Will Arlen Sphincter break his anti-tax pledge to pass health care ??

Obviously a rhetorical question as Snarlin' Arlen is loyal to nobody but himself. But passage of ChapaquiddiCare has put this douchebag in a tight spot:

The Senate healthcare bill presents a tricky political challenge to Sens. Ben Nelson (Neb.) and Arlen Specter (Pa.), the only two Democrats in the Senate to have signed anti-tax pledges.

Americans for Tax Reform, the group which persuaded Nelson and Specter to sign the pledge, will press both lawmakers on the issue during next month’s Senate healthcare debate, putting them in an awkward position.

“If they vote for this bill as the written it violates the pledge,” said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform, in an interview.

The $848 billion piece of legislation would extend health insurance coverage to an additional 31 million Americans and would impose new taxes and tax increases. An analysis by Republicans on the Senate Budget Committee estimates the bill would raise taxes by $494 billion.

My money is on the slimy Dem-turned-Repub-turned-back-to-Dem coming up with some explanation for why his violation of the pledge isn't really a violation. In fact, Senator "Not Proven" has already had his staff lay the ground work:

Specter was unavailable for comment but an aide said the Pennsylvania lawmaker has repeatedly stated that he is committed to voting for a fiscally responsible bill that does not add to the deficit.

Are the Navy SEALs being punished ??

Retribution for rescuing Captain Phillips of the Maersk Alabama from Somali pirates?? Sean Linnane (a retired SEAL) seems to think so.

At the time of the capture, the media played up the angle that President Obama himself gave the order to the SEAL snipers to open fire. Having done extensive time in anti-terrorist units myself, I can tell you from personal experience this is ridiculous, a total fabrication. Nobody except those with “eyes on” the targeted individuals can make the judgment call to open fire.

The truth of the situation was that the SEALs were held off from infiltrating the AO (Area of Operations) for over 36 hours. There was a lot of resistance from the White House in letting them in theater in the first place; once they were in place they were given very restrictive ROE (Rules Of Engagement); so restrictive that they really couldn’t engage their targets. There were two previous opportunities to rescue Captain Phillips, and they were not allowed to engage their targets.

When they finally did execute, they did so by liberally interpreting the ROE; the onsite commander finally had enough with the situation and gave them a weapons-free command and they were able to engage and rescue Captain Phillips. The fallout from the National Command Authority was immediate and extremely unpleasant; the White House did not want the rescue to be conducted in the way that it was.

So the word on the street is that this latest development is payback for the SEALs violating the ROE in rescuing the captain of the Maersk Alabama. The Chain of Command is asserting itself, letting everybody know what’s going to happen to you if you don’t follow orders.

H/T - Hot Air

Yet another Obama promise reaches its expiration date

This time it's health care for illegals:

Hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants could receive health care coverage from their employers under the bills winding their way through Congress, despite President Obama's explicit pledge that illegal immigrants would not benefit.

The House bill mandates, and the Senate bill strongly encourages, businesses to extend health care coverage to all employees. But the bills do not have exemptions to screen out illegal immigrants, who usually obtain jobs by using false identities and are indistinguishable from legal workers.

Graphic evidence of Team Obama's lack of experience

Seems that team O lacks any private sector (a/k/a real world) experience.


Swell!! Just what you want for President with ZERO executive experience in any sector. Especially since this is the team he is expected to turn to for advice.

Why, one might even say it's "unprecedented".

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Be careful out there and try not to do anything like that shown in these videos

Ho-ho-hobama

Get ready for the Oprah-Obama Christmas special:

The queen of daytime will interview the president of the country during an ABC holiday special that brings together Oprah Winfrey and Barack Obama.

The network has announced "Christmas at the White House: An Oprah Primetime Special," which includes an interview with the president, a conversation with the First Couple and tour of the White House. The special will also go behind-the-scenes as staffers prepare the White House for the holiday season.

The special marks the first time Winfrey has interviewed Obama since he took office. "Christmas at the White House" will air Sunday, Dec. 13, at 10 p.m.

Guess the White House feels that Barry needs some exposure.

