Words Like Locusts Flew From Her Fingers

McCain and the Lobbyist

McCain’s Ties to Lobbyist Worried Aides – washingtonpost.com
Aides to Sen. John McCain confronted a telecommunications lobbyist in late 1999 and asked her to distance herself from the senator during the presidential campaign he was about to launch, according to one of McCain’s longest-serving political strategists.

This is a pretty interesting story — more for what it says McCain’s “political strategists” and the news media than for what it says about McCain himself. According to the Post, this story’s been up on the Drudge Report since December but it’s only now been picked up by the New York Times (and the Post.) I guess now that McCain’s a shoo-in for the Republican nomination, it’s open season.

John Weaver, who was McCain’s closest confidant until leaving his current campaign last year, said he met with Vicki Iseman at the Center Cafe at Union Station and urged her to stay away from McCain.

Gee. Some friend he turned out to be! Nice of him to call this to the media’s attention. The only reason I can think of for why any of his aides — current or former — would even discuss this topic is that they’d want to cast an air of impropriety on McCain’s relationship with the lobbyist. And now, predictably, McCain’s having to defend and explain himself.

Don’t get me wrong. If McCain really did do political favors for this lobbyist, I’d definitely want to know about. What really fascinates me most though is the whole game.

Anonymous sources claim the lobbyist boasted about her unusual access to McCain.

McCain’s now got the Republican nomination locked up.

Ka-Pow! Let the mud-slinging begin!

Front page! Washington Post and New York Times! A story that’s been around since at least December.

McCain says he’s “very disappointed” with the Times, but honestly — they don’t make the news (do they?) They just report it. You really really have to wonder who’s behind all of this, don’t you? Is it just one of the Democratic candidates? Is it the whole party? Is it a Republican who hates McCain?

Moon Over Fairfax

Two pictures of tonight’s full moon through the trees — with varying degrees of screwing around with the photo software. I think I like the first one best.

The Geometry of Snow

I just re-discovered this photo taken a couple months ago. I really like the angles of the roofline (my neighbor’s garage) and the entryway to my house (I’m standing on the front steps as I take this picture). I like how they combine with the crazy shapes of the tree branches. Anyway… click on the picture below for a larger version.

Maybe She Really Is A Bitch

Clinton Steps Up Attacks on Obama – washingtonpost.com
Aides to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (N.Y.) accused Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) yesterday of plagiarizing portions of a recent speech and continued to question his vows to reform the campaign finance system as Clinton sought to drive home the idea that her Democratic rival’s presidential bid is built on style more than substance.

Wouldn’t you think her aides would realize that what she needs right about now is for people to think she’s a nice person?

I’ve forgotten where I saw this, but a comedian was talking about some joke he was telling — that he was a little nervous about — where the punchline was something to do with Hillary Clinton being a “white bitch”. The comedian was amazed and relieved that everyone in the crowd laughed like crazy. What this tells me is that Hillary Clinton is pretty widely perceived as being…well…a bitch.

Maybe she’s not. Maybe she’s really very nice and really does care more about “the people” than about advancing her political career. If so, that’s what her aides ought to be working on: making Hillary look good. Not making Barack look bad.

Maybe Clinton just needs some more new aides.

Randomly Generated Linked Images

Oooo baby!

Are you as turned on as I am?

As you may have noticed, I now have in my sidebar a selection of randomly generated images from my vast collection of digital photos. For whatever it’s worth, these are all pictures I took myself. What you may not have immediately realized is that the images are linked to larger versions of themselves and set up to display with the very cool “lightbox” effect. Click and enjoy.

Neato!

Flute God

Well, it’s Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair time again and that means I’m once again doing Live Flute Blogging directly from the lovely Reston Sheraton hotel.

While there are many very talented people playing at this year’s Fair, I have to believe the most popular act by far is the trio PROJECT, featuring the YouTube phenom, Greg Patillo — the “beatboxing flutist”. It was standing-room-only at their performance this morning and I know there were more people who wanted to see the trio perform, but couldn’t make it for one reason or another.

Man, oh man. They were great. Much of the performance, I just sat in my seat with a big happy smile plastered on my face — I was digging it so much. I suspect I may have looked to others like I’d been lobotomized. Oh well. I’m still basking in the afterglow of what really was one of the most exciting live performances I’ve heard in a long time.

