Seems we’ve had a lot of car discussion around here lately. Check out this thing, which is both a car and a boat. Cool video. Looks like it goes fast in both media. But, then again, it would in the video, wouldn’t it? (via Metafilter.)
Michael Barone
I wish he wrote more often. But, what we get from him is always good. I just noticed that he has a series of summaries of his political predictions from each biennial edition of his Almanac of American Politics, back to 1972. I only had a chance to skim it, but I’ll certainly read it all. I note he has entitled this section of his site a “blog”. Maybe we shall see more frequent day-to-day commentary from one of our most learned and sane commentators, blog-style, so to speak. I hope so.
Automotive News
Chicago boy RV has alerted me to this rare Honda street racer on eBay. This super-hot vehicle compares favorably to Sylvain’s new Beemer. . . . … and even to the legendary Foochie-Manoolie. Features abound:
In the summer the doors can be removed in the back instantly transforming this car into a civic with no rear doors. (Check with your local police ordinances before attempting this mod) In addition to the increased airflow, and weight reduction for street racing it allows for quick access when fly honeys want to cruise.
This “Type R” variant of the Honda Civic is equipped with state-of-the-art mods including a monster tach and hi-tech Biplane-Kamikaze-Combat-Strafe-Attack Spoiler.
Get your bids in before this beauty disappears!
I Told You She’s Running
Jonathan taught me long ago that in trading you don’t lightly abandon your model and just try things. I hold to the same view in the less serious business of making political predictions while sitting at the breakfast table. I predicted last January that Hillary would run and Wesley Clark would be her running mate. Nothing has changed my mind.
The New York Post has this headline:Bill on Hill: It’s a maybe. “Clinton loyalists were startled yesterday to hear former President Bill Clinton suggest that his wife hasn’t made up her mind yet about running for the White House.” (via Drudge.)
No sh*t, Sherlock. Bill got in when Bush 41 was at 90% approval. Hillary is not going to miss a chance to go after Bush 43 when he is below 50% approval. When she gets in she will pretty quickly sweep everyone else from the field, especially in terms of fund-raising. She’ll roll to the nomination easily.
On a related point, the Wall Street Journal has a discussion about Wesley Clark getting in on its editorial page. It notes that “[t]he Democratic Establishment, very much including Bill and Hillary Clinton, is pushing the retired general as its stop-Howard Dean candidate.” The WSJ then concludes incoherently:
All of this occurs amid speculation about Hillary’s own presidential ambitions. Her role in backing the general suggests that she and her husband fear that Dr. Dean’s insurgency could upset her own well-laid plans for 2008. The real battle for control of the Democratic Party may finally have begun.
Uh, no. If Hillary wanted to run in 2008, she step back and let Dean run the party off the cliff in ‘04 and come back and be the savior of her party in ‘08. She is backing Clark because she is going to employ him as her running mate. He will provide cover for her lack of national security/military expertise.
They are going to be a formidable combination and they will probably beat Bush. Hope I’m wrong, but I fear I’m not. Believe me, this is one prediction I’d be happy to be wrong about.
Let’s Don’t be Beastly to the Germans
Wall Street Journal front page story today: In a Shift, Schroder Says Germany Is Ready to Help U.S. Build Iraq. WSJ says:
While Mr. Schroder said Berlin wouldn’t provide any funding, he said that Germany was prepared to help train Iraqi police and Military Personnel and to work on varioius infrastructure projects.
Well, it will be good to have the Germans helping to train Iraqi cops and soldiers. They have made a good contribution in Afghanistan. As to not providing any funding, I’m not sure what that means. Are we going to pay the Germans to come in and do this? As to “infrastructure projects”, I guess the German construction industry wants a piece of the action that Brown, Root, et al. are getting and, best of all, apparently, at the expense of the U.S. taxpayer.
I’d say, have the Germans send their drill sergeants, but keep their bulldozers at home. But I’m sure we won’t do that. The U.S. will eagerly seize on any gesture of cooperation from the Germans. And, frankly, it will be good to have them in there.