How is this administration looking overseas?

Germans Increasingly Disillusioned with Obama  "Germans were ecstatic when Barack Obama took over the keys to the White House from George W. Bush. Now, though, a new Pew Research Center survey shows that disillusionment with the US president is widespread in Germany and that Obama has not lived up to the high expectations Europeans had of him."


International approval of US President Barack Obama's foreign policy has dropped sharply during his term in office   "Among the 21 countries surveyed, the largest drop in approval - from 57% to 27% - was seen in China, the Global Attitudes Project reveals."
...."Despite these numbers, confidence in Mr Obama remains high among US allies, especially in Europe." Well, apparently except for the Germans.

UK cartoon

The poll cited above: Global Opinion of Obama Slips, International Policies Faulted
"In predominantly Muslim nations, American anti-terrorism efforts are still widely unpopular. And in nearly all countries, there is considerable opposition to a major component of the Obama administration’s anti-terrorism policy: drone strikes." 

I inherited that "doing fine" remark from a screwed-up teleprompter!

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Neal Boortz: The phony push for more teachers "Meanwhile, the quality of our education has only gone down the crapper.  What do we have to show for more teachers compared to kids in the classroom?  Generations of dumb masses.  Clearly class sizes isn’t the key to success."
But I can tell you California schools are in a mess. Our teacher niece has lived  under threat of a pink slip for the last few years and this time has actually been laid off along with numerous others at her school. But then California is in a class -hopefully- by itself. So far.
Also here: Our imperial federal government is growing.


For Obama, the Context is the Killer   "Obama’s comments were taken out of context, his top aides insist.

"Nice try, but here’s what the president said in context:"...

...."What Obama did on Friday was to lay out, in 136 words, what his economic theory is and what he would like his second term to look like." 

Clinton 'rebellion' against Obama as former aides warn President he will lose election unless he changes message on economy  Via Lucianne.
"Their stinging critique is a sign of panic among Democrats about Obama’s campaign as well as a potential split between Obama and old hands from the Clinton era who believe he has moved too far to the Left."   He hasn't "moved too far to the left"; he is too far to the left.


Obama Can't Keep His Jobs Story Straight  "Just how inept is the White House these days? On Friday, President Obama was demanding that Congress put "teachers, cops and firefighters" back to work. But his own website says he's already accomplished that."

Why Obama’s ‘The Private Sector Is Doing Fine’ Gaffe Matters  "He looks like a loser now, and has given voters a reason to take a chance on giving someone else the job he currently occupies. Like the 1992 Bush gaffe, Obama tells voters that whatever his other merits might be, he is not familiar with their daily lives and thus is unlikely to be capable of making things better."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/13/100050

http://www.allvoices.com/cartoons/c/93098750-obama-campaign-gaffes

Perhaps the Israelis aren't so confident of the US as an ally

This cartoon is in today's Jerusalem Post. The Israelis apparently are not so enamored of the Obama administration as is Hollywood.

And this one below is from a few days earlier:

Do you think that US President Barack Obama's administration is more pro-Israel or more pro-Palestinian? 

(Smith Research/Jerusalem Post)

	May 2009	June 2009	August 2009	March 2010	July 2010
More pro-Israel	31%	6%	4%	9%	10%
More pro-Palestinian	14%	50%	51%	48%	46%
Neutral	40%	36%	35%	30%	34%
No opinion/Refused to answer	15%	8%	10%	13%	10%

Of all the polls in this article, the Pew poll shows Israelis and Arabs about even on confidence in Obama. Other polls in this article have the Israelis much less sure of Obama.

Reading list

1. Heritage: Paycheck Fairness Act Unfairly Burdens Employees and Employers 
 "The government has a legitimate role in protecting women from discrimination but should allow employers to decide how they value the work performed for them. S. 3220, the Paycheck Fairness Act (PFA), undermines this policy."
2. Security leaks; spot the weasel words: "...Attorney General Eric Holder ... appointed two attorneys to lead criminal investigations into any "unauthorized disclosure of classified information."  "STOP EVERYTHING! It's time to play "Spot the Weasel Wording!" Did you catch it in Holder's statement? (tick, tick, tick...)
"Time's up! The weasel word was "unauthorized.""

