FOXNews.com - Business - Heinz Earnings Fall After Spin-Off, Sales Strong: "Ketchup maker H.J. Heinz Co. (HNZ) Tuesday said quarterly earnings fell nearly 10 percent..."

Kerry really is doing his part to keep the economy down for the Democratic nominees--first adding three staffers to the unemployment roles, now his wife's company is coming in with low earnings. Good for him.

FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Yemen Arrests Mastermind of Attacks on USS Cole: "One of the top Al Qaeda members in Yemen was captured by security forces Tuesday, the Interior Ministry said, calling him a suspected mastermind of the homicide bombings of the USS Cole and a French oil tanker off the country's coast."

A)Who's distracted, and
2)I say that we prosecute him for attacking the USS Cole, give him the death penalty, and then set him free as a reward for attacking the French oil tanker--after all, that was merely a method of freedom-fighting.

(Obviously this is a joke--we really ought to torture the guy to find out what he knows about the rest of al Quaeda. And, since he was arrested by the Yemenis and not us, that just might happen.)

WSJ.com - Tax Reform to Die For: "We do not need sophisticated economics, however, to teach us that the death tax is bad. The fundamental lesson of Adam Smith, rooted in common sense, and confirmed in the laboratories of history, is that an economic system must align with ordinary moral principles to allow society to flourish. The death tax at its most basic level does not. It falls, when it falls, on the wrong people -- even for those who seek to tax the rich, on the wrong rich people. The death tax comes to the industrious, the thrifty, and the altruistic. It spares the unproductive, the spendthrift, and the selfish. There is nothing wrong, and a good deal right, with working hard and saving well and, at the end of the day, should fortune so smile, with passing on wealth to the next generation. There is ample time under a properly designed tax system to tax the heirs when and as they spend. Our current tax system taxes people when they work, when they save, when they marry, when they give, and when they die. These are wrong choices, all. We should tax people when and only when they spend. And then we can repeal the death tax, once and for all, for the simple reason that dead men don't spend. (And nor, of course, do dead women.)"

Very well said. Sorry it's subscriber only, but it's only another three sentences beyond what I copied above (now I'm going to get sued), and I thought it was worth reading.

Jeopardy
You should all watch jeopardy tonight (check local listings) and tomorrow night, as I will almost definitely be on. Look for when they show the family of the kid from Middlebury -- I'm sitting right next to them.

I'm sitting here, at 7:20 AM Eastern, listening to Prime Minister Tony Blair give a joint press conference with President George W. Bush from London, specifically in reaction to the dual-attacks in Istanbul that occured last night. I am consistenly amazed by these men. It is a lucky twist of fate that two such honorable, respectable, moral, and unyielding men should lead the English-speaking world in this time of seemingly perpetual crisis. Both speak emphatically against the terrorist threat, while at the same time both are visibly shaken by the horrific tragedies that continue to shake the planet.

Mr. Bush opened his remarks by speaking to how grateful he is to be standing next to a friend. It intrigues me that when Mr. Blair came to power, the American and British Press both commented on the similarities between him and former President Clinton, and how likely they were to become fast friends. Indeed Blair and Clinton seemed to show a strong connection, as they shared very similar political ideologies. The union of Misters Blair and Bush, however seems to me to be much stronger. They obviously disagree strongly on issues such as the steel tariffs, and despite Blair's conservatism, he is the leader of the Labour party, and effectively a Liberal. Their connection, therefore, is not politically based, but on something deeper. These are two men of integrity who do see a clear line between right and wrong, good and evil, who truly believe that there is no place on this planet for the evil that Al Quaeda and other fanatical terrorists represent.

That being said, Bush will never be the orator that Blair is. The former handles himself much better in fielding questions than he once did, but he speaks for too long, runs on, and begins to muddle his thoughts. He has his burst of clarity, to be sure (today: "These are Al Quaeda killers killing Muslims. And they've got to be stopped.") but Blair easily puts him to shame (today: fielded a question roughly asking "doesn't your treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay belie your statements that you're fighting for freedom and tolerance worldwide" by saying, quite clearly, that the very fact that we are concerned with this shows you that we are explicitly concerned with these matters).
But, then again, reporter: "What do you say to the fact that so many people fear and even hate you?" Bush: "I'd say freedom is wonderful."

Ok, I'll stop now. I will post some great sound bites I catch from this press conference at http://elmivy.blogspot.com if you'd like to read more.

WSJ.com - Credit Where It's Due: "South Africa has taken a major step in the battle against HIV and AIDS, one that may help the world defeat the pandemic once and for all.
Yesterday's decision by the South African cabinet to approve a plan for the nationwide treatment of people living with HIV and AIDS is a milestone for a country that has one of the highest rates of HIV infection. Under the terms of the new treatment program, developed by the health ministry with the support of my foundation, up to 1.4 million South Africans should be receiving medicines which will extend their lives by years.."

