Imagine this. At a time of political turmoil, a charismatic, telegenic new leader arrives virtually out of nowhere. He offers a message of hope and reconciliation based on compromise and promises to marshal technology for a better future that will include universal health care.

The news media swoons in admiration — one simpering anchorman even shouts at a reporter who asks a tough question: “Why don’t you show some respect?!” The public is likewise smitten, except for a few nut cases who circulate batty rumors on the Internet about the leader’s origins and intentions. The leader, undismayed, offers assurances that are soothing, if also just a tiny bit condescending: “Embracing change is never easy.”

So, does that sound like anyone you know? Oh, wait — did I mention the leader is secretly a totalitarian space lizard who’s come here to eat us?

Welcome to ABC’s “V,” the most fascinating and bound to be the most controversial new show of the fall television season. Nominally a rousing sci-fi space opera about alien invaders bent on the conquest (and digestion) of all humanity, it’s also a barbed commentary on Obamamania that will infuriate the president’s supporters and delight his detractors.

“We’re all so quick to jump on the bandwagon,” observes one character. “A ride on the bandwagon, it sounds like fun. But before we get on, let us at least make sure it is sturdy.”

I remember the old mini-series (not so much the subsequent tv series).

Apparently, the parallels to current events are striking enough, that the show is being “softened”. By way of MidnightBlue, another columnist, Tom Jicha, notes:

The teasers running on ABC offer a hint of this. “They gave us hope. We gave them our trust.” Who does that bring to mind? Of course, the Visitors (hence the title), after promising things like universal health care and peace in a one world government, turn out to be totally evil. They attempt to seize control of the media, favoring those who don’t challenge them or ask probing questions about their real agenda, which turns out to be the annihilation of humanity. The heroes are everyday people, who form a grass roots resistance movement. Supposedly, the show is being slightly re-conceptualized to soften or remove events some might interpret as negative parallels to today.

“Subtle” is fine. But don’t water down the political allegory!

Hopefully by “softening”, it just means they changed the acting role of the lead lizard from a black male actor to that of a white female (Hillary?).

“V” for “Vendetta”? No! “V” for “Visitor”? Sorta…..”V” for “Victory”? In 2010 and 2012, yes we will!

The show airs on ABC, Tuesday nights.

Trailer:

The first 9 minutes:

*UPDATE*

Check out OwntheWorld.com…’s trailer, “O”.

Once again, pulling out the Bush card:

NEWARK, N.J. – President Obama spent Sunday trying to convince New Jersey voters that a vote for Jon Corzine, their less-than-popular Democratic governor, was a vote for him. An afternoon event at the Prudential Center in downtown Newark drew over 10,000 mostly black voters, who took up chants of “Yes We Can!” and booed mentions of former president George W. Bush as if they were back on the 2008 campaign trail.

So now is Corzine running against Bush in ‘09, as Obama ran against Bush in ‘08?

an energetic DJ spun hip-hop hits and Michael Jackson classics. “If you miss Michael Jackson, make some noise!” he cried, and was met with a deafening roar eclipsed only when the president took the stage.

Corzine’s campaign hopes the lingering image of the governor standing beside Obama will bring out voters who were not enthused by his first term in office. The disparity in the two politicians’ popularity among New Jersey Democrats was easy to see when attendees let out enthralled screams whenever the president was mentioned, but had to be repeatedly prodded to wave their signs for Corzine. They kept close watch on the arena’s exits, hoping for an early glimpse of Obama. Some narrated the proceedings to friends and relatives on their cell phones, but none in my hearing mentioned Corzine even once.

Sounds like those 10,000 voters came out to see their messianic rock star celebrity.

The speakers, who included several New Jersey representatives and Newark mayor Cory Booker, stuck to a carefully scripted message, one by one characterizing Corzine as the proprietor of Obama’s vision and painting his opponent, Republican Chris Christie, as a representative of the Bush years.

