COLON POWELL UPDATE: Now we get a little insight into General Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barak Obama yesterday. “He will have a role as one of my advisers,” Obama said on Monday. So that’s it. Powell’s poor judgment of presidential candidates is a naked attempt to gain further high office. He chose to endorse Obama over McCain, a man whose judgment on military matters has been shown to be wise. At a time of war for America, Powell’s endorsement was at first puzzling. Obama’s comment from this morning reveals the truth and reflects very poorly on the general. Were the general truly a genuine supporter of Obama, why did he wait until the last hour to endorse? Surely he had an opinion before this time. Worse was Powell’s condemnation of Sarah Palin as unqualified to serve. Compared to who, General, a one-term Senator from Illinois with about as much experience as my teenager? General Powell has now lost whatever scraps of credibility he had left.
SARAH PALIN UPDATE: Governor Palin did well on SNL this past weekend, much to the dismay of her critics. The media, locked in a passionate kiss with Obama, cannot stand the sight of Palin. She turns their philosophy upside down. Dems are always claiming to be in favor of the mothers and working mothers of America, until they find out she’s a conservative that is. Then the full weight of the press comes down in an attempt to smear and discredit. It’s fine to be a working mom as long as you’re a pro-abortion liberal. Conservative women break their model and thus cannot be tolerated. It’s been a real joy to see Governor Palin take on the media and hecklers. They have no answer for her.
AFGHANISTAN BANANA STAND: The press is up to their usual hi jinks concerning Afghan war casualty figures. Deaths caused by Taliban attacks or suicide bombings are trumpeted from the highest mountain, but numbers of Taliban killed by allied forces are posted on the back page. The reality is that the Taliban have been taking a pounding for some time now, and the only actions left for them are pathetic suicide attacks focused largely on civilians. Every time an American soldier is killed, the story leads and casualty figures for the entire war are restated. As of Friday, American deaths totaled 542. Certainly every loss is tragic and every soldier irreplaceable, but considering we pushed out the Taliban and established a new government in a nation on the other side of the globe, the total is remarkably low. The liberal press just can’t stand to see any good work from the military and will do their best to obfuscate the real battlefield situation should we be winning. Heard much news from Iraq lately? You won’t, because it’s generally good news of progress, and that doesn’t serve to help elect Obama.
FORT DIX TRIAL: The trial of five foreign-born Muslim men accused of plotting to sneak onto the Fort Dix, New Jersey, Army post and kill soldiers begins today in Camden. All face possible life in prison. The question is why they are not facing the death penalty. It seems to me plotting to attack a U.S. military installation in time of war would qualify for the ultimate penalty. Liberals and other apologists for terrorists are saying this type of preemptive prosecution troubles them. Perhaps we should have waited until an actual attack took place and soldiers were killed. The most troubling aspect of this is the fact that these foreign terrorists are being accorded full legal rights just like any other American citizen. The five should be in GITMO until the war is over.
KIM JONG IL ILL?: North Korea is poised for a “major announcement” concerning the health of its leader, 66 year old Kim Jong Il. The little dictator hasn’t been seen since mid-August amid rumors of a stroke or a military coup. We can only hope the “dear leader” is dead or incapacitated. We eagerly await further news from the isolated and starving communist nation.
FALLING OIL PRICES HURT CHAVEZ: Earlier this year crude oil prices topped $145 a barrel. That price had dropped to $71.85 by Friday. Oil profits had allowed Venezuela’s leader to play the big man in South America, spreading money around to nearby nations and financing massive social spending in his own country. Estimates suggest oil would have to stay at or above $95 a barrel for Chavez to balance his budget. Chavez’s promised oil refinery for Nicaragua now sits rusting among the weeds. Hopefully oil prices will continue their downward trend, easing the pain on American consumers and putting the screws to petty tyrants like Chavez.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Sunday, October 19, 2008
NOBAMA: TOO RISKY
NOBAMA: TOO RISKY
Presidential elections are usually a choice between the lesser of two evils, and this cycle is certainly no exception. It is extremely rare to find a candidate that exactly matches our own philosophy. Only once in my voting lifetime have I had the opportunity to cast a ballot for a President I knew would nearly identically match my own ethos, and that was Ronald Reagan in 1984. Every other election since has been a compromise, some big, some small. As this election nears, every voter must consider both the times in which we are living and the experience and attributes of those running. Most of us can name someone else we would rather have as our next President, but that is fantasy. The reality is that there is only the one choice, unless you care to waste your ballot on a third party candidate who will not win.
