Have You Heard the One About the Priest?

by Gabe Berman
Gabe is the author of Live Like a Fruit Fly

A priest, a retired meat salesman, a real estate developer and a guy who does business with the Department of Defense walk into a bar.

No, this isn’t a joke.

I was already in the bar and sides were taken. Four conservatives against a liberal.

The priest makes a tongue-in-cheek remark about the president being black. The real estate guy voted for President Obama but now has buyer’s remorse because all of his problems weren’t solved overnight. The meat man lashes out against unions with such venom …

Clinton Defends U.S. Afghanistan Raids After Karzai Asks To Pare Down

After Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai asked the United States to reduce its raids in Afghanistan, they are being defended by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

“On President Karzai’s concerns, we … share these concerns. We’ve discussed them on a number of occasions,” Clinton told reporters. “But we believe that the use of intelligence-driven, precision, targeted operations against high-value insurgents and their networks is a key component of our comprehensive civlian-military operations.”

Karzai told the Washington Post he wants America to reduce its presence, which he believes is too intrusive and is worsening the war effort.

…Karzai said that he wanted …

Obama Out With Children’s Book This Week

President Obama, who has two best-sellers to his name, will release a book for children this week, Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters.

The 31-page book, for kids ages 3 and up, is filled with lyrical questions for Malia, 12, and Sasha, 9, opening with, “Have I told you lately how wonderful you are?”

The book, out Tuesday, is illustrated with Loren Long’s paintings of the Obama girls and their dog, Bo, as well as the 13 famous Americans as kids and grown-ups.

A series of two-page spreads asks questions (“Have I told you that you …

Is “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” A Campaign Ad?

The TLC show featuring Sarah Palin, the one where her family is featured in a reality show that she uses to complain about lack of privacy, can be seen as a set-up for the 2012 presidential election.

The show, an eight-part series that TLC describes as a “family adventure story,” is purported to show viewers the wonders of America’s “final frontier.” But some see “Sarah Palin’s Alaska” as an eight-part campaign ad for a potential future presidential candidate.

Indeed, Palin, who is thought to have earned as much as $1 million per episode, is one of its executive producers …

George W. Bush: “Clinton And I Are Buddies”

The Bush family and the Clinton family are pals.  Speaking with Candy Crowley on CNN, Bush 43 and brother Jeb explain:

“We’re fond of Bill Clinton,” Jeb said. “He’s – I tell you, he’s been incredibly gracious to our dad. And if somebody is gracious to our father – he ingratiates himself to us. And we are grateful to Bill Clinton.”

“Who’da thunk it?” said Crowley. “That’s a pretty bipartisan – I mean, would have going into – I mean, you know, you’re out there restoring honor to the White House and ? “

“Listen, Clinton and I are …

John McCain Hedges On Previous Position On Ending “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”

Senator John McCain, ranking member of the Armed Services Committee, told Chris Matthews in 2006 that he would listen to what military leaders have to say when it comes to ending the policy of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.”

I understand the opposition to it, and I‘ve had these debates and discussions, but the day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, Senator, we ought to change the policy, then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it because those leaders in the military are the ones we give the responsibility to.

After Defense Secretary Robert …

Lindsey Graham: 2014 The More Realistic Date To Leave Afghanistan, But Bases “In Perpetuity”

South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham said on “This Week” he’s happy the Obama administration is revising its leave-date for Afghanistan from 2011 to 2014, because by then the government should be a able to take care of its own security.  Air bases, he says, would remain “in perpetuity.”

“I think in summer of 2011 we can bring some troops home but we’re going to need a substantial number of troops in Afghanistan past that,” Graham told ABC’s Christiane Amanpour.

“2014 is the right date to talk about. That’s when Karzai suggests that Afghans will be in the lead …

I Eliminated The Deficit (And You Can Too)

by Stuart Shapiro

I’m a sucker for fun gimmicks (not accounting gimmicks), so when I saw that the New York Times had an online tool that allowed you to make policy choices I knew I had to play.  With a minimal amount of tinkering, I managed to eliminate the deficit in 2015 and in 2030. I don’t really see the need to eliminate it entirely (a little bit of debt is not a bad thing), but it is clear that current projections are not a realistic option.  And I wanted to see if I could eliminate.  Here are the policies …

My Twitter Trolls

Reactions to my posts vary, but I’m most amused by those who take the time to express their displeasure, and not always in the kindest of terms. Here are some recent Twitter replies.

PatrickGear Patrick Gear Re: Palin’s privacy. Once a credible liberal voice, now you’re acting like @MMFA with the cheap shots. RT @AlanColmes http://bit.ly/cn70AR

DocBruceP Bruce Purmell @AlanColmes Your mind is a welfare state.

Chas_Blakemore Charles Blakemore @AlanColmes Soon, with a far left mentality, the whole nation will be a “welfare state.” By the way, Palin isn’t the governor any longer.

aarongarn Aaron Garn @AlanColmes Alan, you’re …

Sarah Palin Brags About Being “Free” In Alaska On Realty Show. Truth: Alaska Is A Welfare State

“Sarah Palin’s Alaska” premieres Sunday night, but Palin (pictured with son Trig) celebrates an Alaska that bears little resemblance to the real one. Never mind that she whines about her privacy being invaded while doing a reality show. As Michael Daly in the New York Daily News notes:

Alaska gets $1.84 in federal spending for every dollar it pays in federal taxes.

We in New York get just 79 cents on the dollar.

Which means we subsidize Alaska even as it enjoys a $2 billion-plus budget surplus.

…

…on top of a budget surplus, Alaska has a special fund drawn …

U.S. Provided Safe Haven For Nazis

A just-released Justice Department report reveals that the United States provided safe haven for Nazis in the interest of science. The 600-page report, which our government tried to keep secret for years, is available on the New York Times website.

In chronicling the cases of Nazis who were aided by American intelligence officials, the report cites help that C.I.A. officials provided in 1954 to Otto Von Bolschwing, an associate of Adolph Eichmann who had helped develop the initial plans “to purge Germany of the Jews” and who later worked for the C.I.A. in the United States.

…

The report also …