That's what we tried to tell you

From an opinion piece titled "What Happened to Obama?" by devoted Liberal and Democrat Drew Westin in the New York Times:

"... [Obama] is simply not up to the task by virtue of his lack of experience and a character defect that might not have been so debilitating at some other time in history. Those of us who were bewitched by his eloquence on the campaign trail chose to ignore some disquieting aspects of his biography: that he had accomplished very little before he ran for president, having never run a business or a state; that he had a singularly unremarkable career as a law professor, publishing nothing in 12 years at the University of Chicago other than an autobiography; and that, before joining the United States Senate, he had voted "present" (instead of "yea" or "nay") 130 times, sometimes dodging difficult issues."


Well, this distinguished professor of psychology finally got the message -- thirty-three months and four trillion dollars too late.


(Note: When I looked at the web address for Professor Westin's piece, it reads "What happened to Obama's passion?" Apparently his original title was too harsh for them.)

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XXXIII

Yep, a twofer.


From a Peter Wehner column in Commentary magazine:

Standard & Poor’s downgrade of America’s credit rating is a crushing political blow to President Obama. It reinforces, perhaps like nothing else has, the impression Obama is overseeing, and in some respects engineering, the decline of the American republic.

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XXXII

From a "Random Thoughts" column by Thomas Sowell:

Three little words -- "We the people," the opening words of the Constitution of the United States -- are the biggest obstacle to achieving the political goals of the left. For that, they must move decisions away from "We the people" -- from individuals to government; from elected officials to unelected judges; and from national institutions to international institutions like the United Nations -- all safely remote and insulated from "We the people."

"Attention millionaires and billionaires"

Last December, Barack Obama blasted the Bush tax cuts as being for "millionaires and billionaires." Several days ago, he blasted Republicans, particularly the Tea Party, for refusing to increase taxes, for only wanting to benefit "millionaires and billionaires" (especially those who have corporate jets.)

Today is Obama's 50th birthday.  The birthday boy attended a party for himself last night in Chicago.  A thousand people were expected to attend -- at a cost of up to $35,000 per couple.  For those who really wanted to wish him well, another party was planned for afterward, limited to only 80 or 100 people.  You know, VIPs.

Hmmm....what kind of people could afford to attend such celebrations in Obama's honor?

What's this "compromise" thing?

Recently the news stories covering the debt ceiling situation in Washington have zeroed in on Republican freshmen in the House of Representatives.  Many of them were elected with Tea Party support, with a mandate to reduce the size of government and its role in our lives.  Taxation being a major part of that philosophy, the Tea Party has influenced negotiations.  To wit – no new taxes.

This “ideological rigidity” (as Obama characterized it) has been accused of being the major reason no deal can be reached.  Words such as compromise, bipartisanship, and a “balanced approach” (definition: more taxes) are seen as necessary so that the U.S. government, its reputation, and the world economy don’t come crashing down.  Republicans must agree to increased revenue (definition: more taxes.)  

The current debt is (supposedly) capped at $14.2 trillion. 

In January of 2009, two days after Obama had been sworn into office, in response to a Republican Senator’s objection to increased taxes in the upcoming stimulus plan, Obama killed all dissenting voices by responding, “I won.”

In February of 2009, Obama signed the Democrat stimulus bill into law. The bill was written by Democrat leaders and their staffs, behind closed doors, with no Republican input at all.  The actual legislation was posted on the Congressional website late the night before the vote was scheduled.  The vote was taken before the wording was finalized – additional points were handwritten on the pages – meaning that no one knew what was actually in the legislation when they voted on it, because no one could have read it.  Contribution of the Democrat stimulus bill to the federal debt:  $1.2 trillion.

In December of 2009, the Democrat Congress passed Obamacare, again without any Republican input.  Again, the legislation was crafted by Democrat leaders behind closed doors.  Contribution of Obamacare to the federal debt:  Over $2 trillion.

