Obama finally gets it ?!?

During the State of the Union as well as today's British-style "question time", Obama stressed that he has learned that people want him to focus on the economy. Of course that is people in general. I don't want him to focus on the economy because he is the King Midas of Bizzaro World -- everything he touches turns to crap!!

But Obama believes this to be what the people want. So he will now turn his attention to ... college football's bowl system?!?

The Obama administration is considering several steps that would review the legality of the controversial Bowl Championship Series, the Justice Department said in a letter Friday to a senator who had asked for an antitrust review.

In the letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch, obtained by The Associated Press, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote that the Justice Department is reviewing Hatch's request and other materials to determine whether to open an investigation into whether the BCS violates antitrust laws.

"Importantly, and in addition, the administration also is exploring other options that might be available to address concerns with the college football postseason," Weich wrote, including asking the Federal Trade Commission to review the legality of the BCS under consumer protection laws.

Several lawmakers and many critics want the BCS to switch to a playoff system, rather than the ratings system it uses to determine the teams that play in the championship game.

Look, I hate the BCS system too and would love to see a playoff. But this is what we need to do now?? And frankly, I don't know if there is ever a good time to do this because where the hell in the Constitution does it give the federal government the power to determine what format the NCAA must use to decide a champion; or even if they must decide one at all.

And to show how bipartisan I am, I think Orrin Hatch is an ass-hat for even pushing the issue.

No KSM in NYC

President "I won" now does the walkback of his decision to have the trial in Manhattan. And he has ordered the Justice Department to find an alternative location.

I have a suggestion. There is this island, not too far off the coast of Florida...

bin Laden's grievence du jour

This time it's global warming.

Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has called for the world to boycott American goods and the U.S. dollar, blaming the United States and other industrialized countries for global warming, according to a new audiotape released Friday.

In the tape, broadcast in part on Al-Jazeera television, bin Laden warned of the dangers of climate change and says that the way to stop it is to bring "the wheels of the American economy" to a halt.

He blamed Western industrialized nations for hunger, desertification and floods across the globe, and called for "drastic solutions" to global warming, and "not solutions that partially reduce the effect of climate change."

Bin Laden has mentioned climate change and global warning in past messages, but the latest tape was his first dedicated to the topic. The speech, which included almost no religious rhetoric, could be an attempt by the terror leader to give his message an appeal beyond Islamic militants.

The al-Qaida leader also targeted the U.S. economy in the recording, calling for a boycott of American products and an end to the dollar's domination as a world currency.

Maybe he's jockeying for a Nobel peace prize ?!?

The President is a deficit hawk ??

Nope!

Mr. Obama's major contribution to deficits has been a record spending spree. In 2007, before the recession, federal expenditures reached $2.73 trillion. By 2009 expenditures had climbed to $3.52 trillion. In 2009 alone, overall federal spending rose 18%, or $536 billion. Throw in a $65 billion reduction in debt service costs due to low interest rates, and the overall spending increase was 22%.

In one year.

CBO confirms that Democrats have taken federal spending to a new and higher plateau: 24.7% of GDP in 2009, 24.1% this year, and back to an estimated 24.3% in 2011. The modern historical average is about 20.5%, and less than that if you exclude the Reagan defense buildup of the 1980s that helped to win the Cold War and let Bill Clinton reduce defense spending to 3% of GDP in the 1990s.

This means that one of every four dollars produced by the sweat of American private labor is now taxed and redistributed by 535 men and women in Congress

Heckuva job, Barry!

Meet President Narcissus

Amazingly (or maybe not) this photo is actually posted on the White House's
Flickr site.

H/t - Perfunction

The Wizard of O

Michael Goodwin's takedown of Obama in today's New York Post:

We the people of the United States owe Scott Brown's sup porters a huge debt of gratitude. They didn't merely elect a senator. They ripped the façade off the Obama presidency.

Just as Dorothy and Toto exposed the ordinary man behind the curtain in "The Wizard of Oz," the voters in Massachusetts revealed that, in this White House, there is no there there.

It's all smoke and mirrors, bells and whistles, held together with glib talk, Chicago politics and an audacious sense of entitlement.

At the center is a young and talented celebrity whose worldview, we now know, is an incoherent jumble of poses and big-government instincts. His self-aggrandizing ambition exceeds his ability by so much that he is making a mess of everything he touches.

He never advances a practical idea. Every proposal overreaches and comes wrapped in ideology and a claim of moral superiority. He doesn't listen to anybody who doesn't agree with him.

Some of us actually realized this before the election. We were called racists.

Why Barack Obama is smarter than you

You rubes thought the Scott Brown victory in Massachusetts was a repudiation of the Obama agenda in general and ObamaCare in particular. You even probably based that opinion on Brown's declaration that he would be the 41st vote against ObamaCare. Brown also noted his support of tax cuts and his opposition to giving terrorists Miranda rights.

Well you might think that but that just shows you are teh STUPID. The 3-D chess master-in-chief understands how the electorate in Massachusetts was really supporting the Obama agenda and really repudiating eight years of Bush by... electing a Republican!! Really !!

