DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz on Fox & Friends: Won't Comment on Teamsters Leader's Violent Rhetoric

Nice Deb has the big roundup: "Video: Debbie Wasserman Schultz Also Not Interested In Condemning Violent Anti-Teaparty Rhetoric":

Not only is she out of her league as DNC Chair, she's really nasty woman.

See also at Althouse, "'We got to keep an eye on the battle that we face: The war on workers'."

I realize "let's take these sons of bitches out" can be interpreted to mean let's vote these terrible people out of office. But "take them out" is not an idiomatic expression that corresponds to "vote them out." Take them out? Maybe that's not the phrase he intended to use, but if it was unintended, it was still a gaffe. A revealing gaffe. Unless you're speaking in a positive way — referring to taking someone out on a date, for example — "take them out" is a violent command. With "sons of bitches" right there, it's unmistakably violent. Now, you can say it's only metaphorical, and all Hoffa really wants is to oust these people from office.

But it was only last January that Obama and many other Democrats were saying that violent metaphors, including a simple target on a map, were dangerous incitements for the unstable irrational folk out there.

Also, "Jimmy Hoffa's "Let’s take these sons of bitches out" speech — take 2."

Libya Vindicates Obama? And Humanitarian Intervention?

I don't think the administration had a clue, but President Obama will get a lot of credit for toppling Gaddafi.



And this will generate a big debate among specialists in international relations. See Anne Marie Slaughter's piece, at Financial Times, "Why Libya sceptics were proved badly wrong":

Let us do a thought experiment. Imagine the UN did not vote to authorise the use of force in Libya in March. Nato did nothing; Colonel Muammer Gaddafi over-ran Benghazi; the US stood by; the Libyan opposition was reduced to sporadic uprisings, quickly crushed. The regimes in Yemen and Syria took note, and put down their own uprisings with greater vigour. The west let brutality and oppression triumph again in the Middle East.



This is the scenario many wise heads were effectively arguing for with their strong stands against intervention to stop Col Gaddafi. Over the months those analysts have reminded us of their views, calling Libya a quagmire. This week one of the leading proponents of that position, my friend and colleague Richard Haass, shifted gears – but only to remind us just how hard the road ahead in Libya is likely to be.



I do not know anyone, regardless of the side they took in the initial debate, who thinks this task will be easy; indeed, the battle against Col Gaddafi is not yet won. But not so fast. Before we focus on what must happen next, let us pause for a minute and reflect on that initial debate and the lessons to be learnt.

Keep reading.



Dr. Slaugther omits mention that Islamists could come to power in Libya, which in the end might not be much better than having Gaddafi. True, Muammar is about as bad as they come, and as I said all along in the case of Mubarak's Egypt, there's little satisfaction in standing up for a dictator. But the euphoria of the Arab Spring has long evaporated and a real security dilemma is emerging in the region that's forcing folks to reckon with change. Israel, of course, comes to mind, but a larger systemic transformation toward more widespread Islamism won't be good. It's already bad enough as it is.



More on this at Foreign Affairs, from Stewart Patrick, "Libya and the Future of Humanitarian Intervention: How Qaddafi's Fall Vindicated Obama and RtoP."

Megyn Kelly Interviews Sarah Palin

Via NeoSexist:

It's great to see Megyn Kelly back. And Part II is especially good. Kelly asks Palin what she thinks of Gloria Steinem. It's good.

'I Think You Would Have to Be Racist to Even Think He Was Talking About Barack Obama'

If you've seen the Ed Schultz segment, just scroll forward to 1:20 minutes.

Via Hot Air.

Sarah Palin Slams Joe Biden Linking Tea Party Conservatives with Terrorists

It's "quite appalling," and that's putting it mildly:

Yet progressives have their meme at they're sticking to it. See Joe Nocera, "Tea Party's War on America" (via Memeorandum).

Norway Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg: 'We Will Not Be Intimidated'

At BBC, "Norway will stand firm, says PM Jens Stoltenber."

Also, at The Independent UK, "Norway to form independent commission to probe attacks":

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg vowed today that Norway will fight back against the twin terror attacks with "more democracy" and said an independent commission is being formed to investigate the massacre and to help survivors and relatives.

Norwegians will defend themselves by showing they are not afraid of violence and by participating more broadly in politics, he told reporters.

"It's absolutely possible to have an open, democratic, inclusive society, and at the same time have security measures and not be naive," he said.

Stoltenberg underlined his commitment to openness, defending freedom of thought even if includes extremist views such as those held by the 32-year-old Norwegian who confessed to Friday's bomb blast at government headquarters and to the shooting massacre at a Labor Party youth camp hours later. At least 76 people were killed.

"We have to be very clear to distinguish between extreme views, opinions — that's completely legal, legitimate to have. What is not legitimate is to try to implement those extreme views by using violence," he said.

"I think what we have seen is that there is going to be one Norway before and one Norway after July 22," he said. "But I hope and also believe that the Norway we will see after will be more open, a more tolerant society than what we had before."

He later announced the independent commission, saying "it is important to be able to clear up all questions about the attack in order to learn from what happened."

