Tag: White House

Stupid: General Motors plays a shell game

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Here’s one for the “Stuck on Stupid” file that seems to be getting bigger and bigger by the day.

AP Headline: Gas in the tank: GM repays $8.1B in gov’t loans

Quote:

WASHINGTON – Fallen giant General Motors Co. accelerated toward recovery Wednesday, announcing the repayment of $8.1 billion in U.S. and Canadian government loans five years ahead of schedule.

The Obama administration crowed about the “turnaround” at GM and fellow bailout recipient Chrysler LLC, saying the government’s unpopular rescue of Detroit’s automakers is paying off.

Much of the improvement comes from GM slashing its debt load and workforce as part of its bankruptcy reorganization last year. But the automaker is a long way from regaining its old blue-chip status: It remains more than 70 percent government-owned and is still losing money — $3.4 billion in last year’s fourth quarter alone. And while its car and truck sales are up so far this year, that’s primarily due to lower-profit sales to car rental companies and other fleet buyers.

Chrysler, now run by Italy’s Fiat Group SpA, said Wednesday it lost almost $200 million in the first quarter. But it said it boosted its cash reserves by $1.5 billion, reducing the likelihood that it will need more government aid.

“This turnaround wasn’t an accident of history,” said White House economic adviser Larry Summers. “It was the result of considered and politically difficult decisions made by President Obama to provide GM and Chrysler — and indeed the auto industry — a lifeline, if they could demonstrate the will to reshape their businesses.”

Vice President Joe Biden said President Barack Obama “took a lot of heat” to keep GM alive. “And this has even exceeded our expectations.”

Everything is happy yappy and yippie skippy right?

Wrong.

Jamie Dupree dishes the straight dope on this little shell game: (H/T Q & O)

General Motors will make a big splash in the news today by announcing that the automaker will repay several billion dollars loans from the federal government earlier than expected. But it’s not really coming out of the GM wallet.

The issue came up yesterday at a hearing with the special watchdog on the Wall Street Bailout, Neil Barofsky, who was asked several times about the GM repayment by Sen. Tom Carper (D-DE), who was looking for answers on how much money the feds might make from the controversial Wall Street Bailout.


“It’s good news in that they’re reducing their debt,” Barofsky said of the accelerated GM payments, “but they’re doing it by taking other available TARP money.”

In other words, GM is taking money from the Wall Street Bailout – the TARP money – and using that to pay off their loans ahead of schedule.

“It sounds like it’s kind of like taking money out of one pocket and putting in the other,” said Carper, who got a nod of agreement from Barofsky.

[….]


Most of Uncle Sam’s bailout money that was given to GM has now been turned into stock in the U.S. automaker.

“The assumption is that, over time, hopefully the value of the stock will appreciate,” said Carper.

Long term that could prove to be a money-making investment for the feds – or if things go the wrong way for General Motors – a big, fat loss for Uncle Sam.

As most of you know, my Father is a 31 year veteran of the General Motors company. I find this little idiotic shell game right here to be just plain immoral. I mean, how in the hell are you going to use money from the Government to pay off the Government? That is basically taking money out of one pocket and putting into another. That is not paying off your debt; that is nothing more than a  shell game. The reason why this is so upsetting to me is; that it is just going to hurt my Father. Because sooner or later, this company is not going to be able to pay my Dad’s pension.

As the son of a General Motors worker, I want to see G.M. succeed; but I want to see them succeed the right way and honestly. Not by playing a dirty, underhanded shell game, and that my friends is what this is, a dirty shell game to fool the American people and the workers at G.M. into believing that they are on to the road to recovery, when in all honesty, they are not.

The American Taxpayers, The workers and retirees for General Motors; deserve better than this.

Shame on General Motors for their deceptive tactics and shame on the White House and Yes, the President for aiding and abetting in this little scam.

The real cute part is that not a word of this, has been said in the media, as to just HOW this loans are being paid back. That my friends is a damned human tragedy.

Others: Questions and Observations, Mish’s Global Economic …, TigerHawk, Sweetness & Light, JammieWearingFool and The TrogloPundit

Update: Not surprisingly, Ed Morrissey Agrees with me.

Michael Yon jumps the shark?

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Seems so. (H/T Ace)

…and the MilBloggers are not happy….

Those talking about are…:

Uncle Jimbo

Chuck Z

Greyhawk I & II

Kanani Fong

CDR Salamander

You Served

Laughing Wolf

The Donovan

Greta Perry

The Brat

Posting in question:

McChrystal’s crew has declared an information war on me. No complaints here. McChrystal’s attention is welcome. It indicates that my posts have hit steel further underlines that McChrystal is over his head. If McChrystal knew what he was doing, he would not be drawing attention to his staff. Will provide compelling… evidence in due course. Some of the officers on McChrystal’s staff are my biggest helpers.

