SOTU; What excuses will O give and who will he blame? Do you have to ask?

Hmmm. Let me think: On whom will the president blame the negative-growth economy?  "This is the Obama economy — a shrinking private sector drowning in regulations, a voracious public sector always in search of new ways to waste money (wind cars! solar stethoscopes!), and the inexorable ticking, louder every passing day, of the debt bomb." Mona Charen

Hope n' Change sizes up tonight's SOTU  (Linked to in the post below as well) "The emphasis of his speech is said to be on jobs and the economy, although it's unknown what new he'll have to say since we already know he's against both of them. And to save Hope n' Change readers a bit of time (spoiler alert!) we'll tell you what Barry will say is the only way to restore our nation's employment levels: higher taxes. Surprise!"

Modern Healthcare;  What he should say; Healthcare leaders offer suggestions for State of the Union   "At least 20 states will not create a state insurance exchange, and most of the others face great difficulties in making it work. They need more time, and so does the federal government. A delay, allowing states to move at their own pace, is the only responsible action—but one that will be especially difficult for this president." Via American Enterprise Institute

Think back; WAS Obama lying as Joe Wilson, um, remarked?

Joe Wilson, we remember you fondly, even though the NY Times doesn't.

In an angry and very audible outburst, Representative Joe Wilson, Republican of South Carolina, interrupted President Obama’s speech Wednesday night with a shout of “You lie!” .

 How dare Wilson accuse Obama of lying?
 

NYT: Even Some Supporters Fear Obama’s Hubris
On Tuesday night, the president will address the nation and Congress on the state of the union. But many will watch as well for signs of the state of Barack Obama.
Inside the White House and out, advisers and associates have noted subtle but palpable changes in Mr. Obama since his re-election. “He even carries himself a little bit differently,” said one confidant who, like others, asked not to be identified discussing the president. He is relaxed, more voluble and even more confident than usual, these people say, freer to drop profanities or dismiss others’ ideas — enough that even some supporters fear the potential for hubris*…
*Hubris: exaggerated pride or self-confidence. (From the Obama voter's dictionary; the two-syllable volume)

Fate of the Union 

"Looking into our crystal ball, we can also tell you that the president will demonize Republicans by pretending that they (rather then he) are behind the upcoming sequester budget cuts, and he will invoke the victims of Sandy Hook Elementary to disarm Americans (Democrats are inviting victims of gun violence to the speech, although how they can fit in the entire population of Chicago remains to be seen)." 

Brace yourself; Obama's State of the Union blame session is coming Tuesday evening

WSJ: State of the Union 2013
How to Watch the State of the Union on WSJ.com  
"WSJ.com will be showing President Obama's State of the Union address and providing in-depth analysis of it as well as the Republican Party's response on Feb. 12. Coverage begins at 8:45 p.m."
....

"President Obama is expected to detail an ambitious domestic agenda in his State of the Union address Tuesday, including measures on immigration, gun control, climate change and education."

John Steele Gordon;  Obama’s State of the Union
"Having devoted most of the inauguration speech to such tried-and-true liberal causes as gay rights and climate change—and gotten a fair amount of blow back even from usually reliably liberal media for its partisanship—the conventional wisdom among the chattering classes is that he will now pivot to jobs and the economy. But as Byron York points out, that’s what he is always about to do, he just never does it."     Emphasis added, TD

State of the Union to Feature Victims of Gun Violence

From ABC: What to Expect From President Obama’s Speech  "But the president will also make what the official called “a progressive case for deficit reduction” — warning that if entitlement spending is not brought under control it will crowd out spending on other social programs that progressives hold dear."

CATO's Live Blog of the 2013 State of the Union Address and the GOP Response  "Follow their comments directly on Twitter, or come back to this page at 9:00 PM ET on Tuesday, February 12, to join us. We look forward to having you, and sharing our insights with you."

State of Union response carries risk for Marco Rubio  "But when it comes to having an impact, he will be fighting history: The record shows far more washouts than standouts in the official opposition party’s response to the annual presidential address."

Here is a suggested speech for Senator Rubio to make Tuesday night: Next? The Barack Obama Campaign Promises Implementation Act of 2013
"The [proposed] legislation has a variety of provisions, but they have one thing in common — they’ve all been endorsed already by President Obama."
....
" I look forward to appearing at the White House with President Obama by the end of the month as he signs the Barack Obama Campaign Promise Implementation Act into law."

Ted Nugent to be guest at State of the Union But not a guest of the Democrats, I assume.  
"To add pressure, gun-control supporters in Congress have decided to invite victims of gun crimes to sit in the galleries.
"Mr. Stockman's decision, though, adds a prominent gun-rights advocate and outspoken conservative to the gallery. Mr. Nugent, who has been a frequent contributor to The Washington Times' commentary section, is a member of the National Rifle Association's board."  Via Lucianne. 

Pope Benedict resigns

He's now an ex-Benedict.

Pope Benedict in shock resignation  "Benedict - the former Cardinal Ratzinger - was always seen as a caretaker pope. Elected in 2005 at the age of 78 following the death of his predecessor John Paul II, Ratzinger was considered  a placeholder for other candidates who were in their 50's at the time and considered too young to fill the office."

