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December 17, 2008
Exclusive: Oval Office Watch – Wednesday, December 17
Rich Carroll discusses possible "Jihad Candidate" HERE.
Something Is Rotten in Hawaii
Diana West.net
In the spirit of continuing inquiry, a friend writes in with some common sense from the Northeast Intelligence Network blog, excerpted below:
Perhaps it is no coincidence that this article is being published on December 7th, 2008, the 67th anniversary of the attack on America by the Japanese at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on this day in 1941. Barack Hussein OBAMA contends that he was born in Hawaii, a claim that despite countless erroneous media reports and reckless, poorly researched postings on numerous Internet Blogs to the contrary, has yet to be proven by Barack Hussein OBAMA or anyone else named as co-defendants.
Of the three aforementioned lawsuits, two raise questions about his actual location of birth (Berg, Keyes), while the third (Donofrio) focuses on his citizenship status. (While this might admittedly be an oversimplification, I believe it is a sufficient characterization for the purpose of this article).
Instead, Barack Hussein OBAMA, in conjunction with the co-defendants, has reportedly spent between $800,000 to close to $1,000,000 (one million dollars), using at least three different law firms to fight these civil actions. Now, consider that each and every one of the lawsuits filed against him could be immediately dismissed by the mere production of a single piece of paper that is available to him for the paltry sum of $12.50 at a recorder’s office in Hawaii....
To me, Barack Obama's choice of tactic--money-consuming, time-consuming, court-consuming, rumor-producing lawsuits in multiple states--is the most tantalizing fact of all. Why not pay Hawaii $12.50 to release his long-form original birth certificate?
Bottom line: It sure sounds as if We, the People, are being conned--about something--and failed by our representatives on every level. Read article.
'More than a dozen' witnesses have come forward in the Blago investigation
Thomas Lifson, American Thinker.com
It is a process that warms the heart of every prosecutor with extensive wiretap evidence and a large potential pool of indictable miscreants. Those who squeal early get a better deal than the stand-up guys who hold their tongues, hoping the whole thing blows over. In Game Theory, a broad range of phenomena are labeled "The Prisoner's Dilemma", based on the situation of gaining advantage for oneself at the expense of overall welfare for a class of participants.
Natascha Korecki writes in the Chicago Sun-Times:
"When it comes to coming clean, nothing is as motivating as a wiretap."
Whatever. I will settle for the basest of rear-preserving motivations if it blows the lid off the about-to-become-legendary corruption in Illinois politics. The nation needs and deserves a primer on the environment that nurtured the political career of Barack Obama in Springfield and Chicago.
So if more than a dozen witnesses provide corroborating evidence, then we don't have to rely on the word of one putatively insane governor, no matter who helped him get elected in the first place. Read article.
Rhetoric vs. Reality
Col. Bob Pappas, USMC, Ret., Gulf1.com
When the "plumbers" broke into Democrat Headquarters at Watergate, it immediately became news and eventually led to the resignation of Richard Nixon. Since then both the "left" and the "right" have vilified Nixon for the action of people with whom at the time of the break-in, he had no connection. He learned about it after the fact, but his pivotal failure was that once he became aware of them, he proceeded to cover the matter rather than deal with it honorably, transparently and immediately. One "misstatement" was soon covered by another until the web of deception made it impossible for him to remain as President with any moral authority.
Obama promised repeatedly that his administration would be a departure from "old politics," that there would be "change" and "transparency," that he would not stand for it the "old way" and that was what "the campaign was all about." (Does that mean in "lawyer speak" that only applied to the campaign and "we'll govern as we please?")
Two things:
Why not release his medical records and original birth certificate so that any nagging questions about his eligibility are quashed? Read article.
Obama and Rezko: Chicago Ghosts of Political Corruption in His Presidency
Martha R. Gore, US-Elections.Suite101.com
Rezko, along with Ata, Vrdolyak,Levin,Daley, Blagoevich and Ayers, all part of the politics of corruption in Chicago, ghosts of influence on an Obama presidency.
Obama's past may not be of interest to his supporters but what will happen if the Republicans decide that there are questionable events and ask for hearings? Among all his Chicago political associations, Tony Rezko is liable to be the key that will open the door to investigations. Read article.
Blagojevitch's Sin City
Jonah Goldberg, NY Post.com
There are so many things to love about the Rod Blagojevich scandal it's hard to know where to begin.
Wait. That's not right. There are so many bleeping things to love about this bleeping-bleep Blagojevich scandal it's hard to know where to begin.
For starters, the folks at the Chicago Tribune are Christmas Pony Happy because Blago tried to strong-arm Trib ownership to fire members of the editorial board. Instead, Trib editors will get to have a big tailgate party outside Blago's cell window.
Newspaper people love that sort of thing.
For the more historically minded, it's a time for nostalgia. The past comes alive as Chicago's grand tradition of corruption is sustained for another generation. As the Chicago Tribune once wrote, "corruption has been as much a part of the landscape as corn, soybeans and skyscrapers." Read article.
