Just sat down to watch it. John Hawkins has is live blogging it as usual. I’ll update if I have any thought, but I’m tired so I might avoid thinking all together.
UPDATE:
Dude. I’m watching off DVR, so I’m a little behind, but Fred Thompson just creamed Huckabee (almost explicitly calling him a Democrat after listing his policies) and the crowd went wild — first applause of the night, I believe. Not a good sign for Huckabee that him finally getting thoroughly trashed caused such a cathartic release.
UPDATE 2:
Ron Paul finally gets asked about his Truther nuts, and he dodges it like the moral coward he is.
UPDATE 3:
Here’s video of Fred Thompson dropping the hammer on Huckabee (via Hot Air who has more video including his “virgins” line). Must see.
UPDATE 4:
BTW, there was a great moment during the Iran question where Ron Paul gets laughed and just stands there looking confused. I think that pretty much sums up his whole candidacy.
UPDATE 5:
The split screens of McCain looking bemused while Ron Paul talks are hilarious.
UPDATE 6:
In response to a questioner pointing out that Huckabee raised taxes in Arkansas, he responded that he also raised… (wait for it)… “hope.”
He should lose the support of any self-respecting man after that answer. That’s a line I’d expect from Edwards.
UPDATE 7:
I can’t tell you where I heard this, but I have it on a good source that Osama bin Laden is hiding out on Ron Paul’s blimp.
UPDATE 8:
In case no one mentioned it, they call McCain the sheriff.
UPDATE 9:
Dang. The DVR cut off the end. Last thing I saw was Ron Paul talking about immigration (one of the few places he doesn’t sound crazy). What I’d miss?
It looked like Fred Thompson was really on fire tonight, but I thought it was a good night for McCain since he comes off as very knowledgeable on Iraq and no one really went after him on his amnesty.
BTW, here’s the Ron Paul moment I talked about earlier.
UPDATE 10:
It looks like about everyone in The Corner thinks Fred Thompson ran away with it. Maybe NR should rethink their Romney endorsement.
That reminds me: The mystery Fred Thompson endorser should be revealed tomorrow…
Now this almost sounds like hyperbole, but it’s pretty much true. Well, give if you can. It’s looking like Fred Thompson (who I was just talking to earlier today) is going to get some huge momentum out of this (apparently the Frank Luntz focus group loved him, so it’s not only the pundits) and the media won’t be able to ignore him, but he has to keep up until the South Carolina primary a week from Saturday. He really can win this, but it’s going to take a strong showing in SC to get lemming Republicans from jumping off the McCain or Huckabee cliffs.
UPDATE 11:
I thought I should put this video up again in celebration:
Get hyped!
UPDATE 12:
Apparently part of Fred Thompson’s performance tonight was because the spreading of the rumor about him dropping out after Iowa to endorse McCain really pissed him off.
Archive of entries posted on January 2008
Ready to debate . . .
BIGGEST THING EVER IN THE HISTORY OF IMAO!!!
Guess who I just got off the phone with?
Yep, blogger conference call with Fred Thompson himself. All those years of blogging have finally paid off. It was awesome. I had the phone on speaker, and as soon as Fred Thompson started talking, even the dog sat up straight to listen. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to get a question in (those other bloggers were vicious, even interrupting the Senator to get a question in; I just wasn’t quick enough). I was going to ask if his campaign will put out an official stance on hippies.
Anyway, expect big things in the debate tonight (no quarter for RINOs!), and there is going to be a huge conservative endorsement that will be announced tomorrow. Also, Fred Thompson is going to be on Sean Hannity’s radio show pretty soon (3:15 PM ET).
Now is the time to help Fred Thompson in his push in South Carolina. Something like 43% of Republicans there are undecided, and only those who picked Fred Thompson are extremely firm on their choice. Do what you can, donate what you can, and we can get an actual conservative as our candidate. Otherwise, things are going to get boring this year, and the Democrats better nominate Hillary and she better be extra evil just so I have something interesting to blog about.
I’ll try and find audio and transcript of the call and update this post with it as soon as I find it.
UPDATE:
Matt Lewis asked if Fred Thompson is going to bring a celebrity to South Carolina to compete with Chuck Norris. That’s a stupid idea. Any celebrity is just going to look small standing next to Fred Thompson.
