Joe is in Control....

Vice President Joe Biden, at the controls as he test drives of one of Amtrak’s
new electric locomotives in Philadelphia.

Another kick in the teeth to the FOX News Haters

 James Carville Joins Fox News

The people at Fox News are apparently serious about being “fair and balanced” as proved on Thursday, when the network hired veteran Democratic activist James Carville to serve as a contributor of political commentary on the channel.

NewsBusters

"The “Ragin' Cajun,” who led Bill Clinton's successful presidential campaign in 1992 and spent most of the past decade as a political commentator for the Cable News Network, joins such outspoken liberals as Juan Williams, Kirsten Powers and Bob Beckel on the channel's roster.

Carville hosted Crossfire on CNN from 2002 until it was canceled in three years. He later served as an adviser to Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign and last year lent his name to the Ready for Hillary PAC, which has dedicated itself to supporting Clinton's 2016 presidential ambitions.

Carville is currently a political science professor at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. He has written several books, some with his wife, GOP strategist Mary Matalin.

Carville and Matalin were both shown the door -- along with several other long-time commentators -- by CNN's new president, Jeff Zucker, during January of 2013. 

"James’ successful and storied career in politics over several decades is an enormous asset to Fox News," Bill Shine, the network's executive vice president of programming, said in a statement. "We are privileged to have him lend his breadth of experience, wit and dynamic perspective on the network."

This much is certain: Having James Carville on the set of Fox News is bound to result in arguments and fireworks, just as those provided by Williams, Beckel and Powers. Critics of the cable news network would do well to remember that the so-called “conservative” channel is far better balanced politically than any of its competitors."

The Hardest Working Man in Politics

Traditional, the President's day starts at 7:oo am, after all, in the Far East the day is done, in the Middle East our enemies are well into their mischievous ways (i.e. Benghazi), and our European economic partners and allies are 6 to 8 hours ahead of us are hard at work. It makes sense the president would be up early and briefed on the events of the world for the day.  

While Calvin Coolidge and Ronald Reagan were not known for being early risers, both where in the Oval Office long before 9am.  Lyndon Johnson stayed up late, drinking Scotch and pouring over intelligence to choose bombing targets for missions over North Vietnam, took a long nap midday and started all over again. George W. Bush was an early to bed, early to rise well briefed war leader.

Barack Obama? Well....

I have watched with interest the schedule of our dear leader Barack Obama. Rarely does his announced schedule ever show him at work before 10am. Here is a sample (typical), last weeks schedule showing first and last official events of the day as released by the White House, compliments of Keith Koffler.

Friday - 1/31/14 - 9:45 am - Receives the Presidential Daily Briefing - 2:00 pm  - Discusses State of the Union via Google+ Hangouts; Roosevelt Room

Monday - 2/3/14 - 10:45 am - Receives the Presidential Daily Briefing - 2:30 pm - Meets with Harry Reid

Tuesday - 2/4/14 - 9:45 am - Receives the Presidential Daily Briefing -12:40 pm -Lunch with Biden - 4:30 pm - Meets with the House Democratic Caucus; East Room

Wednesday - 2/5/14 - 10:45 am - Receives the Presidential Daily Briefing - 4:45 pm - Meets with Secretary of State Kerry

Friday- 2/7/14 - 9:45 am - Receives the President Daily Briefing - 10:30 am - Departs the White House - 4:50 pm Arrives White House

Now to be fair to Dear Leader, the times do not include morning whining about Fox News over his bowl of oatmeal, shaving Michelle's back or practicing his putting skills in the resident halls. Nor do they reflect  secret late night meetings with the NSA, IRS, meetings with lapdog media like Al Sharpton, or just mulling over important decisions like appointing Soap Opera producers to an Ambassadorship to Hungry.
Just to be fair. 