Unless you are the type of individual who can split atoms with your mind (like Obama can) you will never truly understand this. White House mouthpiece spokesman, Robert Gibbs, tries to spell it out in simple terms for you morons:

WALLACE: But, Robert, Scott Brown had a clear platform. Let's lay it out. Stop health care. Cut taxes. End backroom deals with special interest and don't give terrorists Miranda rights. It wasn't the same thing that swept Barack Obama into office. Scott Brown explicitly campaigned against the — campaigned against the Obama agenda.

GIBBS: That may be what he campaigned on but that's not why the voters of Massachusetts sent him to Washington. If you look at exit poll, done by the ""Washington Post"" —

WALLACE: It wasn't an exit poll. They did a poll.

GIBBS: Poll where voters participated to why they voted. More people voted to express support for Obama than to oppose him. His approval rating among the electorate was 61%. The enthusiasm for Republican policies among that electorate was for republicans 40% —

WALLACE: You're not suggesting this is a mandate for Barack Obama?

GIBBS: Of course not. I'm also not suggesting that what you said a minute ago meets the truth test either.

WALLACE: You don't think that —

GIBBS: Chris, hold on.

WALLACE: You don't think when they voted for Brown they were voting against Obama policies?

GIBBS: That's not what they told pollsters, no. People are angry in the country and angry in Massachusetts we haven't made more question on the economy. Talk about health care — this is something you said is stopping about health-care reform.

WALLACE: He said he was the 41st vote.

GIBBS: 70% of the voters in massachusetts want him to work with the Democrats on health-care reform. Only 28% want to stop health-care reform from happening. Chris, if Republicans want to assume that the outcome of what happened in Massachusetts is a big endorsement of their policies when 40% are enthusiastic about them and 58% are angry about them, I hope they misread that election as badly as anybody could. What people want in this country is they want to us focus on getting this economy moving again. They want us to work together. The president has tried and I hope that Republicans will try to work with the president. That kind of anger and dissatisfaction at the fact that Washington far too many times puts the special interest ahead of their interest, that anger still persists. That's what people said in Massachusetts.

Rough transcript from Kathryn Jean Lopez at The Corner

Poll shows 23% of investors clueless

Actually the the poll finds that 77% of investors view Obama as anti-business. But you can do the math.

“Investors no longer feel they can trust their instincts to take risks,” said poll respondent David Young, a managing director for a broker dealer in New York. Young cited Obama’s efforts to trim bonuses and earnings, make health care his top priority over jobs and plans to tax “the rich or advantaged.”

Carlos Vadillo, a fixed-income analyst at Wells Fargo Securities LLC in San Francisco, said Obama has been in a “constant war” with the banking system, using “fat-cat bankers and other misnomers to describe a business model which supports a large portion of America.”
.....

Unlike other recent presidents, Obama hasn’t selected a leading business executive for his cabinet or a top advisory role. One year after taking office, he is coping with a jobless rate hovering around 10 percent and a federal deficit that rose to $1.4 trillion last year

Chris Matthews finds religion

Blasts douche bag Alan Grayson for proposing ObamaCare via reconciliation.

"That's netroots talk"

Wow, a Republican wins Ted Kennedy's seat and now this. All the planets must be aligned.

NY Times: Brown victory NOT a referendum on Obama or ObamaCare

What you would expect from the Times.

There are many theories about the import of Scott Brown’s upset victory in the race for Edward Kennedy’s former Senate seat. To our minds, it is not remotely a verdict on Mr. Obama’s presidency, nor does it amount to a national referendum on health care reform — even though it has upended the effort to pass a reform bill, which Mr. Obama made the centerpiece of his first year.
.....

The Democrats had an exceptionally weak candidate in Massachusetts, but the results call into question their tactical political competence. The party now has less than 10 months to get it right before the midterm elections, when they are in danger of losing more seats in the House and the Senate. It is indisputable that the Republicans have settled on a tactic of obstruction, disinformation and fear-mongering, but it is equally indisputable that the Democrats have not countered it well.

In other words, it's the packaging; not the product.

Hopefully the left will continue to engage in this self-delusion through the next election cycle.

Air America goes off the air

Bye!! And good riddance!!!

It is with the greatest regret, on behalf of our Board, that we must announce that Air America Media is ceasing its live programming operations as of this afternoon, and that the Company will file soon under Chapter 7 of the Bankruptcy Code to carry out an orderly winding-down of the business.
The very difficult economic environment has had a significant impact on Air America's business. This past year has seen a "perfect storm" in the media industry generally. National and local advertising revenues have fallen drastically, causing many media companies nationwide to fold or seek bankruptcy protection. From large to small, recent bankruptcies like Citadel Broadcasting and closures like that of the industry's long-time trade publication Radio and Records have signaled that these are very difficult and rapidly changing times.

Well I'm sure that Rush and Hannity are breathing a big sigh of relief.

But fear not devoted Air America listeners (all three of you) there will be encore broadcasts* for another four days:

We will strive to assist affiliates and partners in achieving a smooth transition. Starting at 6 pm EST today, we will provide our affiliates, listeners and users a selection of encore programming until 9 pm EST on Monday, January 25, at which time Air America programming will end.

