Posse Incitatus

Sharks in the Water

You knew it had to happen sooner or later.  As Herman Cain, a popular and outspoken black conservative, gained traction in the presidential polls, someone would set out to knock him down a few pegs, and the press would reflexively pile on.

It could well be, as some have speculated, that one of Cain's Republican primary opponents provided Politico with its story that two unnamed females charge Cain with sexual harassment against them back in the 1990s when he was head of the National Restaurant Association. No sources were named, which casts some doubt on the story's veracity. 

And just because some out-of-court settlement money was paid doesn't mean Cain was guilty as charged.  It is commonplace to pay people off to shut them up and make them go away when they threaten to tie up your organization with expensive litigation based on frivolous charges. And "expensive" means not just in dollars, but also in reputation and bad publicity.

This reminds me of a New York Times hit piece on John McCain during the 2008 presidential primary season that alleged, on flimsy evidence, that McCain had an affair with a lobbyist a few years earlier.  When a Democrat is whoring around, a la Bill Clinton, that's a personal matter that doesn't affect his ability to do his job... Or, it's just "nuts and sluts" who are making these allegations -- don't pay them any heed!... utter trailer trash! 

But come up with one weak piece of hearsay or innuendo against a Republican, and the jackals of the mainstream media jump all over it.  The liberal media smells blood, and they're circling like sharks in the water.

The left wing drivel has been all over the airwaves.  Displaying the usual condescending leftist view toward blacks who don't toe the liberal line, MSNBC analyst Karen Finney described Cain as "a black man who knows his place."

As is typical of leftists steeped in identity politics, Finney is obsessed with race, and her take on how members of the GOP interact with Cain completely revolves around skin pigmentation.  She believes white Republicans can assuage their guilt over supposedly being racists by liking and approving of Cain.  As Finney puts it, Cain "is giving that base a free pass."  Is this not disgusting, yet entirely predictable?  But that's the way leftists think.

In the coming days, the press will try to bait Cain and hammer him mercilessly.  But I believe he'll fare just fine, in part because he's a man of strong faith, but largely because he is confident, has a strong sense of self, and is a gentleman.  And his calmness and refusal to lash out is likely to anger the liberal media hacks even more.  Love it!

There is also that reverse mojo thing to keep in mind:  As I've pointed out in the past, the mainstream media's credibility is so bad that if they're ganging up on someone, that target becomes a sympathetic figure in the minds of millions of average Americans.  Watch this phenomenon happen with Cain.  What'll you bet his poll numbers will rise in the coming weeks?

Leave it to the ridiculous, juvenile media to overplay their hand.  Shake your head in disgust, but don't be shocked, and get used to it.  That's just the way it is, as the song says.

 

Gushing, Ecstatic, Delirious Joy and Praise!

The way the mainstream press was reporting the latest economic growth figures this week, you'd think the unemployment rate suddenly plummeted to 3 percent and Uncle Sam unexpectedly finished fiscal year 2011 with a $500 billion surplus.  There was that much joy and wonder.

And what, you may ask, precipitated this gusher of delirium?  Several developments: Third quarter GDP growth was reported at 2.5 percent, compared to an anemic 0.9 percent for the first six months of 2011; the Europeans have supposedly worked out a deal to save several of their nations from insolvency; and the Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 340 points on Thursday.

There was a run on Obama pom-poms by the mainstream media, practically orgasmic that things were suddenly looking up for their guy.  The gushing hosannas on Thursday and Friday were nauseating, for they betrayed not just the media's bias (like we didn't know THAT existed), but also an utter lack of critical thinking and context. 

Such childish naivete is disturbing, and probably an indictment of our failed educational system.  But that's a rant for another day.  Let's get back to the economic indicators.

Hate to rain on your parade, guys, but this economy still has SERIOUS structural problems that won't go away just because of a couple scraps of good news.  The housing debacle is perhaps just now bottoming out, and we're years away from a recovery in that sector.  Consumer debt remains dangerously high, and indeed, much of the spending that contributed to the higher third quarter GDP was done with credit.

The stock market's rocket-like performance on Thursday?  Not so surprising in a volatile economy.  The stock market is like a raw nerve that is ultra-sensitive to short-term developments, and surmising a long-term trend based on a one-day performance is like trying to judge whether a football team will win the game based on one play from scrimmage, be it good or bad.

