With the backing of these two big names – Perry the Texas governor and jobs creator, and Sarah Palin the former Alaska governor, Vice Presidential candidate and always Tea Party darling – Newt suddenly has the boost he needs to reliably take on front-runner Mitt Romney.
By coincidence or freaky paranormal prediction by mangaka Yoshihiro Togashi, the current arc of Hunter x Hunter has some eerie similarities:
The smooth-talking, smart-suited, confident front-runner
Front-runner will probably keep the country/organization along almost the same course, while Unlikely will most likely shake up the status quo.
And you know what’s the kicker? That chapter of Hunter x Hunter was published a few days before Rick Perry endorsed Newt Gingrich, and must have been planned, penciled, inked and submitted long before even Sarah Palin’s endorsement!
Like I said, Yoshihiro Togashi’s eerie powers! Not surprising coming from the author of creepy and often outright disturbing manga. ‘illness‘ nothing, he’s at home busy breaching the barriers between dimensions!
Sarah Palin, Anwar Ibrahim and the Politics of Alinsky
Ordinary Malaysians are getting fed up of neverending sex allegations against Anwar Ibrahim. This strikes a chord with me – it reminds me of a parallel situation that has been unfolding in the USA over the past three years.
The reason for this constant noise, according to the article, is that U.S. Democrats and their allies fear the impact she has on the political scene – even as they belittle her as wholly inconsequential and not worth a second thought.
After all, Palin turned Obama’s 2008 impending landslide against McCain into a mere majority of votes.
Until Palin, 45, burst onto the scene, Obama was headed for a Nixon/McGovern landslide. Palin may not have changed the election result, but she killed what otherwise would have been a rout… The biggest red flag proving her popularity with normal Americans is that liberals won’t shut up about her. - The 2009 TIME 100, Heroes & Icons: Sarah Palin, TIME Magazine 30 April 2009
She has made Senators, Congresspersons and Governors out of underdogs by endorsing them in the 2010 U.S. elections.
Sarah Palin seems to have the magic touch when it comes to her endorsements. According to the NYT her record so far is 24-5 which is an amazing achievement… Her endorsement alone seems enough to get people to take a second look at candidates and reconsider their votes. So she’s building up a lot of good will and political IOUs – all of which would be very helpful for a 2012 run. - Sarah Palin – Political Kingmaker, Ace of Spades HQ, 30 July 2010
With just a Facebook posting criticizing Obama’s policies, she has gotten the U.S. President and Robert Gibbs leaping to respond – on national TV, no less.
His voice dripping with exasperation, the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said to me one July afternoon in his office: “If I would have told you that I could open up a Facebook account or a Twitter account, simply post quotes, and have the White House asked about those, and to have the entire White House press corps focused on your quote of the day on Facebook — that’s Sarah Palin. She tweets one thing, and all of a sudden you’ve got a room full of people that want to know…” – The New York Times, 17 Nov 2010
If you thought the exact opposite of Sarah Palin, then Congratulations! You’ve been dutifully following the MSM. According to them, Palin is just a retro-hairstyled bimbo who sees Russia from her house and thinks North and South Korea are the same. (Recently, some our own local MSM pundits have not been innocent of this either – you know who you are.)
And then there is Sarah Palin, McCain’s running mate in 2008. Besides her retro hairdo and family issues, her main claim to stardom has been her self-proclaimed experience in foreign policy for supposedly being able to see Russia from her Alaskan backyard.
Unfortunately, the Korean peninsula seemed just a little out of reach. She could not tell the difference between North and South Korea.
She was roundly credited for helping candidate Barack Obama win the presidency. In hoping to run for the presidency herself, the Republican Party’s stab at the presidency could self-destruct upon her nomination.
Surround her with as much triviality as possible, and the American public will grow sick of even the mention of her name. They will think of her only as a joke. “Sarah Palin? That airhead? You can’t be serious!” Soon even the world’s public ends up laughing about her.
This strikes me as exactly what is being done to Anwar Ibrahim.
There are those who fear Anwar’s impact as an inspiration and figurehead of Pakatan Rakyat – if not the de facto leader – even as they portray him as a sidelined, has-been, depraved lackey of America and Israel.
Surround him with as much tawdry drama as possible, and the Malaysian public will grow sick of even the mention of his name. They will equate him only with dirty jokes. “Anwar Ibrahim? Maybe he can still win the next election if he suddenly comes from behind, ha ha ha!“ Soon even the world’s public ends up laughing about him.
Just try this experiment out: Ask the next armchair pundit you meet if they know what Anwar Ibrahim’s economic, social and governance recommendations for the country are. The sex allegations have so permeated the atmosphere around Anwar that they have crowded out any serious discussion about him as a real political leader.
