CNN Reporting Gen. McChrystal Has Resigned; Media Aide Who Arranged Interview Falls On Sword

Joe Klein reporting to CNN that Gen. Stanley McChrystal has submitted his resignation.  Awaiting confirmation from a “real” news source.

In a related story, The media consultant who arranged the interview that got Gen. Stanley McChrystal summoned to the White House has become the first casualty of the general’s candor.

Duncan Boothby submitted his letter of resignation to the International Security and Assistance Force in Kabul early Tuesday morning. The civilian senior adviser played a critical role in arranging the interview Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings conducted with McChrystal, America’s top commander in Afghanistan, and his staff.

-LTB

House Dems: Failing to fufill “the most basic responsibility of governing”

From Rep. John Boehner’s website:

Washington (Jun 22)

In light of House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s (D-MD) announcement this morning that House Democrats will not pass a budget this year – failing to fulfill what he has called “the most basic responsibility” of governing – the following important fiscal health warning has been issued:

THE BUDGET HAS BEEN

CANCELLED

WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT

THE CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET

PLANNED FOR FISCAL YEAR 2011 HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO WASHINGTON DEMOCRATS’ OUT-OF-CONTROL SPENDING SPREE.

AN APOLOGY FOR THIS BETRAYAL OF AMERICAN TAXPAYERS DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE FORTHCOMING AT THIS TIME.

BE ADVISED THAT THE FOLLOWING SERVICES WILL BE INTERRUPTED:

Imposing the fiscal discipline economists say is needed to create jobs and boost our economy

Reining in the out-of-control spending spree that is killing American jobs

Carrying out the “most basic responsibility of governing”

Stopping middle-class tax hikes that will sock family budgets at the worst possible time

Providing the leadership on jobs and the economy that Americans say is sorely lacking

Protecting our kids and grandkids from the enormous debt burden Washington has placed on them

We reserve the right to notify you of additional consequences that may arise in light of this budget failure, which is unprecedented in the modern era.  In the interim, please brace for more spending, more debt, more tax hikes, more broken promises.

For families and small businesses looking for a government that listens to the people it serves and respects their hard-earned money, House Republicans are offering better solutions to cut spending now and help small businesses put people back to work.

-LTB

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Tx, was right!

Here is a post that I originally wrote as soon as the news came out about what Rep. Joe Barton said, but I was too cowardly to post it.  Lipton and ThatMrGuy can verify, if they bothered to read saved drafts, that I wrote it June 17 at 2:47 pm.  But I did not trust my original (and correct) take on matters. It was only after I read others voice the same concerns that I finally had the nerve to post it.  The main voice of reason was Thomas Sowell.  Read his words carefully and let them sink in. 

Yes, Charles Krauthammer is correct: It was the most incredibly stupid move, from a purely political perspective, in recent memory.  But the reason it was stupid is because the American public does not always want to know the truth.  They do not always come to the right conclusions on all the issues. When somebody hurts, they want to lash out. Likewise, when America is in a crisis, Americans want asses kicked.

But we are a nation of laws.   Obama used all the power of his office to bully BP into making a donation of $20 billion dollars.  He had his Attorney General on hand, threatening to pursue criminal charges against BP officials if they refused to play along.  Do you morons know what criminal charges are? That’s where they LOCK YOU UP if you are convicted.  What idiot company would not pony up whatever amount der Fuehrer President Obama demanded under those circumstances?

Now, you hippy acid tripping skinny suckers who claim to drive big motor siccles (you know who you are, Gramps) might be going “Yeah!  Make those corporate thieves PAY!  Go Obama!”  But you are wrong. You don’t coerce companies into giving money to a slush fund that somebody that the President controls, no matter how bad the circumstances.  That isn’t the American Way, that’s the Hugo Chavez Way, or the Fidel Castro Way.

Pay attention, Gramps: If,  IF, BP broke the law, then charge them. Don’t let them off for a $20 Billion donation.  If BP has caused injury due to its negligence, let the courts handle it, or let the system of claims processing handle it. 

Okay, in all my shame, here is what I originally wrote but was too much of an F’n pussy to publish: 

My best (male) friend

When I’m feeling blue I put the top down, buy a beer, and take a drive into the country.  “Road beering” we used to call it.  Don’t try this at home kids.  Usually I drive by my old house.  We had it made.  Three acres in the country.  Backed up on a 300-400 acre tract of woods.  Across the street from a golf course.  Deer, rabbits and turkey (and black widow spiders and Copperheads) occasionally  in our back yard.

Craig  helped me paint that big bastard of a house.  Three stories.  He did the hard parts, like throwing a rope over the top from one side and scaffolding down the other to get the top dormers.   He helped me to finish off the top story into a rec room, a fifth bedroom and a fourth bathroom. 

Craig dropped out of college after one semester.  He can’t read so good.  He is dyslexic.  But he can fix anything.  He is fearless. Except for transmissions. He won’t do those. He does plumbing and heating and air conditioning.  He fixes anything to do with cars. 

Once we konked out on a mountain in Virginia headed home from deer hunting while pulling a camper.  The major belt that runs, well, everything on a Ford F-150 came off.  This was after mid night on a Saturday.  Fortunately Craig and his son were following us.  We found the nearest truck stop, bought a couple of them (can’t remember the name of it–“universal belt”?) belts, and went back and Craig changed the durn thing while I stood helplessly by trying to slow traffic down on that steep and winding road.  We made it back safely, albeit about four hours late. 

Craig and I don’t talk much. We do things together.  Our idea of a good time is having his family and mine get together while I cook steaks on the grill and my wife cooks everything else, then watching a video afterwards.  We don’t have deep conversations and share everything that we feel, our deepest desires. Our wives do that.  We go hunting, and shooting, and fishing together.  We used to go diving and boating, but not so much anymore.  But Craig does not really enjoy doing recreational stuff.  He likes working the best.