Argo and Woodward

The week began with the Best Picture Oscar going to a movie about Hollywood being the hero of an international crisis.
It ends with Bob Woodward as the hero of a Washington power struggle between the media and White House.
The media loves being the star.
Being the good guy.
The Obama team better be nice to the media - fast.

Who will Warner endorse?

While Bill Bolling seeks supporters for an independent run, a question he must consider
Who will Mark Warner endorse in the fall?
As the face of Virginia moderation, will Warner lean toward a moderate Bolling?
Or just back his fellow Democrat - Terry McAuliffe.
In theory, people like the idea of an independent candidacy.
Come the stretch run of the campaign, it will be about the partisan team.
If Bill Bolling's big announcement comes with a major Democrat at his side, he could have a chance.
Without that, it's a split of the Republican vote.
Not much good moderation will come with Democrats in the leadership.

Don't

Bill Bolling wants input about whether to mount an independent run for governor in November.
My thought -
Don't.
Don't.
Don't.
It's nice to think you're the independent voice, free of partisan conflict, that could bring solutions to Virginia.
It won't.
You weren't able to get fellow Republicans to hold a primary that could have benefitted your chances. You had seven years in Richmond to make an impact, and it hasn't happened.
Ken Cuccinelli is not a Tea Party flash in the pan. He's been on the job for years, building enthusiasm for his brand of politics. Enough that there will be a convention to nominate Lt. Governor and Attorney General.
With his leading the party, others members running will be as part of his team.
With Bolling in the mix, Republicans are split.
Democrats benefit.
If you're concerned that the Republican party might be heading in the wrong direction, those now in control have been concerned about the past direction. Which is way they are part of the Cuccinelli team.
Stand down, Bill Bolling.
Your statewide chance was 2012.
Mitt Romney didn't win with your backing.
If you couldn't get it done for him, then it's foolish to think Virginians will look well on your independent bid.
You will scrape off just enough Republican support to put Terry McAuliffe in the governor's mansion.
Ewww.
UPDATE: I've got to use a graphic from Bearing Drift.

Best luck for your future

White House speechwriter Jon Favreau has decided to move to new opportunities.
Instapundit has pictures of his best work.

Stew on Lew

Powerline highlights Senator Jeff Sessions' thoughts on new Treasury Secretary Jack Lew.
On day 1,400 since the Senate last passed a budget.

This is the heart of the problem here in Washington right now. We have one political party that sees the budget debate as exercise in political warfare, not problem-solving.

At the center of this strategy is the White House.

Weight of the world

Perhaps you've heard an Obama supporter touting his financial restraint - his administration has been spending grow at the smallest percentage amount in 60 years.
Doesn't impress me.
It's like being 100 pounds overweight and being happy you're eating two cheeseburgers at dinner - not three like you did before.
Why don't you cut back on your eating and get healthy?
Michelle wants kids to get moving. Why not move for a healthier economy?

Who do you trust?

Legal Insurrection stands with Bob Woodward.
He won't be sequestered.

Joining the stars

Kelli Pickler has been named to the cast of the latest "Dancing with the Stars."
Hope she lasts deep into the contest. Might have time for more pictures of her.

Sequester jester lets things fester

Michelle Malkin can't laugh at the Obama clowns talking sequester.
Limits to government spending have been put in place before. We survived.

Let's make a deal

Part of Obamacare is getting states to increase Medicaid participation with the promise of federal cash to pay the way - for a few years.
In an era of trillion dollar deficits, where's the money going to come from?
What's really behind that door?

 

Carol Merrill wouldn't be proud.

It's just a scratch

Sequestration is crumbs compared to the overall federal deficit.
If we slow down the deficit now, we'll have a better chance of surviving the lean years looming in the future.
That's not the message of President Obama and the media.
Guess we're just going to crash into the wall at full speed.

When life gives you lemons

Thanks to Best of the Web, here's a way to get that pregnant mom to deliver - lemon cupcakes.
Bet it beats castor oil.