And as far as Europe, today's Wall Street Journal reported that bond investors are skeptical about the deal to end the debt crisis.  It seems details are sketchy, and bond buyers also are demanding higher interest rates than some countries, including Italy and Spain, may be willing to pay.  As always, the devil is in the details, and perhaps not enough was known about those painful details before our friends across the pond started touting their supposed breakthrough.

I may be a nattering nabob of negativism, as the late William Safire famously penned for Vice President Spiro Agnew. But I prefer to think of myself as a hardnosed realist.  Unemployment and consumer debt remain stubbornly high, and neither is expected to decline in the near future.  Gasoline prices also take a bite out of consumers' income, and could rise further.  A harsh winter is predicted, which means more consumer income sucked up by heating bills.  Moreover, even those with jobs do not feel confident spending when they owe more on their home than it is worth and they are uncertain whether they'll be able to remain employed.

Switching to macro-economics, the Bush tax cuts are set to expire next year, and Obama is waging class warfare, which definitely will prompt wealthy people to invest overseas and put their money in nonproductive tax shelters.  Federal spending remains wildly and hopelessly out of control, and entitlement reform seems a pipe dream.  Meanwhile, the stifling Obamacare regulations and mandates are just around the corner.

This is an ugly mess we're in, and I only wish the simpletons of the mainstream media would get a clue.  They're embarrassing themselves, and doing the American people a grave disservice in the process.

 

 

Inside the Wolverine bunker

The Detroit News has been publishing excerpts of “Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines in the Crucible of College Football,” by a fellow with the unlikely (but flavorful) name of John U. Bacon.

Normally I cannot be bothered to venture into the demented world that is Skunk Bear fandom, but I found the excerpts illuminating.

They proved that I was correct in assuming that the chaos in finding Lloyd Carr’s replacement as football head coach was the result of two factors:  Michigan’s inflated self-image and sabotage by Carr himself.

This is one of those telling quotes authors love:

"If I had to put my finger on anything," said longtime faculty representative Percy Bates, "it's this notion that, 'This is Michigan. Once the job is open, they're going to be banging my door down, and I'm going to pick and choose among all these great candidates. The only question is, which of these great coaches will I invite to accept the honor of coaching at Michigan?'

Yep, that pretty much sums up the Wolverine mindset.  They figured that once the position was open, applicants would be knocking down their door.

The problem is that anyone worth having already has a decent coaching job and would therefore be unlikely to jeopardize that by applying for work elsewhere.  Sooner or later the news would get out, and then their own players and assistants would wonder.

Essentially the fools in the Michigan Athletic Department figured that top-shelf candidates would willingly risk their own careers for the mere chance of coaching in the Big House.  It’s clinically deluded behavior.

The cruel truth was that U-M had been in a skid for years.  Even its best year in the last 40 – the hallowed1997 season – only brought half of the national title (point this out the next time a Skunk Bear fan argues that MSU’s Big Ten Title is somehow less of an achievement because it is shared).

By 2007, that high point had faded into obscurity to everyone except those wearing Wolverine-pattern do-rags on their mullet and swigging Bo Wine by the case.

Phil Fulmer won an outright national title for Tennessee – and they fired him when the program went down hill.  Fans were angry with Carr’s unimaginative coaching style, ossified play-calling and consistent failure to beat Ohio State.  He knew his days were numbered and the unprecedented loss to Appalachian State only made things worse.  He had to leave before he was kicked out.

Carr’s problem was that none of his assistants were ready to take over.  That was what he really wanted.  How else to explain his erratic behavior after he retired?

LSU’s Les Miles definitely wanted the job, and Carr wanted anyone but him.  Apparently Carr suggested RichRod, and then immediately undercut him by offering to sign transfer waivers for anyone who wanted to leave.  This latter development was the origin of the “bare cupboard” excuse.

It seems to me that either Carr was setting up RichRod to fail because none of his people had a shot, or he was simply irrational.  Either way, the result was the same: the Skunk Bears, who were already shaky, got to experience their own version of the John L. Smith era.

If anything, the excerpts show how important it is for hiring decisions to be made in a far-sighted and deliberate manner.  Like MSU, the Wolverines were in a panic and utterly unprepared to find a replacement.  The outgoing athletic director, Bill Martin, was utterly clueless.  This successor, Dave Brandon, is better but still made questionable decisions.

For one:  Why not fire RichRod for the NCAA violations and avoid the buyout clause in his contract?  Why wait until after the bowl game – a game everyone knew U-M would lose – to drop the axe?

