Alan Caruba: Witnessing a Failed Presidency

Warning Signs

 

... "Given the vast implications of what is occurring in the Middle East, in Ukraine, and elsewhere around the world his response was to interrupt his golf game to give a short speech and then return to the greens. In a recent press conference he said he has “no strategy” to address the threat that ISIS represents.

"What Americans have discovered is that they have twice either voted for (or against) someone with fewer skills and even less desire to do the job for which he campaigned. This laziness combined with his radical liberal politics have finally become obvious even to his former supporters.

"His statement that he had no strategy to deal with the threat of the Islamic State and that it was perhaps too soon to expect one to have been formulated has led to the conclusion that he was far less intellectually equipped to be President than many had thought."

 

"Now he must be endured and survived."

On Ben Carson, 2016, and Moving On

RedState.com    "A cult of personality, while a great song, is a dangerous thing. They can lead normally smart people to do and say some things that don’t seem so smart.

"Everyone jumped on board with Dr. Ben Carson when he had the audacity to criticize the president and his Affordable Care Act with the president right there in the room. Not bad, guy. Immediately, the conservative movement jumped on Carson as someone to watch out for. He had a great story – made his way from Detroit to Yale and, in the 80s, was a rock star with some big surgical procedures (included separating twins conjoined at the head after a 22-hour procedure) – and his political commentary spoke with an academic, authoritative voice when it came to the president’s healthcare ideas.
....
Then, the writer counts the ways:
Under a Republican House and Senate, a President Ben Carson can repeal Obamacare… then what? He gives Republicans a chance to escape the whole racist banner Democrats have put them under? Of course not. Carson would just join the ranks of Herman Cain and Clarence Thomas as “tokens” for the Republican Party. Our image wouldn’t change that much with our political opponents.
...
"Then there are statements that can and will be taken as fringe and destroy his chances well before they even start. Like this quote in the Washington Post:" ...
..
"It’s not that I don’t think Ben Carson isn’t qualified to be in the political world, but I definitely don’t think he’s ready for the biggest political job there is. The best presidents have political experience under their belt before they reach the top. If Carson wants to run for president one day, then it is my hope that he does. Just not in 2016. Let the man get some experience under his belt first. Then we can push him to run."

When the left gets through demagoguing Dr. Carson, we may not recognize the man. How sad.

Americans detained in North Korea call for US help

CNS News

Jeffrey Fowle, an American detained in North Korea, speaks to the Associated Press,

Monday, Sept. 1, 2014 in Pyongyang, North Korea.

 

"Fowle arrived in North Korea on April 29. He is suspected of leaving a Bible in a nightclub in the northern port city of Chongjin. Christian proselytizing is considered a crime in North Korea. Fowle, 56, lives in Miamisburg, Ohio, where he works in a city streets department. He has a wife and three children aged 9, 10, and 12.

 

" 'Within a month I could be sharing a jail cell with Ken Bae," he said, adding that he hasn't spoken with his family for three weeks. "I'm desperate to get back to them."

 

"North Korea says Miller, 24, entered the country on April 10 with a tourist visa, but tore it up at the airport and shouted that he wanted to seek asylum. Miller refused to comment on whether he was seeking asylum.

 

"Bae, a 46-year-old Korean-American missionary, has been held since November 2012. He was moved from a work camp to a hospital because of failing health and weight loss but last month was sent back to the work camp outside of Pyongyang, where he said he does farm-related labor. He said he has lost 15 pounds (6.8 kilograms) and has severe back pain, along with a sleep disorder. His family has said his health problems include diabetes, an enlarged heart, liver problems and back pain." ...



The Norks want us to send a high-ranked official to ask for their release. The obvious choice: 

What? You didn't know we'd post this photo?

California's drought: What losing 63 trillion gallons of water looks like

Twitter  "Stark comparisons of California's vanishing water supplies"

 

 

 

More disturbing comparison photos   Here is just a sample. Go to the link for more.

 

 

 

... "Though some parts of California have received small amounts of rain in recent weeks, more than 58 percent of the state is still under “exceptional” drought, the highest level possible. And a single rain won’t necessarily alleviate the harsh conditions, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Thunderstorms may cause floods and intense runoff, as the dried-out land struggles to absorb fast rainfall. “Thunderstorms often produce large amounts of precipitation in a very short time,” the agency’s site reads, “and most of the rain will run off into drainage channels and streams rather than soak into the ground.”...

GOP, Are You Ready to Reach Out to Blacks Yet?

Lloyd Marcus  

 

 "Because I am a black conservative, someone wrote asking me this great question.

“ 'What is it that compels some black men and women to cling to, and follow people like Sharpton, Jackson, Wright, Obama, Spike Lee, Black Panthers, Holder, etc.?”

