The Beach

San Clemente Beach on a spectacular Southern California day.

Ouch

In case you didn't see the last lap of the Indy 500, you missed a pretty spectacular crash.  Thankfully, everyone walked away fine.  A credit to the people that design the cars:

Ashley Judd's husband won again.

Political Quote of the Day

From Liz Cheney on Fox News Sunday, talking about Obama's "leadership"

“You know you’ve got a president who believes that saying something makes it so. You showed it in the last segment when he said he was going to have the most transparent administration in history. But, that doesn’t mean you’re actually going to be open and transparent. It’s not the same thing as we’ve seen with him. On the war, he says he knows were at war but he doesn’t actually understand he has to lead us in the fight… And, going down to Louisiana he says, “Gosh, I’m heart-broken. I’m angry. I’m frustrated.” And then going on vacation to Chicago really doesn’t send a message that this is a man who’s leading… A gift for reading the TelePrompter is not the same as leadership.“

53% of the people didn't figure out in time the emperor had no clothes.

Today's Weather Video

I'm a sucker for severe storm footage and nobody gets better stuff than the guys from TornadoVideos.net.  This film was shot a few days ago in South Dakota as they intercepted a large tornado:

The Secret Service Versus the Fruit of Islam

There was an interesting encounter between the security forces for two Chicago thugs last night:

President Obama’s home is in the same Chicago neighborhood as Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan. On Saturday night, the overlapping of Obama’s and Farrakhan’s worlds made for a strange, and sometimes testy, encounter between the Secret Service, the press corps covering the president, and the paramilitary security force, the Fruit of Islam, surrounding Farrakhan.

The encounter was written up — for distribution to the press, not necessarily for publication — by the New York Times’ Jackie Calmes. It began a little after 4:00 p.m. when Obama and his family walked to the nearby home of longtime friend Marty Nesbitt for a backyard cookout. It just so happens that Nesbitt lives across the street from Farrakhan.

You can read the whole blow-by-blow in the rest of Byron York's column.  That Farrakhan bunch is several different kinds of crazy.

Unions Protesting Churches

Unions are dying.  Even without looking at actual union membership you can tell they're dying because of stuff like this:

Unions have stepped to a new low by protesting churches in California. Protesting churches because of their use of private contractors instead of union labor. Churches who only employ one or two pastors and one head administrator and operate off of donations.

In Bakersfield, California the local carpenters union is protesting the Grace Baptist Church for hiring a contractor who hired non-union labor. Grace Baptist Church had no control over who the contractor hired. You would think the local carpenters union would take a pass at protesting a church, but I guess not. Though the church greeted the protesters with water, coffee, cookies and candy. Do they feel bad for standing in front of a church with a “Shame On the Grace Baptist Church”? No.

There's some video of the protest here. It's hard to believe that unions would be so incredibly tone-deaf to assume that holding a protest of a church would be a good PR move.  But they are.

Thought For the Day

From....well, me:

Never before in the history of this country has a president taken office with such high hopes and expectations and delivered such dismal results.  Jimmy Carter certainly delivered poor results, but didn't take office with significantly high expectations.  Ronald Reagan entered office amidst great hope for his presidency...and delivered.

Barack Obama will go down in presidential history as having the greatest disparity between the initial enthusiasm for his presidency and the actual results of his administration's efforts. 

Well said, if I say so myself.

Whitman Has Big Lead Over Poizner

At least in this poll:

A new USC/Los Angeles Timesl in California confirms that Meg Whitman (R) holds a solid 24 point lead over Steve Poizner (R) in the Republican primary for governor, 53% to 29%.

Meanwhile, Jerry Brown (D) has a six point lead over Whitman in the general election match up, 44% to 38%.

I'll do my California primary picks on Tuesday, June 1.

Obama's Oil Drilling Moratorium Could Finish Off Louisiana

What the oil spill started the oil drilling moratorium could finish:

A Gulf Coast official is pleading with President Barack Obama to scrap the moratorium on new oil drilling and exploration as the investigation of the massive oil spill continues, saying the economic impact to her Louisiana parish would be too much to bear.

Charlotte Randolph, president of LaFourche Parish, said she spoke to Obama in person during his visit to the oil-stricken region Friday.

“I expressed to the president that we are dying because of the oil spill, but if he allows this suspension to happen it will kill us,” she told reporters Saturday, noting that her parish has one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.

“First I’m hearing from fisherman who are dying because of the oil spill,” she said. “Now I’m hearing from the oil and gas industry and all of those associated services that they will be put out of business.”

Obama’s tour of the oil damage along the Gulf Coast came a day after he announced steps to limit new oil drilling and exploration during the oil spill. The president said he is “fully engaged” and ultimately responsible for what he called a catastrophe.

According to one report I saw the moratorium on drilling to cost 30,000 jobs... immediately, all around the country. And it's completely unnecessary.  It's a typical emotional reaction from a group of people who don't have the maturity to understand real problems and come up with real solutions.

Does ANYBODY Like What's Happening in California?

Very few:

LA Times poll: Just 7% of Californians think things are headed in the right direction.

And all of those people are boycotting Arizona.  "Log in the Eye" disease.

It's the Democrat legislature, stupid.  Get rid of them and things will markedly improve.

Oil Spill Headline of the Day

From Drudge:

BP now throwing GOLF BALLS into the oil well...

Well, at least they found something for Obama to do.

Top Kill....Doesn't

Fail:

BP says top kill has not stopped Gulf oil leak and now considering other options

I guess it's time for Obama to pretend he's mad again.

Obama Can Meet With Paul McCartney but Not Arizona's Governor

Obama doesn't want to face his critics:

President Obama has turned down Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer's request to meet while she's in Washington next week as tensions mount between his administration and Arizona over the state's new law cracking down on illegal immigrants.

Brewer will be in Washington to meet with other governors. She said Friday that she had asked to meet with Obama and Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to discuss border security and immigration but Obama's schedule "doesn't allow for a meeting" with her, White House spokesman Adam Abrams said, adding that the president "does intend to sit down with the governor in the future."

When Obama returns from his Chicago vacation on Tuesday, he will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Peru President Alan Garcia at the White House. On Wednesday, Obama is meeting with Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, before heading to an event in Pittsburgh and hosting a concert at the White House to honor Paul McCartney.

On Thursday, Obama will speak at Secretary Clinton's reception for a new partnership between U.S. and India. On Friday, the president will welcome the Major League Soccer men's championship team, Real Salt Lake, to the White House.

Face it, he's afraid of her. If someone explains the law to him he won't be able to demagogue it anymore, and we can't have that.

Obama Loses the AP

Even the AP can't look the other way anymore:

So much for changing how Washington works.

