Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

OUR DAILY SNIPPETS ARE HERE.

MONDAY,  APRIL 26,  2010

BRING IN THE BIAS – AT 7:45 P.M. ET:  An example of things to come, I'm afraid.  Former President George W. Bush will release his memoir, "Decision Points," on November 9th.  Like the gentleman he is, the former president is waiting until after the election to publish.  He should not expect similar courtesy from the media, which, as this Reuters story shows, can't wait to get at him:

(Reuters) - George W. Bush, whose U.S. presidency was marked by the September 11 attacks and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will release a memoir on November 9, his publisher said on Monday.

The book, "Decision Points," will center on 14 decisions Bush made in his eight years as president, including "his flaws and mistakes, as well as his historic achievements," the Crown Publishing Group said in a statement.

Fine.  But then the cool and objective "reporter" throws this in:

The former Texas governor left the White House in January 2009 with one of the lowest presidential approval ratings in history, with the unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the financial crisis weighing on his legacy.

How quaint.  First of all, I've never seen a retiring president leaving the White House referred to as "the former Texas governor," or anything else other than president.  Can you imagine, "Former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton left the White House today," or "former Army man Dwight Eisenhower left the presidency..."

And then of course there is the gratuitous slap at Mr. Bush.  Low ratings!  Unpopular wars!  Financial crisis!

Nothing about keeping America safe for seven years, building relationships with democracies like India, which had been historically chilly toward America, and surviving, with good cheer, some of the worst abuse ever hurled at an American president. 

Brace yourself for the reviews.  We can practically write them already.

April 26, 2010    Permalink

HIGH-RISK POKER – AT 7:28 P.M. ET:  Wall Street is not popular right now, and Republicans know that, if they're linked to The Street, it will hurt them in November.   But they're united in the Senate in opposing a bill they consider defective.  This is high-risk, given public attitudes toward the "financial community."  Fox has it:

Republican lawmakers stuck together Monday in preventing a massive financial regulatory bill from proceeding in the Senate, despite efforts by Democrats to portray the GOP as supporters of Wall Street -- not Main Street.

In a key test vote Monday evening on the financial regulatory bill, all Republican senators -- and one Democrat -- voted to block debate on the legislation.

Sen. Oylmpia Snowe, R-Maine, and Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., were among the lawmakers who bjected to the bill moving forward. All 41 Republicans voted to prevent the debate from starting in order to give Banking Committee Ranking Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., a chance to continue negotiations on a compromise with committee chairman Chris Dodd, D-CT.

President Obama said shortly after that he was "deeply disappointed" that Senate Republicans voted to block debate on the bill.

No way.  He was delighted.  The Dems are maneuvering in the Senate to force Republicans to vote against "reform" because they know it's a great political issue.  Republicans can only come out on top here if they produce and vote for a new measure.

Harry Reid gave the party line:

"As far as I can tell, the only thing Republicans stand for is standing together," Reid said on the Senate floor Monday afternoon. "But a party that stands with Wall Street is a party that stands against families and against fairness."

Polls show Americans are moving toward supporting tighter controls on financial institutions, and freshman Democrats have told leadership they want this kind of confrontation with Republicans.

A senior Senate leadership aide told Fox News that Democrats will continue to ask for the approval of all members to start debate on the package Monday as a way to further highlight what they say is Republican obstructionism.

COMMENT:  There is a general consensus, even among Republicans, that financial reform is needed.  The question is whether the Democrats want to produce a good bill, or simply work to paint Republicans as obstructionists. 

April 26, 2010     Permalink

DEM STRATEGY EMERGING – AT 7:01 P.M. ET:  Do not count on the Democratic Party to lie down and play dead this fall.  Democrats in recent years have outmaneuvered Republicans, especially in 2008.

The Dem strategy is unabashedly ethnic, trying to bring together the coalition that elected Obama.  The Washington Post outlines the approach:

The keystone of the Democratic National Committee's $50 million plan for the midterms is persuading the roughly 15 million people who voted for the first time in 2008 to return to the polls this fall. Although such voters historically do not cast ballots in midterm elections, party leaders think their participation this year could help lift Democrats over the top in close contests.

