At Least One Important Contest Is Still Goin' On...

Yesterday the AP (and others, but they were first) reported The Obamanon has enough pledged delegates to claim the Democrat nomination. Hillary hasn’t conceded, yet, but all the talking heads went on last night as if Obama is a done-deal. And he probably is. This, of course, leaves me feeling just a little bit perplexed about my fellow Americans of the Democrat persuasion. William J. Bennett, writing at NRO’s The Corner, captures my thoughts exactly:

And thus the Democratic party is about to nominate a far left candidate in the tradition of George McGovern, albeit without McGovern’s military and political record. The Democratic party is about to nominate a far-left candidate in the tradition of Michael Dukakis, albeit without Dukakis’s executive experience as governor. The Democratic party is about to nominate a far left candidate in the tradition of John Kerry, albeit without Kerry’s record of years of service in the Senate. The Democratic party is about to nominate an unvetted candidate in the tradition of Jimmy Carter, albeit without Jimmy Carter’s religious integrity as he spoke about it in 1976. Questions about all these attributes (from foreign policy expertise to executive experience to senatorial experience to judgment about foreign leaders to the instructors he has had in his cultural values) surround Barack Obama. And the Democratic party has chosen him.

So, what’s going on in the country, anyway? Is there something in the water? Should someone…anyone…contact the EPA about this? Is this an outgrowth, or the final stages, of BDS? What the HELL is wrong with these people? Let’s take just one point in Mr. Bennett’s thumbnail description of the why-nots… Obama’s resume is so thin I’d be arrested for indecent exposure were I were to wrap myself in it, solely, and go for a stroll around the Roosevelt County courthouse. The Democrats are gonna nominate a one-term US Senator? A man who’s primary claim to fame is being a “community organizer?” A guy who’s voting record in the Illinois legislature is laughable? This election, for all intents and purposes, is there for the Democrats’ taking. And they’re going to nominate Obama?

I suppose I shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth, cf. McGovern, Dukakis, and to a lesser extent, Kerry.

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From the Air Force Association’s Daily Report:

Desert Touchdown: Holloman AFB, N.M., received the first two of its 40 planned F-22s on June 2. "It's a big day. We're very proud to have the aircraft finally here," said Lt. Col. Mike Hernandez, commander of Holloman's 7th Fighter Squadron, who flew in one of the two Raptors. Col. Jeff Harrigian, commander of the base's 49th Fighter Wing, piloted the second F-22. "I'm really proud of what everyone did to make this happen," Harrigian said. Gen. Michael Moseley, Chief of Staff, will hold an official arrival ceremony at the base on Friday (June 6). Holloman is the third of four bases on tap to host combat-ready Raptors under the Air Force's current 183-aircraft program of record. Already Langley AFB, Va., is home to two fully populated squadrons, and Elemendorf AFB, Alaska, is in the midst of standing up its two units. Hickam AFB, Hawaii, early next decade, will be the last base to receive its Raptors--in this case, just one squadron. The 7th FS is the first Holloman unit that will receive its complement of 20 F-22s. More aircraft are set to arrive at the beginning of 2009 en route to the squadron achieving operational status by November 2009. The yet-to-be-reactivated 8th FS will then receive its 20 F-22s, according to a 49th FW spokeswoman. The 7th FS and 8th FS (as well as a third unit, the 9th FS) formerly operated F-117 stealth strike aircraft from Holloman. The base retired the last of its F-117s in April to make way for the new F-22s. (Includes Holloman report by Amn. Sondra M. Wieseler)

So…Raptors in New Mexico! Cool, eh?

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An interesting…and short… essay by Rick Hills at PrawfsBlawg: “Why I am an anti-intellectual.” Excerpt:

But to continue: My confession of being an anti-intellectual requires a bit of explanation. Being anti-intellectual is not the same as being anti-intellect. My beef is with a particular social class -- the "intelligentsia" -- and not with the practice of using one's intellect to reflect on experience. In my experience, intellectuals (as a class) are ideologically intolerant, easily offended by ordinary humor, and pretentious in their prejudices, which they disguise as universal truths. (Whether any of these adjectives applies to Professor Heller's response to my little poke, I leave it for others to judge).

