Questions About Afghanistan

Obama has recently announced that US troops will end combat in mid 2013 and then end their advisory role in Afghanistan in 2014. I have a problem with this. I don't get why the commander in chief would announce his intentions to the enemy beforehand. Continually we see this - others have done this as well. I would think if this is a serious war worth fighting for, that we would at least conceal our intentions from our enemies. Other questions I have are:

1. Why are we leaving?
2. Did we meet our objectives?
3. What were our objectives exactly?
4. Why did Obama triple our troops in Afghanistan over the past three years?
5. What has been accomplished by tripling our troop levels in Afghanistan?
6. What will happen once we leave?
7. What happens if the Taliban come back to power?

I realize the military have to keep some secrets and the public can't know everything. But I just thought, since Obama is already telling the Taliban what our time horizon is, that he probably doesn't care what he tells them.

I do believe that if the current president were someone with the initials GWB, that the media would hold him more accountable. But it is amazing how one man's surge was scrutinized to the molecule, while another man's surge wasn't even analyzed. Obama's surge wasn't even called a surge - the increase in troop levels were all but ignored.

I'm all for bringing home our troops who have been there long enough, and have done everything that has been asked of them. But can we get some answers from our Commander in Chief also?

Romney Takes Florida, But Race Not Over

I don't think anyone was surprised at the result, and honestly, with all the polling, it's hard to get caught off-guard anymore. Some might be tempted to say the race is just a formality now. It's getting closer to this, but I don't think it's over yet, and it's fine that it continues. Here's my key points from Florida and going forward:

1. The "stars" aligned for Romney in Florida and this helped him. By stars, I mean the GOP elite stars - like Marco Rubio, Rick Scott, among others, threw their support behind Romney.

2. Voter turnout was about 15% less than it was in 2008 in Florida, and in 2008 the GOP had one of the most unexciting candidates ever that year. I hope this isn't a harbinger for turnout in 2012. The tea party was a huge force which drove the GOP to win almost 2/3 of the seats in 2010. Where is the tea party today? Will they sit on the sidelines because none of their candidates are in the race (although each individually, probably does have some tea party support)

3. Gingrich lost a big chunk of the women's vote. I continue to believe this will be a problem for Newt, but maybe not as large as it was in Florida as time might heal these scars a bit.

4. Gingrich ran negative in Florida. I think he'll learn from this mistake. He's at his best in attacking Obama. When he attacks Romney for making money at Bain, firing people at Bain, or owning a mutual fund, that's just silly nonsense.

5. Romney benefitted from a couple of more aggressive debates. Hopefully, he has also learned that standing back and having the race handed to him is not a good strategy.

6. Don't count out the other two - Santorum and Paul. This is a long race. Even if they don't have a chance, it's good to keep them in the race to keep Romney on the right.

7. Many democrats are salivating and giggling at the in-fighting between Republicans, thinking it works to their benefit. I disagree. The only reason it might help Obama is that it distracts people from the horrendously poor job the President is doing.

8. No matter which Republican takes it, I see that person as infinitely better than Obama, although as Ron Paul has mentioned, that's a pretty low hurdle.

Obama's Father Had Several Wives

There have been lots of articles about Romney's faith, and in particular, about the fact that Mormons used to have more than one wife. These articles typically mention Mitt Romney's great-grandfather, who, born, in 1846, eventually had five wives. But enough talk about people born pre-civil war, when slavery was also legal. Let's talk about things that happened during the past 50 years, shall we?

How many wives did Barack Obama's father have? Well, we know he fathered 8 children from four different women, but he only married three times, as he died from a drunk driving accident before his fourth marriage. Why is it that so few news outlets give Obama a pass here? Barack Obama's cousin might have the answer:

You have to remember that his father was an African and in Africa, polygamy is part of life.

Ok - there you have it.

Newt's Attack on Romney for Owning a Fund Which Owns Fannie

This one is strange. But I have to give credit to Newt for trying this gimmick. He's attacking Romney for having a mutual fund which owns some Fannie and Freddie.

Whether or not Romney knew about it is a moot point. These are government-backed bonds which half of America own. By the same token, one could attack Romney for owning a house whereby Fannie eventually purchased his mortgage. Maybe some people will believe that this is equivalent to consulting or lobbying for them, and I have no doubt that Obama will piggy-back on Newt's attack against Romney.

