Category Archives: Politics

2008 Election, Immigration, Media, Politics

Embarrassed For The First Time?

I was flabbergasted today when Democrat Presidential Candidate Sen. Barack Obama said that he was embarrassed, as an American, compared to European countries. And for an even more innocuous, if not arrogant, reason. Speaking ‘Spanish.’

I’ve never before seen such contempt for their country from someone who wants to be president of it then what the possible first couple thinks of it. His wife, no, I won’t lay off her. His wife said that for the first time she was proud of her country. It doesn’t matter what kind of context she comes up with. That statement speaks for itself as far as where she is coming from. From her writings at Princeton, it makes perfect sense that she would and could say something like she said. There was no mis-speaking going on.

Now, Barack himself says today that the United States embarrasses him. What the hell kind of talk is that about this country from someone that wants to be President? What media figure will ask the first-term senator whether this was the first time he had been embarrassed by this country, or if he has felt that way all his life? That isn’t going to happen.

I wouldn’t expect the media to pick up on this. Which explains why, about 10 hours after it happened, there is no news yet about it in the drive-by media. Not the New York Times, not the Washington Post, and not al-AP.

Politics

Revised Declaration Of Independence?

Interesting piece by Tom Purcell at FrontPage Magazine, reflecting on the Declaration of Independence and how far our government has strayed from its roots. Something like this . . .

  • In the course of human events it is necessary, now and again, to dissolve our political bands with the ninnies who keep abandoning our founding principles.
  • It used to be self-evident that our government’s role was primarily to protect certain unalienable rights, such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
  • It used to be that our government did the bidding of the people — that any power it derived was solely through the consent of the governed.
  • It used to be our country believed in limited government — that government at its best was a necessary evil and should be aggressively restrained.
  • But too many of the birds running things these days don’t see it that way.

The end result has divided the country into two coalitions of people. The Taking-Coalition and the Leave-Us-Alone Coalition. The politicians in Washington from both parties are guilty of building this mess, supporting it with spending bills, and complaining that they can’t seem to spend enough of our money, and want more.

Take on a gimmicky mortgage bigger than you could afford? Not to worry. Our esteemed Congress is pushing through a $300 billion bill to bail you out with taxpayer dough.

Struggling at the pump now that energy prices are at record highs? Not to worry. Some of our politicians promise to tax energy companies lots more so they can pay your energy bills for you.

You take one Obama administration, add one Supreme Court Justice, and the original Declaration of Independence and Constitution, for all practical purposes, will become a mere footnote in history.

link: A New Declaration of Independence

Media, Politics

Happy Independence Day

We’ll be celebrating our independence with the family and thanking God that we were all born in the United States, where freedom is not a dirty word. Although that does depend on who you ask.

Others, like Mark Murray, Deputy Political Director at NBC, prefer to forget the purpose of the holiday. To him, it’s ‘Happy Fourth of July.’ It’s a day off from work.

At the time I read his post on First Read, there were no comments posted. So I commented to his post something to the effect of ‘Happy Fourth of July? Mark, it’s Happy Independence Day. But you knew that.’

I just checked in on the post and my comment is not among those listed. So I made another just for giggles.

This post probably won’t make it either, like the one I made yesterday. I guess because the author feels embarrassed at the thought of calling this holiday what it really is, Independence Day.

Not one, NOT ONE, post in this thread (so far) refers to it. It’s happy 4th of July to the left, and the media, who should know better. But won’t.

So, to all my conservative friends reading this, both of you, Happy Independence Day.

Not one of the ‘approved’ comments mention Independence Day. There can only be one of two reasons for this. Either Mr. Murray refuses to acknowledge the holiday and all that it represents, which would amount to malpractice for a ‘Political Director,’ OR like all the other commenters, he really doesn’t know what it is, which would amount to journalistic malpractice as well. Could there be another possible reason?

