Or Andrew Jackson? The seventh president has a lifelong love of horse racing and would be very competitive. (For example, Jackson beat up his own would-be assassin with a cane in 1835.)

That's a great pick. Though should wait until The Braves play The Nationals to do the race.

On Saturday, the sanitized Taft mascot made its debut at a fan event, looking at least 100 pounds lighter than its real-life counterpart.

Wait, they picked Taft and then didn't make him fat? What the hell? That's pretty much the only thing he known for. Next they'll get J-Lo to throw out the first pitch and then only shoot her from the front.

It's a shame Toronto doesn't do this (though I suppose since it's not the capital it doesn't work as well).

But you could have Trudeau prance around the infield until Chretien strangles him into submission, Mackenzie King captures "Ace" the Blue Jay mascot and dissects him for clues as to who will win the race, and John McDonald pukes all over secon base. John Turner and Kim Campbell also show up for the race, but are asked to leave before it starts.

But you could have Trudeau prance around the infield until Chretien strangles him into submission, Mackenzie King captures "Ace" the Blue Jay mascot and dissects him for clues as to who will win the race, and John McDonald pukes all over secon base. John Turner and Kim Campbell also show up for the race, but are asked to leave before it starts.

What are those, hockey players?

What are those, hockey players?

I think they are varieties of Moose.

Well, Trudeau is the Doonesbury guy, and Chretien wrote Jurassic Park. I think Mackenzie King was a Bud Light mascot, and John McDonald is a futility infielder. John Turner and Kim Campbell are probably local weather reporters.

From previous page

Speaking of which, why did the GOP not bluster and threaten wholesale bombing when NK was close to the bomb? Surely they make the Iranians look perfectly sane by comparison.

Because

A. unlike Iran, they actually have the nukes for a while now, or a least probably, since they're country is in such an insane state even the US don't know what's really going on there.

B. China, which will logically see an attack on North Korea as just another imperialist move who's longer aim is to going for them.

C. South Korea and Japan, which doesn't want war on it's doorsteps. the 3 of them (including China) account for like 20% of the world's GDP and any significant conflict in East asia is going to make 2008 look positively good in comparison.

That is not from any previous page here, take it back to the terrible politics thread.

take it back to the terrible politics thread.

At the very least, take it back to the terrible use of apostrophes thread.

The reaction in the media, so far, is that even sportswriters who aren’t historians know the two men hated each other.

The Post’s Dan Steinberg asked a local historian how bad the blood was between TR and Taft.

Allan Lichtman, distinguished professor of history at American University, told Steinberg that each man considered the other a backstabber, and they had no qualms taking down each other in a presidential election.

To me, this enhances the Presidents' Race. Instead of Teddy always finding a way to lose, they can simply have Washington, Jefferson, and Lincoln do their race while Taft and Roosevelt trip each other up for comic effect.

No fat Taft? That is an outrage.

Speaking of which, why did the GOP not bluster and threaten wholesale bombing when NK was close to the bomb? Surely they make the Iranians look perfectly sane by comparison.

I didn't hear about this in early 20th century politics class. Is Oliver Stone going after Taft now?

The only good historical use to make of Taft would be to have him throw out the first ball on opening day, since he was the first president to do so. He can then be shot by a nearsighted John Schrank, and taken to the fat men's ward of Bethesda Naval to recover in time for the 2014 opener.

errr....doesn't "OTP - Feb 2013" mean this IS the terrible politics thread?

It will be tomorrow, I suppose.

It's where we quarantine the politics.

I'd have loved to see Nixon as one of the racing Presidents. He'd constantly be cheating.

Can you dig it?

Taft is only known for being too fat for his bathtub. A skinny Taft makes no sense. As noted about, it'd be like having a Chretien mascot who doesn't strangle people.

I can imagine what happened:

"Boss, we're adding Taft to the president's race this year! Cuz he's fat! Har!"

"What?! You can't make fun of fat people! This is Washington! The National Association of Overweight People will sue our lips off!"

