EVENING UPDATE,  FEBRUARY 21,  2008

The Obama watch

There does appear to be some slight progress in slowing down the Obama Express, at least so we can take a look at the passengers and cargo.  The Gallup tracking poll shows Senator Clinton about one point ahead of Senator Obama in national Democratic preference.  Rasmussen daily tracking has Obama five points ahead, not a landslide, and Fox tracking has the race at a tie.  So, at least nationally, Obama isn't running away with it.

The problem for Senator Clinton appears to be Texas.  On March 4th she must win both Texas and Ohio to stay competitive.  She's ahead by a small but respectable margin in Ohio, but Texas looks like a dead heat.  The trend up to now has been that Obama gains as a vote approaches, although that didn't materialize in California on super Tuesday. 

There'll be a debate tonight in Texas between Clinton and Obama.  It's critical.  If Obama wins it cleanly, it will be all over for Clinton.  If Clinton can rally, can relax, can make some solid policy points, she might stage a comeback.  I am no Clinton supporter, but the Democratic rush to judgment on Obama, combined with the irrational adulation, is dangerous and reckless. 

Nothing plus nothing still equals nothing

The big political news of the day, of course, was The New York Times's "revelation" that Senator McCain may or may not or possibly may have had an affair with a lobbyist about the time the nation was founded.  I have seen a photo of said lobbyist.  Well, at least she isn't a 19-year-old intern.

Look, unless the newspaper of record can come up with more than it has, this won't go very far.  No one has any hard evidence, and McCain's reputation is intact.  James Taranto, at Best of the Web Today, has a solid take on the story:

"He has demonstrated that he has the character to stand on principle," the New York Times said last month in endorsing John McCain for the Republican presidential nomination. A front-page story in today's Times, the work of a team of six reporters, is less enthusiastic about the senator's character:

Even as he has vowed to hold himself to the highest ethical standards, his confidence in his own integrity has sometimes seemed to blind him to potentially embarrassing conflicts of interest.

Yet what the Times comes up with is very thin. The central story is that of Vicki Iseman, a lobbyist who in 1999 began hanging around McCain campaign events. McCain and Iseman also attended a fund-raiser together near Miami, then flew back to Washington on a corporate jet of one of her clients. There is a disagreement over whether that flight was improper:

The campaign did not report the flight with Ms. Iseman. Mr. McCain's advisers say he was not required to disclose the flight, but ethics lawyers dispute that.

McCain also sent a letter to the Federal Communications Commission urging it to help one of Iseman's clients. The commission's chairman delivered "a rare rebuke for interference," but McCain aides "said the senator sided with Ms. Iseman's clients only when their positions hewed to his principles." The Associated Press reports that "a Washington attorney representing Mr. McCain, Robert Bennett, told NBC's 'Today' show that Mr. McCain's staff provided the Times with 'approximately 12 instances where Senator McCain took positions adverse to this lobbyist's clients and her public relations firm's clients,' but none of the examples were included in the paper's story."

None dare call it JohnnyGate, because it isn't.  Read the rest of Taranto's take.  The Times will endorse Obama in the election campaign, if he's nominated, or Clinton if she gets the nod.  Its McCain reporting won't have much impact unless it's bulletproof, and this is Kleenex-strength.

Neville, so glad to see ya

While we fight our election campaign, life, or what passes for it, goes on.  It's heartwarming, for example, to see the Europeans affirming European culture, in this case their loving perpetuation of appeasement of thugs.  Unlike we brash Americans, the Europeans really do have a sense of history.  Ah, the late thirties.  Why not bring them back in all their glory?

Latest manifestation:  The European Parliament today condemned Israel for sealing off the Gaza Strip.  It made the pro forma denunciation of the rocket fire from Gaza that falls on Israel daily, but the resolution was clearly aimed at Israel.  Gaza, of course, is controlled by Hamas, a terrorist group, and there is now significant chatter that Europe may drop its ban on talking with Hamas, which would give the group an enormous boost in credibility. 

The Israeli foreign minister blasted the European move:

Earlier Thursday, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni slammed the European community on for what she called its failure to see what is really happening in Gaza.

After talks in Tel Aviv with visiting European Union Middle East envoy Marc Otte, Livni said people who live here cannot accept the compromises that the international community is pushing for.

