"I Won't Be a Prop."

With Obama it's all about the show. It's all about the presentation. Once he has made the "impression" to the American people that he feels is necessary, then he just goes ahead and does as he wishes, even if it is the opposite of what is presented.

The press let's him get away with this, but some people do not. (emphasis mine)

In part:

By email (to the Counterterrorism Division) and by regular mail:

The Honorable Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Attorney General of the United States
United States Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW Washington, D.C. 20530-0001

Dear Attorney General Holder:

This letter is respectfully submitted to inform you that I must decline the invitation to participate in the May 4 roundtable meeting the President’s Task Force on Detention Policy is convening with current and former prosecutors involved in international terrorism cases. An invitation was extended to me by trial lawyers from the Counterterrorism Section, who are members of the Task Force, which you are leading.

The invitation email (of April 14) indicates that the meeting is part of an ongoing effort to identify lawful policies on the detention and disposition of alien enemy combatants—or what the Department now calls “individuals captured or apprehended in connection with armed conflicts and counterterrorism operations.” I admire the lawyers of the Counterterrorism Division, and I do not question their good faith. Nevertheless, it is quite clear—most recently, from your provocative remarks on Wednesday in Germany—that the Obama administration has already settled on a policy of releasing trained jihadists (including releasing some of them into the United States). Whatever the good intentions of the organizers, the meeting will obviously be used by the administration to claim that its policy was arrived at in consultation with current and former government officials experienced in terrorism cases and national security issues. I deeply disagree with this policy, which I believe is a violation of federal law and a betrayal of the president’s first obligation to protect the American people. Under the circumstances, I think the better course is to register my dissent, rather than be used as a prop.

Moreover, in light of public statements by both you and the President, it is dismayingly clear that, under your leadership, the Justice Department takes the position that a lawyer who in good faith offers legal advice to government policy makers—like the government lawyers who offered good faith advice on interrogation policy—may be subject to investigation and prosecution for the content of that advice, in addition to empty but professionally damaging accusations of ethical misconduct. Given that stance, any prudent lawyer would have to hesitate before offering advice to the government.

Written by Andrew C. McCarthy
cc: Sylvia T. Kaser and John DePue National Security Division, Counterterrorism Section

Read the whole thing here. Scroll through the events thing. via NRO

Remember in the press conference when Obama said that he released the CIA memos after careful consulation with his national security team? That gives a certain impression, doesn't it? What he doesn't mention is that they advised him NOT to release the memos.

This is, of course, the same sort of thing.

Kathleen Parker Finally Gets Something Right

An excellent essay on why Pres. Obama should cancel his Notre Dame speech.

The Great Experiment

The press lost any integrity it may have still had during this past Presidential election, but imagine for a moment that Bush's twin daughters went to some swanky private school where school choice allowed 2 underprivileged children to attend (Bush's daughters attended public school btw). Then imagine that under his administration this program was shut down and these two underprivileged children were thrown out of that swanky school and forced to attend a miserably failing public school.

I'm thinking that maybe, just maybe, one of the press would have asked about that in a prime time press conference with the President.

But not so with The One. Instead we get "What has enchanted you the most?" Oh, the adoring press loved it. It's only a matter of time before they have soothing background music during the press conferences with Pres. Obama. Yanni perhaps?

Enchanted. Good grief.

It occurred to me that there is a lot riding on this President. Not only have the Democrats put their whole heart and soul into him, but the media has as well. This really is a sink or swim Presidency.

The left is getting everything they ever dreamed of. With Pres, Bush and the Republicans, it was always a love/hate relationship. Some things about Bush we loved (he kept us safe) and some things we hated (spending). Bush went off the conservative reservation constantly. So he wasn't our Reagan, implementing policy that just about all us would agree with. But Obama is doing what every liberal ever dreamed of. Big spending and big government are the order of the day. Unfettered abortion is well under way. Funding every liberal program that someone like Ted Kennedy ever dreamed of is done. A 20% cut for missile defense and abandoning deploying defenses to Western Europe. Deep cuts into defense procurement programs. Healthcare reform is on the table and will soon be the law of the land. Illegal immigration will once again be ignored. Government intervention in banks and car companies? Done. More involvement of unions than union leaders ever hoped for. And the liberal favorite....more taxing of "the rich."