Encore broadcasts of Air America ?? Sort of like the NY Times charging for on-line content while their readership is plummeting. Shrewd business people those libs !!


*The mother of all oxymorons ?!?

Year 2 of HopenChange - more jobs lost

From AP:

The number of newly-laid off workers seeking jobless benefits unexpectedly rose last week, as the economy recovers at a slow and uneven pace.

Layoffs have slowed and the economy began to grow in last year's third quarter, but companies are reluctant to hire new workers. The unemployment rate is 10 percent and many economists expect it to increase in the coming months.

Almost month after month, we get reports of rising unemployment and are told by Obama's shills that it is "unexpected". The article cited above also notes that economists expect unemployment to increase in the coming months. Anyone care to place a wager as to whether the next rise in unemployment will also be characterized as "unexpected"?

"Unexpected" - You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Does Scott Brown's win help the Democrats ??

Actually, it probably does. Losing their supermajority means that they will have to at least attract at least some Republican votes for any legislation. There is always the low hanging fruit embodied by the RINO sisters in Maine and there is always the possibility that McCain will flash his "maverick" credentials. Any such votes would give a bill the illusion of bipartisanship.

It also means that they will (most likely) abandon plans for the truly crazy stuff. Hard to claim that the country is secretly wildly in favor of ObamaCare, cap-and-trade, etc. after last night.

Will this help Obama ?? Probably not so much. There have been pundits lately comparing a Brown victory with the Republican landslide of '94 and noting how Clinton benefited by being forced to the center. Is there anything in Mr. "I won" 's make-up to suggest that he can follow anything other than the hard left playbook? He has no real world experience to draw upon and, after spending his political life being told how wonderful HE is, has not had to face adversity.

Maybe Glenn Reynolds was right, comparing Obama to Carter was a best-case scenario.

Obama has done EVERYTHING wrong

Mort Zuckerman buries Obama.

He’s misjudged the character of the country in his whole approach. There’s the saying, “It’s the economy, stupid.” He didn’t get it. He was determined somehow or other to adopt a whole new agenda. He didn’t address the main issue.

This health-care plan is going to be a fiscal disaster for the country. Most of the country wanted to deal with costs, not expansion of coverage. This is going to raise costs dramatically.

In the campaign, he said he would change politics as usual. He did change them. It’s now worse than it was. I’ve now seen the kind of buying off of politicians that I’ve never seen before. It’s politically corrupt and it’s starting at the top. It’s revolting.

Five states got deals on health care—one of them was Harry Reid’s. It is disgusting, just disgusting. I’ve never seen anything like it. The unions just got them to drop the tax on Cadillac plans in the health-care bill. It was pure union politics. They just went along with it. It’s a bizarre form of political corruption. It’s bribery. I suppose they could say, that’s the system. He was supposed to change it or try to change it.

Zuckerman (who endorsed Obama) credits him with improving America's image in the world. But even here, he points to impending disaster:

He’s improved America’s image in the world. He absolutely did. But you have to translate that into something. Let me tell you what a major leader said to me recently. “We are convinced,” he said, “that he is not strong enough to confront his enemy. We are concerned,” he said “that he is not strong to support his friends.”

The political leadership of the world is very, very dismayed.

Ouch !! Happy Anniversary Mr. President!

Cop-killer Mumia back to death row ???

In other good news, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a Third Circuit ruling that threw out the death penalty sentence.

In a 51-word paragraph, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a federal appeals court ruling that threw out Abu-Jamal's death sentence because of confusingly worded verdict instructions that arguably led the jury to a sentence of death over life in prison.

The high court returned the case of the convicted killer of Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit for a new hearing.

So to be clear for all you Mike Farrell wannabes, there is nothing in the federal appeals questioning the determination that Abu-Jamal is a gutless cop-killer. The only issue is about whether the sentencing phase was handled correctly and, if not, whether the death penalty is still appropriate.

In either event, Officer Daniel Faulkner was murder by this dirtbag and his wife, Maureen, has been a widow for almost 30 years.

Officer Daniel Faulkner - murdered by Mumia Abu-Jamal on December 9, 1981.

SCOTT BROWN WINS !!!

Per Drudge, the Boston Globe is reporting that Coakley has telephoned Brown to concede.

That sound you hear under your feet is Teddy spinning at 78rpm.

And the finger-pointing begins

Coakley hasn't even lost (at least not yet) and the finger-pointing has already begun in earnest. According to Coakley's people, the blame lies in D.C.. An internal Coakley memo leaked to Politico reads as follows:

National Dems Failed to Aid Coakley Until Too Late

— Coakley campaign provided national Democrats with all poll results since early December

— Coakley campaign noted concerns about "apathy" and failure of national Democrats to contribute early in December. Coakley campaign noted fundraising concerns throughout December and requested national Democratic help.

— DNC and other Dem organizations did not engage until the week before the election, much too late to aid Coakley operation


Brown Capitalized on Concerns About National Democrats

— From the beginning, Brown labeled President Obama's health care and cap and trade plans as tax increases. Polling throughout the race showed this to be the most effective attack on Coakley.