Pie chart

A great cartoon on the budget pie we're dealing with.

Today's Tied with me

Technorati has this blog tied with the crime blog of the Dallas Morning News.
Four thefts at a Victoria's Secret in the past two months?
Is that how you impressed your woman?

Yo, Adrian

The Weather Channel is up to R in its weather storm list of the season.
Time for Rocky.
Is the theme "Gonna Snow Now"

Magical $85 billion

Over at Ace, they notice how a $85 billion dollar cut in federal spending will cause the world to collapse.
At least the reporters will be able to recycle the stories when we really run out of money.

Purple on the red carpet

The commentators on the Oscar Red Carpet included Ravens' safety Ed Reed, helping out the NFL network.
Meanwhile on the TV side, Jacoby Jones will be one of the stars on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."
Winning a Super Bowl sure can keep you busy.

Roger that

Pajama Media's Roger L. Simon watched the Oscars so I didn't have to.
Hollywood has enough of a reputation for being in the pocket of the Democratic Party, but now they not only are in the pocket, they’re in the wallet, the purse, the laptop, the vestibule, the fax machine, the refrigerator, the oven, the slow cooker, shoes, socks, bell, book and candle and just about everything else.

One is enough

From Houston, a young man uses his family's gun to fight back against a home invasion.
For those who love studies showing guns are rarely used in this type of situation, this happened.
This family didn't kill each other.
They protected themselves.

Greatest story, once again

March has five Sundays, leading to Easter Sunday on March 31.
The History Channel will be featuring a mini-series on the Bible, and many churches will be using it in their services during the month.


If you'd like quicker hits from the Bible, this site summarizes each chapter into a tweet each day. He began the Gospel of Matthew on Friday.

Hope you're not thirsty

Sorry Domino's fans in New York City.
A two-liter is too big for them to sell.
Mayor Bloomberg wants to throw out the pitchers.
That will make for some interesting parties.

Back in the bigs

In 1987, Juan Nieves threw a no-hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers.
I was in the cold crowd in Baltimore.
He injured his arm a year later, and his playing career ended shortly thereafter.
Now, he's back as pitching coach for the Boston Red Sox.
Good luck. With that crew, he's going to need it.

See, that wasn't so bad

Happy Sequester Week.
Will it be bad for Democrats or Republicans?
Depends on the reaction after March 2.
But if voters react with a shrug, congressional Republicans will have won a major victory in their campaign to shrink the size of government. Instead of cancelling the sequester, the GOP will likely push for more.

Is it needed and will it work?

Local Congressman Bob Goodlatte has a big responsibility in the gun control debate as chairman of the House Judicary committee.
How will he stand against the current emotional pressure to do something?
A letter to the Justice Department, asking for data on the enforcement of past gun laws, seems a good start.
“Part of the decisionmaking process as to whether additional laws are necessary to combat future violence is whether the existing federal firearms laws are being enforced,” the letters said. “It is imprudent to simply call for more laws without examining the efficacy of the current laws.”
If you do something, and it's just more of the same, did you really do something worth doing?

Facebook quote of the week

I have a feeling this is going to be the most poorly officiated game in the history of basketball

Saturday song

Billy Joel plays for those in the mood for a melody at the bar. Man, what are you doing here?

Counting the cost

Time has a lengthy story by Steve Brill on the drivers for higher health care.
Except for explaining why things cost so much.
There's snark about high salaries of administrators.
Lots of praise for how Medicare curtails its costs.
A few mentions of tort reform - then back to attacking the medical profession.
Lobbyists get a share of blame - too bad government is too weak to bring prices down.
The "chargemaster" gets the bigger share of abuse. It's the way hospitals decide to charge for their various services.
No where does the government say a peep about the "chargemaster" making prices too high.
The article thinks cutting the prices of medical care would help our budget woes.
But prices have been rising for years, and nothing from government has slowed the movement.
What makes them think Obamacare will make things different?