I think in recent days that the GOP establishment has come out of the woodwork to gang up on Gingrich (which is similar to what happened to Romney in 2008). I don't like these games. But at the same time, I really have to wonder what on earth Gingrich is thinking when he attacks Romney for something like this. Doesn't make sense.

Warming Over; Ice Age Worries Again?

Always fascinating to look at scientific charts about the earth's climate. As expected, there has been no warming in 15 years and many scientists are more concerned about a new mini-ice age coming.

Theo Epstein Snubbed GW Bush in 2007

Everyone in Boston, especially the media, and even Cory Schneider, Vancouver's back-up goalie (formerly BC guy) have come out and slammed Tim Thomas for not meeting with Obama. Schneider's quote was pretty funny, and he seems to be comparing Obama with the Pope (I suspect that Schneider might have majored in either political science or religion). His quote was:

I'm not that religious but if I had the chance to meet the Pope, it'd be pretty cool... I don't believe in everything the Catholic church does, but I'd still show up to the Vatican and say Hi to the Pope.

Anyway, Howie Carr points out that in 2007 Theo Epstein snubbed George W. Bush when the Red Sox won the World Series and the rest of the team visited the White House. Did anyone report it? Did anyone care? Or is the simple answer that there is a double standard for democrats and republicans? My guess is Cory didn't care back in 2007.

Romney Advisor: We Won't Repeal Obamacare

Maybe this is why Norm Coleman lost to Al Franken a few years ago in the Minnesota Senate Race. He said yesterday that Obamacare will not be repealed, but only tweaked.

It's also why people are skeptical of Romney. If Obamacare is here to stay, Romney should say that and let GOP voters decide if that's what they want in a candidate. If not, maybe he needs to shake up his Republican establishment team.

No Wonder Buffett's Secretary Pays So Much in Taxes...

Forbes speculates that based on her tax rates, Warren Buffett's secretary Debbie Bosanek makes between $200K and $500K per year.

Without more details, it's hard to know exactly what she is paid. But this would make sense - she is doing well but is hardly in the billionaire's club, where she could shield her income in tax-free trusts like her boss.

Again, if Warren, Obama and other big rich liberals are so disappointed, they are more than welcome to write checks to the U.S. Treasury every year...

What Were Newt's Ethics Violations Anyway?

One thing I hear a lot is Newt Gingrich and "ethics violations," although I had no idea specifically what the investigations were all about. Byron York has a very good piece that walks us through the history of the matter and it's pretty clear that this whole issue is frankly an absurd non-issue.

In short, when he was teaching in Georgia during the 90s, he taught a class called "Renewing American Civilization," which was funded in part by a non-profit (tax exempt) organization. For several years, Newt's Democrat opponents investigated whether the class was political and therefore, should not be funded by a tax-exempt organization. Newt settled the matter by paying a fine. The IRS later concluded there was no wrongdoing.

Romney can criticize Newt for a bunch of things, but this one is absurd.

Obama vs. Reagan Economy

The WSJ has an excellent summary of Obama's state of the union - it was an empty, false campaign speech.

Normally a President at the start of his fourth year would be running on his record, accentuating the legislation he's passed. Mr. Obama can't do that with any specificity because the economic recovery has been so weak and the legislation he has passed is so unpopular. So last night he took credit for the shale gas revolution he had nothing to do with and proposed new policies to "spread the wealth around," as he famously told Joe the Plumber in 2008 before he took the words back. We thought he meant it then, and now he's admitting it.

...The President inherited a deep recession, but in political terms that should have been a blessing. History shows that the deeper the recession, the sharper the recovery, and Mr. Obama was poised to take credit for the economy's natural recuperative powers. Instead, we've had the weakest recovery since the Great Depression and stubbornly high joblessness.

The nearby chart compares rates of quarterly growth during the Reagan and Obama economic recoveries. The comparison is apt because both recoveries followed deep recessions in which the jobless rate reached more than 10%. Once the Reagan recovery got cooking, in 1983, growth stayed above 5% for 18 months and never fell below 3.3% for 13 consecutive quarters.

In the Obama recovery, growth has never exceeded 4% in any quarter and fell off markedly in mid-2010 through the third quarter of 2011. For the first nine months of 2011, growth averaged less than 1.2%. The economy finally picked up again in the fourth quarter, but still at a rate that is subpar for a recovery that long ago should have become robust and durable.