The DNC's plan, which will be announced Wednesday, calls for reaching those first-time voters -- most of whom are registered independents and are young or minorities -- through the same vehicles Obama employed in 2008, according to internal party documents provided by the committee. The DNC is focusing on staff and volunteers in all 50 states, personal communication with the president via new media, and sophisticated voter-targeting technology.

Obama has released a new video with a pretty standard scare message:

In the video message to his supporters, Obama said his administration's success depends on the outcome of this fall's elections and warned that if Republicans regain control of Congress, they could "undo all that we have accomplished."

"This year, the stakes are higher than ever," he said, according to a transcript of his remarks provided by Democratic officials. "It will be up to each of you to make sure that young people, African Americans, Latinos and women who powered our victory in 2008 stand together once again.

Not too subtle, ay?

As the WaPo story points out, it's difficult for a president to transfer his personal popularity to other candidates.  But a "do it for Barack" message can bring out just enough voters to make a decisive difference in some races. 

Historically, the Dems have frightened voters with images of the GOP repealing Social Security and Medicare.  Now they can add Obamacare.  Remember, if you don't vote Democratic, you may lose your right to ever see a doctor, a dentist, a faith healer, an astrologer, or even Carnac the Magnificent. 

And some people will believe it.

April 26, 2010    Permalink

CAN WE GET TOGETHER ON THIS, GUYS? – AT 9:33 A.M. ET:  Two newspapers, same subject – the economy – and the journalistic results?  A bit of a conflict.

From The New York Times:

PORTLAND, Ore. — The docks are humming again at this sprawling Pacific port, with clouds of golden dust billowing off the piles of grain spilling into the bellies of giant tankers.

“Things are looking up,” said Dan Broadie, a longshoreman. No longer killing time at the union hall while waiting for work, instead he is guiding a mechanized spout pouring 44,000 tons of wheat into the Arion SB, bound for the Philippines.

At malls from New Jersey to California, shoppers are snapping up electronics and furniture, as fears of joblessness yield to exuberance over rising stock prices. Tractor trailers and railroad cars haul swelling quantities of goods through transportation corridors, generating paychecks for truckers and repair crews.

From The Los Angeles Times's Top of the Ticket blog:

There's one problem with the encouraging economic talk coming out of the mouths of Barack Obama, Joe Biden and their political posse in Washington and elsewhere these days. Turning the corner on the bad times seems to be the operative phrase.

But evidence is now mounting that more than 15 months into the Obama era, many Americans don't believe it.

A new Harris Poll out this morning indicates that 43% of the country feels less secure about its economic position now when compared to last year. In the next six months half the country thinks its economic situation will be the same.

But the poll of 2,755 adults also finds 30% saying it will be worse come late October, which is just about the time millions of Americans will be making their candidate choices for the Nov. 2 midterm elections.

And...

Only one-in-ten Americans believes the job market has started growing again and nearly four-in-ten don't think it will for another year or longer.

COMMENT:  I get the sense, from a variety of sources, that the L.A. Times is a lot closer to the truth here than is The New York Times.  The New York boys sound like Herbert Hoover announcing that prosperity is just around the corner.  Don't find many people believing that.

April 26, 2010    Permalink 

ILLINOIS, ONCE THE LAND OF LINCOLN – AT 8:04 A.M. ET:  If Lincoln could see what's going on today in Illinois politics, he'd probably ask that his grave be moved to a more refined state.  First, there is the already nominated Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, as the Chicago Tribune notes:

Only hours after federal regulators took over the failed bank that his family controlled, an emotional Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias took a big swig of water and labeled his day personally "devastating."

Now Giannoulias must convince the White House and voters that it's not politically devastating as well.

Oh come on, it's a bank failure, fellas.  This is Illinois.  It's not like the St. Valentine's Day massacre.  Those were the days!

The closing of the doors at Broadway Bank for the final time Friday failed to slam shut ongoing concerns over Giannoulias' relationship with the bank and the impact on Democratic hopes to retain the Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama.

In 2006, Giannoulias portrayed himself to voters as a savvy young executive at a thriving community bank with the experience that qualified him to be state treasurer. Four years later, his role at the bank is being downplayed and the bank is out of business as he tries to persuade voters to send him to Washington.