"But...but we've already made up the suit! Roly-poly! The kids'll love it!"

"You can keep Taft, just fix the suit so that he's skinny!"

"..."

NK is ignored because (a) they don't have oil, (b) they are foreign, but pretty far from Isreal, (c) the wrong color to want to invade (sure maybe 30 years ago, but now?), (d) were hostages ever held in their country for years (with Nightline on every night about it?), (e) are they next to two other countries weare already invading? (invade three in a region win a prize!), and of course the real reason (f) they have the bomb already and so invading is a bunch scarier (they are chicken-hawks for a reason).

National Review, faced with the news Obama commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day, knew exactly what it had to do: It backed the Nazis.

Taft is only known for being too fat for his bathtub. A skinny Taft makes no sense. As noted about, it'd be like having a Chretien mascot who doesn't strangle people.

While this is true in a sense, it is a bit unfair -- as Taft also holds the distinction of being the only American to head up both the Executive and Judicial branches (he was also the 10th SCOTUS Chief Justice).

In fact -- only three Americans have ever had the distinction of 'leading' two of the three branches of our federal government... Chief Justice and President Taft is one.

Can you name the other two?

EDIT: This being land of the nerds, a strong argument can be made for a 4th - but you'd have to make some historical adjustments

(d) were hostages ever held in [North Korea] for years (with Nightline on every night about it?),

Well, there was the U.S.S. Pueblo.

National Review, faced with the news Obama commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day, knew exactly what it had to do: It backed the Nazis.

I saw that too. But no, really, we should take them seriously, you guys.

Can you name the other two?

Ford and LBJ?

Can you name the other two?



Ford and LBJ?

LBJ is one - served as Senate Majority leader.... Ford is close, but no cigar -- he was House minority leader, but never Speaker (or Majority leader).

Believe Polk and Garfield both served as Speaker of the House.


Edit: Oops. Skip Garfield. Need more coffee.

I don't get the impression that Taft was much more memorable a Chief Justice than he was a President, but he did have this to say about Prohibition:

British subjects on the high seas may be punished by the U.S. under the Volstead Act, if they are hovering with rumful purpose anywhere off the coast of the U.S.

Nice use of a single arch word to convey what he probably thought of Prohibition on the whole.

Taft was a very good Secretary of War. His shining moment was using Army resources very effectively for relief efforts after the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. No Brownie he.

Even better with that National Review/Nazi thing. The whole point of the article was (quoting directly here): "The idea that all violence is “senseless” violence is one that has taken deep root on the left; it’s also, unfortunately, one that poses a major impediment to understanding the world."

Now, even if you set aside the whole batshit crazy basically defending the Nazis part, can anyone help me recall who said the following in 1983?

"Those who perished as a result of Nazi terror, millions of individual men and women and children whose lives were taken so senselessly, must never be forgotten."

Yep.

National Review, faced with the news Obama commemorated International Holocaust Remembrance Day, knew exactly what it had to do: It backed the Nazis.

Nazis also remember the Holocaust - just in their own way!

Who are the only three U.S. Presidents whose parents were both alive when he took office?

zonk-I always took Polk and Taft for that answer. I don't know if I'd count LBJ. The Speaker of the House is the highest person in the Legislative Branch on the succession sequence, but the Senate Majority Leader isn't there at all.

The mascot Taft also has white hair. In the pictures I've found online, he's more balding that white-haired by the time he's Chief Justice.

Clusterchuck.

John Avlon is rightly incensed by this disgusting insinuation - and the whole fracas. But the Senate GOP does not surprise. Even after the catastrophes in Iraq and Afghanistan, neoconservatism in its most paranoid and aggressive form still reigns supreme. We won both wars; we never tortured anyone; there is no such thing as the Greater Israel Lobby and it never intimidates anyone and has never defended any dumb idea (like settling half a million Israelis in a conquered territory). And the proof that the fever still has not broken was Hagel's dreadful, inarticulate surrender on anything he had ever thought or said.

