lies = fear

The effeminate and always objective Chris Matthews questions whether or not Governor Sarah Palin 'can read or write,' yet he warns, 'keep an eye on Palin.'

And yes, let's call her Governor, because she is a Governor after all. I've talked to a number of uniformed voters since the election who claimed not to know Palin was a Governor, which is obviously laughable.

This is the point. They insult her but they fear her. They insult her because they fear her. And they didn't report fairly about her. Had they done so, had the MSM reported her record as Alaska Governor, the entire country would have fallen in love with her, instead of just half the country.

Two words: SarahPac.

culture of corruption #974

Sam Adams, the openly gay and 'progressive' mayor of Portland, Oregon has admitted that he lied when he denied having sex with an underage teenager in 2005.

What a disgusting, pathetic pig. What a perfect Democrat. He reminds me of Barney Frank.

59-0

No, that's not my prediction of the SuperBowl score. That was the vote earlier today of the Illinois legislature on Blago, who was impeached and is no longer Governor. They even pulled his security detail.

Congratulations to the new Governor, Pat Quinn.

make my day

A military judge in Guantanamo Bay denied today a request from the Obama administration to suspend proceedings for 120 days the case of a terrorist accused of bombing the USS Cole.

Abd al Rahim al-Nashiri, the bastard, is accused of planning the bombing on the Cole back in October 2000 that killed 17 sailors, injured 50 others and severely damaged the American warship.

It's hard to imagine attempting to halt these proceedings. It is beyond time for justice to be served in this case.

front of the line

President Obama's 'stimulus' bill aids illegal immigrants.

Remember, the bill provides $500 and $1,000 tax credits to individuals and couples, respectively? It expressly forbids nonresident aliens from receiving checks but it allows people without Social Security numbers to be eligible for aid.

What a country! America, the land of free medical care, free education and free money! (But only if you're a non-citizen)

nays

Aderholt Akin Alexander Austria Bachmann Bachus Barrett (SC) Bartlett Barton (TX) Biggert Bilbray Bilirakis Bishop (UT) Blackburn Blunt Boehner Bonner Bono Mack Boozman Boustany Boyd Brady (TX) Bright Broun (GA) Brown (SC) Buchanan Burgess Burton (IN) Buyer Calvert Camp Campbell Cantor Cao Capito Carter Cassidy Castle Chaffetz Coble Coffman (CO) Cole Conaway Cooper Crenshaw Culberson Davis (KY) Deal (GA) Dent Diaz-Balart, L. Diaz-Balart, M. Dreier Duncan Ehlers Ellsworth Emerson Fallin Flake Fleming Forbes Fortenberry Foxx Franks (AZ)

Frelinghuysen Gallegly Garrett (NJ) Gerlach Gingrey (GA) Gohmert Goodlatte Granger Graves Griffith Guthrie Hall (TX) Harper Hastings (WA) Heller Hensarling Herger Hoekstra Hunter Inglis Issa Jenkins Johnson (IL) Johnson, Sam Jones Jordan (OH) Kanjorski King (IA) King (NY) Kingston Kirk Kline (MN) Kratovil Lamborn Lance Latham LaTourette Latta Lee (NY) Lewis (CA) Linder LoBiondo Lucas Luetkemeyer Lummis Lungren, Daniel E. Mack Manzullo Marchant McCarthy (CA) McCaul McClintock McCotter McHenry McHugh McKeon McMorris Rodgers Mica Miller (FL) Miller (MI) Miller, Gary Minnick Moran (KS)

Murphy, Tim Myrick Neugebauer Nunes Olson Paul Paulsen Pence Peterson Petri Pitts Platts Poe (TX) Posey Price (GA) Putnam Radanovich Rehberg Reichert Roe (TN) Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rogers (MI) Rohrabacher Rooney Ros-Lehtinen Roskam Royce Ryan (WI) Scalise Schmidt Schock Sensenbrenner Sessions Shadegg Shimkus Shuler Shuster Simpson Smith (NE) Smith (NJ) Smith (TX) Souder Stearns Sullivan Taylor Terry Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiahrt Tiberi Turner Upton Walden Wamp Westmoreland Whitfield Wilson (SC) Wittman Wolf Young (AK) Young (FL)

opinions

A new Rasmussen poll finds that 64% of voters want Obama to honor his campaign pledge of tax cuts for 95% of all Americans.