Moonbat disorder, such a tragic illness. 🙄

UPDATED: Once again, AllahPundit is the voice of sanity on the right

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First off, what AllahPundit is griping about is this:

In response to this, AllahPundit politely objects:

“When conflicts break out, one way or another, we get pulled into them.” True enough, and I don’t always “like” that we’re pulled into them. For example, I don’t “like” the fact that we have 30,000 U.S. troops stationed in South Korea as cannon fodder in case the lunatic to the north ever attacks Seoul. But I accept it because I understand it’s an effective deterrent that saves millions of lives. I don’t “like” the fact that we’re forced to take the lead on Iran even though their military capabilities are more of an immediate threat to Europe and the Sunnis, but I accept it because the stick we wield is so much bigger than everyone else’s that we’re most likely to bring them to heel. I don’t “like” the fact that American troops have spent the past seven years dodging — and, sometimes, not dodging — IEDs in Iraq, but I accept it because I think having a democracy in the region will eventually put pressure on local autocrats to liberalize and held deflate jihadism. Disagree with my position on any or all of those if you like, but I don’t see how it’s controversial or demeaning to suggest that the world’s policeman, like any policeman, doesn’t always enjoy his job. In fact, less than six months ago, Pew found for the first time in 45 years that those who believe the U.S. should mind its own business abroad outnumber those who don’t. I think that isolationist impulse is nutty and a de facto invitation to malign powers to expand their influence, but then so does The One — which, I take it, is why he ordered the surge in Afghanistan, is going slow on withdrawal from Iraq, is stepping up drone attacks in Pakistan, and is keeping the troops in Korea and elsewhere in place.

via Hot Air » Blog Archive » Obama’s getting a bad rap on the “superpower” comment.

I give AP credit; he is absolutely right. Sometimes, it just sucks to have to be the leader of the free world. I mean, the United States, not Obama. This is filed under the “Stuck on Stupid” business, that my Blog’s subtitle refers to. Unfortunately, on the far right; there is this effort, a foolhardy one, but none the less, an effort; to castigate President Obama —- No matter what he does. I refer to it as that “Sean Hannity bullcrap.” I mean, I respect Hannity, most of the time. But I cannot stand watching that show; because all his show is about — is bashing Obama, no matter what he does.

I mean, say what you want, but, Obama might be a socialist, Obama might be a wealth redistributor; but, like it or not, Obama does have his rather pointed head on straight when it comes to Foreign Policy and when it comes to Islamic Terrorism. I mean, as AP alluded to in his article, the President could be like Ron Paul. (Shudder!) I am; as I am sure AP is, very grateful that President Obama has his head on straight about the middle east and the danger that Islamic Terrorism poses for this Nation. President Obama might not handle things the way that Bush did; but this does not mean that he does not see and want to deal with the danger.

For this, I am willing to give President Obama a pass in this department. But, only in this department.

Another thing I will say is this; where I see the most Anti-Obama rhetoric, when it comes to terrorism, is from certain protected ethnic classes on the right. (I think you can figure out, what I mean….) This, I believe is fueled by this idiotic notion, that Obama is some sort of secret Muslim. This sort of thing is, in this white man’s opinion, absolutely idiotic.  I mean, how ironic is it, that the same class of people, who were subjected to horrific atrocities by a German madman, are now themselves engaging in the same bigoted behavior? Quite, I would say. I will not mention any names, but I think you can guess to which players I allude.

Again, just more of that stuck on stupid, that I refer to…

Thanks to AP for, once again, being “The skinny guy, at fat camp.”

Update: There’s always a smart ass in the crowd. 😉

Movie: Just in case anyone has forgotten

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Just remember, Ron Paul believes in negotiating with these bastards. Therefore, he is a terrorist supporter. So are Democrats.

If there was any sort of doubt that Ron Paul is a loon

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He has removed it:

Video of the Loon:

VIA TPMDC:

Near the end of the third day of this year’s Southern Republican Leadership Conference, it was time for Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) to take the stage. Paul, fresh off his victory in the CPAC straw poll, gave a characteristically fired-up speech that took on the views of the Republican party establishment.

“The question has been raised about whether or not our president is a socialist,” Paul said. “I am sure there are some people here who believe it. But in the technical sense, in the economic definition of a what a socialist is, no, he’s not a socialist.”

“He’s a corporatist,” Paul continued. “And unfortunately we have corporatists inside the Republican party and that means you take care of corporations and corporations take over and run the country.”

Paul said examples of President Obama’s “corporatism” were evident in the heath care reform bill he signed into law last month. He said the mandate in the bill put the power over health care in the hands of corporations rather than private citizens. But he said the bill wasn’t the only place where corporatism is creeping into Washington.

Perfect example of Ron Paul’s idiotic tin-foil hat stupidity. Yes, I know also about his straw poll defeat to Mittens. To be be quite, and brutally honest; I cannot stand Mitt Romney. To me, Mitt Romney is the perfect example of the arrogant, rich-boy attitude that permeates some of the G.O.P. — A perfect example is Mitt Romney’s treatment of John McCain during the  2008 election debates. I thought Romney snickering at McCain was childish and unbecoming of someone of Romney’s background. Not to mention Romney’s Mormonism, which is a BIG ISSUE with me.  However, seeing Ron Paul’s background. past and present associations; I will happily take a Mitt Romney victory any day of the damned week.

However, because I am realist; allow me to throw a wet blanket on this little victory. Straw polls are one thing, actual winnability and true Conservative victories in actual elections are another. As the 2008 Primaries proved, Mitt Romney just does not have the winnability in a primary. Heck, the only state that actually gave him any sort of percentage was Utah; and we all know why that is the case. Not to mention, does anyone actually remember, Romney-Care? Barack Obama’s biggest talking point is the fact that Obama-care is, in fact, based upon the Romney-care model.

The point is that Mitt Romney is a Liberal Republican, if he did actually win the primary and I highly doubt he ever would; the Republicans and Independent Conservatives would simply stay home and not vote or would cast votes for a third party.

There are some who believe that Sarah Palin is the perfect solution. Well, allow me to throw a wet blanket on that one too. There are many who believe, including myself, that Palin would never make it out of the Primary. I happen to agree with that. While she might be pretty, most people, with any kind of sense and who are not Palin-bots; believe that Sarah Palin just does not have the proper experience to be President. But, dear God, if you say this to one of her fan-boys, you are accused of being a sexist, a woman hater and so on. Which does sound like the liberal left, does it not? Gender-baiting in the G.O.P.? I thought I had seen it all. 🙄

Be that as it may; the mid-terms are going to be an interesting time, and I can assure you, 2012, is going to be even better. I cannot wait.

