• Google CEO: Secrets Are for Filthy People
  Remarkable. You know, it is funny that Google's motto is "Don't be Evil." Reminding workers not to do something suggests that the default is to do just that. In other words, evil is their default behavior. Contrast that with . . say . . .the Golden Rule which exhorts you to do good, expressing a positive instead of a negative.
• January 2010: Adam Ciralsky on Blackwater
  I think this is supposed to be a hit job on Erik Prince, but the dude comes across as a total bad ass. I want him on my team. Oh wait! He is. That's why the left hates him.
• It’s Time to Ask: Who Could Replace Ben Bernanke?
  Yes it is. And by the way, why aren't you reading the New Ledger daily?
• Is "Rube" Sarah Palin Redefining E-Campaigning?
  Dan Riehl has a great post up on Sarah Palin and her e-campaign effort. Very thoughtful.
• Cream Biscuits
  My wife made these for me. They were delicious. I got off the airplane and there they were waiting for me. Yum.

We’ve written about this before. Over at Human Events, Jed Babbin has more.

December 7th is usually a day we remember the brave men who died at Pearl Harbor.  Many of them died fighting, responding instantly to the cowardly Japanese attack that  came without warning.  

This is a day to honor bravery, resolve and sacrifice.  But this December 7th is different.  Today — because lawyers are far too involved in running this war and commanders are deferring to them far more than they should — two Navy SEALs are being arraigned on charges they abused an Iraqi terrorist after they captured him three months ago. A third will be arraigned at a later date and their courts martial could occur next month.

As Rowan Scarborough reported two weeks ago, the three SEALs — Julio Huertas, Jonathan Keefe and Matthew McCabe — were part of a platoon from SEAL Team 10 that captured one of the most-wanted terrorists in Iraq, Ahmed Hashim Abed, in a nighttime raid on or about September 1.   Abed is believed to be the man behind the barbaric March 2004 ambush of Blackwater security guards in which four were murdered, their bodies mutilated and then hung from a bridge in Fallujah.

We have all heard the saying “nice guys finish last.” Why is that exactly? It seems to me that nice guys only finish last if we let them.

In this coming election year, we have the chance to get some nice guys (and ladies) elected.

Over the past few years, the establishment GOP has become bloated, corrupt, greedy, inept, licentious, devoid of ideas, and weak. It has passed legislation to grow government while talking about cutting it. Its leaders have excoriated the lobbyist culture while lining their pockets. It has bungled campaigns and strategy to block Barack Obama’s legislation. The problems extend from Washington into the states.

This year, the story the media is not covering is the rise of the GOP grassroots against the GOP establishment. From Florida with Marco Rubio, to Texas with Michael Williams, to California with Chuck DeVore, and to Pennsylvania with Pat Toomey, we the conservative grassroots have a chance to defeat the GOP Establishment that has led us from a majority to a minority, from 55 Senate seats to 40, from a small government to a large one.

But it is not just at the federal level. We have an obligation, regardless of where we live, to help at the state level too. We must make sure the nice guys who fight with us are successful across the board.

That requires us, whether we live in South Carolina or not, to help Nikki Haley.

There are several good people running in South Carolina, but all of them are products of the Republican Establishment. They are men who talk of smaller government without actually fighting for it. They are men who talk of less regulation while regulating. They are men of good will who mean well, speak well, but will not government well.

Then there is Nikki Haley. She worked in her parents’ small business. She knows first hand the way government screws the little guy. She is not a big business supporter, but an entrepreneur’s best friend. Nikki Haley is worth supporting.

We have until the end of this month to make a serious impact for her. I want December to be Nikki Haley month at RedState. The whole nation is talking about Marco Rubio because of what we have done. Same with Michael Williams. Same with Chuck DeVore. Now let us help Nikki Haley in the same way.

We must help within the states too — if the federalist experiment is to survive, it must be supported inside the states, not just at the federal level. Supporting Nikki Haley does just that.

Nikki Haley is one of us. Now we need to stick up for her and fund her. If you have money, give it. If you have time, give it. If you have prayers, offer them up. Let’s pray for her, fund her campaign, and work to get Nikki Haley elected as the next Governor South Carolina.

