Obama Admin Agrees With Bush on Wireless Wiretapping

The Obama Administration seeks to toss out a court case that challenges wireless wiretapping. I'm surprised Obama didn't just say that it was Bush's fault and he couldn't do anything about it.

Clinton: "We Tax Everything"

Hillary Clinton speaks the truth in Pakistan, which has lower tax rates than in the U.S. "We tax everything that moves and doesn't move."

Indeed.

State Tort Reform Illegal Under House Bill

Texas corrected one major problem a few years back to bring healthcare costs under control - they passed real tort reform. Unfortunately, the House Obamacare bill makes tort reform illegal:

Section 2531, entitled “Medical Liability Alternatives,” establishes an incentive program for states to adopt and implement alternatives to medical liability litigation. [But]…… a state is not eligible for the incentive payments if that state puts a law on the books that limits attorneys’ fees or imposes caps on damages.

Obama's NJ Visit Hurting Corzine

Obama did his best to put Corzine over the top in strongly Democratic New Jersey. But apparently, Obama's visit has had the opposite effect. Ouch.

Medical Industry, Business Blast Obamacare Bill

Add doctors, business and the medical and pharmaceutical industries to the list of those who hate Obamacare. This is on top of Congressional Republicans and the vast majority of the American public.

Absurdity of the Day: 1 Million Jobs

Obama claims that he has "saved or created" over a million jobs with his porkulus bill.

Interesting...he should just make it a cool 10 million.

Ousted Marxist Honduran Leader to Return to Power, Thanks to Obama

From Powerline:

It is perfectly fitting that the signal diplomatic triumph of President Obama's first year in office is the restoration to power of the lawfully deposed Honduran thug and friend of Fidel Castro, Daniel Ortega and Hugh Chavez. It is inimical to the national interest of the United States. it is a setback for the supporters of democracy in the beleaguered country of Honduras. And it is a defeat for those who believe in the rule of law. It is, in other words, a triumph of "smart diplomacy."

Pelosi: Healthcare Bill Just The Beginning

Nancy Pelosi admits that, even if the communist healthcare bill passes, it will just be the beginning:

“We are not passing a bill, shutting the door, turning out the lights and walking away. We will have other legislation.”

Media Already Spinning NY-23 Race and Potential Hoffman Win

The WaPo is already trying to spin the NY-23 race in case conservative Doug Hoffman wins:

The strong anti-incumbent sentiment may well hurt Democrats more in 2010 simply because they hold more seats in the House and the Senate. But, a Hoffman win is rightly understood not as a rejection of either party but rather a rejection of the political system as a whole.

That's it - it has nothing to do with Americans despising big government, tax-and-spend liberals and choosing small government, free market conservatives. It's simply an indictment against the system. What an absurd statement.

Corzine Already Trying to Steal Close NJ Election

NJ Dem Gov. Cozrine is already preparing for a close election and wants the rules on absentee ballots thrown out, regardless of whether they are fraudulent and have different signatures. Let's call it the ACORN exception. More from NRO.

But why worry? It's not like elected NJ officials were recently "indicted on charges they conspired to commit election fraud during the June Democratic primary through a variety of schemes involving messenger absentee ballots." And frankly, why shouldn't they? Al Franken reversed an election last year through fraud and challenges and no one cared.

Cash for Clunkers Cost: $24K Per Car

At a cost of $24,000 per car sold, let's just say that when the government gets its hands on anything, it will inevitably cost at least 5x as much. But of course, Obamacare will be different...

Public Trust of Journalists Non-existent

In a Rasmussen poll, 85% of Americans trust themselves more than reporters to determine their views on the important issues of the day; only 4% trust reporters more. Not a surprise.

Big Mac's Currency Lesson

The WSJ lays out the dangers of a weak dollar policy using Iceland's Big Mac example. Effective next weekend, Iceland's three McDonald's franchises will be closing due to the high import costs of its ingredients due to a declining kroner.

But the lesson here is not about the dangers of globalization or the virtues of buying local. Since Iceland's banks collapsed last fall, and its currency with them, the cost in local currency of all imports, and not just fast food, has soared. This has done nothing to "cushion" the blow to Iceland's economy from what amounted to an international run on its banks. What it has done is added a currency panic to a financial panic, and made Iceland's prospects bleaker than they otherwise might have been.

...debasing one's currency makes a country poorer, not richer. Just ask the residents of Reykjavik, who now must travel 900 miles to get their Big Mac—in Dublin.

Let that be a lesson to the U.S. government, who is willing to screw its citizens (further) in order to reduce its own inflated debt problem.

Rush: Goodell's a "Total Weasel" For Avoiding Questions

Rep. Steve King grilled NFL's Roger Goodell today on why he approved J-Lo and Fergie as minority owners of the Dolphins despite their pretty graphic lyrics and often use of the N-word - specifically because Goodell stated divisiveness and language as reasons he didn't think Rush should be an owner. This is Rush's response:

Of course, Goodell's a total weasel. He had no answer about the Dolphins' owners so wouldn't even address the question, and he got on his high horse about how McNabb is a fine player and a fine person and it has nothing to do with the color of his skin, when I (a) never said he was not a fine person; (b) never said he was a bad QB -- just that he was overrated (which no one should deny); and (c) said the MEDIA was obsessed with the color of his skin (which is also undeniable), not that I was.

And Keith Olbermann's name as mouthpiece of the NFL for NBC wasn't even mentioned...

Dems: Hoffman the Man to Beat

Forget about the polls in NY-23. The Dems have spoken about who they believe is the toughest challenger in the race - conservative candidate Doug Hoffman - not liberal GOP candidate Dede Scozzafava.

Dodd's Latest Dumb Idea

Financial services analyst Tom Brown says that Chris Dodd's plan to freeze credit card rates is just his latest dumb idea and would likely force consumer credit to dry up altogether at a time when the economy needs more of it.

