Everything You Always Waned to Know About The CNBC Presidential Debate* But Were Afraid to Ask

BAB's A List, Elections, Politics, Republicans, Ron Paul

BAB’s Myron Pauli has a “quickie” take on the debate that CNBC moderated at Oakland University:

Michele Bachmann (U.S. Representative, Minnesota, State Senator; Attorney): Was she even allowed to speak for 5 minutes? She made a point about the feckless payroll tax cuts and overspending BUZZ! Shut up!

Herman Cain (Chairman/CEO, Godfather’s Pizza): If you train Oscar-Wood, ilana’s adorable parrot, to say “Nine Nine Nine” repeatedly, does OW get into the next debate [yes!]? My problem is with the people who buy into this “999-solves-all-ills” nonsense.

Jon Huntsman (Ambassador to China, Governor, Utah; Deputy U.S. Trade Representative): Somewhat avuncular centrist who recognized that China is actually floating our economy and that starting a trade war over their subsidies is rather pointless. [A case of Pot. Kettle. Black, as far as the US goes. But Myron: was it not Rick Santorum who made this point? I thought so.—IM]

Newt Gingrich (Speaker of the House, U.S. Representative, Georgia, History Professor): Makes some good points from time-to-time. Most assuredly comes out better than Cain, Perry, Santorum, and insipid Romney.

Rick Santorum (U.S. Senator, U.S. Representative, Pennsylvania, Attorney): He talks and words come out – sound and fury signifying nothing. But compared to Perry, the man is Socrates. [Myron: I think you hate Santorum enough to credit Huntsman with a point about China Santorum had made. But then my memory could be failing.—IM]

Ron Paul (U.S. Representative, Texas, Physician): Prophet Jeremiah speaketh the truth – let’s all stone the prophet!

Mitt Romney (Governor, Massachusetts; CEO, 2002 Winter Olympics Organizing Comm.; Co-Founder, Bain Capital): An automated bloviation machine with no philosophical anchor. He emits some good points and some bad points – but he is waiting for the others to slowly flame out and leave him standing by default. [MyRon: another of your pet peeves. Romney is quick on his feet. He can think; but he’s a utilitarian, as are most Americans. “It doesn’t work” must be the most frequent, and most pathetic, counterpoint to an argument Americans make.—IM]

Rick Perry (Governor, Texas: State Representative; State Agriculture Commissioner): Oh my F****NG G*d! Call the men with the white coats – quickly!

Ilana here: I’m still laughing. As I put it in the “Rick Perry Infarct” post: Perry stroked again. He mentioned three government departments he’d eliminate, but was unable to come up with the third. Commerce and Education were the first two.

Ten minutes later, Perry got his vim back and remembered the department he’d axe: Energy.”

[* For our youngster readers, the title of the post comes from this Woody Allen film.]

UPDATED: Rick Perry Infarct (He Strokes AGAIN)

Elections, Intelligence, Republicans

He says he’s not a great debater. Rick Perry flatters himself. Here the presidential contender appears to be “stroking” mid-speech.

UPDATE: CNBC promised a “Live Blog” of the debate. They must have hired a Millennial, who hasn’t yet begun substantive reporting; nothing but atmospherics. The moron is Mark Koba. In any case, Perry stroked again. He mentioned three government departments he’d eliminate, but was unable to come up with the third. Commerce and Education were the first two.

Perry just remembered the department he’d axe: Energy.

Dilettantes Diss Netanyhu

Anti-Semitism, Barack Obama, Etiquette, Europe, Foreign Policy, Israel

His well-used trophy wife is French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s greatest achievement. Sarkozy’s distinction is that he’s married to the loose Italian model, Carla Bruni. Bruni, who yodels at every Nelson Mandela birthday banquet, has been “involved with” Louis Bertignac, Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Léos Carax, Charles Berling, Arno Klarsfeld, Vincent Perez, former French Prime Minister Laurent Fabius, and Raphaël Enthoven, the son of Jean-Paul Enthoven, whom she was living with while carrying on with junior. (And these are her publicized conquests.)

The Sarkozy tabula rasa had this to say about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, last week, at the Group of 20 economic summit in the French resort of Cannes:

“I cannot bear Netanyahu, he’s a liar.”

Sarkozy’s equally impressive interlocutor, U.S. President Barack Obama, responded: “You’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him every day.” The wire service has reported a slight variation:”You’re fed up with him, but I have to deal with him even more often than you.”

A reminder of the measure of the men, here is Bibi vs. “O’sissy,” via Pajama Media.

Bibi vs. "Osissy"

Meantime, Israel is making light of it; acting like, well, “the Jew among nations,” who deserves to be kicked around. It’s interesting that other than the losers of Labor, most leaders of Israel’s multi-party democracy rallied behind their president.

‘Foreigners’ 101 for the Faithful

Christianity, Hebrew Testament, IMMIGRATION, Judaism & Jews, Nationhood, Uncategorized

“I’m often surprised by how many Christians and Jews are confused about what the Bible tells us about national borders, foreigners, citizenship and the law,” writes Joseph Farah. In “What the Bible says about illegal immigration,” Mr. Farah teases out the differences between the “stranger” of the bible and the “illegal alien” who has usurped him in the mind of many a “bad theologist”:

“Countless Bible studies have been conducted in America in recent years using some familiar citations about ‘strangers’ and ‘aliens’ and applying them to our current controversy. Let’s take a look at those – in context.”

* Leviticus 19:33-34: And if a stranger sojourn with thee in your land, ye shall not vex him. But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
* Exodus 22:21: Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
* Exodus 23:9: Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
* Deuteronomy 10:19: Love ye therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
…

“You can develop some really bad theology – not to mention politics and morality – by reading the Bible out of context, by not fully understanding what is being said to whom and about whom.”

Strangers that sojourn with you or live with you do not equate with illegal aliens. In fact, the corollary here, in each and every case, is that the children of Israel were “strangers” in Egypt. That’s why they were to treat their own “strangers” well, because they knew what it is like to be “strangers” in a foreign land.

Clearly, then, what it means to be a “stranger” is to be a foreigner. In the case of the children of Israel in Egypt, they were invited and, at first anyway, were honored guests. Later, they would be oppressed by a generation who “knew not Joseph.” But they were certainly not trespassers. They were certainly not in Egypt illegally. They were certainly not breaking the laws of the land by being in Egypt. In fact, they were commanded not to offend their hosts in any way (Genesis 46:28-34).

So, we must conclude that “stranger” does not equal “illegal alien.” Even when the term “alien” is used in the Bible, it seems to have the exact same meaning as “stranger.”

MORE.