CNN’s John King decided (or his boss did) to try inject an ice breaker into the debate. The only problem there was no ice to break. The Republicans in this debate were focused on one thing and one thing only, Beating Barack Obama. The most part they obeyed Reagan’s first commandment, or is it the 11th commandment? They did not go after each other.

Nevertheless John King thought it important that he introduce a new segment into presidential debates he called this or that. Not only was it stupid, it was annoying. But it didn’t provide a lot of entertainment on twitter last night.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCma3KUhB14

Now I have no idea what this has to do with the making of a great president or providing information to the general public about how any of these candidates would be a great president. But this is television and television never ceases to amaze me.

Editors note: I can’t believe I wasted 30 min. putting this together. Plus here’s the Twitter feed from last night. Very cool.

But my favorite is from Jim Geraghty:

Why is Sellers writing this story in such a way to imply this is extraordinary?

Last year Mark Zuckerberg set out to learn Chinese. Now he’s determined to get in touch with his food. If the goats, lobsters and chickens of Silicon Valley aren’t trembling, they should be.

Oh my, run! Everybody run!

It’s an odd dietary direction for the 27-year-old Internet billionaire, but since he has taken to killing goats, pigs and chickens, “I’m [Zuckerberg] eating a lot healthier foods.

Why is this an odd direction for Zuckerberg … or anyone else for that matter? After Zuckerberg let the news slip on his personal Facebook page, reaction from friends was described as a mix between “confusion, curiosity, and outright disgust.” More from his experience, with my emphasis in bold.

Zuckerberg’s guide on this strange journey has been a well-known Silicon Valley chef named Jesse Cool. She lives in Palo Alto, eight houses away from Zuckerberg, and owns a local restaurant called Flea Street Café. Cool has introduced Zuckerberg to nearby farmers and advised him as he killed his first chicken, pig, and goat. “He cut the throat of the goat with a knife, which is the most kind way to do it,” says Cool.

Killing is just the kickoff. After that, the dead creatures go to a butcher in Santa Cruz, who cuts them into parts. Zuckerberg and his longtime girlfriend, Priscilla, have been cooking what he slaughters, eating what many people would not dare consume. He recently ate a chicken, including the heart and liver, and used the feet to make stock.

Oh my…

Let’s call Sarah Palin! Maybe Palin or someone in her family can tutor Zuckerberg and his girlfrield on the fine art of dressing a chicken. Heck, even the Whole Foods (Reston, Va.) Facebook page has instructions on how to butcher a chicken.

The first video is a clip from last night CNN coverage. Wolf Blitzer is interviewing former Bush administration official Fran Townsend. He gets everything off to a good start by rubbing Townsend’s nose in it. Nice job Wolf. Oh and about the 1 min. mark, notice a comment that bleeds into the on-air broadcast. I’ve listened to this about 10 times and it sure sounds like a CNN producer, who apparently doesn’t know his Mike is feeding into the production, seems to drop a nice expletive deleted on Ms. Townsend.  You tell me. Either way, nice job CNN.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5v3cpS0RNE

The second video clip is an interview wealth. With Democrat Congressman Gary Ackerman. Ackerman couldn’t resist either. “ This is the mission accomplished moment George Bush only dreamed about.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngGt8RsRuCA

This is a great moment for all Americans and freedom loving people around the world that does transcend politics and it speaks volumes about at least some Democrats to turn a great moment into politics.

As for class, listen to Fran Townsend and Peter King here, give Obama his props.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9K-JKrPoZmQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1UKha9yoEw

Add to this the post from last night on Belgian medical workers evacuating and leaving the sick to suffer, it’s become an embarrassment.

Earthquake victims, writhing in pain and grasping at life, watched doctors and nurses walk away from a field hospital Friday night after a Belgian medical team evacuated the area, saying it was concerned about security.

The decision left CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta as the only doctor at the hospital to get the patients through the night.

Read the whole thing. It will sicken you.

This is precisely why when my family donated to the cause in Haiti we chose Catholic Relief Services.They have been there for decades, the church itself, for centuries. The nuns and priests don’t run from danger. Instead they run hospitals, schools and orphanages 24/7. They are not temporary missions but permanent parts of the Haitian people’s lives for decades on decades.

After the quake hit CRS immediately pledge $5 million. Immediately. That was more than the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the EU. No hesitation. Not remarkable really because the church is such an integral part of Haiti but one would think a commitment like that would get a little more press. The ignorance of the media is sometimes stunning. With the exception of CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta who deserves a medal.

While you may not be Catholic I urge you if you have not given, to consider CSR. It is and will be there long after all the others are gone with an extensive network of schools and hospitals. And overhead … in this case all money goes to Haiti.

Allahpundit over at Hot Air has more if you are interested, but hear is the headline and a sample from CNN’s Political Ticker.

CNN Poll: Obama approval under 50 percent
President Obama’s job approval rating has slipped below 50 percent according to a new CNN poll.

Washington (CNN) – Support for President Barack Obama’s Afghanistan policy is fairly high, but that hasn’t stopped his approval rating from dropping below 50 percent for the first time in a CNN poll.

According to a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation national survey released Friday, 48 percent of Americans approve of the job Obama’s doing as president, with 50 percent disapproving. The 48 percent approval is a 7 point drop in approval from last month.

“The poll indicates that the biggest drop in approval comes from non college educated white voters,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “That’s one indication among many that Obama’s growing unpopularity may be more related to unemployment and the poor economy.”

The same poll had Obama’s approval ratings in the 60s between mid-February and late-June, with a significant drop in August and another this month. The CNN poll results have been posted online.