Here’s a basic truth in banking: The more restrictions government places on lenders’ ability to extend credit, the more expensive credit will become. We’ve already seen how lenders have responded to the bill Congress passed in May: rates have risen and fees have proliferated. Now Dodd wants to impose even further restrictions. Guess what figures to happen next? Follow this process to its logical conclusion, and credit won’t simply become even more expensive, it will dry up altogether. As I say, this is just what the economy does not need.

Thankfully, it's not like Dodd is Chairman of the Banking Committee or anything.....oops, never mind.

ACORN May Serve on Oversight Board to Consumer Protection Agency

It appears that Democrats got their wish by making it possible for ACORN to serve on the powerful Oversight Board for the soon-to-be-created Consumer Financial Protection Agency.

Obama: Pelosi One of Greatest Speakers Of All Time

There is near universal agreement that Nancy Pelosi is one of the most radical, Far Left congressmen ever to serve in Congress. So how does Obama feel about her? "She's one of the greatest speakers of all time."

Obviously not a surprise from the most radical President of all time.

Poll: Hoffman +5

Doug Hoffman is up in another poll, for the second time in as many days. Still too early and too close to call, just because there are two Republicans in the race. One thing looks clear though - DeDe Scozzafava is plummetting. Another thing looks clear as well: Republicans are leading 48-29. Hopefully Democrats won't squeak in because Republicans divide the vote.

Results:

Hoffman 34
Owens 29
Scozzafava 14
Und 23

Obama Getting A$$ Kicked in Virginia Gov. Race

VA Democrat Gov. candidate Creigh Deeds was hoping to keep Obama at bay in this year's election because of his unpopularity, but Obama has begun stumping for him recently - and Deeds is falling even further behind in the race. But here is Obama's ironic statement of the day on the stump:

"We don't need folks who are slick or try to say one thing and then do another."

I wonder if he's talking about not raising taxes on anyone making <$250K and then abandoning that position immediately. Or if he's talking about not having a public option for health care and then abandoning that. Or if he's talking about "a war of necessity" before abandoning that.

In any event, Obama and Deeds are in for a good old fashioned Virginia butt-kicking next week. Should be fun listening to the media spin on this one.

Obama Policies Destroying AIG Value

Hank Greenberg is hiring the best talent from AIG thanks to Obama's policies to severely limit executive pay. Oh well, it's only taxpayer money.

Honduran President's Son Executed

The son of Honduran President Roberto Micheletti was found dead, killed execution style. It wouldn't surprise me if supporters of former Marxist leader Zelaya (who Obama suppors) were behind the killing, although there is no evidence at this point.

Win-Win for NY Conservatives, Doug Hoffman?

The closely watched special election in NY-23 pits a Democrat against a liberal Republican, as well as conservative candidate, Doug Hoffman. Hoffman recently won the endorsements of Fred Thompson, Tim Pawlenty, Sarah Palin, Rick Santorum and others. See Hoffman's personal appeal here.

But even if Hoffman loses and the Democrat Owens wins, Hoffman has already made a key point - Republicans cannot win if they try to be Democrat-lite. Scozzafava supports card check, abortion, the Obama porkulus, (and likely Obamacare)...so who really cares if she has a 'D' or an 'R' next to her name?

Obama Must Be Proud of Ortega

Nicaraguan president Ortega seems to have taken his cue from Obama's persistence that Honduran former president and wannabe strongman be returned to power despite trying to take over his country's constitution. Ortega's constitutionally mandated term expiration is in 2011, so he asked the Sandanista-run Supreme Court to change the rules to make him their Chavez - ie. president for life.

Last week the court's constitutional panel obliged him. The Nicaraguan press reported that the vote was held before three opposition judges could reach the chamber in time for the session. Three alternative judges, all Sandinistas, took their place and the court gave Mr. Ortega the green light. Mr. Ortega has decreed that the ruling cannot be appealed.

Not a single word from Obama defending democracy. Obama must be so proud of his little red comrades, succeeding in Marxist revolutionary rule.

About That "Healthcare Expense Waste"

Not coincidentally, there are news reports out this week of between $500 billion and $850 billion of "waste" in the health care system.

As Q and O points out, however, approximately $200 billion of that amount is related to Medicare (already run by the government) and another $200-300 billion is related to "unnecessary care such as the overuse of antibiotics and lab tests to protect against malpractice exposure," none of which is addressed in Obamacare.

Does Obama Ever Work?

Before winning the presidency, Barack Obama had a reputation for coming into work very late - 10 or 11am- he was never exactly an early riser, but granted - he was only a community organizer anyway and without real responsibilities. Now I'm wondering if he ever actually works. If we look at Obama's first 9 months in office - he has golfed 24 times already - or almost 1x/week (3x as much as GW Bush). He has taken 5 trips to Europe (5x as many as Bush took), and he has granted 24 interviews to different networks (4x as many as Bush). Combine this with his non-stop campaigning and speech-giving across America, one wonders: does this guy ever do anything tangible? He reminds me of a guy I used to work with who used to walk around the office non-stop, talking to people all day long, but never actually getting any real work done.

On the one hand, we should be thankful. I don't think any of us wants him to get anything done. On the other hand - what a lazy sack of potatoes our President is proving to be. Let's hope he continues to be this utterly and ridiculously lazy - we don't need any of his garbage policies getting through.

Democrat Spending Makes Bush Look Like Pauper

The knock most conservatives have about President Bush was his propensity to spend - he increased spending from 2001-08 at 6.4% annually or 2x the inflation rate. Not to be outdone, Obama and Pelosi have increased spending by 8% in their first year, or 6x today's inflation rate - at a time when median household incomes are actually falling. Oh, and this excludes Medicare and Medicaid, which are increasing by 9.8% and 24.7%, respectively, as well as any of the new entitlements or porkulus funds. From the WSJ.

Naturally, Obama's mere $1 trillion deficit by the time he leaves office is based on his ability to cut spending to below the inflation rate...