3. Victor Davis Hanson: From Hope and Change to Fear and Smear  "Private equity firms are good for campaign donations but bad when a Republican rival runs them. "Romney would do worse," rather than "I did well," is the implicit Obama campaign theme of 2012."

4. California: America’s Welfare Queen  "...The state accounts for one-third of America’s welfare recipients, though it only contains one-eighth of the population, and there’s no good reason for it."
5. Thomas Sowell: Barack Obama: Dictator of the Left  "What President Obama has been pushing for, and moving toward, is more insidious: government control of the economy, while leaving ownership in private hands. That way, politicians get to call the shots, but, when their bright ideas lead to disaster, they can always blame those who own businesses in the private sector."
6. WSJ: ObamaCare's Secret History  "The lesson for Republicans if they do end up running the country next year is that their job is to restore the free and fair market that creates broad-based economic growth. The temptation will be to return for the sake of power to the methods of Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff." Then goodbye, Republicans.
7. Holder rejects resignation call at testy Senate hearing  “I’m afraid we’ve come to an impasse,” Cornyn said, adding that Holder “violated the public trust” in his view. “With regret, you’ve left me with no choice but to join those who call for you to resign your office.”
8. Unions Out to Divide and Conquer Workplaces  "A new rule hatched by the Obama-appointed board, authorizes the creation of union cells—organizing a few employees within a company to gain a foothold—which will severely impact businesses."

9. Mr. Netanyahu’s Dilemma  "As the prime minister of Israel he has a dreadful calculus to make: Is Barack Obama sufficiently serious about preventing Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons?"
10. Reporter to Obama: You should be on American Idol "I was just wondering if you would give any thought to being on 'American Idol' or 'America's Got Talent'?" he asked. "You'd be a big hit Mr. President."  Local reporters! Via Weasel Zippers
11. AFL-CIO Teams Up With NAACP, La Raza To Launch “Most Aggressive Push” Against Voter ID Laws In Six Battleground States… "When exactly did unions go from representing workers to shilling for every left-wing cause under the sun?"
12. Teachers Union: Socialist Ideas “As American As Apple Pie”… "While other union activists around Wisconsin are sometimes coy about their radical views (outside the classroom, that is), Verdin is just the opposite. He’s a Marxist teacher who wants to bring a socialist revolution to the United States, and he’s very proud of that stance."
13. Edward Klein’s “The Amateur” — and what it reveals about America’s partisan media "Witness the election coverage that sees the media play lap dog to the Obama campaign, while working hard to undermine the Romney campaign."

14. (Photo at right) ‘Blue Bloods’ Exemplifies the Good in Contemporary Popular Culture  "If Blue Bloods isn’t the best show on TV, it is certainly in the running."  "... wisdom clearly comes from those in the family who are older and the younger learn from them, not the other way around so often seen in popular entertainment." 
15. 'Green Acres' actor Frank Cady dies at 96  "...played Hooterville general-store proprietor Sam Drucker on the TV sitcoms “Green Acres” and “Petticoat Junction,”
16. Sob Story Over Jane Fonda’s “Haunting” By “Hateful Nickname” Hanoi Jane  "She also attacked U.S. soldiers–many of whom died or lost limbs–on Viet Cong loudspeakers and radio."
17. Obama outfoxed by Putin  "That is how totally out to lunch the Obama foreign policy team is when it comes to Syria and to its “reset” relations with Russia."

18. Judicial Watch Sues Obama Justice Department Regarding DOJ’s Decision to Block South Carolina’s Voter ID Law  "In May 2011, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley signed R54 into law."

The economy is doing how?

The Wrong Campaign Gaffe Comparison: Mitt Romney cares more about the poor than Barack Obama cares about the private sector.

"As he often does, Barack Obama made a Freudian slip on Friday that once again revealed his Marxist approach to political economy. This is unsurprising, now that we have confirmation that he ran as the candidate of a socialist party in the nineties, despite denials by his campaign four years ago. In saying that “the private sector is doing just fine,” many, even some of his allies, have accused him of simply being out of touch with economic reality — a charge for which there is an abundance of other evidence. Some, including the Romney campaign, have implied that it was Obama’s own McCain moment, recalling when the Republican nominee said that the “fundamentals of the economy were sound” amidst the imploding credit markets in the fall of 2008."


