We're Cooked

Charlie Cook:

Obama is now leading in every state that Al Gore and John Kerry both won, including Michigan, Pennsylvania, Minnesota and Wisconsin, and he is ahead in Iowa, New Hampshire and New Mexico, the three states that went once but not twice for Democrats in 2000 and 2004. He is also ahead in Florida, Colorado and Virginia. If that weren't enough (and it is), he's running basically even in Indiana, Missouri, Nevada, North Carolina and Ohio, and even threatening in Montana, North Dakota and West Virginia.

As things are going now, this election would appear to be on a track to match Bill Clinton's 1992 5.6 percent margin over President George H.W. Bush, the question is whether it gets to Bush's 1988 7.7 percent win over Michael Dukakis or Clinton's 8.5 percent win over Robert Dole in 1996.

Maybe some cataclysmic event occurs in the next two weeks that changes the trajectory of this election, but to override these factors, it would have to be very, very big.

It's True: The Best of America Is Not in Washington, D.C.

It's quite obvious to Sydney Brillo Duodenum, who was born in D.C., grew up in D.C. and now lives but a mile from the D.C. border, that Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, in stating that "the best of America is not all in Washington, D.C.," meant that what makes this country great is not the government (let's call it Washington, D.C., Inc.), but the people of this country, who drive it forward with their work, their families, and their bond to the Founding Principles that they are free and independent and have a right to pursue their individual happiness and safety. In most Americans, that forms a fundamental patriotism, love of country and hope for the future.

Only the assinine and immature would suggest that Gov. Palin was referring to D.C. as opposed to Washington, D.C., Inc. D.C. is a separate thing, a small, incredibly mismanaged but very proud aglomeration of Americans from all over the country mixing with third, fourth and fifth generation inhabitants. Away from the federal morass, it is a small town in many respects, albeit a very liberal small town. A good deal of the people in D.C. make a living working for Washington, D.C., Inc. As we have seen, a fair number of those people think that what's good for Washington, D.C., Inc. is good for the whole country. Certainly not.

Senator Palin said that, "We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation." She is speaking to them as one of them. Washington, D.C., Inc. is not pro-America. It is pro-Washington, D.C., Inc.

She continued; "This is where we find the kindness and the goodness and the courage of everyday Americans. Those who are running our factories and teaching our kids and growing our food and are fighting our wars for us. Those who are protecting us in uniform. Those who are protecting the virtues of freedom." She's speaking of the local, appealing to the local. She's drawing a contrast with Senator Obama who makes appeals to "the nation," to the national community, really the national commune in his mind, as held together by a strong guiding hand - Washington, D.C., Inc.

Mentioned above were the assinine and immature and so let's discuss Senator Biden, but briefly. Senator Biden trying, and aided and abetted by "the media," to turn Gov. Palin's fairly straight forward message into some monstrous, unforgiveable gaffe, bloviates that he is tired of being called unpatriotic, and he's tired of Senator Obama's patriotism being called into question and "We are one nation, under God, indivisible. We are all patriotic, we all love this country." It's very telling that Senator Biden reacts so sensitively, almost as one who occupies a corner suite in Washington, D.C., Inc. and not a resident of a D.C. And what of that type, that resident of a D.C.? Well, just yesterday, Sen. Biden was casting aspersions on the authenticity of Samuel Joe Wurzelbacher, the very type of American Gov. Palin was describing, a man drawn out of his house and to his front lawn to engage the presumptive CEO of Washington, D.C., Inc. with a sensible question about the disposition of the fruits of his labor. But of course, Senator Biden once told us that men like Samuel Joe Wurzelbacher are not patriotic because they are reluctant to pay their fair share of taxes.

"Marinated in Extremism and Corruption"

The Baseball Crank:

Nearly all of Obama's appeal requires his supporters to take on faith that he will do things he has never done. But on the question of whether Obama will ever take a meaningful stand against corruption or waste in his own party or stand up to vested interests and ideological extremists on his own side, we have a certain answer: he has bypassed too many opportunities to do so already. To the contrary, Obama is so thoroughly marinated in extremism and corruption that it would be nearly impossibe to extricate himself and still have a meaningful identity left.

A great source if you have a John O. or a Carol C. or some other fencesitter in your life who has been hypnotized by the Swirling Empty Circle.

CSI: Bullshit

Bill Dyer at Hugh Hewitt's blog puts on rubber gloves and shines a UV light on a fresh corpse:

The Branchflower Report is a series of guess and insupportable conclusions drawn by exactly one guy, and it hasn't been approved or adopted or endorsed by so much as a single sub-committee of the Alaska Legislature, much less any kind of commission, court, jury, or other proper adjudicatory body.

So, for the next week or so, the press will keep this corpse at the crime scene, without a white sheet, for all to see, like state troopers in Maryland who take six hours to clean up some jackass who tried to bound across six lanes of Beltway traffic and leave him out as a lesson to all drivers of what complete and utter pricks they are. There is plenty in this report to be misreported, twisted, manipulated, bent and shellacked.

Meanwhile, the following lay double bagged in deep cold storage in the lowest level of the MSM morgue:

• $800,000 from the Change Agent to ACORN


• Master Ayers and Grasshopper Barack


• Barack Obama's New Party membership card (you mean he's a socialist?!?)


