Breakfast at Tiffany's – Because I Do Not Know

BaT Coming to L.A. Next Week

Yours truly will be in Los Angeles next week. A couple of people have mentioned wanting to meet for a drink.

If you're interested, I'm staying in West Hollywood, and it looks like the best night for drinks (and/or) dinner is Tuesday, around 7ish. Maybe the Abbey? It's not far from where I'm staying, although BfT favors iCandy.

I mean, what else do you have better to do on a Tuesday night?

Leave a comment or e-mail me at jakemccafferty AT comcast DOT net. And, you know, replace the AT with a @ and the DOT with a . .

3 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 7:33 PM
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You Know You Have Too Much Money When ...

... you can spend more than half a million dollars on a guitar.

An American collector has bought Paul McCartney's first acoustic guitar for 330,000 pounds ($614,000) at auction.

The guitar used by the former Beatle was bought by Craig Jackson at an auction at the Abbey Road Studios late Friday.

"This is such an important piece of rock history, and I am an extremely happy man tonight," Jackson said in a statement. "Without this guitar The Beatles may never have existed, and it is a fantastic acquisition."

The guitar actually was owned by a friend of McCartney, who is now selling it to fund his retirement. I either need to find a better class of friends or find a better class of junk in the attic, otherwise my retirement plan will depend on this guy coming just in the nick of time.

0 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 7:22 PM
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Cocktail of the Week -- Cock of the Walk Edition

What do you do when a chicken attacks your pet pigeon? Well, you have to show that sucker who's boss.

A man accused of biting the head off his pet rooster was arrested Friday and faces up to a year in prison if convicted, an animal protection spokesman said.

A neighbor had complained about a dead rooster near his Manhattan apartment and agents found the body of the beheaded rooster on a fire escape, said Joe Pentangelo, spokesman for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The rooster's head was not located.

Humberto Rodriguez, 52, told agents that he bit the rooster's head off because he blamed it for injuring a pet pigeon that he also kept in the apartment, Pentangelo said.

Which reminds us of one of the most bizarre shots ever created. The sheer strength of the liquors is enough in said shot. Add to it that you pour in pepper sauce makes it borderline psycho. But give it a truly disgusting name and, well, you have a drink called The Bloody Chicken.

Ingredients

1 oz. Wild Turkey
1/2 oz. Jose Cuervo tequila
1 drop Tabasco sauce

Instructions

Pour the Wild Turkey into a shot glass. Top with the tequila. Then add a drop of Tabasco sauce. Slam.

And, yeah, you'll need a chaser for this one. I suggest Pepto-Bismol.

0 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 10:42 AM
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America's Worst Kept Secret

And the "No-Sh*t" Award goes to ... Lance Bass. The Mississippi native and former 'N Sync member, pulls an Ellen and declares, "Yep, I'm gay" in a People magazine cover story.

Having pursued acting, producing and -- most memorably -- space flight after 'N Sync went on hiatus in 2002, Bass now is looking ahead to new beginnings. He is in a "very stable" relationship with model-actor-Amazing Race winner Reichen Lehmkuhl, 32, and is developing an Odd Couple-inspired sitcom pilot with Fatone in which his character will be gay.

Mostly, though, he's just enjoying the relief that comes with the culmination of a long, at times emotionally fraught journey.

"The thing is, I'm not ashamed -- that's the one thing I want to say," he explains of his decision to come out. "I don't think it's wrong, I'm not devastated going through this. I'm more liberated and happy than I've been my whole life. I'm just happy."

As for why he's talking about this now, Bass says, "The main reason I wanted to speak my mind was that (the rumors) really were starting to affect my daily life. Now it feels like it's on my terms. I'm at peace with my family, my friends, myself and God so there's really nothing else that I worry about."

People trumpets the "scoop." But it was two weeks ago that the singer was spotted in a Provincetown, Mass., gay bar -- not exactly a place for someone worried about rumors.

"If privacy is what Lance wants, that's something that's easy to have," Naff said. "But if you're Lance Bass, and you're going to the gayest town on the gayest day of the year and going to gay parties, you have to expect something."

Alright, the boy's here, he's queer and he's proud of it. Now that the eight people on this planet who didn't already know, know, let's leave him be.

UPDATE: Jason's early warning system was right.

