USA Today: Obama's Amateur Hour on Terrorism

Even the USA Today, a beacon of left-wing media, says that the Obama administration has completely botched the fight against terrorists, particularly with regard to the Christmas bomber.

Gibbs Mocks Palin By Writing Notes on Palm

Most administrations go out of their way to be dignified and presidential. The Obama White House is the exact opposite - petty, sophomoric and obnoxious. How else to explain Gibbs' joke to mock Palin by writing notes on his hand? Can you think of any other press secretary in history who would do something so petty as to pick a fight with a woman who does not even currently hold office?

There's something deeply disturbing about this White House - reminiscent of third world dictators.

White House: Critics "Serving Goals of Al Qaeda"

In the most ridiculous irony of ironies, the White House claims that Obama's critics are helping to further the goals of Al Qaeda.

Have these guys listened to Bin Laden (or Kim Jong Il, Ahmedinejad, Castro, or Shavez) recently? They all repeat Democrats ad nauseam, never mind Democrat efforts over the past eight years to undermine everything George Bush was doing.

Sen. Menendez Tried to Save Bank of Political Contributors

Dem Senator Robert Menendez of NJ wrote a letter to Ben Bernanke last year in an attempt to save JJR Bank Holding Co., whose Chairman and Vice Chairman were both huge political contributors to the senator. Of course, he neglected to mention this fact in his letter. From the WSJ:

In his letter to the Fed July 21, Mr. Menendez said there was a strong likelihood that First BankAmericano, of Elizabeth, N.J., would fail in three days, which would "send yet another negative message to consumers and investors and further impact our fragile economy."

While lawmakers routinely forward requests from constituents to government agencies, it is rare for them to make specific requests along the lines of this letter asking specific actions, bank attorneys and congressional aides said. One reason is to avoid any appearance of trying to influence the regulatory process for political ends.

Media Bias: Palin vs Obama

The media is up in arms about Palin's latest speech where she jots 4 words down on her hand to use as notes for a speech. People in the media, like Andrea Mitchell are calling it cheating, and hypocritical because Palin has often criticized Obama's use of the teleprompter.

I don't understand the comparison. To equate one with the other is either bad judgement or bad journalism, or both and it's difficult to see the comparison between the two. One is just reading, pure and simple, nothing more; whereas the other one is a real speech, with just a few words to help someone remember key points. One can argue about the content of what one is reading (or was written for them) compared to what the other is speaking (in their own words). One might also find it funny that she wrote it on her hand rather than put it on a cue card - this can certainly be debated. But in my humble opinion, there really is no comparison between reading, which most 7 year-olds can do, and actually delivering a speech.

Now, I don't know Andrea Mitchell very well. Maybe Mitchell holds Obama to a lower standard and so for him, reading a speech in it's entirety is the same as using a couple of words on a note card. Does Mitchell hold some people to a higher standard than others? Maybe she holds conservatives, or even people of different genders, or races to different standards. I'm not sure what her personal biases are, but the comparison is ridiculous and I can't see any other reason how she could equate one with the other.

Everyone knows that a few notes are acceptable in the course of a speech, but reading the entire speech is usually only considered acceptable for beginners, and probably not for a President of the United States, and certainly not for someone labelled by the left as THE GREAT COMMUNICATOR.

Libs Want New Agency to Study Climate Change

I thought it was only a bad joke when Lisa Simpson declared on the Simpsons last night that climate change is creating both extreme hot and cold temperatures.

Unfortunately, it appears that Obama administration officials are using the snow storm to declare that climate change is happening now and it represents a "real threat."

Harry Reid Troubles

According to Rasmussen polls, Reid is losing to all four of his Republican challengers.

Obama "Invests" $2.5 MM in Superbowl Ad

Watching the game last night, did anyone else wonder why Obama blew $2.5 million on a commercial for the U.S. census? I thought that ACORN already had the census covered.

Obama to Challenge Republicans on Televised Healthcare

This was pretty predictable. While I didn't see Obama's Q&A at the recent republican meeting, I heard that he performed well and without a teleprompter no less. From this, one could guess that Obama is newly confident and might even try another talk without a teleprompter. Historically, this is when the man's arrogance usually kicks in and he gets himself into trouble. Nonetheless, it's healthy to do this, and I applaud the move.

What I expect from Obama will be more of the same. He'll try to "sound" centrist. This worked on the campaign trail where he swayed independent voters. Will people believe him again? We'll see. I suspect he'll talk about a 10 year plan, where he can say almost anything about the cost, because who the heck really knows over 10 years. He'll also seek to demonize republicans over universal healthcare. These points are givens. But his grand plan is that once healthcare passes, no matter how moderate it sounds, he knows that he can change it in any way he wants. This has always been his plan.