He may have tried to make it look like he wasn’t trying to railroad RichRod, but it should have been clear that RichRod deserved the sack simply through his own ineptitude.  He was a terrible hire and a lousy coach.  He lied about his previous contract with West Virginia and U-M had to pay for most of his buyout.  Consecutive losing seasons despite a velvety-soft schedule built around a preponderance of home games should have told anyone that the Skunk Bears had an awful coach.

As I noted yesterday, U-M is structurally set up to win a minimum of eight games every year simply by showing up.  It takes extra effort to lose to teams like Toledo, yet RichRod managed to pull it off.

This track record is why I remain skeptical of Brady Hoke.  So far, he hasn’t done anything noteworthy.  The offense is the same and while the defense in improved, it took consistent, tireless effort to make it stink as badly as it did under RichRod.  Short of feeding the students valium in the pre-game meal, I don’t see how it could have gotten worse.

Given Michigan’s fan base, financial resources and recruiting pool - a lot of kids in the Midwest dream of playing there because of its reputation and don’t care who is coaching – the U-M football team was never going to be as hapless as the men’s basketball team.  The alumni would not allow it to happen.

The sportswriters are insisting that Hoke won’t let the team melt down, but I’ll believe it when I see it.  It wasn’t that long ago that the Skunk Bear faithful were wearing “May the Forcier Be With You” T-shirts, hailing him as a Heisman prospect.  Where is Tate Forcier now?  He’s a Spartan – no, not that kind – he’s at San Jose State University.

Forcier’s fate exemplified everything that was wrong about how RichRod ran his team. 

Hoke is doing better, but that’s a pretty low bar.

I’m not about to go buy the book, but the excerpts were illuminating.  As they say, read the whole thing.

 

 

Cornhusker Madness

Okay, now that we’ve basked in the glow of Saturday’s amazing game for a couple of days, it’s time to stop watching the highlights on Youtube and get on task against what is now a pivotal game:  Nebraska.

This is going to be a tough game.  Nebraska is decent and we will be on the road.  Still, the Spartans won in the Horseshoe, so it’s not like we haven’t faced this kind of test before.

The key is for MSU to focus on stopping the run.  Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez is a lot like Denard Robinson:  Inaccurate as a passer, he relies a lot on his feet.  He has a completion percentage of 55 percent, seven touchdowns and six interceptions.  These are not impressive numbers.

Basically, if you make him throw the ball, he will have problems.

Yes, the Cornhuskers whacked Ohio State, but that squad had almost no offense to speak of and still put 27 points on the board.  Nebraska is very beatable.

Also note that William Gholston will be back.  He’s tanned, rested and ready to devour the Husker O-line.  He’s had a full week to build up his rage, stoking that furnace to new heights of hateful energy. 

PURDUE RISING, MICHIGAN FALLING?  Yeah, I wish.  I was amazed to see Purdue beat Illinois, but then I remembered:  Illinois is still coached by Ron Zook.  Oh.

That being said, Purdue could surprise the Skunk Bears.  They are getting stronger as the season has progressed.  Their 45-17 drubbing of Minnesota proved that they also know how to run up the score.  Okay, they did lose to Penn State, but that can happen to anyone.

Let me be clear:  I’m not about to put money on the Boilermakers, only point out that against a one-dimensional team like Michigan, they have a fair chance.

Of course, the Blue Aid drinkers are already running their thumb-sucking pieces about how this time things will be different – they insist there will be no late-season slump following the Skunk Bears’ humiliation in East Lansing.

The Freep’s Michael Rosenberg – no doubt feeling his oats after successfully leading the ""suspend William Gholson" lynch mob – has an idiotic piece making just this argument.

Count me skeptical.  No, I have nothing against Brady Hoke, and as I’ve said before, RichRod was an usually awful coach.  Still, given the baseline of talent U-M gets every year AND it the number of patsies on its schedule AND the fact that it has eight games at home, I would expect a crash test dummy to achieve an 8-4 season with this team.

That RichRod went 3-9 and 5-7 merely showed how awful he was.  Hoke doesn’t need to be incompetent to go 8-4, he just needs to be average.  And he’s likely to do that because – like almost all Big Ten teams – he back-loaded his schedule.

As noted before, the Skunk Bears managed to get into the upper ranks of the AP poll without ever leaving the comfort of their own stadium.  Their first two conference opponents were Northwestern (2-5) and Minnesota (1-6).