And a poster over at Duane's had his own early warning: "Ever since I saw him at Kathy Griffin's house on the first season of My Life on the D-List it was pretty clear."

3 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 8:18 PM
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Armed Citizen Stops Rampage

While traveling last week, I managed to catch a television report on a knife-wielding man's ramage at a Memphis grocery store. But, as a friend pointed out today, the news failed to mention exactly how the crazed attacker was "subdued." He sent me a link to this AP article, which gives the details.

A knife-wielding grocery store employee attacked eight co-workers Friday, seriously injuring five before a witness pulled a gun and stopped him, police said. ...

The attacker, chasing one victim into the store's parking lot, was subdued by Chris Cope, manager of a financial services office in the same small shopping center, Higgins said.

Cope said he grabbed a 9mm semiautomatic pistol from his pickup truck when he saw the attacker chasing the victim "like something in a serial killer movie."

"When he turned around and saw my pistol, he threw the knife away, put his hands up and got on the ground," Cope told The Associated Press. "He saw my gun and that was pretty much it." ...

Higgins said police were pulling into the parking lot as Cope was confronting the attacker.

"We commend him," Higgins said. "But we don't encourage people to take that kind of risk. He could have been hurt."

Well, unless that knife can outrun a bullet, it wouldn't have been the maniac that would have hurt this citizen hero, who may very well have saved at least one life. More than likely, it would have been a cop with an itchy trigger finger who posed the most danger to Mr. Cope.

But back to the news coverage. Maybe it wasn't an accident that some media outlets failed to mention how the attack was stopped. Clayton Cramer reports that an agenda seems to be at work here, with USA Today getting its hand caught in the cookie jar of not only telling half the story -- but inventing some details.

Tsk, tsk.

2 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 6:49 PM
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Link Update

I thought I had previously added two sites to the BaT blog roll, but I was wrong. BaT commentor PJS covers a lot of different ground in his "occasionally deleted blog about nothing of consequence," NOW a Warning???.

The Outright Libertarian group blog is also on the roll now. I noticed this oversight as I prepared the entry soon to be above this one. One of the bloggers, Lori Heine, is the world-famous libertarian Lutheran lesbian gun nut -- who came to my defense after the now infamous "Pick On Someone Your Own Caliber" posting.

Lori totes a Smith & Wesson .357 magnum, so careful if you go over to the blog and start trouble. (Not to slight Rob and Richard, they do much of the writing. And Rob posted in my favor that night, too.) Outright Libertarian is linked under the "Gay (or close to it) section, although it could just as easily be under "History & Politics."

Go check both blogs out soon.

0 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 6:23 PM
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Who Is Your Inner Celebrity?

MyHeritage.com is using facial recognition technology to compare Average Joes to Famous Amoses. (Or Josephines to Angelinas.)

To find out which celebrity you most resemble, download a photo of yourself, and you'll quickly receive a list of stars with similar facial features. The results, which can include men and women, are often surprising.

In one trial, a white, goateed, middle-aged man came up as most resembling the young black comedian Chris Tucker -- and onlookers exclaimed, "You know, I can see that."

The Israel-based site uses algorithms to compare faces. From a database of 3,200 celebs, ten ranked results are provided, which can be quite disparate.

This is a perfect example of viral marketing, and the site's traffic must be exploding, as the server appears to be down half the time. If you get through, you may have to register to play. I was able to try it once, but then the registration screen started coming up.

By the way, my top celebrity twin is the 19th century writer Robert Louis Stevenson. Which makes sense. We come from Scottish stock. My match with Stevenson was 63 percent. Howard Dean (!?!) was my second closest match at 62 percent. He, too, is a Scot. Third was Clark Gable (53 percent -- and a much better choice, albeit a German one!) At 47 percent, Mississippi-born author William Faulkner (also of Scottish descent) finished tied for fourth with German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus, best known for surrendering Stalingrad back to the Russians during World War II.

Thank God, he wasn't my celebrity twin. I may have pulled a Hemingway. Howard Dean was bad enough.

1 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 6:59 PM
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BaT Returns This Week

Sorry, I had intended to post tonight. But returning to the office after a week's travel ruined my plans. Mondays should be surprise-free days.

Let's pass a law!