Not all Conservatives love Karl Rove or the Republican Party

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Transcript is found here.

BREAKING NEWS: Air Marshalls stop attempted ‘Shoe Bomber’ on flight from D.C. to Denver

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Oh Boy, here we go again…. 😯

(H/T Ace of Spades HQ)

The Report from ABC NEWS, The story is yet to break National News or they’re working on it:

Federal air marshals subdued a man who authorities say attempted to “light his shoes on fire” on a United flight from Washington Reagan to Denver Wednesday night, federal law enforcement officials told ABC News.

Authorities say an explosive team is on the way to the airport, and that while the presence of explosives has not yet been confirmed, they believe it was an attempted “shoe bomb.”

The suspect was identified by authorities as a diplomat in the Qatar embassy in Washington, Mohammed al Modadi. The FBI said the man had full diplomat immunity as the 3rd secretary and vice-consul.

Authorities said two jet fighters were scrambled from Buckley Air Force Base to accompany United flight 663, a Boeing 757, as it flew the final 40 miles to Denver where it landed safely.

Authorities said the man, identified as from Qatar, was restrained by the air marshals who were on the flight.

The United jet was reportedly being directed to a remote location at the Denver airport.

A spokesman for the FBI in Denver declined to comment.

This is not good at all. This could cause some serious problems for Obama’s strategy on the war on terror.

Update: Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN story alerts up. Update #2: all have stories up now.

MSNBC (ugh!) is now reporting, that this dude was in the bathroom, and was smoking in the can. When someone, not sure whom, asked him what he was doing. He replied, “Well, I was setting my shoes on fire…” Apparently, the douche nozzle was kidding around. Well, the only one laughing was him! 😮 Anyhow, looks like this idiot is going back Qutar. MSNBC is giving the name of the person. I will print it, when it comes up. Update #3: Mohammed al-Modadi is his name. (H/T AP)

Gabe over at Ace reports:

ABOVE THE POST UPDATE (11:00): According to CNN, another diplomat is saying that this is a misunderstanding. The story is that the man was smoking in the lavatory and when challenged by an air marshal, he mouthed off sarcastically “I was trying to light my shoe on fire.”

So they nabbed him and scrambled the jets.

D’oh! 🙄

Um, Just a thought… But, terrorism ain’t funny. 😡

Update #4: Josh Marshall wonders:

I mean, are we really to believe that this guy took his having diplomatic immunity as free rein to crack a joke about need to light his shoe bomb? I’m curious whether under international law a diplomat can be expelled from a host country simply for being a raging c@#k.

Heh. Good question. 😛

Update #5: AllahPundit Snarks:

What we may be looking at here is the scariest smoke break in aviation history.

Ha! I wonder if AllahPundit will represent him in Court, if he sues the United States Government for false arrest? If he does, somebody better let Liz Cheney know, after all, we have to know who’s defending terrorists; whether real or wanna-be smart asses. 😉 I mean, that is the McCarthyism way, is it not? 😀

Update #6: Our Assclown of the day can be seen here. He is on the right. (H/T to Wizbang for the find…)

Is the Afghanistan/Pakistan mission unraveling?

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It seems that way. 🙁

The Story via Stratfor.com:

Three explosions, two rocket attacks and subsequent gunfire have been reported in the near vicinity of the U.S. Consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, on April 5. The attack occurred early afternoon local time when the consulate would have been full of both American and local employees. The death toll is reported at 36 but is expected to rise.

There are no assessments yet of the damage that the consulate building has sustained, but reports indicate that the explosions led to the collapse of other, adjacent buildings. Pakistani soldiers are also reported to be engaging militants in gunfire, indicating that militants are actively engaged in an attack near the area — possibly with the intention of breaching the U.S. Consulate.

[….]

UPDATE:

One attacker was able to blow up in the U.S. Consulate premises, AAJ TV reported April 5. The front side of the U.S. Consulate has been totally destroyed. Reports indicate that seven or eight security personnel in the consulate are dead. The consulate’s communication system is down.

Many people are wondering why this has happened. I think I know why. It could very well be because of this here:

The Story via Washington Post:

KABUL — President Obama’s visit to Kabul last week, intended in part to forge a closer working relationship with President Hamid Karzai, has helped produce the opposite: an angry Afghan leader now attacking the West for what he perceives as an effort to manipulate him and weaken his rule.

Karzai’s relationship with his U.S. backers in the past week has taken a sharp turn for the worse after his two anti-Western speeches in three days, remarks that some officials see as a rehearsed, intentional move away from the United States.

In remarks to parliament members Saturday, Karzai said that if foreign interference in his government continues, the Taliban would become a legitimate resistance — one that he might even join, according to lawmakers present.

“When I heard Karzai’s remarks, it really shocked me. It scared me,” a senior Afghan official who works closely with Karzai said. “We should not take this lightly. This is a golden opportunity to have the West here; we can’t squander it.”

Karzai’s comments have angered U.S. officials and some of his prominent Afghan colleagues in the government, who fear he is jeopardizing international funding and military support because his pride has been injured.

“That guy’s erratic, he’s unpredictable. I don’t get him,” said a senior U.S. military official in Kabul.

However, if you read a little deeper, you will see this:

But the next day, Karzai told a gathering of lawmakers that foreign interference fuels the insurgency. One lawmaker said Karzai made the point that if he is compelled to obey foreigners, “I’ll join the Taliban.”