That is why sex videos featuring men who look nothing like Anwar are being bandied about. Who cares if no one is convinced it is really him caught on tape, as long as they keep talking about it and nothing else! Tomorrow another ‘whistleblowing insider’ could even release a sex tape featuring only women, and still claim it features Anwar Ibrahim!
The late community organizer Saul Alinsky is a major influence on Barack Obama’s philosophy. In Saul Alinsky’s book Rules For Radicals, Rule 12 describes how to delegitimize an opponent: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)
[[Note: I left out the last line originally.]]
You tell me if this does not describe exactly what is being done to Anwar Ibrahim now.
Malaysia has truly ‘matured’ politically if we are using underhanded tactics on par with the experienced Americans. Sadly, this is not something to be proud of.
———————————
Check out the comments at the sites. Apparently many of the commentors totally fail to see the irony of their bashing Sarah Palin based on what they read from the MSM, in the comments section of a letter explaining how the MSM’s coverage of Sarah Palin is misguided.
The Malaysiakini letter referred to in the Malaysiakini version is here. It was the final spur that got me to writing the letter. The first was a certain OMY who casually mentioned Sarah Palin (mixing her up with former Miss Universe’s goof), the second was the aforelinked Bunn Nagara hit piece.
Somewhat astoundingly, in the entire nation’s history, there’s never been a presidential assassination attempt by a right-winger. There have been more than a dozen by left-wingers… Conservatives, we’re endlessly told, create ‘an atmosphere of hatred and fear.’ This is as opposed to liberals who just go around shooting elected officials.
Angry violent mobs are always Democratic: Code Pink, SDS, The Weathermen, Earth First!, anti-war protesters, and union protesters in Wisconsin
Don’t forget it was Obama’s friend Bill Ayers who used terrorism as a tool for political change. SDS is still radical, with arrests in 2007 and the storming of the CATO Institute in July 2008.
It was a liberal who was sentenced to two years for bringing bombs and riot shields to the Republican National Convention in 2008.
31) One La Raza anti immigration laws protest in one state has more violence and arrests than the past one year of Tea Party protests nationwide. (Get a load of them here and here – would you feel safer around these guys or the ‘violent, dangerous, terroristic’ Tea Partiers? Not that the MFM would admit.)
57) Who uses target symbols on a political map and put a bulls-eye on a politician, while simultaneously decrying Sarah Palin’s use of surveyor symbols as ‘encouraging violence’? Or places a gunsight on a politician in an ad?
67) Who declares to all his radio listeners that he wants to choke Rush Limbaugh… After a long, sordid history of sick fantasies targeting other Conservatives?
75) Who tarnished Martin Luther King Day by wanting to fight the Tea Party – while ironically/hypocritically/ignorantly accusing them of being based on hate? (For the record, see this roundup for whether the Tea Party is racist, monolithically White or even Republican.
100) Whose security officers violently manhandle a veteran for quietly, peacefully turning his back on Hillary Clinton’s speech – which was ironically about freedom to protest in the Middle East?
160) Who invades a bank and won’t leave till the police are called?
161) Who cares so little for the value and dignity of human life, that they use a woman’s suicide as a political attack despite having been rebuffed by everyone who knew the woman?
191) Whose official is so disruptive and offensive at a Republican’s townhall event that the audience is fed up enough to yell at her to sit down? And her supporter wanting to start a fight to the point that police escort him out?
192) Who attends a fundraiser just to heckle Obama until they are removed? And no, they aren’t Conservatives!
272) Who sits in the middle of two roads until they are arrested? (Really, lefty logic – how does inconveniencing everyday folk fight ‘corporate greed’?)
310) Who calls for killing White babies, and was let off the hook for overt voter intimidation at the 2008 elections – likely because they’re good buddies with Barack Obama?
314) Who screams and cusses at a reporter for daring to question their operation that intentionally released more than 2000 guns to illegal buyers in Mexico which resulted multiple deaths?
351) Who forms a gang armed with AR15s (on tip from hutchrun) and threatens law enforcement? Compare to when MSNBC doctored footage of one single black man with an AR15 at a Tea Party and portrayed it as a racist death threat against Obama.
471) Who tries to disrupt a class because they disagree with the professor’s personal views, and then the President threatens all non-tenured professors not to hold the same views?
500) Who occupies a university research farm, turning it from well-run and productive to shoddy and destroying the ongoing research of scientists?
501) Who takes over a home purportedly to prepare it nicely for some homesless family – but merely move in themselves and wreck the place, making things worse than before for the single dad trying to sell it?
First up, my compilation of Sarah Palin Derangement chock full of disgusting insults, rape wishes, death threats and sheer hatred which could count as dozens more examples of liberal violence – 413 cases and counting!