Crimping his carefully crafted outsider image and undercutting a centerpiece of his 2008 campaign, President Barack Obama got caught playing the usual politics — dangling a job offer for a political favor in the hunt for power.

His lawyer admitted as much in a Friday report. It detailed how Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, sent former President Bill Clinton on a mission: try to persuade Rep. Joe Sestak, D-Pa., to abandon his primary challenge to Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., by offering an executive branch post. Sestak said no, stayed in the race and beat the incumbent.

"I can assure the public that nothing improper took place," Obama had told reporters at the White House on Thursday.

True or not, Obama has a political problem.

Because what did take place was backroom bargaining, political maneuvering and stonewalling, all of which run counter to the higher — perhaps impossibly high — bar Obama has set for himself and his White House to do things differently.

The White House's reluctant acknowledgment of the chain of events shone a light on the unseemly, favor-trading side of politics — and at an inopportune time for Obama and Democrats as they seek to keep control of Congress.

This election year, angry voters have made clear they have little patience for politics generally and Washington politics specifically. And they are choosing candidates who promise to change the system — and ousting incumbents who fail to deliver.

But what may be even more troubling for the president is the question the episode raises: Has Obama become just like every other politician?

The answer could have implications for him ahead of congressional elections this fall and his likely re-election race in two years.

The White House tried to blunt the media maelstrom by releasing the report on the Friday before a long Memorial Day weekend, when fewer people are paying attention to the news.

In the old days a holiday weekend Friday release would have buried the story completely. Nowadays, no so much. Lots of blogs, internet news sites, and even 24-hour cable channels can keep a "buried" story alive.

This isn't going away.

Pelosi: Oil Spill is Bush's Fault!

Geez, when are these people gonna get a new playbook?

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., blamed the Bush administration for any lack of oversight leading up to the Gulf oil spill. The Obama administration, on the other hand, is blameless.

From Talk Radio News Service:

“Many of the people appointed in the Bush administration are still burrowed in the agencies that are supposed to oversee the [oil] industry,” Pelosi said when asked if Democrats could have prevented or mitigated the crisis by keeping a closer watch on the industry.

Added the Speaker, “the cozy relationships between the Bush administration’s agency leadership and the industry is clear…I’ve heard no complaints from my members about the way the president has handled it,” Pelosi stated.

On Friday, the Washington Examiner requested that Speaker Pelosi’s office release the list of Bush appointees to whom she was referring. We’ll let you know when we hear back.

The "blameless" Obama administration felt it necessary to have BP bus in 400 temporary workers to clean up the beach before Obama could walk along it and "discover" tar balls in the sand. What wasn't mentioned was that it's always possible to find tar balls on Gulf Coast beaches just because of natural seepage from the ocean floor.  It doesn't take a oil spill to make that happen.

Glenn Beck Steps In It

Sorry, but picking on politician's kids just isn't cool:

Conservative talk show host Glenn Beck mocked President Obama’s 11-year-old daughter for asking her father what he was doing to stop oil from spilling into the Gulf of Mexico -- the very question many Americans have regarding the government’s response to the ongoing disaster.

President Obama Thursday, in an effort to illustrate the point that many Americans were frustrated by ongoing environmental disaster, told reporters that even his daughter Malia asked: “Did you plug the hole yet, Daddy?”

During his radio show, The Glenn Program on Premiere Radio Networks, Beck today imitated the middle school student, speaking in a high-pitched childish tone and implied that only an uneducated person would ask what the president was doing to address the crisis.

“Daddy? Daddy? Daddy, did you plug the hole yet? Daddy?” Beck said, imitating Malia.

Beck’s co-host Pat Gray then responded as if her were the president.

“Honey, not yet ... Not time yet, honey. Hasn't done enough damage,” responded Gray.

Beck then broke character to comment on the educations of Malia and her young sister Sasha, 9.

"’Did you plug the hole yet, daddy?’ Is that's their -- that's the level of their education, that they're coming to -- they're coming to daddy and saying 'Daddy, did you plug the hole yet?'" Plug the hole!” said Beck.

It was that line that raised the ire of liberal bloggers and parents who assailed Beck online for taking his attack on the president too far by going after his daughters.

Now, I don't know whether Malia actually ask the "plug the hole" question or whether it was just a political prop by the speechwriter, but either way, you just can't go after kids.  Besides just being rude it hurts your credibility on other issues.

This reminds me a bit of what happened to Rush Limbaugh in the 90's on his TV show when he was talking about White House dogs and a picture of Chelsea Clinton came up on screen. Rush immediately apologized and the problem was attributed to a technical error, but I don't think the Clintons or the Democrats ever forgave him for that.

Beck has now apologized for his miscue:

Following the publication of this story, Glenn Beck issued a statement apologizing for the bit making fun of Malia.

“In discussing how President Obama uses children to shield himself from criticism, I broke my own rule about leaving kids out of political debates. The children of public figures should be left on the sidelines. It was a stupid mistake and I apologize--and as a dad I should have known better,” Beck said in a statement emailed to ABCNews.com.

On Wednesday Beck say the media should “leave the families [of politicians] alone.” He was then discussing a story about a journalist working on a book about Sarah Palin who moved into the Wasilla, Alaska house next to former Republican vice presidential candidate.

That's gonna leave a mark.

Political Headline of the Day

From The Daily Caller:

Adds Doug Powers:

The problem for Bill and the Obama administration is that “job offer” might have saved its clothes in a closet and told a friend about it.

Heh.

AZ Gov. Brewer Removes AZ Attorney General From Immigration Law Defense

Good for her: (from Top of the Ticket)

A sudden new twist in the ongoing rhetorical and legal struggle over Arizona's tough new law to round up illegal immigrants.

Late Friday night as the Memorial Day weekend began, Arizona's Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, in effect, suspended the state's Democratic attorney general from defending the new law in upcoming legal challenges. The measure, known as S.B. 1070, is due to take effect this summer and, among other things, allows local police under federal guidelines to check the immigration status of people they stop.

The governor's abrupt action against Terry Goddard, her likely Democratic opponent in this fall's gubernatorial election, came after months of disputes between the two and at the end of a long day of legal maneuvering in both Arizona and the nation's capital.

As the state's chief lawyer, Goddard would be expected to take the lead in defending Arizona against challenges to the Legislature's action, which erupted after years of state frustration with the federal government's inability to secure the state border with Mexico against illegal immigrants, drugs and criminals.

However, Goddard has vocally opposed the measure, so much so that the Legislature gave the governor advance authority to hire outside legal counsel.

On Friday, Goddard met with the Obama administration's Atty. Gen. Eric Holder in Washington, then held a news conference just hours before Brewer's handpicked attorneys were to meet with Holder, an outspoken critic of the law.

