Bush's Gift to Obama

Middle East Forum "Will Obama take the advice of the pressure-on-Israel enthusiasts who twice led him into the cul-de-sac of the "freeze on natural growth" of settlements? If he does, we are headed for another nasty squall with no constructive outcome. He has another choice, staring right at him in the Roadmap. Does the Roadmap's provenance in the hated Bush administration make it so repulsive to this administration that miss the opportunity Bush left him?" Steven J. Rosen served for 23 years as foreign policy director of AIPAC. He now heads the Washington Project of the Middle East Forum.

Obama Policies Threaten Israel's Security "When Hillary ran against Obama in 2008, her most effective campaign ad was one that showed a telephone ringing at 3 a.m. It was intended to warn Americans of the dangers of having an inexperienced president taking that crisis call in the middle of the night. Little did Hillary realize that she might be the one making that crisis call.
"It seems as if we are sleepwalking into danger. Is there anybody in this administration who is awake? " Ken Blackwell

Netanyahu / Mazen to talk; What Will They Talk About?

Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs "In accepting President Obama's summons, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Abu Mazen know they will, necessarily, be discussing the same four issues that were on the table in 2000. So, as President Obama pushes Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and Abu Mazen, the questions are:
"•If Yasser Arafat could not accept any compromise then, why would President Obama think Abu Mazen, whose legitimate term of office ended in January 2009 and who controls far less territory and far fewer Palestinians, can compromise?
"•What will the President do if the talks fail and increased violence is again the result?"

The Tea Parties and the Future of Liberty

Stephen F. Hayes in Imprimus; "This dissatisfaction flows directly from the president’s policies and those of his party. It is not simply “anti-incumbent,” as many of my press colleagues would have it. This voter outrage—and it is outrage, not hate—is specific and focused: Americans are fed up with big government and deeply concerned about the long-term economic health of their country."

Moral myopia at Ground Zero

Charles Krauthammer "It takes no courage whatsoever to bask in the applause of a Muslim audience as you promise to stand stoutly for their right to build a mosque, giving the unmistakable impression that you endorse the idea. What takes courage is to then respectfully ask that audience to reflect upon the wisdom of the project..."
...."Ground Zero is the site of the most lethal attack of that worldwide movement, which consists entirely of Muslims, acts in the name of Islam and is deeply embedded within the Islamic world. ...And that is why putting up a monument to Islam in this place is not just insensitive but provocative."

Progressives – Obtuseness of Their Magnitude Better Be Deliberate "It’s not difficult to be a progressive, it takes little work or thought. But it becomes most uncomfortable when Charles Krauthammer enters the room, which is why they loathe him so." From iOwnTheWorld.com

PREDICTION: HOWARD DEAN WILL CHALLENGE OBAMA FOR THE NOMINATION

Astute Blogger 2012 is a long way off; take this with a grain of salt.

Dean: 'Some' Dems demonizing N.Y. mosque opponents  "I don't think -- I honestly -- I think some of my own folks at my end of the spectrum of the party are demonizing some fairly decent people who are opposed to this," he said. "And again, in no way am I defending the right-wing of the Republican Party. Sixty-five percent of the people in this country are not right-wing bigots. Some of them really have deep emotional feelings about this."

Ground Zero still a hole in the ground nine years later

American Thinker "Americans also want two new towers built - even taller than the originals. This is important to us because it symbolizes that America cannot be brought down. If you can't agree on a new design, then construct two towers of the original design utilizing modern materials.
"Prove America is still the place where great efforts are not only dreamed, but realized. Prove New Yorkers are the proud and resilient people we know you to be.
"Act as leaders, not as politicians. Get over your power trips, edifice complexes, and political agendas - build a 9/11 memorial and rebuild the towers."
I loved the way the Pentagon was restored with no signs of damage. What a great way to give the finger to the terrorists: "The building is just as it was; your acts meant nothing." Unfortunately the new memorial outside that traces the flight path to the building looks more like a tribute to the hijackers, one they can point to with pride and say, "Look what we did!"

Nearly Half of United States Considering Arizona-Style Immigration Legislation

CNS News "Twenty-two states are now in the process of drafting or seeking to pass legislation similar to Arizona’s law against illegal immigration. This is occurring despite the fact that the Obama administration has filed a lawsuit against the Arizona law and a federal judge has ruled against portions of that law – a ruling that is now being appealed."

Obama's Point of No Return (Is this the moment he jumped the shark?)

American Thinker "There comes a moment in a failing presidency where the incumbent, through some single gesture, action, or statement, crosses a certain line from beyond which there is no return. Through his own will and behavior, he so underlines his failings, so frames his negative image, that no further action can ever erase it. Fate, accident, and circumstance have nothing to do with it. It is the president himself who puts the period at the end of his own sentence."....
"With Obama, we have an abundance of riches: the multiple vacations, the legal harassment of the state of Arizona on behalf of illegals, the clownish response to the Gulf oil blowout. But when historians come to select the moment when Obama went over the edge of the world, I think they'll find the great Iftar mosque speech of August 13, 2010 hard to beat."

Wikipedia: "Jump the Shark"

http://townhall.com/cartoons/cartoonist/ChipBok

Teens have a variety of questions for President Obama

MVTimes In related news, Democrats in Congress propose lowering the voting age to 13. On the brighter side, there is some wisdom in the comments section below.

Employees Will Pay More in 2011 for Healthcare

MedPagetoday "Employees may have to pay more for their healthcare expenses as large businesses make changes to their employee healthcare plans in order to comply with the healthcare reform law, according to a new report." Change we can believe in.

The Judiciary's Culturally Sanctioned Allergy to Christianity Flourishes

David Limbaugh "Does anyone find it ironic that the very people who protest so loudly over supposed affronts to Islamic religious expression are often so hostile to the slightest Christian religious expressions -- even incidental expressions?".... "The egregious constitutional infraction here is not that the government put up the signs, which it didn't, but that the memorials were placed along public roads. Thus, "reasonable" passing motorists -- as opposed, I guess, to those afflicted with anti-Christian road rage -- might well assume that the government is endorsing the Christian religion. Horror of horrors. My gosh, what would the largely Christian Founders think?"....
"You see, the ultimate purpose of the establishment clause, just as it was with the free exercise clause, was to promote religious liberty. The Framers knew that if there were a national church, there would be substantially less religious liberty. But under the ludicrously expansive interpretations of this clause, the courts are diminishing religious liberty in the name of protecting it." Emphasis added.

Thomas Sowell: Dismantling America: Part IV

Townhall" In other words, a Constitutional government does not depend on the Constitution but on us. To the extent that we allow clever people to circumvent the Constitution, while dazzling us with rhetoric, the Constitution will become just a meaningless piece of paper, as our freedoms are stolen from us, much as a pick-pocket would steal our wallet while we are distracted by other things."
"Someone once said that a democratic society cannot survive for long after 51 percent of the people decide that they want to live off the other 49 percent. Yet that is the direction in which we are being pushed by those who are promoting envy under its more high-toned alias of "social justice." "