I worked late, and rather than write some meaningless post, I'll return tomorrow with something to say. Or at least b*tch about.

1 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 8:38 PM
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An Alabama First

As Steve from Atticus Blog notes in this BaT comment, Alabama appears to have elected its first openly gay state legislator. Of course, Birmingham being Birmingham and the Birmingham News' constant obsession with all things racial, the fact that Patricia Todd is a lesbian isn't mentioned fourth paragraph.

Voters in House District 54 appeared to have elected their first white representative in more than two decades, while a two-term incumbent was on the brink of losing his seat in House District 55 in Tuesday’s Democratic primary runoff.

Patricia Todd, 50, associate director of AIDS Alabama, appeared to have defeated Gaynell Hendricks, 55, owner of the Wee Care Academy. With only provisional ballots remaining un counted, Todd had 1,173 votes, 51 percent, to Hendricks' 1,114, or 49 percent.

"We are confident that the numbers are confirmed and that I won fair and square," Todd said. "The people have spoken, and now it's time to unite the district."

Todd would be the district's first white representative in more than 20 years. It's believed that she also would be the first openly gay member of the Alabama Legislature.

She would replace state Rep. George Perdue, because there is no Republican candidate.

The vote isn't official, yet, according to the latest report -- because the count is so close: 53 out of more than 2,200 -- and any contest would have to wait until the official results are in this morning.

While Ms. Todd may become the first "openly gay" legislator, she will not be the first gay officeholder in Alabama. In fact, a homosexual has held one of the state's highest offices. But he or she was not openly gay -- at least not to his or her spouse, although those of us familiar with Alabama politics and the queer community in the state know he or she hasn't done much to keep that "secret."

Is it a secret if everyone knows?

3 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 6:49 AM
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Protesting Gay Persecution In Iran

Dozens of cities across the world will have demonstrations Wednesday protesting the Iranian mad mullahs' treatment of homosexuals. Tomorrow is the first anniversary of Iran's execution of two teen boys under questionable circumstances -- but nonetheless, homosexuality held a central role. (Caution: This link contains a graphic photo of what happens to queers in the Islamic Republic of Iran.)

Tomorrow (Wednesday, July 19) is the International Day of Action Against Homophobic Persecution in Iran, called on the first anniversary of the public hanging of two teenagers, Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, for homosexuality.

There will be vigils and demonstrations on July 19 in 25 cities around the world -- including 10 in the U.S. The five-point list of demands for these events is:

1. End all executions in Iran, especially the execution of minors. (Photo below, the teens Mahmoud Asgari and Ayaz Marhoni, Mashad, Iran, July 19, 2005)

2. Stop the arrest, torture and imprisonment of Iranian lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and repeal the Iranian penal code's criminalization of same-sex relationships.

3. Halt the deportation to Iran of LGBT asylum seekers and other victims of Tehran's persecution.

4. Support Iranians struggling for democracy, social justice and human rights.

5. Oppose foreign military intervention in Iran; regime change must come from within -- by and for the Iranian people themselves.

You can read more about Iran and homosexuals in this BaT post from a year ago.

UPDATE: Boi from Troy discussed this yesterday.

P.S.: I am traveling this week -- and, yes, it's hotter than hell in the Midwest, too. Blogging may not be affected because, quite honestly, there's not much else to do here. The later in the week it becomes, the more likely BaT will suffer. If you would like to host the Cocktail of the Week this Friday or Saturday, let me know.

0 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 8:55 PM
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Southern Political Roundup

Alabama

The Wallace name is no longer magic in Alabama. Tonight, George Wallace Jr. -- son of former Alabama Govs. George Wallace and Lurleen Wallace -- lost his second attempt at becoming the state's lieutenant governor. (He lost a bid as a Democrat in 1994 -- the night of the Gingrich Sweep. After switching to the GOP, he was elected to two terms on the state Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities.)

Wallace, the only son of Governors George and Lurleen Wallace, began making speeches for his father when 6 years old and spent 16 years in elective office. But when the 54-year-old candidate conceded Tuesday night, he indicated the days of following in his parents' footsteps are over.

"For me as a political candidate, that chapter is probably closed, but my heart will always belong to Alabama," Wallace said.

Wallace was trying to win the office that has become the stepping stone to the governor's office. Since 1966, three lieutenant governors have become governor and all the others have run for the state's top office.