“I know he’s cooperating with the U.S., but he just wants to give us a wrong perception. He’s trying to prove himself as a hero, a nationalist,” the lawmaker said.

Some of the presidents’ supporters said that people overreacted to the statements, and that Karzai is well aware of how reliant he is on the United States and other countries fighting in Afghanistan. The United States pours billions of dollars monthly into Afghanistan, and 30,000 new troops are arriving to fight the Taliban.

Speaking at a meeting of about 1,200 tribal leaders and local officials in the southern city of Kandahar on Sunday, Karzai again suggested that U.S. pressure is counterproductive.

“Afghanistan will be fixed when its people trust that their president is independent and not a puppet,” he said. “We have to demonstrate our sovereignty. We have to demonstrate that we are standing up for our values.”

I think this guy needs to make up his mind. Trying to play to his people and be friends with the west is not going to work. The United States of America is NOT interested in owning that Country, no more than it is interested in owning Iraq. We are, or at least we were, there to get rid of Al-Qaeda terrorists who wanted to attack and destroy America. It seems that our focus is shifting and we are now trying to play “Paddy Cake” with Afgan Leaders who want to be friendly with the the U.S. and the Taliban. The President of the United States needs to firm with Karzai, and tell him either choose the Taliban and possibly being killed by the United States in military action or choose true freedom and democracy. You cannot have it both ways, terrorism and democracy cannot co-exist.

Just a personal aside, I had a sinking feeling that this sort of a thing would happen, if we elected a Democrat for a President. For all of his failings, for all of the stuff that I did not like about him; George W. Bush knew exactly how to deal with these sorts of things. He was seen by the Afghan people and the Iraqis as a firm strong leader, who was willing to risk it all to stand against terrorism, Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. President Obama just does not have that same stance. President Obama and by default, the Democrats see terrorism as a juvenile criminal behavior; and it is not; it is a war against freedom and democracy in the name of a backward and dangerous religion.

I guess the only hope at this point is that Obama realizes what he is dealing with here and changes his focus. However, I just do not see that happening at all. Needless to say, the next year few years is going to be interesting, when it comes to the war on terror and this entire situation.

It’s about time: Obama proposes offshore drillng

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Finally, the stupid socialist is doing something right:

The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.

The proposal — a compromise that will please oil companies and domestic drilling advocates but anger some residents of affected states and many environmental organizations — would end a longstanding moratorium on oil exploration along the East Coast from the northern tip of Delaware to the central coast of Florida, covering 167 million acres of ocean.

Under the plan, the coastline from New Jersey northward would remain closed to all oil and gas activity. So would the Pacific Coast, from Mexico to the Canadian border.

The environmentally sensitive Bristol Bay in southwestern Alaska would be protected and no drilling would be allowed under the plan, officials said. But large tracts in the Chukchi Sea and Beaufort Sea in the Arctic Ocean north of Alaska — nearly 130 million acres — would be eligible for exploration and drilling after extensive studies.

The proposal is to be announced by President Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Wednesday, but administration officials agreed to preview the details on the condition that they not be identified.

The proposal is intended to reduce dependence on oil imports, generate revenue from the sale of offshore leases and help win political support for comprehensive energy and climate legislation.

via Obama to Open Offshore Areas to Oil Drilling for First Time – NYTimes.com.

It’s about time that Bambi Teleprompter is doing something right.

An exasperated Moonbat Steve Benon whines:

My confusion, then, is over the administration’s negotiating tactics. In February, the president cleared the way for the first new U.S. nuclear power plants in more than 30 years. Today, the president will reportedly open up new opportunities for coastal drilling.

In other words, Obama has already effectively given Republicans what they wanted on energy. What is he getting in return?

My question is, why the fuck should he get anything in return, at all?

He better be fucking hoping and praying that we don’t make his origin of birth a big issue when the Republicans take back the house and senate come 2010! What assholes… like the Republicans owe that floppy eared son-of-a- bitch anything at all. 😡  🙄

Again, I say, good on ol’ big ears for finally learning that capitalism is a good thing and that drilling is a good idea. Now if we could just teach the REST of liberal and socialist, and communist America that! We’d have to start in the fucking oval office first!

Video: Is the Stimulus Working?

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This comes via R.S. McCain:

Honestly, What do they expect?

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Boy, I tell ya. The liberal crowd is some seriously stupid people anymore. 🙄

I guess most of you know that now the liberal crowd is all in a tizzy, because some protesters let their true feelings be known about this healthcare bill.

My question to them is; seriously guys, what the fuck do you expect? I mean, nobody wants this stupid bill passed and yet, this liberal Congress is hell-bent on passing this moronic bill anyhow; all to appease this President. Is it not any wonder the American people and yes, those protesters are a little bit pissed off?

I mean, and I how to do I put this? Ah, I know! The liberal media and I mean the one’s who are reporting this; You should be glad it was just words. I mean, it could have very well been worse. Luckily and thankfully, it was not. But it could have very well have been. So, to the Race hustlers and Gay Blades; be glad it was just words, signs and insults. Because the alternative could have been much worse.

But again, to the more important point —– What the hell do you people expect? I mean, you want to destroy this Country’s health-care system, all to fulfill a stupid, idiotic socialist agenda; and you wonder why some people are pissed off about it?

It’s time to get real boys and girls. Not everyone is on the same page with you. This should not be a surprise. 🙄

Here’s the roundup of the stupid cry babies and so forth…

Video: America’s Comeback

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This Comes via The Other McCain:

RGA 2009 Chairman’s Report

Republican Governor’s Association HQ

The revolution starts today. What are you doing?

