Weekend Update (July 2 – 5)
Governor Palin Goes Double Maverick; Kerry’s Pompous Head Explodes
Sarah Palin gave the chattering class something to talk about on a holiday weekend by announcing that, not only would she not seek reelection as governor of Alaska, but that she would resign her current term before the end of July. The news sent shock waves through the United States leading some to say this was the end for the enigmatic figure, while others called the move politically “brilliant.” Governor Palin did not specifically address her future aspirations, but cited frivolous ethics claims, abusive press coverage of her young children and the cost of the media circus being borne by the state of Alaska as her primary reasons for resigning.
New York Times “columnist” Maureen Dowd, whose most obvious accomplishment in life has been to become the living embodiment of the etymology of her surname, used the occasion to prove the governor’s point, writing a typically rambling screed of venomous invective vaguely in the governor’s direction. Stay classy Maureen.
Good Work If You Can Get It.
The Obama administration used the holiday weekend to release its list of White House employee salaries. Don’t be fooled into thinking this is voluntary transparency by the Obama administration; the report is required by law. The highest paid staffer is a man you’ve probably never heard of, David Marcozzi, who is paid $192,934 per year. Marcozzi is Obama’s personal teleprompter repairman. Just kidding, he’s the Director of Public Health Policy, and apparently the best negotiator at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, as he makes over $20,000 per year more than his colleagues. The full list is available here.
Speaking of Open Positions: For the Right Price…
Obama repaid some outstanding campaign debts on Thursday as he nominated Douglas W. Kmiec as Ambassador to Malta and Fay Hartog-Levin was nominated as Ambassador to the Netherlands. The Republican Kmiec was instrumental in Obama’s presidential campaign, crossing party lines to endorse Obama early on in the campaign and giving pro-life Republicans (false) comfort to vote for Obama. Hartog-Levin came to her position the old fashioned way, campaign contributions: $28,500 from her own pocket. That’s no small Change™, but I can believe it.
Obama Stays Limp, Even Flaccid, on Iran, North Korea and Iraq.
Following a week in which his former (and future) rival for the Democratic nomination, Hillary Clinton leaked that Obama is being too weak with Iran, North Korea, Iran, Iraq and Russia were all in the news testing the young president. (Biden warned us to gird our loins).
On the Fourth of July, North Korea test fired seven short-range missiles, in response, the United States promised to monitor the situation. Perhaps we can give them free telemetry data, while we’re at it. The actual response from the State Department was “This type of North Korean behavior is not helpful.” As of press time, there was no official statement from the White House.
As Iranian election unrest continues into its third week, news surfaced that the Obama administration is actively blocking economic sanctions against the rogue regime. The United States, which is the only member of the G8 without formal diplomatic relations with Iran, is apparently also the only G8 nation opposing sanctions for the bloody and unforgivable tyranny going on in that country.
Meanwhile, even Saudi Arabia has seen the risk the mullahs pose and has apparently given Israel overflight rights in order to strike Iranian nuclear targets. If Obama won’t even agree to economic sanctions, what are the chances he would agree to decisive military action? That was a rhetorical question, but Biden answered it. On Sunday, Biden said that the United States “would not stand in the way” of an Israeli attack on Iran. So, after 60 years of standing shoulder to shoulder against the evils in the World, the Obama administration signaled that Israel is on it’s own against a holocaust denying, raving anti-Semitic, potentially nuclear armed Iran. That taste in the back of your throat is vomit.
Next door, in Iraq, Vice President Joe Biden was kind enough to throw the enemy a life line. In public remarks with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki, Biden warned that, if Iraq were to enter another period of sectarian violence, as it did last year, the United States would have to pull its troops out of Iraq completely. Undoubtedly, future al Qaeda attacks will be designed to mimic or foment sectarian violence in Iraq. Hell, al Qaeda could split itself in two, one group pretending to be sunni, and kill each other. By Biden’s rule, the US would then leave. By Well done, Joe. Now come back home and get back to work screwing up the stimulus and the economy.
On the other side of the coin, Obama continued his idiotic stance in support of a fledgling dictator in Honduras as that country was removed from the Organization of American States. It was unclear whether Honduras quit or if they were pushed. Around the region, dictators and other leftist leaders, including Obama, lined up to show support for the man who only wants to be dictator for life.
Yo-yobama Administration Reverses Course (Again) on Secrecy
This is the story that never ends. It goes on and on my friends. On June 3, a court ordered the Obama administration to release a CIA memo detailing interrogation and detention tactics by August 31. Since then, the Obama administration has alternatively announced that it would, then it would not release the memo, always on Thursday or Friday. On Thursday, the game continued as the Obama administration again delayed release of the memo.