Edward Chen: Radical Anti-American Judge Nominee

Obama just can't get enough of radical anti-Americans, as shown from another appointment - this time judicial nominee Edward Chen. This Washington Times editorial says it best:

Another day, another Obama nominee who doesn't appear to love America. Another nominee who thinks the United States is inherently racist. Another nominee who thinks that judges should let their "ethnic and racial background" have an effect on how they conduct their trials.

...In a speech on Sept. 22, 2001, he said that among his first responses to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on America was a "sickening feeling in my stomach about what might happen to race relations and religious tolerance on our own soil. ... One has to wonder whether the seemingly irresistible forces of racism, nativism and scapegoating which has [sic] recurred so often in our history can be effectively restrained."

Pentagon Unwilling to Defend Biden Afghan Plan

When no one at the Pentagon can defend your plan, you might want to think that plan. Form Weekly Standard:

One official said Pentagon strategists were asked to draft brief written arguments making the best case for each strategy, but the strategists had difficulties writing out a credible case for the counter-terror approach -- prompting members of Mr. Biden's staff to step in and write the document themselves.

In case that wasn't clear, not a single strategist in the Pentegon was willing to draft a paper to defend the Biden plan. No one wanted to put their name on the document. So, members of Biden's staff -- political appointees -- had to write the brief.

Obama Claims "Working With" Small Business, But At War With Chamber of Commerce

Figure this one out. Obama claims that he is "working hard" with small businesses to create new jobs, yet he is at war with the Chamber of Commerce, whose millions of small business members oppose Obama's key anti-business policies.

*Update*

Big banks that got big bailout bucks should return the favor by lending more to qualified small businesses, President Barack Obama says.

But of course, don't take excessive risks designed to increase profits either. Maybe what we need is a Fannie Mae for businesses, whereby the government-run banks lend to companies that have no prospect of ever repaying the loan...that's how Obama thinks business works anyway.

Obamacare Preview: H1N1 Flu Shots a Complete Mess

If you want an H1N1 flu shot, you have to go to a government-administered center, wait in long lines for hours (several blocks long) and risk shortages. (And of course, the incompetent employees implementing this program result in very big taxpayer costs.) Sadly, this is a good preview of Obamacare in action.

Alexandria, Fairfax and Arlington VA, hotbeds of government-run centers, were good examples of this mess.

Networks Reject Obama Attempt to Limit Freedom of Press

The networks soundly rejected Obama's attempt to eliminate FoxNews from pool reports. Seems like Obama has fallen pretty far when his idols in the press even refuse his request.

Obama Gives Huge Land Donation to Exploding Polar Bear Population

Obama apparently loves polar bears so much (or hates oil and gas so much) that he designated over 200,000 square miles as polar bear habitat in the Chukchi Sea area of Alaska (nearly half of the energy-rich area). Apparently this is where the oil companies have confirmed large oil and gas deposits.

This was not good news for Obama's America where we all drive roller skates with engines, so he had to kill this exploration. Meanwhile, the polar bear population has increased between 200% and 500% over the last half century, depending upon the estimates used.

McChrystal Gets NATO Endorsement; Obama Indecisive

NATO defense ministers have endorsed General McChrystal's plan for Afghanistan. Obama is still wondering what to do.

Leadership.

CNBC's Melissa Lee Censors Gasparino's Obama Criticism

Once again, CNBC has a "no Obama criticism" zone with host Melissa Lee.

GASPARINO: When I talked to people today at Merrill Lynch and Citigroup, they're saying listen, "I'm a producer, you know, I make this firm money, and if they -- they cap my salary I'm gone." The problem is that it's hard to trust the Obama administration because President Obama if you look at his record, you know, he's a community organizer, he --

LEE: All right, Chas.

GASPARINO: No, but this is important and this is when it's hard to trust him. When you have a president that was a borderline socialist, people worry --

LEE: Chas, Chas, Chas.

Palin Endorses Doug Hoffman in NY-23

Sarah Palin officially endorsed Doug Hoffman in NY-23 in an effort to push the conservative past the liberal Republican (who endorses higher taxes, bigger government and card-check) Scozzafava. Hoffman doesn't seem to be the best candidate either, but he's not a liberal - it will be very interesting to see if her endorsement can push Hoffman ahead.

Steve Wynn Lambasts Obama

Real estate investor Steve Wynn was on CNBC this morning and he slammed Obamanomics. Here is a summary:

"To the extent that we run these deficits and the government spends over $1 trillion it doesn't have, the principal people that are going to be whacked by that are people who work for a living."

"The notion that you can overtax people who have money has been proven wrong over and over and over..."

Wynn then had a pertinent quote from de Tocqueville:

"'The American system of democracy will prosper until that moment when the government realizes it can bribe the electorate with its own money.' That moment has come."

Obama's Econ Advisor: Economic Stimulus Effects Largely Done

Christina Romer says that the biggest impact of the $787 billion "stimulus" plan is already over. She also says that it helped "create or save" between 600K and 1.5 million jobs. By that keen analysis, I estimate I helped save or create about 10,000 jobs last month.

Obama Blames Bush on Afghanistan; Cheney Corrects

Once again, according to Obama, his indecision is President Bush's fault. Obama said that the Bush Administration never reviewed Afghanistan, which is an absurd claim and Cheney corrected his memory:

“In the fall of 2008, fully aware of the need to meet new challenges being posed by the Taliban, we dug into every aspect of Afghanistan policy, assembling a team that repeatedly went into the country, reviewing options and recommendations, and briefing President-elect Obama’s team. They asked us not to announce our findings publicly, and we agreed, giving them the benefit of our work and the benefit of the doubt. The new strategy they embraced in March, with a focus on counterinsurgency and an increase in the numbers of troops, bears a striking resemblance to the strategy we passed to them. They made a decision – a good one, I think – and sent a commander into the field to implement it.

“Now they seem to be pulling back and blaming others for their failure to implement the strategy they embraced. It’s time for President Obama to do what it takes to win a war he has repeatedly and rightly called a war of necessity.”