In Illinois politics, U.S. senator is a demotion.  State treasurer – that's really something.  All that money, all that patronage.

That contrast has become the dominant early story line of Giannoulias' general election contest against Republican Mark Kirk, with political overtones that stretch to the White House.

Standing before reporters, choking back tears as he described the bank his father founded 30 years ago, Giannoulias pronounced himself as having a "renewed vigor and a new perspective on just how horrible it is out there for so many people."

COMMENT:  Glad you noticed, son.  Mark Kirk is a solid candidate, and deserves election to the Senate, flipping Obama's hardly used seat to the Republicans.  As for Giannoulias, an MBA from a local school might help clear the mind.

Oh, some late Illinois news:  The former Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, who had to withdraw when it was learned he'd been charged with domestic violence, is now seriously planning a run for governor as an independent.  I knew you'd want to know so you can send contributions.

April 26, 2010     Permalink

ANOTHER DEM IN TROUBLE – AT 7:53 A.M. ET:  It's hard to think of a Democrat losing a Senate seat in the state of Washington, which, in recent years, has become San Francisco north.  But incumbent Patty Murray seems to be having some trouble.  From Politics Daily:

Three-term Democratic Sen. Patty Murray is looking vulnerable in her bid for reelection, with former gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi leading her by 10 points and three lesser-known candidates all within margin-of-error range of her, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted April 19-22.

Rossi, a businessman and former state senator who lost the closest governor's race in U.S. history in 2004, leads Murray 52 percent to 42 percent with 7 percent undecided. He has the support of 87 percent of fellow Republicans while Murray is backed by 73 percent of Democrats. Rossi leads among independents (39 percent of the sample) by 58 percent to 38 percent with 4 percent undecided. While Rossi claims a big majority of conservatives, as does Murray with liberals, the two run almost evenly among moderates (43 percent of the sample).

Rossi has not yet made up his mind about jumping into the race. The filing deadline is June 11, and the GOP primary is August 17.

COMMENT:  Run Dino run!  Your state could use some effective representation.  Patty Murray is a nice lady, but hasn't said anything important since the age of three.  She's one of those Dem liberals who gets her marching orders and starts marching.  She should be replaced.

April 26, 2010    Permalink

SCIENCE MARCHES ON – AT 7:38 A.M. ET:  Remember how, last week, the transatlantic flights were cancelled because of a volcanic ash cloud that supposedly was drifting over Britain and Europe?

Well, uh, there's kind of a, well, a rethinking.  It seems – and look, don't tell me this makes you doubt all the global warming stuff.  Why, that's rock solid.  That's...uh...we'll talk about it later.  It seems some mistakes may have been made, as London's Daily Mail reports:

Britain's airspace was closed under false pretences, with satellite images revealing there was no doomsday volcanic ash cloud over the entire country.

Skies fell quiet for six days, leaving as many as 500,000 Britons stranded overseas and costing airlines hundreds of millions of pounds.

Estimates put the number of Britons still stuck abroad at 35,000.

However, new evidence shows there was no all-encompassing cloud and, where dust was present, it was often so thin that it posed no risk.

The satellite images demonstrate that the skies were largely clear, which will not surprise the millions who enjoyed the fine, hot weather during the flight ban.

Jim McKenna, the Civil Aviation Authority's head of airworthiness, strategy and policy, admitted: 'It's obvious that at the start of this crisis there was a lack of definitive data.

COMMENT:  But remember, science is infallible, and global warming will engulf the world and destroy everything in its path, and nothing will be the same.  And...

There is a global warming bill up in Congress.  Maybe the members should look at this story and start questioning the weather "models" we're being sold by the Al Gore Corporation.  We saw last week the kind of panic that can be caused by poor data.  That was only a warning to us.

April 26, 2010     Permalink

MR. POPULARITY – AT 7:17 A.M. ET:  – There is much to-do in the international press about a recent BBC poll showing that America's popularity around the world has indeed risen since Barack Obama was anointed on January 20, 2009.

We're reluctant enough to accept the findings of any poll commissioned by the BBC, history's most overrated "news" organization, but, even if true, the poll should give us no joy. 