I need someone to explain to me how antiretroviral medicines (ARVs) help prevent the spread of AIDS on the continent. To my recollection, and according to this quote, ARVs prevent the spread of HIV in an individual. I don't see, however, how that prevents the spread through a population. This is good work, and the people of Africa definitely deserve access to the same drugs we have here, but the drugs available stateside are not the reason that infection rates are dropping--that's thanks to sexual education and STD prevention. Increased life expectancies after infection don't help "defeat the pandemic," to my way of thinking.

WSJ.com - Conservatives Should Vote 'Yes' on Medicare: "Now President Bush, Speaker Dennis Hastert, and Majority Leader Bill Frist, working with Chairmen Bill Thomas and Chuck Grassley and Democrat Senators Max Baucus and John Breaux, have produced a Medicare bill that provides a drug benefit for seniors, choices for the baby boomers, and the opportunity for a major shift toward health savings accounts for all Americans.
Obstructionist conservatives can always find reasons to vote no, but that path leads right back into the minority and it would be a minority status they would deserve."

Sorry that's it's subscribers only, but if you can pick up a copy of the wsj today, I think it'd be worth it to read Newt's piece. I was surprised to see his name on a column encouraging conservatives to vote in favor of the medicare bill, but he makes a very compelling argument.

BLOGGER - Knowledge Base: "Pull a Tony Pierce
Another good way to dupe your mom - include a disclaimer on your blog. Prescient blogger Tony Pierce claims 'nothing in here is true.' Feel free to write your own disclaimer and include it as a permanent part of your blog's sidebar. Just tell your Mom that your blog is an experiment in fiction and she need not worry. If you choose this technique, be careful not to blur your own understanding of the difference between fiction and reality. That could lead to even bigger problems. Placing a disclaimer in your blog's sidebar is much the same as editing your link list (common on most Blogger templates.)"

This is from Blogger's official response to the Onion article James talked about last week. I should email them and tell them that this one doesn't work.

Case Closed: "OSAMA BIN LADEN and Saddam Hussein had an operational relationship from the early 1990s to 2003 that involved training in explosives and weapons of mass destruction, logistical support for terrorist attacks, al Qaeda training camps and safe haven in Iraq, and Iraqi financial support for al Qaeda--perhaps even for Mohamed Atta--according to a top secret U.S. government memorandum obtained by THE WEEKLY STANDARD. "

HA! I've said all along to friends of mine, even though the government repeatedly said there was no evidence that Saddam was connected to Al Quaeda, just to terrorism in general, that I believed there was. Now I feel completely vindicated. Forget WMD (which everyone thought he had), forget the miserable ways his country suffered under Saddam (which they did), now we know that there's proof Saddam was connected not just to terrorism (duh) but also to Al Quaeda specifically.

OpinionJournal - Featured Article: "The alternative offered by the American left of turning things over to the U.N. is simply a global version of the State Department's 1787 illusion. The Baathist remnants aren't killing GIs because they prefer a 'multilateral' transition to democracy. They want to return to power to tyrannize other Iraqis. They are hardly making distinctions now between Americans or Italians, or for that matter Iraqis who are helping us."

An interesting piece, raises several points I haven't considered.

U.S. Troops Kill Seven Suspected Iraqi Insurgents (washingtonpost.com)

I think this marks a real shift in coverage of the Iraqi war. This headline states the number of Iraqi's killed, and only in the third paragraph does it mention 2 American soldiers were killed in a seperate incident, as opposed to previously, when all we would have gotten would have been the number of dead Americans.

OpinionJournal - Best of the Web Today: "'Despite the fact that the Senate has confirmed 168 of his nominees, the right wing is hopping mad that we've blocked just 4 of the most hard-core ideologues,' says an e-mail we received yesterday from the Angry Left outfit MoveOn.org.
Well, how about this: We'll stop calling the Democrats obstructionists when these guys stop complaining about Iraq. President Bush has invaded only two countries, Iraq and Afghanistan, both of which were ruled by ideologues even harder-core than Priscilla Owen. That means there are 189 countries Bush hasn't invaded. He should get to invade at least two or three more before anyone calls him an imperialist or war monger."

Priceless.

Howard Dean for President, Dean for President Bears Candidate Collectible

You've GOT to be kidding me.

PETA: The Meatrix

My favorite is the line "12 Million pounds of excrement." Yeah, without which your organic farms wouldn't have any fertilizer, you muckadoos.

Never Love a Stranger: "And in 2008, as Jeb Bush and Condi Rice fight out their G.O.P. primaries, Hillary will be tanned, rested and ready."

God willing.

Fortune.com - Costco, The Only Company Wal-Mart Fears

Can't we all just get along? I don't want my two favorite stores a fussin' and a feudin'!

Matrix fan site .com - Screensavers

Even if you were as disappointed by the second two movies as I was, these are pretty cool...

Soros's Deep Pockets vs. Bush (washingtonpost.com): "Soros's contributions are filling a gap in Democratic Party finances that opened after the restrictions in the 2002 McCain-Feingold law took effect. In the past, political parties paid a large share of television and get-out-the-vote costs with unregulated 'soft money' contributions from corporations, unions and rich individuals. The parties are now barred from accepting such money. But non-party groups in both camps are stepping in, accepting soft money and taking over voter mobilization."