See also a list of 7 cases where the Left loudly tried to blame Conservatives for murders with zero evidence available, but became silent as soon as they were proven wrong. Michelle Malkin has a column detailing the same topic.
Here’s an article on left on left violence. Those liberals are so unhinged and chaos-loving, they can’t even restrict their violence to their political opponents!
So far, I’ve given you the view from Main Street, USA. But now I’d like to share with you how a Common Sense Conservative sees the world at large.
…
This war – and that is what it is, a war – is not, as some have said, a clash of civilizations. We are not at war with Islam. This is a war within Islam, where a small minority of violent killers seeks to impose their view on the vast majority of Muslims who want the same things all of us want: economic opportunity, education, and the chance to build a better life for themselves and their families. The reality is that al Qaeda and its affiliates have killed scores of innocent Muslim men, women and children.
The reality is that Muslims from Algeria, Indonesia, Iraq, Afghanistan and many other countries are fighting al Qaeda and their allies today. But this will be a long war, and it will require far more than just military power to prevail. Just as we did in the Cold War, we will need to use all the tools at our disposal – hard and soft power. Economic development, public diplomacy, educational exchanges, and foreign assistance will be just as important as the instruments of military power.
…
We can win in Afghanistan by helping the Afghans build a stable representative state able to defend itself. And we must do what it takes to prevail. The stakes are very high. Last year, in the midst of the U.S. debate over what do to in Iraq, an important voice was heard – from Asia’s Wise Man, former Singaporean Prime Minister, Lee Kuan Yew, who wrote in the Washington Post about the cost of retreat in Iraq. In that article, he prophetically addressed the stakes in Afghanistan. He wrote:
“The Taliban is again gathering strength, and a Taliban victory in Afghanistan or Pakistan would reverberate throughout the Muslim world. It would influence the grand debate among Muslims on the future of Islam. A severely retrograde form of Islam would be seen to have defeated modernity twice: first the Soviet Union, then the United States. There would be profound consequences, especially in the campaign against terrorism.”
That statesman’s words remain every bit as true today. And Minister Lee knows, and I agree, that our success in Afghanistan will have consequences all over the world, including Asia. Our allies and our adversaries are watching to see if we have the staying power to protect our interests in Afghanistan. That is why I recently joined a group of Americans in urging President Obama to devote the resources necessary in Afghanistan and pledged to support him if he made the right decision.
…
Now in the region I want to emphasize today: The reason I speak about defense is because our strong defense posture in Asia has helped keep the region safe and allowed it to prosper. Our Asian allies get nervous if they think we are weakening our security commitments. I worry about defense cuts not because I expect war but because I so badly want peace. And the region has enjoyed peace for so long because of our security commitment to our longstanding allies and partners.
Asia has been one of the world’s great success stories. It is a region where America needs to assist with right mix of hard and soft power. While I have so much hope for a bright future in Asia, in a region this dynamic, we must always be prepared for other contingencies. We must work at this – work with our allies to ensure the region’s continued peace and prosperity.
Be sure to read the rest of the entire piece, which has a heavy focus on China.
Indeed, what Sarah Palin says – that terrorism and the War on Terrorism are ‘a war within Islam’ – is true. The main victims of Islamofascism are Muslims.
The Cost Of Retreat In Iraq
By Lee Kuan Yew
Saturday, March 8, 2008
…
There is no viable alternative to fossil fuels in the immediate future. Thus the security and stability of the Gulf and its oil supplies are vital for the United States.
America has been fighting an insurgency in Iraq for five years. Taking out Saddam Hussein was the right decision. Mistakes were subsequently made, though, and the price has been high.
Iraq is a key issue in the U.S. presidential campaign. Whether to maintain the U.S. presence in Iraq is for Americans to decide. But the general assumption has been that the only question to be resolved is the timing and manner of the withdrawal of American forces.
The costs of leaving Iraq unstable would be high. Jihadists everywhere would be emboldened. I have met many Gulf leaders and know that their deep fear is that a precipitate U.S. withdrawal would gravely jeopardize their security.
A hurried withdrawal from Iraq would cause the leaders of many countries to conclude that the American people cannot tolerate the nearly 4,000 casualties they have suffered in Iraq and that in a protracted asymmetrical war the U.S. government will not have its people’s support to bear the pain that is necessary to prevail. And this even after the surge of 30,000 additional troops under Gen. David Petraeus has resulted in an improved security situation.
Whatever candidates might say in the course of this presidential campaign, I cannot believe that any American president could afford to walk away from Iraq so lightly, damage American prestige and influence, and so undermine the credibility of American security guarantees.