Here's a thought exercise: What would be the media response to an opulent Christmas celebration in the Bush White House when unemployment is 10% and we have two ongoing wars ??

UPDATE: Link corrected -- I will blame this on our staff editor who will receive a 50% cut in pay.

Politico notices that the White House can't get over itself

Carol Lee notes the unprecedented use of "unprecedented":

The Obama White House is addicted to the “unprecedented.”

Perhaps it was a sign when President Barack Obama sat down in January to record his first weekly address and announced: “We begin this year and this administration in the midst of an unprecedented crisis that calls for unprecedented action."

What has followed is declaration after declaration of “unprecedented” milestones. Some of them are legitimate firsts, like the president’s online town hall at the White House in May.

But others the president wins merely on a technicality, and several clearly already have precedents.
.....
But at times Obama’s use of “unprecedented” is questionable.

Obama has said he “took office amid unprecedented economic turmoil” and that the situation demanded “unprecedented international cooperation” and resulted in his signing of the “unprecedented" Recovery Act. Yet it seems the Great Depression and the New Deal might be considered precedents for the current economic crisis and the $787 billion stimulus plan.

And Obama’s promise of “an unprecedented effort to root out waste and inefficiency” sounded a lot like promises of past presidents.

“I believe the Congress and the American people approve my goals of economy and efficiency,” President Lyndon B. Johnson told Congress in 1965. “I believe they are as opposed to waste as I am. We can and will eliminate it.”

Of course his spending IS unprecedented.

How NOT to fight a war

Three Navy SEALs are facing a court martial because in capturing the most-wanted terrorist in Iraq, the terrorist got a bloody lip:

Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.

The three, all members of the Navy's elite commando unit, have refused non-judicial punishment — called an admiral's mast — and have requested a trial by court-martial.

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Now, instead of being lauded for bringing to justice a high-value target, three of the SEAL commandos, all enlisted, face assault charges and have retained lawyers.

Here's a thought: next time, spare our guys the legal jeopardy and just call in a Hellfire missile.

Oops, he did it again!

Obama just can't help himself. Somebody (aren't there protocol officers at State??) PLEASE stop him; it's embarrassing already.

SNL discovers that Obama ain't all that

Finally, it's okay to mock Dear Leader



"All of your plans to save money involve spending even more money. This does not inspire confidence." No, it sure doesn't!!

Richard Milhous Obama

Just like Tricky Dick, it seems Obama has developed both an enemies list and a reflexive instinct to engage in coverups. At least it looks that way in light of revelations of the firing of AmeriCorps Inspector General, Gerald Walpin.

If you recall, after Walpin was fired, we were told it was based upon complaints about Walpin's performance and suggestions of senility. Well, now it looks like those "reasons" were solicited after the decision to fire him had already been made.

The new documents support the Republican investigators' conclusion that the White House's explanation for Walpin's dismissal -- that it came after the board of the Corporation for National and Community Service, which oversees AmeriCorps, unanimously decided that Walpin must go -- was in fact a public story cobbled together after Walpin was fired, not before.

Walpin was axed on the evening of June 10, when he received a call from Norman Eisen, the special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform, who told Walpin he had one hour either to resign or be fired. The next day, congressional Republicans, led by Grassley, objected, charging that Walpin's dismissal violated a recently-passed law requiring the president to give Congress 30 days' notice before dismissing an inspector general.

Pressed for the reason Walpin was fired, Eisen told House and Senate aides that the White House conducted an "extensive review" of complaints about Walpin’s performance before deciding to dismiss him. According to the new report, Eisen told Congress that "his investigation into the merits of removing Gerald Walpin involved contacting members of the Corporation for National and Community Service [CNCS] board to confirm the existence of a 'consensus' in favor of removal." But Republican investigators later discovered that during that "extensive review," the White House did not even seek the views of the corporation's board -- the very people whose "consensus" purportedly led to Walpin's firing.