The man who defeated Wallace Jr., Republican insider and lobbyist Luther Strange will face the Democratic nominee, Jim Folsom Jr., himself the son of a former governor.

Georgia

Ralph Reed, the one-time big-shot in the Christian Coalition, also goes down in defeat. (Goes down, get it?) State Sen. Casey Cagle topped (topped, get it?) Reed in the Republican runoff for lieutenant governor. The race isn't even close.

With 43 percent of precincts reporting, the Georgia Secretary of State’s office showed Cagle with 55.2 percent of the vote, compared with 44.8 percent for Reed.

Also in the Peach State, U.S. Rep. and Cop Slapper Cynthia McKinney is fighting (this time on figuratively!) to hold onto her seat in Congress.

As election results poured in, U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney and Democratic challenger Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. appeared headed for a runoff in the 4th District race.

With 80 percent of the vote counted, McKinney had 47 percent of the vote to Johnson’s 45 percent.

McKinney lost a re-election bid during the 2002 primary, as well, but regained her seat when Denise Majette, the woman who beat her (beat, ha!), ran for the U.S. Senate and lost.

1 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 8:27 PM
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Reason No. 3,268 To Love Cher

In an interview with Stars & Stripes, the legendary Cher discusses her support of the American warfighter and her work with a charitable organizations helping soldiers both at war and injured in it. (Hat tip: The Mudville Gazette)

A year and a half ago, something like that. I got involved in the Intrepid Fund (which will construct a training center for troops disabled during operations in Afghanistan and Iraq). I couldn't believe they were having a hard time getting money for that. So I kind of got involved in that. And then, one of my dearest friends is a man named Lou Dobbs, who has a TV show on CNN. He and I were talking about the war all the time. Even though we had different views on it, I love him. So it would be interesting for me to get his views as opposed to arguing.

After visiting Walter Reed, then Bethesda (home to the National Naval Medical Center) and Walter Reed again -- after meeting these guys and the women too -- I'm just so shocked that there are still people in the country like that because a lot of the kids that I come in contact with, they're still very -- it's not exactly that they're selfish; they just don't have any concept of what the kids in the military are doing and what it's about to actually go someplace where you could possibly lose your life. ...

I don't have to be for this war to support the troops because these men and women do what they think is right. They do what they're told to do. They do it with a really good heart. They do the best they can. They don’t ask for anything.

They just do what they're supposed to do. ...

I'm very disappointed in the amount of support that the soldiers are getting from the people back home. It's kind of like it's just a thing you hear on the news, and nobody does anything. Where is everybody? ...

I can't speak for everyone, but everyone seems to be against the war but not realizing that that's not good enough. You've got to do something besides just be against it. You've got to do some helping as well. People have got to get their (expletive) together.

For more about Cher's other charitable endeavour discussed in this article, visit the Operation Helmet homepage.

3 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 7:45 PM
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Cocktail of the Week -- Let's Cool Off Edition

At BaT, we see the rest of the country is understanding this weekend what it's like to be a Southerner: hot as hell. High temperatures nearing 100 in the Midwest; New York and Philadelphia will have heat indices of almost 100; and 100 to 110 in Southern California. Hell, we're only going to make the mid-90s, so it practically feels like Canada here.

So let's get y'all some relief out there with a light, breezy drink full of ice: the Appled Rum Cooler.

Ingredients

1 1/2 oz. anejo rum (aged rum)
1/2 oz. applejack
2 tsp. lime juice
2 oz. club soda

Instructions

In a shaker half-filled with ice cubes, combine the rum, applejack and lime juice. Shake well. Strain into an old-fashioned glass almost filled with ice cubes. Top with the club soda.

Then turn on the A/C. Cheers!

P.S.: Oh, can't forget this Steven Wright quote: "If you saw a heat wave, would you wave back?" My answer: "Hell, no, I'd give it the finger."

0 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 8:40 AM
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Re-Pete After Me, Do Not Drink and Drive

... Especially if your last name is Coors.

Beer company executive, chief commercial pitcher and former Senate candidate Pete Coors confirmed Thursday he was cited in May for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol after leaving a friend's wedding celebration.