That’s the winning ticket! Corzine=Obama. Christie=Bush.

Corzine hoping some of that Obama Mojo rubs off on him:

Obama seemed to feel that he was among friends, and joined in the sharply partisan tone of the rally. Both Corzine and Weinberg had blamed the economic crisis on the “trickle-down economics” of the Bush years, and Obama picked up where they left off. He implied that Corzine’s unpopularity stemmed from the difficult choices he has had to make in dealing with the “worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.”

“That didn’t start on Jon Corzine’s watch, and it didn’t start on my watch,” the president said. “I’m not interested in relitigating the past.

Hope you didn’t just snarf up coffee all over your computer monitor and keyboard….

We’re willing to clean up after somebody else’s mess. But if I’m holding the mop, if Jon Corzine is holding the mop, the least the other guy can do is not tell us we’re holding the mop wrong, not mopping fast enough, or say we’re using a socialist mop.”

Oh, it’s not the way you’re handling the mop that’s the biggest problem I’m having: It’s you turning up the faucet; then lying about you working so hard at cleaning up “the other guy’s mess”.

You want to mop up? Turn off the run-away spending faucet, first, Mr. Janitor-in-Chief!

U.S. President Barack Obama hugs New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine during a campaign rally at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey, November 1, 2009. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES POLITICS)

Besides local children, the Obamas also entertained those of military families as well as White House staff.

Apprently, every day is Halloween dress-up for these zombies, who never see an occasion where it is inappropriate to protest:

Members of the protest group Code Pink taunt local school children with chants about the war in Afghanistan as the children and their families arrive for a Halloween reception by U.S. President Barack Obama and his family at the White House in Washington, October 31, 2009.
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES CONFLICT POLITICS SOCIETY)

Muwahahahahaha!

U.S. President Barack Obama greets children during a reception for children of military and White House staff families for Halloween at the White House in Washington October 31, 2009. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst (UNITED STATES POLITICS HEADSHOT)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Stay safe, have fun….trick or tweet…..and distribute YOUR OWN candy!

Another celebrity romance falls to pieces:

By Guy Adams

Wednesday, 28 October 2009

He’s crossed swords, over the years, with all the usual right-wing suspects, from car-makers to gun owners to Wall Street executives, health companies, and George W Bush. Now Michael Moore has picked a fight with a hero of the international left.

The documentary-maker has caused outrage among Hugo Chavez’s supporters by using a late-night chat show to tell a humorous anecdote about meeting Venezuela’s socialist President in a luxury hotel suite during the recent Venice Film Festival.

His two-minute yarn, told to ABC host Jimmy Kimmel earlier this month, seemed harmless enough. Moore alleged that he and his wife had been woken at 2am by a racket coming from Mr Chavez’s room and ventured upstairs to ask him to quieten down.

“A bottle and a half of tequila later,” Moore claimed, he had helped the President to write the speech he recently delivered to the UN. “At the very least, the guy owes me a year’s worth of free gasoline!” he joked.

But there was a problem with the story. A big one. The meeting that Moore so confidently described never happened. And tequila certainly wasn’t consumed: Mr Chavez is teetotal.

The duo did meet in Venice, but only in the daytime. Moore, in town to launch his new film, Capitalism, sat with Mr Chavez, who was there to promote Oliver Stone’s documentary South of the Border, for three hours. The US press were excluded from the meeting.

Supporters of Mr Chavez now suspect that Moore fabricated his anecdote to gloss over the chummy nature of that encounter. They have taken to the airwaves in a Monty Python-style PR offensive, to accuse Moore of betraying a supposed comrade.

“Michael Moore is a most unfortunate coward,” declared blogger Eva Golinger. She dubbed him “the worst of yellow journalists, a liar and storyteller on the big screen”, and said his yarn was “offensive and insulting” and a clear sign of his “hypocrisy and lack of ethics”. Franz JT Lee, a Marxist academic and blogger, claimed that the film-maker’s comments were “part of the United States’ ‘war of ideas’” against Venezuela, and said similar “propaganda” led to the rise of the Nazis in 1930s Germany.

