SUNDAY,  AUGUST 9,  2009

QUICK, THE ZOLOFT - AT 5:43 P.M. ET:  Reader Gregory Koster alerts us to a posting at Huffington Post that shows the wild-eyed rhetoric of the left regarding the health-care town meetings:

It's truly a sad state of affairs when civil, civic discussions of most significant social legislation in years, town halls about national health care, are reduced to a series of staged media events for 24-hour cable news channels.

Well, there's respect for the citizenry, right off.  It's also truly a sad state of affairs when legitimate concerns of citizens, especially seniors, have been treated with contempt for months.

So far, among TV news operations, only MSNBC has investigated these people in depth, starting last Friday when Newsweek's Richard Wolfe (filling in for Keith Olbermann) first headlined the corporate-funded roots of these loudmouthed disrupters, aka Astroturfers (artificial grass-roots support.)

Same old leftist story.  All opposition is either 1) funded by sinister corporations, or 2) part of a vast right-wing conspiracy, or 3) organized by stupid people.

And what to do about these evil people?

Get Up In Their Grills: Don't just sit quietly and let these congenital know-nothings take over meetings and try to rattle our Congressional reps. Fortunately, as the Huffington Post's Sam Stein reports, many unions are gearing up to do just that -- to directly engage these wingnut Tea Party alums at town-hall meetings. Good on them.

Notice the subtlety, the restraint, the drive for intellectual excellence.

Sign Language Print up big signs for each meeting reading "I'M WITH STUPID." Also draw a big arrow on each, and every time one of these loudmouths (they're often wearing ball caps or carrying Bibles) stands up and starts ranting, just stand next to him/her and hold up the sign. Makes a good photo and great "B-roll" for TV!

Brilliant.  Really brilliant.  These are deep thinkers.  I'm overwhelmed.

August 9, 2009   Permalink

NOW SHE TELLS US - AT 5:23 P.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton sends the latest in a series of confusing signals coming from Washington about talks with Iran.  From AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the United States has no illusions that Iran will accept overtures to return to negotiations about its nuclear program and will not wait much longer for Tehran to respond.

Both Clinton and national security adviser James Jones said in interviews aired Sunday that Washington has little choice but to deal with the government of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, regardless of U.S. feelings about charges he was re-elected in a fraudulent election and sympathy for the thousands who have protested the outcome.

And...

Clinton said the United States would re-evaluate its efforts to entice Iran back to the negotiating table in September.

''We are under no illusions. We were under no illusions before their elections that we can get the kind of engagement we are seeking,'' she said in an interview with CNN's ''GPS.''

''The president has also said, look, we need to take stock of this in September. If there is a response, it needs to be on a fast track. We're not going to keep the window open forever,'' she said.

COMMENT:  This comes a few days after a leaked assessment by American intelligence that Iran won't have the bomb until 2013, a judgment that seems at odds with judgments by other intelligence agencies, which suggest a much closer date.

The issue again, though, is our policy after Iran defaults.  Do we have one?  Clinton says that we're not going to keep "the window open forever."  What window?  The window that simply leads to talks?  If the window closes, do we try for tougher sanctions?  The story says that we're working with the Security Council, plus Germany, on a set of new sanctions.  But what if the Russians and Chinese won't go along?

There is no clearly defined strategy, at least not one that's been made public.  A strategy would have to include the ultimate decision - a military strike.

August 9, 2009   Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY - AT 10:56 A.M. ET:  From the great Mark Steyn, on the current health-care "debate":

DISSENT IS THE HIGHEST FORM OF PATRIOTI- . . . No, wait, that bumper sticker expired January 20. Under the stimulus bill, there’s a new $1.3 trillion bills-for-bumpers program whereby, if you peel off old slogans now recognized as environmentally harmful (“QUESTION AUTHORITY”), you can trade them in for a new “CELEBRATE CONFORMITY” sticker, complete with a holographic image of President Obama that never takes his eyes off you.