Transition to today.  Everyone is up in arms because America’s credit rating is about to be downgraded, Social Security checks are threatened, and the nation’s financial status is about to be destroyed – all because (if you read the papers) Tea Party-influenced Republicans refuse to be “fiscally responsible” and compromise on a bipartisan balanced approach.

Who's the ideologue?

ideologue - one who zealously advocates an ideology.
ideology - the body of doctrine or belief that guides an individual.


In discussing the Republican position in negotiations about the federal debt ceiling and spending, Barack Obama said this: "If a party or a politician is constantly taking the position my-way-or-the-highway, constantly being locked into ideologically rigid positions, that we're going to remember at the polls."


One of the major obstacles in negotiations is the Democrat insistence that taxes have to be raised.  The euphemism of choice is "increased revenues," but revenues come from taxpayers, so ....


The Democrat position is political and ideological, not practical.  They use taxation as a way to create, exacerbate and exploit class envy, and to show constituents how they are punishing the enemy; i.e., selected segments such as the "rich" and "big business."  Obama and the Democrats are so insistent on this ideology, that they will do it even if it means decreasing the amount of revenues the government receives: 





So when Obama talks about those who are "locked into ideologically rigid positions," he's really talking about himself. (Again.)  And follow his advice -- remember at the polls.

Surprise! (Not.) Chrysler's going to cost taxpayers

Word's out today that with the federal government unloading its (our) shares of Chrysler, taxpayers are likely to lose up to $1.3 billion.  Fiat will own more than 58% of the company after the dust settles, and the Democrat-friendly auto workers union will own the rest.  As for those shareholders and bondholders who were left with nothing because of the Obama-brokered deal?  Obama and Democrats have one word:  Tough.

"Leading on reporters at press conferences is not leadership"

Republican Paul Ryan doing it again.

Obama supporters, the poster

Translation: "How do I vote for Obama?"

(Actual meaning may be lost in the translation.)

Our solar-powered front porch

The rising sun puts out some heat in the mornings.

How's that re-election coming along, Mr. President?

From the most recent Gallup poll:

Obama loses to (any) Republican candidate by eight points!

The "Anybody But Obama" ticket's looking pretty strong.

Washington and the Debt Limit

Barack Obama, Senate Democrats and House Republicans are negotiating raising the federal debt ceiling.  The Democrats are insistent on raising taxes.  (Politics dominate: In 2009, Obama said "The last thing you want to do is raise taxes in the middle of a recession.") The Democrats have offered a combination of spending cuts along with the tax increases.


In 1982 Reagan agreed to a deal with Congressional Democrats -- $3 in spending cuts for every $1 it raised in tax increases.  He later called this deal the biggest mistake of his Presidency. Democrats imposed the tax increases they wanted, but broke their promise and failed to implement the spending cuts.  Reagan remarked, “I’m still waiting on those $3 of spending cuts I was promised by Congress.”

Other than the obvious fact that Democrats are untrustworthy, there is another point.  The federal government is notoriously and brutally efficient when it comes to legislating, imposing and collecting taxes from us. (The IRS, with an annual budget of more than $13 billion, is a government agency solely created for this purpose.) How efficient do any of the Democrats appear when it comes to lessening the amount of our money that they spend?  The old saying goes that there are only two sure things in life, and neither one of them is federal spending cuts.

Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue

Pay special attention to the reactions of the troops in this video.  See how American soldiers feel about America.

About media bias

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XXXI

From Lurita Doan's recent column, "The New Desperation of Team Obama."

"Any but the most die-hard sycophants now realize that Obama's ideological policies have been failures"

You can't say you weren't warned.

An ad from the Cato Institute run in January 2009, before the trillion-dollar Democrat stimulus bill was passed.  That month's unemployment rate was the lowest it's been since Obama's been in office.  Obama told us millions of jobs were "shovel ready," then after the legislation was passed and the jobs failed to materialize, he said "shovel ready was not as shovel ready as we expected." You can't say you weren't warned.

The good news is....

...it feels like only 102°.

"General, that's a hell of an act"*

Actor Peter Falk, known to most people as Columbo, died today.  While Columbo was great, I remember him best as CIA agent Vince in the movie The In Laws.