"I made a mistake," Coors said in a prepared statement. "I should have planned ahead for a ride. For years, I've advocated the responsible use of our company's products. That's still my message, and our company's message, and it's the right message.

"I am sorry that I didn't follow it myself."

The real surprise isn't that someone named Coors would drink. Or drive. The real surprise is that anyone could get drunk enough on that p*ss-water to flunk breath test.

Unless, of course, the real scandal is he was drinking this.

UPDATE: Alas, this National Review article from Coors' 2004 U.S. Senate race says he likes "Coors Original."

0 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 7:09 PM
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I'll Sue You in England!

You just can't turn your back on that crazy Tommy Tooth. Apparently, I've been out of the "fruit loop" for a month, as people are now questioning whether the 4-foot-11 actor (who hasn't had a good movie since "Jerry Maguire" in 1996 -- and that is thanks to Cuba Gooding Jr!) and his much-taller, much-younger, less-weirder "fiancee" Katie Holmes even had a baby.

It's been 86 days since the birth of Suri Cruise -- and about a split-second since the latest conspiracy theory about Hollywood's most elusive baby.

New rumors surface by the hour -- that Tom and Katie are holding out for a better magazine photo deal, that Scientology is involved in the mystery, that Suri doesn't even exist!

So what has fueled the rumors? TMZ has created a timeline that may explain why Suri is becoming a national obsession.

TMZ also has some interesting photos of Katie Holmes, where her stomach appears to shrink as the pregnancy progresses. And Defamer has an entire category, "Miracle Baby," devoted to little Suri.

Selling your baby's photos when you're already a multimillionaire? Part of a cult's plot? A fake pregnancy? Good Lord. Actually, we at BaT believe there's a better explanation. In case you missed it, you'll have another chance next week. It's a must-watch.

2 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 5:56 PM
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A Cocktail Of The Week You Won't See Here

At BaT, we've published more than 50 cocktail recipes over the past year. So far, there are no reports that any of them almost killed somebody. A bar in Columbia, S.C., can't say the same:

A woman and her sister had to go to the hospital after a bartender mistakenly dipped their martini glasses in a caustic substance used to clean the restaurant's fryer.

The bartender ran out of sugar Saturday night at Doc's Gumbo Grille downtown and asked a dishwasher that speaks mainly Spanish for more sugar. The employee gave the bartender a box containing a white substance that looked like sugar, but it was the cleaner instead, restaurant owner Doug Goolsby said.

"I hate that anybody gets hospitalized at your place of business. Mistakes happen, and it's regrettable," said Goolsby, who added the business has moved the cleaner to the basement.

Lesson 1: If you allow your Mexican dishwasher to restock the bar, make sure your barkeeps know two phrases: "Azucar por favor" ("Sugar, please.") and "No deseo el veneno" ("I don't want the poison.).

Lesson 2: We're pretty sure cleaning supplies should not be near the fryer. Fried foods may kill you -- but this should not be an instantaneous death, but a slow demise.

Lesson 3: If your bartender poisons two patrons, try to come up with a better quote than: "I hate that anybody gets hospitalized at your place of business." I rarely counsel anyone to say "no comment," but maybe in this case, it would have been for the best. Yeah, if you own a restaurant, I'd say people landing in the hospital after a visit would rank right up there with a late-night fire and a cook with tuberculosis -- even if it is named Doc's.

At least the two poisoned customers are going to live ... at least long enough to become the new owners of the Gumbo Grille and fire a certain bartender.

3 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 6:27 PM
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Double Gasp Monday

Two stories that cannot pass without mention here on Double Gasp Monday.

No. 1 -- Matt Steals from Kathy?!?

Say it ain't so ... Kathy Griffin is apparently spilling the beans on her ex-husband, Matt Moline: (The link is from gay.com, so if you're at work, maybe you want to wait until you get home to read the full story.)

E Online reports that in an upcoming taped episode of "Larry King Live," Griffin goes on record citing the reason for the divorce -- Her husband, she says, was stealing from her.

"My ex-husband, without my knowledge, was sneaking into my wallet when I was asleep in the mornings and taking my ATM cards from my private accounts and withdrawing money ... that money totaled $72,000," she reportedly tells King.