President Barack Obama and Fox News’s Bret Baier politely spar over Healthcare and Foreign Policy

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Here’s Part 1 and 2 of that:

You can go read the entire transcript of this interview by going here and reading it.

I have to give President Obama credit, after bashing Fox News and calling it “nothing more than a propaganda outlet”; he did show some guts by going into the lion’s den and going head to head with Bret Baier. That took some serious guts. It could help his image too; not with those on the hard right, but the independents, who voted for the guy with the “spine of steel”, as Vice President Joe Biden called it. Truthfully, the President has not been showing that so-called “Spine of Steel” here as of late. Maybe the White House is trying to improve the President’s image a bit, seeing that his poll numbers are down. Hence the interview.

I saw the interview on T.V. myself; I would not call it “combative” as I have seen it called on other blogs. I would call it politely testy, at times. I mean, there was no swearing and no calling the President an out liar, when he was obviously lying. I mean, If I would been running that interview, and he would have started in on the talking points; I would have stopped him and told him he was flat out lying and full of shit and would have demanded short and straight answers out of him. I would have also demanded that he answered the question of just who the hell does he think he is, to just swagger into the White House and start changing the established Heathcare system in this Country. I would have said, “You can do this, why? because you are black and entitled to it?” Which is probably why the interview was not giving by me. It would have lasted all of about five minutes. The next thing I would have asked him, was why he will not produce his original birth certificate and I would have brought up the fact that EVERY last damned President since the United States started keeping birth records has produced a birth certificate; and I would have asked him why the hell he feels exempted from this practice. Again, I would have asked him if he felt it was because he was black that he could bypass such things. I would have also brought up the fact that the so-called document that his campaign produced was, in fact, a forgery, which was pointed out by several well-known bloggers and was proven to be by three different forensic experts. None of whom would publicly identify themselves, for fear of reprisal from Obama’s campaign and from the Government itself.

So, in closing, it was a decent interview, not nearly as tough as it should have been. But it was and still is worth watching.

Crazy, Lonely, White Women?

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There seems to be an uptick in this sort of a thing, as of late:

Last Easter, Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, a 31-year-old mom with a $30,000-a-year job as a medical assistant, announced to her family that she had converted to Islam. A few months later, she began posting to Facebook forums whose headings included “STOP caLLing MUSLIMS TERRORISTS!”

On Sept. 11, she suddenly left Leadville, Colo., a small town in the Rocky Mountains, for Denver, then for New York, to meet and marry a Muslim man she connected with online, her family says. Ms. Paulin-Ramirez, who is 5-foot-11 and blonde, phoned her mother and stepfather in Leadville, providing them with an address in Waterford, Ireland, they say.

Toni Axelrod for The Wall Street Journal/Courtesy of the Holcomb Family

Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, a 31-year-old mom, is in the custody of the Irish police, along with six other individuals, arrested as part of an investigation into a conspiracy to commit murder.

Now, she is in the custody of the Irish police, along with six other individuals, arrested as part of an investigation into a conspiracy to commit murder, according to officials familiar with the case. The nature of the authorities suspicions about Ms. Paulin-Ramirez couldn’t be determined on Friday.

via A Colorado Mom Is Arrested in Terror Plot Case – WSJ.com.

There is a tiny bit of me, that seems to believe that this might be something more, than what meets the eye. I could be wrong and goodness knows, I hope I am. But it just makes me wonder. Obama’s FBI now scapegoating White Americans as crazed Muslim converts? I have no proof, but it does make me wonder. It just seems funny that suddenly this stuff starts happening, that’s all.

Others: The Jawa Report, Althouse, KUSA-TV, Atlas Shrugs, Jules Crittenden, The Other McCain, Jihad Watch, The Lonely Conservative and The Corner on National …

President Obama losing his base because he was oversold

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I knew this was coming, long ago..:

Is President Obama losing his base?

Liberal and progressive organizations that helped propel him to the White House are turning on him now, little more than a year after he took office. Their collective discontent, on issues from health care to nuclear energy to the handling of terrorism suspects, could mean bad news for Democrats during this fall’s congressional elections.

Polls show that liberals and blacks still approve of the job Obama’s doing. That approval, however, doesn’t necessarily mean they will make the effort to vote, and many of the activists and groups that worked to get people to the polls in 2008 say they’re not inclined right now to help Democrats in the fall.

“The energized base which transformed the nation and elected our first black president (is) now disengaged,” Democratic political strategist Donna Brazile says. “If this was September, I would hit the panic button.”

via Obama’s liberal base ‘disengaged’ – USATODAY.com.

There are a few thoughts that I have here about this situation:

First off; Obama was mostly elected, because Conservatives stayed home and did not vote, because they felt that John McCain was a lousy candidate — many of these same people disliked Sarah Palin as well. I happen to be one of those people.  Also some of the more elitist Conservatives and libertarians voted for Obama, because of his charm and charisma. Many of those same Conservatives and libertarians are now kicking themselves for that. Because they have painfully figured out, that President Obama is nothing more than a slick talking Chicago politician and it has become painfully aware to these people that they voted for an outright socialist.

Second of all; Many upper middle class and wealthy class white liberals voted for Obama, because they saw this a change to atone for the sins of the of the past of the white race here in America. These same people were tricked into believing that Obama somehow or another would magically solve the problems that are plaguing America right now. This is because Obama was marketed as some sort of Messianic figure that would change the political landscape in America, all because of his black skin, because he was the one that America needed and so on and so forth. Which was nothing more than a slick marketing tactic, this has become painfully aware to the moderates and Independents that voted for him. The question is, did Obama actually do all that? Oh He did alright! Obama successfully managed to get elected and proceeded to turn moderates, Conservative Democrats, and Independents against him! All in six months time; now that my friends takes talent.

