We Are Winning in Afghanistan, Though Work Remains to Be Done

Max Boot  "I do not, by any means, suggest that all the news from Afghanistan is great. As Mansoor and I note, governance and Pakistan sanctuaries remain difficult challenges, and the eastern part of the country — where there are a lot of Pashtuns — has not yet seen the kind of concerted counterinsurgency campaign that has taken place in the south. (There simply aren’t enough troops even now to pacify both south and east at the same time.) But overall, we are making great progress with the surge, which, after all, has only just been completed."

NATO Push Deals Taliban a Setback in Kandahar  "As the Obama administration reviews its strategy in Afghanistan, residents and even a Taliban commander say the surge of American troops this year has begun to set back the Taliban in parts of their southern heartland and to turn people against the insurgency — at least for now. "

The socialist president plays host to capitalism

Dana Milbank, Washington Post  "Obama has a long climb to overcome the reputation that he is hostile to business; the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, inflamed by health-care reform and Obama's climate-change policy, is on record accusing him of a "general attack on our free enterprise system." But on Wednesday, he began to implement his pro-business business plan.
"Before walking to meet the 20 corporate chiefs, Obama delivered a speech that, in the space of just four minutes, included seven mentions of jobs, six of growth or growing, and two of hiring. "Spurring economic growth is what I'll talk about later this morning when I meet with some of America's top business leaders," the president said. (READ: I am a capitalist!) "That includes Jim McNerney of Boeing, who also heads up my Export Council, and several members of my Economic Recovery Advisory Board." (READ: Some of my best friends are capitalists!)"

The Decline of Marrige in the Middle Class

Heritage  "In what he terms the “separate and unequal” state of marriage among socioeconomic classes, Wilcox found that middle-class Americans (those holding only a high school diploma) were much more likely to experience divorce and to have children out-of-wedlock than more highly educated citizens. While many Americans still hold a high regard for the institution of marriage, they are also increasingly tolerant of pre-marital sex, cohabitation, and non-marital childbearing. These attitudes are most prominent in the middle class, where the cultural battle for the health of marriage is raging."

… And Baby Makes Two   "Studies have found that children born to single mothers are vastly more likely to be poor, have behavioral and psychological problems, drop out of high school, and themselves go on to have out-of-wedlock children."
Slate

What Do Terrorists Look Like?

Verum Serum  "I’m stealing this from Maetenloch over at Ace’s because it’s amazing. The blog S Weasel put this together:"  

....I hope all you 4th amendment “purists” can now see why this is necessary:

U.S. to have Highest Corporate Tax Rate in the World

Heritage  "Japan will soon fall from the top spot because it has finally recognized what the rest of the industrialized world realized over a decade ago: A low corporate income tax rate is vital for economic growth in the global marketplace. As such, Japan just announced it will reduce its corporate income tax rate by 5 percentage points down to around 35 percent. This remains far above the 25 percent average rate of other industrialized countries, but for them it is a start."

Ramirez on that Obama-Clinton press conference

http://townhall.com/cartoons/MichaelRamirez/

The 111th Congress's Final Insult

ClownMinistry.com

Wall Street Journal  "The 111th Congress began with an $814 billion stimulus that blew out the federal balance sheet, so we suppose it's only fitting that the Members want to exit by passing a 1,924-page, $1.2 trillion omnibus spending bill. The worst Congress in modern history is true to its essence to the bitter end."

Gallup: Worst ratings for Congress in history  "The 83% disapproval rating is also the worst Gallup has measured in more than 30 years of tracking congressional job performance.
"The prior low approval rating for Congress was 14% in July 2008 when the United States was dealing with record-high gas prices and the economy was in recession."

Lame Duck Politicking  "Question: how have we gotten to this point where we are debating this important issue with just days left before the new year? The Democrats have been in charge of Congress for FOUR years, and they have know for FOUR years that these tax rates were going to expire and that something had to be done about them. Why have they literally waited until the eleventh hour?"

How to Fix the Tax Code: Five Pro-Growth Policies for Congress

Heritage  "Among the many undue burdens that the current tax code places on American taxpayers and the economy, five stand out as particularly detrimental to job creation, investment, and economic recovery. From business-stifling taxation systems to the alternative minimum tax to insufficient tax relief for average citizens, The Heritage Foundation presents the five primary problems with the tax code—and the corresponding pro-growth solutions. It is time for Congress to act."

Proposal would allow Internet service providers to ration Web traffic

MSNBC  "Even if the rules are adopted, lawmakers are likely to challenge the rules, as Republicans have been vocal that they oppose any FCC action geared at governing the Internet."  Via Heritage
Every day the Democrats are in charge, this country becomes a bit less free.

Mexico and the Cartel Wars in 2010

STRATFOR  "In 2010, the cartel wars in Mexico have produced unprecedented levels of violence throughout the country. No longer concentrated in just a few states, the violence has spread all across the northern tier of border states and along much of both the east and west coasts of Mexico. This year’s drug-related homicides have surpassed 11,000, an increase of more than 4,400 deaths from 2009 and more than double the death toll in 2008.

Like a Condom, the First Amendment Can't Protect You

Ann Coulter  "Among the criminal laws apparently broken by Assange is 18 U.S.C. 793(e), which provides: "

"Whoever having unauthorized possession of, access to, or control over any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, (etc. etc.) relating to the national defense, ... (which) the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation, willfully communicates (etc. etc) the same to any person not entitled to receive it, or willfully retains the same (etc) ...
"Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both."....

"Fox News' Alan Colmes said he checked with Fox News legal analyst Andrew Napolitano, who told him there's no case against Assange because the government can't punish "the disseminator of information." They should have been on Gawker's legal team!"