Media Blog

Many parts of Asia, the Middle East and north Africa are without Internet access for a second consecutive day after a cable was cut on the bed o... . . .

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Riehl World View

Romney versus McCain Do people really want a vote for Huckabee, of all people, to end the Reagan era of Republicanism? Because, that, and nothing else, would be the result. Without Huckabee, Romney toasts McCain.

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Riehl World View

WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican John McCain says he opposed President Bush's tax cuts because they didn't come with spending cuts. That is not what he said at the time.

In a presidential debate on Wednesday, McCain said he voted against the Bush tax cuts because he wanted to rein in spending.

"I disagreed when we had tax cuts without spending restraint," the Arizona senator said.

The explanation fits with his history of railing against wasteful federal spending. But it does not fit with McCain's comments when he opposed the Bush tax cuts in 2001 and 2003.

In 2001, McCain said the tax cuts favored the wealthy at the expense of the middle class. In 2003, he said there should be no tax cuts until the Iraq war costs were known.

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Riehl World View

Update: Question: How the hell is John "Straight Talk" McCain going to debate Hillary or Obama without being humiliated for having flip-flopped on issues on which he worked with them so closely behind the scenes? We know from watching the Republican debates his responses have been nothing but spin. Should Republicans be comforted that McCain's old pals in the media are going to carry his water without exposing him to the electorate as a serial flip-flopper when he runs against Hillary, or Obama? Not a chance. With McCain comes an angry fall Fall.

Taxes:

Now Barack Obama is getting in on the applause. At Thursday's debate, he lauded McCain for originally voting against the Bush tax cuts.

"But somewhere along the line, the Straight Talk Express lost some wheels and now he is in favor of extending Bush's tax cuts that went to some of the ...   more »

Riehl World View

The Corner has an item up that appears to be false.

Will McCain, who finished 894th out of 899 at the Naval Academy and who lost five jets, return competence to the White House?

I'd wager it comes from this story which mentions his Father getting his wings at age 50.

Slew McCain was so driven that when the navy passed a rule saying only aviators could command a carrier, the old man went to flight school while in his fifties. He crashed five planes before finally getting his wings, and then his carrier. In one Pacific battle, planes under Slew McCain's command sank 49 Japanese ships in a single day.

Some of the Viet Nam details, as with the suicide attempt during captivity can be understood. Some still fault him for his post-Viet Nam escapades. But certainly it was a very difficult time.

When he ...   more »

Riehl World View

Looks like people have finally woken up to the threat to the GOP of a McCain nomination.

Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert questioned John McCain’s Republican credentials today, saying he was always known among the GOP as “the undependable vote” in the Senate and always “allied with Democrats.”

Hastert, an Illinoisan who is backing McCain rival Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination, also had a conference call with reporters earlier in the day in which he said the Arizona senator had changed “after the Keating Five scandal.”

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Riehl World View

So, Arnold Schwarzenegger endorsed John McCain. Just two problems with that - one minor, one a major Oops!

The minor point is about a twenty percent drop in his still decent approval rating, according to a survey dated January 23. He had been up over 60%. But the real laugher?

The Terminator failed to pass much needed health care reform. Um, which guy running for President actually did? Maybe it's a short man thing Arnie and John have going there. After all, Arnold came up short, when Romney didn't.

Next to Massachusetts, only California has come so close to resolving this vexing issue. Schwarzenegger has said he will try again.

Yes, try, again, Arnold. When your state's revenues aren't in decline, the voters don't reject the needed mandates and you get the tax increases required for your plan. Unfortunately, we won't get to ...   more »

Little Green Footballs

Another thread for the Dems’ debate, as Barack Obama promises to always be totally right on Day One.

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Little Green Footballs

It’s Hillary vs. Barack in a political knife fight on CNN, starting right about now. Here’s a first thread for the “debate,” as Obama and Clinton try to outdo each other on the all-important issues of appeasement and surrender.

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Little Green Footballs

Barack Obama has announced that one of his first acts if elected president will be to hold a summit meeting with leaders of Muslim countries, at which he will “listen to their concerns.”

Of course, those concerns will be: “Israel, Israel, Israel, Israel, and Israel.”

At Commentary Magazine’s Contentions blog, Abe Greenwald has some questions for Obama on his latest brilliant plan: Obama’s Muslim Summit.

Reuters reports that if Barack Obama becomes President, he’ll hold a summit with all leaders of Muslim countries:

“Once I’m elected, I want to organize a summit in the Muslim world, with all the heads of state, to have an honest discussion about ways to bridge the gap that grows every day between Muslims and the West.”

Is he planning on doing this before or after bombing Pakistan? Because that could have an effect on that gap he’s talking about. And ...   more »