Other than board chairman Alan Solomont, the Democratic mega-donor and Obama supporter who originally told the White House of his dissatisfaction with Walpin, "no member of the CNCS board had any substantive input about whether the removal of Gerald Walpin was appropriate," according to the report. Only one other board member, vice-chairman Stephen Goldsmith, was even called by the White House, and that was on June 10, a few hours before Walpin was fired. According to the report, Goldsmith told investigators that "the White House had already decided to remove Walpin and wanted to confirm [Goldsmith's] support for the action."

The new documents show the White House scrambling, in the days after the controversy erupted, to put together a public explanation for the firing. On June 11, less than 24 hours after Walpin received the call from Eisen, the board held a conference call. The next day, Ranit Schmelzer, who is part of the corporation's press office, sent an email to board members giving them talking points to use if contacted by reporters seeking information about the matter.

"Indicate that you support the president's decision to remove IG Walpin," was Schmelzer's first instruction to the board. Then: "If asked why he was removed, indicate that the president lost confidence in Mr. Walpin." And then: "If the reporter continues to press, say that you can't get into details on a personnel matter, but you understand there were some performance-based issues." Finally, Schmelzer advised the board to avoid "getting into any specifics about IG Walpin's performance-based issues. The WH has stayed away from this and has counseled us to do the same."

TMI v2.0 ??

This seems like it should cause some concern:

We are learning more this morning about a reported radiation leak at Three Mile Island.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says later today it is sending two radiation specialists to the plant near Harrisburg.
.....

The NRC now says about 20 employees were treated for exposure following the incident at one of the reactors. Originally, there were reports that more 100 workers had to be decontaminated.

The cause of the leak is under investigation. The entire plant is shut down.

You can bet the environmentalists will be all over this shortly.

Sen. Leahy sees no need to interrogate Osama

The fact that this fuckwit is the chairman of a Senate Committee (Judiciary) demonstrates just how dire are the times in which we live. Seems that Leahy fails to see any value in interrogating bin Laden:

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of that committee, said that arguments raised by Republican senators about whether bin Laden would be afforded Miranda rights if he were captured amount to a "red herring."

"The red herring that my friend [Sen.] Lindsey Graham [R-S.C.] was covering is not realistic," Leahy said during an appearance on "Washington Journal" on C-SPAN.

"For one thing, capturing Osama bin Laden — we've had enough on him, we don't need to interrogate him," Leahy added.

So, the head of a terrorist organization would not be able to provide us any information about the organization he heads ?? Amazing; simply amazing!

Somebody is messin' with Joe

Remember when President Fabulous told us that we didn't have to worry about any waste, fraud or abuse with Porkulus because Slow Joe Biden would be personally responsible for overseeing the program and "nobody messes with Joe!"

Well, like everything else in Obamaland, reality has failed to meet expectation as it looks like millions billions are being spent in non-existent Congressional Districts

Just how big is the stimulus package? Well for one, it has doubled the size of the House of Representatives, according to recovery.gov, which says that funds were distributed to 440 congressional districts that do not exist.

According to data retrieved from recovery.gov, nearly $6.4 billion was used to “create or save” just under 30,000 jobs in these phantom congressional districts–almost $225,000 per job. The web site operates on an $84 million budget and is tasked with monitoring the distribution of the $787 billion stimulus package passed by Congress–which, for the record, counts 435 members–in early 2009.

The site’s monitors, however, are not too savvy about America’s political or geographic landscape. More than $2 million was given to the 99th District of North Dakota, a state which has only one congressional district. In order to qualify for 99 districts, North Dakota would have to have a population of about 60 million people, almost 24 million more people than California.

The stimulus revived 8 recently retired congressional districts. Pennsylvania’s 21st District has received just under $2 million in funds. Mississippi’s 5th District and Oklahoma’s 6th received $1 million from the legislation, respectively. All three were eliminated by the 2000 census.

Many other recipients carried the banner for congressional districts that have been defunct for decades. South Carolina’s 7th took the cake, garnering more than $27 million in stimulus funds, despite being eliminated in 1930. And Virginia’s 12th District may have been written off at the start of the Civil War, but it must carry some sentimental value in Old Dominion–it received more than $2 million, according to recovery.gov.