"Serpentine, Shel, Serpentine!"




*This is what Vince says to General Garcia upon seeing the general's "Señor Pepe" act:

Now I'm reassured about Social Security

Jack Coffee, professor of law and securities law expert at Columbia University, quoted in a story in USA Today:  "Social Security is not a Ponzi scheme because it wasn't an intentional fraud."

"A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to separate investors, not from any actual profit earned by the organization, but from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors. The Ponzi scheme usually entices new investors by offering returns other investments cannot guarantee, in the form of short-term returns that are either abnormally high or unusually consistent. The perpetuation of the returns that a Ponzi scheme advertises and pays requires an ever-increasing flow of money from investors to keep the scheme going." -- Wikipedia

"Good intentions" seems to be a common excuse for disastrous Liberal Democrat policies.

Everything Great About YouTube

Note: NSFW (language)

Milton Friedman on Greed

Economist Milton Friedman, in a 1979 interview with Phil Donahue: "There is no alternative way, yet discovered, for improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by a free enterprise system." Donahue does his best to argue against capitalism, and extol the virtues of socialism -- and Friedman absolutely crushes him.

Pledges of Allegiance Across America

Obama vs Obama

The results of Barack Obama's actions are the worst enemy of Barack Obama's words. In the latest incarnation, last week Obama cited a Columbus, Ohio restaurant near an auto plant as a beneficiary of the auto bailout.  The restaurant, New Chet's, will close its doors for good on Sunday.   Here's the story.

As if that weren't good enough, the story cites a voter-imposed smoking ban imposed in 2006 as a major reason for the 31-year-old restaurant's decline in business. 

Remember this:
February 11, 2009: Barack Obama, trying to win support for the Democrat trillion dollar stimulus legislation, claims that heavy machinery manufacturer Caterpillar will rehire thousands of workers it laid off.
February 12, 2009: Caterpillar CEO Owens, asked if the stimulus would cause them to rehire workers, said, "Realistically, no. The truth is we're going to have more layoffs before we start rehiring again."

or this:
February 9, 2009: Obama, once again stumping for his stimulus plan, touts thousands of "shovel ready" jobs that will benefit from the legislation.
October 13, 2010:  In a magazine interview, Obama admits that "there's no such thing as a shovel ready project."

Obama's caught-with-his-hand-in-the-cookie-jar moments would be funny if the consequences weren't so serious.

One of my greatest fears...

...is that I'll wake up some morning and think I'm Ringo Starr.

Obama in trouble in '12?

The UK Telegraph published an article by foreign affairs analyst and political commentator Nile Gardiner with the title "Why Barack Obama may be heading for electoral disaster in 2012."  Gardiner reflects on the problems caused by Obama's policies, and how in our current economy -- growth sluggish, if not non-existent; house prices down 33% since 2006; the stock market just took a huge tumble; people feel terrible about the economy and about Obama's performance -- the "hope and change" promises of Obama now taste bitter.


The biggest electoral problem for Obama, however, is the political makeup of Americans.  A Gallup poll showed that most Americans are Conservative. As Gardiner puts it:   "America is unquestionably a conservative country ideologically, but one that is ironically led by the most left-wing president in the nation’s history."

Indeed

"The unemployment rate in 2009 was 7.8% it is now 9.0%. The [national] debt was $10.7 trillion, it's now $14.3 trillion. Gas was $1.80 a gallon, it's now $3.80. Why should the American people continue a Democrat in the White House with that kind of record?"
Good question.

Term Limits redefined

A commenter to a recent column by John Ransom made a pithy observation:  "Politicians should be limited to two terms -- the first in office, the second in prison."

Interesting O-care waiver facts

The most recent count on "waivers" from Obamacare is 1,372.  That is, 1,372 businesses, state and local governments, labor unions and insurers have been exempted by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius from the requirements mandated by Obamacare for at least one year.

