This is why he's The Man...

I've never heard of a singer offering refunds to his fans before.

After a subpar performance Monday night in Value City Arena, Neil Diamond yesterday apologized and offered refunds to the 11,000 people who attended the concert.

"Dear Fans in Columbus," the singer said in a statement, "I haven't let you down before, and I won't let you down now. Until you hear from me again remember, You are the sun. I am the moon. You are the words. I am the tune. Forgive me. I love you. Neil."

Diamond, whose voice was extremely hoarse throughout the show, said yesterday that he is suffering from acute laryngitis. Ordered by doctors to rest his voice, he canceled his two other shows this week -- today in Green Bay, Wis., and Friday in St. Louis.

Not sure how many people will actually request one, but it's refreshing to see a singer acknowledge a subpar performance and offer refunds to his fans.

Only time will tell

The Bush administration has effectively abandoned its staunch Pakistani ally, President Pervez Musharraf.

Even before Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's resignation on Aug. 18, President Bush cut loose his old ally in hopes that Pakistan will end up a stable democratic ally like South Korea or the Philippines.

Let's take another look at history for a minute. The Shah of Iran was also very much a pro-American ally, even though most of the Iranian people were not. In 1979, U.S. President Jimmy Carter dropped his support for the Shah, which ultimately led to the Islamic Revolution, and gave birth to the militant Islam that we all know and love today. Surely we're not stupid enough to do this again? Right?

In June, the White House announced Mr. Bush had spoken on the phone with Mr. Musharraf and urged him to stay in the presidency. Last week, with his position crumbling, Mr. Musharraf tried to call Mr. Bush at least twice, according to Pakistani sources. Mr. Bush did not take the calls.

Uh oh. Maybe we are...

The stakes could not be higher. Pakistan already has nuclear weapons. It is a central front in the war on terror. And it is besieged by Islamic extremists who already have a secure operating base in the country.

Only time will tell. Maybe the next president will have enough foreign policy experience and foresight to handle what might happen.

Let's just hope.

Ya gotta have friends!

Posted on TNOYF.

I'm voting Democrat!!!

I couldn't help but steal this post from Moonbattery. It's a gem! While I think some of the posts on Moonbattery are a bit too "right", even for my tastes, THIS one is dead-on...a great way to sum up the Democratic party's talking points. Cheers, Oaio!

Tragic news: Moonbattery has lost a treasured reader to the Dark Side. Oiao reports on his conversion:

NOW, I see the light! 'Change we can believe in.'

I'm voting Democrat because I believe the government will do a better job of spending the money I earn than I would.

I'm voting Democrat because freedom of speech is fine as long as nobody (except a Christian or a conservative) is offended by it.

I'm voting Democrat because when we pull out of Iraq I trust that the bad guys will stop what they're doing because they NOW think we're good people.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that people who can't tell us if it will rain on Friday CAN tell us that the polar ice caps will melt away in ten years if I don't start riding the subway.

I'm voting Democrat because I'm not concerned about the slaughter of millions of babies so long as we keep all death row inmates live.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that business should NOT be allowed to make profits for stockholders (pension funds, 401K's, etc). They need to break even and give the rest away to the government for redistribution as government bureaucrats see fit.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe three or four pointy headed elitist liberals need to rewrite the Constitution every few days to suit some fringe kooks who would NEVER get their agendas past the voters.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that when the terrorists don't have to hide from us over THERE, and they come over HERE (and they WILL!), I don't want to have any guns in the house to fight them off.

I'm voting Democrat because I love the fact that I can now marry whatever I want. (I've decided to marry the Olsen Twins — both of them — AND their dog!)

I'm voting Democrat because I believe oil companies' profits of 4% on a gallon of gas are obscene, but the GOVERNMENT TAX on gas at 18% isn't.

I'm voting Democrat because I don't want the USA to drill for oil off its own shores to preserve its economic freedom but will allow other countries that choice!! … and even let foreign countries drill off of OUR OWN coast — like China is doing off Florida!!

I'm voting Democrat because I want the Congress to take a vacation to avoid a vote on off-shore drilling.

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that 143 days in the US Senate is enough experience for a person to run the whole country!! (For a CHANGE)

I'm voting Democrat because we need a leader with the wisdom that tells us that if we just put more air in our tires instead of drilling for more oil that we can save as much oil as if we drilled new wells. This is the wisdom of 'Change.' WOW!