Oh yes, perfect. "Filling a gap." He's a freedom fighter, trying to equalize the playing field after the McCain-Feingold law canted it towards the Republicans. That must be what's going on.

FOXNews.com - Top Stories - Girl Scouts in Alaska Trap, Skin Beavers: "Let other Girl Scouts make bird feeders out of Clorox bottles and glue together little birch-bark canoes -- Troop 34 in Alaska is learning to trap and skin beavers."

Awesome! Even the Girl Scouts of America are against PETA.

FT.com / World

All of Al Gore's hard work inventing the internet might be for nought, as the UN tries to steal it from the US. Those jerks. Man how I hate those blue-helmeted jerks.

OpinionJournal - The Western Front: "Virtually every attack on American soldiers has drawn a response from coalition forces. The world is seeing that now--after the downing of three American helicopters, including a Black Hawk--with the strikes by F-16s with precision guided 500-pound bombs. Iraq hasn't been the scene of such massive American firepower since April. The enemy is being made to pay a hefty price for each and every attack."

I do and I don't agree with Mr. Miniter. To some extent, I have been wondering why we never hear about what's done after each of these attacks to prevent the next one. At the same time, however, look at Israel's retaliatory attacks on the Palestinians. Despite the fact that every one of these is in response to a specific palestinian attack, the Israeli's are portrayed as murderers every time. Perhaps the Press is more sympathetic to Palestinians than to Iraqi's opposed to the occupation, but by how much? Are we willing to push them to cover these strikes at the risk that they might be held as over-the-top?

Re: My agreeing with the Reverend Sharpton
From today's Political Journal (subs only):Oops, on Friday his campaign issued a "clarification," saying Mr. Sharpton had actually meant to say Senate Democrats should "do everything within their means to prevent" the Brown appointment. The statement added that the sensible and accomplished California judge "poses a serious threat to the progress we have made in civil rights."

Looks like I didn't agree with him on something after all. Whew! What a relief! I was beginning to think that the eclipse and all of these sunstorms on top of my agreeing with Sharpton signaled the end of the Earth.

OpinionJournal - Who Is George Soros?

Just noticed that this is appearing opposite Dean's piece in the WSJ today, and makes my below point much more effectively. Kudos to the Opinion Journal board for taking this advantage to stick it to Dean by juxtaposing some reality next to Dean's vacuous rhetoric.

I also just decided to start my own campaign to raise money for W, and you can all help. We're all non-super-wealthy Republicans (or so it seems). So my idea is for us to start getting everyone we know to sign onto Bush's donation site, here and make a $50 donation. The effects of this will be two-fold: it will increase his donor numbers and decrease the average contribution size. If I can create a serious mobilization of less-wealthy Bush supporters to get behind this effort, then maybe Bush can hold up a stat in the general election that says "I have as many small-money contributors as Dr. Dean, and my average donation is only higher because I also have more donors over-all." Wouldn't that be a feather in his cap?

WSJ.com - We the People (Who Write Small Checks): "declining the matching funds means walking away from almost $19 million in January"

Sorry, subscribers only, but this is Howard Dean's attempt to explain his decision to opt out of federal matching funds. I have to say, this sentence in particular is BS. He may be "walking away" from a guaranteed 19 million, and taking a bit of a risk that he'll receive enough in private donations to overcome that 19. But he will overcome it, and that's the entire point. Maybe he did put it to a vote with his supporters, but just the same, this is not some altruistic gesture on his part--it's what he has to do to stay competitive. And, as many have rightly pointed out, his constant reference to W is more proof that every time the left (i.e. John McCain) comes up with a new way to "purify" (sorry James, I know you hate scare quotes) financing of elections, they just add a measure to protect incumbency. Why don't they just do what they want to do, stop dancing around the issue, and pass a measure that says Republicans can't contribute to campaigns?

FOXNews.com - Third Judge Issues Abortion Law Injunction: "U.S. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton (search) of San Francisco ruled the law appears unconstitutional because it provides no exemptions for a woman's health. The basis for her ruling mirrors the reasons cited by the other judges."

I don't get it. This is directly from the text of the law itself:
"This subsection does not apply to a partial-birth abortion that is necessary to save the life of a mother whose life is endangered by a physical disorder, physical illness, or physical injury, including a life-endangering physical condition caused by or arising from the pregnancy itself." (page 16, lines 8-13)

Since James has posted the last 17, I thought I'd step up and prove that others among us are still alive, with an excerpt from today's Political Journal:
"I don't agree with her politics. I don't agree with some of her background. But she should get an up-or-down vote. We've got to stop this monolith in black America because it impedes the freedom of expression for all of us" -- Rev. Al Sharpton, criticizing a Democratic U.S. Senate filibuster against the appointment of Janice Brown, a conservative black judge from the California Supreme Court, to the Federal appellate bench.

Who would have thought I'd ever agree with Al Sharpton on anything??