So now they have some actual teams to play.  Purdue is mediocre.  But Iowa is probably up to beating them, especially on the road.  Illinois also has a good shot if we can just keep Ron Zook off the sidelines.

Then Nebraska and a revitalized Ohio State journey into the Big House.  Speaking objectively, based on how the Wolverines are built and how they have played, it is possible for them to lose every one of those games.  They just aren’t that good.  Nebraska and Ohio State definitely are going to be tough.  Iowa is dangerous at home, and I honestly see a lot of similarities between Illinois and Michigan.  Illinois even has a better passing QB.

This is what you get when you front-load your schedule with easy victories over patsies and save the tough opponents for later in the season.  Once you start to lose, it’s a lot easier to keep losing.  If your team is mediocre – which Michigan most definitely is – and if your team’s offense relies entirely on the health and well-being of one player – which Michigan definitely does – a series of brutal games is the perfect recipe for late-season collapse.

HOW ABOUT SOME LOVE FOR THE NITTANY LIONS?  Okay, with Wisconsin now down a game, Penn State is now sitting atop its division.  I don’t think there is any question that Penn State is the worst one-loss team in the AP poll.  I watched their game against Iowa and I was embarrassed for the conference.

I know Skunk Bear fans tend to say “the Big Ten is down” whenever their precious Wolverines are sucking wind, but it is definitely true this year.  Iowa had been a pretty tough team.  Now it looks like a community college.  Penn State is featuring this bizarre two-quarterback system that works about as well as two-quarterback systems ever work (which is: not at all).

Still, JoePa keeps winning (except for, ahem, Alabama), so if MSU can win through, the inaugural championship could be the Spartans vs the Nittany Lions with both the Rose Bowl and the Land Grant Trophy on the line. 

In which case, “The Game,” a.k.a. the annual Skunk Bear defeat by the Buckeyes, would matter even less.

I’m not making a prediction, but it would be funny if it happened.

IS TAYLOR MARTINEZ DELUDED OR SUICIDAL?  Just when it looked like the Spartans would be worn out from three emotional victories and lack motivation, Nebraska's QB had to open his mouth:

Asked what he saw MSU do to slow down Robinson, Martinez told reporters Monday: "I really don't think they slowed him down. I think the key factor was the wind kind of slowed him down. The wind with his passing game and stuff. Hopefully we can exploit what Denard Robinson didn't do."

Wow.  Setting aside the fact that MSU faced the same conditions, what does Martinez think he is going to achieve by spouting off like this?  Does he really want the Big Ten's Dirtiest Defense^TM to come after him that badly?  Seriously, if he wants to leave the field under his own power, he ought to think before he speaks.

I TAKE BACK EVERY NICE THING I EVER SAID ABOUT BRADY HOKE:  Two quick questions: 

1.  Why does anyone care whether Hoke thinks the touchdown should have counted?

2.  Is Hoke blind?

This goes to the utter immaturity and total absence of class that has made Skunk Bear fans pariahs in the college sports world.

Hint:  When the team that just beat you convincingly for the fourth straight year then wins a close game against an undefeated opponent, accept the result.

It was bad enough that Wolverine fans had to whine about how roughly their players were handled, but now their coach is joining the football equivalent of the 9/11 Truthers. 

Not a good sign.

 

Reality's Cold Slap in the Face

Liberals are not exactly known for grasping reality.  Often, their propensity for emotionalism over rationalism, for feelings over facts, impedes reality and its harsh truths.  Liberals also cling to vague, illusory visions of fairness, social justice, income caps and forcing the rich to pay "their share" (what that share is, no one ever seems to know).  In their distorted minds, equal rights are not what's important; equal outcomes are.

Then again, there are liberals who may decide to abandon one of their key long-held beliefs while retaining the remainder of their liberalism, because that one key area has, shall we say, bitten them on the arse. (Remember that old saying, "Reality Bites"?) 

I've written in the past about one such liberal, Davis Guggenheim, whose excellent documentary, "Waiting for Superman," is a harsh indictment of miserable urban public schools and hidebound teachers' unions.   He thought he was a staunch supporter of public schools and did not think he'd send his own children to private schools.  But he learned he could not in good conscience put his children through that idealistic vision.

In recent days we've learned about more liberals -- folks who gave generously to the Obama for President campaign in 2008 -- who now are complaining bitterly about the administrations' flagrantly anti-business policies.

