Where Ya' Been?

It's been three and a half years since I last posted here, but, hey, no time like the present to restart. Just in time to talk about Hakeem Nicks. The former Tar Heel scored his first NFL regular season touchdown on Sunday for the Giants against Kansas City. Just a short reception but a 50+ yard run after the catch. The last Chief left all of his underwear on the turf...

http://www.nfl.com/videos/new-york-giants/09000d5d81321e61/Hakeem-Nicks-54-yd-TD

Pass The Banana Pudding

It's NCAA Tournament time. Your brackets are filled out. You're half paying attention at work to work, half to daydreaming about the tournament. And checking those scores and your picks. HOOO EEEE it's almost time. Pass the banana puddin'.

That comes from Roy Williams on his Tar Heels waiting to find out who, where and when they would play...

"As I said earlier, we had all the team over the house for some dessert and I think Wanda, Joe Holladay and myself were the only ones that clapped [when our name appeared]. The rest of our team just sat there and said ‘Oh, well – we’re a three seed, where do we go play?’ I’ve always wanted something you can’t have, because I’ve wanted the team to be excited, but yet to be so good that we expect that … But I thought with so many freshmen they would be excited, but the guys just sat there and said ‘Pass the banana pudding.’”

So here's to the Tar Heels -- the defending NCAA Champions:

Go Heels! Oh, and would you PTBP!

Bring on the Adults

It's been almost two weeks since an obviously deranged Mohammed Taheri-azar attempted to focus his personal jihad against UNC... oh, wait... against an assembled multitude of persecutory protesters gathered in The Pit ... no? Strike that... against an indescriminate assortment of students and passers by at UNC. I'm confused. Maybe you are too. Taheri-azar was a recent graduate of UNC. Hmm. What, he couldn't get a job in the past couple of months? He must not have been reading through the want ads for C-store ...uh, taxi driver ...er... management or marketing/sales postitions on any number of regional internet websites.

At least he remembered to call 911 and report his accident. I'm not so sure you'll see his name mentioned in any ads from the rental car company who loaned him his weapon uh, Jeep, though. Wonder if he paid with cash or by credit card? Probably won't be featured in any bank card ads, either: "I want to use my miles to go to Chapel Hill?" "NOOOO!" The fact is all nine persons directly shaken up in the botched terrorist attack thankfully ended up alright, due to the fact Taheri-azar was inept at accomplishing his task. See any possible connection to the job question, earlier?

What does not surprise me in the least is the flaccid reaction at ground zero+300 yards (South Building - Campus Administration). It was so typical of the former music teacher turned Chancellor that the "incident" not upset people needlessly. Didn't want to call it what it was. Just like most campus elites who were and still are likely thinking, "besides, we must try to 'understand' what terrible confliction must be going on in the young man to cause him to lash out that way, don't you know". No I don't.

Of course the word "terrorism" wasn't and still likely won't be uttered in any official response, even though the Feds investigating it say it was. The obvious feeling is along the lines of, "we must be cautious to diffuse any potential retaliatory reaction, you see." Um hmm.

What's next? Holding hands around a bonfire ooops, can't do that on campus any more... giant pile of picked wild flowers... wait, the environmentalists would have a fit... no, across campus... yeah, that's it... "Hands Across UNC"... and then everyone can sing "Kum ba ya" or even "We Are The World", and feel as if a major breakthrough in international policy has been reached. Must... head... off... any... potential... backlash... against... a... peaceful... religion... (out of breath, sorry) Look, this has nothing to do with Muslims in general, nor the religion of Islam. The problem is as it HAS been: with Islamic fundamentalist-extremist-jihadists.

The "We Are The World" direction does come through in this Daily Tar Heel editorial from last Friday, don't you think?

Yeah, by all means, let's NOT confuse our carefully tailored view of what happened with what Teheri-azar actually said it was. Good grief! Where are the ADULTS in Chapel Hill? Does this kind of reaction make you really feel safe? I hope not. No offense, but it's time to grow a big pair, Meez, and start showing some leadership here. [I can think of the beginning of a speech, if you'd like it... by all means, Chancellor, wrap your mouth around this: "There was and is no excuse whatsoever for that sort of activity on the part of Mr. Teheri-azar, and we intend to see him punished to the fullest extent of the law. No one: no student, no faculty member, staff member, or visitor should EVER feel uncertain about his or her safety on this campus. I have today called for a review of the current security systems, and will personally lead a task force made up of campus, community and state law enforcement and security experts to ensure our campus is made as safe as sanely possible..."] Well, it would be a start, but oh no, much better to take a break and hope the heat dies down by the time classes resume. Good luck on that one.

