The unimportant news thread

[Todd]

Has Obama contracted Biden's Foot In Mouth infection?


I know the prez is fond of snarky jibes, but a comment about scrambling jets is a bit much for the Commander in Chief, it seems to me.  Did he come up with this sharp one on his own in response to the question from the reporter?  Maybe he just needs the reporters to politely submit questions before press conferences so he can follow a script.

[Brian]

He already screwed himself over on Syria last year, or maybe early this year?, with the "red line" comment where he offhandedly and impromptu-ly committed himself to fighting if the improvised line was crossed.

[Todd]

Indeed.  Didn't TR suggest speaking softly and carrying a big stick?  Looks like Obama subscribes to the exact opposite approach.  I'm not certain this helps the US diplomatically.

[Brian]

Indeed.  Didn't TR suggest speaking softly and carrying a big stick?  Looks like Obama subscribes to the exact opposite approach.  I'm not certain this helps the US diplomatically.

Alas, that seems to be the case.

The Senate just voted 100-0 in favor of the Transportation Secretary nominee. Wonder how often 100-0 is these days.

[Todd]

The Senate just voted 100-0 in favor of the Transportation Secretary nominee. Wonder how often 100-0 is these days.

Pretty rare.  Looks like Obama chose a safe nominee who knows how to schmooze.  It helps that it's the Transportation Department.  Leon Panetta garnered a 100-0 vote for Defense before he took the job, but as The Economist noted at the time, Panetta was everyone's idea of a safe pair of hands. 

[Karl Henning]

Only 27 percent of eligible Massachusetts voters cast a ballot in Tuesday's election, a record low that fell short of even the secretary of State's pessimistic prediction that a third of voters would go to the polls.

RTWT here.

[Todd]

International standing of the United States is at an all time high!

(Maybe Biden can work the phones a bit, and get the same type of satisfactory results he got by talking with Rafael Correa . . .)

[Brian]

I guess the NSA was recording the polling company's calls.

[Todd]

Obama, the chief diplomat of the United States, has revealed the heretofore unknown fact that Europeans spy on the US.  So, Mr Shoot From the Hip is relying on a "They Do It, Too!" style of diplomacy.  Splendid. 

[Todd]

Did Obama fib about how accurate drones are?  Inconceivable!  Note that the discrepancy is from a study conducted by a military adviser.

(This reminds me of a quip made by a general during the first Gulf War, which was something along the lines of: all bombs are smart; they all hit the ground.)

[Parsifal]

Egypt's first democratically elected president toppled in a military coup.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/05/world/middleeast/egypt.html?hp

Sad.

[Todd]

Sacre bleu!!!!

[ibanezmonster]

Egypt's first democratically elected president toppled in a military coup.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/05/world/middleeast/egypt.html?hp

Sad.

What was interesting was a quote I heard a while ago- some young Egyptian guy remarking that the reason why any older person is always going to take the role of a dictator in Egypt is because they have dictators at home (fathers). It would be interesting to see if a younger person in power would be more appreciated (and less power-hungry).

[Parsifal]

What was interesting was a quote I heard a while ago- some young Egyptian guy remarking that the reason why any older person is always going to take the role of a dictator in Egypt is because they have dictators at home (fathers). It would be interesting to see if a younger person in power would be more appreciated (and less power-hungry).

What evidence do you have that he was "power hungry?"

[ibanezmonster]

What evidence do you have that he was "power hungry?"

I'm saying what they said.

[North Star]

Brazilian mob decapitates soccer referee after he stabs player
...12 Brazilian cities host the 2014 soccer World Cup and Rio de Janeiro the Olympic Games in 2016...

[Karl Henning]

D'you suppose it's all that Villa-Lobos they listen to? . . .

[North Star]

D'you suppose it's all that Villa-Lobos they listen to? . . .

Shostakovich was an amateur soccer referee, you know - thank goodness not in Brazil!

[Parsifal]

Shostakovich was an amateur soccer referee, you know - thank goodness not in Brazil!

Well, I doubt Shostakovich ever murdered a player on the field, as the decapitated referee apparently did.

[North Star]

Well, I doubt Shostakovich ever murdered a player on the field, as the decapitated referee apparently did.

Obviously not - though we don't know whether the murdered player threatened the referee or tried to attack him. And there was the Colombian soccer player Andrés Escobar, who was killed by a cartel bodyguard and accomplices for accidentally deflecting the ball into his own net in a game against USA, resulting in their elimination - and big losses for gamblers.