Tag: White House

Obama’s Justice Dept. Releases Bush’s Justice Dept Secret Memos

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One must remember that these memo’s were drawn right after the attacks of September 11’th 2001. They were, for all intents and purposes rejected by the Bush Administration. However it does give a glimpse into the minds of those in charge of the country, in the days after September 11.

Via the AP:

The Obama administration threw open the curtain on years of Bush-era secrets Monday, revealing anti-terror memos that claimed exceptional search-and-seizure powers and divulging that the CIA destroyed nearly 100 videotapes of interrogations and other treatment of terror suspects.

The Justice Department released nine legal opinions showing that, following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Bush administration determined that certain constitutional rights would not apply during the coming fight. Within two weeks, government lawyers were already discussing ways to wiretap U.S. conversations without warrants.

The Bush administration eventually abandoned many of the legal conclusions, but the documents themselves had been closely held. By releasing them, President Barack Obama continued a house-cleaning of the previous administration’s most contentious policies.

"Too often over the past decade, the fight against terrorism has been viewed as a zero-sum battle with our civil liberties," Attorney General Eric Holder said in a speech a few hours before the documents were released. "Not only is that school of thought misguided, I fear that in actuality it does more harm than good."

The Obama administration also acknowledged in court documents Monday that the CIA destroyed 92 videos involving terror suspects, including interrogations — far more than had been known. Congressional Democrats and other critics have charged that some of the harsh interrogation techniques amounted to torture, a contention President George W. Bush and other Bush officials rejected.

Related segment on MSNBC, on Keith Olbermann’s Countdown:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Here are all of the said documents from the Justice Dept:
 

It must be emphasized that these opinions were rejected by the Bush Administration and never used, however, it does gives insight into the mindset of the previous Presidential Administration and Justice Department under the Bush Administration after the 9/11 attacks.

It has been already speculated that there could be prosecutions brought on, because of this document dump, and there are lawsuits pertaining to the destruction of tapes by the CIA, in regards to torture. 

I personally believe that this is just the tip of the iceberg of stunning revelations to come, about the conduction and secrets hidden by the former administration.

It will be an interesting story to follow indeed.

Others: Alan Colmes’ Liberaland, Reuters,  D-Day, Crooks and Liars, Washington Monthly, CBS News, ACLU, Prairie Weather and Think Progress

The President’s Weekly Address

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I offer this without commentary…

Video:


2/28/09: Your Weekly Address from White House on Vimeo.

President Obama explains how the budget he sent to Congress will fulfill the promises he made as a candidate, and assures special interests that he is ready for the fight. (this video is public domain)

Transcript: (Via White House)

Remarks of President Barack Obama
Weekly Address
Saturday, February 28th, 2009
Washington, DC

Two years ago, we set out on a journey to change the way that Washington works.

We sought a government that served not the interests of powerful lobbyists or the wealthiest few, but the middle-class Americans I met every day in every community along the campaign trail – responsible men and women who are working harder than ever, worrying about their jobs, and struggling to raise their families.  In so many town halls and backyards, they spoke of their hopes for a government that finally confronts the challenges that their families face every day; a government that treats their tax dollars as responsibly as they treat their own hard-earned paychecks.

That is the change I promised as a candidate for president.  It is the change the American people voted for in November.  And it is the change represented by the budget I sent to Congress this week.

During the campaign, I promised a fair and balanced tax code that would cut taxes for 95% of working Americans, roll back the tax breaks for those making over $250,000 a year, and end the tax breaks for corporations that ship our jobs overseas.  This budget does that.

I promised an economy run on clean, renewable energy that will create new American jobs, new American industries, and free us from the dangerous grip of foreign oil.  This budget puts us on that path, through a market-based cap on carbon pollution that will make renewable energy the profitable kind of energy; through investments in wind power and solar power; advanced biofuels, clean coal, and more fuel-efficient American cars and American trucks.

I promised to bring down the crushing cost of health care – a cost that bankrupts one American every thirty seconds, forces small businesses to close their doors, and saddles our government with more debt.  This budget keeps that promise, with a historic commitment to reform that will lead to lower costs and quality, affordable health care for every American.

I promised an education system that will prepare every American to compete, so Americans can win in a global economy.  This budget will help us meet that goal, with new incentives for teacher performance and pathways for advancement; new tax credits that will make college more affordable for all who want to go; and new support to ensure that those who do go finish their degree.

This budget also reflects the stark reality of what we’ve inherited – a trillion dollar deficit, a financial crisis, and a costly recession.  Given this reality, we’ll have to be more vigilant than ever in eliminating the programs we don’t need in order to make room for the investments we do need.  I promised to do this by going through the federal budget page by page, and line by line.  That is a process we have already begun, and I am pleased to say that we’ve already identified two trillion dollars worth of deficit-reductions over the next decade.  We’ve also restored a sense of honesty and transparency to our budget, which is why this one accounts for spending that was hidden or left out under the old rules.