— Coakley's lead dropped significantly after the Senate passed health care reform shortly before Christmas and after the Christmas Eve "bombing" incident. Polling showed significant concerns with the actions of Senator Nelson to hold out for a better deal. Senator Nelson's actions specifically hurt Coakley who was forced to backtrack on her opposition to the abortion restriction amendment.

— Democrats concerns with Obama's Afghanistan plan forced Coakley to oppose the Afghan war in the primary, which hurt her in the general.

Claims about Coakley's Scant Campaigning and Miscues Were Exaggerated

— Because of the failure of national Democrats to support Coakley, she was forced to devote significant time to fundraising in December. She also released a variety of plans in December and had a public event nearly every day.

— Coakley's failure to release television advertisements until 12 days before the election was the result of a fundraising problem that national Democrats failed to resolve. Meanwhile, right-wing groups pumped significant amounts of money into Brown’s campaign, allowing him to go up with ads first, including negative attack ads funded by the Swift Boat and Willie Horton groups.

Doesn't sound like either the DC dems or local dems are confident of a Coakley victory. It also doesn't sound like she will get a warm reception in DC if she does manage to steal eke out a victory.

Not sure if a worse analogy is even possible

From the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, Chris Van Hollen, discussing trying to retain Ted Kennedy's seat:

“Why would you hand the keys to the car back to the same guys whose policies drove the economy into the ditch and then walked away from the scene of the accident?” Van Hollen said.

As James Taranto has often noted, Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.

The Dem Party comedy tour

Those Dems sure have a sense of humor. In just the span of a few days we have Ed Schultz's "joke" (although I have yet to see where Ed claims he was joking) about voting ten times in the Massachusetts Senate race --"can't let the bastards win". The video at the link also seems to suggest that this "joke" is only apparent to the super sophisticated.

Now we have Rahm, who could be the warn up act, joshing about how the First Amendment is "highly overrated". They are clearly not big on the Second either.

Of course, this is the party of comedic legend, John "Shecky" Kerry.






Ah, good times!!

Can Scott Brown win it ???

Based on the latest poll (Brown +9) it looks like he can. But here is the real question - in Massachusetts, one of the bluest of blue states, can he win by enough of a margin to cover the cheating ?

So the science is settled is it ??

Seems those Himalayan glaciers aren't melting after all. I Know, I know, you're thinking -- how can that be when the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) told it was true ?!? They are the experts; right ?!?

Well, it looks like the "experts" based their 2007 apocalyptic prophesy report, on a 1999 article in the scientific journal, New Scientist. [Me: No need to fact check or anything if it fits there narrative.]

So the Eco-commies can relax since the report in at least based on a scientific journal? The eco version of "fake but accurate" ?!? Er ... not really.

It has also emerged that the New Scientist report was itself based on a short telephone interview with Syed Hasnain, a little-known Indian scientist then based at Jawaharlal Nehru University in Delhi.

Hasnain has since admitted that the claim was "speculation" and was not supported by any formal research.

So while the Left wants to live like we are in the Stone Age while they confiscate and re-distribute wealth under the guise of "energy policy", just remember that the "settled science" is some half-assed version of whisper-down-the-lane.

FOR REAL "SETTLED SCIENCE":

Our in-house financial expert (seen above) has determined that sending $50 to the author of this blog will stop global warming, whiten your teeth, provide you financial security and is guaranteed to get you laid. He knows, he's an "expert".

Washington Post finally wakes up

It has only been over two years, but the Washington Post finally catches on that when Obama says "let me be clear" it really means "please disregard all my previous statements on the issue that I am about to contradict."

When Obama is being "clear" these days, he is saying something quite different than when he was being clear in 2007 and 2008. His shifting use of the phrase traces the arc of Obama's time on the national stage, from campaign sensation to a president beset with challenges that rhetoric alone cannot overcome. In a presidency in which everything is murkier than Obama could have imagined, the "let me be clear" preface has become a signal that what follows will be anything but.

The Post even suggests that Obama trots out the phrase as cover when he is being less than truthful.

Instead of making bold declarations, Obama was now setting policies that threatened to conflict with campaign promises, such as his vow not to raise taxes on anyone except the wealthy. Very quickly, "let be me clear" went from offense to defense, becoming a rebuttal on points where the facts were not that evident. To his opponents, it became a sign of obfuscation or indecision to follow.

"Now let me be clear -- let me be absolutely clear, because I know you will end up hearing some of the same claims that rolling back these tax breaks means a massive tax increase on the American people," he said in his joint address to Congress in February. "If your family earns less than $250,000 a year, a quarter-million dollars a year, you will not see your taxes increased a single dime. I repeat: not one single dime." Since then, several proposals have muddied that assertion, including the Obama-approved tax on costly health insurance plans.

As the health-care debate heated up last summer, Obama's calls for clarity intensified. "Let me be absolutely clear about what health reform means for you," he said in July. ". . . It will keep government out of health-care decisions. It will give you the option to keep your insurance if you're happy with it." In fact, the government's role in health care would increase under the legislation, and the changes would, in all likelihood, result in many people ending up with different coverage through reasons not of their own choosing.