Who knows - maybe Obama was in meetings with ACORN at the time and he was unaware.

Scozzafava Retracts Statement About Yelling Reporter

Dede Scazzafaza, Democrat-lite candidate for Congress in NY, retracted a previous statement whereby she said a Weekly Standard reporter was yelling at her in asking questions. Never mind. Campaign implosion?

Obama Approval Ratings Plummet Again

Obama is entering very negative territory again - from Ramussen. Some people still point to the Real Clear Politics average to determine overall approval, but many of those surveys are just from "adults" rather than "registered voters" or, in the case of Rasmussen, "likely voters." Surveying adults has always given Democrats an artificially higher approval (not to mention when the NY Times surveys 65% Democrats in its survey).

I Guess Iraq is Going OK

Troops taking dance lessons, reading the classics. More free time.

Hopefully Obama won't mess it up.

Will Republicans Ever Learn?

You would've thought that after 2006, Republicans would have gotten the message. Nominating liberal Republicans for office is not the answer (did Spector do us any favors?) The Republican in charge, whoever they were, decided to do the opposite, supporting John McCain in 2008 and lots of other liberal centrist Republicans. Another bloodbath occurred.

I'm not sure Republicans are learning from this disaster. First, lets look at New York. There's a vacant seat and the GOP nominated Dede Scozzafava, an ultra-liberal Republican who voted for Obama's stimulus and increased taxes multiple times. People say the GOP decided on her because she's a woman. Great qualifications (similar to Barack Obama).

New Jersey is another case. When deciding upon real republican (like Lonegan) and Chris Christie (a centrist), they chose Christie. Granted, Christie would be better than Corzine, but still has certain RINO characteristics.

In New York, there is some hope. Late entry Doug Hoffman, a real Republican has entered the race and has picked up a lot of ground quickly. While in New Jersey, Christie has lost his lead in recent weeks. The problem is that he's not conservative enough. So when a third party independent enters, with similar beliefs as Christie - they're going to share the vote. As a result, Corzine may win again.

Nationally same thing. Obama is blowing himself up on a daily basis. Republicans stand to gain from this, but unfortunately, we haven't seen many actually stand for anything of worth. Not sure Republicans have learned their lesson yet.

Brazil Imposes Foreign Investment Tax

Brazil imposed a 2% tax on foreign purchases of Brazilian stocks and bonds. What an idiotic move - I'm surprised the Obama administration hasn't tried this.

Another Obama Official Praises Mao

Manufacturing czar Ron Bloom is the second Obama official in a week caught praising Mao Tze Tung in public. Hmm.

ObamaCare Opposition Rising

Hard to believe (well, not really), but opposition to Obamacare is continuing to rise. The really interesting point is that, even among government workers, opposition is pretty overwhelming. From Hot Air.

Joke of the Day: Mohamed El Baradei

IAEA Chief Mohamed El Baradei said that the negotiations between Iran and the U.S., Russia and France got off to a 'good start.'"

"We have had this afternoon quite a constructive meeting," ElBaradei told reporters. "We are off to a good start."

This is about as believable as saying Obama's deficit cutting goals are "off to a good start."

Obama: "All Options" To Create Jobs, Except...

"All options are on the table" to create jobs,...except tax cuts, investment incentives, or a regulatory environment that would actually help create jobs.

But all of FDR's depression-extending policies, massive tax increases, even more massive deficits, and government takeover of industry - they are all on the table.

Obama Porkulus Bill "Saved or Created" 70 New England Jobs

This is laughable. According to Obama's own government website, his $787 billion porkulus bill has "saved or created" a total of 70 jobs in Connecticut, New Hampshire and Vermont. Great job.

Americans Trust McChrystal, Not Obama

By a margin of 62% to 22%, Americans trust General McChrystal on Afghanistan over his commander-in-chief. That must be embarrassing for Obama.

WH Communications Director Favorite Political Philosopher: Mao Tse Tung

Anita Dunn, the White House communications director, gave a speech in June where she said that one of her favorite political philosophers was....communist dictator Mao Tse Tung. Yup, the marxist Mao Tse Tung whose policies and purges were responsible for the deaths of tens of millions of his own citizens.

Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers, Van Jones, Anita Dunn,... - these communists are not exceptions to the rule. They represent Obama.

Next Up: Taxing Fat People

The problem with government-run health care is that they can now monitor every single activity and American does, in the name of "protecting tax dollars" - from tv watching, to eating habits, to drinking, smoking or anything else.

It appears that there will indeed be financial penalties for those that are not in healthy shape, according to the Democrat health bill that passed the Senate Finance Committee. Well's 1984 is nearing a reality in Obama's America.

Obama B****-Slapped By Russia, China

Charles Krauthammer has a great article today about all of the results that Obama's apologistic, non-confrontational, bending over backwards diplomatic style have achieved - a world that knows it can abuse Obama any way it wants. Take the example of Russia, after Obama handed it a gift by withdrawing the missile shield plans from Eastern Europe:

Note how thoroughly Clinton was rebuffed. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared that "threats, sanctions and threats of pressure" are "counterproductive." Note: It's not just sanctions that are worse than useless, but even the threat of mere pressure.

It gets worse. Having failed to get any movement from the Russians, Clinton herself moved -- to accommodate the Russian position! Sanctions? What sanctions? "We are not at that point yet," she averred. "That is not a conclusion we have reached ... it is our preference that Iran work with the international community."

Amateur hour for U.S. diplomacy.

Reid: "$2 Trillion"

Dem. Harry Reid admits it - Obamacare will cost $2 trillion. This is his argument in favor of tacking on a mere additional $54 billion.

Obama Popularity at All Time Low

Obama popularity at a new low...in a related story, Democrats claim the number of American racists is at an all time high.

U.S. Still Pushing Honduras to Violate its Own Constitution

Will the Honduran socialist thug who tried to seize power like Chavez and Castro be returned to power? Obama is certainly hoping so. One interesting comment is from Sen. Jim Demint on his recent trip to Honduras.