I realize that passing this budget won’t be easy.  Because it represents real and dramatic change, it also represents a threat to the status quo in Washington.  I know that the insurance industry won’t like the idea that they’ll have to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that’s how we’ll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs for American families.  I know that banks and big student lenders won’t like the idea that we’re ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that’s how we’ll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable.  I know that oil and gas companies won’t like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that’s how we’ll help fund a renewable energy economy that will create new jobs and new industries.   In other words, I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight as we speak.  My message to them is this:

So am I.

The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long, but I don’t.  I work for the American people.  I didn’t come here to do the same thing we’ve been doing or to take small steps forward, I came to provide the sweeping change that this country demanded when it went to the polls in November.  That is the change this budget starts to make, and that is the change I’ll be fighting for in the weeks ahead – change that will grow our economy, expand our middle-class, and keep the American Dream alive for all those men and women who have believed in this journey from the day it began.

Thanks for listening.

Good News – United States pulls out of United Nations’ World Conference on Racism because of hostility towards Israel

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One word about this; Good.

Via The Politico:

White House aides told Jewish leaders on a conference call today that the United States will boycott the United Nations’ World Conference on Racism over hostility to Israel in draft documents prepared for the April conference.

The aides, including an advisor to U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, Jennifer Simon, and longtime Obama advisor Samantha Power, said the administration will not participate in further negotiations on the current text or participate in a conference based on the text, sources on the call said.

They left open the option of re-engaging on a “much shorter, much different text,” a source said.

The draft outcome document, typically negotiated in advance and available here (.pdf), contains sharp and specific criticism of Israel for its treatment of the Palestinians, and Western European nations and Canada have also signaled that they may boycott the conference in Geneva.

The conference is known informally as Durban II after a 2001 conference in South Africa that included a heavy focus on Israel and calls to reinstate a U.N. resolution equating Zionism and racism. Libya is chairing the preparatory meetings for this year’s conference, one of several factors prompting boycott calls.

Obama is expected to issue a statement on the subject later this afternoon, and the participants were asked not to discuss the call until a formal statement is released.

At the risk of being tagged a Obama Cheerleader or a Zionist Zealot; let me say this. I think that this is an absolutely excellent move on the President’s Part. To be clear, I do not support the United States of America showing deference or favoritism to any nation, at all. However, hostility that is rooted in a Anti-Semitic mentality is just absolutely wrong and goes against the core values of the United States, that all men are created equal in the sight of God.

I find it absolutely heartening that Obama sees this and is pulling out of this sort of a conference. Further more, this says quite a bit about the United Nations that they would allow such a horrific event to take place within their building, when, in fact, they claim to be an organization of peace.

Others: Hot Air, Little Green Footballs and The Campaign Spot

The Southern Avenger on “Affirmative Action GOP”

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How Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s awful Republican rebuttal to President Obama’s speech before Congress represents a wrongheaded and ill-fated GOP strategy of minority and gender identity politics.

The Southern Avenger’s Blog

The Southern Avenger’s Blog @ Taki’s Magazine

Swiss are not happy about US probe of UBS

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Now this is interesting:

The right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP) called on Saturday for retaliation against the United States over a U.S. tax probe into the country’s biggest bank UBS that threatens prized banking secrecy.

The populist SVP, the country’s biggest party, said Switzerland should not take in any detainees from the U.S. prison for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, which the Swiss government said last month it could consider to help shut the camp down.

Switzerland should also reconsider its policy of representing the United States in countries where it has no diplomatic presence, the parliamentary SVP said in a statement.

The SVP said gold stored by the Swiss National Bank in the United States should be repatriated and Switzerland should ban the sale of U.S. funds in the country to protect Swiss investors after the failure of U.S. regulators.

The SVP has one minister in the seven-member Swiss government which is made up of the biggest four parties, but its populist policies have shaken up usually consensual Swiss politics.

via Swiss party wants to punish U.S. for UBS probe – Reuters.

You see, this is what happens, when the United States entangles itself in the affairs of other Governments. Switzerland has been a neutral country for years and a somewhat friend of ours, now they’ve become a enemy. Real smart there Barry, Real fucking smart.


Obama to Unveil Class Warfare Plan

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I knew this was coming:

President Obama is putting the finishing touches on an ambitious first budget that seeks to cut the federal deficit in half over the next four years, primarily by raising taxes on business and the wealthy and by slashing spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, administration officials said.

In addition to tackling a deficit swollen by the $787 billion stimulus package and other efforts to ease the nation’s economic crisis, the budget blueprint will press aggressively for progress on the domestic agenda Obama outlined during the presidential campaign. This would include key changes to environmental policies and a major expansion of health coverage that Obama hopes to enact later this year.

