Thursday, June 30, 2011

Afghanistan and Obama's policy

The Weekly Standard: Gen. Keane Blasts Obama's Decision to Withdraw from Afghanistan  "Keane calls the president's decision "reckless" and said that it would result in more American causalties in Afghanistan." Jun 29, 2011

Wall Street Journal: The Coming Afghan Debacle; The Taliban is jubilant at Obama's strategy. So is Iran.  "Finally, it signals that the United States, like Britain before it, is a waning power. In his speech last week, Mr. Obama waxed eloquent on the point that "what sets America apart is not solely our power—it is the principles upon which our union was founded." Very true. But a nation that abandons to the Taliban those it was once committed to protect shows that it lacks power and principle alike."

Anybody out there old enough to remember the phrase, "Peace with honor"? Think Vietnam.

Blackfive: Obama ignored military on Afghan withdrawal  "LTG Allen testified to the Senate that his decision was not among any of the plans put forth by the military."
Allen's claim, which came under oath, contradicts the line the White House had been providing reporters over the past week—that Obama simply chose one option among several presented by General David Petraeus.
Andy McCarthy; Our Sharia-Compliant Afghan War; Our policy in Afghanistan is part tragedy, part farce.  "Private Abdo may not approve of al-Qaeda. He may not want to see the Taliban retake control of Afghanistan. But that is not the point. They are Muslims. He, like the Muslims of Afghanistan, sees himself as a Muslim first. He is not going to side with us over them. It doesn’t matter that he may privately believe they are reprehensible. Since they are Muslims, he sees it as Allah’s place, not his, to condemn them. In this life, in the sharia schema of Muslims versus non-Muslims, he is with his fellow Muslims — and would risk grave peril, both here and in the afterlife, were he to cross over to the other side."

Lisa Benson on the Economy

Obama's press conference


Obama Presser: Another Interminable Exercise in Blame and Evasion   "In case you missed it, Katie offers a fairly comprehensive recap of President Obama's press conference below. As is often the case, his performance was rather frustrating to watch, and seemed interminable. A few initial reactions:"

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/garyvarvel

From American Thinker: Obama-supported tax break for private jets comes under fire - from Obama  "Obama will try and avoid debates this time around for that reason. Challenging his fact flakes on national TV while calling him out for his creation of straw men to buttress his arguments will be fairly easy pickings for a good debate opponent like Mitt Romney or Michelle Bachmann. I don't think he will debate unless he absolutely has to, and then if he debates more than once I will be surprised.
"So far, I have yet to find a mainstream media source who recognizes the irony of Obama criticizing a tax break his own stimulus maintained. This means the president is free to continue dishonestly berating Republicans for it."   Rick Moran    More here:

14 Obama Seconds Americans Will Not Forget  "Thanks to Ed Morrissey and Guy Benson for pointing this out to me. I'm sure we will be dragging this sucker out many a time before the 2012 election." (video)

The Daily Caller: President Obama’s war on facts  "In other words, by highlighting such a small issue, Obama cherry-picked an effective tool for making the debt ceiling vote a “clash of classes,” in the words of National Journal’s Ron Fournier, while wildly distorting its importance. Given the relatively tiny scale of the tax incentive, it does not force Congress to choose between it and “kids’ safety” in any meaningful way."
http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/natebeeler

Powerline: Lead? Who, Me?  "My overarching observation is that Obama’s performance exemplified his chronic inability to lead. Here’s why:"....
"President Obama has been in office for two and a half years now. If there are steps he can take “right now” that will help create jobs, why didn’t he take them a long time ago?"  John Hinderaker

National Review Online:  More Obama Soak-the-Rich  "But basically his message today was class-warfare, soak-the-rich. Somehow, Democrats are for your kids but Republicans are for your fat cats. It’s so tiresome. It will never sell.
"Obama is in political trouble and he knows it."  Larry Kudlow 

Neal Boortz: Us vs. Them  "My disgust with and contempt for Barack Obama grows every time I hear that dangerous man speak.  Obama’s press conference yesterday was little more than an exercise in class warfare, big government rhetoric."....
"Now that we have our facts straight, let’s talk about the fact that Barack Obama is standing up there at his podium telling you what you can and cannot afford. He said that taxes are “lower than they’ve been since the 1950s. And you can afford it.” That’s Obama channeling Karl Marx: “From each according to their ability. To each according to their need.”
"We have a Marxist in the White House."