Some 59% believe President Obama and Congress will increase government spending too much in the next two years.

Americans smell a double standard and 41% don't believe the tax cheat Tim Geithner should be Treasury Secretary.

Almost half of respondents -- 49% -- think Obama is more Liberal than they are.

boondoggle

The ballooning $819 billion dollar pork-laden bill passed, you know the not-very-stimulating bill that we discussed earlier? It passed 244-188. Zero Republicans voted for this crap.

Meantime, the GOP proposal that would have really stimulated the economy, the plan that was made up almost entirely of tax cuts, was defeated, 266-170.

So, what we've got is $275 billion in tax cuts for individuals and businesses and $544 in new federal spending. (It really should be the other way.)

We've got the return of FDR's big government liberalism that deepened and prolonged the Great Depression. We've got job-creating programs, like highway and mass transit construction, we've got unemployment benefits, health care and food stamp increases. And we've got a tax cut, the centerpiece of the legislation, $500 for individuals, $1,000 for couples, including those who don't pay taxes.

Of course, in this psycho, 'Democratically-controlled' parallel universe, that makes total sense.

House Republican Minority Leader John Boehner said it best: "It won't create many jobs, but it will create plenty of programs and projects through slow-moving government spending."

'the interview of the century'?

I think being 'conciliatory' toward Muslims is fine, as long as we've done something to slight them or have in some way insulted them.

But we haven't. In fact, President Bush bent over backwards to reach out to Muslims, repeatedly saying that the War on Terror wasn't a war on Islam or Muslims, but a rag tag band of militants who 'perverted' an otherwise 'peaceful religion.' He repeatedly stated Muslims were by and large good people, etc.

In President Obama's case, being 'conciliatory' sounded much more like brown-nosing, or sucking up. The fact that he chose to grant his first Presidential interview to Al Arabiya (the Arabic satellite news channel called it 'the interview of the century' on their website) is disturbing.

And it wasn't very Presidential. Neither is engaging in dialogue with Iran. How does legitimizing a wannabe imperial regime advance the national security interests of the United States? How does that serve to enhance the chances for peace in the Middle East?

I predicted Obama would emulate Jimmy Carter, I just didn't think it would happen so quickly.

serious pork

"Never let a serious crisis go to waste. It's an opportunity to do things you couldn't do before."

Ah, the admission of guilt, from Rahm Emanuel, no less. No wonder this suckulus, er, stimulus bill is such a turkey. It's a wish list of everything Democrats have tried to foist on America for as long as I've been alive.

Only the spendthrift Democrats would characterize 'STD prevention' as economic stimulus. It's absurd.

The federal railroad that hasn't turned a profit in 40 years, Amtrak, gets a $1 billion bailout; $2 billion for child care; $50 million to the National Endowment for the Arts; $2.4 billion for carbon-capture demonstration projects. Whatever the hell that is. $650 million for digital television conversion coupons. And there's $400 million allocated for research on something that doesn't even exist -- Global warming.

But wait. Renewable energy $8 billion; Mass transit $6 billion; The government wants an additional $600 million for new fleet cars, on top of the $3 billion a year already spends on cars.

Stimulus? Where's the stimulus? According to the WSJ, "$30 billion, or less than 5% of the spending in the bill is fixing bridges or other highway projects."

And only $90 billion out of the entire $825 billion dollar bill can really be considered a 'growth stimulus.'

This bill creates 32 new gov't programs... a staggering display of stupidity. This, ladies and gentleman, all of you who voted for Obama, is what you deserve. Nice going.

This is a seminal moment for the future of the Republican Party. Vote no on this loser bill and when it fails -- which it will -- the GOP will look like visionaries, protecting the Republic from socialistic, overreaching Liberals.

dead last

The new Pew Research Poll finds that nobody cares about global warming, the environment, immigration anymore.

They also don't care about tax cuts, but the top 'priorities' for the new year are the economy and jobs.