RIP x 2

In the past couple of weeks, two men who spent time on the sidelines in Chapel Hill have passed on to the great stadium in the sky. One left Carolina for Annapolis and a 33 year career as an assistant at the Naval Academy. The other went on to become a head coach at the collegiate and professional level, and was known as the architect of the "Steel Curtain" defense of the mighty Pittsburgh Steelers of the '70's -- winners of four Super Bowls.

The first man's son has won three Super Bowls as a head coach, including the last two. Steve Belichick, 86, died November 19th. He had been an assistant at UNC from 1953-55 under George Barclay.

Bud Carson (UNC '52), died Wednesday at 75. He coached at UNC under Jim Tatum ('57-'58), and Jim Hickey ('59-'64). They were both consummate professionals and no doubt were great influences on many young (and not so young) men they coached throughout their careers. Thanks for what you accomplished, and may you both rest in peace.

A Tale... (Part 2)

Before launching into this past weekend's escapades in College Football Carolina Style, a couple of addendums to last week.

1 - If you think going to Knoxville to play Tennessee isn't difficult, even when the Vols are having an off year, then you've definitely been smoking some illegal weed. With 110 thousand (or is it a million) screaming psycho hillbillies and yacht owners packed into the biggest football stadium in the South, even when UT is having a dud of a season concentration is a problem. But you've got to hand it to Darth Visor (aka Steve Spurrier), he had his a-game going comedy wise, not to mention doing a fine job of keeping his team's eye on the prize. The best line of the week was delivered by Spurrier to UT coach Phil Fulmer: According to the Ol' Ball Coach, "I told Phil, 'I could come in here and kick his ass with Duke!'" Which he did in '89. Did it numerous times with the Gators. Did it last Saturday with the Gamecocks. It ain't braggin' if you can back it up!

2 - Looks like North Carolina's loss at Miami the previous week wasn't really 'bad' after all. Yes, not a good thing to blow a 16-7 halftime lead, but understandable against the 'Canes. And an 18 point loss in Miami doesn't look so bad compared to what Miami did to then #3 ranked Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Saturday. It was never closer than 0-0. Final score a 27-7 spanking by the Hurricanes -- vaulted them from 6th to 3rd in the AP poll this week.

As for this past Saturday, another road win for OBC (Ol' Ball Coach) on the road (although against a not-so-good Arkansas team that's been struggling this year). South Carolina's now bowl eligible with that 6th win (2 more games to go), so no telling what the final tally will be yet. Just don't bet against 'em.

And don't bet against an improbable run by North Carolina's Tar Heels. For the second time in three weeks the 'Heels played a ranked opponent at home. First time they beat #23 Virginia 7-5. Last Saturday they managed another 2-point win over #19 Boston College. It really wasn't that close: 16-7 until BC scored with less than a minute left. We'll take it though. Next up, Maryland at Chapel Hill. The current "most crucial game in John Bunting's career". Win it and move to 5-4 with 2 games to go -- and one win away from bowl-eligible in a season the experts said would find Carolina lucky to win 2 or 3 games. Go 'Heels!!!!!

Then came Sunday. The Carolina Panthers wax Tampa Bay 34-14, a magnificent completion of a great weekend for "Carolina Football" -- three different ways!

It should also be said I was most pleased to see that old friend and former teammate Rod Broadway got two big presents on Saturday: his North Carolina Central Eagles won the CIAA title with a come-from-behind win over Bowie State, and in the process set a new school record, the first ever 10 win season at NCCU. Way to go, "Funky"! He's a great guy, a terrific coach, and a wonderful representative for his school.