Brewer said, "I believe the federal government should use its legal resources to fight illegal immigration, not the State of Arizona."

Seeing apparent collusion between the two Democrat lawyers, Brewer pulled the plug Friday night.

It's clear the Attorney General had already chosen sides for political reasons and would not be the advocate for the State that was required.  The Governor made the right move.

Senate Defense Bill Would Allow Abortions in Military Hospitals

The media would have you believe the Defense Authorization Bill is just about funding ongoing defense operations and doing away with Don't Ask, Don't Tell, but there much more to it than that:

Sen. John McCain (R., Ariz.) spoke with National Review Online this afternoon via telephone from Arizona. “Interesting times,” began McCain, the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee. For him, it has been a rough week. He says he is frustrated with the “disgraceful” way Democrats are handling the defense authorization bill — specifically, their insistence in tying their attempt to repeal "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" to the measure. On Thursday, the committee approved an amendment repealing the policy on a 16-to-12 vote.

“Once people realize what else is in this, there will be a lot of questions on the Senate floor,” McCain predicts. “It has more than just [Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell]. They’ve put in a provision to allow abortions to be performed at military hospitals. They’ve also cut a billion dollars out of the authorization for the Iraqi military and stuffed in a billion dollars of earmarks.”

The bill will be taken up by the entire Senate in June.

Licensing Journalists

Sorry, but I couldn't get past the first sentence in this story without busting out laughing:

A Michigan lawmaker wants to license reporters to ensure they’re credible and vet them for “good moral character.”

Constitutional issues aside, where is he going to find reporters with "good moral character"?

Political Quote of the Day

From Sen. John McCain, referring to President Obama:

'There are legitimate questions as to whether he’s out of his depth or not'

I would have gone with "out of his mind", but that works too.

Casino Mogul Steve Wynn Blasts Washington

Somebody who knows a thing or two about building a business and hiring people blasts the folks in Washington who can't seem to do anything right:

Steve Wynn says Americans are afraid. He’s just angry.

“Washington is unpredictable these days,” declares the CEO of Wynn Resorts. “No one has any idea what’s next…the uncertainty of the business climate in America is frightening, frightening to everybody, and it’s delaying the recovery.” ...

He’s even more passionate about where this country is headed.

Wynn speaks of “wild, uncontrolled spending,” and “unbelievable, unsustainable debt”. As he plans to split his company headquarters between Las Vegas and Macau, with a bigger emphasis on Macau because of its tremendous profitability, he has no qualms about dealing with the Chinese government.

“Macau has been steady. The shocking, unexpected government is the one in Washington.”

He’s concerned about the prospect of inflation, of FHA repeating the mistakes of Fannie and Freddie, and the cost to business from the new healthcare law. “We’re on our way to Greece, in the hands of a confused, foolish government,” Wynn says. “It’s got to stop. It’s got to stop.”

Who would have thought that putting money down on roulette would turn out to be a better bet than paying your income taxes.  At least with roulette there's a chance you can win.

What'choo talkin' 'bout, St. Peter?

A former Hollywood child star has died at a fairly young age:

Gary Coleman has died at 42, RadarOnline.com is first to report.

Coleman had been hospitalized in Provo, Utah since Wednesday, May 26, after suffering what his family called "a serious medical problem."

As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Coleman had slipped into a coma and was on life support after suffering an intracranial hemorrhage.

He was pulled of life support Friday morning and later passed away. His wife Shannon Price and her father were at the hospital Friday.

The Illinois native's death marks the end of a long, sad road for the diminutive Diff'rent Strokes star, who struggled professionally and financially as his fame and fortune diminished since the show went off the air in 1986.

After such astounding success early in his life he really struggled thereafter.  There's more about his life at the Radar piece.

GOP Moves to Kill Obamacare

A symbolic but important gesture:

House Republican leaders introduced a bill Thursday to repeal and replace the sweeping healthcare law adopted in late March.

According to Rep. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), the measure would repeal the current law and replace it with the alternative the minority party offered to the original healthcare legislation last November.

“As unpopular as this healthcare bill is today, it’s at the height of its popularity,” Blunt said. “The more the American people know about it, the more concerns they are going to have, and the more they are going to look at alternatives.”

Chances are slim Republicans could get their measure to the floor, given the Democratic majorities in the chamber, but it could make a useful campaign tool for the party.

The vote on healthcare reform has become a political issue in a year rife with anti-incumbent sentiment.

Tea Party activists opposed the legislation and protested on Capitol Hill during the March vote, shouting, “Kill the bill.”

Several Democratic candidates in conservative-leaning districts have said they would not have voted for the bill, while unions are withholding support from some Democratic incumbents who voted against the legislation.

A Gallup poll taken earlier this month found that healthcare is still in the Top Five list of voters’ concerns. Another Gallup poll found that voters are “no less concerned about paying the costs of a serious illness or accident, or normal healthcare costs, than they were last year.”

In all, 20 GOP lawmakers co-sponsored the repeal-and-replace bill, including House Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio), Whip Eric Cantor (Va.), GOP conference Chairman Mike Pence (Ind.) and Blunt.

An aide for Assistant to the Speaker Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said that the “repeal Repubs” would create a boon for the health insurance industry.

“Repeal Repubs are out of step with the majority of Americans who want to give the reform bill a chance to work. If the GOP gets their way, they would actually strip individuals and families of important rights and benefits and add to the deficit they created. This is a healthcare bill only insurance companies would love,” Van Hollen spokesman Doug Thornell said.

Right now the approval rating for Obamacare is just barely above that of British Petroleum, so now's a good time to introduce this measure. Democrats won't let it go anywhere, but at least the GOP is on record as pushing it.

Chick Flick

I mentioned previously that my wife wanted to go see a certain chick flick which opened this weekend.  That's where I am right now.  She wanted to catch an early showing, so a Friday matinée it is.

I won't be writing a review of this one, but will instead refer you to Big Hollywood for Jim Nolte's take on the movie. It might surprise you.

I Guess Massachusetts Wants to Be Boycotted

Why else would they pass a tough new immigration law?  Jim Geraghty has the details and some reactions in the Morning Jolt newsletter:

First Scott Brown, Now Tough on Illegal Immigration: The New Massachusetts, Baby!

I need something cheery to head into Memorial Day weekend. How about Massachusetts suddenly emulating Arizona? "The measure, which passed on a 28-10 vote as an amendment to the budget, would bar the state from doing business with any company found to break federal laws barring illegal immigrant hiring. It would also toughen penalties for creating or using fake identification documents, and explicitly deny in-state college tuition for illegal immigrants.The amendment would also require the state's public health insurance program to verify residency through the Department of Homeland Security, and would require the state to give legal residents priority for subsidized housing."