And for anyone who is gullible enough to believe that these are simply clerical errors, there is this:

The federal government's website tracking the use of stimulus dollars overstated the amount of money going to boost New Hampshire's economy by more than $1.15 million, according to a review by the deputy attorney general in charge of monitoring the state program.

The findings follow revelations that Recovery.gov, the Obama administration website designed to help the public track spending, lists congressional districts that don't exist being the beneficiary of large sums of money and home to jobs that were either created or saved.

Um, so where did the money go???

Obama to troops: "You guys make a pretty good photo op"

Obama at Osan Air Base in South Korea

Obama arrived on the base 3:19 p.m. local time (1 a.m. Eastern Standard Time), and received a rousing welcome from 1,500 troops in camouflage uniforms, many holding cameras or pointing cell phones to snap pictures.

"You guys make a pretty good photo op," the president said.

Got that, you guys are a prop, like Greek columns at the nomination speech or the attempt to use the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

Chalk this up as another opportunity to play the infuriating game of "what would the press do if a Republican said .....?" But of course they wouldn't.

Random thought of the day...

Is being in Joe Biden's motorcade like being a drummer for Spinal Tap??

Eric Holder defends KSM show trial

Andy McCarthy dissects the AG's testimony today. A little taste:

5. A civilian trial is no more a platform for KSM than a military commission would have been. That's ridiculous. KSM was ready to plead guilty and be executed eleven months ago. Whatever soapbox he was going to have, he'd largely already had, and while we'd have had to let him speak before sentence was imposed, that would have been the end of it. Now, he's going to get a full-blown trial — after combing through the discovery for a couple of years and after putting the Bush administration under the spotlight.

Holder derided Senator Kyl for pointing this out, saying Kyl had no way of knowing what KSM's position is today. That's a specious point. We do know what his position was eleven months ago when the Obama administration could have accepted his plea and pushed for his execution. Moreover, why would that still be KSM's position today, when he now knows Holder is ready to give him the stage in New York that he's been seeking since the day he was captured?

Do yourself a favor a read the whole takedown. Better than reading the transcript of the actual testimony which was, in essence, a lot of words to say "I know better than you".

Yet another Obama promises reaches its expiration date

And this time it is a very good thing. That little PR stunt about closing Gitmo by January; yep, that's not gonna happen.

President Obama directly acknowledged for the first time Wednesday that the prison facility at Guantanamo Bay will not close by the January deadline he set, but he said he hoped to still achieve that goal sometime next year.

Obama refused, however, to set a new deadline.

But my favorite part of the explanation is this little gem:

Closing the facility, he added, is "also just technically hard."

Got that, being President is hard!!

By the way -- maybe Bush was right when he said that Gitmo was the best of a bunch of bad options.

Is the decision to try KSM in criminal court unfair and dangerous to American jurors

It is hard to speculate on the motivation of others, but Obama's decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed could be construed as asking 12 ordinary American to do for Obama what he does not have the courage to do for himself; convict KSM.

Obama risks nothing new by seeking this conviction in criminal court rather than military tribunal. In fact, he risks less because whatever happens will be the result of the jury, the "system", etc. Typical Obama, kicking the can down the road and passing responsibility.

But what about the jurors ? They are being put in a unique position that is as fundamentally unfair as it is dangerous. It is unfair because they are being put in a position that isn't designed for the task they are being assigned. If there were a poster boy for the need for military tribunals it would be KSM. The jurors are going to be asked to decide his guilt in a framework that was never intended for this type of hearing.

More specifically, they will be asked to determine KSM's guilt under rules of evidence and constitutional protections that may severely limit the admissibility of such evidence. I bet it is safe to assume that KSM was never Mirandized. Would any information or confessions obtained from his interrogations even be admissible ?? Would any subsequent information obtained as a result of those statements ??

If the jury upholds its oath to only judge the case on the admissible evidence, it may be hard pressed to return a conviction if prosecutors find most of their evidence precluded. Let's remember, information was being obtained to prevent other attacks (which may have been imminent) NOT to build a criminal case. I think it is obvious that we do not have forensic teams putting up yellow crime scene tape and collecting evidence on the battlefield. So the jury may be forced to decide between an acquittal for lack of evidence or a conviction in a show-trial lacking compelling evidence.