A Tale of Two Coaches

Coaching college football has to be one of the most difficult civilian jobs in terms of what you have to do to keep it and the material with which you're working. There are, and have been, a few men who have reached the pinnacle of success in the field, whose every decision has seemingly been "the right one". But the majority find every decision questioned. No matter the degree of success or failure, there's someone out there who a) thinks you're an incompetent boob, b) thinks the old alma mater screwed-up royally by hiring you, c) if you do have success you're incredibly "lucky", because of a and b, and d) swears he'll not send another dime to the school until you're gone. With supporters like that, who needs arch-rivals?

Last year until the last weekend in October, the word at UNC was John Bunting was going to be history by the end of the season.
Yeah, the word went, he's an old alum, he's a really great guy, but man we NEED a FOOTBALL COACH.

Rumor had it that some big wig alums were spotted on the golf course with "the Ol' Ball Coach" (Steve Spurrier) and "Visor Boy" was already checking out the available housing in Chapel Hill. That was the word until Bunting went and screwed that up by knocking-off #4 Miami 31-28 on Halloween weekend, turning around the season, saving his job, pointing the program "in the right direction" and bagging the schools BIGGEST WIN EVER. Not bad for someone "who's a nice guy, but can't coach".

Fast forward to this past weekend. Unlike last year, there's no real pressure on Bunting and the Heels as they travel to South Florida for the rematch with now #6 Miami. For the first half it's all UNC, as the D forces three interceptions and gets a safety when the ball is centered over the head of the Hurricane quarterback and gets out of the end zone. 16-7, Heels at the half. Could have been 23-7 if a wide open receiver catches a perfectly thrown pass. That last line has been a recurring theme this year. (That's one of the things that makes it a frustrating job. And remember, these are 18-22 year olds, not seasoned professionals!) Second half, different story. Miami's Larry Coker must have pulled out every stop in lighting a fire under the Canes, because the 2nd half was 27-0, Miami. Dreams of two in a row over Miami go up in flames. But then again, how many teams actually beat Miami in the Orange Bowl anyway? Precious few.

The cat calls on the message boards were getting crazy even during the game: Worst coach ever. What's wrong with the Heels? Can't they do anything right? And that was even in the first half! ENOUGH. 3-4 on the season with four games left is not the end of the road. Tough climb, yes. But not the end. After all, with the schedule UNC had this year, most EXPERTS said they'd be lucky to win 3 games. Already have that, could win as many as 7 if things fall into place down the stretch. Give the man a break. He DOES have the program moving in the right direction. Remember, even if he's 11-0 SOMEONE won't be happy with "the direction of the program". in the end, he'll do just fine.

As for "Visor Boy", what happened to him? Well you see, after UNC beat Miami last year, (so the story goes) Lou Holtz invited Spurrier for a round of golf at Augusta National. Told him he was going to retire at South Carolina at the end of the season. Supposedly said there was only one guy he'd want to see take his place. Deal made. So, you say, how's the "Ol' Ball Coach" doing these days? He's hasn't got the program where he wants it yet, but it's making progress. I can tell you our daughter is happy about it since he's coaching for her school. And she says she'll take 16-15 over Tennessee in Knoxville any day of the week. I think he'll be okay in his new job.

Pulled!

Harriet Miers has asked the President to withdraw her name from consideration for SCOTUS. Conservatives are breathing again. The loud debate over her nomination was NOT a crackup on the right, despite the wishes of liberals -- it was merely a very loud disagreement.

Now maybe one of the "A-listers" will be the next nominee, and we can look forward to a blow-up on the left.

Where's the "U"?

Hmmm? That's what a lot of college football viewers will probably be saying on Saturday when the North Carolina Tar Heels travel to Miami to play the Hurricanes. It's homecoming at U Miami, and in honor of that, the U has opted to use "throwback" uniforms for the game. They are replicas of the 1967 uniform worn by NFL Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks when he was a star linebacker at the U. Before the U logo came into being. Before the U was feared. The Miami throwback helmets are gold with replica hurricane flags on the sides and a green stripe down the middle. Not so intimidating.
Curious thing... Isn't the not only one of the most recognizable logos in college football, but a constant on-field reminder of Miami football glory (5 National Championships from 1983-2001)and dominance? You want to give that up, even for one game? For homecoming? Against North Carolina?