Weekend watchdog

Time for DW to "reach up there and pull those belts tight" for the first of 13 times this year.
"Boogity-boogity-boogity, let's go racing boys."
And girl.
The flag drops on the Daytona 500 Sunday at 1 p.m. on Fox. Darrell Waltrip and friends on FOX cover the first 13 of the 36-race slate, through Dover in June.
Danica Patrick claimed the pole position, hoping to be the first to win from there since Dale Jarrett in 2000. Jeff Gordon will start second, with Kevin Harvick and Kyle Busch on the second row after winning Thursday in the Twin 125s.
Sunday, 43 drivers will head to the starting line, ready to race.
The start of the Nationwide season will be Saturday at 1:15 p.m. on ESPN.
It's Bracketbuster weekend in college basketball. Friday at 7 p.m., North Dakota State takes on Akron on ESPN2. Creighton plays St. Mary's Saturday at 6 p.m., while ESPN2 has three contests - Detroit-Wichita State at 4 p.m. then South Dakota State against Murray State at 8 p.m. before Ohio faces Belmont at 10 p.m.
Virginia hosts Georgia Tech Sunday at 2 p.m. on ACC network, while other areas will catch Boston College against Duke.
On ESPN Saturday at 4 p.m., the Tar Heels battle the Wolfpack and the GameDay crew catches Missouri-Kentucky at 9 p.m.
Maryland plays Clemson Saturday at noon on ESPN2, then it's Big 12 action between Oklahoma State and West Virginia. Marquette faces Villanova at 6 p.m.
CBS brings a pair of games both weekend days. Georgia meets South Carolina at 2 p.m. Saturday, followed by Georgetown-Syracuse. Sunday starts in the Big East with Cincinnati against Notre Dame, then Michigan State faces Ohio State.
William & Mary plays George Mason Saturday at 4 p.m. on Comcast. Hofstra hosts Old Dominion Sunday at 7 p.m.
NBC Sports network shows New Mexico meeting Colorado State Saturday at 4 p.m. followed by Nevada-San Diego State.
MASN has Seton Hall at Louisville Saturday at noon and Connecticut against DePaul at 8 p.m. From the Big 12, TCU tackles Kansas at 4 p.m. Sunday at noon, Pittsburgh meets St. John's.
In women's basketball, Comcast shows Miami against Georgia Tech Sunday at 1 p.m. James Madison visits Delaware at 4 p.m. MASN offers Big East play between Syracuse and South Florida Saturday at 2 p.m.
ESPN2 has three games Sunday. Purdue faces Minnesota at 1 p.m., followed by a top-ten battle between Duke and Maryland. Texas A&M takes on Vanderbilt at 5 p.m.
ESPN offers Minnesota at Oklahoma City Friday at 8 p.m., followed by the Spurs at Warriors. The Sunday doubleheader starts at 7 p.m. with the Grizzlies visit Brooklyn, and the Bulls take on the Thunder at 9:30 p.m.
ABC brings the Lakers at Mavericks Sunday at 1 p.m.
Comcast has the Wizards playing the Nuggets Friday at 7 p.m. and the Rockets Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Neither rain nor snow shall keep NBC away from the World Match play final Saturday and Sunday, starting at 2 p.m.
The Lightning battle the Penguins Sunday at 7:30 p.m. on NBC Sports network. The Capitals host New Jersey Saturday at noon on Comcast.
There's a twinbill on NBC Sports network Friday, with Yale at Quinnipiac at 7:30 p.m. before Denver hosts North Dakota.
Gearing up for the MLS season, the Desert Diamond Cup final will be Saturday at 8 p.m. on NBC Sports network.
In college lacrosse, Maryland faces Loyola Saturday at 2 p.m. on NBC Sports network.

Wishing on TV

You might enjoy the Direct TV commercials for Hannah Smith as the Genie.
I wonder when there are ever five different shows you'd like to watch on TV at once. I'm lucky if there's one thing on that's interesting to watch.

Sealing the deal

Breitbart does a good job mocking the Washington Post on sequestration.
Don't worry about the future - look at that cute face.