Moreover, I find a direct relationship between the academic obscurity of self-consciously "intellectual" writer's prose and the willingness of that writer to justify the unjustifiable.

It takes the convoluted abstractions of a Carl Schmitt or a Heidegger to offer apologetics for Hitler; a Sartre, to temporize about Stalin; a Foucault, to defend Khomeini. In this respect, I stand with George Orwell who spent the 1930s and 1940s denouncing the obscurity of intellectuals' prose as a cloak for tyranny (and, incidentally, who was also accused of being an anti-intellectual). Intellectuals spray polysyllables like squid ink, to evade the democratic decencies of conversation. I'd like not to be one of their number.

Yep. The whole thing is well-put and it’s a quick read. Do go.

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Just a lil hockey in anticipation of tonight’s game…

Where’s the pressure tonite? Depends on who you read… or where you live. First, Bob McKenzie, writing at TSN:

Everybody seems to think that all the momentum in the series has shifted towards the Pittsburgh Penguins. I don't necessarily see it that way.

Is Pittsburgh excited that they lived to fight another day in Game 5? Absolutely; but do the Detroit Red Wings have to do a lot of navel gazing and say 'Boy oh boy are we ever in trouble.' I don't think so.

[…]

I've got to believe that the Red Wings are looking back to their series with the Dallas Stars where they were up 3-0 before Dallas came back to win two straight. At that point everyone was talking about how the momentum had shifted heading to Game 6 in Dallas. Well the Red Wings came in and obliterated the Stars in their home arena.

I'm not saying that Detroit will obliterate Pittsburgh in Game 6, but this is a team with a lot of composure and I don't think they are very happy right now.

And if you happen to write for a Pittsburgh newspaper, you see it like this:

The Red Wings still lead it, three games to two.

But it was the Red Wings who lost The Marathon.

And recent history is replete with examples of teams that end up losing such games being unable to recover.

And those teams, unlike the Red Wings, didn't belong to AARP as well as the NHLPA.

[…]

That's the emotional and physical baggage the Red Wings have dragged with them into Game 6 tonight.

This wasn't just a loss after 49:57 of OT.

This was a shot right to the octopus.

The truth is out there…and will be revealed tonight, beginning just after 8:00 p.m. (EDT), on NBC.

What was the cost of Game Five and its two and a half overtime periods? From NHL.com:

The physical toll of Game 5 was truly staggering.

The teams played almost 110 minutes of hockey, combined to score seven goals, give and received 69 hits and block 43 shots before Pittsburgh emerged with a 4-3 victory at the 9:57 mark of the third overtime early Tuesday morning at Joe Louis Arena.

The game lasted a staggering four hours and 36 minutes.

And there’s more… including Malone’s five stitches and chipped teeth from taking a puck in the face, Pens D-man Orpik’s need for intravenous fluids to alleviate cramping, and so on. Ya gotta be tough to be a hockey player.

And… if you missed Game Five, you missed yet another game for the ages. From The Hockey News:

This is what we envisioned.

Game 5 had everything:

Electricity. The crowd was pumped well before the opening faceoff, spontaneously chanting as the pre-game music played. They were quieted in the first period, but reached a zenith in the third when the Wings went ahead, and maintained their vigor through much of the overtimes.

An abundance of scoring chances. The offenses were on display early and often.

A frenetic pace. Obstruction, for the most part, was on holiday.

Comebacks. The Wings' surge in the third period was high drama; the Penguins shocker to tie it, then the stunner to win it was out of Hollywood.

Unbelievable saves. By both netminders, but in particular Marc-Andre Fleury. He was plywood between the pipes. The toe save he made on Mikael Samuelsson will be immortalized in highlight reels. Chris Osgood deserves kudos for remaining sharp when needed, despite long spells of inactivity.

[…]

How entertaining was the contest? The worn-out beat reporters sitting on press row – men and women who after two months of travel typically pray for the final to end in a sweep, regardless of who wins – were standing in OT ...for good chunks of it anyway. It’s the first game I can recall attending in years where I felt nervous energy as a paid neutral observer.

And that ain’t the half of it…

Once again: Game Six tonight…on NBC.