And the Oscar goes to, "The (Con) Artist"...

How in the world was this not recognized at the Academy Awards?

“Obama -Volt '12” LOL

“The fire really helps me get to my destination faster for fear of my life.”

How dare they desecrate the Koran!

So, Afghanistan (and much of the Muslim world) is up in arms over the supposed "desecration" of their holy books. As the story goes, some of the Korans at a detention facility in that dusty hellhole of a country were being used to smuggle secret messages between suspected terrorists/Taliban/POWs. And, apparently, those books that were being desecrated by the Muslim prisoners (by them writing in/on them) were disposed of by NATO/U.S. forces. That, in turn, caused the populace to go nuts...rioting, burning, shooting and murdering (including several U.S. troops).

Just another day in that craphole that is Afghanistan. It's a place where no matter how much America/NATO does right, just the littlest slight sends the locals into apoplexy. (Never mind the fact that the Taliban used to murder and terrorize the populace, left and right...just for the fun of it.)

U.S. President Barack Obama apologized to the Afghan people for the "unintentional Koran burning" --no word as to when the Afghan folks are going to apologize for burning the U.S. flag (above)...

What's interesting is that this supposed charge of "desecration" -- if true -- is nothing compared to what some Muslims do to their "holy" book. Why, just late last year, it was reported that hundreds of holy Korans were tossed into a sewage ditch in Pakistan. A local man was trying to salvage the books. And as you'll see by the video, there are no crowds, mobs or protesters to complain about the treatment of their "holy" books.

Via Free Republic:

From the video: A local Muslim takes the books home and purifies the pages with water but the horrible smell stays on the books for months.

I'll tell you what: the real stink isn't on the books that guy pulled out of the sewer...

(h/t: Gateway Pundit)

Geithner: 'Privilege of Being an American' Is Why Rich Need Higher Taxes

"Turbo Tax Timmy" is at it again.

This time, he explains why some are more equal than others:

"That’s the kind of balance you need," said Geithner. "Why is that the case? Because if you don't try to generate more revenues through tax reform, if you don't ask, you know, the most fortunate Americans to bear a slightly larger burden of the privilege of being an American, then you have to -- the only way to achieve fiscal sustainability is through unacceptably deep cuts in benefits for middle class seniors, or unacceptably deep cuts in national security."

Yeah, no class warfare there, Timmy...

That's OK, he has that effect on us, too...

The guy listening to Vice President Joe Biden (in the video below) deserves some kind of an award...

Eating his words...

In the video below -- from the president's 2008 campaign -- he notes the then-high price for gas ($3.50 a gallon -- now nearing $5 a gallon); he says he doesn't take money from oil companies (he's raked it in from various oil companies, including BP...yes, the same company that vomited up billions of barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico); he says he won't take money from lobbyists (he didn't, but "he has relied on prominent supporters who are active in the lobbying industry to raise millions of dollars for his re-election bid"); he says he would "invest $150 million in alternative energy" (in Solyndra, the failed California solar manufacturing company, his administration lost more than half-a-billion dollars -- alone); he said he'd create 5 million jobs (more than 7 million were lost); and he promised we'd "free ourselves from foreign oil" (he effectively killed the Keystone oil pipeline project -- oil that would have come from our friendly neighbors to the north and created numerous jobs...instead, that oil might now be going to China.)"

Like they say, promises are worth the paper they're (not) written on...

In The Line Of Fire...

From reports by The Daily and The Daily Mail:

Clint Eastwood's Super Bowl ad for Chrysler is under fresh fire from the GOP, after it emerged employees from firm behind the controversial spot worked on President Obama's 2008 campaign. The ad, which declares 'it's halftime in America,' has received mounting criticism from conservatives claiming it was a thinly-veiled nod to the president, who bailed out the auto industry during the recession.

(It's even spawned a host of parodies, including the one below...)

“I am certainly not politically affiliated with Mr Obama,” Eastwood told Fox News on Monday. “It was meant to be a message about just about job growth and the spirit of America. I think all politicians will agree with it.”

In a short statement to the network, the 81-year-old actor and director said he believed the ad was being “spun” by political partisans, though that was never the intention of the clip.

Now, ad agency Wieden+Kennedy is bracing for a backlash, amid reports two of its top creatives donated their time to make pro-Obama artwork. The Daily reports WK's global public relations director, Joani Wardell, also worked in the White House Press Office during the Clinton era and continues to work as a political consultant. Despite what may be perceived as political undertones in the ad, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne insisted it has “zero political content.”

“We are as apolitical as you can make us... and I sincerely hope that it doesn't get utilized as political fodder in a debate,” Marchionne added.

Chrysler's commercial stood out as the automaker sent the veteran actor to strike a serious chord with viewers, among otherwise goofy Super Bowl ads. “People are out of work and they’re hurting And they’re all wondering what they’re going to do to make a comeback. And we’re all scared, because this isn’t a game,” “The Dirty Harry” star says in his roughened growl.

Last year, the Treasury Department reported that taxpayers likely lost up to $1.3billion in the Chrysler bailout. However, the agency touted the finding as a “major accomplishment,”as the government originally predicted that the government would lose $40 billion on the deal, CNN reported.

