Edwin Newman,1919-2010. R.I.P.

Edwin Newman, who was a fixture at NBC News for more than three decades, passed away on September 13th in England. His cause of death is presently unknown. He was 91.

I remember Newman best when shortly after his retirement he hosted Saturday Night Live. Or should I say co-hosted? That night he shared the stage with Billy Crystal, Father Guido Sarducci (a.k.a. Don Novello), New York City Mayor Ed Koch and actress Betty Thomas of Hill Street Blues fame.

Here's Newman interviewing the band KISS in their heyday in 1978.

Paladino Beats Lazio

Well, I guess all bets are truly off this season.

Buffalo businessman Carl Paladino decisively beat former New York Congressman Rick Lazio in the New York Republican gubernatorial primary winning nearly two thirds of the vote. Paladino will face Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in November.

This is the biggest upset of the night. Even bigger than Christine O'Donnell's victory in Delaware. While O'Donnell wasn't favored to defeat Mike Castle she certainly made it a competitive race.

I don't think anyone outside of Tea Party activists in New York saw this one coming.

Thoughts on Christine O'Donnell

Christine O'Donnell has won the Delaware GOP Primary upsetting longtime Congressman and former Delaware Governor Mike Castle. O'Donnell won 53% of the vote.

No sooner than O'Donnell ran her victory lap, Karl Rove denounced her while the National Republican Senatorial Committee indicated it would not give her a penny.

O'Donnell has come under increasing scrutiny in recent days following revelations published by The Weekly Standard concerning a 2005 gender discrimination lawsuit she filed (and subsequently dropped) against the Intercollegiate Studies Institute as well as questions about her college credentials.

Undoubtedly, this scrutiny will only become more intense now that she is the GOP standard bearer and held in high regard by The Tea Party. The questions raised by The Weekly Standard are ones she will have to answer. Yet I do not agree with Rove. O'Donnell can win in November and based on tonight's victory I would not be so quick to underestimate her. Anti-incumbency is at a fever pitch and the Tea Party is out in full force for O'Donnell. This isn't to say some voters won't have reservations about O'Donnell but those misgivings are likely to be overshadowed by the anger they feel towards President Obama and in the case of Delaware voters anger towards Joe Biden.

If O'Donnell can run Mike Castle from his kingdom then she surely has a chance against her Democratic opponent Chris Coons.

Needless to say, things haven't been this intense in Delaware since the Delawarean/Delawarite debate. Boy, I sure do miss Taxi.

Sarah Shourd Released

American hostage Sarah Shourd has been released by Iran.

The Iranians released her once they obtained half a million dollars.

Last week, Iran agreed to release her only to reverse themselves. The Iranians then made the ransom demand.

No word as to who paid the ransom.

Shourd's fiance Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal remain in Iranian custody.

The three were taken into custody in July 2009 when they hiked along the Iraq-Iran border.

While I am glad that she has been released one must be concerned about the fate of Bauer and Fattal. If the Iranians were prepared to demand money in order to release a woman who is seriously ill (she may have breast cancer) then one can only imagine what Iran will demand with regard to Bauer and Fattal.

Mike Shaw,1957-2010. R.I.P.

Former professional wrestler Mike Shaw died on September 11th of an apparent heart attack in his Michigan home. He was 53.

Shaw wrestled under a variety of identites in the 1980s and early 1990s. He wrestled as Makhan Singh in Stu Hart's Stampede Wrestling in Calgary. Later, he would get a shot in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) wrestling as Norman the Lunatic.

He is probably best remembered for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF as it was then known) as Bastion Booger. If that sounds gross it looked even worse. Yet it was oddly amusing. He was in a tag team with Bam Bam Bigelow but the team broke up over competing affections for Luna Vachon. Sadly, Bigelow died in 2007 while Vachon passed away last month.

Former WWE announcer Jim Ross has some kind words for Shaw.

Rockies Win Ten in a Row

The Colorado Rockies defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-2 courtesy a pinch hit walk off homerun by Jason Giambi.


It gives the Rockies their tenth consecutive victory.

While the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants are tied for first in the NL West, the Rockies are only a game and a half out of the division lead.


The Rockies host the Padres for a three game series starting tomorrow night while the Giants will host the fading Los Angeles Dodgers beginning Tuesday.

It will be interesting to see what the NL West looks like in a week's time.

Iran Demands $500,000 to Release Shourd

First, Iran was going to release American hiker Sarah Shourd this weekend.