The JammieWearingFool urges us not to get too excited: "Now even if a law like this is actually enacted, don't forget the esteemed Attorney General recently said it's not illegal to be an illegal in Massachusetts, so don't expect any robust enforcement, if any. And to be sure you could expect an army of ACLU types to descend like locusts filing asylum claims considering some rather recent precedent of a certain famous illegal alien. Then there's some formidable obstacles in the House to overcome, and if the attitude of certain Massholes is any indication, there's absolutely nothing that will change any minds. Then again, even the dimmest of hacks can read polls, and this surely is an eye-opener: 'Democrats had resisted such a sweeping proposal, but spent last evening negotiating today's measure, shortly after a new polled showed 84 percent of the liberal-leaning state's voters supported tough immigration rules barring state services to illegal immigrants.'"

Wonder whether Calderón would get applauded in the Massachusetts State Senate.
The Belmont Club attributes it to the economy: "If . . . Massachusetts is any indicator, the path back to a robust economy may depart from the President's world view. The Bay State Senate recently passed a bill cracking down on illegal immigrants. . . . It was an extraordinary action for the Bluest of Blue States and reflected the pressure on the American job market, which is unabated."
Weasel Zippers sees a reprise of the old welfare debate: "People in this state are sick and tired of dishing out tax money to those who are here illegally and come specifically to our state knowing full-well this is welfare heaven that doesn't differentiate between legal and illegal."

So, let's see all those brave souls in the Los Angeles and San Francisco city councils pass a boycott of Massachusetts.

The President Who Didn't Care

Obama is playing a dangerous game, and I'm not just talking golf, as he heads off on his latest vacation while oil continues to gush from the damaged well in the Gulf of Mexico.  These headlines from Drudge:

Obama's 3 hour tour of Louisiana...

Regularly spends 5 hours on golf course...

Jim Geraghty sums it up this way on Twitter:

Obama's always telling us how he won't rest until something is done, usually between rounds of golf.

You remember the pasting George Bush took when he flew over New Orleans after Katrina but didn't stop there. This weekend's vacation to Chicago isn't going to play any better.

Today's Reading List

This one's getting a lot of praise from those involved with national security:  Written by National Review contributor Andrew McCarthy.  Here's some info:

On Mr. McCarthy   [Hans A. von Spakovsky]

NRO regular Andrew McCarthy was over at the Heritage Foundation today to talk about his new book, The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America. I also got to hear Andy talk about his new book this morning on the radio — twice! (He was interviewed on two different news-talk stations in D.C.) But you can never get too much of the leading expert in the country on terrorism and the threat posed to American democracy and Western civilization by the global Islamist movement, which is busy getting deeply embedded in American and European society.

This is a very serious (and scary) book that everyone in America who cares about our future should read. On the eve of World War I, the British Foreign Secretary, Sir Edward Grey, famously said “the lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime.” Andy is trying to warn us that the lamps of freedom are already starting to flicker from the jihadist hurricane that is blowing in upon us — if we don’t start taking this threat seriously, the lamps of freedom may yet be extinguished in our lifetime.

White House Used Bill Clinton to Offer Bribe to Joe Sestak

Didn't work, and now the whole thing is blowing up Sestak's campaign:

President Obama’s chief of staff used former President Bill Clinton as an intermediary to see if Representative Joe Sestak would drop out of a Senate primary if given a prominent, but unpaid, advisory position, people briefed on the matter said Friday.

Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, asked Mr. Clinton to explore the possibilities last summer, according to the briefed individuals, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the politically charged situation. Mr. Sestak said no and went on to win last week’s Pennsylvania Democratic primary against Senator Arlen Specter.

The White House did not offer Mr. Sestak a full-time paid position because Mr. Emanuel wanted him to stay in the House rather than risk losing his seat. Among the positions explored by the White House was an appointment to the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board, which provides independent oversight and advice the president. But White House officials discovered it would not work because Mr. Sestak could not serve on the board while still serving in Congress.

Mr. Sestak first mentioned publicly in February that he had been offered a job but provided no details, and the White House for three months has refused to discuss it, generating intense criticism from Republicans who accused it of trying to bribe a congressman and deep consternation among Democrats who called on the administration to answer questions.

Mr. Obama promised on Thursday to release an account of the matter, which White House lawyers have been drafting in recent days in consultation with Mr. Sestak’s brother, Richard, who runs his campaign. The White House plans to release its statement later on Friday. Until now, the White House has said publicly only that whatever conversations took place with Mr. Sestak were not inappropriate.

Of course, the White House has already absolved itself of any wrongdoing, but I think there will be additional opinions on that matter that won't necessarily agree.

And I don't think they'll be able to count on Arlen Specter as a friendly witness.

"He Was Supposed to be Competent"

That's the title of Obama-voter Peggy Noonan's piece in the Wall Street Journal:

I don't see how the president's position and popularity can survive the oil spill. This is his third political disaster in his first 18 months in office. And they were all, as they say, unforced errors, meaning they were shaped by the president's political judgment and instincts.

There was the tearing and unnecessary war over his health-care proposal and its cost. There was his day-to-day indifference to the views and hopes of the majority of voters regarding illegal immigration. And now the past almost 40 days of dodging and dithering in the face of an environmental calamity. I don't see how you politically survive this.

The president, in my view, continues to govern in a way that suggests he is chronically detached from the central and immediate concerns of his countrymen. This is a terrible thing to see in a political figure, and a startling thing in one who won so handily and shrewdly in 2008. But he has not, almost from the day he was inaugurated, been in sync with the center. The heart of the country is thinking each day about A, B and C, and he is thinking about X, Y and Z. They're in one reality, he's in another.

The American people have spent at least two years worrying that high government spending would, in the end, undo the republic. They saw the dollars gushing night and day, and worried that while everything looked the same on the surface, our position was eroding. They have worried about a border that is in some places functionally and of course illegally open, that it too is gushing night and day with problems that states, cities and towns there cannot solve.

And now we have a videotape metaphor for all the public's fears: that clip we see every day, on every news show, of the well gushing black oil into the Gulf of Mexico and toward our shore. You actually don't get deadlier as a metaphor for the moment than that, the monster that lives deep beneath the sea.

Peggy's finally coming around to where the rest of us have been for a long time. You can read the rest of it here.

Hillary: I'm Not Paying Enough Taxes

Well, she didn't quite say it that way, but since Hillary and Bill are rich she apparently feels she's not contributing enough of her money to the government:

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a rare foray into domestic politics today, offering her view that — given America's high unemployment — wealthy Americans don't pay enough taxes.