Third of all; the far left base has turned against President Obama for basically the same reason listed above. Because the far left liberals thought that Obama was going to beckon to their every whim and pet cause. The far left was under this strange impression that Obama would end the war in Iraq, the very day he was sworn into office and would quickly end the war in Afghanistan. Again, this can be attributed to good marketing or in Obama’s case; excessive marketing of an image.  The problem is, that image was not grounded in reality, because for one; the Iraq war could not have been ended until the date set by the “Status of force agreement” with Iraq and the coalition forces and ending the Afghanistan war would be a threat to National security; Obama might be a socialist Democrat, but he is not a fool. Obama was not about to stop the Afghanistan war and open the floodgates of National Security threats on our Country. Even Obama is not that stupid.

Lastly; what this article does not take into account is the fact that Politics and the political winds do shift, ebb and flow. People get their impression of a man and it usually sticks. Sometimes this works to the advantage of the person in office —- and sometimes it does not. In Obama’s case, because of some of the early failures and because Obama did not kowtow to the far left in his Party, that impression has, so far, not been a good one.

Others: Shot in the Dark

UPDATED – Adam Yahiye Gadahn Caught – It was not Adam Yahiye Gadahn It was Abu Yahya

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Three Words:

Good, Good and Good.

I wonder if President Obama will want to give this guy a civilian trial too?

Round up Here.

Update: Perhaps Not. You’d think they would be able to do this a little better… Oy. 🙄

Is Obama selling Judge Seats to pass Obamacare?

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I generally like to avoid crap like this, because it makes me look like I am a part of the right wing echo chamber.

But if this right here is even remotely true, ol’ Barry could be looking at trouble come midterms, especially if the Congress flips back to a Republican Majority.

Now according to Politico, the charges are totally unfounded:

But Rep. Matheson’s office gave Live Pulse an answer — and it’s a resounding N-O.

Rep. Matheson’s spokeswoman, Alyson Heyrend called the question “patently ridiculous,” saying there was no deal made between her boss and the president that guranteed Scott Matheson’s nomination in exchange for Rep. Matheson’s vote.

“Can you spell NO?” Heyrend asked.

The White House did not return a request for comment.

In a statement today, Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch praised Matheson’s nomination calling him, “a bright attorney whose experience has prepared him for judicial service.”

UPDATE: A White House official calls the charge “absurd.”

“Scott Matheson is a leading law scholar and has served as a law school dean and U.S. Attorney. He’s respected across Utah and eminently qualified to serve on the federal bench,” the official said.

Let’s just hope, for the Country’s sake that these guys are on the level. Because if this did turn out to be true, there would be hell to pay. I, like Bill O’Reilly am willing to give the President the benefit of doubt on this one here. I will not jump on the bandwagon and accuse the President of something that I do not know to be true. It is just how I operate. I did this same thing for President George W. Bush during the beginning and in the lead up to the Iraq War.

Of course, the entire right wing right now is in full frontal assault mode on this one, and you can go read it if you wish. The Bloggers are: Right Pundits, Townhall.com, Salt Lake Tribune, KSL-TV, NewsBusters.org, Wonk Room, Big Government,  Power Line, Hot Air, Pundit & Pundette, Althouse, Left Coast Rebel, Betsy’s Page, The Lonely Conservative, RedState, JOSHUAPUNDIT, Moonbattery, Michelle Malkin, The Strata-Sphere and Another Black Conservative

Desperate Progressives Accusing Glenn Beck of being a Nazi and play the ‘Jew Card’

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You know that progressives are scared out of their minds, when you start reading headlines like this: (H/T American Conservative Values)

Glenn Beck’s eliminationist attacks on progressives: How long before someone acts on this violent rhetoric?

To wild applause, he labeled this alleged tumor of “community” the supposedly evil “progressivism” — and he told disciples to “eradicate it” from the nation.

The lesson was eminently clear, coming in no less than the keynote address to one of America’s most important political conventions. Beck taught us that a once-principled conservative movement of reasoned activists has turned into a mob — one that does not engage in civilized battles of ideas. Instead, these torch-carriers, gun-brandishers and tea partiers follow an anti-government terrorist attack by cheering a demagogue’s demand for the physical annihilation of those with whom he disagrees — namely anyone, but particularly progressives, who value “community.”

Glenn Beck Finally Admitted His Great Desire: To ‘Eradicate’ Progressives

The lesson was eminently clear, coming in no less than the keynote address to one of America’s most important political conventions. Beck taught us that a once-principled conservative movement of reasoned activists has turned into a mob — one that does not engage in civilized battles of ideas. Instead, these torch-carriers, gun-brandishers and tea partiers follow an anti-government terrorist attack by cheering a demagogue’s demand for the physical annihilation of those with whom he disagrees — namely anyone, but particularly progressives, who value “community.”

Glenn Beck is a menace to civil society

You know I try to ignore Fox’s favorite idiot pundit but his speech at CPAC keeps coming back to me. He’s gone beyond relatively harmless kooky conspiracy theories into actively, if subliminally, promoting violence again…What motivates this kind of talk and behavior is called eliminationism: a politics and a culture that shuns dialogue and the democratic exchange of ideas in favor of the pursuit of outright elimination of the opposing side, either through suppression, exile, and ejection, or extermination.

But the one that really, really blew me away was this one here:

When Glenn Beck spits ‘progressive’ does anyone else hear ‘Jew’?

As someone who has been studying far right bigotry for 17 years now, I listen to this compilation of Glenn Beck talking about “progressives,” and I hear the same bigotry used to smear Jews over the years – but instead now the word being used instead of “Jew” is “progressive.”