Yes, this is the stuff of liberal dreams.

Democrat White House. Democrat control of Congress. Enough votes so that those pesky Republicans can stop nothing at all. As Nancy Pelosi put it: "Very exciting, very exciting for the American people, because now we can get things done without explaining process," Pelosi told CNN's Candy Crowley. You got it all.

So this is kind of the great experiment. Let's see if these policies work. Let's see what this country looks like in 2 years. We will have our answer whether liberalism works or doesn't.

God help us all.

Another good one via GOC

Meet Media Lizzy

If you don't know her already. Sorry to keep sending elsewhere, but this is just good.

"100 Days of the Poser Presidency"

Malkin at her best. Go read.

A lefty Admits Bush Kept Us Safe

Contentions finds an astonishing admission in the middle of the usual leftism of Tom Friedman's NYT's piece:

One more 9/11 would close our open society another notch. One more 9/11 and you’ll be taking off more than your shoes at the airport. We have the luxury of having this torture debate now because there was no second 9/11, and it was not for want of trying. Had there been, a vast majority of Americans would have told the government (and still will): “Do whatever it takes.”
So President Obama’s compromise [release memos but not prosecute] is the best we can forge right now: We have to enjoin those who confront Al Qaeda types every day on the frontlines to act in ways that respect who we are, but also to never forget who they are. They are not white-collar criminals. They do not care whether we torture or not — bin Laden declared war on us when Bill Clinton was president.

And here is the "real doozy." Bush kept us safe by going into Iraq:


I believe that the most important reason there has not been another 9/11, besides the improved security and intelligence, is that Al Qaeda is primarily focused on defeating America in the heart of the Arab-Muslim world — particularly in Iraq. Al Qaeda knows that if it can destroy the U.S. effort (still a long shot) to build a decent, modernizing society in Iraq, it will undermine every U.S. ally in the region.
Conversely, if we, with Iraqis, defeat them by building any kind of decent, pluralistic society in the heart of their world, it will be a devastating blow.

"Barack Obama already less popular than Nixon or Carter? Quelle Surprise! (Not)"

Oh, this Brit gets it:

It's official: Barack Obama is the second most reviled newbie president of the last forty years. A gallup survey today published in the Washington Times shows Obama to have an approval rating of just 56 per cent. The only president to have performed worse than that at the end of his first 100 days in office was Bill Clinton -

..............................

Obama's low approval ratings, however, are all of his own making. He campaigned as a healing moderate who would take the US beyond partisan politics and restore the economy; instead he has terrified all those Americans who rightly abhor the idea of adopting European socialist, with the most sweeping advance of the progressive agenda and growth in the power of the state since the days of FDR's New Deal.

Terrified is exactly the right word.

His "Pros and Cons" of Obama's first 100 days must be read in full:

CON:
1. Pantywaist, surrender-monkey, I-feel-your-pain, kowtowing to countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia means that America is no longer just hated in the Muslim world. Now, it is hated AND laughed at AND despised.

2. Swingeing green tax measures will destroy US industry, enrich Al Gore, delight Michael Moore while costing the average US family - in Cap and Trade alone - an extra $3,900 a year.

3. Returning Winston Churchill bust, snubbing British prime minister guarantees that never again will the United Kingdom ride the rescue of the US's sorry ass next time there's another Pearl Harbor.

4. Universal healthcare program will cost US taxpayers at least $650 billion (expect this to expand, like builders' estimates by at least 100 per cent), giving a health service to match Britain's "Envy of the World": ie crowded, filthy, chaotic wards; long waiting lists; lower cancer survival rates; higher death toll; ever-growing expense; a service so bad you'll pay anything in private health insurance to avoid using it...

5. Economy showing no signs of recovery. Why should it? Obama's doing nothing to make it better.

6. US intelligence services rendered embarrassed, powerless and useless, thanks to "torture memos" peevishly released to discredit previous administration.

7. Proposed $2.4 TRILLION in new taxes will disincentivise even the most instinctively hard working Americans. Instead they will go on Atlas Shrugged style strike. Maybe they're right: it could be the only answer.