But those jurors will still likely feel compelled to return a conviction. I still want to believe that most Americans still want justice and don't want KSM to "get away with it". The "it"in this case being murder; actually mass murder. How do they return home to their families, friends and co-workers if they give KSM a pass? Or do they feel forced to betray their oath as jurors and convict anyway? Either way, it is unfair for them to be put in this position.

But even more unfathomable is the danger that Obama is asking the jurors to undertake. The extreme security measures taken in mob trials will pale in comparison to those that will be necessary under these circumstances. Jurors will probably be cognizant of the fact that a conviction will probably lead to them looking over their shoulders for the rest of their lives. It is doubtful that they will always be given protection and Al Qaeda isn't exactly know for letting bygones be bygones. And the sad fact is that the existence of military tribunals allows our citizens not to have to face such danger.

Let me be the first to thank and wish good luck to those brave jurors who have the courage that Obama lacks.

The KSM trial

Patterico asks the million dollar question:" “If Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Is Acquitted, President Obama, Will You Release Him?”

Patterico's point is that this is essentially a show trial and that Obama will not release KSM or any other truly dangerous terrorist even if they are acquitted of charges. He also notes that Obama himself has suggested that in prior speeches:

Now, let me begin by disposing of one argument as plainly as I can: We are not going to release anyone if it would endanger our national security, nor will we release detainees within the United States who endanger the American people.

This is also the rationale behind some of the criticism of the decision to to seek prosecutions in the criminal courts; i.e. that prisoners of war should be tried by military commissions which would alleviate some of the inevitable evidentiary problems. Despite the rhetoric I think hard core lefties do realizes that crime scene preservation measures are not employed on the battlefield.

However, I am not so sure that Obama wouldn't release an acquitted terrorist. It is consistent with his performance to date. What better way to show the world how reasonable and virtuous we have become in Obamaland than to release someone of the magnitude of KSM because a jury didn't convict. Also, let us not forget that 9/11 happened in the dark days pre-Obama so we deserved it. His spiritual advisor, Rev. Wright, even said so!

Sorry - likely to be no postings for the next few days

Out of town for the job -- the paying one !!

Remember our veterans -- and thank them

Happy Birthday USMC

The Corps turns 234

He just can't help himself

President "Don't jump to conclusions" jumps to the conclusion that the Fort Hood shooter possibly cracked under stress.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: "Well, look, we -- we have seen, in the past, rampages of this sort. And in a country of 300 million people, there are going to be acts of violence that are inexplicable. Even within the extraordinary military that we have -- and I think everybody understands how outstanding the young men and women in uniform are under the most severe stress -- there are going to be instances in which an individual cracks. I think the questions that we're asking now and we don't have yet complete answers to is, is this an individual who's acting in this way or is it some larger set of actors? You know, what are the motivations? Those are all questions that I think

Obviously it is not "jumping to conclusions" when the idea fits the liberal orthodoxy. It's okay to assume that Bush's war caused some sort of PTSD-by-proxy but it is illogical, immoral and possible criminal to speculate that Major Hasan went Jihadist.

Execution of DC sniper still on course

The Supreme Court has refused to stop the execution of John Allen Muhammad scheduled for tomorrow.

Muhammad is scheduled for the celestial dirt nap by way of lethal injection in Virginia. Bye-bye dirtbag!

Fall of the Berlin Wall

20 year ago today. While some seem inclined to forget the significance, others, including the current U.S. President and the current German Chancellor seem to think it was do to some sort of benevolence on the part of Gorbachev.

However, the real hero, the liberator of millions was:

220-215 ChappaquiddiCare passes the House

And the slide toward European-style socialism continues.

The House legislation would for the first time require every individual to obtain insurance, and would require all but the smallest employers to provide coverage to their workers. It would vastly expand Medicaid and create a new marketplace where people could obtain federal subsidies to buy insurance from private companies or from a new government-run insurance plan.

Though some people would receive no benefits -- including about 6 million illegal immigrants, according to congressional estimates -- the bill would virtually close the coverage gap for people who do not have access to health-care coverage through their jobs.
......

