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Thứ Sáu, 2 tháng 7, 2010

Pure Karma: Steele calls it 'a war of Obama's choosing'

Boy Moto offers a different take on Michael Steele's controversial remarks on Afghanistan. And, indeed, it warrants analysis:

Some have overtly treated Michael Steele with hostility, with many frustrated conservatives expressing disagreement with some of his more controversial and tenuous remarks.

While he is far from perfect, removing him could be more destructive -- and rather pointless to boot.

However, give credit where credit is due. This is golden irony offered from Mr. Steele. He is absolutely on target with this offering, (even if I personally disagree with any conception, suggesting the U.S. cannot win 'again' in Afghanistan):

"Keep in mind again, federal candidates, this was a war of Obama's choosing. This was not something that the United States had actively prosecuted or wanted to engage in," he said. "But it was the president who was trying to be cute by half by building a script demonizing Iraq, while saying the battle really should be in Afghanistan. Well, if he is such a student of history, has he not understood that you know that's the one thing you don't do, is engage in a land war in Afghanistan?"

The other day, we watched an utterly dishonest Mr. Obama offering numerous lies on many subjects.

Perhaps his biggest fabrication is the subtle implication that his administration holds some responsibility for the finished job in Iraq. Of course, that is utter nonsense. It should not only be ridiculed -- but highlighted -- as another example of Obama's gargantuan dishonesty. We all know, had Obama succeeded in his Senatorial agenda, that we would have a humanitarian disaster on our hands in Iraq.

Few seem to note that the jihadists had their asses kicked in Iraq, and predictably have reformulated along the Pakistani-Afghan border in order to recover some semblance of order.

Mr. Steele, however, turns the tables quite nicely here. He could even have asked, what happened to the Obama Doctrine? The one that declares the U.S. should not "meddle" in the affairs of others?

The Democrats' cheap, dishonest and ugly rhetoric, designed solely to gain power, debased an admirable mission in Iraq (which they overwhelmingly voted for -- including Clinton and Biden). With an honest media, their turncoat mantra would have been laughable; certainly it was unserious. Obama personally advocated a sophomoric concept suggesting this Global War on ~~Terrorism~~ Man-Made Disasters need only occur in one place: Afghanistan. It is actually quite possible, Steele implies, that then-candidate Obama could have encouraged the radical Muslim militants to see Afghanistan at the front line, once again.

Of course, the McCain campaign never bothered to challenge the provinicial offering from candidate Obama. The Illinois Senator had advocated some sort of delusional isolationist folly in which freedom and Democracy meant nothing.

McCain could have turned the tables, as Mr. Steele did, with the simplistic challenge: "I am surprised Mr. Obama does not seem to care about the millions of formerly oppressed human beings in Iraq... the rape rooms, torture, millions of murders and utter depravity."

Feds Look the other Way As Drugs and Illegals Stream in from Mexico While Warning Hikers That Crossing Canadian Border Will Get Them Jailed

Do you think Janet NapoliReno ever looked up the word irony?

Consider the hilarious AP story entitled "Feds warn Pacific Crest Trail hikers about crossing border."

The U.S. Border Patrol is warning hikers on the Pacific Crest Trail they could face arrest, jail and a $5,000 fine if they cross the U.S.-Canadian border improperly.

The Wenatchee World reports that the agency sent a letter last month urging the Pacific Crest Trail Association to warn hikers to only enter the U.S. at designated border crossings... ...Mike Dawson, trail operations director for the Pacific Crest Trail Association, said he hopes exceptions can be made for hikers...

So Mexican gangs' drug- and human-smuggling operations are permitted to operate with total impunity on our southern border -- but a few hikers who accidentally cross the U.S./Canada border are thrown in jail and fined?

And all this time I thought Democrats believed in open borders.

Not to put too fine a point on its schizophrenia, but once this administration gets booted out of office, its members definitely have a future as writers for SNL.

Hat tip: Tooba Man.