The Least Serious President in the History of the Republic™ Holds a Press Conference  "Sometimes you hear hypocrisy so thick you can cut it with a knife. Think Bill Clinton telling us he did not have sex with Monica Lewinsky, John Kerry throwing someone else's medals over the White House fence (his are hanging on his senate office wall), think Joe Biden plagiarizing Neil Kinnock's campaign speech, or John Edwards... saying anything at all! This president may have set the new gold standard in hypocrisy today."
http://terrellaftermath.com/

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Reaganomics vs. Obamanomics

PETER FERRARA As read today by Rush Limbaugh.  "The Obama administration's economic policies do not include any of the four Reagan components. In fact, the stimulus plan is the greatest increase in government spending in the history of the planet. Meanwhile, the Fed is furiously reinflating, sowing more havoc down the line. Mr. Obama is still promising future increases in tax rates by letting the Bush tax cuts lapse, because for ideological reasons he thinks even current rates are too low. And instead of deregulating for more energy production, he is still promising massive increases in regulatory barriers -- through global warming cap-and-trade legislation -- to increased production from proven energy sources to serve an extreme environmentalist ideology."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/michaelramirez

Five Ways Obama Is Circumventing the Legislative Branch

Heritage Blog   "And though one of the Obama campaign’s legal advisers cautioned against a President who would “take the law into his own hands and shred it when it’s convenient,” Obama has done just that time and time again.
"The Obama Administration generally employs one of two strategies to legislate without—and often in spite of—congressional action: (1) administrative decree establishing a new federal rule, or (2) a refusal to enforce existing federal law. In five separate policy areas, the President and the federal agencies under his command have spurned congressional authority to achieve Obama’s objectives."

Eric Allie's take on the Afghan drawdown

Graph: Obama's recession vs. previous recessions

Compromise on Pledge of Allegiance in Eugene, Oregon, Has Some Seeing Red

Fox News  "“It’s a little ironic to see those who have championed the idea of tolerance be less tolerant on this question,” Clark Said. Mayor Kitty Piercy called the Pledge of Allegiance divisive. “If there’s one thing the flag stands for,” Piercy says, “it’s that people don’t have to be compelled to say the Pledge of Allegiance or anything else.” "....
Another pledge opponent, Councilwoman Betty Taylor compared saying the Pledge of Allegiance to reading from "The Communist Manifesto."

Leftists Protest Sarah Palin Appearance In Eugene, Oregon
 

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Find out who rigged military's 'study' of homosexuality in ranks

The Whistleblower  "It was that report that famously was quoted as affirming "70 percent" of the nation's military members believe the repeal of the long-standing "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" practice of allowing homosexuals to serve as long as they kept their sexual lifestyle choices to themselves would have either "a neutral or positive impact on unit cohesion, readiness, effectiveness and morale."....
""Contrary to most news accounts, the 'Comprehensive Review Working Group' process was not a 'study,'" she told WND. "Its purpose was to circumvent and neutralize military opposition to repeal of the law."
"She agreed that military personnel who participated in the process in good faith "will feel betrayed and justifiably angry" by the results.
"Their time was misused for political purposes," she said. "
Hat tip to California Chronicle

DROPPING THE 'H'-BOMB: As Obama and Congress force open homosexuality on America's military, soldiers are fighting back  ""We've released this Whistleblower issue right now precisely because the 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' repeal can still be reversed. Before open homosexuals can be invited into the armed forces, the law says top military leaders have to certify that the new policy won't affect troop readiness, cohesion or military recruitment and retention. Because of that provision, the new GOP-led House could – if it really wanted to – stop implementation in its tracks.""

The Democrats’ Anti-Military Problem  "The anti-war movement has devolved from smug anti-Bushism to the belief that America, its military and allies are at the root of all that ails the world. Democratic politicians must move in lock step with the fringe anti-war left or risk being savaged by the “net-roots,” whose demands for a swift withdrawal from Iraq, ironically, would provoke more war, bloodshed and possibly genocide."  Gary Bauer

Oh no, not THIS!

Bachmann/ Wallace in overdrive

What Chris Wallace’s ‘flake’ comment could do for Michele Bachmann   "Wallace, of course, has apologized, a gesture Bachmann appears to have said she won’t accept. As a result, the episode is likely to linger in the news (ahem), boosting her followers’ energy and possibly posing damage to her reputation as Wallace’s question gets repeated in the news. A risk? Certainly. But in this case, it looks like one she’s more than willing to take."

Andy McCarthy: What’s Flakey Is Chris Wallace’s Notion of Federalism  "But look, Wallace was big enough to say he was sorry, and to do so with a refreshing “I messed up” — it’s nice to hear a stand-up guy who doesn’t do the weaselly “I’m sorry if you misunderstood me” routine. If, as Katrina reports, Michele hasn’t accepted the apology, she ought to. Americans aren’t just looking to replace President Obama’s policies; his frequent lack of grace also grates. So be gracious — it’s not just good politics, it’s the right way to be."

President Obama media doubles down on doublespeak 
Bush tapping the phones of foreign terrorists with congressional authority - fascism. Obama’s continuing attempts to rein in free speech on the Internet - good public policy.
Bush on Air Force One - junkets, fund-raising for GOP fat cats. Obama on Air Force One - fact-finding missions, reassuring the American people of his tireless FDR-like commitment to them.
Two hundred-point midday drops on the Dow under Bush - ominous plummet. Same drops under Obama - the market is seeking direction.
Democrat women elected under Bush - a triumph of feminism. Republican women elected under Obama - a setback for feminism. (Brit twit Tina Brown actually said this last week to Obama worshipper George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America.”) Also here.
Different Media Standards? Barack Obama Vs George W. Bush

How the President Fared In the Press vs. Clinton and Bush
drawfortruth.wordpress.com

Obama's Afghan policy according to Mike Ramirez

Gaffe: when a politician accidentally tells the truth