The first factor is the situation in which we find ourselves currently. We are involved in two wars on the other side of the globe. Our national economy and indeed that of the entire world has been rocked by the mortgage mess and falling home values. Politicians of every stripe have been caught being naughty or outright corrupt. Congressional approval ratings are abysmal thanks to the complete incompetence of Democrat leadership on nearly every issue. More than seven years have passed since 9/11, and Bin Laden remains alive and free to taunt us with an occasional video tape. Our ports and borders remain unsecured, allowing a free flow of illegal immigrants and possibly Al Qaeda members. Iraq has improved but isn’t quite completely secured yet. Iran continues its seemingly inexorable march toward nukes while their leader preaches the destruction of Israel. Pakistan holds nuclear weapons under suspect security arrangements with a military heavily infiltrated by terrorist sympathizers. North Korea is a continuing problem with no clear leader and no firm resolution in sight. Africa is beset by AIDS, political violence, and famine despite decades of international assistance. In South America, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela consorts with our enemies and behaves like the petty tyrant he really is. Anywhere one looks around the globe there are situations that directly threaten our national security. That only scratches the surface. In short, this is no time for amateurs nor is there time for learning on the job. The new President will have a full plate from day one.
Barak Hussein Obama has done next to nothing. If his brilliant new ideas were so hot, why has he done absolutely nothing in the Senate since arriving? He has authored no important legislation and made no significant progress on anything. Remember that this is at a time when his own party controlled both the House and Senate with significant margins. It would be different had a Republican majority prevented him from accomplishing his goals, but that was not the case. Even if his record as an Illinois legislator is paper thin. Reaching further back into his history, I still have no idea what a “community organizer” is.
Senator Obama’s associations from the past are at least concerning. He still has not answered to how he could sit in church year after year and not have a problem with Reverend Wright’s sermons damning the United States. Obama described Wright as his “spiritual advisor” until scrutiny forced him to distance himself from the reverend. Then there’s the unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers. Senator Obama boldly lied when questioned about Ayers during the last debate. McCain pointed out that Obama had begun his political career in Ayers’ living room, an established fact that Obama falsely denied. Ayers is a man who participated in the bombing of the Pentagon and a New York City Police station and to this day expresses no regrets. Senator Obama constantly claims all the violence took place when he was eight years old. That is a diversion and doesn’t explain or excuse their associations in more recent times. Obama is certainly the most inexperienced man ever to receive the nomination of a major party for President. One term as United States Senator, a stint in the Illinois legislature, and time as a “community organizer” (whatever that means) is the extent of his resume. He has no military experience, not even indirectly. He has no experience as an executive. What he has is the ability to say nothing better than anyone in quite a while. Certainly his rise to prominence is impressive politically but not enough to qualify him for the office.
John McCain has not been a reliable conservative in the past, nor is he espousing uniformly conservative policies now. He has made a career of defying the party when he was needed to pass important legislation. Far too often McCain sided with Democrats and proposed or furthered bills on matters that were not exactly on the top of the Republican agenda. He has spent his political career not as an executive, but as a legislator. He has shown a disturbing propensity to compromise on important issues, an important tool for a Senator, but not necessarily as good for POTUS. Some of his recent proposals, like $300B to buy up home mortgages, smack of unadulterated socialism. McCain has spent the last decade poking a finger in the eyes of conservatives at every opportunity. Now he comes asking for our votes and laying a dubious claim to Reagan conservatism. McCain is fortunate that he is running now, when America needs a man experienced in military policy.