Comedians are already turning on Pope Benedict
" "Liberals are generally humorless, but they think hate is hilarious," blogger Robert Stacy McCain wrote at The Other McCain in response to Boyle's tweet."
"A post at Da Tech Guy included what the blog called "a piece of twitter snark that speaks volumes."

 "With the hate going to the #Pope today I recommend Obama issue an apology and blame a YouTube video before some Catholics attack an embassy," tweeted "End of the Republic."

Hat tip to Joe Newby at Examiner.com

Experts: Top 5 picks for the next pope  "Expert Vatican watchers all name the same five 'papabile' — the Cardinals, princes of the church, who could be the next pope."

 

From the "Ain't Gonna Happen" file: "The growing case for impeachment of Obama"

The growing case for impeachment of Obama  "It’s not a question yet being asked or debated in the Big Media. But it is a question being addressed by some members of Congress, by an increasing number of pundits by activists on the left and the right – and for more than one or two alleged constitutional offenses.

American? Give me a break

"Some of those who have broached the subject include
Reps. Trent Franks, R-Ariz.; Walter Jones, R-N.C.; Trey Radel, R-Fla.; Steve Stockman; former Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas; former Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio; Fox News’ Mike Huckabee; former assistant U.S. attorney Andrew McCarthy; left-leaning investigative reporter Dave Lindorff; talk-radio host Mark Levin; former House Speaker and presidential candidate Newt Gingrich; author and columnist Pat Buchanan and others."
I still don't have any problem whatever with the whacking of al-Awlaki; you take up arms against America, you pay the price. The discussion in here, however, presents the other side of the issue while conjuring the vision of law-enforcement people handcuffing Mirandized terrorists and getting them out of their terrorist camps to the US to be defended by some pro-terrorist lawyer who loves publicizing anti-American diatribes in front of jurors who have been threatened with beheading. Or jurors who think Chris Dorner is a hero.
Do not look to American liberals for wisdom; only unapologetic silliness. TD

Here are some reasons discussed in this article, each accompanied by expert opinions for and against each point:

• Operation Fast and Furious
• Obama’s U.S. citizen ‘hit list’
• Recess ‘ appointments – when Senate was in session
• Appointment of ‘czars’ without Senate approval
• Suing Arizona for enforcing federal law
• Illegal-alien amnesty by executive order
• Cap and Trade: When in doubt, bypass Congress
• Refusal to prosecute New Black Panthers
• Refusal to defend Defense of Marriage Act
• Illegally conducting war against Libya
• Benghazi-gate
• Gun-control executive actions

http://www.impeachobamacampaign.com/cartoon-obama-shrinks/

This thoughtful, well-presented article concludes with these words:

“If the American people really wanted constitutional government – if they were really committed to the kind of constitutional republic that is reflected in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States – things would change.”   Read more

 

Which Obama listened to Dr. Carson's speech?

I had been wondering which Obama Dr. Carson would have seen if he had looked to his right during his powerful Prayer Breakfast speech.

I said to myself, "Self, which Obama was watching Dr. Carson's speech?"

This Obama?                                                                         ...or this Obama?

   

 

Well, Rich Terrell has revealed that it was this Obama: 

The Obaglare

Would you believe Democrats were critical of Dr. Carson's speech?

"In his address, Carson had specifically avoided taking a partisan point of view, noting that the American bald eagle needed both a “right wing” and a “left wing” to take flight."   Bob Beckel on "The Five" called the speech "disgraceful"  (They should change the name of this show to "The Four Out of Five".)

U.S. said to be target of massive cyber-espionage campaign

tucsonsentinel.com

The Volokh Conspiracy sends us this disturbing post:
Once again, Ellen Nakashima of the Washington Post has broken a cybersecurity story:
The two events are tied together by something Steve Chabinsky said during the panel discussion: We’re used to the idea that cybersecurity is an arms race, with defense chasing offense and vice versa, and that the US and its adversaries are constantly trying to counter the other’s tactics.  What we haven’t absorbed is how quickly proliferation occurs.  
Once a nation has found a tool that overtops America’s national security defenses, the tool will only work for a while.  Eventually its thrust will be parried by the Defense Department. At that point, the code isn’t good for its original purpose, but it’s still plenty good for breaking into private networks, and it will keep working until a good defensive tactic has spread across the entire Internet.

Here is the story referred to above:
washingtonpost.com  "A new intelligence assessment has concluded that the United States is the target of a massive, sustained cyber-espionage campaign that is threatening the country’s economic competitiveness, according to individuals familiar with the report.
"The National Intelligence Estimate identifies China as the country most aggressively seeking to penetrate the computer systems of American businesses and institutions to gain access to data that could be used for economic gain."

 

Disabled Marine rifles at inauguration signal shift in administration policy

Dishonoring the Corps; Marines in inaugural parade had bolts removed from their rifles
"“The bolts have been removed from the rifles rendering them unable to fire a round,” the post stated. “Apparently Obama’s Secret Service doesn’t trust the USMC. Simply searching each guy to make sure he didn’t have a live round hidden on him wasn’t enough, they had to make sure the guns were inoperable." Visible in photo, right and below.