"The rich are not paying their fair share in any nation that is facing the kind of employment issues [America currently does] — whether it's individual, corporate or whatever [form of] taxation forms," Clinton told an audience at the Brookings Institution, where she was discussing the Administration's new National Security Strategy.

Clinton said the comment was her personal opinion alone. "I'm not speaking for the administration, so I'll preface that with a very clear caveat," she said.

Clinton went on to cite Brazil as a model.

"Brazil has the highest tax-to-GDP rate in the Western Hemisphere and guess what — they're growing like crazy," Clinton said. "And the rich are getting richer, but they're pulling people out of poverty."

Both Clinton and Obama campaigned for president on promises to allow the Bush tax cuts for wealthy Americans expire this year, a plan that is now part of Obama's budget. The move will effectively raise taxes sharply on people earning more than $250,000.

Number one, nobody is stopping Bill and Hillary from giving more of their money to the Feds. She can start kicking in any time she wants and then we can all see how many people come out of poverty because of that.

Secondly, having the government take rich people's money won't pull anybody out of poverty. Letting the rich people keep more of their money encourages investment and job creation, the only things that will pull people out of poverty.

Rahm Heckled

Israelis are showing displeasure at their treatment at the hands of the Obama administration:

Israeli police have arrested two protesters for shouting insults at a top aide to U.S. President Barack Obama.

White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is in Israel to celebrate his son's Bar Mitzvah, a Jewish coming of age ceremony for 13-year-old boys. Police say he was touring Jerusalem's Old City Thursday when the men began shouting.

One of the men called Emanuel an anti-Semite.

Emanuel's father is from Israel, but many Israelis blame the U.S. official for what they see as the Obama administration's anti-Israel policies.

Obama is anti-Israel. He's done absolutely nothing to dispel that.

11 Senate Seats in Play

Jennifer Rubin at Commentary has the details:

The Cook Report (subscription required) explains:

Republicans scored a late but important recruiting success yesterday when businessman and former state Sen. Dino Rossi announced that he would challenge Democratic incumbent Sen. Patty Murray. Rossi’s announcement puts another Democratic-held seat in play. The race has been in the Solid Democratic column, but is moving to Toss Up, bringing the total number of competitive Democratic seats to 11.

As more seats come into play, the problems for the Democrats multiply. Spend money on Connecticut or Washington? Forget North Dakota and Delaware — they’re gone. How much money does Barbara Boxer need? And so it will go. Eleven seats doesn’t by any means guarantee or even make probable 11 GOP gains. It does, however, greatly increase the chances of 7-8 seats. And that’s more than enough to filibuster virtually any additions to the Obama spend-a-thon — and maybe to prevent funding of ObamaCare as well.

The immigration issue isn't going to help Boxer in California. That seat's going to be in trouble.

House Passes Repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell

No surprises here (from Breaking News):

House votes to end 'don't ask, don't tell,' the 1993 policy that bars openly gay men and lesbians from serving in the military

I understand five Republicans voted for it including the newest member, Charles Djou, from Hawaii.

This tidbit, also from Twitter:

@DrewMTips Pelosi and John Lewis just called #DADT immoral and an outrage. Funny thing is both voted for original bill w/it.

That's usually how it works.

Snarlin' Arlen May Snarl at Obama

This could be fun to watch:

Friends tell The Daily Beast that the departing senator, injured by Obama's failure to show last-minute support, may well shift right on key votes from Kagan to financial reform.

With party unity crucial to Democrats’ hopes for passing significant legislation before the midterm elections, Arlen Specter’s primary loss could pose a new problem for the White House.

The Senate could vote on any number of crucial bills before the midterms, including a new jobs bill, immigration reform, climate-change legislation, and a final financial-reform package, making Specter’s continuing support more important than ever. But several longtime friends and associates tell The Daily Beast that without a primary challenge to pressure him, the veteran senator--a famously prickly character whose temper has earned him the nickname "Snarlin' Arlen"—may shift to the right.

With Joe Sestak's campaign in trouble (he beat Specter in the primary), Obama may not only have lost the PA seat in November but the PA seat for the rest of this term. Arlen Specter could have a pretty good time getting even.

Today's Weird Medical Story

A man, who of course has no uterus, dies of uterine cancer:

Vincent Liew waited five years for the kidney that was supposed to change his life. Instead, the organ ended it.

The kidney came from a woman who had uterine cancer, but she and doctors didn't know it. Once her disease was discovered after the transplant, Liew's doctors highly doubted it could spread to him.

But in seven months, Liew was killed by cancer that his autopsy linked to the transplant. His death, the subject of a medical malpractice trial in which closing arguments were scheduled for Thursday, is believed to be the only reported instance of uterine cancer apparently being transmitted by transplant, medical experts say.

That's going to make for some interesting case law.

Hurricane Season Promises to be Busy

Hey, all you global warmists out there, get ready to start squealing:

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issues its 2010 hurricane season forecast, predicting one of the strongest seasons on record -- and reiterating fears that the Gulf oil spill may be impacted by the severe weather.

Hurricane season for the western Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico begins June 1 and lasts through Nov. 30. That's when about 90 percent of the storms make themselves present, and the predictions for this season are grim -- which could wreak further havoc on the Gulf Coast.

NOAA's forecast predicts as many as 23 named storms during the Atlantic hurricane season, with three to seven becoming serious enough to be classified as major hurricanes. Named storms come with top winds of 39 mph or higher. The agency worries that as many as 14 could turn into hurricanes, with winds in excess of 74 mph, and three to seven could be Category 3, 4 or 5 storms with winds of at least 111 mph.

“If this outlook holds true, this season could be one of the more active on record,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “The greater likelihood of storms brings an increased risk of a landfall. In short, we urge everyone to be prepared.”

The global warmists were pretty quiet last year when the hurricane season almost didn't generate any hurricanes at all. Thanks to El Niño the storm season in the Atlantic was very subdued, so this year was bound to be bigger. Whether it turns out to be significant is yet to be seen.

2010 will be the 40th anniversary of Hurricane Celia, a storm most of you have probably never heard of but one for which I had a front row seat.

Political Photo of the Day

Sarah Palin got a new neighbor for the summer at her home in Wasilla, AK - a sleazy journalist who is writing a book about her.  She wrote about it on her Facebook page and you can read that story here.

Since the writer was prone to sit on his deck and stare at the Palin abode, husband Todd took care of the matter.  He built a 15' fence blocking his new neighbor's view:

Good fences make good neighbors...and they also stop bad neighbors. Perhaps Todd could use a new job along our Southern border.

82% Don't Support Arizona Boycotts

Top of the Ticket has some interesting poll results on the immigration issue:

Out Wednesday is a new CNN/Public Opinion poll indicating that even more Americans want:

-- The number of illegal immigrants decreased (76%, up from 73%).