I Just Love It When Leftist Elite Eat Its Own

Reporters in Semi-Open Revolt’ Against NYT Editor

It's well known that the liberal-leaning reporters at The Wall Street Journal resent the conservative-leaning editorial page of The Wall Street Journal. What’s less well known, and about to break into the open is how deeply the liberal-leaning reporters at The New York Times resent the liberal-leaning editorial page at the NYT.

"The New York Observer has learned over the course of interviews with more than two-dozen current and former Times staffers that the situation has “reached the boiling point” in the words of one current Times reporter."

Why do the reporters hate the editorial page?  According to the reporters themselves, the editorial page editor, Andrew Rosenthal, is arrogant, petty and vindictive. The news room has suffered deep cuts, while the editorial page is lavishly staffed, and yet turns out a lousy product.  And most interesting, their belief the poor quality of the paper’s editorials is embarrassing: “they’re completely reflexively liberal, utterly predictable, usually poorly written and totally ineffectual.”

Well, they aren’t totally without value. We have fun laughing at them.

It also galls the Times news room that the paper’s columnists are “tired and irrelevant.” The ever boring Thomas Friedman comes in for special abuse. These are quotes from reporters at the Times: 

“Tom Friedman is an embarrassment. I mean there are multiple blogs and Tumblrs and Twitter feeds that exist solely to make fun of his sort of blowhardy bullshit.” 

“Nobody is acknowledging that they suck, but everybody in the newsroom knows it, and we really are embarrassed by what goes on with Friedman. I mean anybody who knows anything about most of what he’s writing about understands that he’s, like, literally mailing it in from wherever he is on the globe. He’s a travel reporter. A joke.”

“As for the columnists, Friedman is the worst. He hasn’t had an original thought in 20 years; he’s an embarrassment. He’s perceived as an idiot who has been wrong about every major issue for 20 years….”

Then there's Ms. Congeniality herself, Maureen Dowd: 

“Then there’s Maureen Dowd, who has been writing the same column since George H. W. Bush was president.”

Surprisingly, no one mentioned of two time winner of DMF's "AssHat of the Year" Award Winner, Paul Krugman, who it is said "doesn’t work any harder on his columns than Friedman does, and is an obnoxious jerk to boot".  Maybe they are saving him for a follow-up article.

In any event, it is highly entertaining to see Times reporters telling us the same things about the paper’s editorial pages that most us have been saying for years. 

Fishnet Friday

Progressive/Liberal Mindset.

U.S. Vows to Open Can of Whoop Ass at Sochi Olympics

(MFNS) - The United States is a serious contender to top the medals count at the Winter Olympics in Sochi, but its prospects on Olympic snow and ice weren't always so promising.

Following a dismal performance at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Canada, where the US team garnered just six medals, the US Olympic Committee launched an overhaul of it's system of training athletes that experts credit with helping vault American athletes to dominance. The rise of U.S. Winter Olympians since Calgary is evident not only in their medal haul, but in their intense training for new events added in this years games which should help in America's medal count. 

The U.S. goes into the games heavily favored in the new "Skateless Ice Dancing" competition, inspired by the world wide popularity of the American TV show 'Dancing with the Stars'.

U.S. Olympians Marie Carson and Mario Puci practice for
Skateless Ice Dance Pairs Competition 

Another event the U.S. is expected to do well in is one of the most anticipated events on the Sochi ice this Olympics,  the new "Free-for-all Singles Free Style Skating" competition with hockey type defense. 

Skaters take to the ice together and during their free-style skate performance are allowed to to make contact and neutralize an opponent in accordance with European Hockey rules.  

U.S. Team Coach, Bruno Bobnoski told MFNS  "You'd would think that a country that gave the world Dirty Harry and Rambo would be very, very good at this shit, and we plan on taking out those commie pussies and take at least the Gold and Silver medals, which would be pretty impressive stuff. As incentive, I told my skaters to think about that crappy hotel room the commies gave em. That should do it. 

When ask about the prediction of an epic defeat at the hands of the U.S. team, Russian Olympic Skating coach Boris Cramdoffski's only comment was "Едят дерьмо капиталистических свиней".