They didn’t just spark outrage on the left, though. Critics of Mr Chavez have called the level of invective against Moore – some of which was aired on Venezuelan state television – disproportionate. They believe his anecdote was intended to be a harmless, tongue-in-cheek joke. The socialist movement failed to grasp the nuances of his intended irony, they claim, because they lack a sense of humour.

Quite what the affair says about the integrity of Moore and his documentaries remains to be seen. The film-maker has declined to comment or apologise for misleading TV viewers, save for a brief message posted on his Twitter feed on Monday: “For the record, the President of Venezuela doesn’t drink.”

To go along with this break up, Moore’s office responded to Guy Adams’ article. Below is the following exchange of emails, according to Mr. Adams (to be updated, I’m sure):

Less than hour after that article had appeared on our internet site, I got an email from Mr Moore’s office. It is printed below (with email addresses and phone numbers redacted). My reply to that email is also carried in full.

“Hamdan, Basel” *****@michaelmoore.com 28/10/2009 00:49
To: “g.adams@independent.co.uk”
cc: “Weinrib, Eric”
Subject: Michael Moore

Hi Guy,

I’m Basel Hamdan, a producer in Michael Moore’s office. There is something inaccurate in the below piece:

The long meeting did, in fact, occur extremely late in the evening. I’m not sure who told you otherwise (daytime), but they are wrong. I was present, as was my colleague Eric Weinrib (cc’d).

Could you please correct the piece, if not retract it, as you use the time of day to question the veracity of the story. Please get back to me soon – we don’t want this falsehood to spread…

Thanks,
Basel Hamdan

———————
Basel Hamdan
Dog Eat Dog Films
Producer
231-922-**** X240

Guy Adams/Editorial/Independent News and Media 28/10/2009 02:02
To: “Hamdan, Basel”
cc: “Weinrib, Eric”
Subject: Re: Michael Moore

Hi Basel

It feels a little rich to be castigated for a very minor inaccuracy, given the extent of the whopper that Mr Moore has apparently told!

I will, however, happily clarify that element of the piece – on one condition.

In the interest of giving our readers a full and accurate picture of what actually went on, I would like either Mr Moore, or someone in his office, to offer an on-the-record explanation as to why he went on the Jimmy Kimmel show and claimed to have both drunk tequila with Mr Chavez and written a significant portion of his speech to the UN.

Provided you’re able to do this (and it would surely represent staggering hypocrisy if you were not) then I will of course make the correction you desire.

Yours
Guy

Guy Adams
Los Angeles Correspondent
The Independent

+1 310 396 ****

So, what happened? Well it may not surprise you to hear that I am still waiting for Mr Moore to agree to my request.

He is, we must therefore assume, happy to broadcast what appear to be substantive lies about someone, without ever explaining, apologizing or issuing proper clarification.

However journalists who write about him are expected to immediately correct any slight – and, I might add, alleged – inaccuracy in their piece, however minor. They are even invited to retract the entire article.

Mr Moore expects, therefore, to apply one rule for himself, and another for everyone else. This is surely the essence of hypocrisy. I can’t speak for what this tells us about his journalistic technique, or the reliability of his very moving documentaries. But (at risk of sounding like a tosser) I fear that it speaks volumes about his sense of entitlement.

UPDATE – Wednesday, 2pm GMT

Mr Moore’s office have emailed with what journalists among you will recognise as the “Alastair Campbell” response…

“Hamdan, Basel” *****@michaelmoor
Subject RE: Michael Moore

You are clearly not a journalist, so we will take the matter up with your editors.

Oh, that is just sooo rich!

Lucianne.com:

Every now and then
we like to run this picture

This is the ditherer-in-chief.

Hmmm….

So many choices…Rocky Road or pralines and cream? Do I go with more sprinkles and nuts? Or a drawdown of toppings for my sundae….?