"I have pondered the same question.  Some black folks embrace victim status because it provides cover for their laziness and irresponsible lifestyles.  Black Judases preach a false, evil gospel of victimhood-ism for profit.  Some blacks are racist, pure and simple.

"I believe that a majority of black Americans simply have not been exposed to unfiltered conservatism – to blacks articulating how blessed they are to be born in the greatest land of opportunity on the planet."  

One significant point Mr. Marcus makes is one many do not consider:  "Ironically, all of the blacks who are given big microphones to tout the horrors of being black in America are wealthy." ...Read more:

UK: Female rocker embraces Islam — hopes to behead Christians

Pamela Geller 

 

"Again and again the newly converted and the devout all understand Islam as it is written. But CNN, Rachel Maddow, Diane Sawyer, Anderson Cooper (gays who would be slaughtered under the sharia) insist that these Muslims have Islam all wrong — they know better."

 

" 'Yet another convert embraces a form of Islam that Muslim leaders in the West profess to reject and abhor. Why can’t these leaders ensure that converts to Islam are taught the religion properly?

“ 'Revealed: How Sally Jones of Chatham went from being all-girl rock band member to ‘wife of ISIS jihadi fanatic who threatens to behead Christians by herself with a blunt knife,’” by Leon Watson, Daily Mail, August 31, 2014 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

A British mother-of-two who once fronted an all-girl rock band is believed to have made it to Syria where she is threatening to behead Christians with a blunt knife. Investigations have revealed the real name of a Muslim convert who calls herself Umm Hussain al-Britani may be Sally Jones, from Chatham in Kent  ....

Jones lived her life on government benefits

More on this at Jihad Watch

If she likes Islam so much, why didn't she become on of  these Muslims?

As a mother, will she let her children play with dolls like this?

Can your religion do this?A Muslim child re-enacts the beheading of an American journalist -
an image that would certainly be shocking if it were any other religion

http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/

I didn't know this, did you?

http://terrellaftermath.com/

QuickTrip Mart Will Not Re-Build in Ferguson

Warner Todd Huston via Theodore Alton McElroy at  Guardian Eagles
"Well, the fools who destroyed their own neighborhood during riots in Ferguson, Missouri after a teenager was killed by a police officer there have made their own neighborhood into a lesser place. The one convenience store and gas station they had in their area, the one burned down, will not be rebuilt."

 

"The QuickTrip was burned to the ground by rioters two weeks ago.*

"It was the only convenience store in the area. But now, Gateway Pundit reports that the company says it will not bother to rebuild the store.

"The company sent gasoline tankers to the site to pump out all the gas in the underground holding tanks and have said it will tear the store down leaving an empty lot.

"They say the store was barely breaking even, anyway. Probably due to the amount of theft.

"So, what we see now is that these people who complain that their neighborhood isn’t livable have now made their own neighborhood even less livable because of their rioting. Nice move, folks.

Obama and his Democrats at Thermopylae

NBC’s Richard Engel: Military Commanders ‘Apoplectic’ Over Obama’s ‘No Strategy’ Remarks   "NBC News’ chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel claimed military commanders are “apoplectic” over President Barack Obama’s dithering on ISIS and admission that “we don’t have a strategy yet” to deal with them.

"Engel spoke Sunday on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” where he was asked by Andrea Mitchell about the “president’s reluctance to take the fight against ISIS to Syria.”

Shhh, Mr. President   "When world already thinks you’re weak, saying as much on live TV is probably a mistake."

... " The reality, alas, is that Obama is — and has always been — out of his depth on the international stage. Given the prestige of the presidency and the incredible institutional forces behind the office, particularly when a liberal is elected, it takes time to burn through all of the political capital that comes with the job. But Obama has been throwing that political capital on an Oval Office bonfire like so much kindling... "

Dianne Feinstein: U.S. should confront ISIS militarily   "In a New York Times op-ed this week, Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain wrote, "ISIS is a military force, and it must be confronted militarily."

"That assessment is no longer merely a partisan stance. On Sunday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, added her voice to that argument for further military action against ISIS.

" 'I happen to agree with what they said," Feinstein said on NBC's "Meet The Press.' "...

House Intel chief: Obama [foreign] policy in 'freefall'    “Our traditional allies are now standing up saying ‘well, maybe America is not the best force to lead us through these troubles,’ ” Rogers said.

