http://crankycon.politicalbear.com The musings of a cranky, Catholic conservative Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:11:33 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Oh, and not to let my own team off the hook.  After last night's debacle, I kindly ask all Billy Wagner haters to kindly shut the hell up. http://crankycon.politicalbear.com/2008/07/23/about-last-night-2/ After a few years of watching this team up close, I am starting to think that Nationals' GM Jim Bowden is one of the most incompetent GMs in all of baseball.  In the last couple of days he's made two moves that really don't make much long-term sense. Yesterday he dealt ... http://crankycon.politicalbear.com/2008/07/23/why-does-jim-bowden-have-a-job/ Excellent and thought-provoking piece today on On the Square today from Joseph Loconte on the ideological pulls of realism and idealism.  First he notes the change in the Bush administration's approach as regards nation building. The Bush doctrine has been pilloried either for its Wilsonian idealism or its Machiavellian realism. A ... http://crankycon.politicalbear.com/2008/07/23/realism-and-idealism/ Well this is certainly a unique way of spreading the Good News.  Benedict XVI is weaving together a mini-catechesis with a medium nearly any young person can relate to -- cell phone text messages. The Friday morning local time message to Youth Day pilgrims was a call to Christian love. "The spirit ... http://crankycon.politicalbear.com/2008/07/22/pope-benedict-4ever/ Reposted without comment from Rotoworld: The Daily Star, a British tabloid, is reporting that there is a sex tape featuring Alex Rodriguez and Madonna. It's hard to believe this is true: the cameraman is claiming that he obtained the tape through the use of a hidden camera in a friend's apartment, and ... http://crankycon.politicalbear.com/2008/07/22/absurdity-upon-absurdity/ In case there were any doubts. I haven't blogged about Gerald's, errr, change in behavior, and I really don't intend to again.  It's sad to see someone you once respected completely go over the edge.  I'd take his argument more seriously if it weren't cloaked in the feel good progressive sentimantality of ... http://crankycon.politicalbear.com/2008/07/22/the-cafeteria-is-wide-open/ Jay Anderson has no sympathy for McCain crying foul over the media's fawning over Obama.  Nor do I. There is no Republican out there more unworthy to play the media bias card than McCain.  As Jay points out, the "maverick" received nothing but adulation from the press for the better part ... http://crankycon.politicalbear.com/2008/07/22/hear-the-violins-playing/ Oh yeah.  This game. I guess I should consider myself fortunate to have gone to not just one, but two World Series games in my life.  So in that respect, I am not quite justified in bitching about this game.  But it's still one of the most painful games I have ... http://crankycon.politicalbear.com/2008/07/21/shea-memories-october-25-2000/ Today, as per my usual morning ritual, I made my way to the bus stop - or ran, as it were, seeing as how I was running late because I just had to marinade the chicken for grilling later tonight - and put on my headphones.  I flipped to Sports ... http://crankycon.politicalbear.com/2008/07/21/i-hate-espn/ I've always thought both of Guns N' Roses Use Your Illusion albums were individually great. But what if we cut out all the extraneous crap (coughMyWorldcoughGardenofEdencough), and took the best songs from each and combined them into one album. I think this would be the greatest rock album ... http://crankycon.politicalbear.com/2008/07/18/one-for-the-weekend/