A Slow Motion Train Wreck

A slow motion train wreck is the most descriptive, honest and accurate way that I can think of to describe the first eleven months of the Obama presidency.  The nation is reeling from a $3.27 trillion failed stimulus program with unemployment well over 10% and climbing, each American household share of the national debt over $500,000 and growing, and bitter partisan fighting on Capitol Hill grinding other domestic initiatives to a standstill.  No wonder the Media has been so focused on the president’s failed domestic agenda.

As ugly as this slow motion train wreck has been, I’m afraid that we ain’t seen nothing yet.  To borrow a word from the administration’s talking points, the focus of the president, and the nation, is about to “pivot,” but I’m afraid it’s not going to “pivot” in the administration’s favor.  There are many ominous clouds forming on the horizon of the Obama foreign policy agenda, and unfortunately, the horizon is not far off at all.  Of obvious concern is the president’s failure to commit to his own previously clearly defined policy in Afghanistan.  Without a significant Bush-style military surge in that country, most analysts agree that the war there will be lost.  However, it is likely that Afghanistan will not prove to be this administration’s biggest challenge overseas.

Contrary to what any effective foreign policy should do, Obama’s foreign policy has thus far strained relations with our allies and emboldened our enemies.  Instead of pressuring Iran to abandon its nuclear weapons program, this administration has pushed our ally Israel into a corner where soon – very soon – it will have no alternative but to attack Iran with or without U.S. support.  In a recent interview, Zbigniew Brezinski, a top Obama National Security Advisor, and former Chief National Security Advisor to Jimmy Carter (remember how effective they were in dealing with Iran) said that if Israel launches a preemptive attack to take out Iranian nuclear sites that we should shoot down Israeli fighters.  Now that’s the kind of talk that is sure to engender deep trust between America and its allies.

Obama may not have a clue on how to deal with the war in Afghanistan.  He may also lack the vision and conviction to deal with the Iranian nuclear threat, but as he looks on, like a deer dazed by oncoming headlights, Israel must and will act.  In responding to a direct question as to whether Israel is prepared to attack Iran if necessary, Daniel Gillerman, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. mocked our president and said: “Taking words from your president, Yes we can… and yes we will.”  It is becoming increasing clear that if this administration will not step up and lead than it will be pushed out of the way, just like the aftermath of a slow motion train wreck.

Mr. Holder, The American People OBJECT!

We all know the many reasons why it is incredibly stupid for the Department of Justice to bring 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and 4 other accomplices to New York City to stand trial in a civilian court.  Just to make sure I haven’t left any out let me list them briefly, let me know if I’m missing anything.

 

1.       The Obama administration already recognizes the validity of military tribunals to bring terrorist detainees at Guantanamo to trial, and the vast majority will go through the military tribunal system.

 

2.      The Obama administration has just painted a huge bulls-eye over Manhattan.

 

3.      The trial will cost American taxpayers tens of millions of dollars and likely go on for years.

 

4.      The trial will give Al Qaeda a great platform to spew it’s ideology of hatred and jihad, they might as well set up a recruiting station next to the one for the U.S. Army adjacent to the Court House.

 

5.      The trial will force the victims and family members of the 9/11 attacks to re-live the horror of that day in vivid detail for as long as the circus trial lasts.

 

6.      A civilian trial puts America back in a pre 9/11 mind-set where foreign attacks on American soil, no matter how large in scope, are viewed as mere crimes rather than an act of war.

 

7.      In spite of what Eric Holder tells you, the outcome is NOT guaranteed; hey, ‘if the turban doesn’t fit you must acquit!’  Remember the pride we all felt in our justice system back then?

 

Of course, this is nothing more than a slick, self-serving, politically motivated, stunt on the part of the Obama administration. Just think how exciting it would be if we ever captured Osama Bin Laden alive.  We could bring him back to the U.S. to stand trial in a civilian court in Shanksville, PA.  I mean, really, how hard could it be to find a “jury of his peers” who could afford him the presumption of innocence?  If it’ll play in NYC it should be able to play in Shanksville. An un-necessary, protracted, expensive, dangerous, circus trial isn’t really all bad though. Just think of the great entertainment potential.  I for one hope that the Southern District of New York assigns Judge Judy to the case… she is a real toughie.  I’m sure she can do at least as good a job as Judge Lance Ito.  Stock up on your microwave pop-corn, the SHOW is about to begin!