Griffin reportedly goes on to explain that even though Moline admitted and apologized for the theft, Griffin chose to finalize the divorce this past May because of lack of trust. "Recently, our divorce became final because we couldn't get through the trust issue," she tells King.

If the story is true, then we know what her Main Gays told her: "Girl, dump that zero and get with a hero."

No. 2: Jacko Says No to Gay Porn

From the "Clearly Ironic Department" comes this gem from the Michael Jackson civil trial over a royalty dispute:

Michael Jackson had no idea in November 2001 that the man he had hired to produce a recording to benefit victims of the Sept. 11 attacks had produced gay pornographic movies, the singer's former lawyer testified Monday.

Zia Modabber said he told Jackson about F. Marc Schaffel's background and met with the pop star to show him a video of Schaffel directing a gay porn scene.

"Can you describe Mr. Jackson's reaction?" asked Thomas Mundell, who is defending Jackson against Schaffel's claims that the pop star still owes him $1.6 million in unpaid loans, royalties and other debts.

"I think he didn't want to believe it was real or true," Modabber said in Superior Court. "He appeared angry, upset."

Um, yeah. Jesus Juice and straight porn is fine when you're alone with 12-year-old boys. But just say no to two consenting adults. Insert (cough, cough) your own Michael Jackson joke here.

3 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 8:56 PM
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Cocktail of the Week: Korean Madman Edition

That midget with the trailer-park hair is at it again.

North Korea threatened Japan on Friday for imposing sanctions after it test-fired missiles this week, but the United States said even China, the communist state's closest ally, considered the launch a provocative act.

As President Bush tried to line up a united diplomatic response to the launchings, South Korea announced it would hold ministerial talks with the North as scheduled next week, the first high-level contact with Pyongyang since the July 4th tests.

Asked at a news conference in Chicago on Friday if a military option was on the table regarding North Korea, Bush sidestepped the question saying: "We want to solve all problems diplomatically."

"I don't know what the man's intentions are," Bush said referring to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. "Is he trying to force us to do something by defying the world?"

At BaT, we have one idea of how to respond. But since that would kill millions of innocent people who are under the boot of this tinhorn dictator, maybe we should just get him drunk, kidnap him and ship him off to Siberia. Which brings us to this edition of Cocktail of the Week. (Funny how we always have a convenient transition, huh?)

It's an appropriately named drink, too: The Nut Case.

Ingredients

2 oz. light rum
1 1/2 oz. amaretto
1 1/2 oz. frangelico
3/4 oz. Rose's sweetened lime juice

Instructions

Shake with ice. Strain into old-fashioned glass on the rocks. (Amaretto is made from almonds and frangelico from hazelnuts, hence the name.)

Give him a few of these and his little fat face will be face-down in the East Asian snow. And we know he drinks, thanks to this Wikipedia photo of him toasting one of the most horrid Cabinet members ever.

So, cheers, you fat-headed bastard! And to you, too, Kim Jong.

1 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 4:53 PM
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Mayor Of The World: President Of The U.S.?

Is it Giuliani time -- for real, not some made-up sensationalism? When the Old Left starts lining up against you, you can be damn sure they consider you a threat:

On the other side of the coin, they have had to ignore the mountain of data attesting to Mr. Giuliani's astounding success, beginning in 1993, in restoring lawfulness, order and energy to a city caught in a relentlessly downward spiral--and this, long before, demonstrating authority and compassion, he leapt into the hearts of Americans everywhere in the aftermath of 9/11. The fact that there is a niche market for a product like "Giuliani Time" should perhaps rather be seen as further evidence that today, five years after September 11, the former mayor's star continues to burn brightly in the national political firmament --a s far as the Angry Left is concerned, much too brightly for comfort.

I am intrigued by a Giuliani candidacy. His hawkish mentality toward terrorism, global rogues and crime -- and his more moderate (some would say liberal) attitudes toward social issues -- appeal to the middle (as defined in today's terms) of the political spectrum. In an uncertain and argumentative time, he may strike the perfect note.