In 2002, Republicans took over the Georgia State Senate and Governor’s Mansion for the first time since the Civil War.

In 2004, the GOP took over the State House of Representatives.

In 2006, the GOP completed its take over of the State of Georgia, capturing the Lt. Governor’s seat, the Secretary of State’s Office, and solidifying its hold on the legislature.

In 2008, when the GOP was crumbling everywhere, it was a banner Republican year in Georgia.

In 2010, the Republicans might be annihilated from the State of Georgia. They would deserve it.

A Lt. Governor caught with his pants down, a Speaker of the House who tried to commit suicide, and a host of potential leaders waiting in the wings all with adultery problems — the GOP deserves destruction in Georgia if it does not clean its own house immediately.

Put simply, while breaking out the guillotine to chop off Speaker Glenn Richardson’s head, the Georgia Republican Party needs to line up Mark Burkhalter, Ben Harbin, Casey Cagle, and a few others behind him. Do it all at one time.

Cleaning up all the blood at once will be far cheaper in the long run.

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RedState Morning Briefing
For December 7, 2009

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I linked to Steven Hayward’s Weekly Standard article below, but you’ve got to read this too.

A prominent global warming scientist has threatened New York Times reporter Andy Revkin because Revkin dared to run a lighthearted piece about the prostitutes in Copenhagen.

Schlesinger emailed Revkin and told Revkin he was about to experience “the ‘Big Cutoff’ from [scientists]” who think they can no longer trust Revkin to just parrot their talking points.

Wow.

As Steven notes, these people really are humorless.

You just have to read this.

Slowly and mostly unnoticed by the major news media, the air has been going out of the global warming balloon. Global temperatures stopped rising a few years ago, much to the dismay of the climate campaigners. The U.N.’s upcoming Copenhagen conference–which was supposed to yield a binding greenhouse gas emissions reduction treaty as a successor to the failed Kyoto Protocol–collapsed weeks in advance and remains on life support pending Obama’s magical intervention. Cap and trade legislation is stalled on Capitol Hill. Recent opinion polls from Gallup, Pew, Rasmussen, ABC/Washington Post, and other pollsters all find a dramatic decline in public belief in human-caused global warming. The climate campaigners continue to insist this is because they have a “communications” problem, but after Al Gore’s Nobel Prize/Academy Award double play, millions of dollars in paid advertising, and the relentless doom-mongering from the media echo chamber and the political class, this excuse is preposterous. And now the climate campaign is having its Emperor’s New Clothes moment.

Read the whole thing.

• 15 Failed Predictions about the Future - Oddee.com
  Interesting list.

Carly Fiorina gave a very good Republican response today on health care. It cannot be denied. I am glad she is on our side.

I do not dislike Carly Fiorina. I don’t really know her, though we’ve met a couple times. She seems like a very nice person. One day I’m sure she will be an excellent elected or appointed official.

Today is not that day in my mind.

I have tried to stay out of California. My gut tells me California is a sink hole that Republicans will not get out of. Barbara Boxer, as obnoxious as she is, is probably safe, though I understand the rationale of giving her a run for her money to distract the DSCC. However, as the NRSC has already broadcast that this is their goal, the DSCC will probably not be distracted.

Carly Fiorina gave a very good speech today, but I think it was inappropriate of the Republicans to put her, a candidate in a highly contested primary, up as their spokesman on health care.

The NRSC has, every time anyone has pointed out they have endorsed Fiorina, said they have not. They have. Frankly, I haven’t blamed them. I thought Fiorina was a good recruit and I have said so.

But I think Chuck DeVore has done everything he has needed to do to be treated as a credible candidate. His fundraising is good. His message is solid. His support is growing. His polling is equal to Fiorina’s.

The NRSC has not learned its lesson. The Republican establishment has not learned its lesson. Mitch McConnell, in his effort to lose the health care debate by making Olympia Snowe the foundation for victory, John Cornyn, who claims to want conservatives, but keeps supporting moderates, and a host of other Senators have come out for Fiorina.