Of course it would have been more helpful if they had pointed this out prior o the election; you know, that period of time when the media tells us that it is their duty to vet the candidates. But I guess it is kind of easy to miss these things when your face is buried in the candidate's crotch.

Sometimes the jokes just write themselves

UK Telegraph headline: "Weight Watchers clinic floor collapses under dieters"

The cause of the floor's collapse remains under investigation.

If they're interested, I can posit a theory.

Barack Obama hates black people

Or at least Haitians.

Some 20,000 large water containers arrived today and 80,000 more are on the USS Carl Vinson off the coast of Haiti, along with 600,000 daily food rations which are continually flowing in.

But all this effort and all these supplies moving does not mean Haitians are getting the large supplies of food and water that they need. Instead, most of the supplies are sitting idle at the airport.

Clearly it is because Barack Obama is a racist and this is some sort of evil political retribution foisted upon the poor Haitians.

In all seriousness, this is a very tragic situation and those attempting to provide aid are doing heroic work. And Obama is not at fault for the supplies piling up; nor should be be blamed for anything (not that the media would blame him anyway) because the biggest obstacle is the destruction of infrastructure.

But this should serve as an example of how fundamentally unfair it was to blame Bush for the misery wrought by Katrina. And a reminder of how disgusting was the behavior of those who politicized that disaster.

Thought this only happened in New Zealand

Sheep Gives Birth to Human-Faced Lamb

A sheep gave birth to a dead lamb with a human-like face. The calf was born in a village not far from the city of Izmir, Turkey.

Erhan Elibol, a vet, performed Cesarean section on the animal to take the calf out, but was horrified to see that the features of the calf’s snout bore a striking resemblance to a human face.
“I’ve seen mutations with cows and sheep before. I’ve seen a one-eyed calf, a two-headed calf, a five-legged calf. But when I saw this youngster I could not believe my eyes. His mother could not deliver him so I had to help the animal,” the 29-year-old veterinary said.

The lamb’s head had human features on – the eyes, the nose and the mouth – only the ears were those of a sheep.

The idiocy of the "green jobs" stimulus

The Obama plan for green jobs comes at a White House estimate of $135,295 per job.

President Obama's announcement earlier today of an additional $2.3 billion in federal tax credits for creating approximately 17,000 subsidized temporary jobs in the green energy industry is drawing a less than enthusiastic response from Thomas J. Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research:

"Show me one other industry that requests and receives a nearly 30 percent taxpayer subsidy. That's what the wind and solar industries require - at a minimum - to exist. All the president did today is throw more money at an unproven technology that is not economically viable in the marketplace. Unfortunately, the only winners in this latest taxpayer giveaway will be Wall Street money managers and corporate interests in the wind and solar industry.

Here's my "moderate" proposal. Since the Dems are going to push for this anyway, despite the colossal waste of cash and the questionable viability of the technology; can't we just pay 17,000 random dudes about $65k, call it square and not fuck with proven energy sources??

Half of America thinks Obama is a failure

48% according to CNN.

Forty-eight percent of people questioned in a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released Tuesday say Obama's presidency has been a failure so far...
....
"Only 44 percent approve of how Obama is handling the economy; just 4 in 10 give him a thumbs-up on health care and his approval rating on the federal deficit has plunged to 36 percent. Those are three of the four most important issues on the public's mind today," says Holland. "The president's ratings also suffer from the growing perception that he is too liberal - 46 percent feel that way today, up 10 points from March.

Heckuva job, Barry!

The war is over; we won !!!

Martha Coakley, the presumed heir to the "Ted Kennedy seat"* and the Dems' desperately needed 60th vote on ObamaCare, argued in last night's debate that "there are no more terrorists in Afghanistan."

I think we have done what we are going to be able to do in Afghanistan. I think that we should plan an exit strategy. Yes. I’m not sure there is a way to succeed. If the goal was and the mission in Afghanistan was to go in because we believed that the Taliban was giving harbor to terrorists. We supported that. I supported that. They’re gone. They’re not there anymore.

*Seems that Scott Brown doesn't think it's the Kennedy seat and rightly slams David Gergen. Video here. And if the polls are to be believed, a lot of Massachusetts voters agree.

Who dropped the dime on light-skinned Harry Reid ??

Believe it or not, it looks like it was ... Dingy Harry himself !

Reid’s office confirms that Reid himself was the source of the anecdote to the reporters. His office declined to elaborate. But it looks as if Reid used the language to one of the reporters in some way or other.
The authors’ note further specifies that “all our interviews” were conducted on a “deep background” basis. So it looks like Reid used this language in an interview on deep background.

Still the question remains, did Reid utter these comments in a Negro dialect ?

Also, ponder this: Harry says he chose his words poorly -- given a second chance, and more time to ponder his words, what was he trying to say? He has yet to elaborate.

Saturday night -- musical interlude

America does have talent!!

Which party is racist ??

