"Dissension in the Ranks?"

Tony Blankley "Into this grim scenario, Petraeus has now made a play for Obama to reconsider the deadline. In a recent television interview, he said it is his duty to give the commander in chief his "best professional military advice" about whether July is too soon to remove troops. Separately, other policymakers have begun suggesting the July withdrawal may not be firm, injecting a hint of ambiguity into official statements. But in last week's Oval Office address, the president reconfirmed, precisely, that the withdrawal shall begin in July, as he ordered in his West Point policy announcement speech last year."

It's the Strategy; Stupid! "Will we choose, as a people, to recognize our national interests as the singular priority of our military and let them fight the war we have set before them, kill the enemy who would kill us and then let them come home victorious? Or will we continue to tolerate a political institution and an upper military structure that refuses to accept their constitutional duty to protect these shores uniquely, our people and our Warriors, regardless of the cost to others remembering that this war was thrust upon us."

Bonfire of the Insanities

Ann Coulter "Also, as I recall, there was no Guantanamo, no Afghanistan war and no Iraq war on Sept. 10, 2001. And yet, somehow, Osama bin Ladin had no trouble recruiting back then. Can we retire the "it will help them recruit" argument yet?
The reason not to burn Qurans is that it's unkind -- not to jihadists, but to Muslims who mean us no harm. The same goes for building a mosque at ground zero -- in both cases, it's not a question of anyone's "rights," it's just a nasty thing to do."

One Nation, Two Deficits

NY Times "The nation faces a nasty dual deficit problem: a painful jobs deficit in the near term and an unsustainable budget deficit over the medium and long term. This month, the Senate will be debating an issue with significant implications for both — what to do about the Bush-era tax cuts scheduled to expire at the end of the year.
"In the face of the dueling deficits, the best approach is a compromise: extend the tax cuts for two years and then end them altogether. Ideally only the middle-class tax cuts would be continued for now. Getting a deal in Congress, though, may require keeping the high-income tax cuts, too. And that would still be worth it."

 Peter Orszag clarifies "rift" with Obama admin over Bush tax cuts  "Orszag's Op ed yesterday was big news because it was assumed that foes of ending the tax cuts for the rich could point to his stance -- and to Orszag's deficit hawkishness -- to buttress their own position.
"But Orszag told me that a key point had gotten lost: He only favors temporarily extending the tax cuts for the rich reluctantly, and only if it's the sole way of obtaining a deal that would end them altogether."

U.S. military says Afghan bibles have been destroyed

Sweetness and Light Then scroll down: "I can now confirm that the Bibles shown on Al Jazeera’s clip were, in fact, collected by the chaplains and later destroyed. They were never distributed," spokeswoman Major Jennifer Willis said at Bagram air base, north of Kabul…
"Compare and contrast this event with the current outrage about some crackpot’s plans to burn a couple of Korans in Texas on September 11. (For instance, a State Department spokesman has called Mr. Jones’s idiotic plan “un-American.”)
"So where was the outrage when the US Government destroyed Bibles — in order to avoid offending the sensitivities of the pious Muslims in Afghanistan?"

Health Insurers Plan Hikes

WSJ "Aetna Inc., some BlueCross BlueShield plans and other smaller carriers have asked for premium increases of between 1% and 9% to pay for extra benefits required under the law, according to filings with state regulators.
"These and other insurers say Congress's landmark refashioning of U.S. health coverage, which passed in March after a brutal fight, is causing them to pass on more costs to consumers than Democrats predicted."
But you will not see your taxes go up ONE DIME!

Clinton speech to tout successes

Politico "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will tell the Council on Foreign Relations Wednesday that the Obama administration’s diplomatic engagement and international leadership are advancing U.S. national security and achieving concrete results, from tough international sanctions on Iran to strengthening the nonproliferation regime to relaunched Middle East peace talks..."

"Building on Faith" by FEISAL ABDUL RAUF

NY Times "We are proceeding with the community center, Cordoba House. More important, we are doing so with the support of the downtown community, government at all levels and leaders from across the religious spectrum, who will be our partners. I am convinced that it is the right thing to do for many reasons.
"Above all, the project will amplify the multifaith approach that the Cordoba Initiative has deployed in concrete ways for years. Our name, Cordoba, was inspired by the city in Spain where Muslims, Christians and Jews co-existed in the Middle Ages during a period of great cultural enrichment created by Muslims. Our initiative is intended to cultivate understanding among all religions and cultures."

Imam Rauf's NYT Op-ed Completely Ignores Ground Zero Mosque Polls  "How could a man claiming his "life's work has been focused on building bridges between religious groups" not recognize in his call for unity the overwhelming opposition to this mosque from the very people he says he wants to build bridges between?"