Let's start with Las Vegas casino owner/operator Steve Winn, who reiterated what many on the conservative side have been saying for nearly three years:  The heavy-handed regulations, obscene deficit spending and threats of higher income taxes, among other polices, are dampening prospective investment and preventing growth.  Entrepreneurs and investors are sitting on their money until they have some sign things will get better; until their fears of uncertainty are calmed.

The late great Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple Computer, apparently was also disgusted and disappointed with the administration's anti-business polices.  An excerpt from his biography written by the accomplished and respected author Walter Isaacson, describes Jobs meeting with Obama about a year into the president's term and warning him, "You're headed for a one-term presidency" if the administration didn't begin advocating more business-friendly policies.

It is somewhat ironic that heavy-handed government may have rescued Apple Computer from its death bed back in 1997.  While the Clinton Department of Justice was going after Bill Gates and Microsoft for alleged anti-trust practices, Microsoft agreed to invest $150 million in Apple and develop future applications such as the Internet Explorer browser for Mac computers.  At the time, Apple shares were selling for a measly $12 per share, and many people speculated Gates wanted to revive Apple simply to bolster part of the competition in hopes of getting Uncle Sam off his back.

Which leads us to Google and its CEO, Eric Schmidt, who testified  against charges by the Senate Antitrust Committee that Google is a monopolist.  The know-nothing Senate regulators, whose liberal bias causes them to be obsessed with "fairness" (one of the holy grails of liberalism), suggested Google replace its algorithm with a panel of experts to ensure "fair" search results.  This is downright preposterous and embarrassing to liberals and liberalism.  These folks are beyond clueless and unaware how foolish they look.  Schmidt, an Obama supporter in 2008, now believes the politicians are interested in Silicon Valley's money, but not in promoting innovation or entrepreneurship.  You don't say.

Better to learn important lessons late than not at all.  Many who were enchanted by Obama and naively supported him back in 2008 are now feeling like the jilted lover.  And as Obama and his minions will learn a year from now, payback is hell.

 

Uncertainty in the Middle East

So after 8 1/2 years, the United States declares the Iraq War is over.  President Obama made the announcement a few days ago, and his supporters boasted how he was keeping a campaign promise.  They also pointed out that the administration of former President George W. Bush negotiated the timetable calling for U.S. troops to vacate Iraq by the end of 2011.  Normally the left despises Bush and mocks him mercilessly.  But if they think they can further legitimize their stance on an issue, they'll haul out ol' "W".

It is entirely possible that the Iraqi government wants us out, because the Iraqi people want us out.  Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki states, and I have no reason not to believe him, that he would not be able to get the parliamentary support to extend our military presence in Iraq.

The al-Maliki government is heavily populated by Shia Muslims and has pretty close ties with Iran.  The prime minister has been roundly criticized for not cracking down on Shia militias in recent years, and many fear he is so closely aligned with Iran that the fundamentalist clerics ruling Iran will exert great influence on their next-door neighbor.

It would be sickening, disheartening, and nothing short of a tragedy if the high price we paid to oust Saddam and bring freedom to long-suffering Iraq were for naught.  Not only have thousands of troops lost their lives, thousands more have been maimed and/or psychologically damaged, and the United States spent an estimated $800 billion on the war.  Compounding matters, the war has torn apart an already polarized nation.

None of us really knows what's going on behind the scenes as far as protecting Iraq from the Iranian menace.  Because Iran is so closed off from the rest of the world, we don't even know for sure how secure the warped theocracy in Tehran is. 

It would not surprise me if Iran is as brittle as Romania, Poland, East Germany and Czechoslovakia in the late 1980s. It also would not shock me if the CIA, Mossad and other intelligence agencies have some well-developed plans to assassinate key leaders there to foment unrest, and possibly to sabotage the country's power grid or take other dramatic actions to A) prevent Iran from making a move on Iraq and its oil fields; and B) prevent Iran from fully developing nuclear weapons.

I am far from an intelligence expert, but I can read between the lines.  And for being such a progressive liberal who painted himself as a peacenik in 2008, Obama has been particularly ruthless with his use of Predator drone missiles to exterminate Islamofascists.  Kudos to him for that!

So Iraq remains a work in progress, but I still say we are far better off than if Saddam were still in power.  I defy anyone to claim otherwise.

Meanwhile, in Libya, I grudgingly give credit to Obama for helping hasten the demise of the Gaddafi regime and the thug himself.  However, it concerns me that there is already talk of implementing sharia law in Libya.  If so, women's rights would go out the door, and Christians had better flee or go in hiding.