Helping to burnish Mr. Giuliani's image around the country have been, ironically, a number of major disasters in which the sort of calming hand he demonstrated in New York has been sorely missed. One of them was the London subway bombing of July 2005; another, not two months later, was Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans and whole swaths of the American South. Although Mr. Giuliani said very little about either of these events, he did not need to say much. His presence in London during the subway attack (he had earlier been made an honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire) summoned fresh recollections, for the British and for television viewers worldwide, of his commanding role in the aftermath of September 11. As Katrina unfolded, he was the figure to whom the hapless politicians of Louisiana were most often unfavorably compared. Former Clinton White House adviser David Gergen was not alone in lamenting about Katrina that "you can't tell who's running anything. I mean, there's no Rudy Giuliani in this story."

Those of us outside New York City are waiting to see what a prolonged campaign holds for Giuliani, and whether his message plays in the primaries.

But what about 2008? Are Mr. Giuliani's prospects real, and is he indeed a contender? More particularly, what are his chances in a Republican field where he might well be handicapped by his reputation not as a reactionary right-winger but, to the contrary, as a social and cultural liberal, especially on such issues as abortion, gay fights and immigration? ...

Like Eisenhower in 1952 (the last election year without an incumbent in the race), Mr. Giuliani brings a record of genuine, copiously documented and broadly recognized achievement. His star status, together with that record of substantive achievement, gives him leeway to transcend ordinary political categories. In particular, his combination of a wonkish, even Clinton-like, passion for addressing real problems--so much on display during his mayoralty -- with a Reagan-like ability to articulate not only the implacable nature of America's enemies but the glory and promise of the American dream -- so much on display in the wake of 9/11 -- makes him an immoderate centrist, one whose appeal will continue to cross party lines.

Mr. Giuliani's well-earned reputation for aptitude and proficiency can likewise serve him well with swing voters who have lost faith in George W. Bush's competency. He could even be that rare Republican able to bring into play the overwhelmingly Democratic states of California and New York; this alone could make him a formidable candidate in 2008.

With the likelihood the Democrats will push further to the Left in their 2008 primary season, a middle-ground Republican can easily win -- if he or she makes it to the general election.

Rudy: The New Ike? I'm liking the sound of that more and more.

P.S.: If you're interested in following Giuliani closer, this blog has all the Rudy scoop. (And debunks the McCain-is-the-frontrunner mentality.)

1 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 5:15 PM
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The Price Of Being Popular

Author and columnist Christopher Hitchens (a Brit) offers his take on world opinion polls, such as those we discussed earlier this week:

Nonetheless, and despite the absurdity and hysteria of much of what is said and believed, we seem almost ready for a poll of Americans on what they think the rest of the world thinks of them in opinion polls, where the "finding" would be that most of those Americans polled think that most other people polled think they stink.

There are several possible responses to this.

One of them -- no doubt to be found in the presumed "red states" -- is to say "who gives a flying flip?" Another is not to surrender to impressionism, and to do some work of one's own.

Large numbers in India, for example (another multiethnic federal and secular democracy), report highly favorable views of the U.S.

A very important poll in Iran (where polling is illegal) found that a huge majority of Iranians considered better relations with America to be the single most urgent priority. One of those who conducted the survey was a former American embassy hostage-taker, who was jailed for publishing his findings. ...

Which goes to show that you can't please everybody.

It also goes to show that you probably shouldn't try. A country that attempted to be in everybody's good books would be quite paralyzed. The last time everybody said they liked the United States (or said that they said they liked the United States) was just after Sept. 11, when the nation was panicked and traumatized and trying to count its dead. Well, no thanks. This is too high a price to be paid for being popular.

Measurements of opinion are in any event static, and they assume passivity, and a consensus upon knowledge. If you had asked people in 2001 whether they thought it was likely that Afghans and Iraqis would be holding free elections in a couple of years (not that any polling group ever did even suggest such a question), I doubt you would have got a very good response. And how, in any case, could people have known enough to know what they were supposedly talking about?

Or, as another Brit once said: "There is no such thing as public opinion. There is only published opinion." (But at least it's fun for debate; I've enjoyed the exchanges here over the past few days.)

P.S.: More here on a previous assessment of world opinions toward America.

4 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 3:25 PM
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Happy Fourth of July

2 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 6:09 PM
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Purrrrrrrrrr-fic Timing

It will be the Fourth of July is less than an hour -- and along comes this article about a poll of British citizens and their opinions of America:

People in Britain view the United States as a vulgar, crime-ridden society obsessed with money and led by an incompetent president whose Iraq policy is failing, according to a newspaper poll.