People do not get their news directly.  They get it from news organizations and government handouts.  So, whatever rise in popularity we're experiencing must be explained in part by the distortions committed by the international press, which not only leans, but often falls flatly to the left.  Obama is simply made to look better than he is.

And there is something else, more intangible, but far more important.  It was best expressed by Golda Meir, the late prime minister of Israel.  She was asked why Israel did things that were unpopular around the world.  She shot back, "I'd rather have a bad editorial than a good obituary."  It's something we should remember the next time we go through one of those "image" debates on our standing in the world.  Becoming more popular may have a price attached that thoughtful Americans may not want to pay. If we become more popular through appeasement, weakness, ridiculous foreign "engagements," that kind of popularity isn't worth it.  We may have the better editorial, but we may also have the quicker obituary.

My friend Silvio Canto Jr. reminds us each day at his website of Ronald Reagan's warning that we are always one generation away from losing our freedoms.  The fact is, we are always less than a generation away from losing our country.  There is no written guarantee that America will survive, especially given the nature of some of our enemies, increasingly equipped with nuclear weapons.

So don't get caught in the popularity trap.  Ask why our popularity is rising, and whether you're willing to pay the price, for yourself and for your children.  The rational answer is often "no."

April 26, 2010    Permalink

SUNDAY,  APRIL 25,  2010

THE ULTIMATE HYPOCRISY – AT 7:39 P.M. ET:  Is nothing sacred?  Even a memorial for the coal miners killed in that recent West Virginia accident becomes an exhibit for the phoniness of this administration.  Jim Hoft at Gateway Pundit reports the vulgarity:

During the 2008 election Barack Obama admitted that the Democrats' cap and trade energy plan would cause electricity rates to necessarily skyrocket and would kill the coal industry.

Today Democrats Barack Obama and Joe Biden, along with Democratic Senators Jay Rockefeller and Robert Byrd, and Democratic Governor Joe Manchin III held a memorial/rally for the 29 miners who perished in the nation’s worst mining disaster in 25 years earlier this month.

During the 2008 election Barack Obama admitted that his cap and trade bill would kill the coal industry. Today at the coal miners memorial in West Virginia he praised the coal miners for the energy they bring to America.

COMMENT:  It would have been more dignified for the president and vice president to stay away.  But dignity isn't their game. 

We may not always realize it, but events like this are studied at foreign embassies, analyzed, and the analyses flashed to home governments.  That's partly how, over time, a foreign nation gets a picture of the kind of people running things in America.  What a picture we now present.

April 25, 2010     Permalink

NOTHING DIES IN WASHINGTON EXCEPT SANITY – AT 7:25 P.M. ET:  Just when we think a bad idea is dead, disciples of the new religion of environmentalism start getting all hot and bothered.  The Politico reports:

Backers of a bipartisan climate change bill are scrambling to revive efforts to pass legislation before the November midterms — even as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid sticks by plans to slow-walk the measure behind immigration reform.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham’s decision to pull out of the high-stakes energy negotiations Saturday dealt a major blow to prospects that the once-in-a-generation legislation will be passed before the midterms.

But as tempers cooled Sunday, the White House and Senate Democrats who back the effort worked behind the scenes to defuse tensions between the South Carolina Republican and Reid (D-Nev.) over the bill’s timing, according to people close to the talks.

“Reports of the demise of climate change legislation have been greatly exaggerated,” said a senior Democratic aide involved in the talks on condition of anonymity.

COMMENT:  The Dems know they have between now and the end of the year to spend as much money and do as much damage as they have wanted.  Why let a dream escape? 

The sudden interest in immigration reform reflects Democratic concerns that Hispanic citizens are becoming disenchanted with their party, which promises much and delivers little. 

You'd think they'd put off the climate change thing until the scientists agree on the technical points.  But the "man is bad, the oceans are good" crowd won't let them.

April 25, 2010     Permalink

THE REAL NIGHTMARE – AT 6:59 P.M. ET:  This is important.  We have, for some time, been warning at Urgent Agenda that the most pressing threat from Iran lies not in nuclear-tipped ICBMs, but in the possibility of a device being smuggled into a harbor or launched from right offshore.  Now comes this, from The Telegraph:

Defence experts are warning of a new danger of ballistic weapons proliferation after a Russian company started marketing a cruise missile that can be launched from a shipping container.

