Who, Exactly, Does Barbara Boxer Think She Is?

If you haven’t seen this video, have a look and see what you think.

I’m wondering why Barbara Boxer feels the need to interrupt a Brigadier General mid-sentence as he attempts to answer her direct question.

It was nice of the Senator to point out just how hard she’s worked advance her career. She has to attend fund-raising dinners! In high heels! That’s probably much harder than, say, going into harm’s way to protect spoiled, self-absorbed elected officials with delusions of grandeur.

Senator Boxer’s actions make it appear as though she feels she just might possibly be General Walsh’s superior in some way. I’m not sure where she would get an idea like that, since the U.S. Senate is outside the military chain of command. Really, when you get right down to it, the good Senator is just an employee of the people of the State of California, not a member of some super-elite ruling class or…princess.

Of course General Walsh was following military protocol by addressing Senator Boxer as “ma’am.” Various male senators had been addressed throughout the day as “sir,” with no apparent hurt feelings.

From FoxNews.com:

…[Brigadier General Michael] Walsh surely meant no disrespect, as military protocol advises that officers may use “sir” or “ma’am” when addressing anybody higher than them on the chain of command.

“We would call them ‘sir’ or ‘ma’am’ or ‘senator such-and-such’,” Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nathan Banks said. Banks said any of those terms would be “appropriate” when addressing a senator.

According to one guide, the Navy and Coast Guard typically use “mister” or “miss” to address officers below the rank of commander, and “sir” or “ma’am,” or a specific title, to address anyone at that rank or higher.

“You can never go wrong by using ‘Sir’ or ‘Ma’am,’ but it is a nice touch if you can properly address a senior officer,” says the guide, Military Protocol: Uniformed Services. (Read the complete article.)

Regardless of her motivation, this exchange certainly doesn’t reflect poorly on the General. However it reveals Senator Boxer to be small, petty, childish and arrogant. So much for strong, confident women.

Did I already mention delusions of grandeur?

From now on, she’s just plain ol’ Babs to me.

Update: Chuck DeVore is running to unseat Barbara Boxer in 2010. Chuck is a solid conservative. You can help defeat Barbara Boxer by contributing to his campaign.

Huh.

It appears Dan Rather is still subject to occasional moments of lucidity.

Tehran, Twitter and Tianamen

Dear David Letterman

I used to occasionally watch and enjoy your show, especially your top ten segment. That is why it is so very distressing to me to realize you may have taken leave of your senses; specifically your sense of humor and your sense of propriety.

To help get you back on track, I’d like to offer a some simple tests you can use to determine if your jokes are actually funny or just in poor taste.

Test 1

Would you consider telling your joke to your mother or daughter? Or a nun? If not, your joke may not be funny. Proceed to Test 2.

Test 2

Would you consider telling the same joke about your wife, mother, sister or daughter? If not, there is a good chance that your joke is not funny. If you still have doubts, proceed to Test 3.

Test 3: Ultimate Litmus Test

Would you consider telling the same joke about Michelle Obama? Or about Sasha or Malia Obama? If not, your joke is not only not funny but has very likely passed beyond the bounds of decency. Anyone telling this joke should probably be banned from polite society.

Mr. Letterman, since you seem to be both humor and propriety impaired, I hope you make use of these simple tests when formulating your top ten lists in the future.

Sincerely,

Itsonlywords