Y’know, I really need to go over there more often for gems like this, on the difference between McCain and Obama:

Let’s compare the two:

John McCain was so loyal to the men he was imprisoned with he endured torture on their behalf.

Barack Obama associates with those who can help his career, and throws them right under the bus when they become inconvenient to his aspirations.

That single issue of character matters more than all the others combined. You can trust John McCain. You can trust Barack Obama to use you as a stepping stone.

….. But I Don’t Have Any Time For:

• I wouldn’t bet the house on its prospects for success, but here’s a nascent effort, PledgedNotBound.com, to get Democratic delegates to switch to Hillary Clinton at the convention. In essence, Tony Kondaks is saying what Hillary was whispering about during April and May — that even pledged delegates are permitted under party rules to change their votes if conditions warrant it. Since the campaign of the presidential candidate I refer to as Mr. BOOHOO-OUCH (Barack O-bomba Overseas Hussein “Obambi” Obama – Objectively Unfit Coddler of Haters) has turned into the Flip-Flop Express (note that Mr. Kondaks refers to the Weapons of Mass Discussion Flip-Flop Collection), many Dems have in essence been saying, “This isn’t the Obama we thought we knew.” Many of Obama’s position shifts (assuming for the moment that they’re sincere, which they’re mostly not) are to the right of Mrs. Clinton. On that basis, under party rules, delegates should arguably be feeling obligated to change their votes. Kondaks’s assertion is very different and much more valid than the “switch to me because I can win” line of thought Mrs. Clinton asserted, but in the end I doubt very much that delegate-switching will occur.
• A howler caught by Exurban League (via LGF) — Obama said last week that “We’ve got to have a civilian national security force that’s just as powerful, just as strong, just as well funded.” He’s referring to Americorps and the Peace Corps as examples of “national security forces.” Just going by what he’s saying, he wants those two outfits to get as much money as the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Zheesh; the sad thing is that there is legitimate reason to believe that his grasp of things is that weak.
• How bad is Obama’s flip-flopping? It’s so bad that Bush-Deranged Associated Press reporter Jennifer Loven (link is to BizzyBlog search on her name) can’t carry Obama’s water and keep up with him, and is making lefties mad.
• Interesting to ponder, not sure if true — Ambrose Evans Pritchard writes that the “Oil price shock means China is at risk of blowing up.” I don’t know, they’ve got quite a stash of hard currency reserves to work with, and if they’re getting close to being energy self-sufficient, the price of oil may not matter that much to them. But if it forces some pushback against places like Home Depot and others who have been beating up American suppliers to match the so-called (highly-subsidized, somehow arriving here almost for free) “China price,” that would be a good thing. That said, Pritchard’s concerns about the impact on the rest of Asia (and I would add the emerging Third World economies) are very valid.

From Scania, Iraq:

Posted: Sunday Jul 6, 2008 17:06:42 EDT

YaYa sits quietly on the table. A flowered plastic band holds back her black hair, revealing a smile that only a child’s heart musters. YaYa’s sparkle grows for a moment as a soldier walks toward her, but then she notices the tweezers and the scrub brush.

Remembering, she turns grim. The next half-hour will bring excruciating pain. There will be candy and perhaps a toy later, but the pain comes first.

Sgt. 1st Class Stanley Krupsky smiles as he reaches out to welcome YaYa back. The girl’s hand finds his shoulder. She is ready.

YaYa cries as the soldier peels and scrubs away the dead skin. She muffles her screams, and Krupsky has to gather his composure more than once. He hates to hurt the girl, but he has no choice.

“I know it hurts, but it’s got to be done,” he said.
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