Man behind curtain is wizard of Rod, Rahm
John Kass, Chicago Tribune.com
When it comes to being the guy behind the guy, there is no one more conspicuous than Rahm Emanuel.
As chief of staff for President-elect Barack Obama, he's usually at Obama's news conferences, standing off to the side, glowering like some fiercely loyal mini-me.
But Emanuel wasn't there Thursday when Obama faced reporters to answer questions about federal charges against Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D-Dead Meat), accused of trying to sell Obama's Senate seat to the highest bidder.
Obama could have just asked Emanuel, but he wasn't there, and reporters kept wondering, "Where's Rahm? Where's Rahm?" What they should have been asking is, "Where's Jimmy?"
As in state Sen. James DeLeo (D-How You Doin?)
DeLeo is an extremely powerful politician. You know this because he's hardly ever quoted in newspaper stories.
Emanuel and DeLeo have a relationship. Read article.
Impeachment is back on the agenda
Dave Weinbaum, JWR.com
Liberals, take a few deep breaths! Relax! I'm talking about the removal from office of Illinois Governor, Democrat Rod Blagojevich. As prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald says, Rod was arrested for his "...corruption crime spree."
Unlike what we all know you'd do if this involved Bush or Cheney; I'm not calling for the impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama...yet. That's despite the fact The One endorsed Democrat Blag for Illinois Governor in 2006, while knowing full well that Rod was under federal investigation. The "criminal" Dem governor returned the favor by backing Obama in 2008.
What did Obama know and when will he disavow it?
There are literally thousands of unanswered questions to this quandary. Read article.
Obama is Fooling Wishful-Thinking Conservatives and Republicans
Rene Guerra, Eleutheros.us
While throwing around a few crumbs (Gen. James Jones, Gen. Eric Shinseki) that make some wishful-thinking conservatives and Republicans swoon and attest that Obama is now a centrist, Obama is definitely poised on delivering what his ideological upbringing, education, associations and alliances inevitably point to: the socialization of America.
But, as if that wasn’t enough, some conservatives and Republicans have taken it to not stop bleating that Obama is “Our President”, joining the throngs in the inherently personality-cult-bent left, which in turn don’t stop exalting “Our President” Obama as a marvel, elevating him to the “heights” of, maybe, “The Dear Leader” Kim Jong-Il, and “The Maximum Leader” Fidel Castro.
And don’t be surprised if Obama tosses in one or two more palatable appointments; the purpose will be the same: deception.
Lenin “correctly” (I am purposely resorting to Leninist semantics and thought, where only what Lenin said was “correct” --- hence the “political-correctness” that the left has imposed on America) advised his lemmings: “Take one step back, but only when you know that soon after you can take two steps forward.”
For a token, the “mainstream” media purposely hides ---and wishful-thinking conservatives and Republicans conveniently forget--- that Hillary Clinton was associated with the Marxist-Leninist Black Panthers of the early 1970s, that the graduation thesis she wrote at Wellesley College was a sheer apotheosis of Marxist-Leninist activist Saul Alinski, and that she did her law internship at the law offices of Oakland, Ca, avowed Stalinist Robert Treufhat. Read article.
Obama's Carbon Busters - A team of Al Gore's protégés takes over energy policy.
Review & Outlook, Online WSJ.com
After the selection of a largely centrist economic team, liberals have been asking when President-elect Obama would give them a seat at the table. Well, now we know, and Americans should strap themselves in. Mr. Obama is stocking his energy shop with the greenest of greens who want to move fast on a very aggressive climate agenda. Here come the carbon busters.
It's striking that the moderate in this bunch may be Steven Chu, who has reportedly been tapped as Energy Secretary. Though a political unknown, Mr. Chu is the respected director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, where the 1997 Nobel physics laureate has spent the last four years chasing a breakthrough in advanced biofuels, solar and other high-tech ventures.
Mr. Chu's special passion is climate change, and he favors putting a price on greenhouse emissions. The federal energy portfolio, though, is dominated by nuclear issues such as waste disposal and maintaining the U.S. weapons stockpile, with a side of basic research. On the latter, Mr. Chu co-chaired a blue-ribbon panel last year that called for doubling energy research spending.
Congress will see that and raise. Read article.
Unusual Suspects - Strategic Surprises
Ralph Peters, NY Post.com
Warnings about the foreign challenges the Obama administration will face early on focus on the usual suspects - al Qaeda, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Russia and, not least, the global solvency crisis.
While each of these issues demands serious attention, the crises abroad that shocked, consumed or defined a succession of presidencies came "out of the blue."
Focused on ending our Indochina war, Richard Nixon was blindsided by an oil-price shock (thanks to our eternal buddies, the Saudis). Jimmy Carter literally woke up to find the Soviets in Afghanistan - and our embassy staff held hostage in Iran, a collapsed ally.