A summary of Obama’s budget request for the fiscal year that begins in October will be delivered to Congress on Thursday, with the complete, multi-hundred-page document to follow in April. But Obama plans to unveil his goals for scaling back record deficits and rebuilding the nation’s costly and inefficient health care system Monday, when he addresses more than 100 lawmakers and budget experts at a White House summit on restoring “fiscal responsibility” to Washington.

In his weekly radio and Internet address today, Obama expressed determination to “get exploding deficits under control” and described his budget request as “sober in its assessments, honest in its accounting, and lays out in detail my strategy for investing in what we need, cutting what we don’t, and restoring fiscal discipline.”

Reducing the deficit, he said, is critical to the nation’s future: “We can’t generate sustained growth without getting our deficits under control.”

Obama faces the long-term challenge of retirement and health programs that threaten to bankrupt the government years down the road, as well as the more immediate problem of deficits bloated by spending on the economy and financial-system bailouts. His budget proposal takes aim at the short-term problem, administration officials said, but also would begin to address the nation’s chronic budget imbalance by squeezing savings from the federal health programs for the elderly and the poor.

Even before Congress approved the stimulus package earlier this month, this year’s deficit was projected by Congressional budget analysts to approach $1.2 trillion, or 8.3 percent of the overall economy, the highest since World War II. With the stimulus and other expenses, some analysts say the annual gap between federal spending and income could approach $2 trillion when the fiscal year ends in September.

Obama proposes to dramatically reduce those numbers by the end of his first term, cutting the deficit he inherited in half, said administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the budget has yet to be released. His budget plan would keep the deficit hovering near $1 trillion in 2010 and 2011, but shows it dropping to $533 billion in 2013 — still high in dollar terms, but a more manageable 3 percent of the overall economy.

To get there, Obama proposes to cut spending and raise taxes. The savings would come primarily from “winding down the war” in Iraq, a senior administration official said. The budget assumes that the nation will continue to spend money on “overseas military contingency operations” throughout Obama’s presidency, the official said, but that number is significantly lower than the nearly $190 billion the nation budgeted for Iraq and Afghanistan last year

via Washington Post – Obama to Unveil an Ambitious Budget Plan.

Well, one can forget about any new jobs coming to Michigan or anywhere else in America, because if Businesses are taxed, they will not hire new people. Just more class warfare from the Democrats. I also notice that Obama is cutting funds to Iraq and Afghanistan, that will be the precursor to ending the war. Because you cannot fight a war, if you do not have the funds.

We are headed into a repeat of the 1990’s all over again, ending the deficit on the backs of the wealthy in the Country, while the rest of Country gets off scott free. Where is the fairness in that? The reason why this is so bad is this, if you tax the wealthy and business owners, they are much less likely to hire new employees and also they are less likely to spend money, thereby adding to the economy. This whole idea of the Democrats of Tax and Spending our way out of our Economic woes is just plain idiotic.

We are headed towards very scary times in America. Act accordingly.

(H/T and Thanks to Drudge)

Awesome Karl Denninger lays the smack down on White Press Secretary Gibbs

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This is just too awesome!

Wow! I love it when smart people to stuff like that…

Karl Denninger’s Blog

(H/T Lew Rockwell)

Nothing ever changes in Washington D.C.

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Heh.

The Obama administration, siding with former President George W. Bush, is trying to kill a lawsuit that seeks to recover what could be millions of missing White House e-mails.

Two advocacy groups suing the Executive Office of the President say that large amounts of White House e-mail documenting Bush’s eight years in office may still be missing, and that the government must undertake an extensive recovery effort. They expressed disappointment that Obama’s Justice Department is continuing the Bush administration’s bid to get the lawsuits dismissed.

During its first term, the Bush White House failed to install electronic record-keeping for e-mail when it switched to a new system, resulting in millions of messages that could not be found.

The Bush White House discovered the problem in 2005 and rejected a proposed solution.

via Obama administration tries to kill e-mail case – AP.

Hey far lefty liberals! How’s that Hope and Change working out for ya eh? 😆 🙄

Too funny for words. What the Liberals get for putting all thier Faith and trust into a magic moonbat.

Others: Newshoggers.com,  Flopping Aces

So much for Hope and Change

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So much for that idea!

In his first weeks in office, President Barack Obama shut down his predecessor’s system for reviewing regulations, realigned and expanded two key White House policy making bodies and extended economic sanctions against parties to the conflict in the African nation of Cote D’Ivoire.

Despite the intense scrutiny a president gets just after the inauguration, Obama managed to take all these actions with nary a mention from the White House press corps.

The moves escaped notice because they were never announced by the White House Press Office and were never placed on the White House web site.

