Obama's State of the Union and U.S. Foreign Policy

STRATFOR  Obama "will likely mention foreign issues and is undoubtedly devoting significant time to them, but the decision not to focus on foreign affairs in his State of the Union address gives the impression that the global situation is under control. Indeed, the Republican focus on domestic matters projects the same sense. Both sides create the danger that the public will be unprepared for some of the international crises that are already quite heated. We have discussed these issues in detail, but it is useful to step back and look at the state of the world for a moment."

Obama’s State of the Union Address: Top Five Commitments for a Free, Secure, and Prosperous America "The President’s approach has proven to be far short of what is needed to keep the nation safe, free, and prosperous. It is time for a new doctrine—and new priorities. Here are the top five that should be in the President’s speech."

Morning Bell: State of Denial "President Obama’s speech will describe his “five pillars” for ensuring America’s competitiveness and economic growth. He must be hoping that the American people already forgot about his first “five pillars” of economic growth that he unveiled at Georgetown University in April 2009. The President’s present pillar panel is pretty much the same as the old one. “Deficit reduction” and “investments” in education are completely unchanged. “New Investments in Renewable Energy” has been repackaged to the more centrist-friendly “New Investments in Infrastructure.” Out are ..."

Watch the Leopard Change His Spots  "Now ask yourself: if the Democrats had won the November 2010 elections, would any of this be happening? Do you really believe Obama has changed his philosophy? Do you think he would be talking and acting this way if he had other choices? Do you really believe the Dems would be talking ‘civility' and ‘let's all sit together during the State speech' if they had won in November?"

A Bipartisan Night to Remember? "In all of Thomas Sowell's prophetic work, one simple quote is among my favorites, "Most people on the left do not oppose freedom. They are just in favor of all sorts of things that are incompatible with freedom." In that vein, Republicans don't so much oppose bipartisanship. They just fall prey to all sorts of things that aren't actually bipartisan."

http://townhall.com/cartoons/chipbok

Hollywood Still Whining: Looks Like Ricky Gervais Spoke Truth to the Wrong Power

Big Hollywood  "In the bubbled, hypocritical mind of some in Hollywood, the only reason Gervais crossed a line is them because he went after them. Had he been as relentless in ripping apart Sarah Palin, her young children, Jesus Christ, or George W. Bush, today the comedian would be celebrated as “edgy” and “courageous” — because only in Hollywood is throwing red meat to a hard-left crowd considered “edgy” and “courageous.” "

Once upon a time Hollywood had a sense of humor:
Target: Governor Reagan  (Corrected link.)
Now, President Reagan

Ho-Hum Horror

National Review   "The case of Kermit Gosnell reached the newspapers just a few days before the 38th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. President Obama did not mention Gosnell in his official statement celebrating the anniversary. But the case sheds more light on Roe’s import than the statement did."

http://townhall.com/cartoons/garyvarvel

Kermit the Dog  "In the wake of the Tucson shooting some have argued that we should limit semi-automatic handgun magazine capacity to ten. I think we should consider limiting abortion clinic waiting room capacity to ten. Or maybe we should have a seven-day cooling down period for those who have a passion for performing abortions.
"However we decide to exploit this tragedy, the conservative slogan is fairly obvious: “Guns don’t kill people. Abortion doctors kill people.” We need to start printing tee shirts now."
 Mike Adams Upon getting his doctorate in 1993, Adams, then an atheist and a Democrat, was hired by UNC-Wilmington to teach in the criminal justice program. A few years later, Adams abandoned his atheism and also became a Republican.

Rick Santorum  Life Is a Civil Right  :"Then, campaigning for president, [Obama] was asked when he thought life began. He said that was “above my pay grade.” So President Obama does not recognize the right to life of a baby even after it is born and, when challenged, follows the example of another presidential candidate, Stephen Douglas, whose attitude toward the question of personhood for blacks was one of “don’t care.”"

Fight Off, Don’t Pay Off, Pirates

Max Boot  "The key to securing this vital shipping lane is to unleash all the naval power that is already in the region. The U.S. and our allies should give our fleets shoot-on-sight orders when they detect suspected pirates — the same kind of order our troops operate under when dealing with armed insurgents in Iraq or Afghanistan. It would not take many gunfights, I suspect, to deter all but the most foolhardy or daring pirates from continuing with their criminal racket."
How much do our pacifists have to do with the lack of force on our part? Pacifists get innocent people killed.

