner. He was a nasty piece of work before SextingGate, a two-time nominee to my tongue-in-cheek Jackass of the Year context. It's not so much I am "shocked" over immoral behavior (yes, it's pretty disgusting to have to tell Congressmen that sending out lewd photos and communicating with a porn actress are bad ideas, which, in fact, could be used to blackmail him); I just don't like the oxygen in the political atmosphere being wasted on this loser when we've got a troublesome economy and an unprecedented deficit. (As a political humorist, however, I found the jokes simply wrote themselves.) I seriously considered publishing my Jackass of the Year 2011 over the past week, simply based on multiple grounds. Anthony Weiner is all but a lock. But when this happened over a very short period of time, who knows whether an even worse scandal could emerge? We still have Blagojevich on trial and John Edwards possibly headed to trial...
Rasmussen and NBC/WSJ polls over Wednesday and Thursday showed Romney with 30% or more of GOP voter support. There seems to be a bandwagon effect shaping. The Rasmussen poll shows a surge to 19% of the vote to Bachmann; first, I think there's an unsustainable honeymoon effect for a new candidate; second, Rasmussen, I think, delivers some questionable poll results, e.g., he indicated that a write-in vote for Mike Castle in last fall's Delaware Senate race would not be over, say, 5%. I do not believe there was a single poll where Castle was trailing the Democrat in the Senate race. I think this poll probably dissuaded Castle from a write-in victory campaign.
I don't know what to make of Gallup's oscillating approval ratings. I think I've seen a spread, within days, between 46% to 54% approvals.What was particularly interesting is the fact the generic GOP candidate in the Gallup poll holds Obama to under 40%
Political Humor
"A bus company in Michigan is letting passengers ride in the bottom of the bus where they keep the bags. So I called my mom and told her she can afford to travel again." - David Letterman
[The Border Patrol immediately got wise and started checking the Mexican tourist buses heading back to the border. Nope, no passengers below: only bags. The puzzling thing is there weren't any passengers in regular seating, either...The bus company explained they employ only the best baggage handlers from the airline industry. The passengers will arrive on a later bus.]
"A new study shows that only 35 percent of fourth-graders know the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. When she heard this, Sarah Palin said, “
["Everybody knows that was the speech that Abraham Lincoln gave to free the slaves."]
Jeff Arudel: Miller Music Festival 5/5/10 "Harmon Killebrew"
My favorite tune was featured on a 1996 sampler album and has been released by cities97.com for a limited time free download courtesy of Jeff Arundel. Click here.
Musical Interlude: My Favorite Groups
Chicago/Peter Cetera & Chaka Khan, "Feels Like Heaven"
