Coffee is good for talent, but genius wants prayer. ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Captain’s Quarters (Mayor scriptum Ed Morrissey) The Niqab Dismissal — “Multiculturalism sounds great in theory, but in practice it gets expensive and destructive. We need to stop setting the expectation that we will accommodate all differences. When people come to the US to live, they need to understand the rules and comprehend that we will not make hundreds of millions of people bear the burden of accommodation.”

Blue Crab Boulevard An Agenda At Odds — “Pete du Pont, writing in the Opinion Journal brings together all of the things that various Democratic politicians have been saying recently and lays out the agenda the House would follow under Democratic party control. Many of these items are not new to long-time readers here. I have discussed many of them, some many times. But du Pont’s collection of everything in one place is instructive.”

Iowa Voice (Brian) Here’s What Will Happen The Day After The Election — “First, we’ve all seen the rather numerous “Democrats are ahead”, “Independents will vote Dem”, and “GOPers staying home” kind of nonsense out of the media for the last few weeks. We’ve been down this road before, in 2002 and 2004. Each time it was “the Democrats have already won, Republicans need not bother to vote, it’s over” and each time the result was a Republican victory.”

The Jawa Report (Bluto) Hastert Chides Pelosi For Her ‘Irresponsible’ Iraq Withdrawal Scenario — “House Speaker Dennis Hastert calls Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi’s views, expressed Sunday in a CBS “Sixty Minutes” segment, “…foolish, naive and dangerous.” Speaker Hastert was being too kind. Pelosi’s inability to understand the nature of the Global War on Terror was revealed quite clearly in this statement (From CNSNews):”

Coffee, acording to the women of Denmark, is to the body what the Word of the Lord is to the soul. ~ Isak Dinesen

Basil’s Blog William Teach (Pirate’s Cove) [Basil's blogger interviews are always a great weekend read. Mad Pirate William Teach at Pirate's Cove is a favorite which I read daily and link to too infrequently. Fans of the Cove will enjoy this post and others should become fans. Jim]

Pirate’s Cove (William Teach) Some Good News From Afghanistan Makes The News — “It is surprising, because the media doesn’t want to extend any sort of good news for anything that the Bush administration has done or is doing. Maybe it is because NATO has taken over. Who knows?

The story itself is an interesting mix of “everything is going bad” and “hey, look, Freedom!” ”

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) US Deal On Iranian Sanctions? — “The US announced yesterday that a deal had been reached with the other permanent members of the UN Security Council to apply sanctions against Iran for their failure to comply with UNSC resolutions demanding a halt to their enrichment program. None of the nations announced any specific steps, but the New York Times reports that they have all agreed in principle to a reversible, phased application that will isolate Iran economically and diplomatically:”

Blue Crab Boulevard I’m Not Sure Why — “Tom Kean, Jr. felt he had to do this. He has called for Speaker Dennis Hastert’s resignation. In the first place, Kean is in a Senate race and has been mixing it up very well with Robert Menendez. In the second place, Kean has been doing that by focusing on his race. Now he’s made what I consider to be a mistake.”

Enjoy your Saturday.

No coffee can be good in the mouth that does not first send a sweet offering of odour to the nostrils. ~ Henry Ward Beecher

Happy Blogiversary to The Florida Masochist

Home of the Knucklehead of the Day

Outside The Beltway (James Joyner) AG and FBI Director Threatened Resignation — “I’m glad to see someone had some backbone in this matter. To have thrown away evidence against a corrupt congressman obtained through a legal raid backed by a judicial warrant out of political appeasement would have been outrageous. Separation of powers or no, Congress is not above the law.”

Captain’s Quarters (Ed Morrissey) Hastert Grabs The Lifesaver As Gonzalez Threatens To Quit — “Until now, Gonzalez has always appeared to be a moderate, get-along-to-go-along political appointee. However, this shows that the AG has serious backbone and integrity to spare. He and Mueller both understood the stakes involved in this standoff and refused to participate in creating a political class insulated from law enforcement. Without the power to enforce and execute duly authorized subpoenas and search warrants, members of Congress could hide evidence of corruption in their offices with no fear of exposure or prosecution. It would create a taxpayer-funded sanctuary for crooks, and the top officials at Justice sent the message that they would not become accessories to that system.”

Dr. Sanity (Pat Santy) A WAR TO BE PROUD OF — “Especially this weekend, though, we should be remembering the achievement our military has had in crushing the Taliban and Saddam Hussein. That we have stayed on to offer a new alternative other than autocracy and theocracy in Afghanistan and Iraq, and kept a targeted United States safe from attack for over four years is an incredible accomplishment.”

The Jawa Report (Dr. Rusty Shackleford) A Memorial Day Reflection: Thank You Grandpa — “I never knew my maternal grandfather, but I am proud of his voluntary service and of his supreme sacrifice to our country. RIP.

To my paternal grandfather, who was a pilot in WWII, and a career Air Force officer, thank you for your service. RIP.

To my father who was a Marine–once a Marine, always a Marine–thank you for your service. To my niece, currently a Marine, may God’s protection and blessings be upon you in the service of your country.”

The drink that comforteth the brain and heart and helpeth digestion. ~ Sir Francis Bacon

Captain’s Quarter (Ed Morrissey) Post: Hastert, Boehner Have No Clue — “It increasingly appears that the only principle at stake in this debate is the silly pursuit of any and all privileges that any tradition might grant legislators. The assertions by Congressional leadership would set lawmakers above the laws they impose on the citizens of the nation and ensure that they remain safe from detection and accountability of corruption. That would guarantee an explosion of bribery and schemery on Capitol Hill, fueled by our tax dollars and protected by a ridiculous interpretation of the Constitution.”

Wizbang (Jay Tea) Laying the groundwork for a pyrrhic victory — “All Congress is doing, with all these protests and demands, is provoking the American people to ask just what the hell they are trying to hide. And while that might be a good strategy in court, where one has the presumption of innocence enforced by law, it won’t do them a damned bit of good in the court of public opinion.”

Ankle Biting Pundits (Bulldogpundit) Same Old Senate — “[F]or the life of me I can’t understand why a REPUBLICAN controlled Senate would would pass such a terrible immigration bill and one that is certain to further raise the ire of already upset conservatives. Can someone please explain to me why many Republican senators are not willing to consider a border security measure on a stand-alone basis and leave any questions of amnesty until later. I think the answer to that question is that they know amnesty will fail.”

I’ll be away until later this afternoon. See you then.

I am unhappy with the continual wasteful spending. The lack of progress securing our borders is a constant theme here. But the latest, the “We are above the law” attitude has my blood boiling.

The latest pronouncement from On High has me reaching for my Glenn Beck™ Duct Tape.

“The Justice Department must immediately return the papers it unconstitutionally seized,” House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in a statement.

After that, they said, Democratic Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana must cooperate with the Justice Department’s bribery investigation against him.

The leaders also said the Justice Department should not look at the documents or give them to investigators in the Jefferson case.

Not all the members are as clueless as the leadership.

“These self-serving separation of power arguments” have no basis in law, said Sen. David Vitter, R-La., in a letter to GOP leaders. He noted that search warrants had previously been served on members’ homes, including Jefferson’s.

“A distinction that would treat searches in their offices completely differently is superficial and baseless,” Vitter wrote. “The American people will come to one conclusion — that congressional leaders are trying to protect their own from valid investigations.” [my emphasis]

That’s the only conclusion I can come to.

Matt Margolis blogging at GOP Bloggers puts it this way:

I’m sorry, but invoking the principal of Separation of Powers is just a fancy way of saying they think Congress should be above the law.

And he’s right