The MSM has done a brilliant job of dumbing down Americans on the relationship between a strong, healthy, vibrant economy and tax cuts. And when corporate tax rates are low, jobs are plentiful.

Why are people so dumb?

security concerns

President Obama wants Israel to open its borders with Gaza.

“The outline for a durable ceasefire is clear: Hamas must end its rocket fire: Israel will complete the withdrawal of its forces from Gaza: the US and our partners will support a credible anti-smuggling and interdiction regime, so that Hamas cannot re-arm,” the US president said.

“As part of a lasting ceasefire, Gaza’s border crossings should be open to allow the flow of aid and commerce, with an appropriate monitoring regime, with the international and Palestinian Authority participating.”

The problem with this is that Hamas and the Palestinian Authority doesn't want peace with Israel. They take the aid and use it to buy weapons, which they then use to attack Israel and kill Israelis. The reason the borders aren't open is because of Israel's security concerns.

Nice foreign policy, Barry. This is why we should elect Republican presidents. They understand safety.

the replacement

New York's new junior United States Senator is Kirsten Gillibrand.

Nearly handpicked by Chuck Schumer, Gillibrand is a conservative, NRA-backed Upstate Democrat, who opposes TARP and granting driver's licenses to non-citizens. She supports gay marriage, abortion rights and withdrawal from Iraq.

I'm just glad she's not Caroline Kennedy.

february 16

The Democrats are saying that an economic stimulus plan won't be ready until mid-February?

What have they been doing since November 4? They control the government, we're in an emergency financial crisis and they are still diddling around?

From Reuters:

"With new figures showing the U.S. economy sinking deeper into recession, Obama is anxious to create bipartisan approach to jolting the economy out of its worst crisis since the Great Depression nearly 80 years ago.

Republicans, who have voiced concern over the shape of the package and accuse Obama's majority Democrats of failing to take their views into account, left the meeting saying they had given Obama ideas of their own on new tax cuts."

I appreciate the President Obama's desire for bipartisan support, but let's be clear. He has to lead and he would be wise to cut taxes beyond the $275 billion proposed by the Democrats. Or, as Reuters phrases it, "the $275 billion earmarked for tax cuts."

further explanation

That's President Obama today in the Oval Office signing executive orders to close Guantanamo Bay, review military trials and overhaul interrogation techniques.

If at any time it appeared that President Bush didn't have a firm grasp of the facts or if he failed to explain something properly and give it context, the press would whack him around for it. They'd question his intelligence, talk about how incurious he was, how he didn't read very much, call him dumb or 'The Cowboy President.'

The audio of the above Obama signing session on the radio this morning. Obama explained what he was signing and the significance of each and then he asked White House counsel Greg Craig to explain some more. The effect of it made Obama sound dumb and weak, like he didn't know what he was doing and that he was playing the role of little boy president.

That's my interpretation of what I heard. But check out the AP's description of this event:

"President Barack Obama began overhauling U.S. treatment of terror suspects Thursday, signing orders to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, review military war crimes trials and ban the harshest interrogation methods. Obama explained each order before he put his pen to them and occasionally solicited input from Craig to make sure he was describing them correctly."

And it's perfectly okay because Obama walks on water and he can do no wrong. Imagine the outcry if Bush had ever 'solicited input' from White House counsel Harriet Myers or Fred Fielding during a live signing event? The media would have gone completely mad!

I thought Obama was this brilliant, eloquent constitutional scholar? If there is more explanation needed on a particular issue why the hell isn't he doing it himself? Why does he need a lawyer to do his job for him on Day 3 of his administration?

If Karl Rove was "Bush's Brain" then Greg Craig is "Obama's Brain."

ditzy brunette

Caroline Kennedy is pathetic to me. I feel sorry for her.

My goodness, they crucified Sarah Palin for her speaking manner, yet nobody says anything about Caroline? And I quote: "Uh, you know, uh, uh, uh, you know, uh, you know, uh, uh, you know, uh, you know?"

The woman speaks as if she doesn't have a brain in her head. She has nothing of substance to say about anything, she has virtually no life experience.