-- Illegal immigrants removed from the country (41%, up from 37%).

-- To halt the influx of illegal immigrants and deport those here (60%).

-- To assign more federal agents to security on the Mexico border (88%).

-- To fine employers of illegal immigrants tens of thousands of dollars (71%).

As you may know, frustrated with federal inaction on border security, Arizona recently passed its own tough new law on illegal immigrants. Asked, "Do you favor or oppose this law?" 57% were in favor of it and 37% were opposed.

Now, how about boycotting Arizona over this new law? Nope -- 82%.

Of course, the 18% who do favor boycotts (or at least have no opinion) tend to live in liberal enclaves like Los Angeles and San Francisco, so there's probably no political risk to the idiot politicians that voted for boycotts in those cities.  Maybe we don't need a fence at the border - just a fence around Los Angeles and San Francisco to keep the nuts in.

Obama's "Watergate"

Obama is already experiencing his "Katrina" in the form of the Gulf Oil Spill, and now one California congressman is suggesting the president may be about to experience his "Watergate":

An e-mail from Rep. Darrell Issa's (R-Calif.) campaign suggested Wednesday that the controversy over Rep. Joe Sestak's (D-Pa.) alleged administration job offer could be President Barack Obama's Watergate scandal.

In an e-mail with the subject line "The Sestak Affair - Obama's Watergate?", the ranking member on the Oversight and Government Reform committee focused on "long-standing questions" about the offer Sestak says was made to him to urge him to drop out of the Pennsylvania Democratic Senate primary.

The campaign e-mail says the allegations would amount to three felony charges of bribery and corruption.
"Congressman Sestak has continued to repeat his story whenever asked without varying from the original version. The White House however has arrogantly and wrongly assumed that they can sweep this matter under the rug," Issa, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, says in the e-mail.

"This may be the way business is done in Chicago, but it’s not the way things are done in our nation’s capitol [sic] and I am intent on getting to the bottom of this."

The congressman noted that Sestak has otherwise been mum on the details of the job offer, but added that it is "widely speculated" that Secretary of the Navy was the job in question.

"Joe Sestak realized that he made a mistake by letting the cat out of the bag. It’s a mistake that might end his bid for U.S. Senate and damage President Barack Obama," Issa continues. "He doesn’t want to make things worse than they are, so he’s sticking to his story to maintain his own credibility, but will not cooperate with investigators to bring charges against the guilty White House official.

"If he’s telling the truth, an investigation must take place and justice must be served. If he’s lying, then he should immediately resign the race for Senate."

Karl Rove adds this via Twitter:

@KarlRove: Joe Sestak's lying or he's protecting a felon in Barack Obamas White House

And MSNBC host Joe Scarborough describes the media's role in this as "malpractice". That's certainly true - no cover-up of this nature would ever have been willingly ignored if the president and the candidate had been Republicans.

Sestak has been consistent in his story, but has also refused to go any farther than stating he received a job offer. He won't say what the offer was or who made it. His refusal to speak further on the subject has very effectively hamstrung the opening days of his Senate bid. He's not going to be able to make this go away until he gives a full accounting of what happened, and every day this goes on his campaign is hurt a little more.

About Obama and Memorial Day

I'm all for criticizing Obama for those things he's screwed up or done that are clearly wrong, but sometimes critic get so wrapped up in their dislike for a politician that facts get lost along the way.  That happened quite often with George W. Bush and it's happening with Obama.

Much of the conservative blogosphere has its collective knickers in a knot because Obama will be vacationing in Chicago this weekend and will not attend the Memorial Day wreath-laying at Arlington National Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknowns.  I shot the photo below during my visit to Washington in 2005.
I've seen a number of people on Facebook and at other sites express their outrage and include a comment along the lines that "Obama is the first president to miss this event since the creation of Memorial Day".

Not true, and I think it's important we get the facts straight.  George W. Bush missed the 2002 event because he was in France for ceremonies at Normandy.  His father, George H.W. Bush never attended any of the Memorial Day events during this term of office.  In 1989 he was in Rome where he participated in a Memorial Day event there, and from 1990-1992 he spent Memorial Day in Maine.  Ronald Reagan missed four of the eight Memorial Day events during this term.  Bill Clinton, to his credit, attended all eight events during his term.

There's plenty of things to blast Obama about without making stuff up.  Previous presidents have vacationed on Memorial Day weekend and I can't get too worked up about this one.

Police Chiefs Ignore Real World Experience

The police chiefs who came out yesterday and predicted higher crime rates in Arizona because of the new immigration law are ignoring a real world example of how such a policy is working.  From The Corner:

Several prominent police chiefs warn that Arizona's illegal-alien law will hurt crime control. The police chief of Prince William County in Virginia worried about the same thing three years ago, when county supervisors approved a policy that is a forerunner to Arizona's action. Today, however, crime rates are at a 15-year low in Prince William County. My article in the current issue of NR describes the Prince William experience.

As it happens, crime rates have been going down for a long time in Prince William County. The latest numbers are part of a trend that started long before the county took a stand against illegal immigration. One thing is certain: The county's current policy has not led to more crime, which is what the chiefs of Houston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia are now predicting for Arizona.

The police chiefs involved in yesterday's PR event were doing nothing more than pandering to their Hispanic citizens. It would be hard to believe that a professional lawman could actually believe that removing lawbreakers from society could increase crime rates.

NY Afraid Not Enough Millionaires Have Moved Out-of-State

Why else would they do this?

New York Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver is reportedly pitching a plan for an increased "millionaire's tax" aimed at 75-85 thousand New Yorkers making $1 million or more a year.

Political columnist Fred Dicker , who appeared on Wednesday's Good Day New York, says Silver secretly proposed a $1 billion tax hike on the highest income earners to Gov. Paterson.

The plan would jack up a current millionaires tax another 11-percent. The current "millionaire's tax" actually starts affecting people who have incomes over $200,000. High income tax earners would pay more than 13-percent of their salary in local taxes.

The highest one percent of income earners account for about 36 percent of all state taxes.

Do you know what's going to happen if this passes? The millionaire tax will yield even less money than it does now. Democrats make two significant mistakes with taxes like this:

• They assume millionaires are a never ending source of funds.
• They assume millionaires will not vote with their feet and leave the state.

Why do you think Rush Limbaugh lives and works in Florida now?  And he's not the only one that's already left the state.  There will be plenty more.

Drunk Illegal Hits Massachusetts Lawmaker's Car, Won't Face Immigration Problems

Here's what happens when you have a "sanctuary" state:

A state lawmaker was rear-ended by a suspected illegal immigrant last Thursday.