Where the establishment goes, we should all be worried. Just as they led us from 55 seats to 40 seats in the Senate and just as they are leading us off a cliff in the Senate through failed messaging tactics, the establishment is going to lead us off a cliff in 2010.

I just can’t keep my mouth shut on this one. I have no problem with Fiorina, but my heart and mind are with Chuck DeVore. He is one of us. He will be a leader, not a Mitch McConnell follower. DeVore will stand with Jim DeMint. Fiorina would be no better and no worse than Kay Bailey Hutchison, drifting with the present failed Senate GOP leadership.

Friends, we need men and women of action. Chuck DeVore fits the bill. I know there are some here who will support Fiorina. That is fine by me. California is not my hill to die on. But as we fight our way back to power, I stand with Chuck DeVore because Chuck DeVore stands with me.

He can win this primary. He can give Barbara Boxer a tough race. But we must help. And better still, a DeVore victory means the GOP Establishment will not deserve and will not get any credit.

Join me. Stand with Chuck DeVore for California.

RedState Morning Briefing
For December 4, 2009

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the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

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Matt Lewis has post up at Townhall about the implosion of Barbara Boxer, perhaps the most detestable of all United States Senators.

Boxer, who ironically has a five letter last name that starts with a “B” just like the word that most accurately describes her, wants to use congressional power to harass the people who leaked the climategate emails. She does not, however, want to review just how damaging those emails are to the Church of Global Warming.

Likewise, Boxer has been screwing up talking points on health care in ways not helpful to her own cause.

The woman is a dolt. Her last remaining claim to fame is being a High Priestess of the Church of the Butchered Baby, but even her pro-abortion stance is not saving her.

As Lewis notes, “Boxer has been incapable, thus far, of garnering more than 50% support for her re-election in major polls. The two main figures vying for a chance to replace her, ex-Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina and Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, have been doing plenty to put a dent in Boxer’s odds of winning a fourth term. ”

Good riddance.

The Mukulski amendment to the health care legislation passed 61-39.

The fixing of the bill has begun.

The GOP strategy is playing right into the hands of the those wanting universal, socialist health care.

Great op-ed by Rep. Lamar Smith in the Politico.

If President Barack Obama could snap his fingers and create 8 million new jobs, would you want him to do it? I would. And certainly the 15 million unemployed Americans would, as well.

The good news is that the president can do just that — implement a policy that opens up 8 million jobs. The bad news is that he won’t.

• Lampropoulos was in, now out of Senate race
  A challenger will rise. And we will crush Bob Bennett in Utah. For the good of the GOP and the conservative movement, we must and we will.
• EDGE
  It's here. It has nothing to do with AT&T's crummy wireless.
• I thirst! : clusterflock
  I'd actually find this Venn Diagram humorous, but for the contempt it shows for followers of Christ. I suspect Christians are more mindful than pagans.

RedState Morning Briefing
For December 3, 2009

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the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

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Friends, it is as bad as I feared. The Republicans are playing so nice with the Democrats in the Senate that they are improving the health care bill so it can pass.

Here is an email from Don Stewart in Senator Mitch McConnell’s office:

The Leaders just locked in a unanimous consent agreement for four amendment votes tomorrow.

There will be votes on the Mikulski and Murkowski amendments in the morning at 11:45. The McCain motion to commit (on the half-trillion dollars in Medicare cuts), and a Sen. Bennet amendment, will have votes at 2:45.

As Sen. McConnell noted on the floor, Republicans offered to vote on the Mikulski and Murkowski amendments this evening. But despite all the “obstruction” talk from Democrats today, there was an objection on the Democrat side to having those votes tonight.

As Sen. McConnell just said on the floor about the Murkowski/Mikulski amendments: “our side of the aisle, the Republicans side of the aisle, was prepared to vote on both of those amendments tonight, and then a problem developed on the other side.”

Let me know if you need any further information

Why was “The Republican side of the aisle prepared to vote on both of these amendments tonight?” Or tomorrow? Or ever? Why would we help the Democrats pretend to fix their unfixable bill.