• Obama's relationship to the Fan-Fred Fracas


• ACORN's mass voter fraud in multiple states in support of the kind of campaign that would give it $800,000.


• Parallel Universe President Obama interferring with Real Universe President Bush's Iraq negotiations

David Brooks - Funnier Than Mel Brooks

Sydney Brillo Duodenum went back to his copy of Mr. Brooks' interview with Governor Palin and discovered that Mr. Brooks did not bring up the nuances of Rheinhold Niebuhr in his conversations with that Palin woman. In fact he did not bring up any issues with Governor Palin because he has not interviewed Governor Palin.

Sarah Palin is a cancer. Nay, a "fatal cancer." Well. Thank you for the clarity, Dr. Brooks. Let's all proceed to hospice, shall we?

When has David Brooks sought to flesh out Governor Palin's ideas? Why does he find it acceptable as a conservative mandarin to make judgements based on an interview conducted by that other unsung intellectual Katie Couric? Why did he not pursue such an interview when Palin was elected governor two years ago?

Supposedly, Brooks is to conservative trend spotting as Tom Friedman is to capturing the perfect globalization annecdote. Lately, Brooks has been lamenting the future of conservatism, but one must have a firm sense of the past and present state of something, if one wishes to be taken seriously prognosticating on its future. Brooks never took Palin seriously before she became serious. He missed the last ferry from Gravina. SBD is sure that Mr. Brooks noticed the governor of Alaska a while ago, but his own elitism and myopia prevented him from understanding what and who she represents.

Brooks fancies himself a possible Buckley replacement, but whereas Buckley was indeed a wonderful elitist, in addition to standing athwart history and yelling stop as need be, he also knew how stand with history and let it happen. It also stretches the imagination to believe that Buckley would have said the things that Brooks has said on the eve of a critical election.

And yes, Sydney B. Duodenum is taking notes and making lists, regardless of the way this election breaks. A propos and with thoughts for our Jewish brothers this evening, there will be atonement, either way.

That Palin Woman

Sydney Brillo Duodenum is a great fan of the mysterious man of the East, Spengler. His thoughts on that Palin woman are worth a cut and paste:

"America is the heir to a long tradition of Anglo-Saxon law that began with jury trial and the Magna Carta and continued through the English Revolution of the 17th century and the American Revolution of the 18th. Ordinary people like Palin are the bearers of this tradition.

Outside of the United States, the young governor of Alaska has become a figure of ridicule - someone who did not own a passport until last year and who quaintly believes that her state's proximity to Russia gives her insights on foreign policy. How, my European friends ask, was it possible for such an an ignorant bumpkin to become a candidate for America's second-highest office? They don't understand America. Provincial America depends on the initiative of ordinary people to get through the day.

America has something like an Education Ministry, but it has little money to dispense. Americans pay for most of their school costs out of local taxes, and levy those taxes on themselves. In small towns, many public agencies, including fire protection and emergency medical assistance, depend almost entirely on volunteers. People who tax themselves, and give their own time and money for services on which communities depend, are not easily cowed by the federal government or by large corporations.

Palin's career may look like a poor imitation of a Preston Sturges script, but films such as Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) struck a chord with Americans precisely because the character type of the ordinary man or woman who takes on entrenched interests is instantly recognizable in America.

Palin really did take on the American oil companies and turn the scoundrels out of office. Her predecessor, Frank Murkowski, appointed her to the state oil and gas commission in the apparent belief that a small-town mayor and former beauty queen would rubber-stamp corrupt deals between the state and the Big Oil companies.

Shades of Jimmy Stewart in Mr Smith Goes to Washington, Palin ran against Murkowski and took his job. That does not qualify her to be president, to be sure, but it does show cunning and strength of character. Palin is qualified for high office by temperament if not by education, and is preferable to candidates whose education has made no improvement on their characters."

Election 2008 - October Spearsprise

Sydney Brillo Duodenum follows all news and connects all news. He remains perplexed then as to why no one sees The October Surprise of this election staring at them as they purchase toiletries and consumables:

According to the National Enquirer, Jamie Lynn Spears is with child again. Only one explanation is possible:

The child within the child Spears is being carried on behalf of Bristol Palin, who, because of her Mom's unbelieveable arrogance in accepting the vice presidential nomination and complete backburnering of her family, aborted her child. To avoid scandal, Todd Palin obviously impregnated Jamie Lynn Spears. A switcheroo will be effectuated in the Spring, just in time for the Easter Egg Roll on the White House Lawn.

Based on a few algorithms Sydney Brillo Duodenum has written, modeling recent press reports regarding the shenanigans of the Palin clan, there can be no other answer. In fact, no other theory will be entertained by Sydney Brillo Duodenum lest a complete ban be imposed on the disbelieving.

Isn't that right, Andrew?

Good Lord, That Was A Waste of Time

Sydney Brillo Duodenum finds that time has been squandered this evening watching the latest McCain/Obama debate. He has decided he will not squander additional time commenting on it. It's not worth a post. Others are more suited to that, mostly because they are paid for it.

For a self-flaggelating look at the evening, see the Buckleyites at National Review. For stark raving madness, go to Mordor. For pictures of naked women, see Last of the Few . You know where I'll be.