Scandal hits Oxford!!!

(Boy do I feel like Perez...)

This is the first critique of Huckabee I've read that doesn't feel like a half-assed, mean-spirited hit piece. It does give me pause.

UPDATE: Then again, any waning interest on my part may not be indicative of all Republicans.

An interesting and depressing prediction of reality.

And a pretty funny read...

As per Tim's request, an update on St. Bono ...

"This is a polarized and very divisive environment these days," former Senate majority leader Tom Daschle says somberly. "The one person who's brought us together is Bono."

So say we all ...

Congratulations to all the impending Hobo parents. As a father of three, I highly recommend the hole parenting gig!

Apparently the Huckabee people liked posts such as this one so much that they've hired Joe Carter.

Bottom line, conservativism/liberalism is a spectrum, not a toggle-switch. If not being on the very end of the conservative side of the spectrum makes Huck a "false conservative", then so be it. That being said, I think much of Novak's analysis is disingenuous, misleading, and hearsay.

He was regarded by fellow Republican governors as a compulsive tax-and-spender.

Source, please?

When he lost 100 pounds and decided to press his new lifestyle on the American people, he was hardly being a Goldwater-Reagan libertarian.

How exactly did he "press his new lifestyle on the American people"? I'm asking these things because I really want to know, not because I'm doubting the truth. It's just that every time I've decided to look into a quote or claim in a column or article, I've found mitigating context.

That said, a) did you read the links I referenced earlier? and b) I'll trade you column for column.

Incidentally, I'm undecided. I'm just watching Huckabee with interest, that's all. He's different, and I like that.

Oh, and... CONGRATS, TIM & BETH! Awesome news.

1. Tim & Beth--by all means, our greatest congratulations. I hope the process goes smoothly, and I hope to get more details and even a few pics as they're available. We've got some pretty good friends going through the process (via China), and it seems grueling to say the least. I wish parenthood came with an instruction book; if you happen to find yours--please let us know.

2. Matt--your boy Huckabee is being touted as the false conservative. Considering that we bickered over what could be garnered in a 60 second soundbyte, I'm wondering what your take is to Bob Novak.

3. In a similar vein to Tim's announcement, we have spawned another--which should be making a debut in mid to late May. No word on the gender, but I think I may have seen something in the 12 week sonogram. Don't worry Scott--we won't be having a drive for five like the Bryant household--so your title remains unchallenged, at least for the time being.

4. I thought I was done--but this story just baffles me. "Saudi justice officials say a woman who was sentenced to prison and flogging after she was gang-raped has now confessed to an extramarital affair. The case of the unidentified woman, 19, drew international criticism after an appeal increased her 90-lash sentence to 200 lashes and six months' jail." (Note how the appeal raised the penalty. That'll learn her...)

Finals are around the corner here. Fifteen days and counting. Only one more semester of this madness and I'll be done. I'm really counting on everyone to slap me silly if I suggest I want to go back to school at some future date.
In other news, if all goes well I'll be a father around January 10th. We're finally getting to adopt a little baby. (Of course, now that I read the post - that probably should have been the highlight.)

Pardon my French. Dumbass. That is all. Actually--no. That's not all. The hypocrisy is hysterical. Why not terminate your own life to live consistently...

Just wanted to let you know that my son is doing better. We had another check-up yesterday and he seems well on his way to good health. Thanks for the prayers.

So in transit to Boston, I became one of those statistics where people get stuck in airplanes who are stuck on tarmacs. We sat there for about two hours, missing my connecting. But to my surprise, USAIR had actually anticipated my problem, and had a ticket already printed for a later connecting flight. At least it's a step in the right direction.

A couple of other things that I thought were notable, I have already forgotten. But this morning, I read an article (be sure to click on the video) of a guy with warts so bad that his limbs really do look like tree trunks. It's definitely worth your time... Update: Apparently, it's a rare strand of HPV coupled with a rare immune deficiency. While rare, other similar conditions have been previously found.

Another article I wish I'd written: The Insanity of Bush Hatred.

In short, Bush hatred is not a rational response to actual Bush perfidy. Rather, Bush hatred compels its progressive victims--who pride themselves on their sophistication and sensitivity to nuance--to reduce complicated events and multilayered issues to simple matters of good and evil. Like all hatred in politics, Bush hatred blinds to the other sides of the argument, and constrains the hater to see a monster instead of a political opponent.

A couple of things.

1. Ham flavored soda is indeed Kosher. I read that somewhere....
2. Apparently, Huckabee is for tax increases--ultimately increasing the scope of the federal government. So He won't have my support.
3. This morning, I had an Elmo sticker on my butt. And I didn't know it. So I took 3 prospective students on a dept / campus tour for about an hour... Talking with them, walking (in front of) them. All with an Elmo sticker on my butt. Kind of reminds me of Matt's chocolate chip experience.

Nothing says Christmas or Hannakuh quite like these products.

Hey Matt--I hear that your boy the Huckster is on the rise in Iowa... with Hillary on the decline. I know it's still early, but things could really begin to shake up; something tells me that this election cycle may not follow the expected course of events.

I predict Hillary will not be the nominee. As far as the Huckster--that's anyone's guess.

As of yesterday morning, my wife and I are on our way to fielding three-fifths of a basketball team, or, more appropriately given their size, three-fifths of a NFL-caliber offensive line. Arriving three week premature, Aidan checked in at 9 pounds 3 ounces and was about little over 20.5 inches. So he's a big kid by any standard.

As for health, both Mom and baby are doing great.

P.S. Matt. For whatever its worth, I appreciate the Huck info. Keep it coming.

As for the Skype phone, well, I love my iPhone. :-)

We picked up a SkypePhone today; I've been using SkypeOut at my office for years--and it made sense to get a cordless handset @ home for Court to use.

And it seems to work pretty well. Landline calls come in (as do Skype to Skype calls), and you can choose either landline or Skype for all outgoing calls. As soon as there's a stand-alone wifi phone (that comes w/ a built-in browser), I'll be sold.

The phone biz needs to be concerned about right now. I wonder if the future of communication is an IM handle (for text, SMS, voice, or picture), rather than a series of numbers...

Hey Scott--any baby news?

M-- I just can't get on the Huck Truck. It's not that I can't; its' that I don't really care. (At this point.) There's really nobody out there that has drawn my attention. I watched a little of the Fox debate a while back, and FT looked alright. RP is an idiot; I wish his net presence would die.

I just read this article, and I just felt so many wrong things--I don't even know where to start... I wonder how they're going to explain this to the child when he ages...

P.S. So I'm here at the office on a Saturday, and a friend of mine from NYC calls my office phone. Perplexed that someone would call the office on a Saturday morning, I answer it. "Oh--yeah, I knew you'd be here", he immediately says. He didn't even try my cell or home; he went straight to the work number. What the heck does that say...

I don't know if you guys just skim over my Mike Huckabee posts, but here goes anyway. He was on Charlie Rose the other day, and in my opinion, it's worth an hour of your time.

I almost feel like he shouldn't be in politics, that the presidency would wind up corrupting him. However, he was a governor for many years, and has come out okay so far. Anyway, my cynical, skeptical (pessimistic?) heart won't let me get more than moderately enthusiastic about him.