Threw a strike and liberated 50 million….

Threw it into the dirt and did not show support for democracy in Iran and Honduras and has liberated no one…including gays.

President Obama’s foreign policy expert, Joe Biden:

…And others, more harshly, argue that Mr. Biden’s judgment on foreign policy has often been off base.

They point out that he voted against the successful Persian Gulf war of 1991, voted for the Iraq invasion of 2003, proposed dividing Iraq into three sections in 2006 and opposed the additional troops credited by many with turning Iraq around in 2007.

“When was the last time Biden was right about anything?” Thomas E. Ricks, a military writer, wrote in a blog on Sept. 24. Mr. Ricks is affiliated with the Center for a New American Security, a research organization founded by Democrats.

President Bush’s hatchet man, Darth Cheney:

“Just show me where to point and aim this…”

A show of patriotism:

Refusal to wear patriotism on his sleeve (or on his lapel):

It was also predictable that the media will ignore Robert Reich’s comments that prove Rep. Alan Grayson was right about many looking at health care reform as simply “die quickly”… he was just wrong about the source of that ‘tude… as it was coming from his own party czars/appointees/Obama cronies.

Speaking of Grayson, that would be the same Alan Grayson who was wounded severely when he went up against Neil Cavuto INRE the Performance for Pay Act he introduced… a bill that sniffs suspiciously of the same manure that makes up Charlie Rangel’s HR 1586…. aka the template for the Senate health care bill.

So rather than address the predictable, here’s some very enjoyable stuff to kick around… the hot heads of state. Naw… not temperment. This was a beauty contest poll of the heads of state around the world conducted by the bloggers, Kate, JD and Derek at The Hottest Heads of State website. They’ve got quite the “onion” humor going there… ala

For too long, citizens of the world have suffered under the tyranny of unattractive leaders. Some people say that this is just the way things are: unattractive people have a death grip on the levers of power that will never be loosened. We say: Not with that attitude it won’t. By ranking the world’s leaders by looks, we hope to heighten voter awareness of this problem and shame the citizens of countries with unattractive leaders into rising up and staging coups or something.

And don’t forget to check out their FAQs page for a few more grins..

But… ta daaaaa… The top ten winners: ( check out the full list of 172 here)

#10: Bamir Topi, President of Albania
#9: Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, President of the Phillipines
#8: Roosevelt Skerritt, Prime Minister of Dominica
#7: Henry, Grand Duke of Luxembourg
#6: Rafael Correa, President of Ecuador
#5: Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, President of Argentina
#4: Joseph Kabila, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
#3: Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck (no, really….) King of Bhutan
#2: Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of Norway, and not on the Nobel Peace Prize committee…

Yulia Tymoshenko, Prime Minister of Ukraine

Wondering where Obama showed up? Not until #15. North Korea’s Kim Jong-il took last place, edged out only by Pope Benedict. Believe it or note, Ahmadinejad beat out Zardari with position #48, to the latter’s #49.

All a hoot… and strictly for your enjoyment. Thanks for the grin, JD, Kate and Derek

U.S. President Barack Obama smiles after making remarks on regulatory reform in the East Room at the White House in Washington October 9, 2009. Earlier in the day, Obama was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize. REUTERS/Jim Young (UNITED STATES POLITICS)

Apparently, SNL’s skit was premature. Maybe President Obama hasn’t actually accomplished the following:

1. Closing Gitmo (same as Bush)
2 Outlawing torture by revoking Bush’s EO that said much the same thing
3. Withdrawal from Iraq (thanks to Bush)
4. De-escalation of war in Afghanistan (campaigned that it was the necessary war and now dithers as more American soldiers have lost their lives in Afghanistan this year, than in the previous 7 years)
5. peace between Israel and Palestine
6. Olympics in Chicago
7. Supporting democratic movement in Iran
8. Supporting democracy in Honduras
9. nuclear disarmament

But, hey, so what?! At least he’s now won the Nobel Peace Prize for non-accomplishment; and delivered a presidential promise to use this award as a rallying “call to action”. It’s the thought and rhetoric that counts, right? Basically, he’s being awarded for what he may accomplish in the future (Even supporters are questioning, “Why?”). If his pretty words actually inspires us to achieve peace, enhances international relations, then some day in the future, maybe the award will have been earned. Here’s a novel idea: Why not award the prize to him THEN?!