'The Schadenfreude is so thick you can't cut it with a chainsaw'

On the road today. I'll have more blogging tonight.

Meanwhile, a don't miss editorial at Wall Street Journal, "News and Its Critics."

LulzSec Targets Murdoch-Owned Papers

At New York Daily News, "Turnabout: Internet hackers attack Rupert Murdoch, wreak havoc with The Sun's website." And New York Times, "Lulz Security Says It Hacked News Corporation Sites."

This is pretty nasty, but it's hard to feel bad for News International. Check The Real Sabu on Twitter.

And at Telegraph UK, "The Sun's website 'hacked by LulzSec'":

On Twitter, LulzSec also claimed to have hacked into News International email accounts and began posting what appeared to be passwords to individual email addresses as well as mobile numbers for editorial staff.

There were some indications that the information accessed may have been several years old.

One tweet mentioned a Sun email address for Rebekah Wade - the unmarried name of Rebekah Brooks, News International's chief executive.

Mrs Brooks has used her married name since 2009 and she left the The Sun to become a News International executive the same year.

It also posted a mobile number for Pete Picton, a former Sun online editor who left .

Also at TechCrunch, "Updated: The Sun and News International sites hacked, Lulzsec claims responsibility" (via Mediagazer).

Herman Cain Says U.S. Communities 'Have the Right' to Ban Mosques

At Fox News:

Presidential candidate Herman Cain on Sunday defended his opposition to a new mosque in Tennessee, expressing concern about Shariah law and declaring Americans "have the right" to ban mosques in their communities.

Cain, who stirred controversy this year by saying he would be uncomfortable appointing a Muslim to his Cabinet if elected, first expressed concern Thursday about the controversial mosque in Murfreesboro, Tenn. That mosque has been the subject of demonstrations and legal challenges in the wake of the controversy over the so-called "Ground Zero mosque" in New York City.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," Cain said he came out against the Tennessee mosque after talking to members of that community. He said the site is "hallowed ground" to Murfreesboro residents and that they're concerned about "the intentions of trying to get Shariah law" -- the code governing conduct in Islamic societies.
"It's not just a mosque for religious purposes. This is what the people are objecting to," he said.

See also Robert Stacy McCain's exclusive report, "VIDEO: Herman Cain Talks Mosques, Sharia and the Muslim Brotherhood."

And at Atlas Shrugs, "Herman Cain gets it. He will be slammed by the leftist/Islamic machine as they continue to enforce Islamic blasphemy laws, bulldoze the American people and bulldoze individual rights."

Casey Anthony to Go Into Disguise

At the clip is Bill O'Reilly's compelling exchange with Nancy Grace from last night:

Also at RCP: "Nancy Grace: 'Somewhere Out There, The Devil Is Dancing Tonight'."

And from London's Daily Mail, "'She doesn't get how much people hate her': Casey Anthony considering disguises and a fake name after release." And at Fox News, "Casey Anthony Reportedly Plans to Use False Name, Disguises Upon Release From Jail."

Leftists Freaked Out Over News of John Lennon as Republican

Well, mostly Jon Wiener at The Nation, although Joel Achenbach, at WaPo, "can't imagine" John Lennon as a Republican. Cute, isn't that?

But see James Delingpole, at Telegraph UK, "Was John Lennon a secret Reagan Republican?"

Over at the leftie Nation, historian Jon Wiener is having a massive sense of humour failure at this outrageous slur on a man probably second only to Che as an icon of international left-wing street credibility.

Exactly.

This story is so last month, but I couldn't get it out of my mind this week while visiting The Beatles LOVE Cirque du Soleil.

Fox News Fireworks Over Casey Anthony Verdict

Some excellet television last night on Fox News.

See Hollywood Reporter, "Bill O'Reilly Goes Off on Casey Anthony Juror, Praises Judge (Video)." And Mediaite, "Casey Anthony Got Away With Murder!? Hannity Panel Explodes Over Verdict."

Fox News Twitter Account Hacked

It's trending at Memeorandum.

And a report at New York Times, "Apparently Hacked, a Fox News Twitter Account Sent Out Alarming Posts":

A series of alarming Twitter posts about President Obama appeared on Fox News’ Twitter account for political news early Monday morning, and the Web site for the cable television network said it was a victim of hacking.

The Twitter account, @foxnewspolitics, one of many that is operated by Fox News, claimed that the president died while campaigning in Iowa, but gave no source for the news. On Monday morning, FoxNews.com first posted a brief statement saying that the reports were incorrect, and that it regretted “any distress the false Tweets may have created.”

The six messages — which as of late Monday morning were still available online — created a flurry of attention overnight and senior Secret Service officials were gathering on Monday morning to discuss them, said to a law enforcement official who declined to be identified because of an investigation into the matter.

A spokesman for the Secret Service, George Ogilvie, said, “We’re not commenting on any of this.”

Jeff Misenti, the vice president and general manager of Fox News Digital, said in a later statement on Monday that the news organization will be requesting “a detailed investigation from Twitter about how this occurred, and measures to prevent future unauthorized access into FoxNews.com accounts.”

More details at the link.

And a screencap of the tweets is here.

