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Long and Lileks are away, but that’s OK — we’re in extremely capable hands with guest hosts Troy Senik and Need To Know’s Mona Charen. This week, we’re joined by Senator Tom Cotton to discuss the Iran deal (or lack thereof). Then, the Weekly Standard’s Andrew Ferguson stops by to discuss Hillary, Trump, and Buster (his dog). Andy’s participation makes it an official quorum of White House speechwriters, so you can listen in and hear what an actual writer’s room sounds like. Also, yes, we talk about Trump, chat about Natural Cathedrals, and close with another installment of Who’s Dog Is Mas Macho? featuring Crusoe the French Poodle versus Beau the French Bulldog. Leave your vote below. Woof.
Music from this week’s episode:
How Much Is That Doggie In The Window by Lita Roza
The opening sequence for the Ricochet Podcast was composed and produced by James Lileks.
Carriage return, EJHill.
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I’m getting this out of the way early. Peter Robinson, defeated:
Even though he was surrounded by friends and familiar voices, couldn’t help wondering if Peter felt a little lonely today without Rob and James.
I could just see him there in Palo Alto, all misty-eyed, pining away…
And for what it’s worth, does any self respecting man have a dog of French origin?
I prefer the sophisticated drinking man’s breed, the Wire Fox Terrier. (See Asta in The Thin Man movie series. And yes with a drink in my hand I look more like William Powell than Bing Crosby. No, wait, that’s the wrong place. The drink is no longer in my hand.)
Ha! A crude and obvious job of photo-shopping, I say!
(But that is one very big dog.)
Any thoughts from you speech writers on the speech Perry gave yesterday from a technical reading of it?
It sure is a big dog. In fact, I’m not sure if that’s a portrait or a ransom note.
french BULLdog.
As far as poodles, it’s more about the owner than the breed. There are some pretty manly poodles. The question really is does it have a wuss cut or not Peter, we need a pic. Preferably sans slippers
Couldn’t seem to add text to previous comment with pic of Jack. There’s NOTHING miniature about that schnauzer
Crusoe Robinson relaxing at home with pipe and slippers.
Behold Crusoe Robinson, the dog of a man entirely secure in his own masculinity. (EJ, over to you.)
The dog has a chaise lounge. I rest my case.
Listening to Peter sing the praises of Mitch McConnell was too much, I had to turn it off.
How does this guy get such positive press in GOP media? He’s a skillful tactician and master of senate procedure? Where is the evidence of this?
I remember McConnell promising to make Democrats take unpopular votes and Obama veto unpopular bills. Why hasn’t this happened?
His legislative vision seems to be limited to Keystone XL, giving Obama trade negotiation authority, and passing appropriations bills. It reads like a Chamber of Commerce wishlist. Is there any doubt McConnell will try and get the Chamber’s precious corporate welfare Export/Import bank refunded the moment he can sneak it into a spending bill?
Also, Troy conspicuously left off Cruz/Paul from his list of up-and-coming senators.
I cannot comprehend how in the age of self-driving cars, gene splicing and AI that we can’t devise a podcast that doesn’t cut out every 12 minutes… I listen at work and cannot go through any convoluted workarounds – please fix it!!!!!
Your work may be capping bandwidth and/or streaming.
@Petty Check your PMs.
Peter’s line about the team of Hillary make-up artists having already done whatever can possibly be done had me rolling in laughter.
That’s not a collar around his neck. It’s a sweater.
Sorry, Peter. I am a huge fan, but I could not resist. Mea culpa.
I’m more concerned that you, Peter, have a water dog. The Obamas have a water dog.
The celebration of McConnell, the concern for the lack of enthusiasm for Jeb’s candidacy, and the unceasing Trump-bashing without accounting for his points on illegal immigration make this a depressing podcast.
The contempt for Cruz is palpable.
