FOUAD AJAMI: Muslim Rage And Obama’s Retreat.

Hoover Institution; Muslim Rage And The Obama Retreat   "Without knowing it, he had broken a time-honored maxim of that world: Never speak ill of your own people when in the company of strangers. There was too little recognition of the malignant trilogy—anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism and anti-modernism—that had poisoned the life of Egypt and much of the region."
...."Our foreign policy has been altered, as never before, to fit one man's electoral needs. We hear from the presidential handlers only what they want us to believe about the temper of distant lands. It was only yesterday that our leader, we are told, had solved the riddle of our position in the world."
Fouad Ajami is a senior fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution and the author most recently of "The Syrian Rebellion"  Hat tip to Instapundit

Uh, Guys? Obama's Really Sorry! Your tax dollars at work, paying to air a message of weakness.  "If our government is going to run an ad to educate Pakistanis (or whoever) about American attitudes, wouldn't it make sense to include an explanation as to why America's leaders cannot and will not enforce the mob's standards of blasphemy? To an American, what's objectionable about this ad isn't so much the apology for the video's offense as the abject failure to defend basic American principles of freedom. That same failure makes the ad less than worthless as an educational tool."

What will it take for the American people to become disgusted with this president and his grovelling? If Hillary Clinton runs for president, Republicans should use this video to discredit her as a world leader as much as it does Obama. TD

U.S. Drops to 18th in Economic Freedom

"Lastly, “every hour spent treating a patient in America creates at least 30 minutes of paperwork, and often a whole hour. Next year the number of federally mandated categories of illness and injury for which hospitals may claim reimbursement will rise from 18,000 to 140,000. There are nine codes relating to injuries caused by parrots, and three relating to burns from flaming water-skis.”  The leviathan is waiting."

Meanwhile, the United States, once a “standard bearer” of economic liberty among industrial nations, spiralled 10 spots from the 2011 rankings to 18th place — its lowest position ever, and a huge drop from its second place spot in 2000.

BUSH TAX CUTS VS. OBAMA STIMULUS  "Obama states, "this performance is better than what we can expect to see under President Romney, who wants to return, says Obama, to “the failed policies of the past,” that is, to “the same tax cuts and deregulation agenda that helped get us into this mess in the first place.” "....
"It’s true that the private sector has added 4.6 million new jobs over the past 30 months. But during the 30 months after the Bush tax cuts went into effect in August 2003, the private sector actually added even more jobs – 5.3 million according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Employment Survey."  

"By any metric, the Bush tax cuts were more successful than Obama’s policies have been. If anyone is pursuing “failed policies of the past,” it is Mr. Obama, stuck in the Great Society mindset, hurtling pell-mell toward the tax cliff of January 1, 2013.

 (Emphasis added)   "While President Romney would be well advised to steer clear of the Bush administration’s overspending and over-regulation, one Bush policy he would be wise to adopt is tax cuts."

Romney's 2011 tax return/ Romney's Tax Rate Equal to What Obama Paid Last Year; With a Harry Reid update!

From Drudge:
The Romney campaign is releasing Mitt and Ann Romney's 2011 tax return today. The campaign previews a few of the highlights here:

• In 2011, the Romneys paid $1,935,708 in taxes on $13,696,951 in mostly investment income.

• The Romneys’ effective tax rate for 2011 was 14.1%.

• The Romneys donated $4,020,772 to charity in 2011, amounting to nearly 30% of their income.

• The Romneys claimed a deduction for $2.25 million of those charitable contributions.

• The Romneys’ generous charitable donations in 2011 would have significantly reduced their tax obligation for the year. The Romneys thus limited their deduction of charitable contributions to conform to the Governor's statement in August, based upon the January estimate of income, that he paid at least 13% in income taxes in each of the last 10 years.

Additionally, the Romney campaign is releasing a summary of 20 years of taxes, between 1990-2009, detailing their tax expenditures during those years: 

Romney's Tax Rate Equal to What Obama Paid Last Year   "Over the entire 20-year period, the average annual effective federal tax rate was 20.20%," the Romney campaign states, based on a summary of Romney's taxes from the firm Price Waterhouse Cooper.

"President Obama's tax rate in 2011 was only marginally higher, at 20.5 percent." 