And Republicans will have an uphill battle. First of all, does anyone know what is their position, other than not wanting the plan? Hard to tell, since Obama had shut them out until now. But now that they can speak, what will they say and who will speak for them? Until now, it's been easy for Republicans. They've had a bumbling president and a horrible economy. Just keep your mouth shut and you gain. That's fine, but Obama is calling them on their bluff, and they now have to come up with something. If I were them, I'd challenge the president to name one government-run entity that operates efficiently, and I'd let Canada and Britain do the talking. Maybe invite Daniel Hannan as their special guest? I'd talk about how we can cut costs without a government takeover - namely just cut the darn reimbursement rates! Lastly, I'd tie any change in healthcare reform at all, to a large-scale change in tort reform. I suspect Obama might break Usain Bolt's 100m record out of the building if he ever hears the words "tort reform" but we'll see.

But it's up to Republicans to state what they want. They could really lose big here if they don't come up with a plan of their own or also if they try to sound to nicey-nice. Americans are angry and afraid, and if Republicans just bow down to the man, I think Republicans could lose big time. On the other hand, they will also lose if they are obstructionist without a good reason, which is what Obama is counting on.

Big test for both. Obama's arrogance vs. Republicans trying to appear too gentile. We'll see what happens.

Global Warming Anyone?

Where's Al Gore during this biggest snowfall in the DC area on record? We better solve this global warming problem or we're all going to melt.

Majority of Democrats Love Socialism

According to Gallup, a majority of Democrats have a positive view of socialism.

That's really all that needs to be said about our economy today, since the Democrats have been in charge of Congress since 2007 and our entire government since 2009.

Obama Unemployment: Rate Down, Job Creation Non-existent

The good news about today's unemployment numbers is that, at 9.7%, the headline at least looks good. The bad news is that the economy still cannot create jobs (I know, hard to believe, despite what Obama tells us). January has many seasonal factors which likely impacted the rate to appear better - and at least companies seem largely done with huge layoffs, but unfortunately, this Obamaconomy is still going nowhere fast.

Obama Store Shuts Down

The Obama Store, a shop that sold various Obama products at Union Station in Washington, DC, has closed its doors due to lack of business. That's a good sign for America.

Jobless Claims Higher Than Expected

Jobless claims came in higher than expected, to a level not seen since mid-December. How's Obamanomics working now?

Only 1 in 9 Americans Think Obama Stimulus Helped

One out of nine people believe that Obama's much heralded $787 billion "stimulus" package actually helped the economy.

I think more than that believes in life on other planets.

Largest Ever Federal Payroll

The largest federal payroll ever...at 2.15 million.

And keep in mind, they make 76% more than private workers on average.

Obama's Budget Disaster

The Heritage Foundation has a pretty good summary of Obama's budget.

Obama is going to solve the housing problem....by eliminating the mortgage interest deduction for those making over $200K...

If this proposed budget passes as is, you might as well count on a Depression.

Chicago Mayor Daley Talks Common Sense on Taxes

It's hard to believe, but Chicago Mayor Richard Daley is talking sense on taxes after Oregon decided to raise taxes on companies there (I hope Obama is listening):

The tax hike in Oregon "will help our economic development immediately. You'd better believe it," Hizzoner told the Chicago Sun Times late last week. "We'll be out in Oregon enticing corporations to relocate to Chicago."

Oregon raised its top income tax rate to 11% from 9% and its corporate rate to 7.9% from 6.6%, while doubling many small business tax charges and fees. "What happened in Oregon is not good news for Oregon," explains Mr. Daley. "They believe that anybody who makes $125,000 or more [annually] or businesses or anyone who makes $250,000—they're gonna start taxing them. They call them 'rich people.'"

Mr. Daley isn't buying that. "I've always thought America stands for [rewarding success]. You finish high school. You work hard, go to college and you hope to succeed in life. I never knew it's a class war—that those who succeed in life are the ones that have to bear all the burden. I never realized that. It will be a whole change in America that those who succeed and work hard, we're gonna tax 'em more than anyone else."

Common sense - from a Democrat Mayor of Chicago...

Canadian Premier Coming to U.S. For Healthcare

Canadians have a universal health care system. So why would Premier Danny Williams be coming to the U.S. for heart surgery?

Hmm...

Pelosi Enjoys $100,000 Tab on Plane Rides

This is a great use of taxpayer dollars - subsidizing Nancy Pelosi's food and alcohol tabs on airplane rides to the tune of over $100,000.

IPCC Copied Student's Dissertation on Global Warming Conclusions

The IPCC published its "global warming" report that the mountain snows were melting and based it off of a student's dissertation as well as a magazine article.

The revelation will cause fresh embarrassment for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which had to issue a humiliating apology earlier this month over inaccurate statements about global warming.