Nobody can seem to get their stories straight here. Was Caroline ending her candidacy? Was she not ending her candidacy? Was she 'wavering'? Was she not wavering? Was New York Governor David Patterson going to seat her? Was he not going to seat her? Was she 'unready' for the job? Was she ready for the job?

And what are the reasons that she finally, mercifully withdrew from consideration? Was it her uncle Ted's illness or was it taxes and a housekeeper? Do we know? Will we ever really truly know?

mccain by a landslide

It wasn't even close.

culture of corruption, con't

Sheila Dixon, the Democratic Mayor of Baltimore, has been indicted on 12 counts of felony theft, perjury, fraud and misconduct in office. If convicted on all charges, she could serve 85 years in prison.

childish liberals

Idiots vandalized the George H. W. Bush monument in Houston. Classy.

You don't see Republicans doing this kind of crap. We're too busy being productive members of society.

.1000

The Obama administration is calling their decision to close Guantanamo Bay within a year "to further the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States and the interests of justice."

I can't think of anything more wrongheaded. That's like saying 'I'm going to drive with a flat tire because it's safer.' It's ridiculous.

Gitmo has been an extraordinary success because it has enabled us to keep these terrorists in one isolated, secure location on foreign soil so they aren't subject to rights that would be accorded them if they were imprisoned on American soil. Makes perfect sense, right?

It has also allowed us to get extraordinary amounts of intelligence. Key example is KSM, a major al Qaeda player and acknowledged and admitted mastermind of 9/11. We broke him after waterboarding, by the way. But we can't do that anymore because some people consider it torture.

Also considered torture is loud music, sleep deprivation, standing for long periods of time, being naked, being naked in front of women, wearing women's underwear. Yes, I know I posted about this exact same topic just a few weeks ago, but it's important and I DON'T FREAKING UNDERSTAND WHY OBAMA WANTS TO MAKE US LESS SAFE.

The people who are demanding we close the detention center fail to accept the fact that we've been treating these enemy combatants humanely. We have fed them so well they have gained weight. (I've also posted on this many, many times, check the archives.)

But the Left ignores that and claims that Gitmo is a gulag and we're torturing Muslims and it's illegal and they should be afforded protections under the Geneva Conventions (even though the terrorists target civilians, kill women and children, fail to wear uniforms of a united army or nation and always torture and kill our people when given half a chance.)

The idea that we keep America safe by dismantling the counter-terrorism infrastructure created by Bush and Cheney is patently absurd and I don't understand it at all. If we limit our ability to get information on terrorist plots and track the terrorists, if we handcuff our counter-terrorism officials and take away the tools of their trade, how can we expect to go another seven years without a major terrorist attack on our soil?

We can't.

Obama had better get off the phone with the Palestinian leader Abbas and realize that he's got to bat .1000 on homeland security. Otherwise, his presidency is done and he will be declared a failure. And he won't be able to blame Bush because he will have crippled the anti-terror system that Bush created for his successors.

'flawless'

President Obama was sworn in last night...again. Without a Bible. This time in the Map Room at the White House.

Chief Justice Roberts dropped by around 7:35 Tuesday night and gave it another spin. You know, one word was out of sequence, so out of a "abundance of caution..."

Roberts asked if the President was ready to take the oath and Obama replied, "I am, and we're going to do it very slowly." It took 25 seconds and it was "flawless."

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm certainly relieved. A Constitutional crisis, averted. Although, without the Bible, does it really count?

1.20.09

I have much to say about the inauguration, but first I want to share my repulsion at the remarks of Rev. Joe Lowery. The guy is a racist and his remarks were entirely divisive and inappropriate for the occasion.

"Help us work for that day when black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right."

What a contrast between two 'Men of God,' Lowery and Rev. Rick Warren.

I don't believe true men of God have the type of hatred in their hearts and words that Lowery displayed today. He reminds me of another supposed 'Man of God,' the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

The speech. I thought it was mostly flat, dull and uninspiring, considering the circumstances. But now that President Obama is busy lowering the lofty expectations that he placed upon himself, what else could he do?

"For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do."

The idea that America must work at 'restoring science' is absurd. Bush was right to reject Kyoto. And stem cell research? Bush is the first President to okay said research. The rest of this speech was just empty, shallow political rhetoric, the same crap Obama recited during the campaign.