Terrorism By Any Other Name Is Still Terrorism

If, on September 12, 2001, I were to tell you that in eight long years there would not be another single terrorist attack on American soil, you would have understandably told me that I was absolutely crazy.  Well, astoundingly, that is precisely what the Bush administration delivered to the American people.  Eight long years of peace and security within our borders.  Thank you, President Bush!  Now, within just one year of the Obama administration there have been two Islamic terrorist attacks in the American heartland.

On June 1, 2009, in a cold, calculated, pre-meditated act of terrorism, Abdulakim Margahid Muhammad drove up to a west Little Rock military recruiting station and indiscriminately opened fire killing one young American serviceman and severely injuring another.  Muhammad described this attack as a justified act of “Jihad” against America.  He was arrested and charged with one count of homicide and 15 counts of “terroristic threatening.”

On November 5, 2009, Nidal Malik Hasan calmly walked into a crowded personnel area of Ft. Hood, Texas armed with two hand guns, one a semi-automatic.  He reportedly yelled in Arabic: “Allah Akbar” (God is Great) and then proceeds to gun down 43 American servicemen and civilians, killing 13 and wounding 30.  Authorities quickly release preliminary information about Hasan, a Major in the U.S. military, showing that he had on numerous occasions expressed sympathy and support for various terrorist activities.  He is reported to be associated with various internet postings and blogs praising suicide bombers, among other activities.  After much of this information came out, approximately some four to five hours after the massacre, Obama made his first public comments at a Tribal Nations Conference of native Americans.  The president spent several minutes bantering with the crowd and even offered a light-hearted “shout out” to his pal, “Joe Medicine Crow” before addressing the terrorist attack.   

Obviously, neither of these horrific attacks were of the scope or scale of the terrorist attacks of 09/11, though for the innocent victims that makes absolutely no difference.  The fact remains, President Bush kept the American homeland safe from terrorist attack for eight long years; President Obama unfortunately, cannot say the same thing for even the first short year of his administration.  “Hope & Change?”  Well, when it comes to preventing terrorist attacks on American soil, all one can say of President Obama is: No He Can’t.

The Operation Was A Success, But The Patient DIED!

Nearly a year into the new era of “Hope & Change” and there is nary a sign of either.  Approximately 130,000 U.S. forces remain entrenched in Iraq; we just had our deadliest month ever in the eight-year long Afghan war; Iran continues undeterred in its ambition to develop nuclear weapons; and, Gitmo remains open for business in Cuba.  On the domestic front things are no better.  Unemployment is now over 10% and continues to inch higher; earnings, and even the Social Security Cost of Living Allowance (COLA), are frozen or decreasing; the national debt has ballooned to the point where every household in America now owes over half a million dollars to pay for our government’s incompetence; and, Washington is deadlocked in bitter partisan acrimony complete with special interest lobbyists and more opaque back-room wheeling and dealing than ever.  I can think of just one single campaign promise that the president has actually kept, and that was to acquire Bo as the new First Dog.  Woof-Woof: “Yes We Can.”

In light of the stunning failure of the first year of the Obama administration it is no wonder that Congress is determined to hand the president what it misguidedly sees as a victory in health care reform.  Unfortunately, the nearly 2,000 page bill may well prove to be not only a bitter pill for the American people, but a steak through the heart of the Obama administration.  This bill is an absolute prescription for disaster.  I’ll admit that like the vast majority of Americans, and perhaps Congressmen, I have not read the entire bill.  However, I do know that in order to succeed the bill must, by design, cut approximately $500 billion in medicaid to senior citizens, and, raise at least $500 billion in taxes.  No matter how you slice it, the combination of a huge cut in medicaid to seniors and a significant tax hike on the American people is a deadly combination.  Late last week the C.B.O. (Congressional Budget Office) projected that the bill would cost at least $1.05 trillion.  That’s already well over the maximum of $900 billion that the president has pledged to approve.  Not to worry, truth and transparency were two of the earliest casulties of the current regime, who cares about credibility anyway, right?  This is but one fatal flaw in this bureaucratic bungle of a bill.  Perhaps the biggest flaw of all is revealed in a September 2009 Gallup poll showing that an astonishing 80% of all Americans are satisfied with their current quality of medical care.  We’ve all heard horrific stories of doctors mistakenly removing the wrong organ, or amputating the wrong limb.  Well, better cover your eyes because the horror show unfolding on Capital Hill just might make “Friday the 13^th” look like “The Little Mermaid.”  I mean really, either Harry Reid or Nancy Pelosi already makes Freddie Kruger look like Sponge Bob Square Pants. 