"It would be better if Europe understood that Gaza is a zero sum game; either Hamas or the moderates," Livni said. "A situation must be avoided whereby Hamas gains points with the Palestinian public through improvised solutions to problems they themselves created by their violent takeover [of Gaza] and the continuation of terror attacks against Israel."

She said Israel was committed to achieving progress in the peace talks, but could not allow itself to close its eyes to the difficult reality in Gaza.

A diplomatic source explained the relatively harsh comments by Livni by arguing that the EU and the international community are on the wrong track in focusing on what Israel should or shouldn't do.

"Hamas is the source of the problem and they can stop the rocket attacks against Israel within minutes if they decide to," the source said.

The pattern is familiar.  Fire rockets, provoking retaliation, create a horrible situation for your own people, then throw yourself on the mercy of the world, proclaiming victimhood.  Appeasing diplomats come rushing to your aid.  The Europeans are so expert at it.  We're not quite as good, but there are plenty of people in the State Department and in our universities who are working feverishly to get us up to speed, or down to surrender.

It doesn't help when Mr. Obama advertises that he's willing to sit down with anybody, without preconditions.  That plays to Europe's worst historic instincts, now on display, and gives aid and comfort to the appeasement crowd.  It may not be the intended effect, but Senator Obama must understand that intent and result are two different things, and that he will be held responsible for the result, no matter what the intent. 

Iraq?  There's news about Iraq?

The superb Michael Ledeen is reporting from Copenhagen, where a major conference on Iraqi reconciliation is being held.  You haven't heard of it, you say?  Well, dearie, what do you expect from the media?  It's not an American defeat, is it?  It's not a setback, is it?  Why should they cover it?  Stop making impossible demands on our overworked press, which is burdened with Senator McCain's love life.

 Ledeen's report is guardedly optimistic:

...the “Copenhagen Accord” is a fine document, insisting that “leaders…redouble their efforts toward building a civil state, to defeat sectarianism and violence, and to promote the national spirit and rule of law.” It calls for disarming the population and restricting weapons to “the hands of the state.” Such a call would have been very controversial a short time ago, when there was great distrust for government forces (above all the police), and its inclusion here is, I think, testimony to the improvement in the quality and diversity of the armed forces. In short, a tribute to the efforts of the Multinational Force in training a national army rather than sectarian units. And everyone deplored militias (there was private concern that Muqtadah al Sadr’s Mehdi Army may be taking up arms again).

He concludes...

I had my doubts about this conference, but I’m delighted that I came. As at all such affairs, the most interesting conversations took place in private, and I am chock full of new knowledge, not least about Middle Eastern sects of which I had never heard before. I now actually know something about the Mandaeans, whose thrice-daily ritual ablutions pay tribute to the sect’s prophet, John the Baptist, and about the Yezidis, a pre-Christian faith that accepts no converts and is seemingly a descendant of Zoroastrianism. Perhaps a free Iran will some day find room for these people. In short, Canon Andrew White, the Conference’s driving force and spiritual inspiration, did something quite remarkable. He put together representatives of all the major elements of Iraqi society and politics, added some of the smaller groups for leavening, and produced a bit of pastry worthy of the place. Danish, if you get my drift…

There is some progress.  We have, most of all, the armed forces of the United States to thank.  Ledeen's son is a Marine officer who has served in Iraq, but he modestly doesn't mention it.  I wonder if some of our own politicians of the left will at least acknowledge that important work is going on, rather than continuing to grovel to their base and insisting on a quick withdrawal.

The beddie-bye skies

Finally, another confidence-building story.  Makes you want to suppress that travel lust:

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating whether two airline pilots who flew past the airport in Hilo Hawaii by 15 miles last Wednesday were asleep.

Go! Airlines flight 1002 left from Honolulu and was expected to land in Hilo around 10 a.m., but had to turn around after flying past the airport.

The pilots did return to the airport and land safely. Go! Airlines is owned by Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group, which also operates Mesa Airlines.

“The issue is currently under investigation,” Paul Skellon, spokesperson for the airline said. “We are fully cooperating with the FAA.”

The airline declined to comment further.

Next time you fly, bring an alarm clock.  Send it up to the cockpit as a gift, "compliments of the guy in 9A, window seat."  Hey, there could be some extra peanuts for you.

And, remaining on the ground, I'll be back tomorrow.

Posted on February 21, 2008.