The great Chinese sesame donut quest

The New Neo Posted on by

I was in Chinatown with my son and nephew the other day, on a search for that standout of the Chinese pastry world, the sesame donut.

Chinese pastry being somewhat of an acquired taste, I’ll wager many of you have never sampled this particular delicacy—although “delicacy” might not be the best word, since it is almost as densely packed with calories as the average neutron star is loaded with, well, neutrons.

Here’s a photo:

sesamedonuts.jpg

You will notice that although it is called “donut,” the shape actually has more in common with the donut hole. Think of it as a jelly doughnut without jelly, made of sweetened glutinous rice flour, a sticky pully substance that is somewhat gelatinous and yet resistant to the teeth. Inside is a nice dollop of sweetened bean paste, and the whole goopy mess (I say that with affection) is fried in oil till it absorbs enough to be oozing with the stuff.

Sounds bad, I know. Continue reading →

Alternate universe: Obama against D-Day

The New Neo Posted on by

This is pretty funny:

In a speech today presidential candidate Barack Obama maintained his steadfast disapproval of the D-Day landings of June 6th, 1944, despite the historical evidence of it as a smashing Allied victory over Nazi Germany.

“Even knowing what we know today, I would never commit to Operation Overlord,” the Senator explained…

I’d add the following to the remarks, Continue reading →

More indications that Obama thinks he’s already President

The New Neo Posted on by

Here’s another fine quote, this one about Obama’s address in Berlin to mulitudes:

“It is not going to be a political speech,” said a senior foreign policy adviser, who spoke to reporters on background. “When the president of the United States goes and gives a speech, it is not a political speech or a political rally.

“But he is not president of the United States,” a reporter reminded the adviser.

“He is going to talk about the issues as an individual ”¦ not as a candidate, but as an individual, as a senator,” the adviser added.

This is such transparent garbage that my only explanation is that the unnamed adviser realized almost immediately that he/she had placed his/her foot in a big heaping pile of stinking doo-doo, and was trying desperately to extricate it but could not think of a single convincing rhetorical device to do so.

Earth to Obama: You are not President. Please stop acting as though you are. And since what you are is a candidate running for office, every public thing you do is part of your campaign.

He bows to nobody

The New Neo Posted on by

Obama was arrogant to begin with, but it seems that the adulation he has gotten from the press and the public in his race towards anointment as Democratic Presidential nominee has driven him and his crew to new heights of self-admiration. I don’t think the proper word is “narcissism” in this case; it’s megalomania. Continue reading →

Iraq, the surge, and Afghanistan: Obama’s mind is a difficult thing to change

The New Neo Posted on by

Obama has long been trumpeting Afghanistan as the important front in this war, and so he has to keep on doing it. Going to Iraq and talking to Petraeus was a smokescreen; Obama knows much better than Petraeus what’s important.

Hear the condescension of the junior Senator from Illinois after his talk with Petraeus:

Obama and Petraeus have also staked out opposing positions on whether there should be a timetable for withdrawing American forces.

Obama said that in his meeting with Petraeus, the general discussed his “deep concerns” about “a timetable that doesn’t take into account what they anticipate might be a change in conditions.”

“My job is to think about the national security interests as a whole and to weigh and balance risks in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Obama said. “Their job is just to get the job done here, and I completely understand that.

So, let’s review: Petraeus, the guy who wrote the book on fighting counterinsurgencies, doesn’t get the big picture, but Senator Obama does. Continue reading →

Obama’s not your father’s Dukakis—and don’t you dare diss Michelle!

The New Neo Posted on by

Remember one of the main agents of the downfall of Presidential nominee Mike Dukakis? It was his failure to respond with sufficient vigor to his wife Kitty’s rape-murder when posited as a hypothetical in one of the Presidential debates.

Here’s the story (strangely, it involves Susan Estrich again):

Because she knew the Willie Horton issue would be brought up, Dukakis’s campaign manager Susan Estrich had prepared with Bill Clinton an answer highlighting the candidate’s empathy for victims of crime, noting the beating of his father in a robbery and the death of his brother in a hit-and-run car accident. However, when Bernard Shaw, the moderator of the debate, asked Dukakis, “Governor, if Kitty Dukakis [his wife] were raped and murdered, would you favor an irrevocable death penalty for the killer?” Dukakis replied coolly, “No, I don’t, and I think you know that I’ve opposed the death penalty during all of my life,” and explained his stance. After the debate, Dukakis told Estrich he was sorry and didn’t realize it was that question. Many observers felt Dukakis’ answer lacked the passion one would expect of a person discussing a loved one’s rape and death. Many—including the candidate himself—believe that this, in part, cost Dukakis the election, as his poll numbers dropped from 49% to 42% nationally that night.

Fast forward to now. Obama may not be much of a student of history, but I strongly suspect that, consummate politician that he is, he has closely studied the history of previous liberal Democratic campaigns and where they went wrong. Avoiding any sort of repeat of Dukakis’ downfall would naturally be uppermost in his mind. Continue reading →

Press worth more than fifteen points for Obama?

The New Neo Posted on by

Query:

If, as Evan Thomas of Newsweek said in a moment of unguarded candor:

The media, I think, want [Democratic presidential candidate John F.] Kerry to win. And I think they’re going to portray Kerry and [running mate John] Edwards…as being young and dynamic and optimistic and all, there’s going to be this glow about them that is going to be worth, collectively, the two of them, that’s going to be worth maybe 15 points…”

—then how much is Obama’s press worth?

I’d say about double that.

And aren’t Evans’ remarks even more on target as a description of the Obama mystique than they ever were for Kerry/Edwards?