This examiner article tells us this is a new thing  "Wondering if this may be an inauguration policy of long standing that transcends administrations, Gun Rights Examiner made a cursory search and found something even more curious. In the 2009 Inaugural Parade, the United States Navy marched with rifles that had not been so disabled (see 1:24 into that video plus the final slide)." The article continues:

This raises the question of why the administration felt it necessary to make this change now, particularly with concerns being raised about military involvement in domestic affairs, litmus tests on top brass willingness to fire on American citizens alleged by a heretofore prominent and credible Nobel Prize nominee, a "terrorism" policy that allows for assassinating Americans without due process, rising concerns over deployment of domestic drones, and publicized opposition among many in the USMC to presidential policies such as women in combat, as well as having been the most resistant military branch to ending “don’t ask, don’t tell.”

 

'So God Made A Liberal'

CNS News  Continuing the trend of merciless mocking of liberals from yesterday, SooperMexican has produced a top-notch parody of Dodge's widely acclaimed Super Bowl ad featuring the voice of the late Paul Harvey delivering a commentary called "So God Made A Farmer."

 

"I literally laughed out loud at this video.

"That makes two incredible videos mocking the left in two days. Let's hope this trend continues." 

Dr. Ben Carson confronts Obama and Biden publicly over ObamaCare (Sunday morning update just added)

UPDATE from the Wall Street Journal: Ben Carson for President
"The Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon may not be politically correct, but he's closer to correct than we've heard in years."

PowerLine Blog  "Watching the video, I also couldn’t help but wonder what Obama was thinking. My guess is he was thinking: this is a dangerous guy. At a key point in Dr. Carson’s speech, Obama appears to check his Blackberry — just so you might not think he was overly impressed."

Kerry Yawns his Way Through Prayer Breakfast

 

This is no lightweight individual that is speaking to Obama. Learn more about Doctor Carson here: 

 

"Gifted Hands - the Ben Carson Story "; His surgery separates conjoined twins

 

Penn State University TV special: Ben Carson: An Extraordinary Life - Conversations from Penn State  Get to know this remarkable individual before you begin reading stories from the left about what a bad man he is.

 

Ambush at Hilton Hollow  "...Forced to sit at the dais and suck it up while a renowned pediatric neurosurgeon from Johns Hopkins Medical School, Dr. Benjamin Carson, debunked the concept of Obamacare as well as pointing out the president's seeming indifference to the national debt, Obama did his best to smile but he simply could not suppress that droned-out expression, the one, you know, that kills.

"Obama's first frown comes a few minutes into the talk when Dr. Carson uses the term, PC, for politically correct, in his discussion of how difficult it is to speak these days without offending someone's too-tender sensibilities."

Byron York: With public focused on jobs, Washington fights other fights

Washington Examiner  "So what is Washington doing amid these deep economic anxieties? Working on a bipartisan plan that would begin with the mass, immediate legalization of illegal immigrants, before any border security or enforcement measures.
"That those two facts exist simultaneously -- deep fears about the economy and a political fixation on immigration reform -- is just one illustration of a disconnect between national political leaders and the people who elected them."
I suggest that Obama would rather lead a revolution than to actually govern anything.

http://www.cagle.com/news/obama-second-term/#.URZi3DbnbIU

Nestoring

Kerby Anderson  "Have you ever heard of the verb “nestoring? I had never heard about it until Jonah Goldberg wrote a column about it. The word comes from Dr. John Nestor, who even has an entry in Wikipedia about him and the reason someone coined the term to describe him.

"Back in the 1980s, transit officials in Washington tried to figure out why they were having traffic problems on the Beltway. It turns out that Dr. Nestor would get in the left lane and set his cruise control to 55 mph. This forced cars behind him to merge right and create a bottleneck. He would not move to the right for drivers behind him. He asked: “Why should I inconvenience myself for someone who wants to speed?”

"He became a somewhat of a celebrity when he wrote a letter to the Washington Post explaining what he was doing on the highway and why. The newspaper received lots of angry letters to the editor in response and led to the coining of the term “nestoring.”

"Dr. Nestor was also a regulator for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. While he was in the cardio-renal-pulmonary unit, he approved no new drugs. None, he reasoned, were worth the risk. That was his philosophy. If you don’t approve of any drugs, then you are guaranteed that no harmful drugs will go out on the market. Of course, you also will be keeping back drugs that could be beneficial, even life-saving, to the general public.

"This was the philosophy of John Nestor, which came to be known by the verb “nestoring.” Don’t take any risks. Keep a firm conformity to laws, standards, and regulations regardless of the larger consequences.

"We see so many examples of “nestoring” today in government regulations that strive to make the world 100 percent safe. That is impossible in a fallen world. There will always be risk and we will have to weigh them against the benefits.  Unfortunately, people who believe in “nestoring” seem to be missing what we used to call common sense"