"In a day packed with meetings, we met only one person in Honduras who opposed Mr. Zelaya's ouster, who wishes his return, and who mystifyingly rejects the legitimacy of the November elections: U.S. Ambassador Hugo Llorens."

The U.S. - standing up for corrupt dictatorial regimes everywhere. From Powerline.

Michelle Obama's 26-person Staff

Times are tough - unemployment is at a record high. Maybe that's why Michelle Obama is doing her part of hiring a staff of 26, courtesy of the American taxpayer...at a cost of $1.75 million (and those are just the salaries)! Imagine if Michelle actually had official duties.

Bye Bye Big Screen TVs in California?

The nanny state is here. California wants to ban "power-hungry" big screen tvs in the name of environmental friendliness.

Perhaps they should ban electricity altogether - in the name of progress, of course.

Obama Has Solution For Medicare

Medicare going bankrupt? Don't worry. Obama has got the solution. Give them more money! Did Obama ever open a book when he went to school?

Limbaugh Blackballed From Buying Rams

Rush Limbaugh has been blackballed from participating in purchasing the St. Louis Rams, as the group succumbed to the NFL's pressure, brought on in part from those post-racial uniters, Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. The NFL can obviously choose who it wants as owners, but the MLB doesn't have the same level of scrutiny, as it allowed perhaps the most unAmerican, radical newspaper in the country (NYTimes) and a radical Leftist (Ted Turner) to become owners of baseball teams.

Limbaugh is right that this isn't really about him, but is really an effort to discredit conservatism, as Rush is the most noteworthy spokesman for conservatism and by blackballing Limbaugh as too radical, it means his 20 million listeners are basically radical racists. Obama must be smiling proudly.

Robert Reich: We're Going to Let Old People Die

I have to hand it to Democrat and former Labor Secretary Robert Reich. In a 2007 speech, he said that if Democrat politicians were honest, they would tell old people that they were going to let them die.

I will actually give you a speech made up entirely--almost at the spur of the moment, of what a candidate for president would say if that candidate did not care about becoming president. In other words, this is what the truth is, and a candidate will never say, but what candidates should say if we were in a kind of democracy where citizens were honored in terms of their practice of citizenship, and they were educated in terms of what the issues were, and they could separate myth from reality in terms of what candidates would tell them:

..."And by the way, we are going to have to--if you're very old, we're not going to give you all that technology and all those drugs for the last couple of years of your life to keep you maybe going for another couple of months. It's too expensive, so we're going to let you die. [applause]

Obamacare, here we come.

Putin Plays Obama Like a Fiddle

As a reward for selling out Czech and Poland, Obama got from Russia....nothing. Not even economic sanctions on Iran. Boy, that Obama is a negotiator.

CNN Reports Fabricated Quotes on Rush Limbaugh

People are coming out of the woodwork to destroy Rush Limbaugh. The usual suspects, CNN and MSNBC are reporting everything as fact, although interestingly enough, no one has done a fact check yet. And no one even has the audio on any of these quotes. Imagine that, the guy spends his life on the radio - every day, for the past 25 years, and people cannot find the quote in his audio. This is strange, but not unexpected. And CNN is already convicting him as usual. By the way, anyone wanna guess what Obama's favorite network is?

Obama, Russia Delay Iran Sanctions

...and why wouldn't they delay sanctions? After all, Iran has been so cooperative and the sanction threat has only been out there since 2004. We need to give them time.

Obama Retreats (for now) on Taxing Multinationals

So Obama wants to create jobs. What's the best way to do that (in his mind?) Tax the heck out of companies. Hard to believe that a person could be that ignorant and stupid but that's my prez. And that was his plan up until yesterday when he got so much pressure from companies that for now he's decided to postpone increasing the tax on multinationals.

Most expect Obama to bring the tax up again later when no one's paying attention.

Happy Columbus Day

In honor of the Left-deemed politically incorrect Columbus Day holiday, I have decided to celebrate it and will not post any entries.

Have a great holiday.

Obama: "Unprecedented Consensus" On Obamacare?

Unbelievably, despite nearly 60% of Americans being opposed to Obamacare, Obama believes there is unprecedented consensus to support the communist government takeover of 1/6 of the economy. Oh, and his suggestion of "obstructionism" is also absurd considering the Democrats have a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate; fortunately a couple of them understand just how disastrous Obamacare would be.

Baghdad Bob would be proud.

BBC: What Happened to Global Warming?

From the BBC:

This headline may come as a bit of a surprise, so too might that fact that the warmest year recorded globally was not in 2008 or 2007, but in 1998.

But it is true. For the last 11 years we have not observed any increase in global temperatures.

Of course, the article suggests that the "long term" trend is still up, but that is silly as well. The earth was 4-5 degrees warmer during the middle ages than it is today. And 2008 is almost 1 degree cooler than it was in 1998.

Financial Transaction Tax to Pay for Another Failed Stimulus?

Let's get this straight - the first "stimulus," created by Pelosi and Dems and signed by President Bush in 2008, consisted of $150 billion in "tax rebates," which did exactly nothing to stimulate the economy. The second "stimulus" was a $800 billion government spending bill that did exactly nothing to stimulate the economy.

Now Democrats and Obama want a third failed stimulus plan, to be paid for by a tax on all financial transactions, including stock, bond and mutual fund trades. The tax being proposed would be 0.1% to 0.25% on the value of each transaction. This equates to $10 to $25 for a $10K trade, which would effectively double, triple or quadruple (or more) the cost of transactions.

Are you kidding me?!? I know people love to hate Wall Street, but in a worsening credit environment (credit is still getting much tighter), this would do the exact opposite of promoting investment - it would stifle it.

Obama in Good Company for Nobel Prize

Powerline gives a summary of a few of the recent Nobel Peace Prize winners - and yes, Obama fits in nicely with them.