Now, State Rep. Mike Moran, of Brighton, is talking about the crash involving Isaias Naranjo.

The 27-year-old suspect was reportedly driving under the influence of alcohol and did not have a valid license.

Police say when Naranjo was told of the serious charges he would be facing, he just laughed.

State police were unable to notify immigration authorities that Naranjo might be illegal. due to a 2007 order that strips them of immigration enforcement powers.

Any illegals who are feeling the heat in Arizona have a place they can go to - Massachusetts.

Political Video of the Day

Once again Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey makes our video of the day as he reminds an angry teacher that nobody forced her to become a teacher and she should have known the pay scale when she took the job:

Police Chiefs: Keeping Illegals Out Will Increase Crime

Obama's team rounded up some weak sister police chiefs from around the country to tell us that enforcing the law will cause an increase in crime:

WASHINGTON - Arizona's new immigration law and similar proposals in other states would lead to an increase in crime, some police chiefs from around the country told Attorney General Eric Holder in an hourlong meeting Wednesday.

The chiefs told the attorney general that having to determine whether a person is in the United States illegally will break down the trust that police have built in communities and will divert law enforcement resources away from fighting crime.

If that happens, "we will be unable to do our jobs," said Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck. "Laws like this will actually increase crime, not decrease crime."

Tucson Police Chief Roberto Villasenor said the requirements of the new law are so burdensome that "we doubt the federal government can even handle the numbers of people we will bring to them" on immigration status.

The new law "puts Arizona law enforcement right in the middle" at a time when police budgets are already in crisis, said John Harris, president of the Arizona Association of Chiefs of Police.

This dog-and-pony show (or perhaps we should call it a donkey-and-pony show) is supposed to convince us all that Arizona's immigration law will somehow damage our nation's law enforcement efforts.

Sorry, not buying it. Americans expect law enforcement to enforce the law...all of them. If they can't do it, it's time to get somebody else.

Santa Ana, CA College to Create Scholarship for Illegal Aliens

Of course it's in California:

Santa Ana College will dedicate a scholarship for illegal immigrant students in memory of 27-year-old immigration activist Tam Ngoc Tran of Garden Grove, who was killed in a crash involving a suspected drunken driver in Maine on May 15.

The dedication will take place during a ceremony at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Note to ICE: Be there.

My daughter's scholarship to another California college was cut by $500 for next year.

She's legal.  Maybe she should renounce her citizenship.

Obama Suddenly in a Hurry to End "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"

Last night Obama attended a fundraiser for Barbara "Dumb-as-a-Box-of-Rocks" Boxer and for the second California trip in a row was heckled by gay "rights" activists demanding the end of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", the Bill Clinton approved military policy that excludes gays from service.  I don't think anyone asked the activists if their concerns were based on their desire to join the military (I'm guessing no), but the thin-skinned president must be getting tired of the heckling because he's suddenly trying to accelerate the process of repeal:

Democratic and Republican lawmakers are questioning the decision to move ahead on a vote to repeal the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, saying Congress and the administration should wait until the Pentagon completes its internal review this fall.

A small group of congressional Democrats and the White House struck a compromise Monday to accelerate a vote on the issue, though the Pentagon's review is not due until December. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who supports the repeal but has urged Congress to hold off until the review is complete, gave a tepid endorsement of the plan.

But Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., a former Judge Advocate General, told Fox News that he can't figure out why Congress is "jumping the gun" on the vote and warned that the move could jeopardize support.

Rooney opposes the change in the policy banning gays from serving openly in the military, but said he would nevertheless support the defense secretary.

Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, also accused his colleagues of leap-frogging ahead of the Defense Department.

"The Pentagon indicated that ideally, Secretary Gates continues to prefer that the department complete this review before Congress considers legislation. This is a reasonable and responsible request," he said in a written statement.

Skelton opposes the policy change. But the accelerated timeline could end up turning off key lawmakers who would otherwise be willing to back the administration.

Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., a critical vote on the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced that the repeal vote would be "premature" while the Pentagon is still "in the midst of its study."

If they try to jam this through without giving the military time to complete their work they will lose some votes, but I don't think that matters to Obama. I think he wants to be able to say he's doing something about it, even if it fails. He can then blame the failure on his political opponents while claiming credit for "trying".

Political Photo of the Day

Democrat blogger and California Senate candidate Mickey Kaus debates...a box:

As it turns out the box was a tougher opponent than Barbara "Dumb-as-a-Box-of-Rocks" Boxer would have been had she showed up.

Immigration Has Become THE Issue in 2010

I think a lot of us assumed that Obamacare would be the issue driving the election in 2010 but the Arizona immigration debate has taken over the spotlight.  That's not good news for Democrats, though as J.R. Dunn points out at American Thinker, there are ways they'll try to deflect the real immigration issues and replace them with phony cries of racism and "rights":

Thanks in large part to Governor Jan Brewer's bold action in signing SB 1070, immigration is shaping up as the issue of the 2010 election. More than the economy, more than terrorism, more even than the question of whether Obama was chased back into the oval office by a rat, a vole, or a trilobite, illegal immigration has become the arena in which the upcoming election will be fought.

The left cannot win that match. Illegal immigration violates too many fundamental precepts involving security, economics, and questions of national identity. Polling reveals an overwhelming public aversion to illegal immigration, with opposition reaching up to 70%. The Democrats might be better-advised to run on a platform calling for more child abuse.

No wonder the president was "thin-skinned" in his meeting with Republican senators yesterday, where following the meeting he suddenly announced more National Guard troops for the border, a move he never mentioned during the meeting itself.

But leftists can distort the debate by ignoring the central argument and instead playing the margins, as they so often do. They are past masters at changing the subject and directing debate into channels where they hold superiority. Consider how they distorted the public view of the War on Terror, playing on fears of government surveillance, Nazifying efforts to protect the country, and smearing the agents and officials attempting to implement a workable strategy. By refusing to acknowledge that the U.S. was at war, concentrating on ill-conceived areas of the national effort, and planting seeds of doubt and paranoia, the left undermined the entire anti-terror program. Today, nearly a decade after 9/11, America's anti-terror system consists of Janet Napolitano holding a microphone. Once the jihadis get past her, they pretty much have a clear shot at anything they like, as Fort Hood, Detroit, and Times Square have so clearly demonstrated.

A similar process is at work involving the illegals crisis. The attempt to bulldoze opposition through demos and marches has failed. Instead, the left, along with the captive legacy media, will hard-pedal questions vaguely related to the topic while by no means central to it. We will hear endless talk about "rights" (always the rights of illegals, never the rights of citizens), racism, and the government as an oppressive force unleashed against third-world victims. All contrary arguments, on the other hand, will be abstracted out of comprehension or flushed down the memory hole, in the same way that rancher Rob Krentz, murdered by an illegal on his own land, and Deputy Louie Puroll, shot by cross-border drug smugglers, have become nonpersons to the eastern media and liberal politicians.