Wow….. Just….Wow…. 😮 I had thought that John Aravosis was a bit more smarter than that. I guess I was wrong. Which is living proof that Progressive Liberalism is a mental disorder and that Homosexuality is an altered mental state. Anyone who equates Glenn Beck’s hatred of the Progressive movement to Hitler’s madness is idiot, plain and simple. I believe Jews everywhere ought to be screaming from the rafters about this one. I know if I were a Jewish person, I would be! 😡 For the doubters, I can assure you that you will never hear Glenn Beck calling for Progressives to be gassed or burned alive in crematoriums. Voted out of office, perhaps. But nothing more than that.  Further more, Glenn Beck also distinguishes between your standard Democrat and Liberal; and the far left Progressives, or as I like to call them; Neo-Marxists.

Just more reasons why I will never vote for Democratic Party candidate, ever again. Because if this is what the Democratic Party voters and their candidates believe, than I want nothing to do with it. The Democratic Party is in fact the National representative of the Progressive movement, and if this is feeling of the Progressive Movement, that they somehow are the “New Jews”, then it is over for me. I could never support a party that is now going to don the oppressed hat. That is idiotic at best.

Further more, the very idea that Glenn Beck himself could even inspire anyone to commit acts of violence is quite preposterous. I sometimes watch Glenn Beck, and I have never been inspired to commit violence against anyone who disagrees with my politics. Otherwise, my own parents would be dead! 😉  The inconvenient truth is, anyone who actually goes out and attempts to or does actually kill someone or a group of people of whom their politics clash has something going wrong in the gray matter upstairs.  It is a fact, right after the story broke about Joe Stack, who crashed his plane into the IRS office in Texas, Glenn Beck denounced the man as a “Whack Job” and make it very clear that he did not support any kind of violence at all.

The fact is that the Neo-Marxist, Progressive left is now feeling the heat and are being backed into a corner and they are doing everything in their power now to lash out and discredit those who are against their agenda. Whether this is coming on orders from the White House or not, remains to be seen. In fact, these articles quoted reek of the desperation of the Progressive Left and we can look forward to this sort of thing, leading up to the November elections. The Progressives are scared and are worried that everything that they worked for, could go up in smoke. For freedom loving Americans like me, this is a very good thing. I would love to see jobs back in this State, but as long as Progressive politics is controlling Michigan, we will never see those jobs.

So, to Glenn Beck; Keep sticking it to these bastards. They are running scared and are now playing the victim card.

Video: America Rising Part 2, A Call for the Republican Party

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(H/T The Left Coast Rebel)

Video: The Confession of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed ‘From A to Z’

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I posted this once, but the man’s video got taken down by the video service.

So, here it is again.

Please, if you like this, put it on your blog or website and promote it. Everyone who believes that the War on Terror is a real thing, should watch and promote this.

MILD CONTENT WARNING

Official Site

Harry Reid channels his inner John Kerry

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….and does his best flip flop ever!

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid led colleagues and the White House to believe he supported a bipartisan jobs bill — only to scuttle the plan as soon as it was released Thursday over concerns it could be used to batter Democratic incumbents, according to Senate sources.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) worked for weeks with Reid’s blessing and frequent involvement to craft an $85 billion jobs bill, a measure that seemed destined to break the partisan logjam that has ground the Senate to a halt.

But as Baucus, Grassley and President Barack Obama were preparing to celebrate a rare moment of bipartisan Kumbaya on Thursday, Reid stunned a meeting of Senate Democrats by announcing he was scrapping Baucus-Grassley, replacing it with a much cheaper, more narrowly crafted, $15 billion version.

“Grassley and three to four Republicans would have voted for it, but all the other Republicans would have beaten the living s—t out of us [during the 2010 midterms], claiming the bill was too bloated,” said a Democrat who supported Reid’s decision, explaining the leader’s logic.

Few felt as good about the decision: Republicans say the about-face will only add to an already poisonous partisan atmosphere, liberal Democrats think the bill is too small to do much good and the powerful negotiators of the bipartisan package were left embarrassed, demoralized and befuddled.

via Reid’s about-face stuns Dems, W.H. – POLITICO.com.

What further proof do we need that Democrats do not have the ability to lead? If this is not a sign that the Democrats are fearing the worst in November, I do not know what is. The election is going to be a very interesting one. I cannot wait till it happens.

Others: Hot Air, Michelle Malkin, The Lonely Conservative, , Left Coast Rebel, QandO,  Commentary,  Wake up America, 

Obama Administration to Iran, ‘Saber rattle this douche nozzle’

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I have to give President Obama credit, he does have his head on straight with Iran. It seems that President Obama’s overtures to that regime in Iran fell on deaf ears; and the President knows it. So, when Iran came out with some saber rattling the President decided enough is enough and is taking the battle to Iran.

The Story Via The U.K. Guardian:

Audio Report:

[podcast]http://download.guardian.co.uk/audio/kip/standalone/world/1265010933312/1925/gdn.new.100201.tm.Chris-McGreal.mp3[/podcast]

Story:

Tension between the US and Iran heightened dramatically today with the disclosure that Barack Obama is deploying a missile shield to protect American allies in the Gulf from attack by Tehran.

The US is dispatching Patriot defensive missiles to four countries – Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait – and keeping two ships in the Gulf capable of shooting down Iranian missiles. Washington is also helping Saudi Arabia develop a force to protect its oil installations.

American officials said the move is aimed at deterring an attack by Iran and reassuring Gulf states fearful that Tehran might react to sanctions by striking at US allies in the region. Washington is also seeking to discourage Israel from a strike against Iran by demonstrating that the US is prepared to contain any threat.

