Friday, January 29, 2010

Hatch warns of possible partisan 'war' over health reform

Salt Lake Tribune "Hatch said Thursday that using reconciliation would be "one of the worst grabs for power in the history of the country" that would permanently impact relations between the two parties. "It is going to be outright war and it should be, because it would be such an abuse of the reconciliation rules," Hatch said. "If they abuse those rules it is going to lead to even more heated animosities between not just the two parties, but even between individual senators." "

UW-Milwaukee Professor Predicts 50 Years of Global Cooling

MacIver Institute " “Now we’re getting a break,” Anastasios Tsonis, Distinguished Professor of Mathematics at UWM, said in an interview with the MacIver Institute. Tsonis published a paper last March that found the world goes through periods of warming and cooling that tend to last thirty years. He says we are now in a period of cooling that could last up to fifty years."

Don't Ask; Don't Tell: When the Telling Starts

Commentary Magazine "Arguments against repealing DADT usually focus on the hazards of unit-level social interactions, and that’s a valid concern. But rules already exist for dealing with misconduct in the ranks; that aspect of adjustment won’t be the most difficult. The central question, rather, is whether having gays serve openly is a priority that justifies all the adjustments the military will have to make. Those adjustments will be necessary in two principal areas: military society, which includes family life and family-oriented services, and military administration. Intersecting with both of them is the prospect of lawsuits, guaranteed by the robust history of gay-activist litigation in government and the private sector."

Obama, Republicans Spar at House GOP Event

WSJ "At one point, the president complained that Republicans had painted the Democratic health bill as a "Bolshevik plot." He argued the legislation, which includes proposals to foster competition by creating a new national insurance marketplace, is "similar to what many Republicans proposed" during the Clinton-era fight over health care." Wait...what? I thought they said the Republicans had no ideas.

The Obamarang

Victor Davis Hanson "All politicians fudge on their promises. But this president manages to transcend the normal political exaggeration and dissimulation. Whereas past executives shaded the truth, Barack Obama trumps that: on almost every key issue, what Obama says he will do, and what he says is true, is a clear guide to what he will not do, and what is not true. It is as if “truth” is a mere problem of lesser mortals."

Quarterback Tebow Answers to God, Not the Mainstream Media

Big Journalism "Has Tim Tebow gone rogue by agreeing to ‘hawk life’ during Super Bowl XLIV? One advertising executive, Robert Tuchman, says that the University of Florida star quarterback’s decision to appear in an anti-abortion commercial is going to “affect his opportunities for endorsements down the road.” "...."Another, John Rowady, says , “His promotion of his ‘belief system’ has built a perception throughout the league that he has a long way to mature from a business perspective …” And this has hurt Kurt Warner, how? The Women’s Media Center fretted:..."

Soft on Terror / Islamist terrorism is not a law-enforcement issue.

Charles Krauthammer, NRO On the KSM civilian trial, sentiment is widespread that it is quite insane to spend $200 million a year to give the killer of 3,000 innocents the largest propaganda platform on earth, while at the same time granting civilian rights of cross-examination and discovery that risk betraying U.S. intelligence sources and methods. " Emphasis Added. And get this: U.S. and Abdulmutallab 'in Talks' “...authorities are inching toward an agreement that would secure cooperation from the suspect in the failed Detroit airliner attack.” Inching is the operative word here. It’s been over a month now that this terrorist has been exercising his “right to remain silent.” Each day that goes by when he does not talk is an outrage."

Mike Ramirez cartoon

Investors.com

Time's Joe Klein Loved Obama Attack on GOP and 'Its House Demagogues on Fox News'

Newsbusters Quoting Klein: "This was Obama at his best. He wasn't cuddly, but who cares? He was smart and he was funny -- and he was drop-dead serious about the country."

Morning Bell: It Is Time To Prioritize Security Over Terrorist Rights

Heritage Blog "It is high time for the Obama administration to stop allowing their leftist base to undermine our national security. As Heritage fellow Cully Stimson explains, returning KSM to a military court would be a great place to start:"...."The tide is turning against the administration’s approach to terrorism. Perhaps that is why the President did not mention KSM during his State of the Union address. Americans don’t think terrorist deserve constitutional rights. Americans also know that military commissions are fair." As it is, our national defense is being run by Code Pink and the ACLU.

The Differential Theory of Terrorism Alert Levels (Foreign Model)

Blackfive "The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats and have raised their security level from "Miffed" to "Peeved." Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to "Irritated" or even "A Bit Cross." The English have not been "A Bit Cross" since the blitz in 1940 when tea supplies all but ran out..."

The Landrieu office break-in; Correction Request: Talking Points Memo

Big Journalism "There are no allegations of any wiretap plot in the FBI affidavit, and a law enforcement official has conceded that the four men were not attempting to wiretap, bug, or intercept calls. Furthermore, legal representation for the accused has gone on record stating there were no intentions to tap phones in the Senator’s office. We kindly ask you to issue a orrection/retraction to the story. We have been/will be making similar requests of other news sources to correct similar errors. Some, such as the Washington Post and MSNBC’s David Shuster, already have posted corrections or retractions." Statement from James O’Keefe "...It has been amazing to witness the journalistic malpractice committed by many of the organizations covering this story. MSNBC falsely claimed that I violated a non-existent “gag order.” The Associated Press incorrectly reported that I “broke in” to an office which is open to the public..."