Related Reading Just to Tick You Off Even More:
• The Shameless Duplicity of the Obama Administration: Napolitano Directly Contradicts Solis on Immigration Enforcement; Media Strangely Silent.
• Four Border Stories Guaranteed to Make Your Blood Boil
• Obama Administration Unveils Dramatic New Plan to Seal Massive Gulf Leak: Suing Arizona for Arresting Drug- and Human-Smugglers
• Anyone know what you call it when heavily armed intruders cross the border into the U.S. unmolested by authorities? Oh, that's right: Arizona.

Larwyn's Linx: Why Kagan is Unqualified -- and Dangerous

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Thứ Năm, 1 tháng 7, 2010

Cincinnati Tea Party Founder Mike Wilson Puts His Career On Hold To Run Against Leftist Crackpot Connie Pillich

Correspondent Amalaur filed this report from the heart of Tea Party country in southwestern Ohio.

Cincinnati Tea Party founder Mike Wilson is a patriot. He left a successful IT career to try and make a difference in Ohio... and is running for Ohio House District 28.

Unsurprisingly, he won the Republican nomination through name recognition alone (getting good coverage on Instapundit never hurts).

But the general election will be considerably tougher. As was the case in 2008, the radical Marxist crackpot Connie Pillich (I hear that's the phraseology she prefers) will be his opponent. Supported by union bosses and willing to spend taxpayers' money until the next seven or eight generations are broke, Pillich is about as radical a leftist as Ohio has ever seen from a major political party.

To give you an example, Ohio's budget deficit will soon approach $10 billion. So what's The Pillich Plan™?

Why, spend billions more, of course! She favors the incredibly practical Ohio light rail system that will cost taxpayers heaven knows how much -- say a billion or more before it's all said and done -- and, by golly, it could attract well over two dozen riders!

Say, but doesn't Shelbyville have a monorail system? Well, dammit, we need one too!.

But I digress. Tonight Wilson held a fundraiser at Doctor Jay's house, one in a series of events to face off on TV with the unions who are backing Pillich (if you've got a few spare bucks, click here to help get the message out).

His speech was a great one and, while this is not a perfect transcript, should reflect his words pretty well. Note: I did not see any teleprompters in the room.

I can't overstate the importance of this race... this time, we're really at a crossroad. I honestly believe it's one of the most important elections in our lifetime. We are standing at the edge of a cliff and the consequences of stepping off are dire. Do we want to be like lemmings?

We have a clear choice this time, and we can't always say that. At the federal level, the legacy of debt we're leaving is truly immoral. At the state leve, it's the same. We have enormous deficits... roughly an $8 billion budget deficit.

The good news is that our state constitution mandates a balanced budget. Unlike the federal government, we can't print money.

You know what the business climate is like at the state level. In 1970, Ohio was 5th in business climate. In 2010, Ohio is at 47th. We've lost 410,000 jobs under Governor Strickland.

We have a choice as to how we fix this. We can embrace the free market and reject socialism, or we can continue on the path of high taxes and millions of pages of regulations.

Unlike my opponent, I've signed the Americans for Tax Reform tax pledge. I will not vote for a tax increase in the legislature. My opponent [Connie Pillich] and Gov. Strickland have already voted to increase taxes.

The $8 billion deficit was not unanticipated. We took $6 billion from stimulus funds... we stole the rainy day fund... and added a retroactive tax increase going back to the first of the year. My opponent [Pillich] already said we don't have control over what we spend. Then why are we electing you? Leave office and we can save your salary!

Ohio needs a 4% sales tax increase to close the budget.

Bottom line: we're going to drop from 47th, because New Jersey elected Chris Christie. Christie rejected calls for more spending and cut spending instead. He fought the unions. He stuck to his principles. It's common sense. It's not that hard.

...We have some tough decisions to make to get the state budget back under control. We need worker's comp reform. As for right-to-work legislation, I am not an anti-union guy. But at the same time, some unions are out defending the indefensible. Throughout our history, they've protected workers. But workers have the right to join... so why should we live in a state where you're forced to join a union?

...Consider that Oklahoma has 4% unemployment, low taxes, lower regulation... Nebraska's unemployment is 5%, Utah 6%, Texas 7.5%.

