Archive for June, 2010

David Karki

As of this writing, General Stanley McChrystal, commander of American forces in Afghanistan, has tendered his resignation to President Obama. It remains to be seen if Obama will accept it – more on that in a minute – but we can only hope that this will lead to a major light being shined on Obama’s deliberate losing there, something I believe he intended to do from the first but had to lie about to get elected.

Necessary.

And, in turn, what it really means to not only have the enemy inside the gates, but in command.

What we know for sure is that the Obama administration has given the military rules of engagement in Afghanistan that makes it impossible to win.

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Dan Calabrese

Conservative activists all across the Internet appear ready to coronate Gen. Stanley McChrystal as king of America for his just-released interview in Rolling Stone – in which he excoriates President Obama and just about the entire civilian military command structure.

Another fine mess.

As satisfying as it may be whenever someone takes Obama down a notch, McChrystal’s behavior is indefensible, and there’s no way it can be good for the country.

OK, look, let’s not shy away from the obvious. Obama is obviously not the right man for the job of commander-in-chief. He doesn’t appreciate America’s role in the world, and obviously doesn’t have his heart in any battle we might fight. McChrystal’s opinions about Obama and the rest of his administration might be 100 percent correct.

That doesn’t matter a hill of beans.

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Bob Maistros

“We have a new privileged class in America …. Who serves whom here? Is the public sector—as some of us have always thought—there to serve the rest of society? Or is it the other way around?” Governor Mitch Daniels (R-IN), Politico

Government of the unions, by the unions, for the unions?

“Organized labor just flushed $10 million of their members’ money down the toilet on a pointless exercise.” “Unnamed White House official” on spending by the AFL-CIO, SEIU, AFSCME on behalf of the primary opponent of Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Politico

With apologies to Paula Green and Malcolm Dodds (click here to see the original)

Look for the union label
When we are buying the Senate or House.
You’ll know that somewhere government’s growing
Your wages going to our nest eggs and sacred cows.
We worked hard to reform health care
For stimulus, GM, and cap and trade
So always look for the union label
It means the table
Is full of jobs of union-grade.

Look for the union label
As Uncle Sam’s debt continues to climb.
And as we fleece you, we’ll soon be Greece, you’ll
See the increase to Andy Stern’s logs of White House time.
We spend hard on Dems’ campaigning.
Thanks to Obama you’re paying our way.
So always look for the union label,
It says we’re able
To take over the U.S.A.

Bob Franken

Like many reporters I can read upside down. It’s a skill that’s useful when you want to sneak a peek at stuff an unwary official or politician leaves naked on his desk or nude notes on his lap.

Back in my TV puberty in Cleveland, a presidential candidate came to town and was sitting down with the usual rotation of local yokel anchor types, like me, who could be expected to ask puffball questions and get canned non-answers.

Puppet disrupter.

The aforementioned candidate’s staff (his identity doesn’t matter) had prepared his crib sheet and he carelessly left it sitting there for me to, uh, crib. I could see he was going to wow me (the sheet included my name) and the audience with specific figures about the area’s unemployment rate, and industries, so no matter what my inquiry he’d work them into his answer.

I hated that. So I began by saying “Senator _______, the unemployment rate here is (whatever his sheet said it was) and the (ditto) industry here has been particularly hard hit…” Then I continued with my question. The poor guy had nothing to say. The response was so generic, he didn’t even bother to use my name.

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Dan Calabrese

According to Sen. John Kyl (R-Arizona), President Obama told him in a private meeting that he won’t secure the border until Republicans agree to support comprehensive immigration reform. The logic? Once the border is secure, Republicans already have what they want and lack an incentive to support comprehensive reform.

Deputy White House Press Secretary Bill Burton denies Obama ever said this (and how would he know?), but if you keep listening, you’ll see that he then goes on to pretty much take the same position Obama is accused of taking.

Cards on the table: I personally would not mind seeing comprehensive immigration reform, even if it includes some form of amnesty for illegals who are currently here, although I am less than confident that such a reform would be desirable if crafted by the Obama crew.

That said, securing the border is a fundamental responsibility of the executive branch. Refusing to do it because you want to use it as a political bargaining chip is as beyond the pale as not passing a budget because you don’t want to be criticized. It’s inconceivable. Oh wait . . .

Dan Calabrese

I guess Armageddon comes next.

The New Republic’s Mr. Chait, so often ridiculed in our best-picks-of-the-day links for his astoundingly idiotic premises and takes on same, goes blind-squirrel-nut on us today, holding forth on the ridiculous controversy over BP CEO Tony Hayward going to a yacht race, or whatever he did.

Looks like he has one after all.

But in fairness, it’s far more than that. Chait thinks this through and analyzes it well.

The man has a brain. This is a stunner, folks, a stunner.

Nobody really wants to make the case that Hayward can never relax, or that he can’t spend his own money as he sees fit when he does relax. So instead the “controversy” is that it creates an appearance of a controversy. It’s a fully postmodern scandal.

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Brett Noel

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Large version for newspaper publication.

Greyscale version for newspaper publication.

Dan Calabrese

Democratic Congressman Sander Levin acknowledges that Washington’s profligate spending “has to stop” but predictably offers no time table as to when this might happen.

Want to know how serious congressional Democrats are about getting federal spending under control? Even less serious than you think, as evidenced by the fact that, in 2010, they have no intention of even trying to pass a federal budget.

Don't do it!

Yeah, I know, this is a basic, fundamental function of the Congress. As Keith Hennessey, a blogger and former economic advisor to George W. Bush, explains, Congress is supposed to have a conference report on the budget finalized each year by April 15. It routinely misses this deadline, but typically gets the job done by mid-May.

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Mark Watson

Congressman Joe Barton, R-Texas, has just demonstrated why the minority party became the minority party. He and fellow Republicans once again allow the other side to frame the debate.

On Thursday, Barton apologized to CEO Tony Hayward during a committee meeting for the treatment dished out by the Obama Adminstration.

Spine, however fleeting.

For one bright shiny moment it appeared that a male Republican office holder actually did have a spine.

During a House Energy and Commerce Committee meeting, Barton called the $20 billion BP escrow deal what it is, a shakedown.

“I think it’s a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation can be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown.” Barton decried the attorney general’s participation in making the deal on the one hand while conducting criminal investigations against BP on the other.

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Herman Cain

I know you are not going to believe this commentary, but try.

I am not going to read, watch or listen to any news stories about what is going on in this country for the next seven days. The only exception would be if I overhear someone mention that there has been another national or natural disaster. Otherwise, nada! Nor am I doing any of my radio shows.

Talk to someone else.

I am taking a vacation from the problems of America.

For one week:

I will not hear another toothless Obama speech.

I will not hear another liberal try and defend the president’s mishandling of the crisis in the Gulf, mishandling of the economy and national security.

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