Tuesday Open Thread [10.23.12]
It is good to see that Mitt Romney is representative of the average GOP voter regarding knowledge of world geography. Mittens said last night that Syria is Iran’s route to the sea. Interestingly though, on this planet we call Earth, Syria and Iran do not share a border. Iraq stands in the way. Further, and more importantly, Iran already has several of its own routes to the sea. It has a very long southern coastline that gives the country access to the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Indian Ocean. It’s northern border includes its coastline on the Caspian Sea, which, while it is an essentially landlocked inland sea, it does have canals and rivers that lead eventually to the Black Sea and then to the Mediterranean Sea.
So how could Mittens make such a collassal mistake? Does he not know world geography? I thought he was a smart man? Was this just a slip of the tongue, a one time mistake?
Well, on that last point, no. According to Steve Benen, it is a line he has used before, back in February of this year.
Meanwhile, the Salt Lake Tribune, the leading paper of the heavily Mormon state of Utah, the site of Mitt Romney’s greatest life accomplishment in his overseeing the 2002 Winter Olympics, endorsed President Obama over the weekend:
“Sadly, it is not the only Romney, as his campaign for the White House has made abundantly clear, first in his servile courtship of the tea party in order to win the nomination, and now as the party’s shape-shifting nominee. From his embrace of the party’s radical right wing, to subsequent portrayals of himself as a moderate champion of the middle class, Romney has raised the most frequently asked question of the campaign: ‘Who is this guy, really, and what in the world does he truly believe?’
That question is extremely pertinent after last night, as Mitt Romney attempted to go to Obama’s left on foreign policy and embrace all of the President’s successful policies. Last night we saw Mitt Romney 10.0. Unfortunately for him, it made him appear weak, meek and it angered the conservatives.
The Cleveland Plain Dealer also endorsed President Obama for re-election, noticing the same lack of moral character that Mitt Romney’s constant shape shifting evidences:
“All politicians change positions over time — Obama in 2008 shifted his position on health care reform more to the center. But Romney’s frequent changes raise questions about his core principles and make his lack of policy details all the more troubling. They make you wonder if he would stand up to the more extreme elements in his own party, especially to the House Republicans who undercut Ohioan John Boehner’s attempts to negotiate a deficit and debt deal.”
This is sorta choice — is paying Spanarelli and Izzo to work on his campaign.
Interestingly though, on this planet we call Earth, Syria and Iran do not share a border. Iraq stands in the way.
Somewhere on the internets some creationist wingnut is rewriting plate tectonics to explain this away.
Gerald Hocker on climate change:
“Sea-level rise is being debated. I have lived here all my life and own property in two waterways and have seen little change in 50-plus years.”
http://capegazette.villagesoup.com/news/story/hocker-eakle-battle-for-sd-20/913496
They WILL share a border. When Obama surrenders Iraq to the communists, Iran will invade and kill America.
John Manifold: One of those waterways Hocker owns property on is the Little Assowoman Canal that he worked so hard to have dredged in the belief it would increase his property’s value.
More Gerald Hocker on climate change:
“Global warming being debated. I am chilly. Where’s my sweater. WHERE THE HELL DID YOU PUT MY SWEA… oh here it is.”
I gotta say, I had no idea that I didn’t know that there were a series of canals from the Caspian to the Med. Pretty cool.
I just got an email from Greg Lavelle that says he is running a clean campaign and how mean Mike Katz is getting. But there is always Charlie Copeland who’s hitting hard and very negatively at Katz on his blog.
Its just like the canal Gerald Hocker lives on……
Predictably, Hocker’s is more shallow.
http://vimeo.com/51920265
PERFECTION.
Knights of Columbus fight marriage equality:
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/6531/most_u.s._catholics_back_marriage_equality%2C_but_knights_of_columbus_pour_millions_into_opposition/
Our local Knight is Trini Navarro
Well, at least he’s the sheriff, not the clerk of the peace.
The article does note that local chapters in states where there isn’t a marriage equality battle going on (I’m not sure if Delaware actually qualifies) probably have no idea how the money is being spent: