Silly Democrats, tricks are for kids! Last Friday I was a bit upset by our friends in the print media. Led by the nose, papers like the WaPo parroted the NYTimes ‘pimp my book pre-sales’ account of how George Bush was tapping your 79-year-old grandmum’s phone line. As if making her wait long periods in uncomfortable positions at all hours in the AM at the security check at the airport isn’t enough … but I digress.

What upset me was that instead of being proud of the U.S.’ contribution to a significant and long-lasting geopolitical event – namely the successful parliamentary elections in Iraq – the party out of power took a cheap shot at my country’s international prestige by making something necessarily covert sound illegal. Add to this insult that neither the NYTimes nor WaPo would put an effort into uncovering the person who disclosed these secret details with the same fervor as they’ve covered PlameGate … but I digress.

The point is, despite their best efforts, the old media was minimally successful in steering the public’s attention away from the Bush administration’s successes (on behalf of the U.S.). What they should realized that if they really wanted to refocus the news cycle by stomping some poor Texan into the turf, they really need only focus their energies and finances into Joe Gibbs – whose Iraq-election like victory over “America’s Team” is all the buzz in our (my) Nation’s Capital.

My proof is a screen snippet from today’s WaPo, focusing in on a portion of their left sidebar entitled “Most Viewed Articles.” See for yourself, four out top five stories in today’s Washington Post aren’t addressing issues such as domestic eavesdropping, the war in Iraq, the SCOTUS nor various budgetary concerns. Rather all focus is given to a team named after the Native Americans totally dominating a team named after drunk, gun-toting, environmentally unfriendly, expansionists under the following less-politically correct headlines:

• It Feels Real Good Making Dallas Feel Bad – Wilbon
• Jason La Canfora – The Game of Our Life
• Redskins Helped Themselves To a Second Serving of Tuna – Kornheiser
• Thomas Boswell -Gibbs’s Risk Is Rewarded

All proving one thing Democrats need to understand if they really want to control the news cycle: If you want to get a job done right, make sure you hire a middle-aged, white working class born-again Christian who loves NASCAR almost as much as he loves American Football.

And if you can’t hire Gibbs – or just don’t want to – then may I suggest perhaps trying to persuade one of the following candidates from the blogosphere’s A-list I’ve listed over at blogs4God.com for the year? Granted, it will mean getting your stories straight, backing up assertions with facts, ditching the outrageous headlines for the truth and potentially putting the Christ back into Christmas – but then again there is no such thing as the perfect team.

Snarkasm – ‘snär-"ka-z&m – noun – a disdainful and often cheap shot designed at pointing out painfully obvious and/or stupid stuff.

Today’s target, some headlines and/or bylines in the Washington Post that in my humble opinion, could use some improvement, disclaimers and/or clarifications:

• DeLay’s Felony Charge Is Upheld – I love this. All over the news list night, the general story was ‘some charges dropped.’ But the WaPo, wanting to be more and more like the NYTimes each day, has to accentuate the negative. File under the category of ‘never headline a nice thing about a republican.’
• Looks like ‘objective’ opinion writer Richard Cohen has received the latest talking points from ‘Chucky’ Schumer, et.al. in the rant ‘Let Rumsfeld Go.’ Apparently this meme has been recycled – with consequences that might make lefties think 2x.
• E. J. Dionne Jr. seems to think there IS an abortion litmus test as he accuses conservatives of ‘Dodging Debate On Alito.’ Or what I’d like to byline as ‘please help those of us on the left move this fight to terms favorable to us.‘
• Three times being the charm, the WaPo accuses Condi of offering ‘A Weak Defense‘ as she tried to assuage countries capable of containing their terrorism, like France, that the U.S. does not authorize or condone torture of detainees. This is because she didn’t qualify her definition of torture to include a number of psyop techniques. Perhaps we should coddle the terrorists like say Tookie? Hmmm… better yet, perhaps next time Dr.Rice can lead off with "the U.S. does not authorize or condone the cruel beheading of captives."
• Filed under the category of ‘international espionage is a dirty game,’ it looks like the Italians are mad because a ‘CIA Ruse Is Said to Have Damaged Probe in Milan‘ – anyone who’s watched at least one James Bond movie knows that getting info out of bad buys is a messy business where often the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing. What amuses me most about this post is that in setting up the human rights argument against the U.S., the writer unintentionally paints a picture of some internal Italian infighting by some miffed that they’re not as deep in Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s inner circle as they once thought.
• ‘U.S. Is Given Failing Grades By 9/11 Panel‘ – apparently the panel also issued two "incompletes" in categories including airline passenger screening and improving first responders’ communication system. I suspect this will remain so long as we continue to pull 70 year old women out of line for screenings and place the entire weight of local contingency planning on the White House.

As always, your mileage will vary. Feel free to add your own contributions.

Frustrated by the complete ‘The Vietnamization of Iraq‘ and inspired by the "George Santayana" ignorance of the Democratic response to Bush’s speech today, yours truly took it upon himself to conjure up the parody book cover below and to the left.

- – - § – - -

Annapolis, MD – Speaking to an audience of students and faculty at the U.S. Naval Academy, George Bush re-emphasized that we are engaged in a war with a fanatical death cult who would interpret a cut-n-run policy as an invitation to bring their brand of politicizing to the U.S. With historical precedent on his side, the Command in Chief outlined a three part strategy for a successful conclusion to our presence in Iraq that included:

• a political component in which coalition forces would help Iraq build a free and democratic society;
• a security piece in which coalition troops would train Iraqi security forces well enough to guard their new found freedoms; and
• an economic element, a free market economy which will reward productivity while offering individuals a sense of personal destiny.

- – - § – - -

Frustrated by the lack of a Bush apology, Senator John F. Kerry went on the offensive to effect a semantic change to Murtha’s call for an immediate redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq by replacing the phrase "deadline for withdrawal" with "timetable for success."

In a sound bite reminiscent of Richard Nixon’s "Peace with Honor" speech, Senator Hillary Clinton took Mr. Kerry’s word-games one step further when she demanded the President "present us with a plan for finishing this war with success and honor."

Ignoring the advice of fellow Democrat Joe Lieberman, Nancy Pelosi suggested the American people prefer we follow John Murtha’s call to remove U.S. Troops at "earliest possible date."

- – - § – - -

You can see the big huge honking version of it over at blogs4God. Enjoy ‘liberally,’ just avoid hot-linking the image and if possible a link back would be polite.

…George Bush emerged from the 2004 presidential election victoriously. I’ve been giving him a hard time lately, but between him and John Kerry, I still think the better man won.

When I’d gone to bed in the early morning hours of November 2, 2004, I was very excited. At the time I was still at the day job, a non-profit organization heavily stocked with liberals. On the Metro that morning, it was as though someone had died. At work, it was worse: as though two people had died. I didn’t gloat or even mention the election, but I don’t think I would’ve been extended the same courtesy had John Kerry won.

Nine percent of voting D.C. residents voted for Bush, but I didn’t see any that day, judging from the faces of people on the street. I didn’t see one smile the whole day other than the one I saw in the mirror when I powdered my nose.

George Bush can’t be all men to all people. He’s only one man, doing what he thinks is best, I suppose. I hate his amnesty-for-illegal-aliens plan, but I’m glad he’s in the White House screwing up instead of John Kerry.

(AFB photo)

Round-up: Blogs for Bush, Generation Why?, Sister Toldjah, Randy Thomas, Brainster’s Blog…

Related posts:

• Two More Weeks! Two More Weeks!
• John Kerry’s Concession Speech
• John Kerry’s Racist Rhetoric
• Suffering John Kerry

Garloward

Well Mr. Bush, that’s a lot more than white liberals or the professional civil rights industry, including all members of the Congressional Black Caucus and black so-called leaders, will ever say for the damage they’ve caused by pushing 40+ years of bloated and failed social programs, lowered standards, and fear-of-being-called-racist hysteria.

The government has created a dependent class of people who’ve likely never had the desire or the will to help themselves. Liberals are dependent on this same class of people for votes, photo ops, and pandering editorials disguised as news.

Your problem, Mr. Bush, is that you’ve failed to harness the power of a conservative government, squandering precious time and resources. Under your reign, the government has grown to ridiculous proportions, more than Ted Kennedy ever dreamed would be possible. And the war on terror started with a bang, but limps along with a whimper.

For reasons that probably have more to do with blackmail than the economy, you refuse to guard the southern border. I guess you don’t realize or don’t care that radical Muslims also jump that border. Terrorists cells are in our midst, ready to strike.

But that’s spilled milk under the bridge. That you acknowledged what should’ve been done during a devastating natural disaster that wasn’t done will have to do for now. Can’t do it all.

I can only wonder what it would be like to have a real conservative in the White House.

(Source — AP photo)

Update: Info Theory: “Bush should resign.”

And you people think I’m harsh?

Lorie Byrd:

It is entirely appropriate that he take responsibility for the actions of the federal government which he has under his control — the “buck stops here,” and all that. As for the political fallout, the public holds him largely responsible for the performance of FEMA anyway, so accepting responsibility is not only appropriate, but it makes him look miles taller in contrast to the hapless, pass the buck, “we were waiting for the cavalry to come,” we won’t accept any responsibility local and state officials in Louisiana.

Unrelated Update: Memeorandum has a new look.

Tonight I’ll open this thread for “live-commenting” during President Bush’s State of the Union speech at 9:00 p.m. EST. “Listening” to you instead of watching these events on television and live-blogging has become a tradition on the LBC.

And live-blogging is too much work.

Note: HaloScan users, to trackback to this post, use SimpleTracks. Word Press and HaloScan don’t get along well.

Related posts: Live-Commenting Right Here! (3rd presidential debate and follow-up post) and Live-Commenting the Debate! (2nd debate). I didn’t live-blog the first debate, but I live-blogged Rush Limbaugh the day after. I was bored.

And last but not least, I live-blogged the election, that happy night when Florida went to Bush. The post generated over 600 comments.

Live-bloggers: John Hinderaker Power Line will be live-blogging. Kevin of Wizbang won’t be live-blogging, but he’ll link you if you contact him. Captain Ed will be live-blogging. Blogs for Bush has a round-up. GOP Bloggers are live.

Ankle Biting Pundit will be live-blogging the Democrats’ rebuttal. Good luck with all that…

Vodkapundit is live-blogging. I think he’s “live-mixing” spirits, too. How about some Lockjaw to go with your drink?

Also see Patrick Ruffini and MUSC Tiger (Go Clemson!).

Speech excerpts from a reliable source:

One of America’s most important institutions — a symbol of the trust between generations — is also in need of wise and effective reform. Social Security…on its current path, is headed toward bankruptcy. And so we must join together to strengthen and save Social Security….

In the long term, the peace we seek will only be achieved by eliminating the conditions that feedradicalism and ideologies of murder….The only force powerful enough to stop the rise of tyranny and terror, and replace hatred with hope, is the force of human freedom….

The goal of two democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace is within reach — and America will help them achieve that goal….

We will succeed because the Iraqi people value their own liberty — as they showed the world last Sunday….The new political situation in Iraq opens a new phase of our work in that country…we will increasingly focus our efforts on helping prepare more capable Iraqi security forces — forces with skilled officers, and an effective command structure….We are standing for the freedom of our Iraqi friends, and freedom in Iraq will make America safer for generations to come.

These may only be talking points and not the actual text of the speech.

Update: The thread is now open. If anyone is really watching this thing, tell me what’s going on.

Another Update: I hope the Instapundit readers live-comment.

Yet Another Update: Text of the speech.

Final Update: Command Post has a chat room set up for you night owls.

Read Michelle Malkin’s wrap-up. Also see Betsy’s Page. Also see Wizbang’s round-up of SOTU reactions and reactions to the Democrats’ response. INDC Journal has some terse words for Wonkette.

The first black woman and the second woman to occupy such a high position in a president’s cabinet, Condoleezza Rice deserves praise for remaining dignified and calm in the face of blatantly racist, envious and old-haggish attacks on her character and intelligence. She’s a better woman than I.

I could use some serious counseling on how to control my temper in case my integrity is ever questioned by the likes of Ted “water torture” Kennedy or John “war hero” Kerry. And if I weren’t a Christian woman, the things I would say to Barbara Boxer…

I know you were expecting me to blog about Rice’s confirmation hearing, but I didn’t have the stomach for it. I wanted to wait until the inevitable conclusion to say that I am proud to “know” Condoleezza Rice. She’s given her life to the pursuit of serious study and government service, is unappreciated by white liberals who resent her accomplishments and independent thinking, and black liberals whose accusations of “race traitor” betray their poor reasoning ability and infantile envy toward a woman they should be proud of, regardless of her political ideology. But I’m sure it doesn’t keep her up at night.

The final Senate vote was 85-13. Voting against Rice were James “Independent” Jeffords, Barbara Boxer, Daniel Akaka, Dick Durbin, Evan Bayh, Tom Harkin, Ted “water torture” Kennedy, John “war hero” Kerry, Carl Levin, Mark Dayton, Frank Lautenberg, Jack Reed, James Jeffords and former Ku Klux Klansman, Robert Byrd.

That’s all I have to say about Rice’s confirmation. I suspect that she and I would disagree on a few things, but I’ll save those for another post. She is in my prayers, and because I am a Christian, so are the people who loathe her.

Related post: Condi Rice and the Squad of Liberal Losers

Unrelated: Nominations for the Evangelical Blog Awards are rolling in. Don’t forget to nominate your favorite blogs. I’ll post my nominations next week.

The Anchoress goes off. Also see Wizbang.

Today is a good day to be a conservative in D.C. (Photo by AFP)

Not only do I have the day off, I get to spend it watching inauguration coverage on TV and online, smiling and very glad that it won’t be John Kerry up on that podium taking the oath of office. While Democrats have fled to parts unknown this week, conservative Washingtonians can take comfort in knowing their (our) measly 9 percent Bush vote counts in a big way today.

Imagine how you’d feel right now if John Kerry had won. Yeah, me too. Unbearably gloomy.

This post will be updated throughout the day with links from around the web. By the way, I’m a contributor to GOPbloggers. Check out the new blog.

See Washington Post (reg. req.), Yahoo! and Washington Times inauguration coverage.

Bloggers: Power Line, Polipundit…

9:23 a.m.: This is so cool. I just looked out the window and saw a large group of protestors walking by carrying signs. According to a weather report, it feels like 24 degrees out there and the wind is kicking at 15-20 mph. I hope they’re wearing thermal underwear.

10:02 a.m.: The inaugural ceremony has begun, and Bush will take his oath at noon. The main difference between 2000 and now is that Bush won decisively this time. And Republicans picked up seats in the House and the Senate. Now matter how liberals try to spin it, Bush really does have a mandate this term. I just hope he does the right thing. He can start by dumping that amnesty-for-illegal-aliens plan.

The protestors I saw were headed to Meredian Hill Park, which is a block behind my apartment building. Wouldn’t it be a coup to head over there with a tape recorder for interviews? Since I’m black, they’d never guess I’m a Bush supporter!

The requisite black choir is singing in the cold.

10:47 a.m.: The camera’s panning the crowd, and I think I saw Rudy Guiliani. Haven’t seen Kerry or Obama. Bill and Hillary!

11:07 a.m.: The announcers (or whatever they’re called) have to fill up air time talking about something, so they’re chattering about differences of opinion on whether Bush’s inauguration should be so lavish, especially during wartime. The only time liberals care about national defense and tax dollars is when they aren’t in power. They’re anti-killing now, for example, but they had no problem when Clinton killed Serbians or bombed an aspirin factory (wrong target) to knock the Lewinsky scandal off the front pages. It was an undeclared war, you see, so it didn’t count.

OK. Back to the ceremony. Some man is singing now. He’s not wearing a coat.

11:24 a.m.: Check out Frank J.’s inauguration drawing. Paul at Wizbang is semi-live blogging.

The lovely Lady Laura is decked out in a white coat. Bush is about to appear. Maybe it’s just me, but why aren’t these people wearing hats? It’s cold and the wind is blowing.

Bush has to be feeling really good right now. Whether they like him or not, the world watches.

11:32 a.m.: The president of the United States takes his place at the podium.

11:44 a.m.: Actually, Bush hasn’t taken the podium yet. Trent Lott just gave a speech and now he’s announced that Chief Justice Rehnquist, suffering from cancer, is in attendance. The crowd gives him a stand ovation as he slowly makes his way to his seat.

Vice President Cheney is being sworn in, reciting the same oath Bush will take:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.

[Correction 1/21: A commenter points out that the president takes a different oath than the Vice President, which is found in Article II, Section I of the Constitution.]

One of my favorite opera singers, Denyce Graves, is singing. Beautiful.

Rehnquist is about to administer the oath of office to Bush. I hear a lot of noise outside, police sirens and such. I thought I heard gunshots, too (!). The protestors must be coordinating their “protest” with the events. The new term has begun.

12:00 p.m.: Sorry to interrupt coverage, but you have to see Cox and Forkum’s latest.

Great tagline from Bush; “[O]ppression, which is always wrong; freedom, which is morally right.” I’m too lazy to do running commentary on the speech. I’ll post a link as soon as it’s up. [Update: That was "freedom, which is eternally right," although it's morally right, too.]

12:24 p.m.: The text of Bush’s speech. It is done!

Read David Limbaugh’s comments on the speech. Joel White lists a few memorable lines from the speech. Captain Ed share his thoughts. It was really a great speech. Very lofty, idealist and philosophical.

So, how much did it all cost?

Not excited about the inauguration? Neither is Steve.

Joe Gandelman has a round-up of bloggers’ reactions to the speech.

Michelle Malkin has protest pics.

Look at these people.

Austin Bay: “The President’s inaugural speech said in spades what I wish he would say every day. When I returned from Iraq I said our biggest mistake was failing to “ideologize” the war. This war is truly a fight for the future — a struggle between liberty and tyranny.”

Associated Press:

The recount shows Bush winning Ohio by 118,457 votes over John Kerry. according to unofficial results provided to The Associated Press by the 88 counties. Lucas County, home to Toledo, was the last to finish counting.

The state had earlier declared Bush the winner by 118,775 votes and plans to adjust its totals to reflect the recount later this week.

The Kerry campaign supported the recount, but said it did not expect the tally to change the election winner. Supporters of the recount, requested by two minor party candidates, said they wanted to make sure every valid vote was counted.

You think Jesse Jackson will pipe down now? Speaking of pipes, it’s the stuff in which liberals’ dreams are made.
———————————————————————————————

Links and sources:
— Blogs for Bush
— Washington Post: “Recount in Ohio Narrows Bush’s Victory Margin” — VICTORY being the operative word, in case you’re wondering. Journalists.
— New York Times: “Ohio Recount Gives a Smaller Margin to Bush_ — Notice that President Bush’s name is in the headline, not the defeated John Kerry’s.

Unrelated links: Liberal columnist is player-hating on the Power Line bloggers. And he didn’t even link to their blog in his column. Jealousy is so unbecoming. Instapundit has a round-up of readers responding to the liberal columnists’ whatchacallit envy, the same kind he’s accusing the Power Line bloggers of having.

More from Power Line. Captain Ed weighs in, as does Pejmanesque. Thomas Lifson has a column up about it already.

Mark Noonan on the failures of liberalism.

Discriminations: “If you do the math, you will find that the effect of subtracting 318 votes from Bush’s total “narrows” his winning percentage from 51.06% to 51.05%….Some narrowing.”

Update (6:30 p.m.): Condoleezza Rice is the new Secretary of State. Does she really want to do this? Congratulations, Ms. Rice!

You may be interested in All Condi All The Time and Open Letter To A Liberal Columnist.

Update II (11/16): Waking up to an Instalanche is a good thing.
—————————————-

George Bush is cleaning house. With four years left to make an impact, he needs to seize upon every remaining minute. I hope he implements true and consistent conservative policies and appoints true conservatives. Those who will be packing (not to say they aren’t “true conservatives” — except for Powell, maybe):

— Attorney General John Ashcroft
— Secretary of State Colin Powell
— Secretary of Education Rod Paige
— Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham
— Secretary of Commerce Don Evans
— Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman

After we get the new people set, let’s get on with things. I’ll rerun my list of priorities:

— Privatizing social security
— Putting pro-life judges on the bench
— Banning homosexual “marriage”
— Banning race preferences in public (government) hiring and college admissions
— Tightening the southern border and enforcing immigration law
— Balancing the budget
— Lowering taxes even more and cutting spending on wasteful programs
— Protecting the free speech rights of all Americans, including Americans who profess Christ
— Getting more aggressive in Iraq, finishing this war and bringing our troops home

This is the kind of good, positive reporting we need:

Suddenly, the West Wing is buzzing with a new sense of possibility. Reports on the assault in Fallujah (story, Page 16) have been cautiously positive. The president’s first call to Harry Reid, the new Senate Democratic leader, raised hopes that he might get more cooperation from his congressional adversaries. And the death of Yasser Arafat may provide a “new opportunity” for Middle East peace, Bush said late last week in a joint appearance with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

The president is moving briskly to seize the moment. He is consolidating power at the White House, channeling ever more influence to Vice President Dick Cheney, his closest confidant, and counselor Karl Rove, architect of his November 2 victory. Senior White House officials tell U.S. News that Bush plans to replace at least half his cabinet over the next few months. His aim is to remove officials who have become lightning rods for controversy or who seem to have lost their desire to serve in Washington.

Good for you, Mr. Bush. Carpe diem!

Sources and links: Wizbang, Captain Ed, Power Line, INDC Journall live-blogging at Backcountry Conservative

Why is it such a big deal that Powell’s resigning? Next!

*La Shawn exhales…*

From My Way News:

President Bush won a second term from a divided and anxious nation, his promise of steady, strong wartime leadership trumping John Kerry’s fresh-start approach to Iraq and joblessness. After a long, tense night of vote counting, the Democrat called Bush Wednesday to concede Ohio and the presidency, The Associated Press learned.

Kerry ended his quest, concluding one of the most expensive and bitterly contested races on record, with a call to the president shortly after 11 a.m. EST, according to two officials familiar with the conversation.

The victory gave Bush four more years to pursue the war on terror and a conservative, tax-cutting agenda – and probably the opportunity to name one or more justices to an aging Supreme Court.

He also will preside over expanded Republican majorities in Congress.

“Congratulations, Mr. President,” Kerry said in the conversation described by sources as lasting less than five minutes. One of the sources was Republican, the other a Democrat.

I stand corrected. John Kerry accepted defeat like a man. Now let’s get down to business. There is still much work to do for America.

Around the blogosphere: Power Line, Michelle Malkin, INDC Journal, Michael King , Protein Wisdom. You know, I wondered what would become of Blogs For Bush had Kerry won. No more thoughts about that!

Update: Page loading may be a little slow. I’m getting a Google-lanche from people looking for “Kerry Concession Speech” and variations on the theme. They’re hitting this page.

Rush Limbaugh (paraphrase): The same media who loves Kerry and did everything they could to help his campaign are the same media who caused him great embarrassment with their faulty and fraudulent exit polls.

Update II: News flash: George Bush is the president of the United States.

Washington Post (reg. req.): “Four years later, it is still a divided country — perhaps more sullenly than ever — but as a long election night bled into morning the evidence was clear that it is becoming a more Republican one.”

“Republican Congress Set to Push Bush Agenda” (Source)

Update III: From a concerned reader:

Your pitiful attempt at humor over one of our country’s toughest election results is appalling. Kerry had every opportunity to attempt to await the provisional & military ballot results and hold up the election and he did indeed take the high road.

It is attitudes like yours that will lead our country further into
division and negativity.

You should be ashamed of yourself.

Signed “Susanna”

Update IV: Dave, a Democrat, has some advice for his party. (Hat tip: Dean’s World)

See Michael Bowen’s no-gloat post.

Update V: Very nice post by liberal blogger and writer, Marc Cooper. You’ll object to some things, but the whole piece is quite insightful. Read it and take it in.

Juliette attended an election night party with other bloggers. Her assessment of Dan Rather, Ed Bradley and Lesley Stahl is too funny. And too true.

Check out Red America.

Update IV: Instapundit says Kerry to concede, according to CNN and the AP. And Reuters:

Democratic challenger John Kerry called President Bush on Wednesday to concede the election, an aide said.

——–
Come on, troops! You didn’t think John Kerry would take defeat like a man, did you? George Bush is the winner, but we’re not supposed to say so until all the Ohio votes are counted. Shhhhhhh.

Given the way Kerry’s conducted himself during the whole campaign, this is to be expected. He’s an elitist used to getting what he wants. The White House is not within his grasp, but he’s still reaching. Human nature, I suppose.

In that regard, I offer you this somewhat subdued post. No victory dances until Kerry understands that he was decisively defeated last night. While it is highly improbable all the provisional Ohio votes will go for Kerry (as most reasonable people would agree), he’s holding on to a last shred of hope, though dignity left the building a long time ago. Ironically, those votes will probably increase Bush’s lead in the state.

I will hold off on my victory post, which will be humble and non-gloating, when the reality of his defeat is absolutely clear to John “Al Gore” Kerry. But first his lawyers will have to hunt for and/or invent reasons to litigate, and the foreigners on our shores who “monitored” the election will have complaints ready. It could take weeks. Shameful society we live in.

Be of good cheer! After a nice Christmas vacation, our president will return to the White House in January. By the way, the House and Senate are more Republican today than they were this time yesterday.

Interesting Fact: Developing on Drudge — Bush breaks all-time popular vote total, surpassing Ronald Reagan’s. Great Caesar’s ghost!

Thanks for exercising your civic duty, America!

(Thanks for keeping me company last night, too. During those tense moments, we generated 620 comments, breaking the debate record of 544.)

Update: For the first time in 140 years, Republicans control the state senate in Tennessee. (Hat tip: Instapundit)

Voters in 11 states overwhelmingly reject homosexual “marriage.” (Source) The majority of Americans will never support this. That is why liberals must rely on judicial fiat to get what they want. See Roe v. Wade for proof.

Michelle Malkin has a list of winners and losers. Vodkapundit: “Bush has obviously won the popular vote. If he was ‘selected not elected’ in 2000, then why on Earth would the Dems want to try to put Kerry in via lawsuits in 2004?”

WorldNetDaily: “The president won Florida comfortably yesterday…”

See Townhall.com’s map. Also see the brutally honest caricature of Kerry over at Rick’s.

We bloggers are obsessed! With four states too close to call, Backcountry Conservative is live-blogging the morning-after-the-election.

Update II: I’m getting a lot of Google hits on this gag Kerry concession speech.

Update III: Now it’s time to reconfigure that Supreme Court and get some real conservatives on the bench!

About Kerry’s conceding, Drudge says: “Gamesmanship. Bush team floated 10:30 am to push Kerry, but Kerry camp said, ‘Sit tight. We’re talking concession.’ Bushies then relented, naming noon to keep pressure on. That’s where other scenario: If Kerry says, again, ‘Sit tight,’ Bush expected to go. If he says, ‘I’m going at 2,’ Bush will hold…”

2:43 p.m. — I’m on my way to the polls. I will try to update this post as often as I can. In the meantime, keep everyone up to date with the latest information on the returns.

May they be happy returns!

3:32 p.m. — Well, that was spectacularly uneventful. No line. I was in and out in five minutes. At my polling place this morning, the line was wrapped around the building. This afternoon, the closer I got to the building, the fewer people I saw! I guess I’ll go run a few errands while it’s still daylight. By the way, I voted for George Bush. See you in a bit…

3:58 p.m. — Not gone yet. I’m trying to confirm a rumor that Kerry “won” Florida. Mystery Pollster has the run down on exit polls. Blackfive’s been disenfranshised.

4:47 p.m. — Here’s some good news (predictions) from John Fund of the Wall Street Journal:

Popular vote: Bush 50.0%, Kerry 48.5%, Nader 1.0%, others 0.5%.

Electoral vote: Bush 296, Kerry 242.

Battleground states: Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio and Wisconsin for Bush; Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania for Kerry.

The polls are pretty consistent. Mr. Bush is at 48% or above in all of them that push leaners.

A commenter asks: “Why don’t you & more Christians support the Constitution Party (which has a Christian Platform) instead of the Republican Party?”

Good question. I’ve flirted with the idea.

5:04 p.m. — The news is a little slow right now (and so are Internet connections), but bloggers seem to be affecting Wall Street.

5:52 p.m. — I think I started live-blogging too early. Things are sloooow. Joe Carter asks, “What if John Kerry wins?”

There’s nothing sadder than a man way past his prime.

6:28 p.m. — Read the latest from Drudge. I’m doing a little blogging over at Pop and Politics. Power Line has the latest on exit poll rumors. Michelle Malkin is accessible for now.

7:00 p.m. — I really hate this waiting. Mystery Pollster is answering reader questions about exit polls.

7:19 p.m. — Here’s another what-would-you-do-if-your-guy-lost post.

7:24 p.m. — Is the game underway? Check out this election map. It’s updating live, I presume.

7:36 p.m. — There’s nothing nefarious going with the inaccessible web sites. Hosting Matters is trying to cope with the unusually heavy traffic to its sites. Live-blogging at Evangelical Outpost.

7:50 p.m. — Check out the too-close-to-call Ohio numbers. And Florida.

Lucianne.com has opened an “Insanity Prevention Thread.”

8:01 p.m. — Did you guys see Zogby? I don’t know whether to laugh hysterically or cry.

Power Line has the latest on Florida: “UPDATE: The Florida Secretary of State reports Bush’s lead at 56.6 to 42.5, with 12% of the vote cast.”

8:35 p.m. — Georgia, Kentucky and Ohio reject homosexual “marriage.”

8:49 p.m. — Live-blogging going on at National Review Online and Outside the Beltway.

9:13 p.m. — Keep your eyes on the map.

9:25 p.m. — Live-blogging at Backcountry Conservative.

9:38 p.m. — Nice traffic. A blogger friend linked me from MSNBC’s blog.

9:58 p.m. — Here’s an optimistic post on National Review Online’s blog.

10:40 p.m. — I’m on hold on the Michael Graham show!

10:59 p.m. — Still on hold. Michael King is live-blogging.

Barack Obama is America’s fifth black senator. Read about the other four.

11:10 p.m. — Drat! I was cut off before I could give out my blog address!!! I was on the Michael Graham radio show talking about positive early exit polling for Kerry. Oh well. Will Republicans pick up seats in the Senate? Too much to hope for.

11:22 p.m. — Florida: Walking on Sunshine?

11:54 p.m. — Florida goes to Bush! I’ll see how much longer I can stay awake. It’s two hours past my bedtime!

12:20 a.m. — ABC just called Colorado for Bush. These radio newscasters sound downright morose, but they’re trying to hide it.

12:39 a.m. — I must bid you all good night. I’ll listen to the coverage on my Walkman as I fall asleep, but this computer and I must part company. Thank you for participating in the live-blogging and commenting, and hopefully I’ll update this blog with exciting news in the morning!

One more before I go:

Ohio race for President
9361 of 11477 precincts – 82 percent
George W. Bush (i) Rep 2,308,194 – 51 percent
John F. Kerry Dem 2,180,849 – 48 percent
Michael Badnarik NP 12,158 – 0 percent
Michael Peroutka NP 10,602 – 0 percent

12:45 a.m. — Every time I try to leave…so Bush just won Ohio? Bush just won Ohio. Now is it over? If your comment gets stuck in the filter, you may rephrase and resubmit, or wait until I approve in the morning. Sleep well.

Up to 125 million Americans will cast votes to choose the leader of the United States for the next four years and set the country’s course on the Iraq (news – web sites) war, the fight against terrorism, the economy and foreign relations.

Polls show the race is extraordinarily close, with a flurry of surveys showing a dead heat nationally and contradictory polls indicating most of the 10 hardest fought battleground states could tip either way.

Bush and Kerry spent their final day on the campaign trail on Monday racing back and forth through a handful of crucial swing states in a last-ditch hunt for votes, as both men try to stitch together the 270 electoral votes needed to claim victory.

Tell us about your experience at the polls today. Did you witness voter fraud or was it uneventful? Long lines or empty buildings?

Round-ups: PoliBlog

Trackback to this post or leave a comment if you want to be included in the round-up.

Update (8:55 a.m.): The line at my polling place is at least three hours long, so I decided to wait. I’ll leave work early, but before I go I’ll open up a “live-comment” thread because I may be in line well into the evening. No worries. I have my handy little wireless device where I can monitor all online activity! I’ll be live-blogging online in line.

These people are motivated. Funny comment from Michelle Malkin.

Democrats’ chief pollster predicts Bush victory. Are we conservatives nervous or what? Power Line links to the prediction story. The Bear has some online election resources.

It’s getting really stupid. Cars carrying voters to the polls are being vandalized. And some of you think people are really good at heart? Far from it! See B4B.

Update II: George Bush said, “This election is in the hands of the people, and I feel very comfortable about that. Now’s the time for the people to express their will.”

Why Blacks Should Give Bush a Chance, from the Spring 2001 City Journal:

Not since the Johnson administration has there been more concrete movement to free African-Americans from their status as the country’s problem race — and the lessons we’ve learned from LBJ’s failures mean that this administration will avoid the pitfalls of the War on Poverty’s hand-out philosophy. Who would have thought that a Republican administration would give such promise of reaching the long-sought goal of turning things around for black America?

Predictably, leftist black pundits who claim to represent the black view in America won’t grasp the import of this moment. Brent Staples of the New York Times informs us that “black Americans’ distrust of this administration is running extraordinarily high.” Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, histrionically comparing the irregularities in the Florida vote count to the evils of Selma, urge black Americans to refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of the Bush administration. Yet these are calls to distrust and resist a golden opportunity for black America….

Leftists who distrust meritocracy viscerally resist subjecting minority children to frequent standardized tests. Such people should try reading minority students’ applications to colleges and graduate schools and seeing the dismayingly low SAT and GRE scores that intelligent black students submit so disproportionately. What pulls black students down on these tests is a culturally ingrained sense that the kind of thinking that the tests entail is a white endeavor rather than a race-neutral ritual. Curing this ideological handicap is a challenge….

According to the left’s version of compassion, black students, because of society’s inequity, ought to be excused, by affirmative action, from serious competition, and many blacks find the Bush administration’s disapproval of such racial preferences one more reason for distrust. But affirmative action means subjecting blacks to lowered standards — “the soft bigotry of low expectations,” as the Bush campaign deftly phrased it. In my view, this policy was a necessary evil in the 1960s, when America was still overtly racist. But such a policy, like chemotherapy, should be administered only as long as necessary, given the havoc it wreaks upon the body politic while curing a local ailment. More and more thinkers, both black and white, argue that the time to end it is now. After all, they point out, when the University of California ended racial preferences, the number of black students fell at only two schools and increased at most others.

One political party envisions lowered standards as black Americans’ fate for the foreseeable future. The other supports improving schools so that blacks can compete on their own. A Martian recently landed in America would wonder just why a group suffering from a legacy of being considered inferior would warmly embrace lowered standards and fiercely resist being prepared for competition.

Read the rest of John McWhorter’s article.