9-2-2009

Houston…We have a problem: Secretary of State Clinton ordered an investigation on Tuesday into the Animal House revels of private guards at the U.S. Embassy in Afghanistan – including booze, hookers and other “deviant behavior.”…Records show the State Department has warned the ArmorGroup about security problems for at least two years, yet renewed its contract as recently as July.

Deeds Vs McDonnell: Certainly, the Democrats think they have a workable playbook and there’s not much harm in playing this to the hilt; it’s not as if any other strategy were getting any traction….Deeds’s interest in the governor’s mansion seems driven more by a desire to be someone than by a desire to accomplish something. But he’s never written a controversial thesis, and if the Washington Post has its way, that will be the decisive issue.

Tom Maguire smells Obama Victory: Back the parts of the emerging bills that are not under fire, abandon the parts that are, pretend that what you got is what you wanted along – what’s not to like?

AJ Strata: …after months of giving the far left freedom to pillage his reputation and political capitol, team Obama thinks they can just put the fanatical wing back in the bottle and start over…As expected, the far left is imploding over this news

Keith Hennessey reading the Health Care Tea Leaves: I have written repeatedly that no one knows what will happen in September. Any analysis like this is dominated by tremendous uncertainty. I’m going to give it my best shot… I hope it helps you understand the multi-dimensional nature of this decision and the interaction of what I call “the 5 P’s”: policy, politics, personalities, the press, and legislative process. It is complex and important.

Bruce McQuain: It appears, at least in the version of Shi’a Islam this cleric claims, that the use of rape, torture and drugs are perfectly permissible for use against enemies of that state – after ritual washing and proper prayers, of course….What a job description – a “rapist-in-the-name-of-Islam”.

Filed under: Chip by Chip