The deployment comes after Obama’s attempts to emphasise diplomacy over confrontation in dealing with Iran – a contrast to the Bush administration’s approach – have failed to persuade Tehran to open its nuclear installations to international controls. The White House is now trying to engineer agreement for sanctions focused on Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, believed to be in charge of the atomic programme.

Washington has not formally announced the deployment of the Patriots and other anti-missile systems, but by leaking it to American newspapers the administration is evidently seeking to alert Tehran to a hardening of its position.

The administration is deploying two Patriot batteries, capable of shooting down incoming missiles, in each of the four Gulf countries. Kuwait already has an older version of the missile, deployed after Iraq’s invasion. Saudi Arabia has long had the missiles, as has Israel.

An unnamed senior administration official told the New York Times: “Our first goal is to deter the Iranians. A second is to reassure the Arab states, so they don’t feel they have to go nuclear themselves. But there is certainly an element of calming the Israelis as well.”

President Obama’s domestic policy might be that of Jimmy Carter’s class; but it when it comes to foreign policy, The President is no idiot, that is for sure. President Obama knows that if Iran strikes against Israel that The United States would be drawn into the conflict. This is simply a measure of protection for Israel, The United States AND other Arab Nations as well. As the L.A. Times points out:

The presence of additional forces should not be a major issue within the four countries accepting the stepped-up defenses. Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait all host major U.S. bases, and the government of the United Arab Emirates has a long-standing relationship with the American military.

U.S. officials also are working with allies in the Gulf to ensure freedom of navigation in the region. Arab countries worry that during a crisis, Iran could try to prevent their ships from traversing the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off their oil export business.

Obama administration officials also hope to head off an expanded nuclear arms race in the region. If Tehran acquires a nuclear weapon, or is seen as making progress toward acquiring one, wealthy Arab Gulf governments could seek their own weapons, a scenario Washington views as potentially volatile.

Karl (who’s subbing for AP and Ed, who are at meetings) adds:

Allahpundit/McLaughlin-esque exit question: Do these moves signal that Pres. Obama is taking the Iranian threat seriously, or are they another sign that he is planning for the day that the “international community” failed to stop Iran from getting the bomb?

I hate to say it, but I believe Ed has a point. The Obama Administration does see that this guy crazy man is not playing. President Obama knows that if he does nothing, it will show a sign of weakness. That is something that this President just cannot afford to let happen, for the United States sake and for the sake of the international community as well. While the Paleo-Conservative part of me laments the fact, that this could actually turn into another damned war. I also realize that the Country of Iran, is being ruled by a nut job, who is hell bent on confrontation with the rest of the World. I realize that this is a gamble that the United States and the rest of the World cannot afford to make. It encourages me to see that Obama realizes this and is upping the ante. I just pray that Iran sees this and blinks. Because the last thing we need right now, with our economy and involvement in other theaters; is another damned war.

WOW – For once, I agree with Jack Hunter

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Transcript Here:

This week the US Senate is debating whether to raise the national debt ceiling by $1.9 trillion, totaling a whopping $14.3 trillion, which is about the same size as the nation’s overall economy. Some estimate the cost of national healthcare would be in the ballpark of $1 trillion. The initial relief donation to Haiti by the US government was a relatively measly $100 million while the cost of the Iraq war alone has been estimated at $3 trillion dollars. Regardless, our government, and the debt to maintain it, keeps growing astronomically.

The old fashioned, biblical concept of charity is that it begins at home, and once a man has taken care of his family, property and immediate surroundings he can then afford to address greater concerns. Increasingly and sometimes tragically, America can no longer afford to address greater concerns—not that affordability will prevent our government from continuing to do so. The conservative’s task should be to prevent it from doing so, or “limiting” government–and not promoting its unlimited use at home or abroad, and certainly not to save the world.

For once; I actually agree with Jack Hunter. I am very glad that he spoke out on this. I mean, we’re fighting wars and our economy is in the toilet. But yet, we are sending millions of dollars into a Country that is so damn corrupt that they cannot even feed their own people? Give me a break.  We need to deal with our own and stop trying to be the World’s rescue dog. It is not like those people even appreciate what we are even doing there. Because we have already been accused of occupying the Country.

Bottom Line:  Jack Hunter is correct, Let private industry deal with that problem in Haiti and stop using the United States Government to deal every little situation that comes up.

Countdown to being called a RAAAAACIST!!!!! in 5……4…..3…..2….

Course Change: White House Orders New Location for 9/11 Mastermind Trial

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That was quick:

The White House ordered the Justice Department Thursday night to consider other places to try the 9/11 terror suspects after a wave of opposition to holding the trial in lower Manhattan.

The dramatic turnabout came hours after Mayor Bloomberg said he would “prefer that they did it elsewhere” and then spoke to Attorney General Eric Holder.

“It would be an inconvenience at the least, and probably that’s too mild a word for people that live in the neighborhood and businesses in the neighborhood,” Bloomberg told reporters.

“There are places that would be less expensive for the taxpayers and less disruptive for New York City.”

via White House asks Justice Department to look for other places to hold 9/11 terror trial.

I think the word Cluster Fark would be about the right word to use. 😛 Glad to see the White House coming to its senses on this one. What really needs to happen is the President needs to say, “Never Mind” and let the idiot be tried in a military court.

Others:   Michelle Malkin, Big Government, ,  Tammy Bruce, Hot Air, Gateway Pundit, New York Times, The Lonely Conservative, Weasel Zippers,  Don Surber (H/T Memeorandum)