I'm voting Democrat because I want to PAY for illegal alien health insurance, illegal alien car insurance, illegal alien education, etc. This too, is the wisdom of 'Change'! DOUBLE WOW!

I'm voting Democrat because I want to pay reparations to all the people who once had ancestors who were ever treated poorly (only hyphenated Americans need apply), now that we've apologized to them. TRIPLE WOW!

But mostly I'm voting Democrat because I'm mad at anyone who makes more money than me; and I expect the government to PUNISH them by taking the extra and giving it to me. In fact, I should quit working and let the government give ME even more. QUADRUPLE WOW!

That's 'Change' we can believe in!

See ya at the DNC next week.

We're too dumb??

The Mighty Bill Maher has spoken..."Americans are too dumb to be governed."



This from the guy who had his talk-show canceled after he insinuated that the terrorist hijacker pilots were braver than the U.S. military, just 6 days after 9/11.

"We have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly."

Bill is obviously a member of the Blame America First club, where we are the root of all evil. What's he gonna do once the media elects the Obamessiah in November? With the wave of a magic wand, some pixie dust, and a little hope and change, the whole world will like us again and peace will envelop the planet. Poor Bill will have nothing left to bitch about.

Above his pay-grade, indeed

No wonder he wants to keep debate forums scripted, predictable, and teleprompted. When forced to have a meaningful debate with John McCain, Barack Obama's inexperience and shallowness comes through loud and clear. In May, Obama told McCain he would be glad to debate him "anywhere, anytime," but has so far rejected McCain's challenge of 10 one-on-one town hall debates. While John McCain excels in open, candid, town hall-style debates, Obama prefers to hide behind his teleprompter.

The two candidates had a protodebate last week in the Saddleback Civic Forum. The pastor of the Saddleback Church, Rick Warren, was the moderator. I'm not sure I like the idea of a presidential debate taking place in a religious setting like this, but both candidates did agree to it.

Here's just a few highlights:

Question: Does evil exist and if so, should we ignore it, negotiate with it, contain it or defeat it?

Obama:Evil does exist.
I mean, we see evil all the time. We see evil in Darfur. We see evil sadly on the streets of our cities. We see evil in parents who have viciously abused their children and I think it has to be confronted. It has to be confronted squarely and one of the things that I strongly believe is that, you know, we are not going to, as individuals, be able to erase evil from the world. That is God's task. And I think one thing that's very important is having some humility in recognizing that, you know, just because we think our intentions are good doesn't always mean that we're going to be doing good.

Obama's reply made no reference to Iraq, Iran, al Qeda, or terrorism. Rather than confront the evil we face, he'd rather humbly blame America first.

McCain: Defeat it. Couple points - one, if I’m President of the United States , my friends, if I have to follow him to the gates of hell, I will get Osama bin laden and bring him to justice. I will do that and I know how to do that. I will get that done. No one should be allowed to take thousands of American -- innocent American lives. Of course evil must be defeated. My friends, we are facing the transcendent challenge of the 21-century, radical Islamic extremists. Not long ago in Baghdad, al-Qaeda took two young women who were mentally disabled and put suicide vests on them, sent them into a marketplace and by remote control, detonated those suicide vests. If that isn't evil, you have to tell me what is.

There you have it. McCain vowed to chase bin Laden to the gates of hell. He recognizes the evil and vows to defeat it, rather then coddle it and blame America first.

Question:At what point is a baby entitled to human rights?

McCain: At the moment of conception. I have a 25-year pro-life record in the congress, in the senate. And as President of the United States , I will be a pro-life President and this presidency will have pro-life policies. That's my commitment; that's my commitment to you.

No ifs, ands, or buts. Agree with his belief or not, at least he told us exactly where he stands.

Obama:Well, I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade.

Above your pay-grade? You've got to be kidding us, right? You actually imply that there are decisions that you don't get paid enough to make, and yet we're supposed to believe you are ready to be president and leader of the Free World? Will dealing with a nuclear Iran be above your pay grade too? How about dealing with the reemergence of the Russian bear...will that be too hard for you, too? Way to take a stand there, Wonder Boy.

Couldn't see THIS one coming, could ya?

Wow. I'm shocked. I never in a million years thought this would ever happen.

Russia vetoes security council action on Georgia.

Russia blocked UN Security Council action on the Georgian crisis, refusing to support a Western-backed draft resolution calling for an immediate Russian military withdrawal.

