Oot and Aboot (That's Canadian, In Case You're Wonderin')...

We lost one…

HAGATNA, Guam -- A B-2 stealth bomber crashed Saturday at an air base on Guam, but both pilots ejected safely and were in good condition, the Air Force said.

It was the first crash of a B-2 bomber, said Capt. Sheila Johnston, a spokeswoman for Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.

And then there were only 20. Losing even one hurts, when you consider they cost $1.2 billion, each. Still, it was bound to happen at some point. The great good thing is both pilots got out alive and are doing well. It could have been worse, as it’s said.

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So then ya know what happened? This: “Official apology after CIA 'torture' jets used UK base.” Excerpt:

The Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, had to make a humiliating apology to the Commons after it emerged that the US failed to tell British officials that two CIA rendition flights carrying suspected terrorists landed on the island of Diego Garcia in 2002. Six years on, one of the suspects is still being held by the US at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. The other has been released.

Mr Miliband denied there was a deliberate cover-up and said he believed the US had acted "in good faith". However, Gordon Brown, attending an EU summit in Brussels, expressed his "disappointment" and said Washington's failure to disclose the flights earlier was "a very serious issue".

That’s from The Independent, the British left-wing fishwrap that is otherwise (in)famous as the print home of columnist and pundit Robert Fisk, Moonbat Extraordinaire. C-SPAN (God Love ‘Em!) ran the entire “apology” yesterday as delivered by Mr. Milibland in the House of Commons. The broadcast lasted about an hour and I was privileged to watch it in its entirety.

The thing that struck me as supremely odd was watching the US Gub’mint being articulately defended by the Labour Party (!) against vociferous attacks from Conservatives (!!) and Liberal-Democrats (not surprising at all). Those of you who don’t keep up with Brit politics might well say “So?” Well, just imagine John Kerry or Teddy Kennedy holding forth in the Senate and defending Dubya, or the actions of his administration. Yesterday’s spectacle in the Commons was the same sort of thing and just goes to prove it’s all about politics, anywhere and everywhere. The party out of power will do whatever is required to put the party in power in a bad light. So much for “principles.”

I sure do miss Dame Maggie.

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Oh, shit. This hurts, Gentle Reader:

Today that term is all around Barack Obama — perhaps because there seems so little other way to explain how a first-term senator has managed to dazzle his way to front-runner in the race for the presidency, how he walks on water for so many supporters, and how the mere suggestion that he is, say, mortal, risks vehement objection, or at least exposing the skeptic as deeply uncool.

I don’t care if this is propeller-beanie wearing, egghead analysis, or even the fact that it appears in the NYT…which, as we all know, is…umm… partisan. Simply knowing that one is considered to be “uncool” in certain circles is, well, uncool. But it’s a badge of sorts, and one I’ll wear with pride.

It appears I’m not the only person who’s uncool, though. According to the WaPo, anyway. Excerpt:

It's the nature of the Web -- and, really, of life. What goes up must come down. What's popular becomes too popular. What's seen as hip and hot and cool eventually gets mocked.

Even, yes, Barack Obama.

In recent days, sites have popped up indicating that the ongoing online Obamamania has hit a wall. What kind of wall? A snarky, ironic, this-Obama-thing-has-gotten-over-the-top wall. Obama's smiling mug is mashed up on countless faces on SenatorObamas.com. He's Sumobama. He's Pharaohbama. He's Navajobama, complete with a blue-and-white feathered headdress. The blog Is Barack Obama the Messiah? features a photo of the Illinois senator standing on a flight of stairs, Christlike, above an adoring crowd while a ray of light beams from above.

And on the aptly titled Web site BarackObamaIsYourNewBicycle.com, the candidate caters to all your needs: Barack Obama made your bed . . . Barack Obama folded your laundry . . . Barack Obama picked you up at the airport . . . Barack Obama remembered your birthday . . . Barack Obama is your new bicycle . . .

That's funny ha, ha. And funny ouch.

Heh. It was just a matter of time, really. There’s more at the link.

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Much ado about nothing much… Wherein Our Illustrious Guv’nor is (supposedly) being run hard by the Democrat contenders for his endorsement. The NYT:

Mr. Richardson’s transition from supplicant to benefactor provides a glimpse into a rarefied theater of political persuasion. Within hours of his exit from the race, he received calls from Mrs. Clinton, Mr. Obama and John Edwards. Mr. Clinton, who as president made him United Nations ambassador and then energy secretary, called him even before his withdrawal was announced. All of them wished Mr. Richardson the best and told him he had run a great race and, oh, by the way, “we need you.”

And they promised to be in touch.

“I want to make it clear that I’m not annoyed by any of this,” Mr. Richardson said of the repeated overtures.

[…]

Since ending his own run for the White House, Mr. Richardson has entered what he calls “a period of decompression.” He has grown a beard, ridden his beloved horse, Sundance, and started going to art museums around New Mexico again and to boxing matches in Las Vegas. He is sleeping about seven hours a night, up from four on the campaign trail, yet somehow looks more tired, as if the accumulated wear of the last year has taken residence in his eyes.

“I’m not annoyed…” That, Gentle Reader, may be the understatement of the day. Well, sorta. Note there’s precious little about Richardson concentrating on the business of running New Mexico… instead we have Billy riding his horse, trekking up to Vegas, and hanging out in art museums, which may or may not explain the new beard. I suppose that’s what he does best.

I could see where a Clinton-Richardson ticket would make good sense, less so where Barack is concerned. Either one would possibly benefit from Richardson’s endorsement, with emphasis on the “possibly.” As for me, personally? I’d just like to see Richardson out of Santa Fe, for what that’s worth.

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The graphic above is evidence of another one of those “was it something I said?” moments here at EIP. I first mentioned the phenomenon last summer. I still feel the same way… even though this latest drop off leaves me in a better overall position, traffic-wise, than when I first blogged about precipitous drop-offs.

This most recent freefall is due, in part, to the extraordinary amount of folks who hit EIP on V-Day looking for creepy valentines… note the significant upward spike in traffic on 2/14. After that it’s all downhill. Makes ya wonder… even considering a lot of folks are using RSS these days.

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It’s supposed to be warm here on The High Plains today…approaching, if not exceeding 70 degrees… if the weather materializes as forecasted. Warm, however, ain’t everything. Especially when one has gale-force winds accompanying said warmth. And gale-force winds are what we have, Gentle Reader.

We be rockin’ here at El Casa Móvil De Pennington. And how.

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Today’s Pics: …are from Beautiful-Sinop-By-The-Sea. That would be by the Black Sea, Gentle Reader. Sinop has history, and lots of it. The town, like most towns that stretch back to medieval times and long before, was entirely surrounded by fortifications. The city walls are still extant and were in remarkable shape when I was there, given the age of the fortifications…which stretch back to Roman times and earlier. They also happen to be fully accessible and are wonderful places to play, if you’re of a mind to climb and don’t mind picking your way through and around various and sundry obstacles.

The first pic shows a portion of the city wall, viewed from the Yeni Hotel. The second shot was taken on the wall itself, and bears looking at in its larger version. Coz there’s detail, and lots of it, Gentle Reader.