Mayor of Fort Bragg Hometown to “Honor” Vietnam Vets With Jane Fonda Anti-War Films…

Weasel Zippers  "But Fayetteville Mayor Tony Chavonne decided to “honor” the Vets by reaching out to Quaker House, an anti-Vietnam war protesting outfit. And Quaker House said they are glad to participate and intend to show two anti-war films that include Jane Fonda. As in “Hanoi Jane.” This is how they plan to “honor Vietnam vets.”"

Is President Serious About Reg Reform?

Investors.com  "I will soon introduce a bill that will bar the EPA from instituting its job-crushing carbon regulations. I am also working with Sen. Lindsey Graham on legislation that will allow states to opt out of the worst provisions of the president's health spending law.
"The president has promised to stop imposing "burdens that have stifled innovation and have had a chilling effect on growth and jobs." I hope he is prepared to be held to account."

Whatever happened to the anti-war movement?

Hot Air  "Remember when opponents of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq used to hold massive rallies with lots of media attention, and newspapers like the New York Times warned that the 1960s may be returning? That turned out to be a short decade. Reason TV’s Ted Balaker and Zach Weissmueller look at the sudden dissipation of the anti-war movement, which in reality was a proxy fight in a much different battle:"

The Health Care Congress

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Weekly Standard  "Something remarkable happened in Washington last week, and too few people in the media and politics appreciate it. The House of Representatives voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 less than a year after Congress passed it into law. What’s more, the vote for repeal (245-189) was larger than the vote for passage (219-212). We racked our brains trying to figure out the last time a major piece of legislation was repudiated by a chamber of Congress with such speed and decisiveness. The answer is 1989, when Congress repealed the Medicare Catastrophic Coverage Act it had passed 17 months before, and President George H.W. Bush signed the repeal." Matthew Continetti

Civility for Thee

http://www.mahalo.com/obama-finger

Victor Davis Hanson  "So I predict that 18 months from now the president himself will still be calling for a new civility in the manner of his speech at the 2004 Democratic convention — and will once again adopt the sorts of over-the-top metaphors, similes, allusions, and rough-stuff politics that got him elected senator in 2004 and president in 2008, and pushed his healthcare legislation through in 2009. If anything, the language of division will be shriller even than in 2010, as the administration grasps that loaded language, coupled with calls for an end to rancor, must now do what a record of unpopular governance cannot."

Calling Out Race Exploiter Al Sharpton

Lloyd Marcus  "Address the tsunami of black kids dropping out of school; why a majority of blacks are born out of wedlock and genocide level black abortion rates.

"Rev Sharpton, these issues have nothing to do with, nor are the fault of, white people, the rich or America."

Lloyd Marcus.com  "...I have been swamped with patriots wanting to know my opinion of the Black Tea Party. Some are offended by blacks separating themselves. From my understanding, these black patriots are not separating themselves. They are simply hosting tea parties in urban areas. I say, “Right on!”"

Conservatives In the Crosshairs

Big Journalism  "Arizona Daily Star columnist/cartoonist David Fitzsimmons: “I must tell you as a columnist who has covered politics in this state, it was inevitable, from my perspective.”

Anchor Martin Savidge: “Why do you say that?”

Fitzsimmons: “Because the right in Arizona, and I’m speaking very broadly, has been stoking the fires of a heated anger and rage successfully in this state….The politics of the state does tend to be far to the right. I would say even rabid right.”

— Exchange at about 2:30pm ET during CNN’s live coverage of the Giffords shooting, January 8. Fitzsimmons later conceded his remarks were “inappropriate.”  Emphasis added.

Deadly blast at Moscow’s Domodedovo airport

RIA Novosti  "Three men who have been living in the Russian capital for a certain period of time reportedly took part in organizing the blast, a source told Interfax news agency. He also noted that these three were believed to be Russian North Caucasus militants and might have been somehow connected to two women, one of whom blew herself up at a practice range club in Moscow on December 31 and the other was later arrested in the city of Volgograd."
FSB: Moscow Metro bombing organizers identified