Miami quarterback Kyle Wright and offensive lineman Rashad Butler modeled the throwback uniforms recently for the media. Head Coach Larry Coker's assessment? "Damn sure better win. That's all I can say."

Maybe North Carolina can bring a little "throwback" of their own to Miami's homecoming -- say to a homecoming game at UNC -- October 30, 2004.

Better Late Than Never

I see that Michelle Malkin was able to tear her attention away from Harriet Miers, Wilma and the P(F)lame Game to finally report something we noted here Friday evening. We updated that thanks to continued scratching on the part of many, including Jon Sanders at the John Locke Foundation, the higher-ups at NC State got around to officially condemning "Kamau the Exterminator's" racially inflammatory comments. Way to stay on top of the news, Michelle.

Deee-fense!

Two weeks removed from a 69-14 pasting at the hands of Louisville, and the result is as different as night and day. Carolina's Tar Heels had to face the elusive Marques Hagans and Virginia. Judging by the teams' last games (UVa had upset Florida State last week, 26-21) and hearing the media sports gurus tell it looked as though it would shape up to be a long afternoon for the light blue. On the other hand, you had to wonder what the Vegas oddsmakers knew when the game was listed as a "pick-'em". Turns out they were right.

Final score in Beautiful Kenan Stadium, 7-5, Carolina. How about those Tar Heels, huh? Lowest score in a winning effort since John Bunting was a senior linebacker (1971) and the 'Heels stopped Wake Forest in the very same stadium, 7-3.

Well not much time to savor this one, as Miami is next up at the Orange Bowl next Saturday at 3:37pm (ABC). For the moment, both teams are tied for second place in the ACC Coastal Division at 2-1 behind Virginia Tech (4-0). Hopefully it will be another great contest like last year's 31-28 game. Right down to the wire.

Pic-o-the-Week

Has to be former House Speaker (R, TX) Tom DeLay's mugshot photo:



Looks to me as though the caption should read: "Tommy DeLay, recently named President of the local Rotary Club."


[Picture source: Powerline]

Liberal Thinking and Higher Education

"Former" NC State Visiting Professor (and I use the P word loosely) Kamau Kambon's speech last Friday at Howard University in Washington, DC, has many scratching their collective heads. For the record, Kambon proposed the extermination of white people. Because, of course you know among other things that white people are the scourge of the planet. This has long been a token "truth" among liberal intellectual elites: Columbus ruined the Western Hemisphere, bringing disease that killed indigenous peoples, etc., etc. Therefore it's only "reasonable" to expect that NC State University's pointy-heads would relish having someone with Kambon's intellectual take on things teaching its students.

Having taken a few courses in West Raleigh over 30 years ago, myself, I cannot fathom such. The climate apparently was much different then -- Textiles, Engineering, Agriculture, Architecture, Design and Computer Science -- those were among the most popular majors then. We'd never heard nor thought of such a major as "Africana Studies". My how times must have changed. Of course, "Women's Studies" and "African-American Studies" were not majors at UNC-Chapel Hill when I was a student here in the following few years, either.

I'm not so sure Kambon would have gotten away with such clearly inflamatory speech in the early to mid '70's, but what do I know? We were trying to get out of going to Vietnam, and looking for whatever it was that we would be happy doing for the next 40-50 years. We were too busy to try to figure out how to dispose of 87% of the American population.

Whoever thought Kambon had anything relevant to "teach" to NC State University students ought to be relieved of his or her tenure. Baring that, a public embarrassment would be in order. Maybe on State's Jumbotron at the next game at Carter-Finley with his/her picture and the caption "You're **$PO@#(&%) FIRED" underneath. And how about let's not give this "educator" any more input on future hirings of visiting professors, huh?

UPDATE (Fri, 10/21/05 at 8pm): According to Jon Sanders at The John Locke Foundation, the NC State Provost (Larry Nielsen) has released the following statement on Kambon's inflamatory speech:

"The remarks recently attributed to one of our former employees do not in any way represent the values and standards of the university. This type of speech is counter to any reasoned discussion on the issue of race relations, and is absolutely unacceptable in the NC State community."

Good. Now, as for whomever thought he'd be a good addition to the faculty "pool"... see above!