Ronald Reagan faced the Beirut Marine-barracks bombing. Somalia panicked Bill Clinton; Rwanda embarrassed him - and the rise of al Qaeda paralyzed him. W got 9/11.
For President Obama, too, the first international crisis could be something that not one of us foresees (although, as always, events will seem obvious in hindsight). But there are also a number of potential crises hiding in broad daylight - and ignored. Read article.
Et Tu, Joe the Plumber?
Jake Tapper, ABC News.com
On the syndicated Glenn Beck radio program Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher begins hawking his as-yet-unpublished book
"Joe the Plumber: Fighting for the American Dream," with insinuations that the book will make a less-than-flattering assessment of the man who made him famous, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.
"I like to think I'm a little more educated than some out there on politics," says Wurzelbacher, saying the book will offer readers an "inside look" at the campaign.
He says he "talked to John McCain pretty in depth" and implies that what he heard was less than honest -- specifically in terms of how McCain could have voted for the Wall Street bailout bill given all the pork in it. The conversation made Wurzelbacher "angry... I wanted to get off the bus after I talked to him."
Why didn't he?
"The thought of Barack Obama becoming president scares me even more," he says. Read article.
Immigration Group Offers Roadmap for Reform in the New Administration
Jim Kouri, NewsWithViews.com
The Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the nation's leading public interest immigration policy organization held the news briefing on Tuesday, December 9 at 10 AM to discuss the implications of the recent elections and an agenda for true immigration reform in the 111th Congress. FAIR presented evidence refuting the unsubstantiated claims of special interests that the 2008 elections provided a mandate for amnesty for illegal aliens and still higher levels of immigration to the US.
During the press conference Dan Stein, president of FAIR, presented polling data that shows strong support for continued immigration enforcement in the workplace and along America's borders, and continued public opposition to amnesty for illegal aliens and guest worker programs. Stein also introduced FAIR's legislative agenda for the 111th Congress, and discuss the prospects for passage of meaningful immigration reform legislation. Read article.
Obama's 'Shift' To The Center Masks Agenda
Charles Krauthammer, IBD Editorials.com
Barack Obama has garnered praise from center to right — and has highly irritated the left — with the centrism of his major appointments. Because Obama's own beliefs remain largely opaque, his appointments have led to the conclusion that he intends to govern from the center.
Obama the centrist? I'm not so sure.
Take the foreign policy team: Hillary Clinton, James Jones, and Bush holdover Robert Gates. As centrist as you can get. But the choice was far less ideological than practical.
Obama has no intention of being a foreign policy president. Unlike, say, Nixon or Reagan, he does not have aspirations abroad. He simply wants quiet on his eastern and western fronts so that he can proceed with what he really cares about — his domestic agenda.
Similarly his senior economic team, the brilliant trio of Tim Geithner, Larry Summers and Paul Volcker: centrist, experienced and mainstream. But their principal task is to stabilize the financial system, a highly pragmatic task in which Obama has no particular ideological stake. Read article.
Gen Y Republican - young, smart, from Illinois....and he's NOT Obama!
Elisabeth Meinecke, Human Events.com
He’s from Illinois, young, smart and has a natural talent for relating to voters. And no, he’s not Barack Obama: he’s Aaron Schock, the newly elected U.S. representative for Illinois’ 18th district. Even Biden would like him -- he’s young, clean, and articulate, and at 27, will bring a Generation Y voice to Congress in January.
In four campaigns (school board, state legislature twice, and now U.S. representative), he’s never run a negative ad. Instead, he talks about what he wants to do. He has taken his message into an urban district, even to the pulpits of his constituents’ churches. And when the mud starts slinging in Shock’s direction, he always has a clean and clear response.
“All I had to say was, “You’ve been there for eight years, and all you can do is talk about me?” Schock said. “People want someone who’s going to shoot straight with them.” Read article.
A rising GOP star takes a stand
Ed Lasky, American Thinker.com
As the GOP looks at strategies geared to restore its tattered reputation, they could do worse than look at the career of one of their more promising stars, Congressman Mark Kirk (10th District, Illinois).
He has been winning in a Democratic district ever since he first ran for Congress in 2001. He has withstood challenges for the past two cycles from a Democratic opponent who followed the Barack Obama playbook (he modeled himself after Obama) in a state and a district that supported Barack Obama (and before that, John Kerry and Al Gore) by overwhelming margins. Kirk has been a far-sighted leader on national security issues. He currently serves as an intelligence officer in the Naval Reserve (one of only two current members of Congress who serve in the reserves one weekend a month and two weeks a year).
He is moderate on social issues, favors reasonable restrictions involving gun sales, has received favorable ratings from a raft of environmental groups, and is pro-choice. He has great appeal to independents and is rated as a moderate on the scale between conservative and liberals produced by the well-regarded National Journal . His ability to score legislative wins is magnified by his well-honed ability to work across the aisle. Read article.
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