UPDATE 2:
Are you guys going to get annoyed if any time in the future I mention the name “Fred Thompson” I add “who I was just talking to the other day”?
UPDATE 3:
Thoughts on the call from Johnathan Adler and Ed Morrisey (who recorded it).
UPDATE 4:
Jim Geraghty has a rush transcript, and, yes, that was me who said the thing about Bruce Lee.
UPDATE 5:
Reactions from Dan Riehl and Bryan Preston.
UPDATE 6:
BTW, go ahead and speculate in the comments who the big endorsement for Fred Thompson tomorrow is going to be. They wouldn’t give us any hints, but they did hype it. Maybe it’s God Himself!
Daily John Edwards Fabulous Fact
Question
Prep for Tonight’s Debate
So, what is wrong with Republican primary voters? Have they gone mad with power of being able to pick a presidential candidate? Are they Skrulls who have infiltrated the Republican Party to destroy it from the inside? Are they just morons?
Well, we better sort it out before the South Carolina primary which could be the last chance for the Republicans to elect someone who is awesome instead of someone who sucks. There’s a debate there tonight, so hopefully Chris Wallace will ask the candidates other than Fred Thompson the tough question of “Why do you suck so much?”
Here’s some specific questions he should ask the other candidates:
John McCain: “Why do you hate Republicans?”
Mitt Romney: “You creep me out. Why is that?”
Mike Huckabee: “I hate you.”
Rudy Giuliani: “Are you even still in this, or did you go back to New York to abort babies and grab guns?”
Ron Paul: “Why won’t you die?”
Fred Thompson: “If the country fails to elect you, does it deserve plagues and famine?”
What questions do you have for the candidates in the debate tonight?
I’ll Bet You Can Do Better
So a couple of goofballs attend a rally for Hillary and heckle her with an “Iron my shirt” sign.
Naturally I find this amusing, since I’m a sexist pig who hates power-hungry socialists, but I still think they misfired on their one shot at legendarity.
I bet IMAO readers could’ve come up with better heckle signs.
I’ll put mine in the extended entry, you put yours in the comments.
Daily Fred Thompson Fact
Ronin Profile: innominatus
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Let’s meet some more IMAO readers. Today, it’s innominatus.
What’s the story behind your name? As a college student in the ’80s (remember 9600 baud modems?), there was a primitive online game called Empire (kinda like a more complicated Risk) and I needed a screen name. Innominatus is a variant of a latin word that pretty much means “having no name.” I liked the irony and that it sounded vaguely sinister. Didn’t keep me from getting whupped in the game, tho.
Where do you live? Corvallis, OR. Land of Oregon State University Beavers and lots of pock-marked liberals.
How old are you? 38 – just barely old enough to say I lived in the ’60s, but I was a commie-chasin’ Reagan fan all through high school.
Tell us briefly about yourself. I’m a nationalist Christian social-con with an occasional libertarian streak.. Married 5 years, 4 stepkids. Two big dogs. I like fast old cars, fast new computers and shiny new guns. Unfortunately my wages don’t allow me to indulge in any of those things very much.
How long have you been reading IMAO? About a year, but I’ve read enough of the archives to feel like an old-timer.
What’s your favorite IMAO post? Favorite categories are IMW and I Hate Frank. Specific posts include the IMW where Barney Frank is asked if he is gay or retarded and replies “I can be both.” That triggered convulsive laughter. There was also a Guide to Spooky Creatures that suggested the best was to deal with a vampire is to screw with his alarm clock. I still laugh at that months later.
If you were to describe IMAO in three words, what would those be? WOLVERINES! (then it echoes two more times)
What’s your favorite political issue? 2nd amendment stuff had been quiet for a quite a while, but now it is time to see what the SCOTUS has to say. This is a big deal for me. Border security/illegal immigration is right up there, too.
Do you have a website? If so, please tell us briefly about it. Yes, but I dunno if it really “counts” since I only post new blog updates about once a month. Some of the humor attempts turned out pretty good, (me, biased?) including a IMW inspired story, but the humor muse just doesn’t visit as often as I thought she would. Go there and tell me how great I am, maybe it will help.
How should we pick a presidential candidate?
Follow these steps precisely:
1. Exclude Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich.
2. Give each candidate a tacobell spork; allow each candidate 5 minutes to sharpen the spork by grinding it on the sidewalk.