Then the Iranian government then reneged on its word.

Now, Iran is prepared to release Shourd - if they get $500,000 presumably in U.S. dollars.

As far as I am concerned Shourd is a hostage (as are Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer) and this is a ransom demand. It's a shakedown.

This is a demand that should not be met. First, there is no reason believe Iran wouldn't just pocket the money and keep Shourd in jail. The Iranians cannot be taken at their word. Second, it tells Iran and all other anti-American interests they can wantonly kidnap Americans and the U.S. government will fund their activities in exchange for their release.

Yet I suspect this is precisely what will be done. I would not be surprised to see either Bill Clinton or Jimmy Carter dispatched to Tehran to secure their release (it would look really bad if an American emissary didn't come home with all three hostages.)

You might recall that in August 2009 Clinton travelled to Pyongyang to meet with Kim Jong-Il and came home with American journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee who had been in North Korean custody since March for allegedly entering the country illegally. The Obama Administration denied any involvement in Clinton's intervention. Yeah surrre.

Last month, Carter travelled to North Korea to meet with Kim Jong-Il to secure the release of Aijalon Gomes, a resident of Boston who had allegedly crossed into North Korea from China where he had been teaching English.

If Carter were to be sent to Tehran to obtain the release of Shourd, Fattal and Bauer it would be a feather in his cap given his ineptness during the Iran Hostage Crisis of 1979-1980.

The bottom line here is that the Iranian government is playing games with the lives of these hostages and we should not play their games.

When You Have a Birthday on September 11th

What do you do when you have a birthday on September 11th?

I spent most of the day at a neighbor's birthday party.

When the subject of the appropriateness of having a birthday celebration on September 11th came up the birthday boy said, "If I don't celebrate my birthday, the terrorists win."

I have no quarrel with his argument - even if it is motivated by beer. But the jihadists want to alter our way of life and for better or for worse drinking beer is part of our way of life (although not mine.)

However, next year I think I would like to be in New York.

Iran Will Not Release Female American Hiker

Twenty-four hours after Iran indicated it would release Sarah Shourd, one of three American hikers taken hostage last year, the Iranian government has now reneged on its word.

Quel surprise.

If there was a time for President Obama to "meddle" then this is surely it. I hope he conveys indignation and outrage and publicly demands Iran release Shourd as well as Josh Fattal and Shane Bauer.

Or does President Obama restrict his indignation and outrage for Israeli settlements?

Obama Taps Goolsbee Chair of Economic Advisers

Yesterday, President Obama named Austan Goolsbee as his new Chairperson of the Council of Economic Advisers. Goolsbee succeeds Christina Romer who resigned earlier this month.

You might remember that in the run up to the Ohio Democratic Primary in 2008, Barack Obama was railing against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and had threatened to renegotiate it. For instance, during a February 2008 speech to workers at the National Gypsum plant in Lorain, Ohio, Obama said, "I don't think NAFTA has been good for America - and I never have." (It's worth noting that Obama's speech didn't much good for the National Gypsum employees in Lorain. Less than two months later, the company announced it was laying off all employees at the plant.)

While Obama's anti-NAFTA rhetoric might have appealed to Ohio voters it no doubt created anxiety amongst our NAFTA partners namely Canada and Mexico. Enter Austan Goolsbee. During a meeting with officials at the Canadian Consul General's office in Chicago, Goolsbee said that Obama's commentary on NAFTA was mere campaign rhetoric and that it should be taken with a grain of salt. The Obama campaign, however, denied such a conversation took place (as did the Canadian government.) The Obama campaign continued to deny a conversation took place even when the Consul General's Office produced a memo of that conversation.

Byron York, then a correspondent with National Review Online, wrote:

So it’s not likely that the story will go away, given the Obama campaign’s inaccurate and misleading statements about it and the Clinton campaign’s interest in keeping the controversy alive. The only question is whether it will do Obama any significant damage and Clinton any significant benefit.

Well, the episode did enough damage that Hillary Clinton won the Ohio Democratic Primary on March 4, 2008. But by then it was a day late and a dollar short. A Canadian dollar short. The Goolsbee affair did no long term damage to Barack Obama.