...The revelations, uncovered by The Sunday Telegraph, have raised fresh questions about the quality of the information contained in the report, which was published in 2007.

It comes after officials for the panel were forced earlier this month to retract inaccurate claims in the IPCC's report about the melting of Himalayan glaciers.

But as Dan Rather would argue, it's not whether the facts are correct; it's the importance of the story that's important.

Pelosi Not Quite Feeling the Taxpayer Pain

Nancy Pelosi is doing her best to destroy any ounce of fiscal responsibility she might have had. She has the military regularly escort her kids and grandkids cross country on board a plane that seats 200 passengers - even when no members of Congress are present.

The airplane costs $18,000 per hour to operate.

Only $200MM to pay for Terrorist Trials

Great news - the U.S. taxpayers only have to foot a $200 million bill to cover security for the KSM and other terrorist trials on U.S. soil this year. Oh, and don't forget that we must also pay for their attorneys and costs of running the courts as well.

Only 21% of Americans Believe Obama Tax Cut Claims

Only 21% of Americans believe that Obama was truthful when he claimed that he has cut taxes for 95% of Americans.

Of course, that claim is so bizarre that even 21% is a shockingly high number.

Bin Laden Joins Democrats in Global Warming Rant

Bin Laden's alleged latest rant was that the U.S. is responsible for global warming and the rest of the world should boycott our goods. Sometimes it's hard to tell that Bin Laden isn't just the typical Congressional Democrat.

SEC: Disclose Your Effect on Climate Change

Perhaps Obama's SEC didn't get the message that much of the recent 'climate change' science is a fraud, but they are now "encouraging companies" to disclose the effects of climate change on their businesses.

SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro, an Obama administration appointee, said the agency wasn't weighing in on the global-warming debate and wanted to ensure that investors get reliable information.

Reliable information based on pure speculation? How absurd. Should companies assume, as Al Gore suggests, that Florida and New York will be under water and point out how that would effect business? If that's the case, every company but boat manufacturers will need to disclose a new risk in their filings.

Obama Criticizes Supreme Court - Where's the Outrage Now?

A few years ago, there were a few controversial cases (Terri Schiavo, for example) whereby Republicans criticized members of the judiciary. The outcry was immediate from the Left, calling them unpatriotic Americans who threatened the safety of judges.

Well, now Obama criticizes the Supreme Court in a television address to the nation and no one says a word...except for the Left, who cheered wildly at the criticism.

My mistake - Justice Alito did appear to say a few words to Obama as he criticized the decision to protect the Constitution's freedom of speech when it comes from an entity other than a labor union or George Soros foundation.

CEOs Seeth Against Obama's Hatred For Them

Bank CEOs were "stunned" by Obama's latest attack against the industry. I have one question for them:

Where the hell have you been over the past 3 years?

Class Warfare Passes Ballot in Oregon

Oregon likes the way California has turned out so much that voters passed a tax increase on businesses as well as families making $250K. Just to add insult to injury, these taxes are retroactive to 2009.

Class warfare - get ready for it in the State of Obama speech.

It's a "Jobs" Bill - Not a "Stimulus" Bill

When Americans despise Democrat policies, Democrats simply re-label them as something new. The latest example is another failed transfer payment...er, stimulus,...er, "jobs bill."

All this despite what the CBO admits is a disaster for U.S. deficits for the next decade - even without Obamacare. Oh, and don't forget those tax cuts expire beginning January 1 of 2011, so enjoy this great economy while you can...

Obama's Bank Reforms: Asinine

Financial services analyst Tom Brown shares his thoughts on Obama's proposed bank "reforms."

On the one hand, the president wants to ensure that another financial crisis never happens again, and wants to tax banks to recoup the costs of TARP. But on the other hand, he wants banks to loosen their lending standards and make more loans. The uncertainty this contradiction has produced (not to mention the verbal jihad the president has inflicted on the banking industry) isn’t going to spur bankers to ease their lending standards. It will have the opposite effect. Taxing banks and trashing bankers will simply result in less lending, not more.

He also reminds us that the banks are now forced to pay the sins of the ludicrous bailouts that have been disasters - AIG, GMAC, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac,...

Obama Vows to Save a Few Pennies

Obama announced a freeze on "some" domestic spending over a 3 year time frame. The savings for 2011 is expected to be $10-$15 billion dollars. Is this guy for real? According to the NY Times, all of Obama's previous spending plans would mean an additional $9 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years.

Obama's plan is similar to an 800lb. man who vows not to gain another pound for the next 3 years.

I guess this is how community organizers get results.

Gallup: Obama Most Polarizing President Ever in First Year

According to Gallup, the first year of the Obama administration has been the most polarizing of any president in U.S. history during his first year in office.