An ancient echo of NYC mosque debate in Córdoba, Spain "At its height, Córdoba was considered by some to be one of the greatest achievements of the medieval Islamic world – a center of art, architecture, and scholarship.
"For much of the Islamic period, Córdoba was a bastion of tolerance. It ushered in a renaissance for Jews in Spain, who were persecuted by Christian rulers in the 7th century. The great Jewish philosopher and Torah scholar Maimonides was born there around 1134.
"That Maimonides's family fled Córdoba for North Africa when he was a boy after an intolerant Islamic dynasty conquered the city is one of the reasons that US politicians like Newt Gingrich deemed the original name an "insult." There were also periods in which large numbers of Jews or Christians were killed."....
 "Likewise today, the disputes – albeit less violent – continue. And while the petition for Muslims to be allowed to pray at the Great Mosque does not appear to be going anywhere, on Sept. 11 this month a group of Muslims, Christians, and Jews plan to form a human chain linking the synagogue with the mosque. It will be difficult to misread the symbolism."

The Cordoba Mosque in New York - “A Symbol of the Islamic Conquest of Christian Lands”
"Be that as it may, I still think Mr. Rauf and his wife should be taken at their word—provided they are also held to it. As a confidence-building measure for those of us who live in the neighborhood, it would help if the pair voluntarily answered some questions about the nature of their beliefs. A sampler:
"Who perpetrated the attacks of 9/11, and what was their religion?
"Does Israel have a right to exist as a Jewish state?
"What aspects of Shariah law, if any, do they repudiate?
"Do they consider the Muslim Brotherhood to be extreme?"

What the Arab papers say "...According to Mr al-Rashed, there is little Muslim demand for a mosque to be built near ground zero:

What Americans don't understand is that the battle with the terrorists behind 9/11 is not their fight, but rather a battle for Muslims, as over twenty Islamic states struggle against terrorism. Some Muslims will consider the construction of a mosque there [by Ground Zero] as a commemoration and immortalization of what the terrorists, who committed their crime in the name of Islam, did. I don't think that the majority of Muslims want to build a symbol or a place of worship that could become a place for terrorists and their Muslim followers to take pride in. Or a building that could become a shrine of hatred against Islam that turns public opinion against it, as seems to be the case at the moment, with claims that a mosque is being built on the bodies of three thousand dead Americans, buried alive as some people shout "Allahu Akbar", the same call which will be heard from the mosque. It is a false battle; [...] there are no devoted Muslims who want a place of worship there.

"Mr al-Rashed’s article met with criticism in a popular Emirati publication, Al-Khaleej, where Habib al-Sabegh writes a scathing response:"...

Neglecting Allies and Appeasing Foes

Heritage "The problem with this approach is that the U.S. government has a responsibility to the people of America to act in its own and its allies’ best interests. Since World War II the United States has promoted security and liberty throughout the world by creating strong international institutions and alliances that promote self-governance, the rule of law, civil and political rights, property rights and economic opportunities. But partnerships will fall short of our expectations if the countries with which we align share neither our values nor our goals. Rewarding troublemakers while ignoring our allies only emboldens those who do not share our values and demoralizes those that do."

The economy

THE ECONOMY. TRUST REPUBLICANS OR DEMOCRATS? "Just in case one of the pollsters calls you to ask which party you trust with our economy, perhaps this handy guide might help.
Would you rather live and work in an economy that..."
.... "Again ... if you're not a government dependent, anyone with any love of freedom at all should have no difficulty figuring this one out." This and the following two articles by Neal Boortz

THE GENESIS OF OUR ECONOMIC PROBLEMS "Since we started off talking about the economy here ... once again it might be a good idea to remind you just what got us into this economic mess. As you know ... the entire economic crash was centered around a collapse in the U.S. real estate market. This collapse was cause by millions (tens of millions?) of homeowners suddenly finding themselves completely unable to make payments on their mortgage loans - payments that had increased due to adjustable rate mortgages." Then he quotes this excellent article by Thomas Sowell which ran in a previous Tunnel Wall.


TAX BREAKS FOR THE RICH "Re-read that segment. Look at the use of words like "fairness", "gift", and "distribution." These are the ravings of a leftist who believes that wealth is distributed, not earned; that it's not "fair" when someone earns more than another person; and that when you allow someone to keep more of the money they have earned it constitutes a "gift." If you're a Democrat .. this is your logic. Are you comfortable with it? "

Opinion: Obama Offers Stimulus Reruns "In announcing the transportation plan, Obama told an audience in Milwaukee that "This will not only create jobs immediately, it's also going to make our economy hum over the long haul."  But the stimulus bill from last year included an almost identical $48 billion in extra transportation spending, along with those same promises -- rebuild the nation's infrastructure for tomorrow, and create jobs today.

"So far, it hasn't exactly worked out that way."  Cartoon by Lisa Benson, Townhall

Obama Speech “BS” Bingo Card

First Patriots   "I used to avoid listening to his speeches. Now, I look forward to the next one.
Here is something to help make Obama’s speeches almost tolerable. Just print out this page, distribute it to friends, and listen …I used to avoid listening to his speeches.
" Now, I look forward to the next one."
One off color word in this, but it's great!
h/t to Neal Boortz