We already know Sheriff Joe Biden (D) thinks (or at least what passes for thinking for Slow Joe) that his boss is "clean and articulate". He is now the Veep. Former Senate leader and current member Robert "Sheets" Byrd (D) recruited about 150 of his buddies to set up a local chapter of the KKK in West Virginia.

We also know that a certain party (D) tried to block the passage of the Civil Rights Act including a filibuster lead in party by the father of a future VP and Presidential nominee of that party. (Hint: rhymes with Al Snore).

Now we find out that the current Senate majority leader (D) was enthusiastic about Obama because "light skinned" and "with no Negro dialect."

On page 37, a remark, said "privately" by Sen. Harry Reid, about Barack Obama's racial appeal. Though Reid would later say that he was neutral in the presidential race, the truth, the authors write, was that his:

encouragement of Obama was unequivocal. He was wowed by Obama's oratorical gifts and believed that the country was ready to embrace a black presidential candidate, especially one such as Obama -- a "light-skinned" African American "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one," as he said privately. Reid was convinced, in fact, that Obama's race would help him more than hurt him in a bid for the Democratic nomination.

Not to be outdone, Politico reports that the book contains this little nugget about another one of the party's former Presidents, Bill Clinton (D). Seems in attempting to court Teddy Kennedy's endorsement of his wife, Bill suggested to Teddy that Obama was not far removed from fetching coffee.

A]s Hillary bungled Caroline, Bill’s handling of Ted was even worse. The day after Iowa, he phoned Kennedy and pressed for an endorsement, making the case for his wife. But Bill then went on, belittling Obama in a manner that deeply offended Kennedy. Recounting the conversation later to a friend, Teddy fumed that Clinton had said, A few years ago, this guy would have been getting us coffee.

So who are the real racists ?? Why anyone who opposes Obama's policies of course!

AP on Obama: The buck stops with me; but it's not my fault and you people should be damn grateful you have me !!

AP stops fellating Captain Wonderful long enough to come up for air and notice that his "cool demeanor" is actually rather detached and whiny.

He says "the buck stops with me," but nearly a year into office, President Barack Obama is still blaming a lot of the nation's troubles — the economy, terrorism, health care — on George W. Bush.

Over and over, Obama keeps reminding Americans of the mess he inherited and all he's doing to fix it. A sharper, give-me-some-credit tone has emerged in his language as he bemoans people's fleeting memory about what life was like way back in 2008, particularly on the economy.

Even AP now notes that it is a little unseemly, a year into office to continue to lay the nation's problems off on your predecessor.

The way Obama sees it, the problems he took on — recession, war, health care, a warming planet — were always too huge and complicated to fix that fast.

So he emphasizes progress by taking people back to where he began.

Which means taking them back to Bush.

"I don't need to remind any of you about the situation we found ourselves in at the beginning of this year," Obama told people at a Home Depot stop last month. And then he reminded them anyway, detailing a nation in financial free fall when he took office.

So what has a Obama done to correct "a nation in financial free fall"? -- other than increase unemployment to 10% and explode the deficit by over trillions of dollar on a non-stimulative Porkulus, bailouts, and the impending government take-over of another sixth of the economy via ObamaCare ??

And so he describes a year of overlooked achievement since his predecessor left town, addressing a range of problems: hate crimes, tobacco advertisements toward children, pay disparities for women, abuses by credit card companies and many more.

In other words, "a solid B-plus." Unfortunately you ingrates refuse to acknowledge how good you have it and should now bow down and kiss his -- eh, ring.

Obama has openly wondered how some of his work is forgotten so fast.

"I think we have been successful in averting disaster," Obama said on Dec. 16 about righting the economy. "You know, you don't get a lot of credit for that, because nobody knows how bad it could have been."

On this front, Obama often chides the media for what he sees as accentuating the negative and minimizing progress. As on Dec. 4 when Obama mocked the press for saying he had pivoted back from health care to jobs. He insisted that every day is about jobs. "Folks' attention spans are short," he said.

One thing government does VERY well...

...quickly drafting even more regulations

As of yesterday, the 2010 Federal Register was over 1,000 pages.

At this rate, the 2010 Federal Register will hit 63,187 pages.

And none of this is ever put to a vote in Congress.

Time for "The Chart" - December 2009 addition

Shamelessly stolen from Innocent Bystanders.

But I'm sure they are incredibly accurate when it comes to projecting the costs of ObamaCare.

Behold the stimulative power of the Porkulus

Unemployment stays at 10% as another 85,000 jobs were lost in December. Good thing that this blog created or saved 50,000 jobs or we would really be screwed.

But don't worry too much because the White House says this is good news:

The White House said the numbers nevertheless demonstrate that the rate at which jobs are disappearing has slowed, given that employment fell by 139,000 in September and 127,000 in October. Christina Romer, chairwoman of the Council of Economic Advisers, wrote on the White House blog that the recovery will "not be a straight line."

See, every month it just keeps getting better and better. Happy Funemployment !!

And as an added bonus, The Obamamessiah is racing to the rescue spreading the graft creating green jobs.

President Obama plans to announce Friday steps he's taking to combat unemployment, including using part of the $787 billion economic stimulus package to create tens of thousands of green jobs.