COMMENT:  Do you realize that virtually every concern expressed about Obama by responsible people during the last campaign is proving accurate?  There were concerns about his radicalism, about his lack of executive experience, about his "Chicago" style of politics, about his background, about his associations, about his inability to present a detailed program.

The people who expressed those concerns were often ridiculed by the media.

Now look what we have.

August 9, 2009   Permalink

BACK TO THE SEVENTIES - AT 10:24 A.M.  From the Los Angeles Times:

U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. is poised to appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate alleged CIA abuses committed during the interrogation of terrorism suspects, current and former U.S. government officials said.

A senior Justice Department official said that Holder envisioned an inquiry that would be narrow in scope, focusing on "whether people went beyond the techniques that were authorized" in Bush administration memos that liberally interpreted anti-torture laws.

Current and former CIA and Justice Department officials who have firsthand knowledge of the interrogation files contend that criminal convictions will be difficult to obtain because the quality of evidence is poor and the legal underpinnings have never been tested.

The left will be jubilant.  No one else.  Then, there is this:

Some cases have not previously been disclosed, including an instance in which a CIA operative brought a gun into an interrogation booth to force a detainee to talk, officials said.

I'm shocked, shocked, that this was done.  Why, that's no different than crashing planes into buildings.  Why, that's the same as the atom bomb.  Bringing a gun?  Are we barbarians?  This is all because of BUSH (!!).

This reminds us of the probes into the CIA in the 1970s, probes that essentially destroyed the agency for years.  That, of course, is the ultimate objective of the political left.  You can be sure that some of the same people, now somewhat older, will be involved. 

August 9, 2009   Permalink

THE DEPTH OF DISAPPROVAL - AT 9:54 A.M. ET:  President Obama's numbers in Rasmussen's presidential approval index are declining again.  This index measures the gap between those who strongly approve and those who strongly disapprove of presidential performance.  This morning it stands at minus 8.  The president has been in minus territory since June 30th.

Overall presidential approval is at 50%, disapproval at 50%.  Mr. Obama has not been above 51% since July 17th.

Obviously, the president can bounce back.  But nothing he's doing seems directed at doing that. 

The key is whether the Republicans can capitalize on the president's growing unpopularity.  The GOP needs a program that is effective and appealing.  So far, we don't see one.

August 9, 2009   Permalink

POLITICAL TIME BOMB - AT 9:42 A.M. ET:  This is a political story, not an ethnic story.  It is not "racist" to report it.  From London's Telegraph:

Last year, five per cent of the total population of the 27 EU countries was Muslim. But rising levels of immigration from Muslim countries and low birth rates among Europe's indigenous population mean that, by 2050, the figure will be 20 per cent, according to forecasts.

Data gathered from various sources indicate that Britain, Spain and Holland will have an even higher proportion of Muslims in a shorter amount of time.

We'll do the math.  The year 2050 is 41 years away.  That means that an American child born today will face an entirely different Europe before reaching middle age.  Muslims will hold the political balance of power, and will easily swing elections.  We can only imagine how the foreign policy of Europe will change in the interim. 

There are many on the European (and American) left, of course, who rejoice in this, as another step toward the marginalization of the United States and the destruction of capitalism.  Of course, they haven't contemplated the kind of societies that will replace the current ones, their hatred of America and capitalism so great that no disturbing thoughts are permitted.  But we, as a nation, may be very much alone in the coming decades.  Wouldn't it be ironic if our major allies will be in the East, rather than the West.

August 9, 2009   Permalink

SATURDAY,  AUGUST 8,  2009

TONE DEAF, WITH TIN EARS - AT 10:19 P.M. ET:  The Obama White House seems increasingly out of touch with the American people.  Consider the Obamas' lavish vacation plans, at a time of high unemployment and economic stress:

The First Family is taking a vacation before their vacation.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Friday the president, First Lady Michelle and the kids are heading west on Aug. 14 for a long weekend to visit Grand Canyon and Yellowstone National parks. Just days later, the First Family travels to Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts.