I must address the disappointing Obama endorsement by Colin Powell. The general was brought into the national security staff and later appointed Secretary of State under Republican administrations. Powell was a total disappointment at State, failing to secure U.S. access to attack Iraq from the north through Turkey and throughout generally opposing the policies of the very administration he served. Powell endorsed Obama today on “Meet the Press”, no surprise given Powell’s questionable behavior since he left the government. He has fashioned himself as some sort of neutral wise man. Never mind the fact that he is during time of war NOT endorsing a fellow Vietnam veteran and former prisoner of war schooled in military command. No, no, instead let’s endorse a guy whose resume is transparent. General Powell lost his credibility long ago, and now it seems he is losing his mind as well.
John McCain is the only choice. It will require some nose-holding in the voting booth, but there really is no other choice. Barak Obama as President would be dangerous for America. His distorted world view, wrong-headed policies, and radical associations from the past should be enough to put off most voters. Unfortunately the media is in the midst of a torrid affair with Obama, and they spend all their ink covering over any matter that might prevent his election. It will be interesting to see how far the press will go in these last two weeks.
Fear for the republic should Obama and his ACORN defrauders manage to get him elected. Jimmy Carter, anyone?
Presidential elections are usually a choice between the lesser of two evils, and this cycle is certainly no exception. It is extremely rare to find a candidate that exactly matches our own philosophy. Only once in my voting lifetime have I had the opportunity to cast a ballot for a President I knew would nearly identically match my own ethos, and that was Ronald Reagan in 1984. Every other election since has been a compromise, some big, some small. As this election nears, every voter must consider both the times in which we are living and the experience and attributes of those running. Most of us can name someone else we would rather have as our next President, but that is fantasy. The reality is that there is only the one choice, unless you care to waste your ballot on a third party candidate who will not win.
The first factor is the situation in which we find ourselves currently. We are involved in two wars on the other side of the globe. Our national economy and indeed that of the entire world has been rocked by the mortgage mess and falling home values. Politicians of every stripe have been caught being naughty or outright corrupt. Congressional approval ratings are abysmal thanks to the complete incompetence of Democrat leadership on nearly every issue. More than seven years have passed since 9/11, and Bin Laden remains alive and free to taunt us with an occasional video tape. Our ports and borders remain unsecured, allowing a free flow of illegal immigrants and possibly Al Qaeda members. Iraq has improved but isn’t quite completely secured yet. Iran continues its seemingly inexorable march toward nukes while their leader preaches the destruction of Israel. Pakistan holds nuclear weapons under suspect security arrangements with a military heavily infiltrated by terrorist sympathizers. North Korea is a continuing problem with no clear leader and no firm resolution in sight. Africa is beset by AIDS, political violence, and famine despite decades of international assistance. In South America, Hugo Chavez of Venezuela consorts with our enemies and behaves like the petty tyrant he really is. Anywhere one looks around the globe there are situations that directly threaten our national security. That only scratches the surface. In short, this is no time for amateurs nor is there time for learning on the job. The new President will have a full plate from day one.
Barak Hussein Obama has done next to nothing. If his brilliant new ideas were so hot, why has he done absolutely nothing in the Senate since arriving? He has authored no important legislation and made no significant progress on anything. Remember that this is at a time when his own party controlled both the House and Senate with significant margins. It would be different had a Republican majority prevented him from accomplishing his goals, but that was not the case. Even if his record as an Illinois legislator is paper thin. Reaching further back into his history, I still have no idea what a “community organizer” is.
Senator Obama’s associations from the past are at least concerning. He still has not answered to how he could sit in church year after year and not have a problem with Reverend Wright’s sermons damning the United States. Obama described Wright as his “spiritual advisor” until scrutiny forced him to distance himself from the reverend. Then there’s the unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers. Senator Obama boldly lied when questioned about Ayers during the last debate. McCain pointed out that Obama had begun his political career in Ayers’ living room, an established fact that Obama falsely denied. Ayers is a man who participated in the bombing of the Pentagon and a New York City Police station and to this day expresses no regrets. Senator Obama constantly claims all the violence took place when he was eight years old. That is a diversion and doesn’t explain or excuse their associations in more recent times. Obama is certainly the most inexperienced man ever to receive the nomination of a major party for President. One term as United States Senator, a stint in the Illinois legislature, and time as a “community organizer” (whatever that means) is the extent of his resume. He has no military experience, not even indirectly. He has no experience as an executive. What he has is the ability to say nothing better than anyone in quite a while. Certainly his rise to prominence is impressive politically but not enough to qualify him for the office.