Public Policy Polling: Coming up next- we tested Curt Schilling for fun as a RI Senate candidate, and he did the worst of anyone we've ever polled for the Senate

Take a pedantic, meaningless pot shot at Obama by defending Nazism? Avoid defenses of Nazism but miss a chance to take a pedantic, meaningless shot at Obama? Clearly, the choice is obvious.

jesus christ:

Nazism may have been an ideology to which the United States was — and to which the president is — implacably opposed, but it is hardly “senseless.”

Public Policy Polling: Coming up next- we tested Curt Schilling for fun as a RI Senate candidate, and he did the worst of anyone we've ever polled for the Senate

Their polls of Geraldo Rivera must still be in the field...

Edited to add linkfor anyone thinking I made up the Rivera thing

At least it's an ethos

I'm curious to see if Joe would be able to respond to the National Review article without bringing up once something idiotic MSNBC did to compare it to.

I'm curious to see if Joe would be able to respond to the National Review article without bringing up once something idiotic MSNBC did to compare it to.

"saul alinsky is responsible for just as many deaths as hitler. you just have to know where the bodies are buried."

Polk & LBJ are the other two (Polk was Speaker of the House prior to President).

The 'pseudo-4th' is Oliver Ellsworth -- Chief Justice before John Marshall... He was a Senator from Connecticut in the first Congress -- at the time, there was no such thing as 'Senate Majority Leader', since the VP was (and technically still is) the 'President of the Senate' and we really didn't yet have enshrined 'parties'... However, Ellsworth is generally considered to have been the first 'Senate Majority leader' -- in that he essentially played that role. Virtually all bills went through him and depending on whether you were an enemy or ally -- he was either a back-door dealing SOB or consensus building leader.

To the extent John Marshall is sort of the father of the Judicial Branch growing into the truly co-equal 3rd branch, it was Ellsworth that laid the legislative foundation for the judiciary (SB 1 -- which basically fleshed out the constitution's judicial framwework, was his) -- though, it was his successor (Marshall) that more or less enshrined it.

So, while officially -- there have been only 3 people to lead two of the three branches -- I think most historians would least say Ellsworth deserves a spot as an interesting asterisked 4th.

Who are the only three U.S. Presidents whose parents were both alive when he took office?

I got three in four guesses, so will let someone else win who can get it in three :)

I'll tell you the one I got wrong: John Quincy Adams. His father was alive, but departing from the usual pattern, his mother had died a few years earlier. Surviving Presidential fathers are very infrequent.

...an assertion that “no Jew can be a member of the race.” Suffice it to say, many sensible Germans were persuaded.

Sensible indeed. It's a wonder these guys can't attract a bigger share of the Jewish vote.

Are there any editors at the National Review? One look at that article and it should have been dead on arrival. The fact that it's still up is amazing in its own right.

Who are the only three U.S. Presidents whose parents were both alive when he took office?

George W is the obvious one.

Even better with that National Review/Nazi thing. The whole point of the article was (quoting directly here): "The idea that all violence is “senseless” violence is one that has taken deep root on the left; it’s also, unfortunately, one that poses a major impediment to understanding the world."

Not to mention the fact that Obama did not say or come close to implying that "all violence is 'senseless.'" She just made that up.

George W. is correct. Both H.W. and Babs are still alive. Of the other two, one is gettable, the other is really hard.

JFK is the other easy one, right?

Are there any editors at the National Review? One look at that article and it should have been dead on arrival. The fact that it's still up is amazing in its own right.

Two explanations for what's going on at NRO:

1. It was quietly purchased by The Onion.

2. It's been infiltrated by leftist agents determined to destroy the publication from within.

Who are the only three U.S. Presidents whose parents were both alive when he took office?
George W is the obvious one.

JFK, of course

Are there any editors at the National Review?

The magazine's current editor is Rich Lowry, so no, not really.

Yes, JFK, who is the only one so far who has been outlived by his parents. Not intending to jinx W or anything.