Jack Cafferty to Obama: You lie !!

Seems that super-genius Cafferty has come to the conclusion that Obama lied on the campaign trail to get elected. Really?? Let me quote Die Hard's John McClane: "Welcome to the party pal!"

Here's another thought; maybe some skepticism was in order during the campaign instead of gushing over the media's hunky boyfriend.

Can't let a bombing attempt ruin your ski vacation

At least not if your Obama's * director of the National Counterterrorism Center.

The top official in charge of analyzing terror threats did not cut short his ski vacation after the underwear bomber nearly blew up an airliner on Christmas Day, the Daily News has learned.

Michael Leiter, director of the National Counterterrorism Center since 2007, decided not to return to his agency's "bat cave" nerve center in McLean, Va., until several days after Christmas, two U.S. officials said.

"People have been grumbling that he didn't let a little terrorism interrupt his vacation," said one of the sources.

It should be noted that Leiter was a Bush-appointee. So there is no doubt that his will be one of the heads that roll to atone for causing embarrassment for Obama. And there should also be no doubt that his head deserves to roll. But let's remember, his boss didn't seem exactly thrilled to be taken off the back nine.

AP: Who are you going to believe, us or your freezing ass?!?

According to AP, these record cold temperatures mean nothing and the earth is still warming; and women and minorities will suffer the most. [I may have made that last part up but it seems to be standard practice in the old media].

Beijing had its coldest morning in almost 40 years and its biggest snowfall since 1951. Britain is suffering through its longest cold snap since 1981. And freezing weather is gripping the Deep South, including Florida's orange groves and beaches.

Whatever happened to global warming?

Such weather doesn't seem to fit with warnings from scientists that the Earth is warming because of greenhouse gases. But experts say the cold snap doesn't disprove global warming at all — it's just a blip in the long-term heating trend.

Get that?? A cold snap is a blip and doesn't disprove global warming. But a warming period, despite natural cycles of warming and cooling is irrefutable, "the science-is-settled" proof of doom.

And what period of time constitutes a "blip"; especially when dealing with a planet that has been around for at least billions of years ??

Gibbs: Defending the indefensible

It's what a good toady does:

You lie !!

Candidate Obama in his own words, courtesy of Breitbart.



UPDATED:
That whole "no new taxes on people making less than $250,000 a year; not one dime" also seem to have expired as well. AP is reporting that the Alderman-in-chief will approve a tax on "high-end" health plans.

Another one bites the dust

Now it's Dodd retiring.

The departure of Mr. Dodd, first elected to the Senate in 1980, carried the most symbolic value because of his seniority and his close association with the financial system bailout and other economic policies. Mr. Dodd, is one of the highest profile Democratic casualties of the financial crisis and its political fallout.

In the past two years, after a failed run for president, he has come under increasing fire, most recently for backing a measure that allowed the embattled insurance giant AIG to dole out bonuses to its executives, and for receiving what critics charged was a sweetheart mortgage from mortgage giant Countrywide Financial.

Mr. Dodd, 65, had been losing in polls to his potential Republican challengers, including former Rep. Rob Simmons and wrestling executive Linda McMahon, who has said she would spend tens of millions of her own money to win the seat.

Who is to blame for Dodd's fall ?? C'mon folks, this is easy --BUSH!!

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs didn't deny President Obama's agenda has worsened the party's difficult political environment. He said Mr. Obama did what was necessary to tackle the troubles he inherited.

So one less snout at the trough but I am sure as we speak the golden parachute is being packed for Dodd since he was a good soldier and took one for the party.

And of course, since both Dodd and Teddy (4 months sober) are gone, waitresses across DC can breathe a sigh of relief.

U-S-A U-S-A U-S-A !!!

Team USA beats Team Canada 6-5 in OT to win the gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship. It was far from a conventional win as Team USA blew a 5-3 lead late in the third period. But the boys re-grouped and John Carlson scored the game winner at 4:21.

Maybe some of this good luck will carry over to the Olympic team in Vancouver.

And yes I know, I am probably one of about six people here in the States that watched the game. But it was great entertainment.

Question of the day

If Chris Matthews, NPR and their ilk can continue to use the pejorative,"tea bagger" -- can we call them cocksuckers?

Behold, the TSA -- from the people who want to run health care !!

First, it looks like the security cameras at Newark International were not working on Sunday; helping create chaos.

It's a tale of shocking ineptitude: CBS 2 has learned a series of missteps unnecessarily added to the mayhem at Newark Liberty International Airport on Sunday. The six-hour delay stranded thousands of people, creating extreme crowding and chaos.

The mistakes made at the airport give new meaning to the term "domino effect." It was a cascading series of missteps that cry out for action.

The sign at the Transportation Security Administration screening post at Newark read: "Premises Under Constant Video Surveillance."

What is should add is: "If We're Lucky."

That's because CBS 2 has learned that when an unidentified man breached a secure area at Newark on Sunday night, delaying thousands of passengers for hours, the TSA cameras weren't working.