Here below is one of the very few cartoons I found on Mitt Romney's tax returns that did not trash the man. Many cartoonists here owe Mr. Romney an apology, I'd say. TD

Sodahead

Romney doubles Obama's charitable giving   "Mitt Romney's presidential campaign is releasing a brief summary of 20 years of tax returns on Friday, and his accountant says it will show he gave 13.45 percent of his adjusted gross income to charities.

"That's nearly twice the rate of President Obama, who according to his tax returns from 2000 through 2011 donated just less than 7 percent of his adjusted gross income to charities."

Romney bows to call for tax disclosure  "Mitt Romney has released details of 20 years’ worth of tax payments in an effort to rebut claims of secrecy over his personal income and steady his stuttering presidential bid after weeks of campaign mishaps.

"The Republican presidential candidate also released his full tax return for 2011, which showed that he voluntarily paid more tax than required by reducing allowable deductions for charitable contributions."

UPDATE! Nevada Republican to Harry Reid: Make our day, release your 2011 tax return

"Citing an anonymous source, Mr. Reid has repeatedly claimed in recent weeks that Mr. Romney "didn't pay taxes for 10 years."

"Mr. Romney countered that over the past ten years he never paid less than 13 percent of his taxable income and that "Harry Reid's charge is totally false." "

'OCCUPY UNMASKED' IN THEATERS TODAY

The Passion of Andrew Breitbart: 'Occupy Unmasked' in Theaters Today

"Taking down the Occupy movement was Andrew’s last true passion project. And the film shows it. 

"Just two weeks before his tragic death, Andrew took a few moments out from the Conservative Political Action Conference to confront the Occupy protesters staking out the event. “Stop raping people!” he shouted at them. “You filthy, filthy, filthy raping, murdering freaks!”  He wasn’t kidding." 

View the trailer here:

...."And more than anything else, Occupy Unmasked shows what the Occupy movement was and is, in all of its true horror. And it deserves horror. It morphed from a ridiculous camp-out movement into a dangerous political force, wielded by the Obama administration and the media as the counter-Tea Party, even as it smashed windows, burned property, and assaulted police."

Fandango can help you with info;  Or try movietickets.com

WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP PROMOTE 'OCCUPY UNMASKED'
"Here’s how you can help generate buzz and box office success for the movie and its message:"  Read more...

Krauthammer; "Collapse of the Cairo Doctrine"

Charles Krauthammer  "And his policies of accommodation and concession would consolidate the gains: an outstretched hand to Iran’s mullahs, a first-time presidential admission of the U.S. role in a 1953 coup, a studied and stunning turning away from the Green Revolution; withdrawal from Iraq with no residual presence or influence; a fixed timetable for leaving Afghanistan; returning our ambassador to Damascus (with kind words for Bashar al-Assad — “a reformer,” suggested the secretary of state); deliberately creating distance between the United States and Israel.

"These measures would raise our standing in the region, restore affection and respect for the United States and elicit new cooperation from Muslim lands."....

...."A foreign policy in epic collapse. And, by the way, Vladimir Putin just expelled the U.S. Agency for International Development from Russia. Another thank you from another recipient of another grand Obama “reset.”"

America stands for freedom of speech for, well...

First Amendment of the US Constitution 

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Obama’s Muslim Apology Tour Heads to Pakistan
"1. From the American diplomatic perspective the video explains everything. From the Muslim perspective, it fails to explain why the filmmaker isn’t in jail and facing blasphemy charges. The ad fails because it also fails to explain free speech to Muslims. Instead of explaining American values, it apologizes for them and fails at that too."

2. Airing a loud denial of involvement with manufacturing the video looks like a cover-up to Muslims. Dedicating the bulk of the video to such a denial looks like an admission of guilt.

3. The video makes it look like Obama and Clinton are broadcasting an apology to Pakistan. Such a show of weakness will only lead to more terrorist attacks as the protesters, rather than being pacified, will go on demanding the death penalty for everyone involved with, “The Innocence of Muslims.”  More: The Future of Freedom of Speech in America

• YouTube under threat in Russia over Prophet film
• U.N. Human Rights Council Condemns “Malicious And Deliberately Provocative” Mohammed Cartoons And Film…

Meanwhile, closer to home:
New York Art Gallery To Display “Piss Christ”…

"Rampaging Christians in 3… 2… 1… wait, wrong religion".

