Taliban defectors accept U.S. approach but wait for promises to be kept

WaPo "Interviews with Wahab and other fighters who recently left the Taliban as part of an Afghan government effort to lure them from the battlefield suggest that in many cases, U.S. policymakers may be on to something. Several ex-fighters said they joined the Taliban not out of religious zealotry but for far more mundane reasons: anger at the government in Kabul, revenge for losing a government job, pressure from family or tribe members -- or simply because they were broke." H/t to Heritage.

Exclusive: What happens next in health care

Politico "After a brief period of consultation following the White House health reform summit, congressional Democrats plan to begin making the case next week for a massive, Democrats-only health care plan, party strategists told POLITICO. A Democratic official said the six-hour summit was expected to “give a face to gridlock, in the form of House and Senate Republicans.” " Hat tip to Heritage.

Government Grab of Retirement Accounts a Matter of ‘Social Justice’

Pajamas Media "Uncle Sam wants your retirement money. The Obama administration has just solicited public comment on their proposal to take money from Americans’ private 401(k) retirement accounts and convert it into government-backed annuities. In other words, they want to take your money now to purchase U.S. Treasury bonds, then pay you a monthly sum later after you’ve retired." We had promised to give you more input on this topic. Here it is.

We Have Race on the Brain

Victor Davis Hanson "In contrast, one reason I disliked academia was that in such a dry, bored self-created landscape, pretense trumped action, and one’s tribe, not one’s essence, was the key to career advancement. I never heard a Mexican neighbor say he was Mexican or an Armenian vineyard grower talk of his vaunted heritage or the German claim privilege — they all succeeded or failed on their own ability, or lack of, to grow food at a profit."

Al Gore a lightning rod at Apple shareholder meeting

CNET "...a longtime and well-known Apple shareholder--some would say gadfly--who introduced himself as Sheldon, stood at the microphone and urged against Gore's re-election to the board. Gore "has become a laughingstock. The glaciers have not melted," Sheldon said, referring to Gore's views on global warming. "If his advice he gives to Apple is as faulty as his views on the environment then he doesn't need to be re-elected." "

Mike Ramirez cartoon

Investors.com

DeMint for president? Not as crazy as it sounds...

Washington Examiner "DeMint, in this scenario, would run as a spoiler/insurgent candidate in 2012, setting himself up for a full-on presidential run in 2016. DeMint, running in 2012, would knock Sarah Palin out of the primaries, crushing any momentum she received out of Iowa ..."

HCR Summit: Six Hours and Counting (Updated)

Weekly Standard "Why is the health care reform summit going over time? The answer is simple: President Obama. He's decided to try to refute -- at length -- every single Republican criticism of the Democratic health bill." Matthew Continetti More here: The Main Event: Ryan v. Obama "The expression on the president's face as Ryan made his case was absolutely priceless. Simply put, he looked like someone who realizes he's met his match."

Army, Air Force Warn Against Quick Repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

CNS News "The testimony by the service chiefs is considered crucial to the debate. As the top uniformed officials in each service, the chief is in charge of recruitment and preparing troops for deployments. If the policy on gays is overturned, they would have to decide how to implement the changes." My problem is that this campaign is coming from people that have historically held the US military in contempt and supported anti-war movements.

Congressional Budget Office Report on Healthcare

Congressional Budget Office Report Excerpt: "All of those considerations serve to emphasize the considerable uncertainty that surrounds any estimate of the impact of any proposal that would make substantial changes in the health insurance or health care sectors, given the size and the complexity of those sectors. That uncertainty applies to the estimated effects of proposals on the federal budget and insurance coverage rates, as well as to their impact on premiums." From page 28 of the report.

Early "returns" good for Republicans

Powerline Blog "CNN's David Gergen: The folks in the White House just must be kicking themselves right now. They thought that coming out of Baltimore when the President went in and was mesmerizing and commanding in front of the House Republicans that he could do that again here today. That would revive health care and would change the public opinion about their health care bill and they can go on to victory. Just the opposite has happened."

Jihadis Incite South African Blacks to kill all Whites

Atlas Shrugs By Adriana Stuijt. "Members of my Facebook site recently alerted me to a number of ‘Africanist’ websites in volatile South Africa where radical islamists are very actively inciting black South African members to ‘kill all the whites’ there. This incitement to kill all Europeans is often targetted towards the increasingly besieged Afrikaans-speaking minority -- but has also been targetting all the Western football fans planning to travel to the World Cup 2010 tournaments in South Africa in June."