John McCain has not been a reliable conservative in the past, nor is he espousing uniformly conservative policies now. He has made a career of defying the party when he was needed to pass important legislation. Far too often McCain sided with Democrats and proposed or furthered bills on matters that were not exactly on the top of the Republican agenda. He has spent his political career not as an executive, but as a legislator. He has shown a disturbing propensity to compromise on important issues, an important tool for a Senator, but not necessarily as good for POTUS. Some of his recent proposals, like $300B to buy up home mortgages, smack of unadulterated socialism. McCain has spent the last decade poking a finger in the eyes of conservatives at every opportunity. Now he comes asking for our votes and laying a dubious claim to Reagan conservatism. McCain is fortunate that he is running now, when America needs a man experienced in military policy.
I must address the disappointing Obama endorsement by Colin Powell. The general was brought into the national security staff and later appointed Secretary of State under Republican administrations. Powell was a total disappointment at State, failing to secure U.S. access to attack Iraq from the north through Turkey and throughout generally opposing the policies of the very administration he served. Powell endorsed Obama today on “Meet the Press”, no surprise given Powell’s questionable behavior since he left the government. He has fashioned himself as some sort of neutral wise man. Never mind the fact that he is during time of war NOT endorsing a fellow Vietnam veteran and former prisoner of war schooled in military command. No, no, instead let’s endorse a guy whose resume is transparent. General Powell lost his credibility long ago, and now it seems he is losing his mind as well.
John McCain is the only choice. It will require some nose-holding in the voting booth, but there really is no other choice. Barak Obama as President would be dangerous for America. His distorted world view, wrong-headed policies, and radical associations from the past should be enough to put off most voters. Unfortunately the media is in the midst of a torrid affair with Obama, and they spend all their ink covering over any matter that might prevent his election. It will be interesting to see how far the press will go in these last two weeks.
Fear for the republic should Obama and his ACORN defrauders manage to get him elected. Jimmy Carter, anyone?
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
DEBATE 07 OCT 08
DEBATE IN THE ROUND: Last night’s Presidential debate wasn’t exactly a thriller. The potential of the town hall format was wasted by moderator Tom Brokaw’s poor choice of questions from both email and the assembled crowd of allegedly undecided voters. Of course most of the discussion was concerned with recent economic matters and the home mortgage situation, dooming the entire evening to a very dry doom.
Obama predictably blamed the Bush administration and deregulation policy of the last eight years, ignoring the role of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. He continued to make his outrageous promise to go through the federal budget with an axe “line by line”. Anybody want to tell the Senator that money bills must originate from the House? The President does not have the line item veto to do such a thing. Even more disturbing was Obama’s reference to “coordinating with other countries” on matters of economic policy. That sort of internationalism is the last thing we need right now. Another part of Obama’s mantra is pointing out that the federal budget was in surplus when George W. took office. Never mind that little, um, WAR that came along. Naturally no Democrat could discuss economics without engaging in a little class warfare, and the Illinois Senator is no different. He continues to harp on “middle class” tax cuts and appears oblivious to the fact that most small businesses are sole proprietorships that file federal taxes as individuals. These businesses would be crushed by Obama’s tax hikes and massive new spending. Senator McCain said some of the right things, but more disturbing was his proposal to sink the federal government $300B deep into the home mortgage market by having Treasury buy up mortgages. The taxpayers are sure to get soaked to the bone on that one. It is remarkable that leaders of both parties have an instant reflex to deepen government involvement in the markets, fleeing like lemmings toward a high socialist cliff. Gee, the feds have done so well with all their other programs, let’s have them start taking over our economy and healthcare.