Weasel Zippers links to this NY Post article:

Andres Serrano's work — a “photograph of the crucifix submerged in the artist’s urine” — first ignited controversy in 1989 when D’Amato complained to the US Senate that it was an “outrage,” an “indignity” and a “piece of trash” that had been funded by taxpayers. Serrano had won a $15,000 prize for his work, backed in part by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Booker Rising

Former Soviet Jews Ask: Why 'Transform' U.S.A.?

Spartacus Educational

By Svetlana Kunin at  Investors.com  "My husband and I left the USSR in 1980. We were 30 years old and had no idea what was ahead. We were not looking for a paradise; we were running from the hell of a government-controlled society, where people are helpless against government power."....
"Is Ms. Fluke's concern about free contraceptives really our concern? Do we have rights to our property, businesses, savings and income? Can the government prevent us from freely mentioning God in public places? Do we want a health care model where the government gives us permission to seek out available treatment? Do we all belong to the government?"   Via Lucianne

We're supposed to pledge allegiance to THIS guy?

Hope n' Change; "This ran on Facebook after Obama's appearance on "Letterman." Liberals hated it. Hated it." 

This next one is from the Jerusalem Post; you know, from the country that never had a better friend than Barack Obama?

Obama tells Letterman he represents Everyone. Really?   "But let’s work on a list of people who may beg to differ. Barack Obama is NOT working for:"....Here is a very interesting list, but I particularly appreciated this item:

Those evil millionaires and billionaires (with the exception of Hollywood libtards and those who gained their wealth through liberally approved “legitimate means”)

 http://terrellaftermath.com/  via NRO

Politico; Darrell Issa: President Obama has 'enemies list'   " Issa’s remarks came in the wake of a story in the Daily Caller, much-discussed in the conservative blogosphere, highlighting what some consider a collaboration between Department of Justice officials and the liberal watchdog group Media Matters and an effort to target critics of the administration." 
Emails reveal Justice Dept. regularly enlists Media Matters to spin press

Did you know that Scott Brown debated Elizabeth Warren on Thursday?

American Glob: Scott Brown Won Tonight’s Debate Hands Down    "Scott Brown offered substantive answers backed up by facts. Elizabeth Warren was nothing but liberal talking points from the Democratic Party. In fact, Elizabeth Warren’s position on everything seemed to break down into two categories:

1. Millionaires and Billionaires.2. Big oil straw men.

"Brown nailed her to her massive salary for teaching one class, the fact that she doesn’t voluntarily pay the higher taxes she demands, the fact that she defended the largest insurance company in the US while screwing asbestos poisoning victims, her declaration of being the inspiration for Occupy Wall Street, her fake Indian heritage, and on and on and on." 

From Hot Air blog: Scott Brown to Elizabeth Warren: "How can we trust your character when you lied about being Native American?"

William Jacobson at Legal Insurrection covers it here: Warren-Brown Post-Debate Analysis (Videos added)  "When Warren tried to say that Brown sided with big companies, Brown lowered the boom on something most viewers probably didn’t know, that Warren represented Travelers Insurance Co. and was paid $225,000 to defeat asbestos claims.  Brown harped on it, and because most viewers probably didn’t know, I think it hurt."

Obama's priorities are just fine with the media

http://legalinsurrection.com/2012/09/branco-cartoon-pants-down/

Remember the criticism President Bush received when he kept composed after hearing what happened on 9-11? Afterwards was when he brought the hammer down.

Arab News; Bush’s Delayed Reaction to 9/11 News Criticized by Kerry  "Bush spent seven minutes listening to “The Pet Goat” being read at a Florida elementary school after his chief of staff, Andrew Card, whispered, “America is under attack,” as televisions cameras recorded the anxious scene." 

Video: Bush Says His Blank 9/11 Reaction Was To "Project A Sense Of Calm"  I look in those eyes and see B-52 bombing runs and Navy SEAL raids; Kerry's eyes, I suspect would show contrition and apology to the Muslims for our offenses. 