3. Assign a random Gitmo detainee to each candidate.
4. Throw each candidate, one-by-one, into a Thunderdome-like arena along with his/her Gitmo detainee opponent.
5. Time how long it takes each candidate to disembowel his/her opponent. Winner is declared based on fastest time and artistic merit (1-10 scale, three judges, averaged). Democrats would probably talk too long to be competitive, so I think this system should be put into use right away.
; begin function(kobayashi maru) [? -Ed.]
What liberal do you most want to punch in his dumb monkey face? I think I’ll have to go with Al Franken, ‘cuz he’s about as monkey-faced as MFLs ever get. He is so monkey-faced, all he’d have to do is let his beard grow out for a few days and he could cameo in a Geico caveman commercial.
If you had Superman’s heat vision, how often would you use it? If it would cauterize Nancy Pelosi’s mouth shut, I guess I’d only need it once. But if the Northeast has an unusually cold winter, I’d glare at Ted Kennedy for a while and see if I can get any of that human lard to combust – it would really cut down on regional demand for heating oil.
Do you ever wish you could control fire with your mind? All the time. Especially when our flag is being torched by some “activists.” Flag burning would drop in popularity right away. “Gaah! Burning flag attacking me! (sizzling sound in background.)”
If you could shoot a powerful beam out your eyes, do you think you could find the spare time to fight evil? Dunno – been pretty busy reading IMAO lately. I suppose I could fly around in a Blackhawk and use my eye-beams like a doorgunner. That’d be worth it.
If you could wish one politician away to the cornfield, who would it be? Al Sharpton ran for Prez, so I guess he’s a politician. Make him go away, please.
Why do you think liberals’ faces resemble those of monkeys? I’ve been told that HIV first arose in African monkeys decades ago, and was transmitted to humans when a human did some “naughty things” with said monkey. Guess the monkey had not been taught how to use contraception. Either that or liberals are born normal looking, and gradually become more monkey-faced as the schoolyard beatings start to take a toll on their little skulls.
What do you recommend should be government policy on monkeys? Tell the monkeys that Fidel Castro is giving out free socialist peanuts to all monkeys. When the hungry monkeys dogpile Fidel, we should drop a MOAB on the whole heap. (MOAB=Monkeys On A**hole Bomb)
If you could control the creatures of the sea with your mind, what would you do? I’d have dolphins and sharks swim upriver to Chappaquiddick. The dolphins to save MaryJo and the sharks to dine on Ted.
Name one use for a liberal. Object of ridicule.
If you saw a monkey faced liberal but had your hands tied behind your back, what would you do? I’d say “Hey, MFL, look at that piece of litter on the ground! I think it’s recyclable!” When he bends over to pick it up I’d knee him in the throat and laugh as he writhes in agony.
If you could fire liberals out of a cannon, what would fire them at? Those giant windmills that are used for generating electricity. If you time it right, those giant spinning fan blades will really mess up a liberal as he flies by.
When I draw liberals, I always imagine them wearing pointy hats. Why is that? Liberals spend a lot of time with their heads up their you-know-whats. I think the pointy hat is helpful in some way, but I’m reluctant to think too much more about it.
What’s your least favorite type of whale? Rosanne Barr.
Do you think liberals secretly want to be punched? When I feel like punching a liberal, their wants are pretty much irrelevant.
If you could grow to fifty times your normal size, what would you do with that power? I’d challenge fartbreath himself, Michael Moore, to a Sumo to the Death contest. If I win, him and Olberman and Huffington and Kos and that whole crew have to move to North Korea and never be heard from again. If I lose, then all the talk radio and rightwing blog heroes have to move to The Hague and scrub toilets at the Internation Court for the rest of their lives. It would be a rumble for the ages. Now, I’m aware that based on sheer tonnage, me times 50 is still a lot less than Michael Moore, but I’m confident my speed and agility advantages would more than make up for it.
How would you introduce the president of Iran if he were giving a speech at your college? I’d give him a real “Bang” of an introduction. I think .357 magnum is about loud enough.
Juggling: What’s the point of it? In case the funny clothes and jester hat don’t give it away, juggling is a supplemental warning to passers-by that they are in unsafe proximity to someone who is Profoundly Gay.
