1.) Biden vs. Boehner — If Vice President Joe Biden thought his non-clarification of his approval of China’s one-child policy (“I meant the opposite of what I said”) was going to cut it… Well, “Biden” and “thought” are two words that don’t really go together. He continues to catch flak for saying he wasn’t “second-guessing” the horrific policy, as TheDC’s Caroline May reports: “While Republican House Speaker John Boehner welcomed the Obama administration’s clarification that Vice President Joe Biden opposes China’s one-child policy, he responded with two demands Wednesday. First, Biden must publicly state his opposition. Second, President Barack Obama must end America’s contributions to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which critics have pointed to as a collaborator in the implementation of the Chinese policy. ‘Until the administration takes these actions, the clarification issued by the Vice President’s spokesman Tuesday will ring hollow,’ Boehner’s press office wrote in a blog post.” Okay, “Biden” and “hollow,” those are two words that go together. Along with “skull.”
2.) Irene vs. Obama — A huge, unstoppable volume of wind that wrecks everything in its path indiscriminately is headed for the East Coast of the United States. But enough about Biden’s return trip. There’s also a hurricane coming! As if Irene wasn’t a big enough threat already, now she might cause the greatest tragedy imaginable: ruining Obama’s vacation. LA Times: “First, President Obama’s golf game was interrupted by an earthquake. Now, it appears that Hurricane Irene is beating a path toward Martha’s Vineyard, where the president is vacationing with his wife and two daughters. The National Hurricane Center’s latest forecast shows Hurricane Irene reaching landfall in the Carolinas late Friday and early Saturday before raking its way up the East Coast and into New England… The Federal Emergency Management Agency held a conference call to update the media about the upcoming storm. FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate told the L.A. Times: ‘We briefed the president yesterday and are keeping him and his team updated.'” Who knew Irene was a teabagger?
3.) Palin vs. Rove — The Sarah/Karl cold war is heating up, you guys. TheDC’s Jeff Poor reports: “On Fox News Channel’s ‘On the Record with Greta Van Susteren,’ Rove sounded off about Palin and her reaction to recent criticisms, particularly those criticisms stemming from her reaction to Rove’s speculation that she would eventually be a candidate. ‘I’m mystified — look, she is all upset about this, saying I’m somehow trying to sabotage her in some way,’ Rove said. ‘And that how dare I speculate on her future. If she doesn’t want to be speculated about as a potential presidential candidate. There’s an easy way to end the speculation: Simply say I’m not running… It is a sign of enormous thin skin that if we speculate about her that she gets upset,’ he said.” It sounds like Rove is saying: commit or get off the pot. Which is fair enough. This “maybe so, maybe no” act of hers is wearing thin, even among some Palin supporters. Then again, why does Rove care? There’s no law saying a possible presidential candidate has to follow a certain timetable. Look where playing by the rules and doing the expected got the GOP in ’08. Why is he letting it make him so… upset?
4.) Guess who gets Allah the blame for the earthquake? — You might think you know why the East Coast got hit by a 5.9 earthquake the other day. Well, forget all that talk about tectonic plates and whatnot, smartypants, because the science isn’t settled. TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein reports: “After they finished cowering in fear, most Washingtonians scratched their heads over the unexpected earthquake that shook the city and much of the East Coast at 1:51 p.m. Tuesday. But one online Islamist says there is a perfectly reasonable explanation for the quake: It was a punishment from Allah. According to a posting titled ‘Allah’s punishment on Americans’ on the Shoumokh Al-Islam jihadi forum by someone writing under the name Abu Ibrahim, ‘Allah has struck New York and the capital city Washington by an earthquake as a punishment for their disbelief.’ ‘Such a little earthquake that measured 6.0 has terrified the tyrant American people and forced them to leave their houses and places of work,’ Ibrahim continued. The posting was provided to The Daily Caller by The Middle East Media Research Institute, which reasonably noted that it doesn’t find Ibrahim’s rantings particularly important.” Nope. A religious person blaming natural phenomena on the wrath of God isn’t important unless a Christian does it. Right, libs?
5.) Steve Jobs resigns — Apple Computers just lost its core. TheDC’s Tina Nguyen reports: “Steve Jobs, the visionary CEO at the helm of the most valuable tech company in the world, has stepped down. ‘I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know,’ wrote Jobs, whose health issues constantly worried a public that viewed his presence as the reason for Apple’s prosperity, in a letter to the company’s board of directors. ‘Unfortunately, that day has come.'” The mercurial mogul has had health problems for years, ranging from a liver transplant to pancreatic cancer, so most of the speculation is centering around that. Chances are you’re reading this on one of his products. It’s hard to imagine the company without him. Here’s wishing Steve Jobs all the best.
6.) Today’s inept walkback, courtesy of Alec Baldwin’s Twitter feed — “My question last night was in no way meant to cast doubt on anything related to 9-11.” [Ed. note: The question was, “Do you think Bin Laden was behind 9-11?” With an extra-special bonus question: “What is Amalgam Virgo?”]
VIDEO: Obama’s 3-year string of empty promises on jobs
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