They came to light only because the official paperwork was transmitted to the Federal Register, a dense daily compendium of regulatory actions and other formal notices prepared by the National Archives. They were published there several days after the fact.

A Politico review of Federal Register issuances since Obama took office found three executive orders, one presidential memorandum, one presidential notice, and one proclamation that went unannounced by the White House.

via The White House’s missing documents – Josh Gerstein – Politico.com.

Normally, I would not give two flips about something like this, But Mr. B. Hussein Obama promise change and total transparency. What we have gotten is the the some old Washington politics. Nothing changed, just skin of the President is a bit darker and the political party is very different.

Others: protein wisdom, Townhall.com, Hot Air, NewsBusters.org, Outside The Beltway

Obama signs the Generational Theft Act and Promises Another, Markets Tank…

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I figured this was coming:

The Story:

President Obama has not ruled out a second stimulus package, his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said on Tuesday, just before Mr. Obama signed his $787 billion recovery package into law with a statement that it would “set our economy on a firmer foundation.”

The president said he would not pretend “that today marks the end of our economic problems.”

“Nor does it constitute all of what we have to do to turn our economy around,” Mr. Obama said at the signing ceremony in the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. “But today does mark the beginning of the end, the beginning of what we need to do to create jobs for Americans scrambling in the way of playoffs.”

Mr. Gibbs, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on the way to Denver, said, “I think the president is going to do what’s necessary to grow this economy.” While “there are no particular plans at this point for a second stimulus package,” he added, “I wouldn’t foreclose it.”

Mr. Obama began the first leg of a two-day trip, using the museum ceremony to spotlight the bill’s clean-energy provisions. The president will also visit Phoenix, where he will unveil his new housing plan on Wednesday.

After a bruising legislative battle on the stimulus bill, which drew only three supporting votes from Republicans in the Senate and none in the House, the White House is trying to recapture the debate over the economy. Mr. Obama’s message is that the bill will create or save 3.5 million jobs over the next two years.

While the bill has been criticized by conservatives as bloated with pork-barrel spending, it has also been criticized by the left as too tepid and not bold enough to jumpstart the economy. Mr. Gibbs’s remarks on the plane seemed to echo that concern.

In describing the package, the press secretary called it “a strong start towards economic viability” and “the beginning of getting our economy back on track.”

via Signing Stimulus Bill, Obama Does Not Rule Out Another – NYTimes.com.

I figured Obama would do this, sign one porkus bill into law and say, “This is not the end, but just the beginning of the pork!”

Meanwhile, the markets basically tanked, even more so than last week: (Via the New York Times)

From Hong Kong to eastern Europe to Wall Street, financial gloom was everywhere on Tuesday.

Stock markets around the world staggered lower. In New York, the Dow fell more than 3 percent, coming within sight of its worst levels since the credit crisis erupted. Financial shares were battered. And rattled investors clamored to buy rainy-day investments like gold and Treasury debt.

It was a global wave of selling spurred by rising worries about how banks, automakers — entire countries — would fare in a deepening global downturn.

“Nobody believes it’s going get better yet,” said Howard Silverblatt, senior index analyst at Standard & Poor’s. “Do you see that light at the end of the tunnel? Any kind of light? Right now, it’s not there yet.”

At the close, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 297.81 points or 3.7 percent to 7,552.29 points as losses in General Motors, Bank of America and American Express dragged the blue chips lower. The only Dow stock in positive territory was Wal-Mart, which rose after reporting better-than-expected profits.

“If we get substantially below 800 then look out below,” said Marc Groz, chief investment officer at Topos, a risk-advisory firm in Greenwich, Conn.

The broader Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index slid 3.7 percent to drop below 800, which analysts said was an important trading threshold.

Investors know what this is, it is basically nationalization of our Economy, our banks, everything. They are just not going to invest money in a Government owned banking system. I believe this drop is just the beginning. Wait till it totally collapses and the world is thrust into chaos. It will be an interesting time, indeed.

D’oh! Obama Says “Stimulus Bill will let Caterpillar rehire people”; Caterpillar Says, No, it won’t

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A rather snort worthy blurb!

President Obama today repeated the claim we asked about yesterday at the press briefing that Jim Owens, the CEO of Caterpillar, Inc., “said that if Congress passes our plan, this company will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off.”

Caterpillar announced 22,000 layoffs last month.

But after the president left the event, Owens said the exact opposite.

Asked if the stimulus package would be able to stop the 22,000 layoffs or not, Owens said, “I think realistically no. The truth is we’re going to have more layoffs before we start hiring again”

“It is going to take some time before that stimulus bill” means re-hiring, he said.

via Political Punch: D’oh! Caterpillar CEO Contradicts President on Whether Stimulus Will Allow Him to Re-Hire Laid Off Workers.