The complex package would affect virtually every American and fundamentally alter vast swaths of the health insurance industry. Starting next year, private insurers could no longer deny anyone coverage based on preexisting conditions, place lifetime limits on coverage or abandon people when they become ill. Insurers would be required to disclose and justify proposed premium increases to regulators, and could not remove adult children younger than 27 from their parents' family policies.

For the elderly, the group that has been most skeptical of Obama's initiative, the House package would immediately offer discounts on prescription drugs and reduce a gap in Medicare prescription drug coverage, closing it entirely by 2019. Uninsured people who cannot get coverage could join temporary high-risk insurance pools, and unemployed workers would be permitted to keep their COBRA benefits until the public plan and insurance exchanges started in 2013.

In four years, the measure would establish a new insurance system. Businesses with payrolls exceeding $500,000 would be required to offer their workers insurance or pay a fine of as much as 8 percent of payroll. Individuals would be required to obtain insurance or pay a fine of as much as 2.5 percent of income. States would be required to extend Medicaid coverage to as many as 15 million additional people. Low- and middle-income individuals who still could not afford coverage could apply for federal subsidies through an insurance marketplace that would negotiate with private insurers to provide comprehensive policies alongside a government-run "public option."

Congressional budget analysts say the package would cover an additional 36 million Americans, leaving 18 million people without insurance by 2019, about a third of them illegal immigrants. To avoid increasing the deficit, Democrats would pay for the coverage expansion by slicing more than $400 billion from Medicare over the next decade, and by imposing a variety of new taxes, primarily a 5.4 percent surcharge on annual income over $500,000 for individuals and $1 million for families. Initially, the tax would hit only 0.3 percent of taxpayers, but that number would climb rapidly, because the income thresholds would not be indexed to inflation.

John Adler (D NJ-3) says "no" to ChappaquidiCare

Adler, from my district, bails on Pelosi.

Rep. John Adler, a New Jersey Democrat, said today he’s voting no. He criticized the bill’s $1 trillion-plus price tag over 10 years, and said it doesn’t do enough to control health costs.

This has less to do with the total price tag than Adler's desire to hold on to his seat; a seat that had long been held by Republican Jim Saxton. Adler won the open seat on Obama's coattails following Saxton's retirement.

Jim Geraghty does the math:

Adler's congressional district includes parts of Burlington County, Ocean County, and Cherry Hill in Camden County.

Republican Chris Christie won Burlington County Tuesday night by two percent after Corzine won it by five percentage points four years ago; Christie won 66 percent of the vote in Ocean County. Four years ago, Jon Corzine won Cherry Hill, 13,615 to 8,630. This year he won it 11,108 to 9,453.

So, Nancy, please explain again how you won on Tuesday??

Sgt. Kimberly Munley: Hero

Maybe Obama should give a shout out to her since it seems Munley's actions took down the Fort Hood terrorist.

Munley's toughness and grace under pressure were on display Thursday when she and her partner responded within three minutes of reported gunfire, said Army Lt. Gen. Bob Cone.

Munley, who had been trained in active-response tactics, rushed into the building and confronted the shooter as he was turning a corner, Cone said.

"It was an amazing and an aggressive performance by this police officer," Cone said.

Munley was only a few feet from Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan when she opened fire.

Wounded in the exchange of bullets, the 34-year-old Munley was reported in stable condition at a local hospital.
.....

One of the bullets pierced an artery, requiring her to undergo surgery Friday.

I guess there are times when decisiveness counts.

Obama: "Don't jump to conclusions"

I guess it's time to put his indecision cool demeanor on display. In typical Obama fashion he was quick to scold the American public about their 'improper' thoughts:

Barack Obama cautioned a stunned public on Friday against drawing quick conclusions on a shooting rampage by an officer at a Texas military base that killed 13 people.

The president made the comments as the commander of Fort Hood, the US’s largest base for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, quoted witnesses as saying the suspected gunman, Major Nidal Malik Hasan, shouted the Muslim declaration “Allahu Akbar” – God is great – as he opened fire. Speaking at the White House, Mr Obama said: “We don’t know all the answers yet, and I would caution against jumping to conclusions until we have all the facts.”