The parody...

And now the original (below)...

So that's why Iran's nuke facilities keep blowing up

BOOM! LOL!

In the video clip below (a commercial for Samsung’s iPad-like tablet), a Mossad, agent is shown using his device while in Iran – a “strategic” area south of the capital. Following a brief chat about the features of the tablet with several Iranian “women” (actually men from an Israeli TV show), one of them presses on the tablet and accidentally blows up a nearby uranium enrichment plant.

As you can imagine, this leaves the real mullahs and Revolutionary Guard folks in Iran a tad unhappy. Perhaps it's because the incident - one not altogether uncommon recently - is portrayed as being kind of humorous.

“What? Another mysterious explosion in Iran?” one of the characters asks.

Obviously, it’s a nod to a series of recent sabotage efforts at some of Iran’s nuclear and military facilities. Tehran has blamed many of these explosions – as well as assassinations of key nuclear scientists and military leaders - on Israel, saying its nuclear program is being targeted. (Gee, ya think?)

Head of Majlis Energy Committee Arsalan Fat'hipour said the commercial was “insulting” because it suggested its rival was “powerful enough to easily destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities or assassinate the country’s nuclear scientists.” (Like that hasn’t already been happening…)

This bit of lightheartedness isn’t sitting well with Tehran’s lawmakers, including one who said the country’s parliament was considering cutting trade ties to Samsung. (Samsung issued a statement blaming the commercial on a cable operator in Israel.)

Keep up the good work, Mossad/Samsung/Israeli cable TV operator…

(Taken from a story in today’s Washington Post by Elizabeth Flock.)

Happy anniversary, Mr. President!

Three years ago today, President Barack Obama made this promise:

“If I don’t have this done in three years, then there’s going to be a one-term proposition.”

We're waiting...

Words of wisdom

Sometimes, the less said...the better.

In this case, NJ Gov. Chris Christie (R) gets to the root of the problem plaguing his state -- and this country -- with just a few words.

A few, very powerful words.

His talk (video below) is reminiscent of other historical/political/economic observations made by the likes of Churchill, Thatcher and Friedman (to name but a few).

You go, guv!

Before and after...

In this story by CNN, we learn that some folks are concerned that the TSA -- those wonderful folks watching out for us at the nation's airports -- are now intruding on the privacy of folks traveling by rail.

Apparently, the worrywarts aren't focusing on the big problem: the train protection teams (Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response - VIPR) aren't looking for possible bombs...that is before they can be brought aboard trains.

The CNN story's key quote:

"A high-profile example of VIPR's growing pains, transit officials say, is a VIPR-assisted passenger screening a year ago at Amtrak's station in Savannah, Georgia. Instead of screening passengers as they boarded trains -- which is standard security procedure -- officers were screening passengers as they were getting off trains. Security experts know that makes no sense, because potential terrorists probably would be interested in bringing explosives onto trains, not taking them off."

That's some fine security work there, folks!

The Gaffe-inator Strikes Yet Again!

Vice President Joe Biden - the gift (of gaffe) that just keeps on giving.

Listen closely to the clip below as the King of Amtrak does his best politically incorrect version of an Indian accent during his speech in New Hampshire.

You go, Joe!

Do as she says, not as she does...

It's what's expected...

The Daily Show's John Oliver interviews Froma Harrop, the president of the National Conference of Editorial Writers, to find out how to restore civility to America's public discourse.

The results are informative, instructive and hilarious.

Hypocrisy, thy name is Froma...

The Daily Show

Late add on the subject: From the Wall Street Journal's "Best of the Web," which is churned-out by the skillful James Taranto -

Remember Froma Harrop, the civility scold and Baroness Catherine Ashton look-alike who called Tea Party congressmen "terrorists" and couldn't understand why anyone found this hypocritical? She provided us with lots of material last summer and now Comedy Central's "The Daily Show" has recycled it into comedy gold, somehow persuading her to sit for an interview in which she looks utterly ridiculous. You have to watch it to believe it.

A colleague who did watch it posed an interesting question: Was she playing the straight man, or is she really that oblivious? There's no way to know for sure, but based on our back-and-forth with her last year, the hypocrisy and cluelessness ring entirely true.

On the other hand, in previewing the show yesterday on her personal blog, she suggested she was in on the joke: "It's a comedy sketch, needless to say, and the joke will be on me." Then a follow-up comment: "Sure, much of my careful reasoning ended up on the cutting-room floor, but it was fun."

There's no doubt that it was a skillful editing job, but in our dealings with Harrop, she has never proved herself capable of careful reasoning. Our interpretation is that she realizes, at least after the fact, that she looked foolish and is rationalizing it by saying it's only comedy. The true explanation is some combination of obliviousness and the desire to get on television. We are not confident that we can accurately estimate the precise balance of those two factors.

Repeat after me...

During coverage of last night's Iowa Caucus, MSNBC talking head Rachel Maddow used the same phrase over and over and over and over and...well, you get the idea.

Maybe her Teleprompter wasn't working. (If she's their "star," it's no wonder MSNBC sucks in the ratings.)