These 1,372 entities cover 3,095,593 individuals.  More than half of those individuals are in plans issued by labor unions, the Democrat party’s biggest political ally.   Union members make up just 12 percent of all employees but have received 50.3 percent of Obamacare waivers. 

Recently, Obama’s HHS Secretary granted 38 waivers to higher-end restaurants, nightclubs, spas and hotels in former Speaker Nancy Pelosi's San Francisco congressional district. 

Apparently, in Obama’s administration how much you suffer under the federal government’s mandates depends on who you know.

"Michelle, let's not come to the UK again any time soon!"

First there was Obama's "Stuck in the Middle with You" moment in Ireland.
Then there was Obama's "That was the best year of my life" snafu at Westminster Abbey.

And the UK police (Scotland Yard) gave Obama the code name "Smart Aleck." *


Finally, Barack "At last we have a President with great speaking skills" Obama bungled his toast to the Queen of England. 

So way to go, Obama!  Way to represent!

*Turns out the code name was for the entire visit, not specifically Obama. Still appropriate.

Doctor My Eyes

Haven't thought of this song in years, but this morning I woke up with it in my head.  A classic.

Now that's ironic, or symbolic, or something

Obama's huge armored limousine, nicknamed "the Beast," got stuck on a ramp in Ireland.
This could, of course, with a bit of imagination, serve as an analogy for what he's done to the American economy.  He's weighted it down with so much junk that it can't get going.

Hope for the future?

Headline from the Daily Caller:  "Recent college grads sour on Obama, surveys say."

"A very large proportion of recent university graduates have soured on President Barack Obama, and many will vote GOP or stay at home in the 2012 election, according to two new surveys of younger voters...83 percent voted for Obama in 2008. But only 27 percent are committed to voting for Obama again, and 80 percent said they would consider voting for a Republican..."

Of all things for me to say, this has to be the one of the oddest: the Daily Kos was right about Obama way back in 2008.  "Obama is an empty suit into which people pour their dreams." Now that his supporters have had a chance to see the empty suit in action, many of them realize they chose a poor vessel for their dreams.

America the Dictatorship

John Ransom wrote a column recently, one in which he brings up an enormously important point.


     "On issue after issue, Americans are fed up with the fact that they feel they can’t trust Washington. It doesn’t matter what new laws they pass; they either pass the wrong ones or won’t enforce the ones they do pass.
     I always use illegal immigration and the tax code as twin examples of what’s wrong. These two areas of the law present the gravest threat to our liberty. And here’s why:
     The easiest way to create a dictatorship is to pass laws that you don’t enforce. That way, everyone becomes a criminal and the government gets to decide who get prosecuted and who gets to skate. We are at a point in our history where the government will not enforce immigration laws and has made the tax code so complex that it’s impossible to follow.
     We’ve created a permanent under-class of criminals in this country, completely at the leave of the federal government."


An example of the selective enforcement of laws is Tim Geithner, Obama's Secretary of the Treasury. During his nomination hearings, we learned that Geithner had neglected to pay income taxes for several years. It was only after he learned that he had been nominated to the Treasury job that he paid the past-due taxes.  The IRS charged him interest, but no penalties -- a most unusual decision.  As Secretary of the Treasury, he heads the Treasury Department, one part of which is the IRS.  


Thus begins dictatorship.

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XXX (Special Edition)

Recent headline: "Taliban Break at least 480 Out of Afghan Prison."


Best comment regarding that story: "I'm amazed the screws at the Kandahar prison didn't recognize something was afoot when inmate Akbar Dufresne asked for that Rita Hayworth poster."

Like the light bill, groceries, clothes...

In his speech about the budget today, Barack Obama said that we couldn't "afford" tax breaks (for the wealthy, of course -- to him, they get all the tax "breaks.")


A tax "break," a tax "cut" -- whatever you want to call it -- means that people get to keep more of their own money.  To most of us, that translates to "take-home pay."  So his point of view is that letting Americans keep more of their own money is an expense.  To him, to Democrats, to the government.  


Your paycheck is a bill the government has to pay, a bill Obama thinks the government can't afford..