Permissive, Accepting Asheville

What used to be known as "The Land of the Sky" will now be known by its newly approved slogan, "Any Way You Like It". Is it just me, or does that have a somewhat "adult" connotation to it? No doubt from here on out they'll also be borrowing from Las Vegas, "anything that happens in Asheville STAYS in Asheville".

Worst. Postulating. Ever.

The left is losing it again. This time over their hypeful reportalizing* on the Fitzgerald investigation into which evil Republican operative mean-spiritingly outed Valerie Flame. It is becoming a literal orgy on the left, fanned by stories in The Washington Post and on US News.com.

As noted yesterday by National Review Online's, Byron York, there is a distinct excitement among those in the "reality-based" community. And the speculating is getting fierce. Check out the giddiness in this tome from Chris Matthews. While you're at it, check out this hyperventilated game of connect-the-dots by Matthews on MSNBC today. Not only does he continue to echo the DU/dKos/Deaniac left (albeit in a more polite choice of words) "Bush lied, people died", "Joe Wilson had the goods on WMD", "Cheney is making the decisions and telling Bush what to do", and on and on, he's reaching for straws. Unbelievable.

The left SO wants Bush and Cheney to be disgraced, thrown out of office and taken away in handcuffs and leg irons, that they'll do just about ANYTHING to make that happen. Including misreading the silence coming from the Fitzgerald investigation. No report coming equals indictments all the way to the top! Don't believe it? Read about it here in today's New York Times.

It will be really be hysterical if and when Fitzgerald actually says "there was no crime here". In the words of Bugs Bunny, "what a bunch of maroons!"

*Hypeful reportalizing = hyped-up wishful-thinking editorializing masquerading as "reporting" the facts.

UPDATE (Wed 10/19/05 at 11pm): Something I missed earlier (Sorry!) The Washington Post apparently noticed the huge excitement it had helped build on the left and properly noted it as a bit premature.

UPDATE 2 (Thurs 10/20/05 at 8:45pm): Great line in the first paragraph of this report on the Plame Affair from Investors Business Daily:

"Politics: As special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald's mandate expires, Karl Rove's only crime may be not that he 'outed' Valerie Plame as a CIA operative but that he exposed her husband, Ambassador Joe Wilson, as a liar."

Elitism on Parade

There has been an ongoing debate at The Corner on National Review Online over the past several days about just what qualifies as proving someone is an elitist or not. Suffice it to say the funniest comment by far is here in this quick post by Kathryn Jean Lopez.

From my observations in this, one of the most liberal (and therefore elitist) hang-outs on the east coast (Chapel Hill), I'll go along with that. Probably 90 percent of the Kedwards voters supporters from '04 still are driving around with Kerry/Edwards stickers on their Volvos, Lexi and Priuses. Then again, there are an awful lot of W-04 stickers still on SUV's! I'd say the latter takes a lot more conviction than the former.

Supreme Rumblings

Perhaps I was a bit premature when I postulated last week it might be time for the Bush Administration to throw in the towel on Harriet Miers. I'll admit to being more willing to see what happens than that post let on. The general tone was pretty hard on the President, as he probably deserved -- and has been getting from many on the right. But, I will say it came from having heard so much carping from usually thoughtful conservatives.

So, what's the story now? Well, it still may come to that, but I am willing to see what happens. I must admit it's still not looking all that good for Ms. Miers making it to the hearings -- note the tone of Judge Robert Bork's scathing editorial in the Wall Street Journal today (H/T:Captain's Quarters). However, some of the harsher critics on the right appear to be moderating a bit.

John Podhoretz has been a frequent critic of the Miers pick, but sounds a note of caution to those who place a lot of stock in the Bork viewpoint. The same could also be said for "The Great One" , who went out of his way yesterday to help explain the opposition.

Monotonous Misinformation

It's getting pretty difficult to turn on the radio here in central North Carolina without hearing someone railing against those eeeeeevvvvviiiilllll BIG OIL companies. Just this morning Kevin Miller, morning host at Raleigh's WPTF, said -- for about the eight zillionth time -- the high gas prices in North Carolina can't be due to anything other than the "obscene profits" being made by BIG OIL, while allowing that maybe they're also due in part to the rediculous sliding scale state gas tax (referenced before in this blog).