In Syria, murderous thug Bahsar al-Assad is ruthlessly cracking down on dissenters with a hideous bloodbath.  Over 3,000 Syrians have been slaughtered, but many Syrians own weapons, and a civil war may be brewing.  Assad's days may be numbered, and it would do my heart good to see this piece of garbage meet the same fate as Saddam and Gaddafi.  However, as always in the dysfunctional Middle East, sometimes its better the devil you know...

The coming few months promise to be eventful economically, politically, and militarily.  Fasten your seat belts.

 

You +1'd this publicly. Undo

 

MSU destroys ESPN's narrative

Just about every sportswriter in the nation has opined on MSU’s amazing victory over Wisconsin, leading to an intense cliché shortage.  By late Sunday afternoon, KC-135s from the Michigan Air National Guard’s 127th Wing were flying them in from California.  If the Spartans defeat Nebraska in a similar fashion, we may be bringing in our wartime stocks from Guam and Okinawa (the Cold War surplus we had in Europe got used up describing the Iraq war). 

While the game certainly was “one for the ages,” it was also not supposed to happen.  The story was supposed to be that transfer mercenary QB Russell Wilson is an amazing athlete and on his way to the Heisman Trophy.  Saturday night was to be his coming out party – the night the Badgers proved they could beat someone besides a MAC team on the road.

Of course, like Michigan the week before, the Badgers built their reputation by running up the score on a bunch of minor-league schools.  They scored a convincing win against Nebraska, but did so at home. 

Without looking this up, see if you can spot the school Wisconsin didn’t play:

UNLV
Oregon State
Northern Illinois
North Dakota
Nebraska
Indiana

Give up?  It was North Dakota.  The Badgers actually played South Dakota.  Like it matters.

The point is that their much-vaunted scoring ability and incredible defense were built on one of the softest schedules in the NCAA.  Even so, because they were undefeated, the sports marketing guys were expecting Great Things and a Special Season as they continued their March to Glory.

Before the kickoff, I considered making a drinking game based on how many times the announcers said “Russell Wilson,” but decided against it because I didn’t want to have alcohol poisoning. 

Even at halftime, after MSU had made a stunning comeback, forcing the “unstoppable” Badger offense into a safety (!), an interception, a blocked field goal and a blocked punt for a touchdown, the only thing the talking heads at ESPN Central had to say was:  “How can Russell Wilson come back?”

I have nothing against the man personally – I don’t know him, probably will never meet him.  He’s a talented athlete who will doubtless go on to make ten times my lifetime salary in a couple of years – and I begrudge him not a dime of it.

That being said, his transfer and glorification exemplify just about everything that is wrong with college football (the SEC covers the rest).

Here is a guy who, having issues with his first school, decides to transfer somewhere else to use up his final year of eligibility.  He picks Wisconsin because Bret Bielema can’t seem to recruit a decent quarterback and they were able to find a loophole in the degree requirements that would let it happen.

This is a purely mercenary decision for both parties:  Bielema needs a mobile, experienced quarterback to balance his run-focused offense.  Wilson needs a standout season at a big school so he can maximize his standing in the NFL draft.

One can argue that this is the way a lot of the NCAA operates, and recruiting is often a pretty sordid affair.  But most of the time we can at least delude ourselves that something else is going on.  Many kids choose their school because they are in-state, admire the traditions, have a family relationship with the program and so on.  Even though I cordially despise the Skunk Bears, I can accept that a certain percentage of the state’s youth want to wear winged helmets – just as a certain number want to wear green and white.

Perhaps I’m a little sensitive given the media-driven whinefest about William Gholston and the “dirty play” by the Spartans against the Skunk Bears.  Wolverine Nation must have felt pretty satisfied with themselves when Gholston was suspended – and then we won without him. 

Time was that the Skunk Bear faithful insisted MSU wasn’t even a rival – it was all in our heads and the Wolverines only had the brain capacity to focus on one hated team: the Buckeyes.

The furor over Gholston gives the lie to that claim – having lost in spectacular fashion for four years in a row, the Meeechigan fan base and their sportswriter allies tried to taint MSU’s win and hobble it against Wisconsin – but it didn’t work.

MSU not only won, but did so without any penalties.  So much for being the NCAA’s dirtiest program.

Oh, and speaking of dirty programs, I find it interesting that LSU is now on top of the polls, basking in the glow of a Number One ranking despite having three suspended players and being under probation for recruiting violations.  Integrity!