It is feared that the covert Club-K missile attack system could prove "game-changing" in fighting wars with small countries, which would gain a remote capacity to mount multiple missiles on boats, trucks or railways.

Iran and Venezuela have already shown an interest in the Club-K Container Missile System which could allow them to carry out pre-emptive strikes from behind an enemy's missile defences.

Defence experts say the system is designed to be concealed as a standard 40ft shipping container that cannot be identified until it is activated.

And...

Some experts believe that if Iraq had the Club-K system in 2003 it would have made it impossible for America to invade with any container ship in the Gulf a potential threat.

Club-K is being marketed at the Defence Services Asia exhibition in Malaysia this week.

COMMENT:  Incredible.  It's being marketed in the open at military shows.  Let's see how much interest there is among those in America who are obsessed with gun shows.  I hear silence. 

April 25, 2010     Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 11:27 A.M. ET:  From Rich Lowry at NRO.  Remember the time when Dems were the "common man" party and the GOP was the "business" party?  Ah, those were the days.  And a movie ticket was seventy-five cents.  Now, apparently trying to return to their roots (or cover their tracks), the Dems are bashing Wall Street.  Uh, a little late, as Lowry points out:

The Democratic majority was bought and paid for by Wall Street and corporate money. The Masters of the Universe helped give us the Masters of the Beltway, in a synergistic exercise that would have dumbfounded even Lenin. When he famously said capitalists would sell the rope to hang them with, he was at least talking of a commercial transaction — not maxing out to a campaign committee.

Back in 2006, Democrats began a hard sell on Wall Street led by New York senator Chuck Schumer and then-representative Rahm Emanuel, now White House chief of staff. The basic pitch was that Democrats were taking Congress, and the financial world should get on board — surely delivered with all the bare-knuckled subtlety for which those two are justly renowned.

We are all warmongers of Wall Street now. 

In the 2008 election cycle, Democrats garnered 73 percent of the political donations of Goldman Sachs, as well as the majority of donations from other financial giants such as UBS and Citigroup. They soaked up most of the hedge-fund money, and won the battle for donations from industries as varied as health care, defense, and law.

This is choice:

“Democrats have an enormous lead in almost every business sector they denounce,” NR’s Kevin D. Williamson noted in January.

COMMENT:  What will the result be?   Okay, think back again.  Remember when the Dems were embracing civil rights, and virtually every committee chairman in Congress was a segregationist Democrat?  We may see something as ridiculous as that as the "party of the people" rakes it in from those who regard "the people" as the masses they fly over.

But it's a great opportunity for Republicans to separate themselves from the obese cats, those bigger than the fat cats, and really champion "the people."  They did it with health care; they can do it again. 

April 25, 2010     Permalink

BUT WE MUST UNDERSTAND THE TORPEDO CULTURE – AT 10:57 A.M. ET:  From The New York Times: 

SEOUL, South Korea — A torpedo attack was the most likely cause of the sinking of a South Korean warship near a disputed sea border with North Korea last month that killed at least 40 South Korean sailors, the South Korean defense chief said Sunday.

Defense Minister Kim Tae-young was the first South Korean official to publicly blame a torpedo as a likely cause of the March 26 explosion that split the 1,200-ton corvette, the Cheanan, in half. There has been a growing suspicion that the ship may have been hit by a North Korean torpedo or mine, although South Korea has not yet blamed the North and Pyongyang has denied any involvement.

“A bubble jet caused by a heavy torpedo is thought to be the most likely thing to be blamed, but various other possibilities are also under review,” Mr. Kim told reporters on Sunday.

And...

A bubble jet effect occurs when a torpedo or mine detonates near or under a ship. The change of pressure creates a “bubble” underwater whose tremendous force as it expands and collapses can break the ship apart, according to defense ministry officials.

This theory appeared to be supported by Yoon Duk-yong, head of the government team of military and private investigators, who said on Sunday that the ship was likely broken in half “by a non-contact explosion, rather than a contact explosion.”