You’d think Obama would learn them supporters to stick to the script!

HotAir.com’s AllahPundit Snarks:

Exit question: How soon before Tapper gets kicked off Air Force One?

Ha! That’s just too funny. 😆

I do believe however that many people in America are thinking, “How long until President Obama get’s his shit together?”

It’s a very valid question.

Others:RedState and Stop The ACLU

Senator Judd Gregg withdraws his nomination for Commerce Secretary, White House Shocked

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Now this is a shock 😮

President Obama’s choice for Commerce Secretary, Senator Judd Gregg, withdrew his nomination on Thursday. He said there were “irresolvable conflicts” between him and the administration.

“It has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census, there are irresolvable conflicts for me,” Mr. Gregg said in a statement. “Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy.”

The withdrawal comes one week after Mr. Gregg was named to become the third Republican member of the Obama Cabinet. It is the second time that the Commerce Secretary position has been vacant within the last month.

Mr. Gregg, a Republican of New Hampshire, had not resigned his seat in the Senate. He has been away from the Senate floor this week, presumably preparing for his confirmation, and did not vote on the administration’s economic stimulus plan.

via Gregg Withdraws as Commerce Secretary Nominee – The Caucus Blog – NYTimes.com.

Unreal. I believe that Obama’s idea of Bipartisanship is going down in flames. Obviously, the White House was caught off guard.

Update: Yup, the White House was caught off guard.

More via Memeornadum

The White House is Hiring – Liberals only need apply

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This is pretty funny.

We’re happy to announce that the jobs application feature is now live on WhiteHouse.gov. The Jobs Application feature enables people everywhere to apply to be considered for a political appointment in President Obama’s Administration. You can get to it by clicking on the “Jobs” link at the very bottom of each of the pages on WhiteHouse.gov.

That link will take you to a page which tells you a little bit more about the application process, with a a button at the bottom marked, “Begin Application Form.” That’s where you fill out your information, upload a resume, and tell us what kinds of positions you’re interested in. But a quick heads up – you have to complete the application in one session, and it’s going to take you about 15 minutes to do it. So before you start, you might want to print the Paper Application, gather up the information you’ll need, then sign back in.

via The White House – Blog Post – Apply for a job.

Of course, if you are White, Bitter, Clingy, Anti-Illegal immigration,  Conservative type; you need not apply. Only Black,  God-Denying, Baby Killing, Gay Enabling, Open border Advocate, Liberals need bother applying.

Video: Excuse Me, Mr. President

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Looks like not all Liberals are enthralled with the New Liberal President….

This comes via After Downing Street:

To be clear, I don’t agree with him on Afghanistan. But on the Iraq War, I do, 100 percent. As for the Bush Administration, as much as I hate to say it;  Obama will not do what this man and the far left wants, he just cannot risk the political capital on a crimes tribunal.

But it does give voice to those who are of this mindset. Furthermore, if this is the growing consensus amongst the far left and also amongst independents, who did elect him, Obama will be a one term President. Of course, if this Economic Stimulus fails, Obama will be a one term President. Because the American people are not too happy about all this money being spent. Also, Congress will pay as well. Michelle Malkin is right , the Democrats always overreach and when they do, disaster happens. Then the tide turns and the other party gets in and the same cycle repeats. Been this way since the two party system started and will be this way, until a Switzerland style of Government is implemented here. Which will never happen, too many money bags controlling the strings.

(H/T Freedom’s Phoenix)

Video: The Obama Fraud

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An Excellent Video…..

(Via Freedom’s Phoenix)

Red State Update on Obama’s Stimulus News Conference

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Jackie and Dunlap on Obama’s first prime-time news conference. Stimulus pimpin’ and Elkhart bashin’ ensue.

Congression Budget Office says the Economic Slump will end mid-2009

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This is quite interesting:

The non-partisan Congression Budget Office reports the current economic slump will end sometime around mid-2009.

Keep in mind Obama himself admits any effect he thinks his government expansion will have on the economy won’t take place until 2010 — well after the slump will end anyway.

Between that, and the CBO’s research last week showing Obama plan will cause long-term damage to the economy, and that the economy will bounce back faster without the package, why is the Senate even considering a $1,100,000,000,000.00 Frankenstein’s moster of wealth transfers and fatter government?

It probably has much to do with the fact much of the money lines the pockets of groups that deliver votes to Democrats, and much of that borrowed taxpayer money could even end up in Democrat campaign accounts by way of funneling through labor unions, ACORN and such.

The only thing the package appears to be stimulating are government growth and Democrat vote-delivering mechanisms.

via CBO: Economic slump will end mid-2009 | Libertarian Party.

You can read this for yourself here. (It’s a PDF file, requires Adobe Reader)

So, basically all this money is being wasted for no reason. So typical for Washington D.C.