Also here: Another Fine Mess Obama's Gotten Us Into

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/05/99931

The Private Sector Is Not Fine, the Public Sector Is Still Fat  "There is potential good news in all of this. Obama, in continuing his tired push for more stimulus to state and local governments which won’t reform themselves while making life miserable for a private sector which he still insists is “doing fine,” appears to be sowing the seeds of his own November defeat to a degree where the non-stop establishment press excuse-making and cover-ups still might not be able to prevent it."


Neal Boortz: Obama Recovery  "Let’s get something straight .. the recession has been over for three years as of this month (June).  That means that for most of Dear Ruler’s presidency, we have lived under the ObamaRecovery, and it has been the worst economic recovery in American history.  Those are facts."  More here.

Hoover Institution: Is private sector employment fine in absolute or relative terms?
"Even if government job growth were to resume, our economy needs to create millions more private sector jobs to be restored to full health."

"This chart tells a very different story. We’re still down 4.6 M private sector jobs from the employment peak in January 2008, compared to down 407,000 government jobs.  For every net lost government job since employment peaked in January 2008, the U.S. economy has lost more than eleven private sector job."


Fred Barnes: Slow Learner  "True, the president routinely feigns love for free markets. “We believe in the marketplace,” he declared at a fundraiser with Bill Clinton last week. “We believe in entrepreneurship and rewarding risk-taking.” This was followed, as always, by a “but” and the claim that government is at the core of what made America “an economic superpower.”"
The Mayor of Las Vegas recognized Mr. Obama as a slow learner over two years ago: 

Light at the end of the Tunnel

Sent personally to the Tunnel Dweller. I'm sure it must be some sort of, well, excellence award

Rich Terrell at TerrellAfterMath
The name "Tunnel Wall" came from a suggestion made by the Tunnel Dweller's eldest son.Years ago the family men hiked the rails down Questa Grade in San Luis Obispo County, CA. We entered a tunnel right after a passenger train and began hiking through it when, lo and behold, here came a freight right behind the first one. Talk about hugging a wall!Later on, when choosing an name to replace this blog's original name, "The Squeaky Wheel",  I asked Jeff for suggestions. He sent several, including "The Tunnel Hugger" and that inspired "Tunnel Wall".The name is a good reminder of the price to be paid for making poor decisions. TD

Starbucks Urban Legends: one true and one false

False: 2004 claim that they were told Starbucks does not support the war, nor anyone in it
"It is that e-mail which continues to circulate to this day. Sgt. Wright has since learned
that what he heard was in error, and he has subsequently tried to set things right by
issuing the following retraction:

Their new logo

Dear Readers,  Almost 5 months ago I sent an email to you my faithful friends. I did a wrong [thing] that needs to be cleared up. I heard from word of mouth about how Starbucks said they didn't support the war and all. I was having enough of that kind of talk and didn't do my research properly like I should have. This is not true. Starbucks supports the men and women in uniform. They have personally contacted me and I have been sent many of their Company's policy on this issue. So I apologize for this quick wrong letter I sent out to you. Now I ask that you all pass this email around to everyone you passed the last one to. Thank you very much for understanding about this.      Howard C. Wright Sgt USMC

"As for what Starbucks has to say about the matter, it refutes the rumor on its website,
stating:

In fact, Starbucks has partnered with the American Red Cross and theUnited Service Organizations (USO) to provide coffee to relief efforts duringtimes of conflict, donating more than 141,000 lbs of coffee. In 2009 alone,Starbucks provided over 71,000 lbs of coffee to the USO for distribution totroops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait. Additionally, troops all overthe world are enjoying Starbucks VIA Ready Brew in care packages theyreceive not only from Starbucks, but from their family and friends as well.Through December of 2010, Starbucks has provided 800,000 3-packs ofStarbucks VIA to the USO for their care package program.

True: Starbucks Charged Rescue Workers at the World Trade Center Collapse for Bottled Water  "There have been several media accounts documenting this story as true.  According to an article in the Seattle Post Intelligencer on September 25, 2001, a representative of the family-owned Midwood Ambulance company wrote a letter of complaint to Starbucks.  He said his employees, whom he called heroes, were charged $130 for the water, which they paid for out of their pockets.  It was at a Starbucks in Battery Park.  The letter said the company representative was rebuffed when he called a Starbucks number from their website, so he wrote a letter to the CEO of the company.  The ambulance company eventually got a call from the President of Starbucks with an apology, a promise of a refund, and free coffee for their employees."
More here at Snopes.