Mrs. Obama and her daughters have already made two overseas trips this summer. Gibbs talked about the westward swing - intended to highlight the national parks - at his briefing, where he offered up Obama's week ahead.

And this:

The place where the Obama family plans to spend the last week of August will offer some room to roam on the remote island off the coast of Cape Cod.

The Blue Heron Farm, a 28-acre retreat in the town of Chilmark, once deemed one of the most expensive towns in America, is among a stable of resorts that fetch $35,000 to $50,000 a week, according to an island correspondent, Sam Bungey, of the Vineyard Gazette, who has nailed down the location of the first family's vacation.

The "farm'' features a swimming pool, a golf tee and a small basketball court, as well as four dwellings and a half dozen other structures "in which to swing a cat'' -- plus private access to a stretch of Squibnocket Beach -- which may keep those Obama swimsuit photos to a minimum.

There is a song from "Camelot" - "What Do the Simple Folk Do?"  I suspect it's a favorite around the White House these days.

August 8, 2009   Permalink

OH, GET OFF IT - AT 6:41 P.M. ET:  If you're going to be sneaky, don't be obvious about it.  Before World War II, when its budget was up for review in Congress, the Navy would often leak the "news" that Nazi submarines were sighted off the east coast of the United States. 

Apparently, someone has read his history.  Now we find the modern equivalent, as The New York Times reports:

The changing global climate will pose profound strategic challenges to the United States in coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics, military and intelligence analysts say.

Such climate-induced crises could topple governments, feed terrorist movements or destabilize entire regions, say the analysts, experts at the Pentagon and intelligence agencies who for the first time are taking a serious look at the national security implications of climate change.

Oh dear, oh dear, it's true.  The sky is indeed falling.  Chicken Little lives, and he has a condo in the Pentagon.

This is ridiculous.

Climate and weather have always been considerations in military planning, as we wrote here when another version of this story surfaced weeks ago.  Weather is often the first item reported in a military briefing, especially an aviation briefing. 

Get this:

A changing climate presents a range of challenges for the military. Many of its critical installations are vulnerable to rising seas and storm surges. In Florida, Homestead Air Force Base was essentially destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and Hurricane Ivan badly damaged Naval Air Station Pensacola in 2004. Military planners are studying ways to protect the major naval stations in Norfolk, Va., and San Diego from climate-induced rising seas and severe storms.

Wow!  What a headline.  Read all about it.  Hurricanes did damage! 

Now, what is this really about?  This is what it's about:

This argument could prove a fulcrum for debate in the Senate next month when it takes up climate and energy legislation passed in June by the House.

Lawmakers leading the debate before Congress are only now beginning to make the national security argument for approving the legislation.

Senator John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat who is the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and a leading advocate for the climate legislation, said he hoped to sway Senate skeptics by pressing that issue to pass a meaningful bill.

The term is cap 'n' trade.  You know, if you can't get the bill passed on its merits, and it doesn't have many merits, just make it a national-defense issue.  It's been done many times.

I suspect it will fail this time.  Too obvious.

August 8, 2009   Permalink

GOOD MEDICINE - AT 6:02 P.M. ET:  Dem strategist Doug Schoen, one of the saner Democratic operatives around, gets to the heart of Obama's political problem.  Schoen will probably be ignored by the red-meat crowd within his own party, but those interested in getting this presidency back on track would be wise to listen:

Mr. Obama, despite his popularity, is proposing policies that are out of sync with a center-right electorate. Specifically, only two in ten Americans are liberal, close to four in ten are conservative and a third are moderate. However, a poll conducted by Scott Rasmussen last week shows that nearly half of all Americans now identify Mr. Obama as being "very liberal" -- up 15 points from January -- and less than 10 percent see him as a conservative.