Actually, the advice isn't bad. And at least the President leads by example -- remember how he didn't jump to conclusions about Skip Gates and Sgt. Crowley and how he didn't jump to concluding that the "police acted stupidly".

Feeling stimulated??

Unemployment hits 10.2%

U.S. employers cut a deeper-than-expected 190,000 jobs in October, government data showed on Friday, driving the unemployment rate to 10.2 percent, the highest in 26-1/2 years.

The Labor Department said the unemployment rate was the highest since April 1983. It revised job losses for August and September to show 91,000 fewer jobs lost than previously reported.

But that doesn't stop Reuters from spinning for Obama:

The labor market is being watched for signs whether the economic recovery that started in the third quarter can be sustained without government support. The economy grew at a 3.5 percent annualized rate in the July-September period, probably ending the most painful U.S. recession in 70 years.

Got that. It's probably over. Except:

Payrolls have declined for 22 consecutive months now, throwing 7.3 million people out of work since December 2007, when the recession started.

But don't worry -- they really do have that health care thing figured out. Just trust them.

UPDATED to add graph thingy:



The words "uncharted territory" come to mind.

Attack at Fort Hood

Obviously this is no time for snarky comments. Not with reports of 12 dead and 30+ wounded.*

Apparently the gunman's name is Nidal Malik Hasan -- a US Army Major and a recent convert to the religion of peace. He is also a psychiatrist. Seems old Hasan is also a big fan of suicide bombers.

One of the officials said late Thursday that federal search warrants were being drawn up to authorize the seizure of Hasan's computer. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the case.

One of the Web postings that authorities reviewed is a blog that equates suicide bombers with a soldier throwing himself on a grenade to save the lives of his comrades.

"To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its (sic) more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause," said the Internet posting. "Scholars have paralled (sic) this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers."

* Of course the narcissist in chief should also probably take it a little more seriously instead of giving shout outs and droning on about his wonderful conference before expressing his concern.

The Yankees win, the Yankees win, the....

YANKEES WIN !!!




For the 27th time.

Truth be told, this was a no lose proposition for me. Personally, nothing could be better than a Phils-Yanks series. Growing up before inter-league play, I rooted for the Phillies; and still do. But I also loved watching the Yankees in the summer of '78 chasing the BoSox. And they have been my #1 choice since. Of course I had to keep my enthusiasm muted during this series as the kids are Phillies fans.

What did Obama watch on election night ??

Not the election returns. President Narcissus spent the evening watching a documentary about ... (wait for it) ... himself!! Not really a big surprise.

Pelosi's perspective: "We won last night"

Granny McBotox stands atop the smoking rubble and declares victory.

In related news, Pelosi introduced her new press secretary:

GOP blowout in Virginia !!!

GOP sweeps the Governor, Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General races. But what is even more intriguing ... the margin of victory is even greater than in 1993.

Christie wins in NJ

In one of the bluest of blue states the Republican candidate has won the governor's office. As I posted earlier this year, I am not a fan of Christie but I couldn't be happier to see Corzine depart. A Republican win in NJ, even by a squishy Republican like Christie, has to send tremors through moderate Dems.

Skinny Barry

Drudge ran a blurb yesterday on Obama's "dramatic weight loss". The story itself is meaningless but I can't get past the President's quote at the end: "Just because I'm skinny doesn't mean I'm not tough." Agreed. The fact that you are a pussy, unable to stand up to foreign leaders and your party's "leaders", means your not tough.

You want to be seen as tough, have a thicker skin. Waging war on FOX is not tough. Whining about what the Republicans do or think when you have veto proof control in both chambers of Congress is not tough. Grow a pair !!

Today is the big day...

...election day in New Jersey, Virginia and NY-23. Of course this means it is also a big day for ACORN, SEIU, the New Black Panther Party and others; sort of like a dry run for next year's mid-terms.

And the media wants you to remember that no matter what happens, this is NOT a referendum on Obama (unless the Dems win).