Occidental Acquires Phibro from Citigroup

Occidental Petroleum acquired commodity trading group Phibro from Citigroup for $250 million. Over the past five years, Phibro has earned $371 million per year.

Seems like a complete steal to me - less than 1x annual earnings - I can only guess that the government hates traders so much that they forced Citi to sell the group, as the government forced GM to sell Hummer.

Former Fannie Credit Officer Warns of FHA Bailout

As I've mentioned recently on this blog, the FHA is repeating the mistakes of the past few years in underwriting mortgages without significant down payment requirements. Former Fannie Mae Chief Credit Officer Edward Pinto told a Congressional panel the same thing. He is being ignored.

Limbaugh Selected as Miss America Judge

Rush Limbaugh is the latest judge selected to help determine the Miss America pageant in 2010.

Nobel Prize - Who Cares?

Ever since Yasser Arafat won, the rest of the world has realized that literally anyone could win this prize. Heck, even Hitler was nominated in 1939.

What's interesting is that Nobel's deadline for nominations is February 1st - or 11 days after Obama's inauguration. You tell me - did he do enough in 11 days to warrant this prize? Keep in mind that at the time he was nominated, Obama had an approval rating of +40. Today it hovers around -10.

Other than being pals with Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright, a couple of hatemongers, I'm not sure what other qualifications Obama has.

A Second Trillion Dollar Waste Bill?

Dems are preparing a second expensive, wasteful, government spending bill that will further bust the budget and provide no economic benefits. But they'll call it a stimulus bill...

Obama Has No Problem with Taliban

Hmm...I thought the Taliban were harboring Al Qaeda, but Obama seems fine with them:

President Barack Obama is prepared to accept some Taliban involvement in Afghanistan's political future and will determine how many more U.S. troops to send to the war based only on keeping al-Qaida at bay, a senior administration official said Thursday.

Paper tiger - just like Bin Laden predicted.

Jordan Threatened with Fine For Smoking in San Fran

Michael Jordan has been threatened with fines by the city of San Francisco for smoking a cigar on the golf course, which is public. Another Nancy Pelosi, Left-wing absurdity. There used to be a day when Americans had the freedom to engage in legal leisure activities.

The Left's 2007 NIE Report Politically Motivated

Unsurprisingly, the NIE report that came out in 2007 and was relied upon and singled out by the Left, including Barack Obama, as a reason to drop the "stick" against Iran, appears to have been written to mislead the U.S. and the Bush Administration. The issue surrounds the recently announced second nuclear site in Qom. According to the WSJ:

But the more telling detail, as a recent White House "guidance paper" acknowledges, is that the U.S. has been "carefully observing and analyzing this facility for several years." That timeline is significant, because it was less than two years ago, in December 2007, that a National Intelligence Estimate on Iran's nuclear programs asserted with "high confidence" that Tehran had "halted its nuclear weapons program" in the fall of 2003.

The NIE was a political sensation, seized on by Democrats and Iraq war critics as another case in which the Bush Administration had supposedly politicized intelligence. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called the NIE a "declaration of victory," and it derailed any hopes for the Bush Administration to garner international support for tougher sanctions on Iran.

...Fast forward to the present, and it turns out the NIE was misleading even on its own terms: Iran did have a covert facility, perhaps for enrichment, and the intelligence community knew or at least strongly suspected it. We are also learning that the NIE's judgment puts the U.S. intelligence community at odds with its counterparts in Britain, Germany and Israel, which have evidence to show that Iran resumed its weaponization work after 2003.

...The 2007 NIE also contradicts the findings of the usually hypercautious IAEA, which concluded in a recent analysis that Iran "has sufficient information to be able to design and produce a workable implosion nuclear device." The word "implosion" is especially significant because it means Iran is likely seeking to design a warhead compact enough to be fitted atop one of its increasingly capable ballistic missiles.

It's also unsurprising that Obama relied on this report specifically to put forward his Iran diplomacy strategy. Will he revised his view now that he knows the NIE report was a bunch of garbage?

More Schoolkids Indoctrinated

Another video of schoolkids - this time they are forced to sing praise to Obamacare. A Marxist education - wonderful for the future of the U.S.

CBO Assessment of "New Healthcare Plan" Still Ridiculous

The new healthcare bill would cost "only" $829 billion over the next decade (after which time the costs skyrocket, since most of the costs are back-end loaded). But magically, according to the CBO, Obamacare would reduce the deficit by $81 billion over the next decade (before going into the red again).

But - here are a few of the CBO's big assumptions:

1) Medicare spending cuts of $404 billion. (Sure, and we know government is so good at cutting costs and immune to the elderly when complaints come pouring in);
2) $201 billion tax increase on existing health care plans (tax those who currently have healthcare plans they like - they're probably racist anyway);
3) approximately $300 billion tax increase on medical and pharmaceutical companies (who won't decide to raise their prices to make a profit, right?)
4) Those medical cost increases magically disappear beginning in 2020.

Hey, what could go wrong?

Dems: Charlie Rangel Illegal Activities No Big Deal

If Charlie Rangel were not a member of Congress, he would be going to jail for fraud and tax evasion. But the Dems refuse to ask Rangel to step down and Maxine Waters says that there are a lot of Congressmen who are crooks.

AG Eric Holder Credits Bush For Terrorist Plot Discovery

Even Obama's attorney general credits the Bush Administration counterterrorism policies for discovering a plot in New York:

Attorney General Eric Holder credited counterterrorism tactics put in place in recent years for the federal arrests in Denver and New York that investigators say pre-empted a bombing plot by an alleged al Qaeda operative.

Mr. Holder said Tuesday during a briefing with reporters that the arrest of Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old Colorado airport-shuttle driver, and two others disrupted "one of the most serious terrorist threats to our country since Sept. 11, 2001."

No, he doesn't credit President Bush by name, but it is very clear now (even to liberals like Holder) that Bush and Cheney were absolutely right on national security.