Goolsbee committed a gaffe. He told the truth. There was no way President Obama was going to jettison NAFTA much less entertain ideas of negotiating it. It took years for the U.S. government and the Canadian government to negotiate the Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA's predecessor.) Any renegotiation would have taken years. Any initiative to abrogate the agreement would have caused a significant diplomatic row. Throw Mexico into the mix and matters get that much more complicated. Obama was doing what politicians have done before him and will continue to do - tell people what they want to hear. The only unfortunate byproduct of that was some Ohioans believed him.

But if nothing else, the memo from the Canadian Consul General's Office in Chicago was right about one thing. It stated, "Should Obama win the White House, Goolsbee figures to remain a close advisor." Not only has Goolsbee remained a close advisor he will now chair a group of them.

Malkin: When Are Muslims Not Angry?

Michelle Malkin has written something that I have believed for quite some time. It seems that Muslims are always angry about something and that does not take much to make them angry:

Shhhhhhh, we’re told. Don’t protest the Ground Zero mosque. Don’t burn a Koran. It’ll imperil the troops. It’ll inflame tensions. The “Muslim world” will “explode” if it does not get its way, warns sharia-peddling imam Feisal Abdul Rauf. Pardon my national-security-threatening impudence, but when is the “Muslim world” not ready to “explode”?

I have disagreed with Malkin in past. But, damn, I wish I had written this myself.

Donald Trump to the Rescue?

Is Donald Trump riding in on a white horse?

"The Donald" has reportedly offered to buy out Hisham Elzanaty, one of the major investors in the Ground Zero Mosque. Trump is willing to pay Elzanaty 25% above what he paid for the property.

Assuming that Pastor Terry Jones is wrong and the Ground Zero Mosque organizers haven't already agreed to relocate let us hope that Elzanaty has the good sense to take Trump up on his most generous offer.

UPDATE: No dice.

Pastor Jones Cancels Koran Bonfire

Pastor Terry Jones has just announced that plans to burn copies of the Koran has been cancelled.

So I guess President Obama did make that phone call.

But here's the wildcard. Jones indicated he cancelled the event after he learned the Ground Zero Mosque would be moved. Did Obama tell him that? Yet given his editorial in The New York Times yesterday I doubt that Feisal Abdul Rauf has any intention of moving the Ground Zero Mosque an inch.

I have a bad feeling that Rauf will say the Ground Zero Mosque is being built come hell or high water and before you know it the bonfire will be lit.

UPDATE: Well, I can't say I'm surprised. No word if the bonfire is back on though.

Obama May Phone Pastor Jones

President Obama may phone Pastor Terry Jones to urge him to call off his plans to burn copies of the Koran on the ninth anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001.

For his part, Pastor Jones appears receptive. Jones stated, "I don't think a call from them is something we would ignore."

I only wish that President Obama would have called Feisal Abdul Rauf to tell him it is unwise of him not to condemn his fellow Muslims who were firebombing churches in Malaysia after a court ruled that Christian churches could refer to G-d as Allah.

Obama Says Koran Burning Endangers Our Troops

Today, during an appearance on Good Morning America, President Obama spoke out against Florida pastor Terry Jones' plans to throw Korans into a bonfire on the ninth anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

President Obama called Pastor Jones' plans "a stunt" that could "greatly endanger our young men and women in uniform who are in Iraq, who are in Afghanistan."

I, for one, agree with the President.

However, I also think the presence of Islamists in the U.S. military also greatly endangers our young men and women in uniform who are serving on military bases on U.S. soil. But President Obama warns us against jumping to conclusions and won't draw them even when it is staring him right in the face.

I would give President Obama's comments greater weight if he were to acknowledge that Islamic fundamentalists are at war with us and that "diversity" takes a back to seat to the safety of our troops at home and abroad.

Rebuild Churches Instead of Burning Korans

As much as the Ground Zero Mosque offends me, I cannot see how throwing Korans into a bonfire honors the memory of those who died on September 11, 2001.

Today, I have an article up at The American Spectator (which hopefully will soon be on the IC main page) about St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. It was destroyed when the South Tower collapsed upon it. You would think heaven and earth would have moved to rebuild St. Nicholas. Instead, the Port Authority stands in the way while Mayor Bloomberg and President Obama have nothing to say.

The point here is if we want to honor those who died on September 11, 2001 our efforts are better directed towards rebuilding St. Nicholas. They need time, money and other materials.
If you are interested in helping out donations can be sent to St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, P.O. Box 340968, Brooklyn, New York 11234.

Thoughts on Feisal Abdul Rauf's NYT Editorial

I read Faisal Abdul Rauf's guest editorial in The New York Times today.