There's a lot more at the link, including recommended strategies for dealing with the obfuscation the Dems are sure to try. Read it all.

Welcome to 1950

Things are getting tense once again between the Koreas and it appears that the little tinpot dictator in the North is spoiling for another war:

SEOUL, South Korea - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that the world has a duty to respond to the sinking of a South Korean warship, which has been blamed on North Korea.

After talks with South Korean leaders Wednesday, Clinton told reporters the attack that killed 46 sailors was an "unacceptable provocation" by the North and the "international community has a responsibility and a duty to respond."

Clinton was spending just a few hours in Seoul discussing possible international responses to the crisis.

The North denies it was responsible and has threatened to retaliate if action is taken against it. It has previously warned of "all-out war."

On Wednesday, North Korea pledged to close the last road link with the South if Seoul continues with anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts.

"The South Korean puppet war-like forces would be well advised to act with discretion, bearing deep in mind that such measures of the KPA (army) will not end in an empty talk," North Korea's KCNA news agency quoted a top official as saying.

In reality a state of war has existed between these countries since 1950 since there never has been a formal end to the Korean War, just a truce.

North Korea's dictator, Kim Jong "Mentally" Il is aging and there have been questions about his health. I can't help but wonder if his deteriorating condition is creating some additional mental disturbances, or perhaps he wants to go out with a bang.

Political Video of the Day

Another good ad from an Alabama Republican.  This guy is running against party switcher Parker Griffith who became a Republican just a few months ago:

Today's Insane Conspiracy Theory

Offered by disgraced former Congressman Eric Massa:

Former Rep. Eric Massa (D-NY) tells Esquire that four retired generals had informed him that General David Petraeus "had met twice in secret with former vice president Dick Cheney. In those meetings, the generals said, Cheney had attempted to recruit Petraeus to run for president as a Republican in 2012."

"The generals had told him, and Massa had agreed, that if someone didn't act immediately to reveal this plot, American constitutional democracy itself was at risk."

Said Massa: "General David Petraeus, a commander with soldiers deployed in two theaters of war, has had multiple meetings with Dick Cheney, the former vice-president of the United States, to discuss Petraeus's candidacy for the Republican nomination for the presidency. And in fact, that's more than a constitutional crisis. That's treason."

Time to get back on the meds, Massa.

Weekly KHND Interview Podcast

Here's the weekly interview on KHND from this morning.   We talked about everything from the media reaction to the Gulf Oil Spill (and their criticism of Obama) to Tina Fey getting the Mark Twain Award for American Humor, largely, in my opinion, for her role in spoofing Sarah Palin.

Gibbs: Stop Asking Questions About Gulf Oil Spill

Naked Emperor News has the report:

Bonus Political Quote of the Day

From today's GOP Senate luncheon with Obama:

"The more he talked, the more he got upset," Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) said. “He needs to take a valium before he comes in and talks to Republicans and just calm down, and don’t take anything so seriously. If you disagree with someone, it doesn’t mean you’re attacking their motives — and he takes it that way and tends then to lecture and then gets upset.”

Thou shalt not be critical of The One thy president.

Mexico Issues Orders To OUR National Guard

The Mexican government has responded to the news that Obama is sending National Guard troops to the border by issuing orders to OUR troops.  This is from their official statement:

Regarding the Administration’s decision to send 1,200 National Guard servicemen to the US Southern border, the Government of Mexico trusts that this decision will help to channel additional US resources to enhance efforts to prevent the illegal flows of weapons and bulk cash into Mexico, which provide organized crime with its firepower and its ability to corrupt.

Additionally, the Government of Mexico expects that National Guard personnel will strengthen US operations in the fight against transnational organized crime that operates on both sides of our common border and that it will not, in accordance to its legal obligations, conduct activities directly linked to the enforcement of immigration laws.

So, we're sending troops to the border to stop stuff from crossing into Mexico, but we can't stop stuff (or people) from crossing into the U.S.

Screw you, Mexico.

Unfortunately, the likelihood is that the troops won't do anything substantive while they're down there.  They'll be ordered to put on a good show for the press, but probably won't be given any actual enforcement duties.

Want a Job Where Getting Spat On Will Get You Six Months Paid Leave?

Become a New York City Transit bus driver:

Of all the assaults that prompted a bus operator to take paid leave in 2009, a third of them, 51 in total, “involved a spat upon,” according to statistics the Metropolitan Transportation Authority released on Monday.

No weapon was involved in these episodes. “Strictly spitting,” said Charles Seaton, a New York City Transit spokesman.

And the encounters, while distressing, appeared to take a surprisingly severe toll: the 51 drivers who went on paid leave after a spitting incident took, on average, 64 days off work — the equivalent of three months with pay. One driver, who was not identified by the authority, spent 191 days on paid leave.

Transit officials, facing a budget shortfall of $400 million, called the numbers troubling. “We have to see what we’re going to do with that,” said Joseph Smith, who oversees bus operations for New York City Transit.

Spitting falls under the category of assault in the drivers’ contract with the authority. And officials at Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents city bus operators, said the extended absences were justified.

“Being spat upon — having a passenger spit in your face, spit in your mouth, spit in your eye — is a physically and psychologically traumatic experience,” said John Samuelsen, the union’s president. “If transit workers are assaulted, they are going to take off whatever amount of time they are going to take off to recuperate.”

Recuperate? From spitting? It may not be pleasant, and it may even be a bit traumatic, but come on.

FLASH: OBAMA DOES SOMETHING RIGHT

It's such a rare event I had to use the FLASH headline:

President Barack Obama will send 1,200 National Guard troops to boost security along the U.S.-Mexico border, officials said Tuesday, pre-empting Republican plans to try to force votes on such a deployment.

Obama will also request $500 million for border protection and law enforcement activities, according to lawmakers and administration officials. The moves come as chances for action on comprehensive immigration reform, Obama’s long-stated goal, look increasingly small in this election year. But Obama is under pressure to do something with the issue front and center after Arizona’s passage of a tough crackdown law.

The National Guard troops will work on intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support, analysis and training, and support efforts to block drug trafficking. They will temporarily supplement border patrol agents until Customs and Border Protection can recruit and train additional officers and agents to serve on the border, an administration official said.

So, the obvious question is why now? Could it be the overwhelming support at the polls for the Arizona immigration bill? Could it be his 42% approval rate? Could he simply being trying to take the immigration debate off the table with this modest deployment of troops?

You always have to wonder with this guy.

Mary Katherine Ham thinks she's got it figured out.