Yes, the Obama administration is understandably desperate for some kind – any kind – of a policy victory.  But by rail-roading this huge bureaucratic partisan monstrosity down the American people’s throat the administration and Congress is heading down an extremely dangerous path.  If passed, the president and many members of Congress, may wake up on November 3, 2010 and 2012 and realize that: the operation was a success but the patient died.

News Media Found: GUILTY AS CHARGED!

Yes, the verdict is in and few Americans will be surprised that the News Media has been found guilty of rampant corruption and bias.  The verdict was handed down yesterday, Sept. 13, 2009 in an exhaustive ruling conducted by the Pew Research Center .  The Pew Research Center is considered the “highest court in the land” when it comes to all things Media related.  Pew is a non-media affiliated, independent, highly respected research organization considered by those in the Media industry itself to be the most credible organization of its kind out there.  Last October, just before the ’08 Presidential Election, Pew did a research study showing that there was an unprecedented level of Media bias.  That study showed that by a margin of 70% to 9% of all voters (Dem. Rep. and Independents) the Media was biased toward Barack Obama and against John McCain.  As incriminating as that study was, it proved to be a mere prelude to the most recent Pew finding.

Here are just a few shocking facts:  In 1985 a full 55% of all Americans believed that the Media “got the facts straight” compared to a disturbing 29% today.  In 1985, 34% of all Americans believed the Media “dealt fairly with all sides” compared to only 18% today.  The study concludes that the News Media today has the lowest level of credibility in more than two decades.  The study goes on to conclude that The New York Times, once the iconic standard of Media credibility, only has a current favorability rating of 29%, whereas FOX News has a current favorability rating of 55% of all Americans.  That’s right, FOX News has a higher favorability rating among all Americans than The New York Times by a margin of 26%!  I urge you to click on the link above and review the full study for yourself.

Now that the verdict is in, the public has already begun to pronounce sentencing.  It is a harsh punishment indeed.  The American people have sentenced the Main Stream News Media to “life in solitary confinement.”  The public are fleeing Main Stream News Media organizations in droves.  Where are they going?  Well, the statistics show that they are flocking to FOX News.  According to the Huffington Post, hardly a conservative-leaning news source, FOX News completely dominates cable news.  These findings, based on Nielsen Ratings, show that in the first quarter of 2009 FOX News had more viewers than CNN and MSNBC combined.  It also showed that 9 of the top 10 cable news shows were all FOX News programs.  Not only that, but the top 9 of the top 10 news programs belonged to FOX News.  If it were not for “Countdown with Keith Olbermann” slipping into 10^th place FOX News would have a top 10 sweep.  Even the late night REPEAT of the number one cable news program (The O’Reilly Factor) handily beats MSNBC’s number ten “Countdown with Keith Olbermann.”  Not a single CNN news program is even close to cracking the top ten list.  It appears that the result of a rampantly corrupt and biased News Media is an absolute boom for FOX News which now has complete and total domination of all cable news.  One might even say that there is a FOX in the hen… humm, make that the PEACOCK house.

Mr. President, “You LIE!”

I am amused by the national uproar over Rep. Joe Wilson’s obvious breach of decorum during the recent presidential address to Congress.  I’m not a big fan of heckling the President of the United States, but at least there were no shoes thrown.  Putting etiquette aside, what Joe Wilson said bears repeating: the President is indeed a LIAR.  Not just any run of the mill liar, but a really, really big liar.  So big a liar, that I cannot think of a single campaign promise that he has kept.  Here’s just an abbreviated list:

•  Campaign finance reform:  He made a unilateral pledge to campaign finance reform and broke that promise months before the election. 
• No lobbyists in his administration:  What a joke.  Take your pick… Eric Holder, Attorney General, lobbyist for Covington & Burling; Tom Vilsack, Agriculture Secretary, lobbyist for the National Education Association; Ron Klain, Biden’s Chief of Staff, lobbyist at O’Melveny & Myers; David Hays, Deputy Secretary of the Interior, lobbyist for Latham & Watkins; and of course, William Lynn, Deputy Defense Secretary, lobbyist for Rayteon.
•  Withdrawal of troops from Iraq:  Obama waffled on this promise, first stating that he’d withdraw all forces from Iraq within one year, later he said he’d pull out all “combat forces” within six months.  He’s lied on both variations of this promise.
•  Transparency in governance:  Obama specifically promised to post all pending legislation on-line so that the American people would have ample time to read and debate.  If he had not lied about this too, maybe some congressmen would have actually read the stimulus bill before voting for it.
• Closing GITMO:  After some preliminary chatter about possibly opening a GITMO-type facility here in the U.S., the original Cuba version remains open for business and as popular as ever.
•  Bi-partisan cooperation:  I don’t believe that I’ve ever see the political climate in this country more poisoned, fragmented, and partisan than it is today.

