Overnight Open Thread

There were some very troubling moments in the VP debate last night pertaining to the military and is captured very well in this article: A Civil-Military Headache From The VP Debate That Could Linger.

Where things really got dicey was when, in response to the charge that the Afghan surge withdrawal timeline, Biden tried to hide behind the military. Raddatz pressed him on the complaints she is hearing -- we all are hearing -- but Biden dismissed it as nonsense. He pretended that the withdrawal timeline was proposed by the Joint Chiefs rather than imposed by the White House.

That is not true. The Joint Chiefs and the Afghan combatant commander did go along with the White House order, but they proposed a slower, conditions-based timeline and they certainly did not want it announced at the outset.

This is a very dangerous game to play. Because of the strong support for the principle of civilian control among our armed forces, civilians can and do make the military salute and obey orders the military think are inadvisable. Canny commanders-in-chief try to minimize those instances, working with the military to cajole and bargain them into supporting positions that they initially opposed (this is exactly what Bush did with the Iraq surge). But when the White House bigfoots a decision, as the Obama White House did multiple times on Afghanistan, it is the president who must shoulder the political load for the decision.

Biden knows, or should know, that from the military's perspective President Obama imposed an under-resourced Afghan surge, undercut it by announcing the timeline, and interrupted the last fighting season by accelerating the withdrawal. That was his prerogative as commander-in-chief. But if that policy is criticized, as Ryan did in the debate, the Obama White House must be honest about how it came about. Biden cannot pretend that this was the military's plan all along.

Beer Sales

Beer sales declining for the last 3 years? In the age of funemployment? Hmmm. Anyhow, here are the 10 States That Sell The Most Beer. I'm surprised that southern states didn't have more representation but New Hampshire is number one?

According to Jones, there is an even more important reason for residents to seek out some states to purchase beer: taxes. New Hampshire has the highest per capita alcohol consumption because "anyone who is driving through or lives on the border of New Hampshire will probably opt for the 5% or 6% savings, and just go into the state to buy their alcohol there," he said. As a result, it is common for New Hampshire liquor stores to be visited by residents of Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine.

Beer Bonus: Andy sent along this link that just might be an addition to many morons bucket lists. However, at $95K, it might go unfulfilled. Beer In Space. Is there beer tax in space?

Fire Soccer

So I know soccer isn't too popular amongst the hoard here but what if it involves soaking a coconut in kerosene for 2 days, lighting it on fire and then playing soccer with it? That's how they roll in East Java. Fire Soccer. I'm guessing the last guy picked for each team ends up being the goalie.

Of course, if fire soccer still does not do it for you, there's always Lingerie Football League. Careful, the video is over an hour long.

The Chicago Way

Bribe Wasn't Big Enough, so city inspector's conviction overturned, appeals court rules. Message: You can take bribes, just be sure to keep it below the limit.

Dinosaur Age Scene

Kinda cool. 100 Million Year Old Spider Attack Found In Amber. I have just one question though. Just how fast was prehistoric tree resin because the way this article reads, it's friggin' scary fast.

Food Pron

It does exist. Sugar Company's Ad Concept: Sweet Pastries Are As Good As Pron.

Doggeh Video

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PUT TEXT YOU WISH TO USE AS VISIBLE LINKING-LANGUAGE HERE &topic=world_news"> posted by CDR M at 09:38 PM

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