One thing is evident about the political climate today. The current batch of the majority party today would never have dreamed of splitting with the Crown. And if they did dream about it, they wouldn’t have the courage to do it.

related links: Happy Fourth Of July | History’s trash heap filled with dust of empire | Some Americans Are Saying We Shouldn’t Celebrate Independence Day | Independence Day: Happy Birthday, America! 232 Years Strong

Immigration, Judiciary, Media, Politics, War On Terror

NYT Outs CIA Agent, Who Cares?

If we weren’t talking about war and warfare, this would be funny. You don’t have to look hard to see the bias of the media. Scott Shane, a reporter for the New York Times just outed the identity of the CIA agent that interrogated Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and nobody seems to care. And it was no accident either.

Fearing retribution, the agency asked the paper not to name the CIA analyst. The paper ran his name anyway, saying it generally withholds names only in the case of ‘victims of sexual assault or intelligence officers operating undercover.’ While the operative was not serving undercover, the fact that he interrogated the architect of the 9/11 plot was classified. Naming him added nothing to the Times story.

Remember too the record of New York Times when it comes to national security of the United States . . .

The New York Times previously disclosed the existence of the Bush administration’s secret National Security Agency program for intercepting calls of suspected terrorists when one leg of the call is in the U.S. It also disclosed the administration’s SWIFT program for tracking the worldwide financial transactions of terrorists.

Starting with the Valerie Plame debacle, who still insists that Dick Cheney outed her, when we all know, the media included, that it was Richard Armitage that outed her, and Scooter Libby is the only one who gets charged. No actions taken against Armitage.

Now, we have surrogates of Barack Obama and the far left attempting to diminish John McCain’s military experience to something equal to Obama’s, which is zip, zero, nada. They’re saying he’s not a hero, he’s a loser who got himself shot down and participated in a propaganda video.

Today, no one is asking any questions or jumping in front of TV cameras, and generally foaming at the mouth like Democrats were when the whole Plame/Wilson theater production took place. There is no effort afloat in Washington to put that reporter or the New York Times in front of a Senate Intelligence Committee (I know, its an oxymoron) with the aim of getting the Justice Department (another one) involved. Amazingly, there’s no curiosity whatsoever about it.

Who tortured Scott Shane to go so far as he did, to really jeopardize the welfare of that agent and his family when he published the agent’s name that interrogated KSM?

links: Inside a 9/11 Mastermind’s Interrogation | N.Y. Times Names Names, Jeopardizes Safety – Again

Media, Politics

Obama Fights Back?

Who is responsible for this, Obama or the media? I’m not sure. But the media’s story line is that Barack Obama is fighting back at supposed attacks on his patriotism. Have you heard anyone of significance on the R side of the aisle who has attacked Barack’s patriotism? Me neither. And apparently, Reuters hasn’t either, despite the article’s title.

If you read the story, there is not one quote from anyone attacking Obama’s patriotism. Wazzupwidat? It is the media’s story line, and the left’s way of deflecting attention to what his surrogates are doing and have done, to McCain.

Isn’t it odd that a presidential wannabe is out there spontaneously explaining that he is patriotic? I think that if you have to explain that, then you’re in trouble. Once again, the Obama campaign picked the wrong fight.

related link: Obama fights back against questions on patriotism

2008 Election, Iran, Media, Politics, War On Terror

Another Corner Turned In Iraq

By now it is obvious to everyone that the so-called ‘news’ media has no interest in telling this story since they, along with the left, are invested in defeat where Iraq is concerned. This development in Iraq is the kind of success everyone has been looking for. Iraq is opening its oil fields to international oil companies for bidding for development and production.

This is not to suggest that the war there and our participation there is over. But the fact that the newly formed democratically elected government of Iraq has progressed to the point that they can make plans for their future says a lot about the success of the war so far.

The move to invite bids for the development of Iraq’s largest producing fields should mark the return of the oil majors, whose cash and expertise Iraq needs to restore its oil infrastructure that has been hard hit by sanctions and war.

By allowing international firms to help raise output at its key producing oil fields, the Iraqi government is breaking with the policy of major oil-producing neighbors such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates where national firms keep tight control of foreign investment in their oil sectors.

Iraq’s move to embrace the world economy is a corner we’ve been looking forward to turning. The left will no doubt say, ‘ya see, it was a war for oil.’