The foreign policy portion of the event was notable only in the fact that it was another display of the dangers of making Barak Hussein Obama the next Commander in Chief. He even referred to “moral interests” being a factor in determining proper use of American forces. He continues to insist upon withdrawing forces from Iraq as an answer for Afghanistan as well as repeatedly promise to strike in Pakistan if necessary. The question was actually about strategy for the Afghan front, and Senator McCain correctly responded by deferring to General Petraeus. Both gentlemen essentially backed Israel in the event of an attack by Iran, vowed to prevent the Iranians from developing nukes, and promised to prevent a “second Holocaust”.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
1. Seeing Senator McCain interact with a Navy veteran in the crowd was touching and insightful. McCain patted the man’s back and warmly shook his hand as he thanked him for his service to our nation. Obama didn’t bother to get out of his chair to thank the guy.
2. Cindy McCain wore BLUE while Michelle Obama wore RED. Shouldn’t that have been opposite? Anyone besides me notice?
3. McCain needs to get some fresh new phrases to use. He’s wearing out “my friends” and “the point is”. He even dusted off “naked aggression”, one that never fails to make me smile.
4. Both candidates willfully violated the time limits and the little green, yellow and red lights intended to guide them, and Brokaw kept whining about it.
5. At the end of the affair, Obama and McCain moved to shake hands, blocking Brokaw’s view of the giant teleprompter and nearly causing him an aneurism.
Obama predictably blamed the Bush administration and deregulation policy of the last eight years, ignoring the role of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. He continued to make his outrageous promise to go through the federal budget with an axe “line by line”. Anybody want to tell the Senator that money bills must originate from the House? The President does not have the line item veto to do such a thing. Even more disturbing was Obama’s reference to “coordinating with other countries” on matters of economic policy. That sort of internationalism is the last thing we need right now. Another part of Obama’s mantra is pointing out that the federal budget was in surplus when George W. took office. Never mind that little, um, WAR that came along. Naturally no Democrat could discuss economics without engaging in a little class warfare, and the Illinois Senator is no different. He continues to harp on “middle class” tax cuts and appears oblivious to the fact that most small businesses are sole proprietorships that file federal taxes as individuals. These businesses would be crushed by Obama’s tax hikes and massive new spending. Senator McCain said some of the right things, but more disturbing was his proposal to sink the federal government $300B deep into the home mortgage market by having Treasury buy up mortgages. The taxpayers are sure to get soaked to the bone on that one. It is remarkable that leaders of both parties have an instant reflex to deepen government involvement in the markets, fleeing like lemmings toward a high socialist cliff. Gee, the feds have done so well with all their other programs, let’s have them start taking over our economy and healthcare.
The foreign policy portion of the event was notable only in the fact that it was another display of the dangers of making Barak Hussein Obama the next Commander in Chief. He even referred to “moral interests” being a factor in determining proper use of American forces. He continues to insist upon withdrawing forces from Iraq as an answer for Afghanistan as well as repeatedly promise to strike in Pakistan if necessary. The question was actually about strategy for the Afghan front, and Senator McCain correctly responded by deferring to General Petraeus. Both gentlemen essentially backed Israel in the event of an attack by Iran, vowed to prevent the Iranians from developing nukes, and promised to prevent a “second Holocaust”.
RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:
1. Seeing Senator McCain interact with a Navy veteran in the crowd was touching and insightful. McCain patted the man’s back and warmly shook his hand as he thanked him for his service to our nation. Obama didn’t bother to get out of his chair to thank the guy.
2. Cindy McCain wore BLUE while Michelle Obama wore RED. Shouldn’t that have been opposite? Anyone besides me notice?
3. McCain needs to get some fresh new phrases to use. He’s wearing out “my friends” and “the point is”. He even dusted off “naked aggression”, one that never fails to make me smile.
4. Both candidates willfully violated the time limits and the little green, yellow and red lights intended to guide them, and Brokaw kept whining about it.
5. At the end of the affair, Obama and McCain moved to shake hands, blocking Brokaw’s view of the giant teleprompter and nearly causing him an aneurism.
The scary part of the whole election is the idea of Obama at the controls of the mightiest military force the world has ever known in a time of war. John McCain doesn’t exactly thrill me, but there’s just no way I can vote for a man with no military experience at all in time of war. It’s nearly irresponsible. With less than four weeks remaining until Election Day, Americans face a choice they and our military will have to live with for years to come. Meanwhile our enemies continue to plan and plot to kill more of us.
Vote carefully.
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