The United States is no longer a symbol of hope to Britain and the British no longer have confidence in their transatlantic cousins to lead global affairs, according to the poll published in The Daily Telegraph.

The YouGov poll found that 77 percent of respondents disagreed with the statement that the US is "a beacon of hope for the world".

As Americans prepared to celebrate the 230th anniversary of their independence on Tuesday, the poll found that only 12 percent of Britons trust them to act wisely on the global stage. This is half the number who had faith in the Vietnam-scarred White House of 1975.

A massive 83 percent of those questioned said that the United States doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks.

Let me begin by saying that I doubt the validity of this poll. First, it appeared in The Daily Telegraph -- a notoriously anti-American British newspaper. Second, it was distributed on the wire by Agence France-Presse, or AFP -- a notoriously anti-American French news agency. Third, the "journalism" practiced here fails to cover the most basic tenent when writing about polls: The wire story doesn't discuss how it was conducted.

Fourth, if you do look at the poll itself, you'll find it was conducted by YouGov, which -- as this Wikipedia entry notes -- uses "responses from an invited group of Internet users, and then to filter these responses in line with demographic information." This methodology is up for debate: "Critics argue that, as around 40% of the public do not have access to the Internet, its samples cannot accurately reflect the views of the population as a whole. YouGov has contended that its opinion polls in recent UK elections ... have been consistently more accurate than traditional opinion pollsters."

I have several British friends, and while they may look down upon their American cousins from time to time, they are not idiots. And anyone who says the rest of the world doesn't look to the United States as a "beacon of hope" is an idiot. But if there are such idiots, we should put them on TV. Then maybe we wouldn't have to build that wall.

But just in case this is legit ...

To that 83 percent who say Americans don't care what the rest of the world thinks ... well, damn right. In the spirit of Jack McCafferty, who as a teenager fought the Redcoats alongside other members of the Pennsylvania Line, we stopped giving a flying flip what you thought about the same time Samuel Adams and his boys threw your Earl Grey into the harbor.

Happy Fourth everyone!

6 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 9:08 PM
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Shameless Plug For Travel Advice

A friend and I are planning a trip to Los Angeles in early August. We've decided to stay in West Hollywood at least part of the time. We've identified a few hotels in the area. If you have any information about them, please leave a comment:

-- Chamberlain West Hollywood
-- Hyatt West Hollywood
-- Le Montrose
-- Grafton on Sunset
-- Le Parc

Also, I assume we'll be renting a car, so we can travel to other parts of the area. Good idea or not?

5 comments Jake McCafferty last posted at 9:44 AM
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Cocktail of the Week -- Founding Fathers Edition

Tuesday marks America's Independence Day. On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted to declare the American colonies' independence from the British Crown. Two days later, on July 4, Congress voted to issue the Declaration of Independence:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty, to ourselves and Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

The vote in Philadelphia on that Fourth of July was celebrated with readings of the declarations and bonfires.

It was not until two years later that the Fourth became our kind of "spirited" -- when the Continental Army's commander-in-chief, George Washington, ordered a double ration of rum for his solidiers to celebrate.

With the great general in mind, BaT presents a cocktail celebrating both the Father of Our Country -- and poking a pinky finger in the eye of our friends across the pond: The Washington Apple.

Ingredients

1 oz. Crown Royal (Get it? OK, so it's Canadian ... close enough. :-p)
1 oz. Sour Apple Pucker
1 splash cranberry juice

Instructions

Shake with ice and strain into a chilled shot glass.

P.S.: This cocktail is dedicated to BaT visitor No. 15,000, who graced us with his/her/its presence at 12:15:58 a.m. Central today. The ISP is blocked, so I can only determine that the visitor was in the United States and is on Pacific time. If you came in from Ethan's Brat Boy Partners page about that time, we're talking to you!

Regardless, thanks to everyone who visits, whether you were visitor 14,999 (South Elgin, Illinois), visitor 15,001 (Houston, Texas) or any of my fine friends from Portugal, Egypt, Finland, Egypt, Dubai, Austria, Thailand or France who all came to BaT today. Did the United Nations link to me or what? And, of course, my appreciation to the regular visitors and commentors, who you can visit by checking out the blog roll on the left.

Cheers!