Kids in Class With Bush on 9/11 Say He Was Right to Keep Reading - Michael Moore Was Wrong   "One thing they'd like to tell Bush's critics — like liberal filmmaker Michael Moore, whose 2004 documentary Fahrenheit 911 disparaged Bush for lingering almost 10 minutes with the Booker students after getting word that two planes had crashed into New York's World Trade Center — is that they think the President did the right thing. "I think he was trying to keep everybody calm, starting with us," says Guerrero."

So, where are we going with all this?  Well what was President Obama doing during the time our embassies were attacked and our ambassador killed brutally?

Yukking it up with Letterman  What do you see in those eyes?
"While Islamists are flexing their muscles against the United States, Obama parties with multimillionaires Jay-Z and Beyonce at a $40,000-per-ticket event in New York. Earlier today, he had time to go to the “Late Show” with lefty David Letterman, who did not dare to challenge Obama and continued with their scripted dialogue to advance Obama’s political agenda as if nothing critical is happening with the nation." 

Obama to Attend Beyoncé and Jay-Z Lavish Party for Him With $800 Champagne 
"The re-election campaign of President Barack Obama repeatedly characterizes GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney as being wealthy and out of touch.
"Yet tonight (18 Sep) the president will attend a New York event hosted by celebrities Beyoncé and Jay-Z, which will include an opulent display in the form of an 18-foot tower of gold-bottled French champagne."

World burns; Obama parties  "This morning, President Obama also took action at the White House: he welcomed the 2012 US Olympic and Paralympic teams to the White House. Because, as Michelle Obama said, obesity is the greatest threat to national security.
" President Obama will get back to business tonight: he’s doing a private fundraiser at 7 PM EDT." Big Government

So, who are all these "reasonable" people that still consider voting for Barack Obama?

US Ambassador tortured, raped before being killed

Atlas Shrugs  "The horror is unimaginable. The world "radically transformed" by Obama.
"And more gruesome then Obama's lethal delusions is the diversion he is attempting to create using Mitt Romney. Obama and his media jackals are attacking Romney for his much needed and proper criticism of Obama's epic failing in handling this unfolding crisis of war. The Obama administration apologized for "religious incitement" when the Egyptian emabassy was attacked. It's all the enemedia jackals are talking about, not Obama's epic fail, but the timing of Romney's remarks.

"Obama's sharia spring sacrificing soldiers, diplomats and ambassadors. Obama sanctioned the brutal sodomy of Gaddafi, something that would never have happened under Bush.

White House condemns ........ film.

Al-Qaeda claims torture death of Ambassador Stevens was revenge for Al- Libi  (photo, right)  "We encourage all Muslims to continue to demonstrate and escalate their protests ... and to kill their (American) ambassadors and representatives or to expel them to cleanse our land from their wickedness," said the statement from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, according to one CNN report.

AMBASSADOR STEVENS;  U.S. ambassador killed in Libya attack 'said he was on al Qaeda hit list

Memo to the media: The problem is not an American president who chooses appeasement and apology over leadership and clarity in the face of these radicals.

Lebanese report:  "Still images from an analysis of amateur video footage taken in the moments after Col Gaddafi's capture appear to show him being sodomised with a pole or knife."

Don't read what follows over dinner:
Sodomy "For the Sake of Islam"   "As a possibly convenient way of rationalizing what one desires while still being able to feel "pure," anything and everything that is otherwise banned becomes permissible. All that supposedly matters is one's intention, or niyya."

Meanwhile Obama yuks it up with Letterman and celebrities.

Tony Branco at Legal Insurrection

A SHORT VISUAL HISTORY OF THE CREEPY OBAMA CULT

Human Events   Is this scary or what? 

Actress Jessica Alba asks voters to pledge allegiance to Obama   "The Obama campaign has launched its “For All” campaign, encouraging supporters to take pictures of themselves with their hands on their hearts and a note explaining why they support President Obama."

Jessica Alba, Natalie Portman Pledge Allegiance to Obama, Abortion

I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of Obama … huh?? Again??? 

Obama Selling New 'Obama Flag'    "The symbolism,of course, is reminiscent of the old Soviet propaganda...America united behind the desires and whims of one man.
"Here's a much more apt symbolism: 

"A tower of $300-a-bottle Armand de Brignac Brut Gold featured at the fundraiser the e president attended at Jay Z's 40/40 Club in Manhattan worth over $105,000 - more than twice the median income of the average American family."   From Joshuapundit