TV: Greg Gutfeld's "Red Eye" Cleaning Up

Ever heard of Red Eye? For those that haven't, it's a comedy show on Fox News, and has been on the air for over two years now. It's my favorite show on the air, despite the fact that Fox News used to air it at 2am, and then crazily moved it to 3am shortly after the show was launched. I don't understand why they ever did this, except that there's some element of raunchy humor where Greg always jokes about his house boy slaves locked in his basement. Maybe that doesn't sound funny, but the fact is this: people are watching. Lots of 'em.

Get this: in the month of September, "Red Eye" had more 25-54 year old viewers than CNN's primetime 8pm show (whoever Campbell Brown is). And the show is beginning to snowball - viewship is up 50% since July. Keep in mind Red Eye is on at 3am!

The way I'd describe it is: the show is kind of a right-wing version of politically incorrect except for 2 things: 1. it is actually politically incorrect, (while the Bill Maher version is the opposite), and 2. it's funny (whereas Maher is a dullard).

Tivo it. Great show. Glad it's doing so well.

Agreement on Iran Nuclear Enrichment?

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Iran and six world powers have reached a preliminary deal for Russia to help enrich uranium for an Iranian reactor.

He said Monday that details of the deal, which were reached at last week's talks in Geneva, would be worked out in an upcoming meeting in Vienna.

That would be some achievement for Iran - going from a world pariah to getting approval from the world powers, including the U.S., for uranium enrichment.

Will Chris Daggert Help Re-elect Corzine?

Despite awful approval numbers, NJ Gov. Corzine might end up winning, courtesy of Independent candidate Chris Daggett. Corzine recently took a lead in the polls.

Americans are begging for tax cuts and positive economic change. Unfortunately, the GOP candidate Steve Christie wants to be Democrat-lite - no mention of tax cuts or changes that will improve NJ's economic climate. For this reason, Chris Dagget has begun to skyrocket in the polls. Unfortunately, that means that Christie and Daggett split the conservative vote and Corzine gets the liberal vote. Repeat of Bill Clinton in 1993. Christie better get his act together if he wants to win.

Limbaugh Interested in Purchasing St. Louis Rams

According to the AP, Rush Limbaugh said that he is teaming up with St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts to purchase the St. Louis Rams NFL franchise.

Harry Reid Lectures Americans on Patriotism

Harry Reid - the epitome of patriotism - lectures us. Take it from the man who tried to defund a war - and then called the war "lost," in addition to calling President Bush a "loser" and in front of students during the war. He knows a thing or two about patriotism.

Chai Feldblum, The Latest Obama Radical Appointment

Another appointment, another radical in the Obama administration. From World Net Daily:

President Obama's nominee to become commissioner for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission signed a manifesto praising polygamy and arguing traditional marriage should not be privileged above other forms of union.

Chai Feldblum, an outspoken homosexual rights activist and Georgetown University law professor, is a signatory to an online petition entitled "Beyond Same-Sex Marriage: A New Strategic Vision For All Our Families and Relationships."

...Among the stated "partnerships" the petition seeks to protect is "households in which there is more than one conjugal partner."

Virginia Dems Argue Against Military Ballots

It's hard to believe that Democrats have become so desperate in Virginia, but they are actually arguing in court that they have no obligation to provide military personnel overseas with sufficient time to fill out a ballot before election day. I guess they're not afraid of losing any more of the military vote than they've already lost.

Telegraph: Obama "Furious" With McChrystal For Candid Speech

Not sure about you, but when Obama's dithering on Afghanistan is essentially ridiculed by our top commander there, I don't think that's a good sign. Remember - General Petraeus is in charge of Central Command, and McChrystal's views very likely have the support of Petraeus. From the UK Telegraph:

According to sources close to the administration, Gen McChrystal shocked and angered presidential advisers with the bluntness of a speech given in London last week.

The next day he was summoned to an awkward 25-minute face-to-face meeting on board Air Force One on the tarmac in Copenhagen, where the president had arrived to tout Chicago's unsuccessful Olympic bid.

He told the Institute of International and Strategic Studies that the formula [new strategy based on more missile strikes], which is favoured by Vice-President Joe Biden, would lead to "Chaos-istan".

When asked whether he would support it, he said: "The short answer is: No."

He went on to say: "Waiting does not prolong a favorable outcome. This effort will not remain winnable indefinitely, and nor will public support."

IAEA Head: Isreal Is Number One Threat to Peace

That's right - El Baradei, the head of the IAEA in charge of investigating Iran's nuclear ambitions said that Israel is the greatest threat to peace in the Middle East.

Someone tell me why we still fund the U.N.

Media Upset Obama Has to Be Responsible Commander-in-Chief

The media seems to be having a problem with the fact that Obama must be commander-in-chief. His generals have "put him on the spot," according to this news report.

So unfair - that a commander-in-chief has to make a decision that is unpopular with his radical Leftist base.

Obama Arrogance Blew It

According to Danish news reports, it was Obama's arrogance and disrespect towards the IOC that got Chicago booted in the first round.

Obama: Obamacare Will Create Jobs

Here's the new pitch from the president: Obamacare is going to create jobs. Does anyone in the U.S. take this guy seriously anymore? It's just one huge SNL parody.

Obama Bashes U.S. Again in Olympics Bid

Another day overseas; another day for Obama to bash Bush and the U.S., explaining to the IOC that the U.S. has made it feel unwelcome for foreign visitors over the "past few years."

This is an absurd remark - unless he's referring to terrorists, in which case, Obama is correct. Terrorists are much more welcome in Obama's America than they have been under President Bush.

Obama's Forecast So Close...

Obama's economic forecast from 6 months ago was oh, so close. Why are you so concerned with his healthcare cost forecasts?

Obamas Fail

The Obamas fail - Chicago out in first round. Rio Wins. Guess, what Obama - just because you fall over yourself appeasing dictators and shunning the U.S. doesn't mean the rest of the world is going to do the same for you.

