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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
John McCaslin :: Townhall.com Columnist
George Unplugged
by John McCaslin
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Will the Dems' health care Christmas Present to America be an improvement or detriment to our health care system?


Noted historian and best-selling author James Swanson and his wife, Andrea, invited guests into their Capitol Hill home over the weekend to celebrate the release of a new book about Abraham Lincoln by former senator and 1972 presidential candidate George McGovern.

One guest, who had lived in North Carolina, told Mr. McGovern that he supported him for president three decades ago, despite being warned by his conservative neighbors: "If you vote for George McGovern, the country will go to hell."

"Well, I voted for George McGovern, and the country did go to hell," Mr. McGovern, in later remarks to the crowd, quoted the guest as saying - referring, obviously, to the disgraced Richard Nixon and Watergate.

Otherwise, as far as not winning the White House, Mr. McGovern had the crowd, including former TV newsman Roger Mudd, laughing in hysterics when recalling former President Bill Clinton once telling him after the fact: "You know, you can get into trouble in that Oval Office."

The former Democratic senator turned serious when cautioning President Obama not to go through with his plans to increase U.S. military strength in Afghanistan by 30,000 troops.

"It would be a dreadful mistake," Mr. McGovern warned. "It would be moving U.S. soldiers from the frying pan into the fryer."

BEST IN SHOW

Former Clinton White House chief of staff and California congressman Leon E. Panetta was confirmed by the Senate to become CIA director and has now been privately sworn-in before a small group on the seventh floor of CIA headquarters.

The oath was administered to Mr. Panetta by CIA deputy director Steve Kappes (there will be a formal swearing-in ceremony at the CIA this week).

The 70-year-old Mr. Panetta got plenty of laughs when telling his invited guests: "I noticed in the press that they said I'm the oldest director to take charge of the CIA, but I would remind you that the 'best dog in show' this year [at last week's 133rd Westminster Kennel Club dog show] was a dog that was 10 years old. So I come here as the best dog in show."

The other dog was "Stump," the first Sussex spaniel to win the top pooch award. The previous oldest winner, crowned in 1999, was an 8-year-old Papillon.

Mr. Panetta's predecessor, retired four-star Gen. Michael V. Hayden, was 61 when he became CIA director in 2006.

NO BAGS, SIR?

"I remember a time when the airlines used to lose my bags for free." Continued...
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About The Author

John McCaslin is a contributing columnist on Townhall.com and author of Inside The Beltway: Offbeat Stories, Scoops, and Shenanigans from around the Nation's Capital .

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(6 comments so Far)
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Reply # 1
Date: Feb 19, 2009 - 1:53 PM EST
left leaning
When the left leans farther to the left as they are doing, there tree will fall on them. The real american people will not stand for much more of it. Study what Thomas Jefferson wrote in the 17 and 18 hundreds. He warned us but the people are not listening. It will soon come to a disaster, when we pick ourselves back up and throw the government out and start over with people who will enforce our constitution to the letter we will emerge even better then we were.
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Reply # 2
Date: Feb 18, 2009 - 9:39 AM EST
Leon Panetta, the cartoon of death.
Well, now we have a cartoon character for CIA director - expect the worst.
Not only that, we have the several omens as well.
First he calls himself a dog.
In this case a dog would be someone who blows the job as America blows up.
Expect that.
The other dog, the better one, is named stump.
That indicates the missing limbs to come.
Yes, a tragedy is coming - with the endless worship of JFK, the tragedy came and the potus lost his life.
This time, I seriously dount the loss of life will be at the top.
Time to say your prayers.
We've got terrorist loving communist kissing, backstabbing, America hating, PC clicking, criminal excusing, half baked, left wing, kookballs, who hate defense and the military, in charge.
You all know what comes next.
I hope all your kevlar suits are lead lined.
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