That's right – they weren't even recording, sources said, and needed a reboot, which the agency apparently didn't ask for. That set off a chain reaction of even more missteps that caused needless chaos and inconvenience for several thousand hapless passengers.

With the cameras inoperable, the TSA tried to get a second set of surveillance video from Continental Airlines. But the TSA apparently didn't know the correct telephone number and the specific procedures to get the footage. That caused a two hour delay in identifying the intruder and closing the airport to look for him.

When they finally got the footage, they couldn't find the intruder, discovering later that he had slipped out another entrance 20 minutes after he arrived.

Now, they detain and handcuff blogger, Michael Yon at Sea-Tac. His offense, he refused to tell them how much money he makes.

Good thing "the system works." Bet your all feeling safer already !!

ObamaCare claims another victim

This time it's Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND). He announced his retirement at the conclusion of his term this year. Seems he wants to spend more time with the family. Sure.

Like rats off a sinking ship. Problem is the rest of us are stuck on board.

Is this hope or change ??

Pending home sale drop 16% in November.

According to the industry group, November pending home sales activity dropped by 16% to a reading of 96.0, compared with the previous month’s reading of 114.3. The drop was much larger than expected by Wall Street, which was looking for a dip of 2% for the indicator for November.

It was the largest drop, point-wise, since the industry group started the index in 2001, dragging the indicator to its lowest level since June.

Better late than never

Obama, the 3-dimensional chess master, far superior to those of us of weaker intellect, has finally come to the conclusion that releasing Yemeni terrorists from Gitmo to Yemen is probably not the smartest idea.

The U.S. will not transfer any detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to Yemen right now, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.

But that decision does not rule out future idiocy.

More than a dozen detainees transferred to Yemen reportedly have returned to fight with Al Qaeda. But Deputy National Security Adviser for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security John Brennan did not rule out sending Yemeni detainees back to that country.

Transparency = behind closed doors ???

Where the ObamaCare bill will stay during House-Senate deliberations.

Despite their claims to the contrary, the way that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid have handled the healthcare bill has been anything but transparent. And, if the left-wing blogosphere is to be believed, the two congressional leaders intend to keep the deliberations secret as they try to merge the House and Senate versions of the legislation into something that will pass both chambers.

The Talking Points Memo website reported Monday that Democrats in both the House and Senate are saying the process will likely follow the path of the House taking up the Senate-passed legislation, amending it and sending it back to the Senate, which will have to pass it again. "This process cuts out the Republicans," a House Democratic aide told TPM, indicating the congressional majority intended to make sure the Republican minority would "not have a motion to recommit opportunity."
......
According to Waxman, the process for moving will not include the standard House/Senate conference committee, because the motions to select and instruct conferees in the Senate "would need 60 votes all over again." Instead, whatever agreements made could be packaged in an amendment to the bills passed by the House and Senate.

By blocking out the Republicans—not to mention House Democrats who object to what the Senate passed—Pelosi and Reid are setting up a protracted game of "ping-pong," in which the legislation goes back and forth from the Senate to the House and back to the Senate again. They may be able to prevail as far as the legislation goes, ultimately, but at enormous cost to their majorities. And that may be the biggest secret of all as far as the healthcare debate is concerned, or at least the one Pelosi and Reid are most concerned about.

Would we expect anything less from the "most ethical Congress, ever !!" or President HopeNChange ?? Guess that bit about the debates being on C-Span were nothing more than empty campaign promises.

World ignores Obama again

This time on airline passenger screening.

On the first day of what was supposed to be tighter screening ordered by the U.S. for airline passengers from certain countries, some airports around the world conceded Monday they had not cracked down.

The United States demanded more careful screening for people who are citizens of, or are flying from, 14 nations deemed security risks. But enforcement of the U.S. rules appeared spotty.

Shocking as it may be to believe, countries considered hostile to U.S. interests aren't jumping through hoops to be cooperative.

But at international airports in Lebanon, Syria and Libya, all on the list, there were no visible changes in screening.

No surprise really. But now even the European who were all caught up in Obamania a year ago are turning a deaf ear to Obama's requests.

And several European governments, including Germany, France and Spain, said they were still studying the rules before tightening security any further than the steps they took after the failed Christmas attack.

So next time you are shuffling shoeless through the security check points and having your bags searched or not allowed to use the potty on the last hour of a flight -- the real threats are boarding with little inconvenience. Hope and change !!

What I want for Christmas next year...

.... why, the SU-27 Flanker, of course !!

Pride Aircraft is very pleased to announce the availability of the first and only pair of privately-owned, airworthy Sukhoi Su-27 Flankers in the world. Both are two-seat 'UB' models (NATO Code Flanker-C) with full flight instrumentation and controls in both cockpits.

These aircraft eclipse every other jet warbird in performance, technological sophistication, and "wow-factor." There simply is no comparison with any other aircraft you can own. They're here in the USA and ready to go.

HR at Fenway

Kudos to the NHL, Flyers and Bruins for a helluva show !!! A true
classic". The only room for improvement would be if the Flyers won.

FoxSports.com has more photos of the event.

Happy New Year Slackers !!!

Welcome to 2010 !!!