As part of this morning's segment on high gas prices, Miller continued to extoll on the virtues of his "solution" to part of the problem -- the gas tax one: eliminate it one day a week or a month. Oh yeah, that would really work now, wouldn't it? Tell me you don't think if folks knew the gas prices were going to drop 27 cents on Monday (and then go back up Tuesday) there wouldn't be gas lines all over the place on Monday, maybe even people out late Sunday night or early Monday to beat the crowds. There would likely be some demand- caused shortages on Monday, too, which would lead to even higher prices on Tuesday than there otherwise would have been. In fact, you could expect gas prices to go up during the day Monday, since the artificially caused increases in demand would create upward pressure on the price at the pump. Don't believe me? Check out this earlier post here. If you'd rather seek assurances from an outside source, check here and here (the last one's just for fun).

[Thanks to George Leef for the link to the Lehman essay.]

A Pyrrhic Victory in the Offing?

Where do we go from here? It's time to face the fact that Harriet Miers will not likely make it to the confirmation process in her short, but highly charged time as a Supreme Court nominee. Despite the reasoned calls from a number of people on the right (and even on the left) who are willing to see what happens at the confirmation hearings, the nomination is sunk. The majority of conservative pundits (from most of the National Review Online contributors to John Fund at the Wall Street Journal to Ann Coulter and Rush Limbaugh and on and on) are going to force the issue. Period.

There's just no way at this point either President Bush or Harriet Miers can pacify those whose pen and microphone have spoken and continue to speak so forcefully against her. In fact, any further delay from the inevitable will cause even more damage to the President and his ability to govern for the remainder of his term.

Rightly or wrongly, there is nothing whatsoever to be gained by continuing this battle. Whether or not Harriet Miers would prove to be a decent conservative justice is, at this point, totally irrelevant. Like it or not, there is only one way out: either President Bush or Harriet Miers must withdraw her name from consideration.

Given that inevitabiliy, some who have screamed the loudest will cheer in a perceived victory. But, there is no silver lining in this dark cloud. Reread that last sentence. What has happened over the last week and a half will leave its ugly mark on future Supreme Court nominations, most of all the immediate one.

Let's assume for a moment those rumors yesterday -- noted in this blog and elsewhere -- are true: that some of those "a-team" potential Supreme Court nominees did decide not to put themselves or their families through what looked to be a tough nomination battle. Let's further say it was two potential nominees who declined. With that and the fact the Miers nomination will be pulled due to the tantrum on the right, what then? How can any clear-thinking indidvidual believe any of the other "a-team" possibles would agree to be the next nominee?

Because of that, I think it is very likely the next nominee will also not be an "a-lister". And avoiding a Pyrrhic Victory for those who fought so hard to derail Miers is also highly unlikely. One can almost hear the words of King Pyrrhus today, "one more such victory and I am lost". I hope the "winners" will be able to handle the future. It's surely not going to be pretty.

Keeping Mum on the Strategy

The biggest problem for the White House in the Miers fiasco has been the sharp stinging reaction it has received from so many supporters on the right. They expected a flurry of negative press and posts from the MSM and left wing blogosphere, but had no clue of the scope of the reaction they would receive from the conservative side. It has left the White House gasping at straws. Because they don't understand why the right doesn't "get it" here. It's the presumption that the base should just know and implicitly understand the reasoning without having it explained to them. We've seen it before. On too many occasions.

In the past it has seemed that whenever liberals have tossed rediculous accusations about (Republicans want to take away your Social Security check, put Grandma on the street, kill your babies, take away school lunches, make you drink dirty water and breathe dirty air, whatever the asinine claim), conservatives ALWAYS IGNORED the chatter and assumed the right and center would see through the hysteria. It sometimes bothered quite a few on the right that the Republicans didn't defend themselves more. Sometimes it was a miscalculation.

In this instance, you have to know the White House understands the stakes here are just as high or higher as any previous time. So why aren't they making a concerted effort to dispell any concerns coming from the right with concrete thoughtful answers? I submit they can't afford to.

