Obama on the right track Now Playing: Poker After Dark Topic: Politics
I've been concerned over Obama's dealings globally in re: our relationship with Israel and his recent snub of Prime Minister Netanyahu was, to my mind, a huge mis-step. Until I read an interesting post by Glenn Reynolds. The Blogfather posits: Obama expects Israel to strike Iran, and wants to put distance between the United States and Israel in advance of that happening. (Perhaps he even thinks that treating Israel rudely will provoke such a response, saving him the trouble of doing anything about Iran himself, and avoiding the risk that things might go wrong if he does). On the most optimistic level, maybe this whole thing is a sham, and the U.S. is really helping Israel strike Iran, with this as distraction.
The question for readers is which of these — not necessarily mutually exclusive — explanations is most plausible.
If it doesn't fit the narrative it doesn't get reported. But thanks to the miracle of Al Gore's little invention those of us who care, who pay attention, who can still think can remember.
And of course there are the very words of the President himself. During his presidential campaign, Barack Obama didn’t shy away from confrontation. In fact, he encouraged it by telling supporters to “argue with” opponents and to “get in their face[s].” The Obama Administration’s confrontational tone included some violent imagery last August, when one White House official encouraged Obama supporters to “punch back twice as hard” against opponents.
Later that day, at an anti-ObamaCare rally in St. Louis, a black man named Kenneth Gladney was handing out “Don’t Tread on Me” flags when he was approached by pro-ObamaCare SEIU union members. One of the men asked Gladney, “What kind of n*%%er are you to be giving out this kind of stuff?”
The union thugs then beat him so badly he required overnight hospitalization.
How soon they forget Now Playing: Make Way for Tomorrow Topic: Media
Let's take a look at real poliical violence. We don't even need to mention the millions of babies killed every year by progressives or even the tens of millions of people murdered by their communist heroes.
Don't forget it was Obama's friend Bill Ayers who used terrorism as a tool for political change. SDS is still radical, with arrests in 2007 and the storming of the CATO Institute in July 2008.
It was a liberal who was sentenced to two years for bringing bombs and riot shields to the Republican National Convention in 2008.
Slightly off topic Publius notes, over at Big Government: Hey Democrats, if you are worried about an angry public, how about not passing a sweeping government expansion opposed by 70% of the public. Just a thought.
A few more? REMEMBERING WHEN G.O.P. Offices Were Vandalized: “An apparent mob of vandals attacked the North Carolina Republican Party headquarters, causing minor smoke damage, breaking windows and leaving vulgar messages, police said.” I don’t remember a national panic over this, or over the bullet-riddled Bush/Cheney headquarters.
Then there was this episode. And, of course, this: “A group of protestors stormed and then ransacked a Bush-Cheney headquarters building in Orlando, Fla., Tuesday, according to Local 6 News.”
If GWB had done this, part 7,658 Now Playing: Empire of the Wolves Topic: Politics
CHANGE: “Without a location outside the United States for sending prisoners, the administration must resort to turning the suspects over to foreign governments, bringing them to the U.S. or even killing them. In one case last year, U.S. special operations forces killed an Al Qaeda-linked suspect named Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan in a helicopter attack in southern Somalia rather than trying to capture him, a U.S. official said. Officials had debated trying to take him alive but decided against doing so in part because of uncertainty over where to hold him, the official added.”
1+1=5 Now Playing: Empire of the Wolves Topic: Politics
I've been quiet since the Monday morning vote. Here are a few observations:
“WE MAKE ‘EM UP AS WE GO ALONG:” I’m guessing that this Alcee Hastings video will appear in a few political ads this fall . . . .Background here. And doesn’t it say a lot about this Congress that a guy who was kicked off the bench for corruption — by a Democratic-controlled Congress, no less — is now on the Rules Committee?
JOHN CONYERS: ObamaCare Gets Its Constitutional Authority From The “Good and Welfare Clause.” I’m sure that it’s somehow racist or something to point out that there’s no such thing . . . .
Via Ed Morrissey at Hot Air, we find John Dingell of Michigan admitting that the purpose of Obamacare is to control the American people:
Let me remind you this has been going on for years. We are bringing it to a halt. The harsh fact of the matter is when you're going to pass legislation that will cover 300 American people in different ways it takes a long time to do the necessary administrative steps that have to be taken to put the legislation together to control the people.
And therein lies the defining philosophical difference between statists and free men.
There ARE no coincidences Now Playing: Rush Topic: Politics
If one looks hard enough one can always find interesting coincidences. Yesterday's noting of the anniversary of Henry V taking the throne of England being an example. But for the Troika of Obama-Pelosi-Reid the hits just keep coming. TODAY is the anniversary of the passage of the Stamp Act in 1765. It was eventually repealed.
Every point counts Now Playing: Cypher Topic: Politics
On my HS and college track teams I anchored the 4x400 relay team. That's the last event. Which meant the 3-4 times per year the outcome of the meet came down to me with a stick in my hand. I learned a lesson very early in HS. A meet came down to me. Several upperclassmen were giving me crap about not letting the team down. The coach (who'd been a lineman at OSU) called a team meeting in the middle of the meet. He pointed out that our shot putter had fouled on his best throw and finished 2nd. Our #2 pole vaulter made a hinky little technical error and ended up 4th instead of 3rd. These fouls took place 2 ½ hours before the 4x400. Had either of those seniors not screwed up this sophomore would not have the outcome of the meet in his hands.
We won. And not by much. But we learned that EVERY point is the “winning” point in a close meet.
Quote of the .... whatever Now Playing: Jennifer's Body Topic: misc
FROM JOHN HINDERAKER, a series of controversial propositions. Including this one: The French are bad at philosophy, bad at economics, bad at political theory, bad at national security, but excellent at living.
She gets virtually everything wrong here, from what feastday it is, to the kinds of Catholic religious sisters supporting her bastard of a bill.
First off, Nancy, this is not the feastday of “St. Joseph the Worker.” That feast day is May 1, and it is a simple (and optional) memorial. TODAY is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, in his role as the Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Provider and Guardian for the Child Jesus. A solemnity is not an optional feastday, and Pelosi, who was educated by religious sisters and went to a Catholic college, should know that. Her ignorance is almost sublime. “Italian Americans” certainly do honor St. Joseph, but they do not “pray” to him. They ask him to pray for them.