A guy's movie - in the form of a BMW commercial

Tony Scott's Beat the Devil, a 2002 commercial for German carmaker BMW.

How slavery really ended in America

A fantastic New York Times article -- yes, I said it -- adapted from Adam Goodheart's book 1861: The Civil War Awakening.  The article details how a northern military commander, Major General Benjamin Franklin Butler, forced Abraham Lincoln to actually confront the issue of slavery and compelled the Emancipation Proclamation.


The article is timely in that it shows how decisions made by small, relatively (and previously) unknown citizens, clerks and bureaucrats can determine the fate of the larger world.  A clerical error and an East German commander who couldn't get anyone on the phone brought down the Berlin Wall.  A Tunisian fruit vendor who refused to pay a bribe sets off the revolution currently rocking the Arab world. And a fort's commander who couldn't get a straight answer from politicians -- sound familiar? -- formed the philosophy and established the practice that freed slaves in America.

I normally hate soccer, but...

...this short film/ad about the Panyee (Thailand) team was pretty good.  See, the kids started a soccer team -- on a floating village.  Take the five minutes and watch it.  (And what's the deal with Thailand and their commercials?)

UK headline - "Barack Obama: The Weakest President in History?"

Here's a passage from the story in the Daily Express:

"Every day for almost the last two months our television screens, radio broadcasts and the pages of our newspapers have been filled with the pictures, sounds and words of the most tumultuous events any of us can remember in the Arab world. The outcome of these events, once the dust has settled, could literally change the world. Yet Obama seems content to sit this one out. He has barely engaged in the debate. Such ostrich-like behaviour is not untypical of the 49-year-old President....it is starting to look as if Obama and the Democratic Party have but one aim for the rest of this presidential term: to get elected to a second."


The comments to the story are almost as good.

That sound you hear is Liberal heads exploding

Column headline:  "Palin Doctrine Emerges as Arab Nations Echo Her Demarche on Libya."


The column, written by Benjamin Korn, goes on to cite how her foreign policy advice has been on the money, as opposed to Obama's, um, "leadership."






(demarche - "a statement, protest, or the like presented to public officials by private citizens, interest groups, etc.")

I'm less than reassured

Heard on KFYO radio this morning (paraphrased): "Experts and officials in the United States say that Japanese officials have downplayed the dangers stemming from Japan's nuclear reactor disaster.... BUT.... 


"U.S. officials reassure Americans that they are in no danger."

Obama's Views on the Redistribution of Wealth

From a 2001 radio interview with Barack Obama:





His economic objective has never been a secret at all, has it?

Forget polls, this headline says it all

"White House memo notes shortage of applicants for contest to have Obama to speak at high school graduation"

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XXVIII

All of the craziness in Egypt and the rest of the Arab world remind me of an old quote from George Will:

"Iraq is just three people away from democratic success. Unfortunately, the three are George Washington, James Madison, and John Marshall."

Rhetoric vs. Reality

Sure we put a man on the moon, but THIS.....

...was done in some guy's garage.

Obamacare keeps getting better and better

Headline:  "CBO Director says Obamacare would reduce employment by 800,000 workers"


It's a shame we couldn't have had that info before the Democrats forced the legislation through.

A funny invocation

Not something you see everyday.  Brilliantly performed, with respect and humor.

Sad news -- Charlie Callas has died

This was a guy who worked to tell a joke.  Brilliant and funny.

Some days nothing goes right

Headline:  "Text message blows up suicide bomber by mistake"

Your classical music fix

Well, sort of.

I'm usually not one for wacky conspiracy theories...

...but this one's got some legs.  Hawaii governor and Democrat Neil Abercrombie, a fan and friend of Barack Obama's, set out to provide a birth certificate to prove that Obama was indeed born in Hawaii and finally lay to rest those "birther" claims.  He seems to have run into some trouble though -- as in he can't find one.  When an Obama supporter inadvertently promotes the rumor regarding Obama's birth, it carries weight.  Listen to the clip below.





(Edit:  Mike Evans has backtracked on his comments.  The theory returns to its previous level of wackiness.)