Count me unimpressed. I find his tone to be, well, tone deaf:

We have all been awed by how inflamed and emotional the issue of the proposed community center has become.

Rauf is being disingenuous if he claims he didn't think building a mosque/community center in the proximity of the World Trade Center attacks wasn't going to get a rise out of the American people. But if anyone is guilty of inflaming the situation it is Rauf. If Rauf wants support for his project he doesn't do himself any favors by calling America an accessory to the September 11th attacks or by claiming America has more Muslim blood on its hand than al Qaeda.

As such I'm not buying his touchy feely, multicultural, interfaith act:

Our name, Cordoba, was inspired by the city in Spain where Muslims, Christians and Jews co-existed in the Middle Ages during a period of great cultural enrichment created by Muslims. Our initiative is intended to cultivate understanding among all religions and cultures.

When the Muslims seized control of Cordoba in 1148 they gave Christians and Jews three choices - convert to Islam, leave or be put to death. If this is Rauf's idea of co-existence and how to cultivate understanding among all religions and cultures then I want no part of it.

But in Rauf's world we might not have a choice in the matter:

The wonderful outpouring of support for our right to build this community center from across the social, religious and political spectrum seriously undermines the ability of anti-American radicals to recruit young, impressionable Muslims by falsely claiming that America persecutes Muslims for their faith. These efforts by radicals at distortion endanger our national security and the personal security of Americans worldwide. This is why Americans must not back away from completion of this project. If we do, we cede the discourse and, essentially, our future to the radicals on both sides. The paradigm of a clah between the West and the Muslim world will continue, as it has in recent decades at terrible cost. It is a paradigm we must shift.

So let me get this straight. The construction of this community center is the only thing standing between young, impressionable Muslims and anti-American radicals. It seems to me that anti-American radicals have done a fine job of recruiting young, impressionable Muslims even though Muslims have been able to practice their faith in this country from its very beginnings. Nor have they taken to heart President Obama's assertion that "Islam has always been a part of America."

Let's also remember that Rauf claims "the issue of terrorism is a complex issue." Indeed, Rauf uses the term radical, not terrorist. He also speaks of "radicals on both sides." So who are the radicals on the other side? The America he believes has more Muslim blood on its hands than al Qaeda?

Hoffman Records 600th Save

Last night, Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Trevor Hoffman recorded his 600th career save in the Brewers 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

I'm glad he got the chance to achieve the unprecedented. Hoffman has struggled this season losing his closer's job early in the year. John Axford is now the Brewers closer.

Even though Hoffman has more saves than any other reliever he only led the NL in saves twice - 1998 and 2006. But Hoffman is more consistent than spectacular. He notched 40 or more saves nine times in his career.

I also suspect there's a part of him that wishes he was back with the San Diego Padres. Even if he had a limited role in that bullpen I'm sure he would like one last chance at getting into another World Series. It would not surprise me if he were to retire after this season.

In which case, it won't be long before New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera joins Hoffman in the 600 club. Rivera currently has 555 career saves. Assuming he's healthy, Rivera could record his 600th save next season.

While Rivera is considered the greatest closer in the history of MLB, Trevor Hoffman is a first ballot Hall of Famer.

Kennedy Ctr. to Honor McCartney, Oprah & Haggard

Former Beatle Paul McCartney, talk show diva Oprah Winfrey and country music legend Merle Haggard will be amongst those bestowed with honors from the Kennedy Center in December.

What do they all have in common? They are fervent admirers of President Obama who will host the proceedings.

Of course, we all remember the last time President Obama and Paul McCartney got together.

Oprah, as we all know, campaigned for Obama.

But the selection of Merle Haggard is interesting. Although Haggard is best known for "The Okie from Muskogee" his politics have become more left wing in recent years. Haggard vigorously opposed the War in Iraq, he defended the Dixie Chicks (albeit while singing Toby Keith's praises), supported Hillary Clinton's bid for the White House and would also write a song for her. For good measure, Haggard also wrote a song for President Obama.

Yes, just what we need. Another Obama lovefest. Yet given what will likely happen in November, Obama is going to need all the love he can find. But somehow I think Obama needs more than love.

Kiefer Sutherland to Honor Tommy Douglas

Actor Kiefer Sutherland will travel to Weyburn, Saskatchewan this Friday to honor Tommy Douglas, a Canadian socialist icon and father of Canadian Medicare. Sutherland also happens to be Douglas' maternal grandson. Douglas, who died in 1986, will be honored with a statue.