(Via IPR)

Even more Tax Problems for Obama’s Appointments?

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This is getting to be a bit of a strange thing!

The husband of President Obama’s choice to head the Labor Department paid about $6,400 Wednesday to settle tax liens that had been outstanding for as long as 16 years against his business, the Obama administration said Thursday.

The disclosure came shortly before a scheduled 2 p.m. meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which will vote on U.S. Rep. Hilda Solis’ nomination as Labor secretary. The hearing was postponed to give the administration time to look into the tax matter and report back to the committee, said Anthony Coley, a spokesman for Sen. Edward Kennedy, the committee chairman. Solis is a California Democrat.

At a news conference, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said of Solis: “I read the story in USA TODAY and it quotes somebody who works here. Obviously we know about the story. We reviewed her tax returns and her tax returns are in order. Her husband had an issue.”

via Husband of Rep. Solis, Labor nominee, settles tax liens – USATODAY.com.

Oy. I’m starting to really wonder about Obama selection committee. I mean, is it staffed by monkeys, or just idiotic buffoons? I mean, how the heck hard is it to find out if someone has a tax problem? Really.

Others: TalkLeft, The Swamp, Hot Air, Weekly Standard, The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room, Michelle Malkin, Salon, Glenn Thrush’s Blogs, The Foundry, The Note, TPMDC, Government Bytes and Boston Globe

(via Memeorandum)

Update on the Kentucky Ice Storm

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Michelle Malkin links to a few blogs providing coverage of the ice storm in Kentucky and the piss poor response from FEMA and the fact that “The One” is all but non-existant to the people down there.

Click Here and Here

I just want to go on record saying that I happen to think that lack of personal response from that “Magic Fool” in the White House is absolutely disgusting. The very idea that he would totally ignore a group of people, because of the possibility that the group of people did not vote for him, is absolutely treasonous!

I also find it amazing that the Liberal Main Stream media is totally ignoring this problem.

But that’s the Liberals for you! 🙄

New York Times turns on Daschle appointment

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Now this is a switch!  It seems that the cheerleader section for the Obama Administration has basically thrown one of their own under the bus. How quaint.

Via the Ol’ Gray Lady:

When President Obama nominated former Senator Tom Daschle to be his secretary of health and human services, it seemed to be a good choice. Mr. Daschle, as the co-author of a book on health care reform, knew a lot about one of the president’s signature issues. As a former Senate majority leader, he also knew a lot about guiding controversial bills through Congress, where he remains liked and respected by former colleagues.

Unfortunately, new facts have come to light — involving his failure to pay substantial taxes that were owed and his sizable income from health-related companies while he worked in the private sector — that call into question his suitability for the job. We believe that Mr. Daschle ought to step aside and let the president choose a less-blemished successor.

Mr. Daschle’s tax shortfall is particularly troubling because it comes on the heels of another nominee’s failure to pay taxes due. We were not pleased when the president’s Treasury secretary, Timothy Geithner, admitted that he had failed to pay tens of thousands of dollars in federal self-employment taxes while working for the International Monetary Fund despite having signed paperwork acknowledging the obligation.

Now we are confronted with an even larger lapse by Mr. Daschle, who failed to pay $128,000 in taxes, primarily for personal use of a car and driver provided to him by a private equity firm for which he consulted. Although the firm — headed by a major Democratic donor — had not issued a form 1099 for the value of the car service, Mr. Daschle said he became concerned last June that he might owe taxes on it and instructed his accountant to investigate. Neither was concerned enough to actually pay the taxes.

[……]

In both the Geithner and Daschle cases, the failure to pay taxes is attributed to unintentional oversights. But Mr. Daschle is one oversight case too many. The American tax system depends heavily on voluntary compliance. It would send a terrible message to the public if we ignore the failure of yet another high-level nominee to comply with the tax laws.

[…..]

Mr. Daschle is another in a long line of politicians who move cozily between government and industry. We don’t know that his industry ties would influence his judgments on health issues, but they could potentially throw a cloud over health care reform. Mr. Daschle could clear the atmosphere by withdrawing his name.

I could sit here and tell you, that I am shocked that the New York Times is turning on this appointment. But honestly? I am not, and I will tell you why. Honesty and integrity go a long way in Government. It would be derelict of me, however not to point out that a few other Senators are guilty of the same thing. Like Al Franken and Charlie Rangel for instance. As this article above says, our tax system, as unfair and heavy handed as it might seem to some, does rely heavily on a voluntary compliance. The question is what kind of message does it sent to the American people, if we have tax cheats in our high ranking offices in the United States Government? Not a very good one, I am afraid.