What is it about Islamic terrorists that liberals like so much? Osama bin Laden has been in that cave a long time without running water. I’ve heard that his body odor smells a lot like Patchouli.
If Rose O’Donnell get her own show, what channel do you think it should be on? I don’t think Rosie’s fat ass would fit on just one channel.
;end function(kobayashi maru)
If you commented in the last post asking for entrants, you’re still in the running. Thanks to everyone who has participated thus far; just because you may not think you’re interesting doesn’t mean we won’t enjoy your story.
Daily John Edwards Fabulous Fact
Most people are surprised to learn that John Edwards has a tattoo, but take a good look at his eyeliner sometime.
Bonus Fact from Silicon Valley Jim:
Power tools scare John Edwards. Actually, any tool scares John Edwards, even his manicurist’s nail file.
Bonus Fact Video from Jim of 24thState.com (which actually predates the Hawkins video, but I’ve been too lazy to post this):
Illustrated Bonus Fact from Dick of Suicide Help Desk‘s comment (#3) about John Edwards’s favorite Monty Python sketch:
Illustrated Bonus Fact from exhelodrvr (#4) about John Edwards’s least favorite Monty Python sketch:
New Emotion Chip “Working Perfectly” Says Clinton Handler
PORTSMOUTH, NH (AP) – Campaigning in New Hampshire one day before the first-in-the-nation primary, Senator Hillary Clinton got emotional and had tears in her eyes as she spoke with voters about how hard it is to balance a busy campaign life and her passion for the country’s future. Clinton’s handlers say her new Emoticon 7000 bio-implant computer chip has finally allowed the presidential candidate to flawlessly mimic actual human emotions.
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“This is a real breakthrough,” said Jay Carson, the man responsible for Clinton’s cybernetic enhancements. “It’s been a VERY difficult campaign. The first chip – an Emoticon 3000 – was a total bust. She’d start cackling laughter for absolutely no reason or even at completely inappropriate times. One time some guy told her about how his wife died because his insurance company wouln’t pay for her chemo and he hoped Hillary would fix the health care system so that would never happen again. That goofy cow just started braying & guffawing like Homer Simpson watching someone take a football in the groin. We yanked the chip that night.”
“The Emoticon 5000 wasn’t much better. She wasn’t laughing all the time, but on the other hand she was getting out-of-control angry. Some of that came through in recent debates, but it was worse backstage. A lot worse. Like plucking-out-staffer’s-eyeballs worse.”
“Seems that the 5000 was running Windows Vista, and those who’ve used it will confirm that eye-plucking rage is a common side effect of the software.”
Ron Paul Loses Among the Anti-War?
McCain had a huge advantage among anti-war voters — even over Ron Paul — despite him being perhaps the most solid candidate on the war. I don’t know what to read from that other than apparently the fact that if someone is anti-war doesn’t mean he wants to lay down with neo-Nazis (and that maybe McCain would do better at picking up independents in the general election than Republicans).
Exit Question: At what point will Ronulans have to face reality that their candidate won’t win the nomination? Will it be sometime before the convention, at the convention, or will they continue their impotent scheming even after that?
Frank Ideas for a John McCain Slogan
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What is it with the nitwits in the first primary states? Iowa drooled all over their shiny, evangelical prize and New Hampshire refused to vote for Fred Thompson because didn’t kiss their butts (plus, there’s no way New Hampshire could vote for a candidate the average Republican would like). Still, New Hampshire was a big win for McCain. If he is the nominee, what could be some slogans we could get behind? Here are my ideas:
FRANK IDEAS FOR A JOHN MCCAIN SLOGAN
“He’ll treat terrorists the same way he treats the kids who won’t stay off his lawn!”
“You hate him; he hates you; now lets kick some foreigner ass.”
“He’ll screw over terrorists even more than he screws over Republicans.”
“We could do worse. Not much worse, but worse.”
“Today’s challenges require the leadership of a cranky old bastard.”
“You think he cares what you blog? He didn’t care when the Vietnamese were torturing him.”
“If there’s one issue you need your candidate to be right about, it’s Iraq (which luckily is the only issue McCain is right about).”
“Better than waterboarding!”
Put your own ideas in the comments. Keep in mind, though, that he’s a war hero.