I’m not trying to be funny, here; I wouldn’t want to be accused of siding with the terrorists.

But seriously, folks…

WASHINGTON/OSLO (Reuters) – Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday in a stunning decision that honored the first-year U.S. president more for promise than achievement and drew both praise and skepticism around the world.

The bestowal of one of the world’s top accolades on a president less than nine months in office, who has yet to score a major foreign policy success, was greeted with gasps of astonishment from journalists at the announcement in Oslo.

Awww….they love him not for the leader he is, but for the leader he wants to be; for saying what they want to hear.

Kim Priestap writes:

“If just wanting world [peace], talking about world peace is enough to get the Nobel Peace Prize then every beauty pageant winner should have gotten one. “

Obama said he felt humbled and unworthy of being counted in the company of the “transformative figures” of history who had won the prize.

Maybe CNN and Wolf Blitzer would care to factcheck this one for actual accomplishments in the pursuit of peace? Even President Obama isn’t buying it. He doesn’t sound humbled; more like embarrassed.

“I do not view it as a recognition of my own accomplishments but rather an affirmation of American leadership,” he said, speaking in the White House Rose Garden. “I will accept this award as a call to action.”

Kanye West, at this point had to interrupt the acceptance speech with the following:

“Hey, hey Barack, I’m really happy for you, I’mma let you finish, but I just want to say his teleprompter had one of the best bids of all time. OF ALL TIME.”

The Norwegian Nobel Committee praised Obama for “his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” citing his fledgling push for nuclear disarmament and his outreach to the Muslim world.

What about Reagan’s push for nuclear disarmament?

What about Bush’s “outreach to the Muslim world”?

Just 12 days into his presidency, what had President Obama done thus far to join the ranks of Carter, Gore, and Arafat in garnering such a prestigious nomination as the highly credible Nobel Peace Prize?

1. He campaigned in 2008 to escalate the “necessary” war in Afghanistan
2. He campaigned in 2008 to invade a sovereign ally, Pakistan, to go after al Qaeda and out-Bush, Bush.

153+ were killed within the first week of of his peace presidency, including the continuation of Predator drone attacks in Pakistan.

Obama has been widely credited with improving America’s global image after the eight-year presidency of George W. Bush, who alienated both friends and foes with go-it-alone policies like the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

Bush alienated friends with “go-it-alone” policies? Really?!

So Bush can be credited for the Obama peace prize award.

President Obama campaigns in ‘08 against President Bush; and goes around the world on his grand Apology Tour and wins acclaim.

Niiiiiiice….

But critics called the Nobel’s committee’s decision premature, given that Obama so far has made little tangible headway as he grapples with challenges ranging from the war in Afghanistan and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea.

The White House had no idea the Nobel announcement was coming. Obama, who got the news of the prize in a pre-dawn call from his press secretary, now also has the burden of living up to its expectations.

The first African-American to hold his country’s highest office, Obama, 48, has struggled with a slew of foreign policy problems bequeathed to him by Bush, while taking a more multilateral approach than his predecessor.

Despite troubles at home including a struggling economy that have eroded his once-lofty approval ratings, the Democratic U.S. president is still widely seen around the world as an inspirational figure.

How did President Bush not exercise diplomacy and multilateralism?

Yes. Bush’s fault.

Also blogging:
The Anchoress
Bottomline Upfront
Brutally Honest
Bookworm Room
Gateway Pundit
The Radio Patriot
Michelle Malkin