The Pelosi Congress also passed ObamaCare, Dodd-Frank, cash for clunkers, the housing tax credit, and much more. The only Obama priority it didn't pass was cap-and-trade, which was killed by Senate Democrats.

Mr. Obama's regulators also currently have some 149 major rules underway, which are those that cost more than $100 million. The 112th Congress hasn't been able to kill a single major rule. The most it has been able to do is extend the Bush tax rates—which helped the economy by avoiding a tax shock—and slow the rate of increase in federal spending. This President has been "obstructed" less than anyone since LBJ.

Obstruction? Hardly. Big-time failure? Yup.

Apple Quarterly Profit: $13 Billion

After Apple's record net income of $13 billion for Q1, which I believe is the largest quarterly profit by any company in history, I can't help but wonder where all the calls are for a "windfall profits" tax, the way they do with oil companies?

How Much Do Obama and Clintons Pay in Taxes?

I wouldn't expect the media to ever focus on this, so I'll bring it up:

Obama paid 23% tax rate last year. Romney's will be 15%. Of course Obama gets more in salary (taxed at a higher rate) and Romney has more investment income (lower rate) and more charitable contributions. As a side note, Obama's charitable contributions were pretty miserly - practically nil before he decided to run for president. (Again, don't expect the media to make any comparisons with Romney here).

The Clinton's from 1992 to 1999 paid a 19.8% tax rate. I don't ever remember anyone asking, and I don't remember anyone caring. Seems to be an issue now that Romney is running.

Tim Thomas Snubs Obama; Fed Gov't "Out of Control"

The Boston Bruins were at the White House today celebrating their Stanley Cup victory. Everyone except MVP goalie Tim Thomas. Thomas protested Obama due to the out-of-control federal government. From his Facebook page, via Hotair:

“I believe the Federal government has grown out of control, threatening the Rights, Liberties, and Property of the People.

This is being done at the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial level. This is in direct opposition to the Constitution and the Founding Fathers vision for the Federal government.

Because I believe this, today I exercised my right as a Free Citizen, and did not visit the White House. This was not about politics or party, as in my opinion both parties are responsible for the situation we are in as a country. This was about a choice I had to make as an INDIVIDUAL.

This is the only public statement I will be making on this topic. TT”

Ok, so it's not about parties, but come on - which party is more responsible for threatening the rights, liberties and property of the people? This was his attempt at being non-partisan to his liberal fans. Coming from a Stanley Cup MVP, this is quite a statement.

Can Gingrich Beat Obama?

While I have held the view for some time that almost any Republican nominated would have no problem beating Barack Obama in 2012 (in a two-man race), I do have some doubts about Newt Gingrich. Here are my reasons for doubting him:

1. His rants against capitalism and free markets may have helped him against Romney during this past week, but against Obama, they would be neutralized. What is the difference between the two of them on this issue? What helped him this week would likely be used against him against Obama.

2. It's pretty hard for Newt to play the Washington outsider. After all, his whole life has been about Washington politics: he was in the House for twenty years or so, and even when he left, he worked as a lobbyist, or a quasi-lobbyist, or a consultant, or whatever, designed to help companies deal with Washington.

3. While Newt is a great debater, I would offer caution to those who believe he would run circles around the President. I do agree that whether it be Newt, Romney, or Paul, all three could school Obama pretty easily, but how many debates will Obama actually agree to? Two maybe? And within these debates, who usually moderates them? Ummm....95% of the time, they are people who want Obama to win. So while Newt is a good talker, I am not so sure he will come off as well in a debate with Obama.

4. Lastly, and possibly most importantly... will women vote for Newt? I have no idea whether the allegations his ex-wife made are true or false. He said she said. But right now, the story is out there, and even if only a minority of people believe it to be true, this could be quite damaging. I personally believe that the fact that he has been married three times means he won't get a lot of women support. One could easily argue, didn't Bill Clinton womanize? And this didn't hurt him. Ok. Right, although maybe it would have in 2000...but it's also different, and the media holds the two parties to different standards.

I have my doubts about Newt, but before we get too carried away, let's see what happens in Florida.

Gingrich Win Embarrasses Media

A lot of people were surprised that Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary on Saturday. I was too. Especially given that the media released an interview with his second wife just the day before talking about his alleged desire for an "open marriage." But looking back at this, it is obvious that of course this helped him. As the media pounded him on his personal life (of course it may be true, but it's still just an allegation), most people see this as the powerful media, once again, trying to influence the elections, and trying to damage and even ruin certain candidates.