Tensions are growing between North and South Korea.  And why not?  Nothing the North Koreans do results in any serious punishment, and that includes nuclear weapons tests. 

Washington has shown little interest in the ship sinking.  But it's huge news in South Korea, and puts further pressure on the United States finally to produce something from its "engagement" policies.  That is unlikely.  The Obamans project an image of weakness.  In most of the world that's damaging, in Asia, where "face" is so important, it's devastating.

April 25, 2010     Permalink

SOME GOOD NEWS FOR OUR SIDE – AT 10:31 A.M. ET:  Although it took Barack Obama four days to mosey up to a microphone to denounce the suppression of democracy demonstrators in Iran, some Iranian scientists and officials are showing considerably greater guts.  From the Washington Post:

Iran's political turmoil has prompted a growing number of the country's officials to defect or leak information to the West, creating a new flow of intelligence about its secretive nuclear program, U.S. officials said.

The gains have complicated work on a long-awaited assessment of Iran's nuclear activities, a report that will represent the combined judgment of more than a dozen U.S. spy agencies. The National Intelligence Estimate was due last fall but has been delayed at least twice amid efforts to incorporate information from sources who are still being vetted.

Director of National Intelligence Dennis C. Blair said in a brief interview last week that the delay in the completion of the NIE "has to do with the information coming in and the pace of developments."

Some of the most significant new material has come from informants, including scientists and others with access to Iran's military programs, who are motivated by antipathy toward the government and its suppression of the opposition movement after a disputed presidential election in June, according to current and former officials in the United States and Europe who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence gains.

COMMENT:  So, contrary to the smug opinions of new-style "realists" in Washington, the democracy movement in Iran is indeed producing results. 

When you hear the word "realist" these days, better consider getting some immunity shots.  They're available through many doctors, but, unfortunately, aren't covered by Obamacare. 

April 25, 2010    Permalink

WHAT A DANCE WE'RE ABOUT TO SEE – AT 10:16 A.M. ET:  After abusing and insulting the prime minister of Israel at the White House, President Obama has now invited the head of the Palestinian Authority to visit as well.  The PA leader, like a street gang, only controls parts of Palestinian lands, but apparently met some secret minimum standard.  From Fox:

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has accepted an invitation to visit the White House for a meeting with President Obama, senior Palestinian officials told Fox News.

The invitation was extended by Obama's Middle East envoy George Mitchell during a weekend visit to the region where he was trying to restart indirect peace talks between the Palestinians and Israelis. Mitchell is expected to return next week, signaling he is making progress.

The visits come amid rising tensions between Washington and Jerusalem. But the State Department reported that Mitchell had "positive and productive talks with Israeli and Palestinian leaders" during his three-day visit.

"His meetings continued our efforts to improve the atmosphere for peace and for proceeding with proximity talks," spokesman P.J. Crowley said in a written statement.

Abbas needs to decide whether to engage with Israel, with Mitchell as a go-between, even though Israel has rejected his demands to freeze new construction for Jews in east Jerusalem, the Palestinians' hoped-for capital.

A senior Palestinian official said Abbas was inclined to agree to the talks, in large part because of personal appeals in recent days from Obama, Mitchell and U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Palestinians have low expectations of the U.S.-brokered talks, but also want to avoid offending Obama and do not want to be cast in the role of naysayers.

Ah, watch the body language when Abbas finally shows.  Will he be greeted with smiles or frowns?  Will he get the joint news conference denied to Netanyahu?  Will he be fed?  The Israeli leader wasn't.  Look, finger sandwiches would do.  Hashish better. 

In the last two weeks, the Obamans have been on a major fence-mending mission with the Israelis, apparently realizing that The One's rudeness backfired.  Also, it's an election year...and get this:

A national Quinnipiac University survey found that 44 percent of Americans disapprove of Obama’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian issue, with 35% approving, the poll’s only foreign policy question with negative results.

This administration has been notoriously aloof to the opinions of Americans who don't have Ph.D.'s, but maybe a change is coming.

Can't wait for Abbas to arrive.  I'd love to see how these diplomatic geniuses in Washington handle it.

April 25, 2010   Permalink