If today's socialists were more like Tommy Douglas I would probably still be one.

But today's socialists are not like Tommy Douglas. Douglas was a pragmatic man who did not view his political opponents as evil. Yes, he was the father of Canada's health care system. But he also looked down upon deficits and debt producing 16 consecutive balanced budgets. Douglas, who was first elected Premier of Saskatchewan in 1944, did not introduce Medicare to Saskatchewan until 1960.

Needless to say, President Obama isn't taking a page out of the Tommy Douglas playbook. And let's hope that he doesn't because conservatives could be in trouble if he does.

Here is what I wrote about Douglas after he was voted "Greatest Canadian" in December 2004.

Gillard Remains Australian PM

The fallout from last month's Australian election has been settled. Julia Gillard will remain as Prime Minister after two independent MPs agreed to back her Labor government.

Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbott of the conservative Liberal Party (folks, that's not an oxymoron) contested Australia's closest election in nearly seven decades. The election came after Gillard ousted Kevin Rudd in a palace coup in June. Rudd will have a senior cabinet post in Gillard's administration.

But despite the inclusion of Rudd, the schism between Gillard and the Ruddites is going define Australian Labor politics for years to come. Given the fragility of Gillard's coalition, I think it is a question of when and not if the Ruddites oust Gillard in the same manner. The beneficiary of this chasm will ultimately be Abbott who could enjoy a tenure as Prime Minister as long as that of John Howard.

Greetings from the Tim Buckley Archives

In May 2007, I wrote an article about Tim Buckley who is one of my favorite musicians.

The article coincided with the release by Manifesto Records of the My Fleeting House DVD. It is a collection of his TV appearances in the United States, Great Britain and Holland during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

A couple of days ago I received an e-mail from Buckley's estate asking my permission to post the articles in the Tim Buckley Archives. I was, of course, delighted and honored to do so and you can now find the article posted here. Please also note they have been kind enough to link to the IC main site.

If you have never heard Tim Buckley's music I think you will find it both unique and underappreciated. It is well worth a long listen.

Padres Lose Ten in a Row - Do They Have a Prayer?

For most observers, the team that has been the biggest surprise in Major League Baseball in 2010 has been the San Diego Padres.

Not much was expected of the Padres. I thought they would be a better team this season and picked them to finish third in the NL West behind the Giants and Dodgers. That surely would have been an accomplishment. Indeed, they have already won more games this season than they did in 2009.

But now a third place finish would be a let down. The Padres have been atop the NL West for most of the 2010 season largely on the strength of stellar pitching both in the starting rotation and in the bullpen, sterling defense and the bat of Adrian Gonzalez.

However, the Padres have hit the skids and with their 4-2 loss this afternoon against the Colorado Rockies they have lost ten games in a row. Their lead atop the NL West has been reduced to one game over the San Francisco Giants. The Padres have not tasted victory since August 25th when they defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 9-3 at Petco Park. Interestingly, seven of the ten losses have taken place at Petco. Prior to this descent, the Padres longest losing streak this season had been three games when they were swept at home by the Dodgers during a weekend series in the middle of May.

Speaking of the Dodgers, they come to San Diego tomorrow evening to begin a three game series. The Padres then host the Giants for a four game series starting Thursday. This coming week could make or break the Padres. Are we seeing one of the most monumental collapses in the history of baseball? Or have they weathered the worst of this storm?

Do the Padres have a prayer?

UPDATE: On Monday night, the Padres snapped their ten game losing streak with a 4-2 victory over the Dodgers and retain a one game lead over the Giants in the NL West. The relief on their faces was visible. But there's still a long way to go.

Mona Charen on Palestinian Culture

Mona Charen hits the nail on the head with her piece at National Review Online concerning the latest round of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

Charen argues the talks are doomed to failure, even if they produce an agreement, because of the inherent anti-Semitism in Palestinian culture. When Palestinians kill Jews they mark the occasion by handing out candies to children.

Palestinian children are taught to hate Jews from the cradle and Hillary Clinton knows it all to well. But onward she and the Obama Administration proceed with this charade.

Congratulations Joe Miller!!!

Congratulations Joe Miller!!!

Alaska finally has a GOP Senate nominee as incumbent Lisa Murkowski has now conceded.

It just goes to show you that you can be outspent 20:1 and still win. Democracy is a lmost ovely thing.