Obama Sent a Secret Letter to Iraq's Top Shiite Cleric

Foreign Policy.com "President Obama has sent a letter to Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, urging him to prevail upon Iraq's squabbling politicians to finally form a new government, an individual briefed by relatives of the reclusive religious leader said Thursday.
"The individual, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the topic, said the information came from members of Sistani's family in the Iranian holy city of Qom, where Sistani maintains a large complex of seminaries, libraries, clinics, and other humanitarian organizations."

Townhall.com

U.S. Asks WikiLeaks To Return War Logs

Wall Street Journal "Last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates denounced the leak, saying it endangered the lives of Afghans who had aided the U.S. and would erode the trust that America would be able to protect its secrets.
"Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the website's founder, Julian Assange, and his source might have blood on their hands."

Mike Ramirez, Townhall

Bob Gorrell, Townhall

The Obama Tax Hikes, Another Step Toward a European Welfare State

Heritage "Faced with this failure, the Obama administration wants to double down on its tax and spend policies by hiking taxes on America’s job creators. Research on the last seven recessions shows that small businesses generate about two out of every three new jobs during recoveries."

Three cheers for Comrade Ogilvy (Remember 1984?)

Mudville Gazette "As it happened, the Eurasian Higher Command had launched its offensive in South India and left North Africa alone. It was therefore necessary to rewrite a paragraph of Big Brother's speech, in such a way as to make him predict the thing that had actually happened..."

"...As a candidate for President, I pledged to bring the war in Iraq to a responsible end. (Applause.) Shortly after taking office, I announced our new strategy for Iraq and for a transition to full Iraqi responsibility. And I made it clear that by August 31st, 2010, America's combat mission in Iraq would end. (Applause.) And that is exactly what we are doing -- as promised and on schedule. (Applause.)" Greyhawk

This cartoon should receive an award

Warning Signs Blog, Alan Caruba

Keith Olbermann Out At Sunday Night Football

Newsbusters "Exit questions:

•Do you believe that Olbermann's departure from this program had nothing to do with his politics?

•Are you more likely to watch Sunday night football now that Olbermann is no longer involved?

"Yes, those were both rhetorical questions, but I couldn't resist."  Noel Sheppard

Case Closed: Embarrass Them

Mona Charen   "The public shaming of the Iranian regime has possibly saved Ashtiani’s life. We are left to imagine what sort of electric effect a strong show of support from our current president might have on the rest of Iran’s suffering people."

Who Makes the Laws, Anyway?

Charles Krauthammer  "Everyone wants energy in the executive (as Alexander Hamilton called it). But not lawlessness. In the modern welfare state, government has the power to regulate your life. That’s bad enough. But at least there is one restraint on this bloated power: the separation of powers. Such constraints on your life must first be approved by both houses of Congress. That’s called the consent of the governed. The constitutional order is meant to subject you to the will of the people’s representatives, not to the whim of a chief executive or the imagination of a loophole-seeking bureaucrat."

Obamacare Repeal Gains Momentum . . .

Deroy Murdock  " By 71 percent to 29 percent, Missouri voters approved a referendum to invalidate any Obamacare mandate to purchase health insurance and any penalty for not doing so. Proposition C reflects growing momentum to repeal Obamacare, an increasingly unpopular federal sinkhole that the American people do not want and numerous state and federal officials are working sedulously to reverse.
"Obamacare’s latest defeat did not occur in Mississippi, Utah, or some other right-wing bastion. Instead, it happened in Missouri, a swing state that then-senator Barack Obama of neighboring Illinois lost by just 3,903 votes in 2008."