The GOP and Democrats are putting up several amendments, all designed to “improve” the bill:

• The Democrat Mikulski amendment purports to ensure mammograms are covered, but actually ensures abortions are covered.
• The Republican Murkowski amendment response to the Mikulski amendment ensures mammograms are not cut and beefs up pro-life protections.
• The Republican McCain vote sends the bill back to Finance Committee to restore funding to medicare.
• The Democrat Bennett amendment responds to the McCain vote by ensuring no one ever loses their medicare.

Whoopideedoo. While I’m glad the Democrats are now fighting it out amongst themselves, the GOP is not really helping the fight for freedom here.

If Mikulski and Bennet pass tomorrow, Democrats will argue that they have fixed the Medicare and mammogram issues. Why are we in such a rush to allow Democrats to vote on their amendments to fix the bill? This is a unanimous consent request. All Senators are responsible for this disaster. Will anyone stand up and say “I object?”

Here is what Barack Obama said last night:

It’s enough to say that for the next six years, the Iraq war drew the dominant share of our troops, our resources, our diplomacy, and our national attention — and that the decision to go into Iraq caused substantial rifts between America and much of the world.

Though filled with other assertions and outright lies that Bush dropped the ball in Afghanistan, Obama was rather respectful.

That was yesterday. My, my how 24 hours makes a difference.

Sent from Barack Obama’s campaign team at barackobama.com, I got this note from Joe Biden tonight about the Obama policy in Afghanistan:

It’s a clean break from the failed Afghanistan policy of the Bush administration, and a new, focused strategy that can succeed.

Graceless, tasteless, and an outright lie.

By the way, wasn’t it Barack Obama who chaired the Senate’s sub-committee dealing with the Afghan War from 2006-2008? And how many hearings did he have on the matter? If you answered zero, you would be correct.

The NRCC The GOP has come up with a great way for activists who do not trust the NRCC to get involved in defeating Democrats.

[Editor's Note: A friend at the NRCC highlighted this and so I thought the NRCC put it together. I'm told that, per the disclaimer on the website, this is a project of the various victory funds for the 24 races and the NRCC is not involved]

They’ve set up a website called Reverse The Vote. The site is raising money to defeat 24 Democrats who voted for Nancy Pelosi’s health care legislation, despite their congressional districts being clearly opposed to the plan.

The key is, and this is why I fully support this, the NRCC isn’t controlling the money or involved. It is not going to go to a hand picked candidate that activists do not like. The money will only go to the Republican who actually wins a Republican Primary. So, give money now and when the voters pick the best Republican to beat one of these 24 Democrats, money will flow to that candidate.

What does this have to do with James Carville? Well, he is hopping mad about this idea and is trying to raise money for the Democrats to counter it. The DCCC, the Democrats’ equivalent to the NRCC, sent out an email in Carville’s name today, writing

This month, National Republicans started raising millions to target 24 Democrats who voted ‘yes’ on heath insurance reform with a lie-riddled ad campaign called ‘reverse the vote’ to try and pressure them into changing their votes. We need to show these courageous Democrats that we have their backs.

I don’t know what ‘heath insurance reform’ is, but I’m pretty sure it is as bad for the health of Heath Bars as the Democrats’ health care reform is for the elderly being shipped off to a death panel independent medical advisory board.

I encourage you to support Reverse The Vote.

The House GOP Conference sent this along to me.

The White House will convene a “jobs summit” tomorrow against a backdrop of rising unemployment, soaring debt, and declining public confidence in the Obama Administration’s economic program. Washington Democrats staked their credibility on a nearly trillion-dollar ‘stimulus’ that was supposed to be about putting people back to work, but has instead produced countless examples of wasteful government spending while more than three million more Americans have lost their jobs. Even the accounting methods designed to keep track of the ‘stimulus’ have been widely discredited. Given the last 11 months of outrageous ‘stimulus’ claims, the American people are right to wonder whether Washington Democrats can be trusted to create jobs and cut the deficit:

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RedState Morning Briefing
For December 2, 2009

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the Morning Briefing every morning at no charge.

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