And check this at Think Magazine, "UPDATED: Think Talks with the Group That Hacked A Fox News Twitter Account."

Glenn Beck's Last Show on Fox News

Here's part of the show, the introduction:

I'll update with the full clip later. Meanwhile, from Gabby Hoffman, at Washington Times, "Glenn Beck ends popular Fox News show to start GBTV."

VIDEO: Michele Bachmann Interviewed on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, June 26, 2011

The transcript's at Fox News, "Rep. Michele Bachmann Talks Earmarks, Obamacare and Gay Marriage..."

It's a good interview. She responds to the Los Angeles Times hit piece from this morning, "Bachmann's had her share of government aid." And the Times updates, "Michele Bachmann denies benefiting from government aid." And Wallace's "Are you a flake question" comes at the very end, so that gives it a different context from the 30 second video clip that that's gone viral today. It's definitely not quite as alarming. Bachmann responded at length earlier in the interview, after Wallace asked, "Why are you suddenly a frontrunner?" She spent at good amount of time discussing her background, and does so again at the end of the clip.

See also, Hot Air, "Wallace: Sorry for the “flake” question." (Via Memeorandum.)

RELATED: At Marathon Pundit, 'Michele Bachmann: "I grew up in John Wayne's America'."

Jon Stewart on 'Fox News Sunday'

This is an amazingly testy interview. Jon Stewart gets visibly angry, repeatedly. And kudos to Chris Wallace for keeping cool. I read over the weekend that Jon Stewart lashed out at Wallace, calling him "insane." And he did:

At Part 2 Stewart claims that Fox News has "the most consistently misinformed media viewers." And this has created a huge war over truth claims online. Steve Benen, at Washington Monthly, hopped on Stewart's claim faster than Anthony Weiner hitting the delete key: "The ‘most consistently misinformed media viewers’." I thought Benen's response typically opportunistic, but not serious, because political science shows a huge level of political non-sophistication among the American population. But lefties hate Fox News, so that was ammo for the battle. And then along came PolitiFact, which called out Stwart: "Jon Stewart says those who watch Fox News are the 'most consistently misinformed media viewers'." (At Memeorandum.)

Anyway, "Hammering" Jane Hamsher actually fact-checks PolitiFact, or she dictionary-checks, lamely claiming that Stewart didn't really say Fox viewers were misinformed when he said they were the most consistently misinformed, or something.

Anyway, see also Da Tech Guy, "Jon Stewart and Irony Overload," and Lonely Conservative, "Politifact: Jon Stewart’s Claim Fox News Viewers ‘Most Consistently Uninformed’ Is False."

Michele Bachmann Jumps Into 2012 White House Race

Wednesday night's interview with Sean Hannity:

Anthony Weiner Sexting Underage Girl?

Well, the exact content of the tweets is unknown, but authorities are investigating, "Delaware Police Looking Into Weiner Tweets to a Minor." It's pretty outrageous, but we won't hear a word from Democrats and progressives. See, "Feckless feminists wimp out on Weinergate; Plus: Weiner’s lingering underage girl problem; Updated: 17-year-old gets cop visit; Pelosi doesn’t seem to care."

Also, at Big Government, "Police Investigating Alleged Online Communications Between Weiner and Underage Girl." (At Memeorandum.)

Added: Weiner confirms the reports: "Anthony Weiner admits contact with girl, 17."

Gingrich Presidential Campaign Disintegrates

I'm not surprised at all.

From Chris Cillizza, "Gingrich presidential campaign implodes" (via Memeorandum):

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich’s presidential campaign imploded Thursday afternoon with his entire senior staff resigning en masse, according to multiple sources familiar with the moves.

“When the campaign and the candidate disagree on the path, they’ve got to part ways,” said Rick Tyler, a longtime Gingrich spokesman who was among those who left the campaign.

Tyler as well as Rob Johnson, Gingrich’s campaign manager, Dave Carney and Katon Dawson, senior strategists to the effort, media consultant Sam Dawson, Iowa strategist Craig Schoenfeld, South Carolina operative Walter Whetsell and Georgia-based adviser Scott Rials have all stepped aside. Much of Gingrich’s early state operation was also headed for the exits, according to a one senior campaign source.

Follow the link at top. Gingrich made the announcement on Facebook.

Howard Dean, Former Presidential Candidate and DNC Chair, Says Sarah Palin Could Win

And economic conditions are going to be key, as I noted this morning.

At The Hill, "Howard Dean Warns Dems Sarah Palin Could Beat Obama in 2012" (at Memeorandum):

“I think she could win,” Dean told The Hill in an interview Friday. “She wouldn’t be my first choice if I were a Republican but I think she could win.”

Dean warns the sluggish economy could have more of a political impact than many Washington strategists and pundits assume.

“Any time you have a contest — particularly when unemployment is as high as it is — nobody gets a walkover,” Dean said. “Whoever the Republicans nominate, including people like Sarah Palin, whom the inside-the-Beltway crowd dismisses — my view is if you get the nomination of a major party, you can win the presidency, I don’t care what people write about you inside the Beltway,” Dean said.

VIDEO HAT TIP: Nice Deb.