Economic Obamawinds (Read: Headwinds)

OK, so unemployment sucks and is getting worse. Is there reason for optimism? Let's review Obama/Pelosi policies - both already implemented and stated goals:

1) Higher minimum wage = record teen unemployment rate of 52% and soon-to-be record inner-city, low income unemployment.
2) A "stimulus plan" that under any other president would rightly be called a wasteful government spending bill.
3) Tax rates guaranteed to increase next year simply because Congress won't renew Bush's tax cuts. (Obviously they could allow certain brackets to retain their tax cuts but this is extremely doubtful as well given Democrats' view that "they need the money.")
4) Further proposed taxes on wealthier Americans who provide most of the investment dollars and small business jobs in the country.
5) A government health care plan that will cost trillions.
6) An energy tax (cap-and-trade) that will cost $2,000 per family immediately.
7) A takeover of the student loan industry and most of the mortgage industry, which adds to potential taxpayer risks down the road.
8) Higher interest rates which are a necessity when our deficits balloon (and I think we all know what happens to home prices when rates rise).

I am generally an optimist when it comes to the U.S. economy, but the country has gone so far off the tracks that it's hard to have that view unless the Democrats are badly defeated in the next couple of election cycles. (And yes, even if the GOP wins, they need to CUT spending, which I admit they haven't done since the 80s).

Barack Obama Protects His Own

The nonfarm payroll jobs report came out today. Another 263,000 jobs lost in September. And Since September '08, the economy has lost 5.75 million jobs. That's right - remember when Obama was campaigning - he first promised to create 3 million jobs, then 2 million, then he moved the goal posts and promised to create or save 2 million jobs. Well - he's about 8 million jobs in the hole right now. But here's the worst part of it. If you look at where the jobs have been lost by industry, year over year, we can see some very interesting facts. Here are job losses by certain industries:

Construction -15%
Manufacturing -12%
Trucking -9%
Autos -8%
Finance -5%
Retail -5%
State government -1%
Local government -1%

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT +4.5%

So while the rest of America is being forced to lay off workers in a weak economy, Barack Obama is expanding government, and acting like it's 1999. Not sure if Obama can feel people's pain, nor is he pretending to - no wonder people get angry that he's flying to Copenhagen, while the new unemployment rate announced is 9.8%.


Richie Rich added: Of course he only cares about protecting his friends - this is precisely why he wants the Olympics in Chicago. Who do you think benefits when the real estate values skyrocket there? Rezko, Wright, Ayers, Daley, Obamas and all the other Chicago cronies...

Obamanomics: Job Losses Accelerate! Unemployment at 26-Year High

Obama's job losses accelerated last month to 263,000 - much worse than expected. Meanwhile, unemployment hit a 26-year high of 9.8%.

The return on Obama/Pelosi/Reid's $800 billion "stimulus plan" has obviously been a complete failure. Let's throw the bums out.

Charlie Gibson on Economy: 1982 vs. 2009

ABC's Charles Gibson is a perfect example of how a recession is described when a Republican is president vs. when a Democrat is president. From Rush:

GIBSON 1982: (downcast music) There really isn't any good news in the statistics. All the numbers are bad. Teenagers who will be coming on the job market in even greater numbers come June: 23% unemployed. Black teenage unemployment is 48.1%. And unemployment among adult men is 8.2%, the highest since World War II. Normally in spring unemployment comes down as opportunities for outdoor work become available, but not this year: 450,000 more people are unemployed than were a month ago.

RUSH: It's 551,000 per month now and 450,000 people in 1982. "All numbers are bad," teenage employment, 23%. It's 52% today! Here's Charles Gibson June 5th, 2009, reporting on an unemployment rate of 9.4%.

GIBSON 2009: (bouncy music) In the current economic environment, sometimes a bad jobs report can look good! 345,000 American workers lost their jobs in May. A big number to be sure, traumatic if you're one of the 345,000, but the number was smaller than economists had predicted, and that's good news!

I have no doubt you could go back to 2002 and find the same thing - the loss of 2 million jobs during Bush's first year (vs. 6 million for Obama). I don't think we will ever hear the term "jobless recovery" in the next couple years.

Proof: Cash For Clunkers a $3 Billion Bust

The results are in - auto sales in September were far worse than most dealers expected. Give credit to "cash for clunkers," Capitol Hill's brilliant plan to micromanage the economy and move sales that likely would have occurred at a more normalized pace all into August.

Not quite the helpful stimulus that was hoped for...then again, it was only $3 billion.

Michelle Obama's Sacrifices

I hope Americans understand how much Michelle Obama is sacrificing in this recession.

"As much of a sacrifice as people say this is for me or Oprah or the president to come for these few days," the first lady told a crowd of people involved in the Chicago project, "so many of you in this room have been working for years to bring this bid home."

She also repeated her grievances she had with her country:

"As first lady, as many of you know, I’ve made it a priority to bridge the gap between the White House and communities across D.C. and across the country," Mrs. Obama continued. "I’ve spent much of my first nine months trying to open the doors to the White House to kids who might not otherwise see themselves having access to these institutions, because that’s where I came from – communities like that where kids never dreamed that they could set foot in the White House, let alone live there…And Barack and I made a point of doing the same thing when we lived in Chicago – making the concerns of kids in all sorts of communities our own."

Michelle Obama. So many sacrifices for us.

Pakistan Upset With Obama Dithering

Obama's dithering on what to do in Afghanistan is hurting the war and the reputation of the U.S., according to Pakistan's Foreign Minister. From the WSJ:

In an interview at the Journal's offices this week in New York, Pakistan Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi minced no words about the impact of a U.S. withdrawal before the Taliban is defeated. "This will be disastrous," he said. "You will lose credibility. . . . Who is going to trust you again?" As for Washington's latest public bout of ambivalence about the war, he added that "the fact that this is being debated—whether to stay or not stay—what sort of signal is that sending?"

It's a signal that says the U.S. has a commander-in-chief that is more concerned with his Marxist domestic agenda than with national security...and he is willing to sell out America's future reputation to achieve it.