A quick break for me - State of the Union response

A break from doing the writing that I get paid to do, that is.


Barack Obama is to give his State of the Union speech tonight.  The Republican response will be delivered by Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.  I've heard of Ryan, but had never really paid enough attention to see him in action.  Boy, was I surprised.


Here is Ryan at the "bipartisan summit" on healthcare legislation last year.  He surgically vivisects all the tricks and gimmicks in the Democrat plan.  It didn't affect the outcome of the vote, but boy did he do a good job.

A list of scheduled tax increases to pay for Obamacare

According to Ryan Ellis of Americans for Tax Reform, about two dozen new or increased taxes.  Read the "Comprehensive List of Tax Hikes in Obamacare."

Heck yeah

Headline: "Passengers overpower would-be hijacker on Turkish Airlines flight."  First line: "A large, brave passenger on a Turkish Airlines flight overpowered a would-be hijacker by sitting on him, passengers and authorities said."

No, I'm not traveling.

Something smart people need to realize

I recently read a column by Emmet Tyrell in which he says of George Washington: “He was courageous, occasionally brilliant, and endured setbacks and despair.”

It reminded me of something I realized a long time ago – it’s not enough to simply be intelligent.  If you do stupid things, then your intelligence is wasted.  And everyone thinks you're stupid anyway.

So who can we trust now?

From AOL Health: "Article calls study linking vaccines to autism a fraud."


(The actual article in a British medical journal is here.)


The tradition of ethical science continues.  

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XXVII (Parenting edition)

From Sh*tMyDadSays.com, (yes, I know that's not the real website name):

"A parent's only as good as their dumbest kid. If one wins a Nobel Prize but the other gets robbed by a hooker, you failed."

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XXVI

From a recent Thomas Sowell column entitled "Promises and Riots" -

"Economists are the real "party of No." They keep saying that there is no such thing as a free lunch -- and politicians keep on getting elected by promising free lunches."

Well, yeah

From AOL this morning:

I can see where you could get into a bit of trouble over something like that.  


(Okay, okay, here's the story.)

Unreliable Research?

“There is an intellectual conflict of interest that pressures researchers to find whatever it is that is most likely to get them funded.” – John Ioannidis

The Atlantic magazine recently published a story entitled “Lies, Damned Lies, and Medical Science.”  The story is a profile of statistician and medical doctor John Ioannidis, and of his work. His work -- the debunking of medical research, specifically medical research that is flawed, biased and potentially harmful.  Among his most startling conclusions:

>> Forty-one percent (41%) of the most highly regarded medical findings from 1992-2005 had subsequently been shown to be wrong or significantly exaggerated.  These were widely accepted and commonly used findings such as hormone-replacement therapy for menopausal women, vitamin E to reduce the risk of heart disease,  coronary stents to ward off heart attacks, and daily low-dose aspirin to control blood pressure and prevent heart attacks and strokes.

According to Dr. Ioannidis, the reason for such flawed research becoming common practice was basically this – 

1) if a researcher is attracted to a concept that has a good chance of being wrong, and 

2) said researcher is motivated (for whatever reason; “money and power” come to mind) to prove it right, and 

3) there is wiggle room on how the evidence is collected or assembled, then 

4) the researcher will probably succeed in proving wrong theories as right.

The kicker, as it almost always is, is money.  Sound familiar?

A deadlocked Congress is no victory

Yesterday morning, Cole Shooter, a "guest host" on KFYO's LFN (Lubbock's First News) commented that he would be perfectly happy with a deadlocked Congress, because if they were deadlocked then government spending couldn't increase.

It's a mistake to perceive a deadlocked Congress as any sort of victory for limited government.  The ratchet effect toward a bigger government still works -- first, in that many entitlement programs have automatic increases which add to federal spending, and which increases continue even if Congress does nothing.  