From the UK* Telegraph: Barack Obama refuses to decide and fails to act
"Just in case you thought that the Leader of the Free World was secretly harbouring a calculated, well-developed plan for bringing Isil(sp) under control and putting Russia’s imperial leader back in his box, Barack Obama banged that idea firmly on the head last week. He gave an extraordinary briefing, which the Washington press corps had been led to believe would contain a major announcement on the White House strategy on foreign policy. It did. The announcement was that there was no White House strategy on foreign policy. Seriously. In the president’s exact words: “We don’t have a strategy yet.' ”

* Remember the UK? They fought side by side with America to defeat the Axis powers in WW2 under Democrats Roosevelt and Truman. Mr. Obama is exhibit A that this is not your grandfather's Democrat Party.

It's a start: ‘Muslims against ISIS’ gather to ‘condemn inhumane crimes’

Twitchy    "Organizers promoted a “peaceful prayer rally” on the steps of Dearborn City Hall Monday evening “condemning inhumane ISIS crimes” and honoring journalist James Foley."

 

Video. "ISIS are "crazy criminals who are abusing our religion," said Imam Elahi of Islamic House of Wisdom in Dear... https://vine.co/v/Mlqp65OdUIZ

 

Niraj Warikoo @nwarikoo Follow

Back on June 14, hundreds of people, almost all Muslims, jammed the steps of Dearborn City Hall to condemn ISIS. pic.twitter.com/79RmxDxwAD

 

 Hundreds Of Calgary Muslims Protest ISIS Violence In Iraq   "We are gathered here today to protest any form of terrorism which is happening around the globe, especially in Iraq," said Riyaz Khawaja, who is president of the Hussaini Association of Calgary, which represents Shia Muslims. "We gather here to raise our voices and let the Canadian government know that they should be vigilant about what's happening inside of Canada."

 

Muslims must stop ISIS/ISIL or have eternal stain on Islam like the Christians from the Crusades

 

Norwegian Muslims rally against Islamic militants    ..."Mehtab Afshar, head of the Islamic Council in Norway*, told the crowd: "They stand for terrorism, they stand for terror ... and we condemn that in the strongest terms."

"A small radical group in Norway has expressed support for Islamic State militants, angering moderate Muslims in immigrant communities in the country.

"According to the Norwegian security service at least 50 people have left Norway to become foreign fighters for militant groups in Syria.

Some of the almost 5,000 protestors attending a demonstration against

 ISIS, in Oslo, Monday, Aug. 25, 2014. Different Muslim groups were

 behind the initiative  which was attended by political and Muslim leaders.

* However, Islamic Council Norway   "The Islamic Council Norway was criticised in 2009 when, according to some sources, it refused to distance itself or comment on the leader of the ECFR, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, after he praised the Holocaust as "a divine punishment for the Jews." However, the council's leader did in fact issue a statement where al-Qaradawis praise of Holocaust was deemed "unacceptable", and promised that the council would pursue the matter through its membership in the ECFR."

Myth of arctic meltdown: Stunning satellite images show summer ice cap is thicker and covers 1.7million square kilometres MORE than 2 years ago...despite Al Gore's prediction it would be ICE-FREE by now

UK Daily Mail

These satellite images taken from University of Illinois's Cryosphere project show ice has become more concentrated

 "The speech by former US Vice-President Al Gore was apocalyptic. ‘The North Polar ice cap is falling off a cliff,’ he said. ‘It could be completely gone in summer in as little as seven years. Seven years from now.’

 

"Those comments came in 2007 as Mr Gore accepted the Nobel Peace Prize for his campaigning on climate change.

 

"But seven years after his warning, The Mail on Sunday can reveal that, far from vanishing, the Arctic ice cap has expanded for the second year in succession – with a surge, depending on how you measure it, of between 43 and 63 per cent since 2012."

...
"To put it another way, an area the size of Alaska, America’s biggest state, was open water two years ago, but is again now covered by ice."

Aha! More proof of glo- er, climate change!   Read more:

The Madness of 2008; A nation became unhinged by trivialities like “hope and change.” It has now awakened. (Well, not the liberals I know. TD)

Victor Davis Hanson

 

"America is suddenly angry at the laxity, incompetence, and polarizing politics of the Obama administration, the bad optics of the president putting about in his bright golf clothes while the world burns. Certainly, no recent president has failed on so many fronts — honesty, transparency, truthfulness, the economy, foreign policy, the duties of the commander-in-chief, executive responsibilities, and spiritual leadership."

...

Pundits vied for superlatives. On little evidence, Christopher Buckley assured us that Obama possessed “a first-class temperament and a first-class intellect.” For some, proof of Obama’s godhead became almost physical — a “perfectly creased pant” for David Brooks, a tingling leg for Chris Matthews. For Evan Thomas he was a “sort of God”; for one blue-chip historian he was the smartest man with the highest IQ ever running for the presidency. And on and on, as huge crowds acted as if they were watching Paul McCartney on tour in 1966. After the election, there was real apprehension that the country might not make it for the two and a half months until an elected Obama could take power." ...