I agree with Glenn Beck on this one. The win was all about ABM - Anybody But the Media! And South Carolinians wanted to show they would not only not be swayed by the media, but if anything, they would rise up against it.

Schools Rejecting Michelle O's Healthy Lunch Options

It was supposed to be utopia. Michelle Obama encouraged schools to roll out a healthy menu that she wouldn't be caught dead eating and when they roll it out, everyone will eat it and magically become healthier. Unfortunately, something happened on the way to Veggieville in LA and other cities - the kids just reacted by throwing the lunches in the trash en masse. Who would have guessed that central planning by a nanny state doesn't work?

Newt, Ex-Wives and Obama

It is getting interesting indeed. After Newt dominated the last debate, his ratings have skyrocketed and is now actually ahead of Romney in the latest Rasmussen poll. To ABC, this is apparently the perfect time to unleash its "Newt is morally bankrupt, according to his ex-wife" story.

I think the story will probably have its desired effect of taking down Newt - just the latest in the media's desire to destroy every GOP candidate, one by one. The interesting thing is that this seems to be the most successful tactic for Obama. I know that Obama himself is not releasing the story, but isn't it a bit interesting that his supporters (media, unions, etc.) have helped him in this arena more than once. Take for example his Senate race in Chicago. Obama was losing to his primary opponent by a huge margin just prior to the election. Then his opponent's sealed divorce records mysteriously come out and Obama wins the nomination. Then he goes up against GOP candidate Jack Ryan and the same exact thing happens. And now Newt. Obama must be thanking Allah for divorces.

Obama's Food Stamp Boom

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. The WSJ highlights the massive boom in food stamp participation under Obama. This is due not only to the recession, but also new programs pushed by Pelosi and Obama designed to get people onto the system.

Who says Obama is not achieving his goals of growing the Democrat base for years to come?

Anyone Know Anything About Obama's Career?

Just thinking about this as Romney gets dragged through the mud for having a successful career at Bain. We also know about Newt's jobs as a consultant after he left Congress, and I've just read something about how he "had big plans to become college president" when he was just a lowly professor. Imagine that! I guy with ambition and now he wants to run for President.

Anyway, this got me to thinking. Do we know anything about Obama's pre-governmental career? Strikes me as odd that a couple of presidential contenders are getting slammed on a daily basis for what they did outside of office. Why hasn't Obama been equally criticized? And in fact, what do we really know about this supposedly "transparent" president (his words). I submit that we know very little, except that he worked for groups like ACORN, who helped inner city voters vote lots of times.

Is there a reason that we don't know more about Obama's career? Has the mainstream media avoided covering it for some reason? Maybe he really did nothing very substantial, and that's why? My guess is that many of his organizations are/were pretty activist, and he may not have accomplished much. My best guess is also that what he did accomplish may have been pretty unflattering to most people. Lastly, since the MSM wants him to win, it is likely they will not delve into the President's past unless it makes him look good. And since they haven't delved, what does that tell us?

Anyone else find it interesting that the media refuse to cover anything about Obama's previous work experience while almost every Republican candidate is under the microscope?

What About Obama's Tax Returns?

I have no doubts that the media will make a big deal out of Romney's tax returns. First of all, he's been very successful and has made a good deal of money, so likely he will be slammed by the media. Additionally, because his overall income rate, consisting of mostly dividends and interest, is likely to be closer to 15%, so my guess is that the media will discriminate against him here as well.

But will the media look into depth into Barack Obama's Tax Returns as well - most notably charitable giving, where Obama gave almost nothing for many years. Only when he thought he might run for President did he start giving close to the American average. I doubt we'll hear much about this though.

Sean Bielat is Running

I don't think it's been officially announced, but it looks like Sean Bielat will be running for Congress in Massachusetts to replace the retiring Barney Frank. Whether it will be easier or harder this time around is debatable. He doesn't have to face a multi-decade incumbent, but my guess is that multi-decade incumbents are on the chopping block in 2012 and maybe Frank feared losing and that's why he retired. At any rate, it looks like Bielat might be running against a Kennedy - Joseph III. Not sure of Kennedy's qualifications per se, except he has a strong name for office in Massachusetts. Also, I do not know much about what Kennedy stands for, but if he is anything similar to his uncles and great uncles, it will likely be a contest between big government policies and free market policies from Bielat.