Can we have a do-over?

Urban Dictionary:

elec·tile dys·func·tion :
The inability to become aroused over any of the choices for President put forth by either party during an election year.

Via: Tam for the quote, Les Jones for the cite.

UPDATE 080130 19:32: In Tam's comments, “joemerchant24” writes:

I'm thinking [of voting] Cylon. I'm not so big on the “eradicate all humans” plank, but the cloning smokin' hot blondes is a platform I can support. [links added by o.g., purely for academic reasons]

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 19:00:26 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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OPEC's man in D.C.

Glenn Reynolds, posting at On Day One:

The next President should announce support for Robert Zubrin's Energy Victory policy that all new cars sold in the United States be flex-fuel vehicles that can run on ethanol and methanol.   Achievable for just $100 a car, this helps the environment and the third world poor, while helping to break OPEC.

At Instapundit:

A reader emails:

I think Bush should do it NOW, or at worst before his term ends.  If it works as advertised and bankrupts the Saudis, Chavez, and the rest of OPEC, it will go down as the best thing he did in office, and I include Iraq in that assessment.

Sadly, the White House opposes the Zubrin plan because it's a “mandate,” notwithstanding that it would be far less intrusive -- and far more beneficial -- than the increase in C.A.F.E. standards.

Umm, and C.A.F.E. isn't a “mandate?”

How about:  Bush doesn’t want to hurt his post-retirement prospects with Saudi Arabia?

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 17:22:05 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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American sur-reality

Great Moments in Marketing:

The Hershey Co. is halting production of Ice Breakers Pacs...

...in response to criticism that the mints look too much like illegal street drugs... - Associated Press story posted at KOMO-TV

Nah, no resemblance at all...

Via: Ace

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 05:33:11 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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In other words, put up or shut up

“Others have said they would personally be happy to pay higher taxes. I welcome their enthusiasm, and I am pleased to report that the IRS accepts both checks and money orders.” - SOTU

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 04:17:08 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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Really clever a.k.a. Consumer warning

From Pixy:

Let's say you have an ADSL router - we'll call it a Getnear DG834 - and you're happy with it, but you just installed a second ADSL connection and you want to extend your wireless network, so you bought a Getnear DG834G (G for 802.11g wireless), and you plug it in to your notebook and run the installation software, you'd better be damn sure that you turn off your wireless access before you do that because otherwise the software will SEEK OUT AND BRAIN-WIPE YOUR EXISTING ADSL ROUTER.

A factory reset will fix that, but you'd better remember exactly what your username and password are...

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 03:15:05 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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No guts, no glory

The Wall Street Journal:

...Tonight... President Bush uses his State of the Union address to lay down his toughest anti-earmarking pledge to date. We're told he will tell Congress that he will veto any fiscal 2009 spending bill that doesn't cut earmarks in half from 2008 levels. He will also report that he is issuing a Presidential order informing executive departments that from now on they should refuse to fund earmarks that aren't explicitly mentioned in statutory language.

Of course...

Mr. Bush's executive order will not apply to the fiscal 2008 spending bills that passed late last year. Congress endorsed 11,735 special-interest earmarks worth $16.9 billion in fiscal 2008, yet thousands of these weren't even written into the actual budget bills.

No real action, but a bunch of promises. This is supposed to be progress?

Forget the Journal's "12-step" program. Cold turkey works quicker, and in my experience the folks who get through it don't backslide.

UPDATE 080128 20:29: Bush issues the order, and Glenn says:

If he'd done this in 2005, of course, the GOP might have kept its majority.

Yep. And we wouldn't have $16.9 billion worth of earmarks today.



Via: Daily Pundit

Previously:

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 19:04:25 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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Feel-good story of the day

From Tasmania Mercury:

A would-be suicide bomber fell down a flight of stairs and blew himself up as he headed out for an attack in Afghanistan, police say.

And that's not all:

It was the second such incident in two days, with another man killing himself and three others on Tuesday when his bomb-filled waistcoat exploded as he was putting it on in the southern town of Lashkar Gah.

Via Rantburg, also Ace, HT Ray Robison for the title.

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 16:04:56 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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Black Thursday?

Rumor hath it that Tam has a birthday today.

Rumor seems a bit less certain as to whether it’s the big 3-0 or the big 4-0.

Believe I’ll go for 30. (It’s never flattering to overestimate a lady’s age. Especially when she’s well-armed.) So happy 30^th and all that.

UPDATE 080129 19:25: It's 40.

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 04:32:08 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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Alright you lazy slobs, back to work!

Hey guys, don't retire early. You'll reduce your widow's Social Security benefits.


Previously: The *wife* lived happily ever after

Via: Dr. Helen, who got it from Glenn Sachs.

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 19:38:35 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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One-liner of the day

View From The Porch:

Derrick Kosch, 25, of Kokomo, IN displayed an amazing lack of gunhandling skills on Tuesday when he blew his own... er, wedding tackle into pink mist during an attempted stickup of a Village Pantry convenience store.

Bet he won't have the balls to try that again!

Posted by: Old Grouch in In Passing at 17:18:03 GMT | No Comments | Add Comment
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