The real question is; will President Obama heed the advice of the New York Times? Something tells me that he will not, because Obama has said in the past, that he is not going to make decisions based upon what other people think. (Kind of like the guy that proceeded him….) So, it will be interesting to watch this unfold. Obama, the man whom basically the New York Times and other Liberal media outlets elected basically tells those same people to stow it and does what he wants to. Now that will make for some interesting blogging!

Update: It is being reported now, by various outlets that Tom Daschle has withdrawn his name.

Others on the subject:  Commentary,  Hot Air, , Soccer Dad, Power Line,  Riehl World View

(Via Memeorandum)

Japan’s Economy on the verge of collapse as well.

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Russia is not the only one. Japan now is on the verge of collapse as well.

A reader chided me for not making note of the truly dreadful factory output figures released last Thursday, which showed a fall of 9.6%.

I have to confess that I have fallen into “Japan bad news” syndrome, in that I expect bad news out of Japan and therefore did not focus enough on the details. And while I do not aspire to covering every financial news story (that’s what the MSM is for), the latest figures paint a grim picture, even by our new, desensitized standards.

It wasn’t simply that December was truly awful, but it came on top of a nearly-as-bad November

via naked capitalism: Veneroso: Japan on the Edge of the Abyss.

Again, this is what happens when you inflate a money supply and create a bubble.

Yves continues:

Yves here. I only get the privilege of reading Veneroso now and again, but I cannot recall him taking a tone remotely like what follows:

I have been writing about an Asian black hole for almost two months now. I have been crying from the rooftops about an emerging depression in Japan. It has been as though a neutron bomb had gone off in the world. There was no one who seemed to notice, no one who seemed to listen.

Every week it gets worse and worse and worse. Today it was Japan….

THERE HAS NEVER BEEN DATA THIS BAD FOR ANY MAJOR ECONOMY – EVEN IN THE GREAT DEPRESSION. December industrial production came in down 9.6%, worse than the METI forecast. It is now down almost 21% year over year. METI forecasts a further 4.7% decline in February. The inventory to production ratio soared again. Maybe METI will be correct.

If it is, Japan industrial production will have fallen 28% (non annualized) in four months. It will have fallen by a third in about a year. Nothing in the history of major nations compares. A 28% decline in four months would be more than half of the entire decline in U.S. industrial production over the 3 years and nine months of the U.S. Great Depression.

It would be a greater decline in four months than in any 12 month period in the Great Depression in the U.S. We are literally looking at the unimaginable. (I am attaching the U.S. industrial production index from the Great Depression for comparison).

IT’S A DEPRESSION IN JAPAN – ALREADY – PURE AND SIMPLE.

If this is true, unless President Obama can pull some sort of a miracle out of his rather skinny ass. We are in deep trouble. The reason I say this is because we are in a Globalist Economy, whether we like it or not, and Japan’s failures are our failures as well.

I think it will get much worse, before it gets any better. 🙁

(Via Freedom’s Phoenix)

More on Kentucky Ice Storm-Gate

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It seems that the Jammie Wearing Fool has Blogged on what I reported Yesterday.

Mr. Jammie writes:

Can you imagine the media reaction if this were George W. Bush? Heck, we’re still hearing about Hurricane Katrina nearly four years later.

Yes, I could. That’s because it happened while there was a Republican in office and the Democrats used that as a rallying cry for change. Oh, and because there were black people in involved too. But Because these are White Southerners and possibly even Conservatives, nobody in the liberal media cares.

Mr. Jammie also says:

Is Obama even aware what’s going on in Kentucky? I know he’s very busy between trashing Wall Street and Rush Limbaugh, but could he at least acknowledge these poor folks and get them some help?

I am sure that Obama is aware, whether cares or not, is another story. You have to remember those are the “Bitter and Clingy” one’s that did not vote for him. Kind of like the blacks in New Orleans who did not vote for Bush. It is simple case of, “Do I want to help these people? After all, they did not vote for me anyhow!” Perhaps it is a bit of a revenge towards the southern white community for what happened in New Orleans. Perhaps “President” Obama is saying to himself, “Let them damned honkeys suffer, after all MY people suffered more in New Orleans and even more so 300 years ago!”

So, I suppose this is revenge for what our forefathers did many years ago.

Update: Michelle Malkin finally gets around to blogging about it

Others: Associated Press, The Sundries Shack, Political Machine, Ed Driscoll.com, RedState, The Jawa Report and The Other McCain

Daschle-Gate Continues

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The Scandal continues:

President Obama’s choice for health secretary, Tom Daschle, was aware as early as last June that he might have to pay back taxes for the use of a car and driver provided by a private equity firm, but did not inform the Obama transition team until weeks after Mr. Obama named him to the health secretary’s post, senior administration officials said Saturday.

As Senate Democrats rushed to save the nomination of Mr. Daschle, their former leader, the White House spent the day trying to explain how he survived its vetting process despite his failure to pay $128,000 in taxes.