MSU’s victory was indeed “one for the ages,” but I think what many of us in the Spartan Nation are really enjoying is how the media – particularly broadcaster ESPN – had to shift their story line at the last minute.

They set up Game Day to crown Russell Wilson and ended up having to highlight Keith Nichol – they guy who gave up playing transfer-roulette and decided to make the best of where he is.  Enjoy the attention, Keith.  You earned it.

 

Retreat from Iraq

Long-time readers of this blog have no doubt noticed that it has changed over the years.  Initially posting was almost daily and focused on politics, grand strategy and world events.  There was also a good bit of gun-blogging as well.

Over the last few years, that has changed.  Posts happen several times a week instead of daily, they mostly focus on sports, in-state politics and sometimes touch on the national and international scene.

Partly this is a function of our schedule:  T-Mo and I are busier now and simply don’t have the time to do a daily morning update.

At the same time, the world is a more depressing place than it was when we began.  Rather than chronicle the unfolding debacles in economic and foreign policy, we – like a good many Americans – are turning to the things that make us happy.

Since we get paid the same whether we write about something we enjoy or not, we choose to go where the fun is.

That being said, the president’s weekend announcement that the war in Iraq is “over,” cannot pass without comment.

The political calculus here is both obvious and pathetic.  Having failed to negotiate a long-term American strategic presence, the administration is trying to make the best of its failed policies.  Essentially it is “declaring victory and going home.”

That phrase has been thrown around a lot lately, mostly by the left. 

NOTE:  I won’t say “anti-war” because it is now clear that the “peace protesters” don’t give a crap about non-violence.  The war in Libya was unauthorized and bloody and represents an open-ended commitment of the worst kind, yet not a peep was uttered against it.  These people were nothing more than partisans reaching for anything at hand to throw at George W. Bush.  But I digress.

The left focuses on language a lot, and often it’s thumb-sucking think pieces focus not on whether their policies work but whether they’ve named them correctly.  Take the American Jobs Act.  It’s nothing but a sop to unions – Stimulus II:  Electric Boogaloo.  It won’t create any private sector jobs, but no matter.  It’s got a catchy name and that should poll well.

Similarly, the deep-thinkers in the White House believe that simply announcing “WE WIN!” will magically place the laurels of victory around the president’s head – at the same time placating the peace lobby within his political base who – despite the aforementioned cynicism, actually do find all this drone-missile assassination/open-ended undeclared warfare stuff a little unpalatable.

It won’t work.

In the real world, no one cares what you call it – what matters is reality.

Wisconsin could declare that it actually “won” in East Lansing this weekend.  It could announce that the final play was a fluke and therefore it won.  Its press office could refer to the Badgers as undefeated in all news releases.  But it wouldn’t be true.

Similarly, our enemies in the Middle East don’t much care whether we claim we are victorious or not, all they know is that we are leaving and doing it on unfavorable terms.  We have to pull 40,000 troops and their equipment out in a couple of months.  Iraq’s fragile government is under considerable strain already and it is unclear how much protection their military will provide us. 

The knock against the United States has always been that we don’t stick around – particularly in Iraq.  In 1991, we urged the Iraqi people to rise up and that sat and watched Saddam Hussein butcher them.  When we invaded in 2003, our potential allies held back because they expected a repeat of our previous behavior.

We insisted it was different and certainly we’ve shown more stamina, but now the long-expected flight is on.  I am at a loss as to why any Iraqi soldiers would exert themselves to defend our bases or personnel at this point.

At the same time, every surviving radical in Iraq – Sunni or Iranian-backed Shiite – will probably come at us as hard as they can, hoping to cause as much damage as possible.  Their goal is a headline stating that November and December were the two bloodiest months in years.  If they can get anything going at all, they can turn the entire campaign around in the public mind and turn the orderly withdrawal into a disorderly retreat.

Let there be no mistake:  I know our troops are supremely professional and I guarantee every unit commander has set a goal of losing not one G.I. during this final operation.  They are looking to Dunkirk and Gallipoli – the latter was performed flawlessly without losing a single soldier.

But both of those operations were defeats, the last heroic act of an doomed campaign.

No victorious army ever has to withdraw under a strict timeline while harried by the enemy.  If the US decided to remove its bases in Germany, or Japan, we would do so safely and peacefully.  When we closed our bases in the Philippines, we did so without fuss or drama.