It's like pulling the star player out of the game at a critical moment and having everyone question your motives before the next play. Coaches can't stop the game and explain why the commentators and fans "don't get it". They presume the decisions they make are the correct ones. Even if they take a bunch of flack for making them. In fact, if they did stop and explain, then the other team would know why it's happening and adjust accordingly. I submit it's similar here.

I've noted previously (and others have as well) nose counting in the Senate may well be the real reason for this nomination. For whatever reason, the President does not believe he could get one of the "superstar" conservative candidates through the Senate, and a lost vote on a Supreme Court nominee would be a crushing defeat for both the President AND the conservative movement. He also knows his Dad made a foolish pick with someone with whom he was unfamiliar, but came with high recommendations (Souter). He knows a repeat would be just as devastating.

So he picks someone he KNOWS and TRUSTS. Someone he knows so well he's certain of how she thinks and how she will perform in her new job. But he can't disclose all of this because Harry Reid and the rest of the Democrats on the Committee and in the Senate THINK Miers will be another O'Connor, and that suits them just fine. In fact, they know another O'Connor would be the best possible outcome for them given THIS President.

Only the President holds all the cards on this. He knows what they don't. He's sure of it. He knows Miers is the best possible choice because he can fool the other side into going along with him. But he had to know the base wouldn't like it initially. I submit was part of the calculation, because it would serve to encourage the left into being certain they're getting the best they could ever expect. The negative reaction from the base is much more vocal and sustained than the White House could have expected, but remember: they can't say WHY. Because they don't want to give away the play.

So we get the lamest excuses: "she broke the glass ceiling", "it's sexism", "it's elitism". Because they can't really say why -- until that unknown substitute player takes the "safe" off-tackle dive play and turns it into a 65 yard touchdown run. Then the coach is called a "genius". By the same people who called him an "idiot" moments before.

Does that help?

The Alternative Universe: A REALLY Scary Place

Okay, so it's now been over a week since President Bush committed political suicide. I GET it, okay? He didn't want to keep being President, but couldn't stand seeing the brilliant intellectual John Effen Kerry win last November. Right? Makes sense, doesn't it? Yeah, that's got to be it. I mean, we know he just doesn't care about the future. That's why he gave us a new Chief Justice we didn't know much about until the hearings. He hates minorities. That's why he put Condie Rice in place of Colin Powell. Why we're stuck in the quagmire of Viet Nam Iraq. Why he was so slow to act before and after Katrina wiped out part of the Deep South. He lets Dick Cheney call all the shots, and Dick's been away for a while so he's had to make a few choices. That's why he tapped his two-bit lawyer friend from some third-rate law school to take O'Connor's swing-seat on the Supreme Court. Why he wants to ruin Social Security. Doesn't care about your kids' future. Hates old people. Wants Grandma to starve. Yeah, it all fits together. He's stupid. He wants the country to go into the dumper. He's a right wing nut case. What other "well-reasoned" garbage can we throw on President Bush's funeral pyre?

I have read plenty of just that sort of intellectual vapidity all over the internet in the last week. The shocking thing is I've only been repeating the sort of chatter I've been reading on the supposedly conservative web sites. Some coming from bloggers and political commentators, but most coming in the form of responses from the so-called "readers" of those websites. Most who claim to be conservative or moderate. All because of the nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court.

The meltdown is unlike anything I've ever seen before. It's like all of the dKos/DU/Michael Moore/Deaniac/Whacko-fringe-leftist rants have finally taken hold on the right. Therefore, it must be true: the left has won the intellectual war for the heart and soul of this country. Everyone hates Bush now. Or am I missing something here?

Just think where we'd be now if George W. Bush had not been reelected last November. I can tell you where: we'd be talking about President Kerry's pick for Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: Hillary Clinton. And even though she's probably even less qualified from the standpoint of all of those measures being applied to Harriet Miers, you know the left would be rallying around the next superstar to join the Supreme Court, and the media would be falling all over itself proclaiming her again as "the smartest woman in America -- if not the WORLD". No doubt. By the way, she'd be joining the court along with previously nominated and approved intellectual Laurence Tribe, who was tapped to fill the O'Connor seat when she announced her retirement. Yeah. Just think about that for a minute before you keep up the dumping on President Bush and Harriet Miers. Do you really think his choice is such a bad thing, now?