 This is just a partial list of promises already broken in nine short months.  Stay tuned for those that appear likely to fall into the ‘bold faced lie’ category including my personal favorites:  Any health care reform will be ‘deficit neutral,’ and, the U.S. will do everything necessary to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

 Rep. Wilson, you definitely got the county’s attention.  Some may not like the way you said it, but it is absolutely the truth:… President Obama, “YOU LIE!”

Obama’s Three Stooges

Do you remember “The Three Stooges” Moe, Larry and Curly?  Well, they’re back: “hello… hello… hello!”  And they are even more hysterical than ever!  The only real difference is that this time their slap-stick comedy routine comes right out of the White House spin room.  There is James “Curly” Carville, Paul “Larry” Begala, and, Rham “Moe” Emmanuel.  These guys are a riot.  “Curly” Carville looks like a cross between “Mr. Clean” and the character “Odd-Job” from the 007 James Bond movie series.  He’s a throw-back to a worn out, and largely forgotten political legacy, who’s tried feebly to adapt to a bloated wannabe throng of relevant corporate consultants.  His bumbling character is complemented perfectly by “Larry” Begala who plays the role of a tired old Media wonk, who’s persona and ego is very much reminiscent of the news anchor “Lou” from the old Mary Tyler Moore Show.  “Moe” Emmanuel plays the straight man of the comical trio, and as the President’s Chief of Staff, does all he can to keep Curly and Larry in line.  Keep tuned into the White House spin machine, and no matter how dire or serious our nation’s problems, you’ll see their zany and slap-stick routine bring comical relief to the most desperate of situations.

 

I don’t know about you, but I for one, am so happy that the Three Stooges are back!

 

A Media Crime Spree

 

As if stealing the presidential election was not bad enough (Pew Research Center), the Media has now stolen Iraq.  I mean really, where is it?  Up until the final days of the Bush administration it was plastered all over the Media.  Now you can’t find it anywhere.  The Media has taken it right off the map.  Perhaps it’s not all that surprising that the Media has shifted its focus from Iraq to domestic issues.  After all, the president does appear to be overwhelmed with monumental challenges at home, as well as, abroad.  His erratic economic policy, as epitomized by an unpopular partisan Democrat spending bill that is unprecedented in scope, is a prime example.  The embarrassing series of cabinet and high level administration appointment blunders is also noteworthy: Richardson, Geithner, Daschle, Lynn, Killefer, and now, Gregg, to name the most obvious.  All this leaves the Media in a very uncomfortable position.  They can either report honestly and objectively on the stunning failures of the president’s short domestic record, or turn to the foreign policy achievements of President Bush.  They are loathe to do either, but fortunately, President Bush’s record of accomplishment in Iraq is self evident, albeit largely ignored.

 

In order to fairly evaluate the U.S. intervention in Iraq, one must recall the historical record and premise to go to war.  There are three irrefutable facts to consider:

 

1.)  Saddam Hussein possessed and used weapons of mass destruction in the genocidal killing of thousands of Kurdish civilians in his own country.  In one horrific WMD attack, Hussein killed more civilians in a single day than all of the U.S. casualties over the six-year period of the war.  Hussein was also responsible for the deaths of between 1.0 – 1.5 million Iraqis and Iranians during the eight year Iran-Iraq War.

 

2.)  The United Nations passed 11 Security Council Resolutions authorizing the use of force against Saddam Hussein.  The final resolution, UNSCR 1441 was unanimously adopted.

 

3.)  The United States Congress, in broad bi-partisan support, authorized the use of force against the regime of Saddam Hussein.  The full congress voted 374-156 in favor of the Iraq War Resolution, a majority of all Democrat senators (29-21) voted for military action.

 

The accomplishments of U.S. intervention in Iraq are also startling.  Approximately 28 million people have been liberated from one of the most oppressive dictators on earth, saving countless lives.  Freedom and democracy have taken a foot-hold in the heart of the Middle-East, with among the fewest U.S. casualties of any other conflict in our nation’s history.  In fact, the number of Americans killed on our nation’s highways every six weeks exceeds the number of all U.S. servicemen killed in Iraq during the past six years! (U.S. auto fatalities)

 

Finally, the ultimate verdict as to whether our efforts to liberate Iraq were worthwhile or not, will not be determined by some pundit in the American Press, but rather by the Iraqi people themselves.  With Iraq emerging as a proud, free, democratic and affluent society, I imagine the assessment of the Iraqi people will both confound and shock many an American journalist.

