A best line and more

“If Republicans in this election vote in such a way as to say a candidate’s personal life and personal conduct in office doesn’t matter, then a lot of Christian evangelical leaders owe Bill Clinton a public apology.”

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, a minister, who’s running for president himself. Guess he’s thinking about Rudy and Newt and St. McCain.

At Functional Ambivalent, Tom takes the side of the grumpy tourist who wouldn’t give the Starbuck’s barista his name.

Dan Neil gets to drive a Formula 1 car.

Some come to Vegas to visit the town’s fleshpots or to enrich its fleecing parlors, or simply to pass out by the pool. But in a nation obsessed with cars, sex, speed, diversion and the unholy mingling of same, it’s no surprise that the city of demiurges has become a major destination for people who want to get their wheel freak on.

Here you can rent a Ferrari by the hour, drive a rooster-tailing sand buggy, go roundy-round on the Las Vegas speedway in a 650-horsepower stock car, learn to ride the sickest racing motorcycle the deviants at Honda or Ducati can devise.

At the top of this particular pile of coin-operated thrills, however, is LRS Formula USA, a company that sells mere mortals the chance to wedge, and I do mean wedge, themselves into an full-on, honest-to-Odin F1 car.

“I don’t have little cars,” says LRS principal Pierre-Louis Moroni. “They’re not toys. These are as close to a race-ready F1 car as you can drive, unless you buy one yourself.”

Neil goes on to relate his experience — he’s so low to the ground and the car is so finely suspended, “I could read a newspaper if I ran over it.” $3,395 for four laps if you’re interested.

Glenn Greenwald reports on conversations National Review‘s Ramesh Ponnuru had with Cato Institute’s President Ed Crane.

Crane asked if Romney believed the president should have the authority to arrest U.S. citizens with no review. Romney said he would want to hear the pros and cons from smart lawyers before he made up his mind.

Crane said that he had asked Giuliani the same question a few weeks ago. The mayor said that he would want to use this authority infrequently.

These gentlemen are running to be President of the United States and they are unable to express an understanding of the basic tenets of our Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Gasoline in San Francisco

Gasoline in Albuquerque is $2.65/2.75/2.85 a gallon. Buy your gas early in the day so you can save the several cents a gallon it will go up by nightfall. We need an election to get the price back down again. Photo from Crooks and Liars. Don’t you just love the persistence of the 9/10ths?

The new NewMexiKen design is a work-in-progress, but then isn’t everything?

6 thoughts on “A best line and more”

  1. I agree with Tom and do absolutely the same thing. When the clerk asks for my phone number, I say no! When they ask for a zip code I give the White House zip code (20500).

    What also gets me is when I need to sign for a $4 credit card purchase, or the clerk wants to check my ID. I ask, “how do they check ID for purchases online.” I have purchased cameras and PCs for several thousand dollars without any “verification” other than the little code on the card.

  2. Re F1 laps in Vegas: so now I have a second reason (after Penn and Teller) to visit Vegas.

    I’m so doing that if I win the lottery. Maybe even if I don’t win the lottery. 😉

  3. Ok, I must admit that I give false telephone numbers and names when asked at the counter; but this person at Starbucks was doing his job. If we, as the consumer, choose not to frequent these establishments that is our choice. So, let’s not get indignant at a minimum wage clerk.

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