I will give an answer to Peter’s question “What does Hillary want?!” that is essentially the same as both Mona’s answer and Troy’s answer, but is a little more concrete. She wants to sit on the Oval Office throne and make others do what they don’t want to do and endure what they don’t want to endure. This is what will fill her heart with joy and delight, however tired, worn or contrived her exterior may be. It is for her what the assembling of just the right combination of tones was for Johann Sebastian Bach, of what the lightbulb suddenly flashing on, above his head, was for Isaac Newton. She yearns to maximize the compelling of the unwilling to do and suffer her will, and it is a craving that no amount of gardening or playing with her grandchild can slake.
Troy, you have surprisingly long fingernails.
Isn’t it creepy how people on the internet whom you’ve never met feel perfectly comfortable making such observations?
Run dog, run!
Peter needs to take off his Rhino-colored glasses. I could hardly stand to listen to his glowing description of Mitch McConnell as a wonderful, honorable statesman. He is no better than Harry Reid. The output of the senate since he took control is no different than it would have been if Harry Reid were still in charge. He is a dinosaur who is more worried about his perks and power than governing as a conservative. The only thing worse is a podcast lauding the praises of Mike Murphy!
As much as I enjoy Long and Lileks, this mix was a nice change of pace.
The topic of natural cathedrals and Peter’s comments on California reminded me of a trip I took in the Rock Creek Canyon area. I hiked alone to Tamarac Lakes at around 11,000. It was a spectacularly beautiful spot with the lake water as transparent as pane of glass, no algae at all, and a few trout swimming along the edges. The lake was in a basin which had once been filled with a glacier, but that was all gone. The only evidence of its presence were the scoured walls of the canyon that descended from the lake.
As I descended from the lake and saw the canyon walls, 100 feet high or more, showing the markings caused by the advancing glacier and realized how immense it must have been, that it was no more, I was faced with my own insignificance and the ephemeral nature of my existence. It was then that I had the most unusual sensation I have ever experienced. It was a sense that there was something behind me, walking with me, something of enormous significance and presence.
I think I felt what prophets of old must have felt when they believed that they were in the presence of God. It may have been the altitude or my aloneness. I don’t know. But I have climbed hundreds of mountains, many solo, and never experienced that sensation before or since.
Provably false. ACU lifetime ratings:
McConnell: 89.95
Reid: 5.32
Just composed a long answer to several posts here—honest, I did—and then got an error message when I tried to post it. Now I’m out of time to do anything more than hurry, but:
Item 1: I guess a lot of us are just going to disagree about Mitch McConnell. In his support, I’d note a) that as minority leader he held his caucus together on a truly historic vote, denying ObamaCare the vote of so much as a single Republican senator, an enormous accomplishment, b) McConnell has done a great deal to restore the Senate to “regular” order, undoing at least some of the damage the institution suffered during the Reid years by permitting debates, and amendments and a truly open process, and this represents a major accomplishment in itself.
Item 2: Regarding Donald Trump, mea culpa. Almost as soon as the podcast was over it occurred to me that I’d failed to make a basic point; namely, that despite all his blunderings and insults and excesses, when Trump talks about illegal immigration he has a point. After more than a quarter of a century in which the federal government has failed to enforce the law of the land at our southern border, a lot of good people are angry, they have every right to be, and if Donald Trump is the only figure who speaks for them right now that’s at least in part because the other candidates aren’t doing their jobs.
Item 3: Contempt for Ted Cruz? That didn’t register with me during the podcast, but just for the record let me make it clear that I myself like Ted Cruz a lot. Unlike Rick Perry, Cruz has so far failed to draw a good sharp line between himself and Donald Trump, and that has disappointed me. (Note, incidentally, that, in denouncing Trump, Perry made clear that he’s as opposed to illegal immigration as is Trump—and, when he was governor of Texas, actually did something about it, calling the Texas National Guard to the border. Re Item 2, above, in other words, Perry gets it.) But Ted Cruz is smart, thoroughly conservative, and willing to fight—and if that gives occasional heartburn to his colleagues in the Senate, including Mitch McConnell, so what
Yes, Mitch McConnell is awesome.
/
http://hotair.com/archives/2015/07/24/ted-cruz-on-the-senate-floor-mitch-mcconnells-a-liar-and-our-new-majority-is-a-cronyist-fraud/
Do ACU lifetime ratings including cloture votes? Moving items out of committee where they could otherwise be blocked?