And speaking of crap, how about Elizabeth Alexander's inaugural poem? I'm not sure if it was Alexander's cold, dead, monotone voice that gave me the creeps or the cold, dead, empty meaning of the words. It was completely tacky and otherwise inappropriate for the occasion.

Classless mocking of Bush. Consider the source: Democrats. What else should we expect from them? Above, President Obama hugged former President Bush immediately after delivering his inaugural address.

Of course, the best thing of all about inauguration day is the pomp and circumstance of the entire affair. It was exciting and it made me proud to be an American. It's the sort of every four and eight year tradition that brings out the best in all of us. Whatever differences I have with the incoming administration, we can all celebrate the arrival of two million of our fellow citizens yesterday on the national mall to mark this momentous day in American history.

senator cornyn

Is that backbone that I'm seeing? A Republican Senator showing some courage of conviction, some balls? I can't believe it.

Texas Senator John Cornyn is objecting to a unanimous consent vote for several Obama Cabinet nominees, including Secretary of State designate Hillary Clinton, because of concerns about the undue influence of Bill Clinton and the foreign donors to his foundation and his library.

Cornyn's spokesman gets it exactly right. “This is not an effort to scuttle or block the nomination, but a legitimate policy difference. Senator Cornyn’s goal is to create transparency on all levels of government.”

This is exactly the type of courage, strength and leadership that is going to be required everyday if we are to rebuild the Republican party.

etc.

So George W. Bush exits the world stage in a few hours and the new guy, well, he's just everywhere. It seems that the world adores Barack Obama.

It's worth noting that Bush, with his country in first and foremost in mind, is about to hand over to his successor the apparatus and the tools that, for the past seven years, have kept America safe.

Obama's success depends on him doing the same things Bush did, exactly the way Bush did them. Bush batted .1000 against terrorism with wireless surveillance, harsh interrogation techniques, Guantanamo Bay and secret European prisons. Dismantling the anti-terrorism program is a fool's game.

The 44th President certainly will have a lot on his plate, but nothing will ever be more important than protecting Americans from those loony, sadistic Islamic freaks. President Obama would be wise to choose good policy over fleeting popularity.

bush achievements

RealClearWorld ranks President Bush's top 5 foreign policy successes:

1. Africa
2. China
3. India
4. Military transformation
5. Columbia

bad taste?

$170 million? Is that an appropriate expense for the inauguration? What about the economic downturn?

Bush's second inaugural cost $43 million (in private funds) and the Left had a cow.

For this past weekend, the federal government kicked in $49 million, but DC, Maryland and Virginia have asked for an additional $75 million.

And then there are the parties, the security, the Springsteen concert and the porta-potties. Private money they tell us.

I suppose I don't begrudge the celebration., but I reject the hypocrisy.

just and good

I'm glad to see that President Bush has commuted the sentences of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, although I believe they deserve full pardons.

How can Border Patrol agents be expected to do their jobs if they fear prosecution and jail time?

the top 10

Fred Barnes lists the Bush achievements:

1. Not signing Kyoto.
2. Enhanced terrorist interrogations.
3. Rebuilding of Presidential authority.
4. Unwavering support of Israel.
5. No Child Left Behind.
6. Promoting Democracy worldwide.
7. The Medicare prescription drug benefit.
8. Roberts & Alito.
9. Strengthened relations with Australia, Japan, India and South Korea without pissing off China.
10. The Surge.

43

A job well done, Mr. President. On behalf of a nation of brain dead, ignorant, uninformed idiots, thank you.

everybody's cool

Taking a swim in the Hudson River between Manhattan and New Jersey.

How long do you think it'll be before the environmentalists are going to freak out about the jet in the river? All those chemicals and steel must be bad for the planet. And what about the fish? Holy crap, the fish!

-10 degrees

Chicago is experiencing the coldest weather in 10 years!

Where the hell is Al Gore?

breaking filibusters

Former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum writes a prescient op-ed in today's Philadelphia Inquirer about Obama's ace-in-the-hole: Mr. Bipartisanship himself, John McCain.