…
A few years ago, the Taliban in Afghanistan and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq were a check on Iran. The Taliban is again gathering strength, and a Taliban victory in Afghanistan or Pakistan would reverberate throughout the Muslim world. It would influence the grand debate among Muslims on the future of Islam. A severely retrograde form of Islam would be seen to have defeated modernity twice: first the Soviet Union, then the United States. There would be profound consequences, especially in the campaign against terrorism.
Singapore supported the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan and continues to do so. My country has deployed amphibious support ships in the Gulf as well as transport aircraft and refueling tankers to assist U.S. forces. We are also helping with reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan. We have placed these symbolic chips on the table because we realize that the global stakes are extremely high.
The United States clearly cannot stay in Iraq alone. America needs a coalition. This will require a more multilateral approach, which in turn requires clarity and a close examination of the strategic stakes. The domestic American debate on Iraq affects world public opinion and thus the political viability and sustainability of any multinational coalition.
The writer, Singapore’s minister mentor, was prime minister from 1959 to 1990.
And as he mentions, abandoning either Iraq or Afghanistan would give a huge boost to jihadist morale, perhaps causing an upsurge in terrorist attacks throughout the world.
This would be acutely felt in Southeast Asia, where there are large populations of Muslims and already many instances of jihadi activity.
Thus, a defeat or surrender in Afghanistan today would have dire effects in Southeast Asia by emboldening Islamic extremists, just as half a century ago America not intervening in Vietnam would have meant emboldened local communists. See What Did the Vietnam War Ever Accomplish?, which I actually wrote based on Lee Kuan Yew’s views, for more on the latter.
Various commentors/trolls on my blog have been saying that Sarah Palin was a drag on McCain’s campaign, being much disliked and viewed as ignorant and shallow by Conservative voters.
Yet it seems that the only ones who are saying such things are liberals who support Obama. Exactly what would they know about whether their ideological polar opposites like Palin or not?
Methinks that the ones who really dislike Palin are the same liberals who secretly fretted that this out-of-nowhere populist bombshell might actually outshine and outperform their precious empty-suit Obamessiah!
Whereas for Conservatives who were apathetic about John McCain’s weak-spined centrism and reluctance to go all out against Obama, Palin was a breath of right-wing, fundamentalist Christian, true-blooded Neocon air!
To wit, What liberals dislike = What Conservatives like. Therefore, the very fact that liberal trolls are going around telling everyone how the Right rejected Palin is excellent circumstantial evidence that the exact opposite is true.
A new report just released — hours before the polls open on Election Day — exonerates Gov. Sarah Palin in the Troopergate controversy.
The state Personnel Board-sanctioned investigation is the second into whether Palin violated state ethics law in firing her public safety commissioner, and it contradicts the earlier findings by a special counsel hired by the state Legislature.
Both investigations found that Palin was within her rights to fire Public Safety Commissioner Walt Monegan.
But the new report says the Legislature’s investigator was wrong to conclude that Palin abused her power by allowing aides and her husband, Todd, to pressure Monegan and others to dismiss her ex-brother-in-law, Trooper Mike Wooten. Palin was accused of firing Monegan after Wooten stayed on the job.
The Palins have argued that Wooten was a loose cannon who had tasered his stepson, drank beer in his patrol car, and threatened Palin’s father, and that their complaints that he shouldn’t be on the force were justified.
The Troopergate matter became sharply politicized after Palin was announced as Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate in Tuesday’s election.
The report, released at a Monday afternoon press conference at the Hotel Captain Cook, presents the findings and recommendations of Anchorage lawyer Timothy Petumenos, hired as independent counsel for the Personnel Board to examine several complaints against Palin.
Petumenos wrote the Legislature’s special counsel, former state prosecutor Steve Branchflower, used the wrong state law as the basis for his conclusions and also misconstrued the evidence.
Via Michelle Malkin, from Gateway Pundit, this video throws another shovel of soil onto that by now long-buried myth that Palin can’t talk the talk:
“Bless your heart sir, my son is in Iraq fighting for your right to protest.”
This is of course in stark contrast to Barack ‘Teleprompter Addiction’ Uh-Bama, who can’t even string together words into an intelligible sentence when the little letters on the screen stop scrolling.
Free thinking, but not a Free Thinker.
A Christian and a scientist, but not a Christian Scientist.
Believing in a universal church, but not a Catholic.
Trying to be a saint in these latter days, but not a Latter Day Saint.
A witness for Jehovah, but not a Jehovah's Witness.
Sumitted to God, but not a Muslim.
Seeking knowledge, but not a Gnostic.
Rational in thinking, but not a Rationalist.
Upholding humanity, but not a Humanist.
A supporter of liberation, but not a Liberal.
A supporter of democracy, but not a Democrat.
Acknowledging the importance of social values, but not a Socialist.
Seeking and valuing truth, but not a Truther.