Liberals also advance the power and scope of the federal government when in office (as we've seen so well the last two years.)  If Conservatives merely keep the status quo when they're elected, rather than reverse the growth, the result is a slow but sure realization of Liberal objectives.  A slow defeat is still a defeat.  The only victory possible for Conservatives is the appropriate reversal and cancellation of government programs (including unlegislated mandates by government regulatory agencies; e.g. EPA.)

A great Christmas story that doesn't involve Christmas

Instead, it involves Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.  


This story sort of puts the spirit, not only of the holiday, but of our humanity, into context. (And it's not what you expect.)

A Modern Version of the Christmas Story

Read "The Year Kenny Loggins Ruined Christmas."  Seriously.  It's worth it. Slightly disrespectful of the season and laugh-out-loud funny.

An Antoine Dodson Christmas

If you're not already on the Antoine Dodson train, you're missing out on one of the biggest internet memes of 2010.  This trip is worth the twenty minutes or so it will take.  Start out by being introduced to Antoine:





Question:  How does the internet leave poetry like that alone?
Answer:  It doesn't.



And now, the birth of the Christmas classic, the Carol of the Bed Intruder (it's worth watching the whole video, but if you're in a hurry go to the 3:15 mark):

If I approached cooking in a more professional way....

...this would be the result.

WikiLeaks, WMD & Bush

Larry Elder has a recent column entitled “The WikiLeaks Vindication of George W. Bush.”  In this column he delineates pretty well the case for a mass media apology to President Bush.  Bush was raked over the coals pretty badly for supposedly lying (“Bush lied, people died, “ remember?) during his 2003 State of the Union address about Iraq obtaining uranium from Africa.  Joe Wilson, the infamous Valerie Plame’s husband, made his reputation by denying that Iraq had uranium.

One positive aspect of the WikiLeaks mess is the revelation that Iraq did indeed have yellowcake uranium which could have been enriched to produce nuclear weapons.  Thus George W. Bush was telling the truth, and Joe Wilson (along with the rest of the anti-Bush crowd) was either lying or wrong.  Read Elder’s column for details.

In the column, Elder references the work of Wired magazine’s writer Noah Schachtman.  In his story “WikiLeaks Show WMD Hunt Continued in Iraq – With Surprising Results,” Schachtman writes, “But WikiLeaks’ newly-released Iraq war documents reveal that for years [after 2003] U.S. troops continued to find chemical weapons labs, encounter insurgent specialists in toxins and uncover weapons of mass destruction.”

Hmmm…. 

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XXV

In Mona Charen’s recent column “Two Chances at History,” she applauds the Washington Post’s acknowledgement that the movie “Fair Game” is made up largely of distortions and outright inventions.  The movie purports to be the true story of the Valerie Plame/Joe Wilson incident.  Plame was the CIA agent supposedly “outed” because of leaks to the media by the Bush administration.  Scooter Libby, Dick Cheney’s assistant, was convicted of perjury. Convicted, Charen says, “because his memory of conversations differed from others.”  She also says, accurately, “The man on trial did no leaking.  The man who did the leaking is not on trial.” (Note: read the Wikipedia entry on Scooter Libby -- the first couple of paragraphs, anyway, to get the gist of what happened.  Then read the "criticisms of the investigation" at the end, along with the results of Plame's lawsuits.  You'll get an idea of how trumped-up the whole mess was, and how unfairly Libby was, and is still, being treated.)

However, my interest is in a broader truth that Charen observes.  She says, “Liberals always get two shots at history – one as events unfold, and another when playwrights, screenwriters, novelists, and other arbiters recount events later.  It’s a crime against truth, but it happens every day.”

Think of the people who know history only from the movies, and you’ll see that she’s got a point.

Apparently so

Politico headline: "Bush job approval rating higher than Obama's"


(The story's about how Bush's approval and popularity have rebounded from the lows at the end of his presidency.)

Other People Say Smart Stuff, Too - Part XXIV

Jonah Goldberg, in a recent column about Barack Obama’s changing his mind and rejecting oil development off the Atlantic coast and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico for at least five years:  “Few presidents have talked a bigger game about pragmatism while pursuing a dogmatic agenda.”

So you want to write a novel