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then rush to drive her point home by having a meltdown and getting hysterical

This is exactly the point that I think Ann was trying to demonstrate with this comment. Also true for that supposed "career-ender" about the 9/11 wives - the context of that quote was how in modern therapuetic PC-squishy America there are things you're not allowed to say because libs go nuts. So what do the libs do, right on cue? Go nuts. Very few people seem to comment on the fact that their reactions prove her point. Ain't she brilliant?!

Well, some of the Climate Change Chicken Littles (C3L) are beginning to get "smart" (or is that "shrewd") and cover their global cooling / global warming flip-flops by saying that "global warming doesn't just mean everything warms up - it means the weather extremes are getting more extreme." See how that covers anything? Just one step closer to saying "global warming means anything we say it means, so shut up and keep peddaling."

Unity, forgiveness, mercy and constant appeasement are to be more highly favored than righteousness, holiness, faithfulness and obedience.

I think, with the exception of "constant appeasement", all of these characteristics are important in the Christian realm. It is the Christian left's "constant appeasement" of non-Christian doctrines and beliefs that are damaging from the first group, as is the implicit and concomitant religious pride that can accompany the "righteousness" of the second group.

Of course, the studies cited by The Bell Curve showing differences in IQ between races had to be immediately disavowed. Somehow, I doubt the reaction to this story will be quite the same.

But I demand, demand that everyone ignore the results reported in this story, as it fuels the ongoing institutionalized discrimination against carnivores. Carnivorist! ;-)

However that would never translate into a Dem vote. At best abstention.

Given that this wasn't an election directly involving Bush, but an election that involved the Republicans in the Congress ~ the only political source standing against Bush's amnesty immigration policy ~ abstention translates directly into a vote for the Dems.

The electorate is a whole lot smarter than they're given credit for.

I respectfully but wholemindedly disagree. If the electorate had replaced the Republicans as majority with, say Libertarians, or Rastafarians, or Nefarians, maybe you could make that claim. But to replace Republicans with the only party who's demonstrated time and again that they govern even more poorly is the sine quo non of stupidity. Does anyone think that the Democrats will pull us out of Iraq cleanly, when they voted to give the President authorization to commit war, and when they overwhelmingly voted NOT to create a timetable for withdrawal in the House? I'm not arguing for withdrawal, but if this election were about replacing corruption with a wholesome, moral people, or about replacing the Party of War with the Party of Withdrawal, then the electorate most certainly got it wrong, and are stupid.

For some of the more liberal elements of the Democrat Party, a military victory in Iraq would run counter to the notion of pacifism that their core base embraces.

I daresay, I think what the liberal Democrats embody is "pussifism", not "pacifism". There is a difference between objecting to war because of strongly held beliefs about violence, and the modern Democrat liberals' proclaimed desire to avoid war. They believe in nothing strong enough to actually fight for it, and think if they just avoid violence, everyone will like them. Pussifism.

and had the good sense to step down after 2 years as the first President

I'm hoping you meant to say 2 terms? Otherwise, American schools are in worse shape than I thought ;-)

Here's a rejoinder to the homos regarding the "equal protection" argument:

"Confirming electorally that marriage is between one man and one woman is not unequal protection. There is no discrimination here, Ms. Lesbian. Marriage is between one man and one woman, and if you want to marry a man, no one will stop you. Mr. Queer, if you find some nice young woman to marry, you are free to do so. No discrimination, you are both equally protected in your desire to marry."

I know, I know, this won't really quash the "equal protection" argument to which the homos are lashing themselves, but I get a little joy out of saying it to myself when I read about these folks.

Tell me what this "deal" accomplished for the repubs?

Nothing accomplished for the Republicans. But I am beginning to think it's possible not much was lost for the Republicans, that wasn't already lost for the Republicans. I don't think these Seven RINOs who went for the deal would have voted for the Constitutional Option before the deal, so I don't think Frist had the votes for CO.

What I think might be lost by the Republicans are the nominations that are addressed between the striking of the deal, and the realization by the Seven that the Dems will break the deal from the moment it was struck - i.e., Bolton.

The fact remains the Democrats wanted this deal, they needed this deal and they made this deal because they knew the status-quo was untenable. They would have lost a constitutional option vote.

You have it completely backwards. If the Demos would have lost a vote on the constitutional option, what incentive did the Republicans have for giving it to them? The Repubs didn't have to, unless there were a batch of spineless RINOs to give it to them. Wait, that's just what happened. Hence, VICTORY for the Dems, and the Repubs snatching defeat from the jaws of victory once again...

I'd rather eat the tomatoes before the goat turned them into manure.

"Florida Tomato Committee". Kinda says it all, don't you think?

Years later ... "Newly appointed General Secretary of the American Soviet Politburo, Comrade Johnson got his political start years ago as head of the Florida Tomato Committee, battling for the right of all glorious workers to eat precisely, perfectly round, perfectly red, perfectly tasteless tomatos."

From the original story:

Chief Justice William Rehnquist and Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Anthony Kennedy and Ruth Bader Ginsburg joined Breyer in the opinion.

From your posts

...Scalia and Thomas...vote(d) in the majority.

Am I missing something? Doesn't the original story show that the 5 who make up the majority ruling in this case do NOT include Scalia no Thomas?

Something about this picture looks funny - notice the out-of-focus edge of the face of the gentleman on the right, yet the absolutely sharp edge of sKerry's face. And sKerry looks significantly better lit than the other gentleman.

Not that I doubt for a minute that sKerry might botch a salute - to use the Dan Blather defense, "While the document may be fake, we fully believe the content." :)

Caption: Is there anyone LEFT in the military who'd vote for me?

You are right - F-35s can't do the same job. You are wrong - the F-35s, namely the STOVL variant which was overweight (not the other two variants), has been redesigned to capture approximately 2700 pounds in direct weight reduction and approximately 600 pounds equivalent reduction by increased engine and airframe performance. This STOVL (short take off and vertical landing) variant will not be overweight.

BTW, given the reports about effectiveness of F/A-22 against F-15s during initial operational test and evaluation exercises, and increased abilities of Indian F-15 pilots against US F-15 pilots, and you will see that F/A-22 is a necessary weapon system. The claim that there is no known system which can compete with it is (1) good - military done right is military that is unmatched, and (2) short-sighted reason to argue for its cancellation. I'd hate to be the person who says to the next President "Gee, if only we'd known that the Russians were building the Mig-nn, we'd have kept the F/A-22."

No, Hatch is the penultimate RINO as claimed. There is a tie between Specter and McCain for ultimate RINO.