That latter example provides a useful contrast.  Facing escalating financial demands for basing rights that no longer mattered, the administration of George H.W. Bush decided to leave.  And that was that.  We left.  No drama, no bombs, just a historical footnote as Clark Field and Subic Bay Naval Base were turned over to the Philippine government.

I doubt the Iraq drawdown will be as smooth.

A Big Sports Weekend -- Just What the Doctor Ordered!

Things to write about: The William Gholston suspension; MSU's chances vs. Wisconsin in tonight's homecoming game; the third game of the World Series; the Detroit Lions attempting to bounce back after their first loss of the season without injured starting running back Jahvid Best...

After a long work week and the usual dose of bad economic news, I for one am grateful for this 21st century version of bread and circuses.

My esteemed colleague, K.N. McBride, has made many excellent points about the clumsy manner in which the Gholston suspension was handled, and the bad precedent it sets.

Methinks Gholston should have been tossed out of the game vs. Michigan since he committed two flagrant fouls, both after the play was over.  Granted, Michigan got away with some cheap shots, but that's the way it works in sports:  The refs call what they see, and they just cannot see everything.  Where the heck are we headed, to an M.O. in which conference officials review game video and then mete out retroactive penalties to be imposed in the next game?  The NCAA needs to think long and hard about this issue and attempt to develop some consistent standards.

As for the Spartans vs. Wisconsin, I suspect this will be a close, hard-fought game as MSU, with one of the nation's best defenses, faces Wisconsin, with top-notch quarterback Russell Smith and a massive offensive line.  Wisconsin's gaudy offensive statistics, it should be noted, have mostly come against cream puffs and at home.  It's been nine years since the Badgers defeated the Spartans in East Lansing, so I am feeling cautiously optimistic about tonight's tilt.

Turning to baseball, I am rooting for the Texas Rangers even though they booted my beloved Detroit Tigers from the playoffs.  This is because I have a co-worker I like who is from Texas, and I know he's an avid Rangers fan.  But also because Texas has never won a World Series, whereas their opponent, the St. Louis Cardinals, has won several.

The Lions?  Their runing game was shaky even with Jahvid Best, in large part because their offensive line isn't very good.  If Best sits out the rest of the season because of a concussion, they may need to find a journeyman running back off the waiver wires to help them make it through the season.  Tough game tomorrow vs. Atlanta.  More on that later.

IRAQ & GADDAFI — Commentary on these two situations in a day or two.  But only sports for right now! Enjoy the weekend, everyone. I know I will!

Obama's Death Spiral

No, I'm not talking about his physical or psychological health; I am referring to his prospects for re-election.

Today's analogy is one of a pilot and co-pilot desperately yanking on the tiller and joystick as their aircraft plunges toward earth.  Somewhere, somehow, one of them made some bad miscalculations and put this behemoth into a death spiral from which there can be no recovery.

President Obama's arrogant makeover of the U.S. economy with massive spending, Rube Goldberg Obamacare, stifling regulations, obsequious behavior toward unions and demonization of wealthier Americans, has had disastrous consequences.  And the American people are on to it, big-time.

The economy is in a death spiral, and Obama, like the desperate pilot flailing away in the cockpit, is doing his own verbal flailing with his class warfare and condescension toward those who disagree wth him.

Like a four-year-old whining because he can't have his own way, the president said the other day he is breaking up his jobs plan into "bite-size pieces" because "maybe they (Republicans) just couldn't understand the whole thing at once."   Nice.

The O-man also keeps up a steady drumbeat about "millionaires and billionaires" and repeats ad nauseam the tired old canard about Warren Buffett and his secretary.  Obama's act has worn thin; he's about as exciting as a rerun of "The Waltons."

Meanwhile, Obama's pathetic minions in Congress continue to underwhelm.  Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a dim bulb if there ever was one, is as clueless and despicable as ever.  He had the unmitigated gall to utter these preposterous words:

“It’s very clear that private sector jobs have been doing just fine, it’s the public sector jobs where we’ve lost huge numbers, and that’s what this legislation is all about,” Reid said on the Senate floor.

This is leadership?  No wonder our country is in trouble.

Not to be outdone, Vice President Joe Biden is out spouting off about how rapes and murders will increase if those big, bad meany Republicans don't pass the president's jobs bill.  Earth to Joe: We're on to you!  We don't want to piss away tens of billions of dollars to your union buddies so they can turn around and line the Democrat campaign coffers with OUR MONEY!!!

You can't make this stuff up.  It's a political horror show, right before our very eyes.  If the American people don't wake up soon, we will have lost our country.