"Losing the presidency will not be the final chapter of McCain's life story. He knows the path to "Big Media" redemption. Working with the man who vanquished him in November will show them all the real McCain again.

"McCain will forge common ground on a long list of initiatives that go far beyond where he has gone before, including the stimulus package.

"Alas, the two White House rivals now stand positioned to help secure each other's place in history. The next mainstream media blockbuster could be Barack Obama and John McCain: The Movie."

Makes perfect sense. Remember this is the same McCain who seemed to be rooting for Obama to win the presidency.

down in venezuela...

Poor Hugo Chavez needs money.

A plunge in gas prices and a decline in domestic oil production has forced him to 'quietly court' Western oil companies again.

This guy is just asking for a missile shower.

'pregame'

I've long been a fan of Howard Fineman. His manner is slightly combative but mostly genial. He really knows how to jam that knife in.

He's a Leftist and a Bush hater, sure. But he's also a damn good writer. You've got to respect that. It's all about the writing. 'A Bumpy Start' is one of his best.

dinner

I think it's pretty cool that Obama had dinner last night with a bunch of Conservative writers. Why not? I'm all for being friends. And the President-elect should reach out, just to validate his claim that he's bi-partisan.

Remember, Bush tried to do this sort of thing at the beginning. The first thing he did as President was to cook up a dinner and a movie for the Kennedy family. A gracious first step. No Child Left Behind was the result. (We've seen how incredibly ungracious Ted Kennedy has been to Bush ever since.)

Larry Kudlow is brilliant. If I ever run for President, he's my financial adviser during the campaign and my choice to run Treasury. But, it sounds like after last night, he's got a serious man crush.

'overly aggressive, too persistent'

When I see the words overly aggressive and persistent, I think of terrorists. They stop at nothing. They won't be deterred. They are committed to their cause, the only way to stop them is to kill them.

Susan Crawford, appointed by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates as the convening authority of military commissions, believes that Mohammed al Qahtani, a Saudi national held at Guantanamo Bay, was the victim of 'overly aggressive, too persistent' interogation techniques and therefore he won't be prosecuted.

Keep in mind that Crawford herself believes Qahtani would have been involved in 9/11 but was denied entry to the United States in August '01. Mohammed Atta, remember him? Atta went to Orlando to pick Qahtani up at the airport but some smart immigration inspector said no. He was later captured on the battlefield in Afghanistan.

"There's no doubt in my mind he would've been on one of those planes had he gained access to the country in August 2001," Crawford said of Qahtani. "He's a muscle hijacker. . . . He's a very dangerous man. What do you do with him now if you don't charge him and try him? I would be hesitant to say, 'Let him go.' "

Sleep deprivation, isolation, insulting his mother and sister, strip searches, wearing women's undergarments... This is fraternity hazing, not torture. Of course, Qahtani did suffer some medical problems -- he was hospitalized twice with bradycardia, where the heart beats fewer than 60 beats a minute -- but he received top-notch medical care. Anyway, it's Obama's call what happens next.

My question is, why is this guy still alive? We should have killed him and disposed of him long ago.

'the wrestler'

Mickey Rourke is making a big time comeback. His new film 'The Wrestler' is blowing up everywhere.

Turns out, he's a pretty logical guy when it comes to politics.

"President Bush was in the wrong place at the wrong time, (on 9/11) I don't know how anyone could have handled this situation.

"It's too easy to blame everything (world events) on one guy. These are unpredictable, dangerous times, and I don't think that anyone really knows quite what to do."

Rourke sounds pretty intelligent. He also gets what it's all about.

"I was in London recently and I couldn't believe all these hate-talking fanatics you have over here who are allowed to carry on doing their thing even when a bus full of women and children gets blown to pieces.

"I know you've deported one or two of them, but it seems crazy. I think there is worse to come, something terrible will happen to either America or the U.K., or France even. I don't think these fundamentalists should be allowed to talk all this crap, and brainwashing these young kids."

my buddy mark

Can you believe I used to be really good friends with this guy?

tax cheat

Treasury Secretary nominee Tim Geithner failed to pay taxes from '01-'04.

And I love what incoming Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs had to say about this. It's very Clintonian. No, it's Obamanian.