Good thing the Boy Wonder isn't running the show yet. Can you imagine what would happen if we relinquished all national security decision making to the wonderful United Nations? This stance didn't work for John "Litmus Test" Kerry in 2004, and it won't work for Barack "Hope and Change" Obama in 2008.

Is it 3am already?

Remember the Hillary campaign commercial implying that Obama isn't ready to answer that 3am call?



Well, 3am came on August 8 when Russian tanks and soldiers invaded Georgia, the sovereign, pro-Western, staunch ally of the US and nearly a member of NATO. How did our two presidential candidates respond?

Obama's response:

"I strongly condemn the outbreak of violence in Georgia, and urge an immediate end to armed conflict. Now is the time for Georgia and Russia to show restraint, and to avoid an escalation to full scale war. Georgia’s territorial integrity must be respected. All sides should enter into direct talks on behalf of stability in Georgia, and the United States, the United Nations Security Council, and the international community should fully support a peaceful resolution to this crisis."

Really? Obama wants to report the matter to the UN Security Council and have them resolve the issue? In case you didn't know, Mr. Obama, Russia holds one of the 5 permanent seats on the UN Security Council, which pretty much ensures that UN will do nothing...something they excel in anyway. And urging both sides to show restraint is like criticizing the perpetrator and the victim of a rape.

McCain's response:

“Russia should immediately and unconditionally cease its military operations and withdraw all forces from sovereign Georgian territory. What is most critical now is to avoid further confrontation between Russian and Georgian military forces. The consequences of Euro-Atlantic stability and security are grave. The government of Georgia has called for a cease fire and for a resumption of direct talks on South Ossetia with international mediators. The U.S. should immediately convene an emergency session of the United Nations Security Council to call on Russia to reverse course. The U.S. should immediately work with the E.U. and the OSCE to put diplomatic pressure on Russia to reverse this perilous course that it has chosen.”

McCain also called for an immediate NATO meeting to review measures the alliance can take to stabilize the situation.

Now, I ask you. Who do you want answering the next 3am phone call? Someone who would rather sit down and talk and sing kumbaya, or someone who has no problem identifying and calling a spade a spade?

Remember when the newly elected President Bush returned from meeting Vladmir Putin for the first time? Bush claimed to have looked into the eyes of Putin and saw his soul. In response, John McCain also claims to have looked into Putin's eyes....and saw the letters K, G and B.

He wasn't that far off, was he?

Don't make me come over there

Cheers to Kathleen Parker over at RealClearPolitics.com.

One of the funniest and yet scariest pieces I've read lately. Go here to read it in it's entirety.

Here's a few snippets:

From Sen. Barack Obama:
Dear (Former) President Putin:

I'm sorry to be writing this e-mail instead of meeting you in person, preferably in the Oval Office, where I belong. Soon, soon.

Nevertheless, and notwithstanding the foregoing, I felt it imperative that I express my deep concern about Russia's invasion of the tiny, democratically elected sovereign nation of Georgia. It would appear that you are not familiar with my platform for change and hope. War does not fit into this template and I am quite frankly at a loss for words to express my deep, deep distress.

As the chosen leader of a new generation of Americans who speak a global language of peace, hope, harmony and change, this is simply unacceptable. Quite frankly, your actions pose potentially severe, long-term consequences. I'm not sure what those might be, but they won't be nice or fun.

Please picture me looking very serious when I say that I respectfully request you to calm down. Life is but a flicker in time and we're but actors strutting and fretting. That is to say, we're all on this planetary journey together and our karma is interrelated and interdependent. Thus, it would seem that our differences are best resolved through words, not bombs.

It is said that war is a failure of diplomacy. I would submit that it is also counterintuitive. If my Kenyan father and my Kansan mother and my multinational upbringing taught me anything, it is that we are all One. That said, I am The One the world has been waiting for -- and you are, quite frankly, blocking my chi.

As soon as possible, I'd like to sit down and begin talking about how we can resolve these and other differences that threaten peace-loving people, which I'm sure includes you. I haven't looked into your eyes and would never presume to know your soul, but I do know that we share a common humanity and that we can all just get along.

Yours in Global Harmony,
Acting President Barack Obama






From Sen. John McCain:
Hey, Putin.

Don't make me come over there.

McCain

Even though these letters are a parody, their accuracy is eery and should scare the living crap out of you.