Hat tip to Bob Hope, Sacramento.

Asking for I.D. to Vote is NOT racist!

iowntheworld

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/08/99950

Slow, but still Furious

Hot Air: Are contempt charges a game of Capitol Hill chicken?  "Do House Republicans really want a high-profile showdown for the sake of election-year politicking — or do they just want the documents?  Politico says that Republicans are on the level, and hope to avoid the contempt vote if possible:"...

Nice Deb:  Eric Holder Faces Senate Judiciary Committee, This Morning  "CSPAN live stream of the hearing, here.
...."Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, the judiciary committee’s ranking GOP member, said Monday that he also supports Issa’s push to hold Holder in contempt. Holder’s appearance Tuesday is all but certain to include direct pressure from Grassley and other senators who have been critical of the attorney general over Fast and Furious, including Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn.
...."Many pundits in Washington are saying that a deal will be reached between Congress and the Attorney General before it goes that far."

Time to replay this Bob Hope video

Youtube

It depends on what you mean by "the economy"

Neal Boortz: The Private Sector Is Doing Just Fine   "Just look at the rest of Obama’s statement later Friday afternoon to discover that, even after the firestorm, he didn’t really understand what people were upset about.  Obama, you see, told us on Friday that the REAL problem with our economy was that GOVERNMENT, not the private sector, just wasn’t growing enough." 


James Pethokoukis: Obama is wrong. The private sector isn’t ‘doing fine’
But is it really? Is the private sector “doing fine?”....

5. Real take-home pay is down over the past year.6. That first-quarter GDP report also showed that after-tax corporate profits dropped for the first time in three years. Major red flag.

"No, Mr. President, the private-sector isn’t doing fine at all. And it certainly isn’t ready to deal with a fiscal cliff of tax hikes or a continued deluge of new regulation."

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/07/99986

Jeannie DeAngelis: The David Axelrod's 'Not Doing Fine' Talk Show Appearance  "For much of the CNN segment on the President's fine-not-so-fine blooper, Obama's chief campaign strategist continued to frenetically push the hire-public-to-help-the-private-sector line.  Frustrated host Candy Crowley tried repeatedly to get Mr. Axelrod to answer her original question, but the effort failed miserably."

Washington Examiner:  Paul Krugman: Economy under Obama in a Depression  "We don't have a formal definition, I'd say that a Depression is when things are down, when things are terrible for an extended period of time," Krugman said, reminding them that were even "official" periods of recovery during the Great Depression.
"So it is again today," he said."...  H/T to Lucianne.

http://townhall.com/political-cartoons/2012/06/05/99974

Those who help us will be protected, you have our word on that. (Updated with Ramirez 'toon)

http://news.investors.com/editorialcartoons/cartoon.aspx?id=614346

GOP Ramps Up Calls for Leak Investigation "In contrast, the latest leakers have clearly been high-level administration officials who have been privy to classified security briefings. And there has been a stark contrast between how the White House has handled these cases. With the latest leaks, the administration only initiated the DOJ investigation after an outcry from lawmakers."

Rep. King: Obama using leaks to build image, trying to be like 'John Wayne' 

"Some Republican lawmakers have questioned whether the attorneys assigned by Holder will be able to act independently of the Obama administration. King added his voice to those skeptics Sunday, questioning what kinds of powers those attorneys might have should they come across wrongdoing. 

"Holder, though, said Friday that the attorneys are authorized to prosecute violations and that the probe could reach into the Obama administration."

Investor's Business Daily: Obama Leaks Risk National Security For Political Gain   "The fact that the Allies in World War II had the ability to intercept and decode German and Japanese military transmissions, leading to critical military victories at Midway and elsewhere, remained a secret until long after World War II was over, and it didn't matter who knew it. "Loose lips sink ships" was then more than a clever wartime slogan.

"The pattern of national security leaks under this administration and its political exploitation of what should be secret has even liberal media flagship CNN wondering if "President Barack Obama's administration can keep a secret — or in some cases even wants to." "
Update by Mike Ramirez:

http://www.nationalreview.com/

Pat Condell gives his thoughts on the killing of OBL