It is Iraq’s own resources that Iraq needs to join the world as a friendly and prosperous country. It’s what the Iraqi people need. The left’s premise in their whole ‘war for oil’ rant is that the oil is for us, the U.S. On the contrary, the war for oil was about keeping it from Iran and al Qaeda and saving it for the people of Iraq. The fact that theses terrorists would have all the money they could possibly need to wage war on us had they taken over Iraq still escapes the left, Barack Obama included.

related link: Iraq throws open door to foreign oil firms

2008 Election, Politics, Race Relations

Congressional Black Caucus Likes Nunn Or Edwards

Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, (D-MI), who heads The Congressional Black Caucus, met with Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) campaign to offer their recommendations for Obama’s vice presidential pick. They like John Edwards and Sam Nunn. Others supposedly under consideration are two women, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, and a cast of characters from the failed politics of the past like Al Gore, Joe Biden, John Murtha, and Chris Dodd.

Interesting choice by the CBC. Edwards is attractive to the slip and fall lawyers, Nunn is attractive to those ‘bitter clingers.’ And two women, not Hillary and with less baggage, attractive to women. No minorities under consideration? What was the CBC thinking?

link: Obama team weighs Nunn, Edwards as running mates

2008 Election, Politics, War On Terror

Iraqis Prefer McCain

The fact that the Iraqi people prefer McCain over Obama should tell you something.

See what these key provincial Iraqi leaders said . . .

“The Iraqis are really fearful about some of the positions the Democratic Party has adopted,” says Sheik Ahmed Abu Rishah. “If the Democrats win, they will be withdrawing their forces in a very rapid manner.”

Mamoun Sami Rashid al-Alawi, the governor of Anbar province, agrees. “We have over a million casualties, thousands of houses destroyed,” he says. “Are we going to tell [Iraqis] that the game is over? That the Americans are pulling out?”

Democrats, so concerned with what the rest of the world thinks of them, what do they think the Iraqi people will think of them if, like Democrats want to do, they leave before the job is finished? That, would be a betrayal. And, not a good way to develop trust, or allies, around the world.

WSJ link: Why Iraqis Back McCain

Media, Pensacola, Politics, Race Relations

Red Cross Needs Help

They are out of money and in need of volunteers who can spend a few weeks with them to help the flood victims in the heartland. For the flood relief program, they’ve only raised $3.2 million and have spend $15 million of borrowed money.

Ken Cromer/Red Cross Disaster Services: ‘A lot of the people that are able to go for two and three weeks, they’re retired.. They have the time available now to go out and make a difference. Plus a lot of them, they saw what happened here in Ivan and the help that they received and it helps them go out and help other people.’ The Red Cross is still looking for dozens of volunteers to help, especially as the flooding continues south into Oklahoma And Texas.

I think we know where all the money went.

The shortage in the organization’s only domestic disaster relief fund comes as it continues flood relief efforts in soaked Iowa and ramps up its work downstream in Illinois and Missouri as more flooding is expected there. Officials said the Red Cross has 2,500 workers on the ground, 89 percent of them volunteers. Joe Becker, senior vice president of disaster services, said the fund has been depleted over the past few years in the absence of large-scale disasters that bring attention to the relevance of the Red Cross.

This disaster seems to me to be a lot worse than what happened in New Orleans after Katrina passed. So why is it that there is not some publicity for help for these victims? Is the media too lazy to find the victims to tell the story? I don’t see Democrats in Washington jumping in front of TV cameras yelling at Bush. It is as if they are ignoring the victims because they don’t see a political advantage in trying to help them. Don’t they care about middle America? Where is the outrage, the 24/7 call for help? Where’s Hollywood in all this? Why the relative silence in the face of such a widespread tragedy? Or is the aid getting to the people, all evacuees have a roof over their head, and there’s nothing to be gained by accusing Bush of totally improving FEMA? But I haven’t seen any such stories. Like I said, you probably wouldn’t anyway. You have to ask yourself, what’s different here?

related link: American Red Cross: Disaster funds are depleted | American Red Cross – Donate Now