The White House would not say when the president himself learned of the tax issue, but said Mr. Obama is standing by his nominee.

“The president believes that nobody is perfect, but that nobody is trying to hide anything,” Robert Gibbs, the president’s press secretary, said in an interview, adding, “I think Senator Daschle rightly is going to have to answer questions, but I think members will be satisfied with the answers that he gives and will understand that he’s the right man for the job.”

At least six leading Democratic senators have come out in support of Mr. Daschle, but the fate of his nomination is unclear. The Senate Finance Committee, which is charged with holding a confirmation hearing on Mr. Daschle’s nomination, will meet behind closed doors Monday to discuss his taxes. After Timothy F. Geithner, Mr. Obama’s Treasury secretary, faced similar issues, some senators may have little appetite for confirming another nominee with tax problems.

“It’s totally shocking,” an aide to a Democratic senator said Saturday. “Why do we have to continue to have the same story over and over again with these nominees?”

via Daschle Knew of Tax Issues Over Car Use Last June – NYTimes.com.

I find it absolutely amazing that the Democrats would still confirm this guy, after learning about all these indiscretions. But then again, integrity is not one of the Democrats strengths. If the shoe was on the other foot. The Republicans would have already withdrawn his nomination and someone else would have been offered.  But because he is one the team of “The One”, he will confirmed and his tax problems quickly forgotten. Funny how that works, is it not?

Others: Althouse, Betsy’s Page, JustOneMinute

(via Memeornadum)

So much for that idea!

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How’s that appeasing the terrorists idea working out for ya Barry?

The Video: (via BreitBart)

The Story:

US President Barack Obama’s offer to talk to Iran shows that America’s policy of “domination” has failed, the government spokesman said on Saturday.

“This request means Western ideology has become passive, that capitalist thought and the system of domination have failed,” Gholam Hossein Elham was quoted as saying by the Mehr news agency.

“Negotiation is secondary, the main issue is that there is no way but for (the United States) to change,” he added.

After nearly three decades of severed ties, Obama said shortly after taking office this month that he is willing to extend a diplomatic hand to Tehran if the Islamic republic is ready to “unclench its fist”.

In response, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad launched a fresh tirade against the United States, demanding an apology for its “crimes” against Iran and saying he expected “deep and fundamental” change from Obama.

Iranian politicians frequently refer to the US administration as the “global arrogance”, “domineering power” and “Great Satan”.

Tensions with the United States have soared over Iran’s nuclear drive and Ahmadinejad’s vitriolic verbal attacks against Washington’s close regional ally Israel.

Former US president George W. Bush refused to hold talks with the Islamic republic — which he dubbed part of an “axis of evil” — unless it suspended uranium enrichment, and never took a military option to thwart Tehran’s atomic drive off the table.

The new administration of Obama has also refused to rule out any options — including military strikes — to stop Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

Iran denies any plans to build the bomb and insists its nuclear programme is solely aimed at peaceful ends.

via Iran says Obama’s offer to talk shows US failure.

One would think that the Democrats would learn from history. But, as we all know, Liberals have short memory spans. Kind of like the rest of America. 🙄

Obama would be wise to wait till after the elections in Iran to try and do this, because right now, that meatball Ahmadinejad is in power; and that guy is about nutty as they come. I’ve read before that not all of Iran likes the guy, especially among the people on the ground in the cities. So, the election should tell it, unless it s rigged, like the rest of that part of the world.

But then again, we are talking about Liberal Moonbats. 😛

Others on the subject:  Townhall.com, Little Green Footballs, Jihad Watch, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, Don Surber and Newshoggers.com

(For those coming over and wondering why I trackbacked the wrong story… sorry, I make a mistake, I quickly fixed it…)

Barry will pork the budget, but cut our defense.

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The Dad-blasted idiot!

The Obama administration has asked the military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to cut the Pentagon’s budget request for the fiscal year 2010 by more than 10 percent — about $55 billion — a senior U.S. defense official tells FOX News.

Last year’s defense budget was $512 billion. Service chiefs and planners will be spending the weekend “burning the midnight oil” looking at ways to cut the budget — looking especially at weapons programs, the defense official said.

Some overall budget figures are expected to be announced Monday.

Obama met Friday at the White House with a small group of military advisers, including Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman, and Gen. Jim Jones, National Security Council chairman.

via Defense Official: Obama Calling for Defense Budget Cuts –  FOXNews.com.

He does this, but he’ll pork the hell out of that stimulus package.  What a damned douche nozzle! 😡

I know what I’d like to call ol’ Bambi right about now. But I’m biting my tongue….. quite hard.

Others: RedState, Josh_Painter’s blog, Hot Air, Stop The ACLU Gateway Pundit, Riehl World View, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, The Jawa Report and Cold Fury