In an unrelated flip flop, Obama announced that he would adopt a Bush policy he criticized, and allow the NSA to screen government data on private internet servers. The plan would allow NSA to review data on private, domestic servers in order to guard against cyber attack targeting U.S. government assets. The primary difference between Obama’s and Bush’s plan is that now Obama is in charge, and that’s why it’s okay now. So much for a nation of laws.
Barney Rubble, Still Gambling With Your Money
There’s something even more despicable about a degenerate gambler who likes to gamble with other people’s hard earned money. Barney “Rubble” Frank (D-Masshole) is that kind of a guy. You may recall that when the $700 billion bank bill was passed last fall, taxpayers were promised that, much like the savings and loan bailout, this was a loan; taxpayers would be paid back, likely with a profit. As banks repay the loans, the interest payments would be used to offset losses as other banks default or (God forbid) if the program makes a net profit, to reduce the national deficit.
But now, Massachusetts Slim wants to siphon off the money and use it to create a new housing bubble. Not happy with causing only one disastrous housing bubble in his career, Frank wants to use the repayment proceeds to make sub prime high risk bad loans to drive up property values, causing another housing bubble (with predictable consequences for anyone with an IQ above 40). Ironically, Frank, who is an avid gambler, even with his own money, is a featured guest at the World Series of Poker this weekend. If only what goes to Vegas would stay in Vegas.
Global Warming™ Consensus is Easier When You Stifle Dissent
The Wall Street Journal reported that the Obama EPA silenced a report by one of its scientists critical of the impact of global warming. The criticism directly undermined the administration’s rationale for enacting a massive, expensive and unduly burdensome carbon tax that will crush the U.S. economy. The Obama EPA’s response to Alan Carlin, the skeptical scientist, was to literally censor him, banning him from communicating with the press or anyone outside of the EPA regarding his findings.
Carlin’s supervisor, in a draconian email, told him, “The [EPA] administrator and the [Obama] administration have decided to move forward on [a finding that Global Warming poses] endangerment, and your comments do not help the legal or policy case for this decision. . . . I can only see one impact of your comments given where we are in the process, and that would be a very negative impact on our office.” Or, as Obama will say to North Korea when it nuke Seoul, “that was very unhelpful.” To put in plain English, “we’re railroading this through, and if you want to keep your job, you will shut up.”
The irony, of course, is that for five years, we have had to listen to James Hansen preen around, telling anyone with a camera how the Bush administration has been censoring him regarding Global Warming™. (The irony isn’t lost on me, but it is lost on him). James Hansen wouldn’t know censorship if it stripped him naked, sprayed him with delousing agent, threw him in a gulag, locked the door, and lost the key.
Completely unrelatedly, the National Weather Service reported that June 2009 was the coolest June in over 50 years, tied for the eighth coolest in the over 130 years of records. The last time is was this cool, Eisenhower made Alaska a state. Endangerment my lily white ass.
We’ve Only Got 60 Votes!
Obama is on his way to Russia to renegotiate the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, under which the United States and the former Soviet republics are reducing their nuclear stockpiles. The negotiations will be contentious and challenging, as Russia will be asking the U.S. to limit anti-ballistic missile systems that it sees as a strategic threat. The former community organizer faces a politically difficult challenge as liberals, who once mocked missile defense, know that it nonetheless helped win the Cold War and is now essential as a defense against rogue states.
In light of these concerns, the Obama administration floated another one of it’s “hey it’s just an idea” trial balloons by suggesting that despite clear language in the U.S. Constitution, the President does not need the Senate to ratify a new arms treaty with the Russian. Such a move would be historically unprecedented, even for a constitutional law professor in the White House. The fact that, even before Obama sits down at the table, he is worried about ratifying a treaty with 60 members of his own party in the Senate (he only needs 50 votes) makes you wonder how bad of a deal is he gonna get? Of course, this is the same man who thinks he can talk the mullahs out of their nuclear weapons ambitions. Based on no formal negotiation training, no business experience and a scant two years in the U.S. Senate, most of which were spent running for President.
Dishonorable Mention
- More questions were raised regarding how much John Conyer’s knew about his wife accepting $3000 in cash to direct a $1 billion contract in Detroit. If my wife came home with $3000 in cash, I’d be asking a lot of tough questions. Maybe the “powers that be” decided not to ask her any.
- The FBI released notes on its post-capture interviews with Saddam Hussein, who said he (convincingly) bluffed the world about his WMD capacity, in part to dissuade Iran from attacking Iraq.
- Chicago politicians are considering taking Gitmo inmates in local prisons. Apparently hardened terrorists are less cutthroat than your average Chicagoland gangbanger, and more trustworthy than Illinois politicians.
- Amsterdam is considering a stimulus package for local prostitutes. Business is hard all over.
- Democrats in the Senate, in an apparent effort to destroy any credibility they have left, are considering a bill that would fine people for refusing health coverage. Apparently healthcare isn’t just a right, it’s now an obligation, punishable by a $1,000 fine.