No matter what the Hollywood left thinks, 62 percent favor Obama’s push to send 30,000 additional troops to Afghanistan, and 46 percent “favor” the war in Afghanistan. (I don’t like those questions.) 59 percent think it was a bad idea to announce the withdrawal policy at this time.

61 percent do not think conditions on the ground will be good enough to start removing troops in July 2011. 64 percent blame Bush for the current situation in Afghanistan and 34 percent would still blame Bush if things did not improve by July 2011.

We don’t have the internals, so we do not know what the liberal/conservative break down is from the poll. Take them all with a grain or two of salt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF7vfyVoNkE

Uh oh ,,, well Wolf won’t let go … good boy Wolf … bad boy Falcon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxtFXtiUbbw

Hmmm … “Yeah, umm, let me just interrupt this because I see the direction you guys are hedging on this …”, says Dad. Well, yes, we do have a direction, and as a former TV reporter I would be heading in the same direction. If there’s nothing to hide here, answer the question, “What did Falcon mean when he said we did this for the show.” If I were a parent I would want to know too.

Something smells here. I’m just saying is all. Of course it could all be cleared up if the parents would answer the question. You make the call.

Update: Apparently the police want to question both the parents and the boy again … separately. No, I am not for that. Falcon is 6 and should have his parents with him. Nope not for that. Will try and get an update on that one.

Update: (Steve) This morning on CBS’s Early Show, the interviewer asked about what Falcon said. The dad responded that he did not hear Falcon say what he said on the air due to the ear wig. Supposedly, right after the first family interview, a videographer had asked Falcon to show him how he got into the attic and he did so, crawling up there for a camera – for a TV show. During the interview with Wolf, supposedly Falcon was referring to his actions for the media videographer.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjl_3EtVj0U

I am sure this kind of media adoration will end at some point and we can get down to governing and watching the governors … but it sure shows little sign of stopping at CNN

Here’s Jack Cafferty on the Situation Room at 5 p.m. describing a weapon-carrying man at a rally in Arizona. I actually agree with Jack that bringing the weapon to a rally as a “statement” is a silly stupid idea. A weapon in public should only be carried in defense … not as a form of protest. It’s not a prop or a toy.

BUT, Jack doesn’t say this. It’s just … well … scary.

Some points to remember as you watch. An AR 15 is not, repeat, is not an automatic weapon. Automatic weapons are illegal and I believe the new AR 15′s cannot be converted into automatic weapons. You can’t squeeze off shots any faster than a Baretta 45 or a S&W MP 45 or a Glock or … well you name the handgun.

Edited to add (Steve): The National Firearms Act (NFA) from 1934 rules apply when it comes to automatic weapons. You can buy a fully automatic weapon if you fill out the right forms with the federal government, go through the background check and pay a $200 stamp tax on each weapon you want to buy. Surprised? Of course, there are no “new” select-fire weapons on the market and you can’t just go out and order one either, you’re restricted to pre-ban weapons and they are not cheap, and very regulated. I’ll try to post more about this subject in the future.

Secondly, distance is irrelevant. The man is carrying open in a crowd.

But CNN is playing to an audience that will believe this crap, unfortunately.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30UgZcSIqGM

To Jack’s credit … he got corrected … and thus he corrected the errors at the end of the hour. How many saw it? Good question. More importantly, why would Jack shoot off his mouth without checking first?  Damage done … nothing to see here … move along.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKf-fCuoib8

It now appears the whole thing was a setup … Rick Sanchex yesterday interviewed the “reporter”, Earnest Hancock, who talked with the man carrying the AR 15. Sanchex of course, is aghast. While Hancock does not give and inch. The “good stuff” comes about 3 minutes in.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIeveXvcXPU

Update: This story is picking up steam this morning … and you gun owners are the target. This from the Washington Post. To the president’s credit, he says he defends their right. But the rest of the article is filled with hysteria … or is it? (emphasis mine)

Anti-gun campaigners disagreed with Gibbs’s comments, voicing fears that volatile debates over health-care reform are more likely to turn violent if gun control is not enforced.

“What Gibbs said is wrong,” said Paul Helmke, president of the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. “Individuals carrying loaded weapons at these events require constant attention from police and Secret Service officers. It’s crazy to bring a gun to these events. It endangers everybody.”

The past week has seen a spate of men carrying firearms while milling outside meetings Obama has held to defend his health-care reform effort. On Monday, a man with an AR-15 semiautomatic assault rifle strapped to his shoulder was outside a veterans’ event in Phoenix. He was one of a dozen men who reportedly had guns outside the forum.

Phoenix police made no arrests, saying Arizona law allows weapons to be carried in the open.

I guess the implication here is that there should be a law. I think these folks are hurting 2nd Amendment advocates, but that’s just me. You make the call. Agree or disagree. Take the poll.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G3fvNhdoc0

But wait there’s more (I love that line). Here’s Anderson Cooper ridiculing you. “Tea bagging”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I64Ed5iLu4M

Oh and here’s one more … From Pundit and Pundett, CNN analyst and White House consultant, Paul Begala thinks you are a bunch of wimpy whiny weasels.

But wait there’s more. Nancy Pelosi calls it … “Astroturf”, not grassroots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P44q7Jt68DA

I need to take a moment to explain astroturfing. Astroturfing is a faux grassroots movement. Rallies not organized by the people but rather put together by paid political organizations, labor unions busing members, Acorn rounding up 4o protesters in Connecticut, Political action committees gathering their members to protest … oh I don’t know … plastic bags. Astroturf. Got it.

Oh and before I go … those tea parties … haven’t really caught on … so says Chuck Todd. From Newsbusters.

By the way … big thanks to Instapundit for pointing me to the source on this stuff … Netrightnation.