There is still time for Mr. Obama to change his approach in advance of the upcoming Congressional elections, but time is running out.

Schoen raps the Republicans, accurately in my view, and prescribes how his party can beat the blues:

Let's be clear, the Republicans do not have any policies and they do not have any ideas. Their agenda is based totally on opposition to the Democrats and so far this is proving to be successful. But with a bipartisan, centrist agenda that emphasizes growth, low taxes, fiscal prudence and common sense policies, Mr. Obama and Congressional Democrats can isolate Republicans -- whose approval rating has fallen to a record low -- while preventing the loss of 40-50 vulnerable Democratic House seats won during the last two Congressional elections, and as many as seven in the Senate.

COMMENT:  Well, of course I hope the Dems don't follow Schoen's advice because it would be effective.  And, given the current leadership of the Democratic Party, they probably won't.  But the man has common sense, and understands how the Democratic Party was built by Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy and a host of others who understood that America is not Berkeley.

August 8, 2009   Permalink

RASMUSSEN - AT 10:46 A.M. ET:  The president's poll numbers have actually shown a slight improvement in the last few days, possibly as a response to news coverage of the town-hall meetings on health care.  They may (or may not) show some future improvement because of the over-hyped improvement in the unemployment rate.  Still, these numbers are grim for the White House, which only months ago basked in numbers fit for a divine entity.

Rasmussen this morning reports presidential approval and disapproval split down the middle, at 50% each.  This is hardly cause for breaking out the champagne in the oval office.  Obama has improved more in Ras's presidential approval index, measuring the gap between those who strongly approve and those who strongly disapprove.  That stands at minus five today.  It had been down to minus 12 on July 30th.

We always stress that polls are snapshots in time.  The only one that counts, as they say, is the one on election day.

August 8, 2009   Permalink

STUNNER - AT 10:32 A.M. ET:  Encouraged by the anti-Israel, indeed somewhat anti-democratic attitude of the Obama administration, the Fatah General Assembly - "representing" the Palestinian people, has now issued an outlandish demand that shows just who is holding up peace in the Middle East:

The sixth Fatah General Assembly decreed on Saturday that the return of both east and west Jerusalem to Palestinian control was a "red line" which was non-negotiable, and would need to be fulfilled before any peace talks with Israel could renew, Israel Radio reported.

According to the report, a document adopted by the Fatah delegates of the assembly declared that Palestinians would "continue to be sacrificed until residents of Jerusalem are free of settlements and settlers." The document went on to state that all of Jerusalem, including the surrounding villages, belonged to the Palestinians, and lands conquered following the Six Day War shared the same status as those located within the Green Line.

COMMENT:  What is remarkable is that west Jerusalem, which has always been Israeli, is included in the demand.  Thus ends the myth that these are "moderate"  Palestinians.  But you'll notice that there is no criticism from Washington, and other nations will take their lead from Washington.

International tensions are getting worse under Obama, not better, and his appeasement of radical forces around the world is one of the reasons.

August 8, 2009   Permalink

TRIALS IN IRAN - AT 9:48 A.M. ET:  Let us not forget that mass trials, Stalinist style, are underway in Iran.  Even a British Embassy employee is in the dock, as Sky News notes:

The inclusion of a British Embassy official in a mass trial in Iran is "unacceptable", the Foreign Office has said.

Hossein Rassam is accused of inciting unrest after the disputed presidential elections.

He appeared in court alongside French citizen Clotilde Reiss and dozens of other defendants.

The Foreign Office described the decision as "completely unacceptable."

A spokeswoman for the FCO said it "directly contradicts assurances we had been given repeatedly by senior Iranian officials."

She added: "We deplore these trials and the so-called confessions of prisoners who have been denied their basic human rights."

COMMENT:  You'll notice the great zeal of our own govenment in denouncing this disgrace.  But our own government has a frightening contempt for democracy, so don't expect much.

August 8, 2009   Permalink