 

They may not want to put it back on the map, but at some point the Media will have to recogize the new Iraq, and acknowledge that President Bush is its main architect.

 

A Government Mugging…

 

“Everybody down on the floor this is a STICK UP!”  Hey, I’ve heard that voice before… isn’t that….  “Nobody move, do exactly as the President says, and no one will get hurt.”  That’s right, it is the President of the United States and the U.S. congress stealing our money.  Hard to believe, but just as sure as a gun to the back of our head, the government is taking our hard earned dollars to pay for what they screwed up and can’t afford to fix.  If anyone else did that they would go to jail.  Did you tell the government that they must pressure banks and lenders to give mortgages to unqualified borrowers that would then default on their loans in massive numbers?  Of course not, you would never do anything that stupid.  They must have done this all on their own.  You can’t dial 911, or the local police, this is your own government screwing you over, after all.

 

O.K., so, we’ve been ripped off, but how bad can it be?  Can’t we just go back to the A.T.M. and get more money?  Unfortunately, this is not just any run-of-the-mill street mugging.  The government is taking nearly two trillion dollars: $2,000,000,000,000. (TARP & Bailout II) of money that does not even exist to cover its own ass(ets).  Forget about 2 trillion, just try to figure out what 1 trillion dollars is.

 

Since the founding of our nation till the early 1980’s, well over 200 years, we’ve spent a mountain of money.  The Louisiana Purchase, the Purchase of Alaska, two World Wars, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Great Depression and the New Deal, etc…  All the deficit spending in this more than 200 year period finally hit the 1 trillion dollar mark in the early 1980’s.  Now, in a single day, with one single stroke of the pen, Pres. Obama is poised to double a 200 plus year deficit!  This is the scope of this travesty!  Any hope of recovery from the magnitude of this theft is gone - forever – just like your money.  This administration and this congress have not only mugged you, but your children and their children, and maybe even theirs as well.  Unfortunately, there is simply no law enforcement left to call.  Welcome to the new America of “hope & change.”

Deja Vu All Over Again

 

You know, sometimes you just can’t see the forest through the trees.  The answer to our country’s economic crisis is so simple I’m amazed that our president and our congress haven’t seen it.  Massive government spending of money we don’t have will only balloon the national debt to unrecoverable levels.  The better approach is to stimulate private sector spending that will only drive up personal debt and not the national debt.  Congress could simply pass a bill that would require banks to issue credit cards to un-qualified lenders.  That’s right, basically a credit card to anyone who wanted one, the higher the spending limit the better.   They could pull a trick out of the Jimmy Carter playbook and call this bill something like the: “Consumer Reinvestment Act.”  This would really stimulate the economy.  Millions of people could then go out and buy, buy, buy.  They could buy whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted, whether they needed it or not, or could afford it or not.  It would be much better to have private citizens do this rather than the government.  This would accomplish two of the president’s stated priorities, to “spread the wealth around,” and to jump start the economy.  Government would love it because it would create millions of happy constituents.  Manufacturers would love it because factories would just keep cranking out all kinds of stuff.  Banks and financial institutions would especially love it because they could collect extortion-like interest on these loans.  They could call them “sub-human prime loans.”

 

Sounds like a really great idea, doesn’t it?  I can’t think of anything that can go wrong, can you?  Government wouldn’t have to watch over this too closely since they created it.  In fact, the government could get in on a big chunk of the action and set up its own bank to profit from all this.  I know two bankers who are perfect for the job, a married couple actually, Freddie and Fannie M..  It would be great for business, as banks and financial institutions could bundle up lots of these loans and sell them to each other all over the U.S. and around the world, and even make more money than the straight interest on their “sub-human prime loans.”  This is awesome… it could stimulate the economy for years, even decades to come.

 

Of course, the only possible problem could be that eventually the good people holding these extortion-like loans couldn’t pay them back.  Not really a big problem because the government could just step in again and pass another bill.  They could simply buy back these dead-beat loans from any banks and financial institutions still holding them that haven’t already gone belly-up.  Unfortunately, they’d have to use the hard earned tax dollars of every American to do this, but not a big deal, because with any luck the government would get a few pennies back on every one of your dollars they spend.  They wouldn’t really be able to call this exactly what it was: a dead-beat government bail-out program of a dead-beat government program, so congress would have to make up a fancier, more acceptable sounding name, something like the “Troubled Asset Relief Program” or T.A.R.P.

 

Isn’t it really amazing that something that is obviously such a great idea hasn’t already been thought up and implemented by your government?