The high-tax, high-regulation states are dying: Ohio with high unemployment, Michigan 17%, California 15%, New York 13%. We know what works and what doesn't.

In my race, we have an opportunity to take back my seat as a conservative Republican. The most important vote I'll cast is for House Speaker. In Congress, Steve Driehaus voted for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. Connie Pillich voted for the most liberal Speaker in Ohio history.

If we get Kasich elected along with a few conservatives, we can make a difference. Rahm Emanuel said, "Never let a crisis go to waste". We can change the momentum in Ohio. All of you being here recognize that and together we can make a difference.

My opponent will spend half a million on this race. She has the unions' money. I have you. And I'm telling you right now that we're going to win this race [applause].

They've got half a million dollars to spend saying that I'm a racist extremist. I have you to tell people the truth about me.

But, as you're well aware, this isn't about me. I've got three kids: 10, 8 and one about to turn 6. This is about their future. I've got a great career in IT. But although I don't need this, they need this...

...We have a chance to course-correct from socialism to the free-market. It's important that we do this now. Thank you for your support, both financial and in terms of getting the word out.

As the founder of one of the first and strongest Tea Party activist groups in the U.S., Wilson is a grass-roots organizer of the first order and one who deserves conservatives' support.

Welcome to Chicago: Judge halts questioning on Obama Even Though It's 100% Germane to Blago Trial

Yesterday's excellent Blago trial coverage from the Tribune described a strange incident in which the judge silenced testimony regarding President-Elect Obama's involvement.

Thought experiment: if the person in question were named, say, George W. Bush, would conversations with and about him be off limits to the defense?

Sheldon Sorosky, one of Rod Blagojevich’s lawyers, has been trying to drag President Barack Obama into the fray this afternoon, asking union official Tom Balanoff whether the FBI asked him about campaign money going to Obama... Prosecutors objected, as they have so often during cross-examinations, and U.S. District Judge James Zagel said Sorosky should only ask in general what the FBI had said to Balanoff.

Sorosky tried the question again [but] Zagel wouldn’t let the line of questioning go on after a private sidebar discussion among the lawyers.

Sorosky did get to ask about Balanoff’s labor group -- the Service Employees International Union -- supporting candidates for office. He asked whether the SEIU had supported “a young state senator” named Barack Obama as well as Blagojevich in his first run for governor in 2002.

...Sorosky then walked Balanoff through his earlier testimony, when he had talked about going to Blagojevich to promote Valerie Jarrett after Obama called Balanoff and said Jarrett was his preference...

Obama's involvement in the deal-making and his use of SEIU cutouts to shield himself from direct interaction with Blago is completely relevant to this case.

Perhaps a litigator could explain the rationale for shutting down discussion of Obama, Emanuel, Jarrett and other key players in this bizarre affair.

Related: Gee, What a Surprise: Under Oath, Union Official Says Obama Lied About Blago Contacts

Exclusive Photo: Eric Holder Welcomes Visitors to the Justice Department

Former Justice Department Attorney J. Christian Adams:

On the day President Obama was elected, armed men wearing the black berets and jackboots of the New Black Panther Party were stationed at the entrance to a polling place in Philadelphia. They brandished a weapon and intimidated voters and poll watchers. After the election, the Justice Department brought a voter -intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party and those armed thugs. I and other Justice attorneys diligently pursued the case and obtained an entry of default after the defendants ignored the charges. Before a final judgment could be entered in May 2009, our superiors ordered us to dismiss the case.

The New Black Panther case was the simplest and most obvious violation of federal law I saw in my Justice Department career. Because of the corrupt nature of the dismissal, statements falsely characterizing the case and, most of all, indefensible orders for the career attorneys not to comply with lawful subpoenas investigating the dismissal, this month I resigned my position as a Department of Justice (DOJ) attorney.

The federal voter-intimidation statutes we used against the New Black Panthers were enacted because America never realized genuine racial equality in elections. Threats of violence characterized elections from the end of the Civil War until the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965. Before the Voting Rights Act, blacks seeking the right to vote, and those aiding them, were victims of violence and intimidation. But unlike the Southern legal system, Southern violence did not discriminate. Black voters were slain, as were the white champions of their cause. Some of the bodies were tossed into bogs and in one case in Philadelphia, Miss., they were buried together in an earthen dam.