What talented guys!! Patillo is the most popular among the crowd here, of course, but Eric Stephenson on cello and Peter Seymour on bass really deserve equal credit for their fantastic musicianship and, especially in Seymour’s case, really engaging stage presence. That guy’s a born performer. Well, just check out his bio on their web site. He’s done a couple things.

I took some pictures of them with the camera in my iPhone but, alas, they didn’t turn out terribly well. Still — at least they’re pictures I actually TOOK, as opposed to pictures that I just swipe from other people’s web sites. Here’s one of the best of them.

It’s difficult to describe Patillo’s style. You really have to hear it for yourself. Here’s a video of PROJECT playing one of the pieces they performed today.

Guns n’ Ammo

Gunman Targets Students at Northern Illinois University – washingtonpost.com
“This is a tragedy, but from all indications we did everything we could when we found out,” Peters said. “We’ve put in place so many security measures, and we’re reviewing them all the time. Unless you locked every door, I don’t know how you really keep people out. I don’t know of any plan that can prevent this kind of tragedy.”

Well, I do. I know of a plan that could prevent his kind of tragedy. It begins with preventing the sale of handguns and automatic weapons to civilians.

There’s no good reason for anyone other than a soldier or a cop to own that kind of weapon. And please — don’t even start with the whole 2nd Amendment “well-regulated militia” bullshit. A bunch of private citizens running around with guns do not constitute a “well-regulated militia”.

Private citizens carrying guns might have made some sense back in the late 1700s when this country was just gaining its independence — and when weapons didn’t pack nearly the destructive potential they do now — but there’s no good reason for plain old citizens to have guns now. There just isn’t. And if you even try to tell me that citizens need guns in order to protect themselves from our own government, then I’m afraid I’m going to have to call you a paranoid loon.

Freezing Rain

It’s pretty cool how all the branches are covered with a thin layer of ice. Click on the small picture to see a larger version.

On a mostly unrelated note, I saw the first grackles of the year yesterday!

My Man, Obama

Today I voted in the Virginia presidential primary election — first time ever! I made the effort because I strongly believe that Barack Obama is the best candidate the Democratic party could put forward this November. He’s best for the party — and, really, he’s best for the country.

Imagine, if you can stomach it, what a Clinton nomination would look like. You just know we’d be treated to a re-run of all the same old crap about Bill’s womanizing, Whitewater, and Vince Foster. Whether you like her or not, there’s no denying that Hillary Clinton has baggage. Sure, she’s smart and tough and — in a perfect world — she’d probably do a good job as president. We don’t live in a perfect world, though. There are enough people in congress who really really don’t like her that she’d have a hard time getting anything accomplished. As hungry as people are for a change from the Republicans, given a choice between Clinton and McCain, a fair number of Independents and Democrats would vote for McCain.

Barack Obama, on the other hand, is like a breath of fresh air. Even many Republicans admire him. Sure, he’s inexperienced. So what. Smart presidents surround themselves with experienced advisers. There’s no reason to believe Obama would have any difficulty finding experienced people who were willing to help him.

Obama is electable. That counts for a lot.

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Update 7:15 pm — It’s looking like Obama won in the Virginia Democratic primary by a fairly wide margin. I guess I’m not the only Virginian who’s seen the wisdom of Obama as our candidate. Disturbingly, though, it seems Huckabee has done rather well in Virginia. (Understand, of course, that the results are only just now coming in.) I remain shocked that people, who seem otherwise to be reasonably intelligent, could not see why someone like Huckabee is a real threat to the ideal of democracy. I’m amazed that people living in the United States in the 21st century — people who’ve had the benefit of access to a good education — could prefer a theocracy over a democracy. It boggles the mind. Really, it does. And I know some of these people — they’re people with whom I’m friendly! We never discuss politics because we’re clearly so far apart on that, but… in our small sphere of common interest we get along very well and they’re perfectly nice people. I sometimes wonder if these aren’t the kind of people who would stone me for being a blasphemer — stone me with a smile on their face because they’d believe they were doing it for the good of my immortal soul. I should probably be a lot more scared of these people than I am.

Cute Cat Picture #27,082,492

Mickey rarely gets a picture on the web site, so here she is. Click to see a larger version because, really, why wouldn’t you? It’s Mickey!