"(Geithner) has dedicated his career to our country and served with honor, intelligence and distinction. That service should not be tarnished by honest mistakes, which, upon learning of them, he quickly addressed."

Gibbs is just a really bad liar and it will be fun deconstructing all the whoppers he's going to be telling over the next four years. There's no honor in taking five to eight years to pay back taxes.

In fact, Geithner only paid the money he owed the IRS days before Obama announced his nomination. Yeah, he's really serving with 'distinction.'

president bush

I couldn't believe my ears or my eyes. Was that President Bush finally, at long freaking last, (and much, much too late) defending himself?

Bush is a terrible communicator. He gives great speeches but speaking off the cuff isn't his thing and he doesn't like the press, you can see it in his body language. He's very uncomfortable.

The problems he's experienced in his presidency can be directly traced back to (1) A time when he failed to clearly articulate the plan or the rationale for something, or when he (2) Turned the other cheek and took the criticism for something rather than blame somebody else.

But back to today. President Bush's final press conference.

On Katrina: "Don't tell me the federal response was slow when there were 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed. ... Could things been done better? Absolutely. But when I hear people say the federal response was slow, what are they going to say to those 30,000 who got pulled off the roof?"

On popularity: “In certain quarters in Europe you can be popular by blaming every Middle Eastern problem on Israel. Or you can be popular by joining the International Criminal Court. I guess I could have been popular by accepting Kyoto, which I felt was a flawed treaty . . . And in terms of the decisions that I had made to protect the homeland, I wouldn't worry about popularity.”

On America's 'bruised image' overseas: "I disagree with this assessment that, you know, that people view America in a dim light," he said. "It may be damaged amongst some of the elite. But people still understand America stands for freedom."

On himself, a week from now: "I just can't envision myself, you know, the big straw hat and a Hawaiian shirt sitting on some beach. I wake up in Crawford on Tuesday morning—I mean, Wednesday morning, and I suspect I'll make Laura coffee and, you know, go get it for her."

global warming?

The coldest weather in 15 years is coming this weekend to New York, Detroit, Chicago, Philly and DC.

How
big
of a
liar
is Al Gore?

cut & reform

Color me skeptical, but I dig the idea of a Chief Performance Officer, the newly created White House efficiency position that will elimate broken federal programs and improve others.

America's first CPA is Nancy Killefer, a professional efficiency expert, and former Clinton Administration official. (As I said, I'm skeptical.)

I'd be very surprised if President Obama reforms anything during his time in office, but if he does I'll be the first to thank him for it.

his time is now

al Qaeda now is blaming President-elect Obama for what's happening in Gaza. Like he's had anything to do with it?

I think a lot of Barack's minions are going to be very surprised at how un-magical he is about to become, especially when it comes to keeping Americans safe from Islamic terror.

obama & four presidents

Back in early January 2001, when George W. was two weeks shy of inauguration, I don't recall Clinton trying to unify the nation after the contentious recount in Florida. He never publicly told Bush 'We wish you the very best and so does the country.'

Certainly, there was no grand gesture like inviting the former Presidents back to the White House for a welcoming lunch for the President-elect, like what President Bush did in Obama's honor today.

(And by the way, the linked article to this post suggests that it was Obama's idea back in November. First time I've heard that. I did a Google and, predictably, like the lapdogs they are, the MSM is frantically reporting that Obama, did, in fact, suggest the lunch. But then I dig some more digging and found this from 12/17/07.)

I've said it before and I'm about to say it again. George W. Bush is a classy guy.

incompetent democrats

Obama and the Democrats have bungled this Blogo business so badly, handled it so ineptly, I felt sorry for Roland Burris today. Is this the dress rehearsal for The Barack, Harry and Nancy Show?

what about the cia?

Leon Panetta as CIA director? He has zero experience. Why would we...?

I mean, that would be like electing a dogcatcher president --

Wait...

happy new year

Pelosi wants the Republicans to have no say on any legislation, period. How bipartisan of her.

a round of tequilla for everyone

The Fat Mexican, a.k.a., New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is pulling out of his new gig as Obama's Commerce Secretary because he's (dramatic pause) CORRUPT and UNDER INVESTIGATION!