Based on my firsthand experiences, I believe the dismissal of the Black Panther case was motivated by a lawless hostility toward equal enforcement of the law. Others still within the department share my assessment. The department abetted wrongdoers and abandoned law-abiding citizens victimized by the New Black Panthers. The dismissal raises serious questions about the department’s enforcement neutrality in upcoming midterm elections and the subsequent 2012 presidential election.

This administration and its cronies -- Eric Holder in particular -- are unique in American history. They are unraveling one sacrosanct American institution after another, even to the point of undermining the integrity of the voting booth.

This is the kind of stuff you see in Third World countries.

Should we not throw these bums out in November, I fear for the future of this country.

Larwyn's Linx: Kagan -- an Obama liberal jurist for life

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Kagan Nomination

Kagan Damns Herself: the Day Three Summary: Foundry
Kagan: well, that looks like my handwriting...: Ace
Does GOP have cojones to filibuster Kagan?: RWN

Kagan is an Obama liberal jurist for life: Owens
Coburn to Kagan: 'Can Feds Tell You What to Eat?': BlogProf
Kagan's hidden hand in partial-birth abortion law: WashExam

Nation

Awakening From The Collective Dream: Doc Zero
Indiana voting ID law upheld: Politico
Forecast: Category 5 Riot in Oakland: Zombie

Four Justices Make the Case Against the Constitution: Reason
Jews Against Obama: RWN
Joe Biden does the Blitzkrieg Bop: Driscoll

Economy

No One's Capital Is Safe in Obama's America: AT
House Dems Jam Domestic Spending into War Bill: WashExam
Good News: DPS Has a $363 Million Deficit: BlogProf

Heeding Obama’s Advice, Boehner Punches Back Twice as Hard: Driscoll
Why Obamanomics Has Failed: WSJ
Chicago: Union Operators and Laborers to Strike : OrgExp

Climate & Energy

Top Ten Things Obama Should Be Doing: Foundry
Feinberg Clueless Over Management of BP Shakedown Funds: SIGIS
Almost Every Cleanup Worker From '89 Exxon Valdez Now Dead: Insider

Baucus openly questions Dem grandstanding on BP: Malkin
Former oil worker: the 'cleanup' is all for show: GWP
Democrats suppress GOP visits to Gulf: RedState

Media

The Mysterious Disappearance of Ann Coulter: RWN
Enquirer not letting go of Gore story: Hot Air
7 Things Every Blogger Should Know How To Do (Besides Write): RWN

The Chris Christie Interview: WyBlog
Obama on Marriage: Bigot or Liar?: NRO
Memorializing George Tiller's Evil: Cashill

World

Will the Democrats get the blame for Iran's nukes?: AT
Blue Suede Jihad: Major Hamas Fundraiser Welcomed in the Land of Elvis: PJM
The Petraeus challenge: Can he ditch his own doctrine?: Peters

Kids Day Camp in Gaza: Patterico
Want worse health care? Try British model: Tapscott
Can we call this kid a 'G-bagger'?: DC

SciTech

Apple hiring iPhone antenna engineers for some reason: Engadget
Internet Points of Control: TechPolicy
Apache Software Foundation Receives Approval for Sale to Oracle Corporation: Apache

Cornucopia

Elena: Super Spy: MOTUS
2010: Year of Vivid Campaign Ads: AmDigest
After the fall -- John Edwards parties on: TNR

Images: Maktoob.
Today's Larwyn's Linx sponsored by: Joel Pollak for Congress -- Give Jan Schakowsky a Pink Slip

QOTD: Another reason to doubt the [Supreme Court Second Amendment] dissenters' sincerity: They would never accept federalism as a rationale for letting states "experiment" with freedom of speech, freedom of religion, or due process protections. Much of their job, as they themselves see it, involves overriding "local preferences" that give short shrift to constitutional rights. -- Jacob Sullum