McConnell Says Time Needed to Review New Sotomayor Material (Roll Call)

I hope he is successful in getting as much time as needed to review all the pertinent data but something tells me that a place like DC where they vote on bills they have not read{1} is not inclined to want to have all the information before they come to an equitable decision on this matter.

Note:

{1} This is one reason why your host has for quite some time been a supporter of the DownsizeDC proposed legislation known as the Read the Bills Act and views the fact that such a piece of legislation is so badly needed is an indicator of no small significance of how bad things really are corruption-wise in Washington DC.

Mariners Do Not Need Bevy of All-Stars to Show Improvement

Jerry Brewer wrote this article the day following the Seattle Mariners completion of a 5-4 road trip against the three best teams in baseball. I concur sufficiently enough with his observations to post it here as generally{1} encompassing how I view both the Mariners as a team this year and the progress they have so far made as well as my views of Manager Don Wakamatsu{1}, General Manager Jack Zduriencik{2}, and the team's heart in general this year in light of what Jerry Brewer outlines above.

Notes:

{1} I must admit I am surprised and very pleasantly so that the Seattle Mariners are off to such a splendid start. Principles I have long said this team needs to embrace to work best with the kinds of talent they have are being realized -hats off to the new general manager Jack Zduriencik for the hiring of Don Wakamatsu as the new coach. I look forward to the M's actually being a competitive team this year for the first time since the departure of "Sweet" Lou Piniella. [Excerpt from Rerum Novarum (circa April 23, 2009)]

{2} See the material in footnote one as well as this link:

Miscellaneous Musings on Thread of Interest (circa December 26, 2008)

Steele to Palin: Come on In, the Water's Nice (Wall Street Journal)

At least you are showing that you understand the windfall fund raising potential of a unshackled Sarah Palin for the GOP Chairman Steele.

Has Barack been taking lessons from Berlusconi? - World News, Frontpage - Herald.ie

You be the judge folks:

Of COURSE President Obama did not ogle that girl. He also did not bow to the Saudi king, flip flop on closing military tribunals, or promise (i) to have all troops out of Iraq by May 20, 2010, (ii) an open and transparent government, or (iii) unemployment topping out at 8% and "shovel-ready jobs" if the "stimulus" was to be passed. All of that was Bush's fault!!!

Incidentally, French President Nicolas Sarkozy{1} appears quite amused by the spectacle. My guess is Michelle Obama will not be so amused but I digress.

Note:

{1} Married to the very easy on the eyes Carla Bruni.

TIME's Interview With Sarah Palin

I do believe that Alaska Governor Sarah Palin acquitted herself much better in the above interview than she did in her original press conference of July 3, 2009 announcing her intention to resign the governorship. The above article gives more details on her recent and unexpected decision.

I will have to in light of this development re-examine a bit the issue of Sarah Palin's prospects for 2012. Earlier in the year I wrote an expository musing on these matters{1} but that was done presuming that Sarah Palin would if not run for re-election in 2010 at least serve out her term. This recent development will thus require on a few points a fresh examination of probabilities; ergo, let this posting make public my intention to do that at some point in the coming months.

Note:

{1} On Political "Front Runners" Historically, Sarah Palin's Prospects in 2012, Etc. (circa April 3, 2009)

Judge Sotomayor
they say she has empathy
just not for white guys
[Written 7/6/09]

Moving the Stimulus Goalposts

The thread above covers one key reason why I insist so often and emphatically that words and concepts be defined as to how they are used. There is also in the above example a key reason why people should avoid being rash in their predictions.

Last week, I was perusing the archives of this weblog some material I published on January 23, 2007 pertaining to the Founding Fathers. The idea was to use that material -which was a series of brief biographical sketches on the Founding Fathers- and simply republish them in the other medium where I planned to use them. The problem was, as is my wont I reread the material and having read detailed biographies of several of the people profiled in that posting,{1} I found myself thinking what was there was not adequate. Considering that I was in the vicinity of July 4th, it seemed fitting to add some material so I started adding material to one biography then another until I finally realized that justice would require me to either use the material as I originally cobbled it together or to flesh out each biography in the interest of not shortchanging any of the figures so portrayed therein.

At the time the original material was published, I was merely interested in throwing together brief sketches which by their very nature would be incomplete as a kind of preface to a variety of Founding Father themed postings that I would write between that point and February of 2009 -though I did not think in January of 2007 that it would take as long to get to everything as it did. But having realized in revisiting those sketches that the entire posting itself required additional material to be a more complete representation of each biography, I wrote roughly 50-60% more total material for the posting including adding eleven new footnotes.

I was thinking of reposting the material as a new posting to Rerum Novarum but then realized it would make more sense to replace the original material with the expanded threads and simply note in the posting itself what I did -a process made much easier by my recent posting touching on the principles I utilize when these sorts of rare revisions to past archive postings are undertaken.

Anyway, that posting was replaced in the pertinent parts by the product published in another medium yesterday and I recommend those who are interested in knowing something of history to give it a read or (if they read the original sketches) a re-read:

Biographical Sketches of Some of the Founding Fathers

Without question I am far more pleased now with how that thread reads than I was when perusing the original material the other day.

Notes:

{1} Particularly Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Gouverneur Morris of the ones profiled in that series.

{2} Or even that I would write as much in that vein as I eventually did.

Mariners Branyan the Best Bargain in Baseball

Let us see, Mariner General Manager Jack Zduriencik picked him up in the offseason for 1.4 million and he is (i) hitting .293{1}, (ii) has 20 home runs{2}, and has 45 RBI's so far this season. Those are All-Star numbers and the only reason Branyan will not be going is because he plays first base which is a stat-stacked position. But for the money, I do not believe you will find a better deal in baseball; ergo, I concur with the opinion expressed in the article above.

Note:

{1} The article says .303 but it was posted on July 1st and Branyan has played in games since then; ergo my different figures than the article has which were taken from the paper this morning.

{2} See footnote one.