8. Galloping inflation caused by money printing. US to become next Zimbabwe, only without the elephants to poach and eat to stave off mass starvation.

9. Noises already made about "Right Wing Extremists" - ie war veterans, people with Ron Paul bumper stickers, anyone else who disagrees with any aspect of the progressive Obama program - suggests it won't be long before those 44 per cent (so far) of registered Obama-sceptics hear a midnight knock at the door.

10. Rules - lots and lots more oppressive, Euro-style nanny state style rules governing everything from how Americans dispose of their trash, to race relations to pet care to firearms ownership. It's for Society's good, you understand.

PROs

1. Nice kids
2. Cute-looking dog.
3. The way he offed those 3 Somali pirates was pretty cool.
4. Er....

Sen. John Cornyn is not happy.Neither is RNC chair Michael Steele

The head of the NRSC is not happy with Sen. Arlen Specter's switch to Democrat today (although to all of us out here, this is only acknowledging a long time fact):

“Senator Specter’s decision today represents the height of political self-preservation. While this presents a short-term disappointment, voters next year will have a clear choice to cast their ballots for a potentially unbridled Democrat super-majority versus the system of checks-and-balances that Americans deserve.”

Republican National Chairman Michael Steele:

Some in the Republican Party are happy about this. I am not.

Let’s be honest-Senator Specter didn’t leave the GOP based on principles of any kind. He left to further his personal political interests because he knew that he was going to lose a Republican primary due to his left-wing voting record.

Republicans look forward to beating Sen. Specter in 2010, assuming the Democrats don’t do it first.

The Free Market Republicans and Libertarian Republicans Will Save Us

They will save us not by dissing religious conservatives (hellooo...Meghan McCain, are you listening?), but by promoting the founding father's principles, and focusing on things like the New Resurgent Repulic focuses on: "promoting market-oriented policies, lower taxes and economic growth, and strong national security policies."

Of course our founding fathers had religious principles, and we religious conservatives should continue to remind and educate people on that, but let's face it, Christ always said that we would be unpopular with the world.

Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also (John 15:20).

In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:12-13).

"Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you (Matthew 5:10-12).

People yearn for God, but they don't like the strings attached. They want to do what they wish, if that includes sin, then so be it. Pop stars like Madonna are an example of this. They choose religions like Kabbalah or Scientology because it makes them believe they can have a spiritual relationship with God and still live as selfishly as they wish.

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths (2 Timothy 4:3-4).

People don't like to be reminded of their selfishness and sin. Which is why religious conservatives get a bad rap, as Christ said we would. Even though we don't claim to be holier, we only claim to be forgiven.

So, it really is time for the free market types (of which most religious conservatives are as well) to step up to the plate and take back our country. It's a message all Americans can relate to. Because although our country was founded on a belief in the Almighty, it was also founded on freedom to accept that or reject it.

Our outreach as Christians should be focused on the Church. Reaching out from there. We need to step back from politics. Certainly not to stop fighting against discrimination or when our religious principles have been attacked, but to lower the aggressive rhetoric coming from religious sources in the political arena.

We are letting the media and the left define our party by oppositon to abortion and gay marriage. They do this to isolate us from the moderate voter. Let's not let them do this anymore. The moderate voter may not agree with us on social issues, but I'd bet they do agree with us on the issues discussed here, but they never hear about these because of the focus on social issues.

What we need to hear now is about the Republicans turning back to smaller government and lower taxes. Expose the waste, the fraud, and the bureaucracy of a bloated federal government. Expose the overreaching of government into our lives and remind people what government is really about. It isn't about being "Daddy." Let's teach our children about state rights.

We need to restore local control in our school districts. We need to take back our schools from the powerful but ineffective teacher's union. We need to get bureaucrats out of education for good. Small businesses need regulatory relief and tax relief to open up more jobs for the American people.

Most of all we need to ONLY elect those who VOW to reduce wasteful spending. This is crucial. Also, protecting our 2nd Amendment rights and making sure our military is well funded and defending our borders.

When it comes to healthcare:

Decisions on medical care should be made by patient and his or her doctor, not by a government employee with a calculator figuring out whether treating your illness is in Washington’s fiscal interest,” said Donny Ferguson, Libertarian National Committee Communications Director.

This is how we need to move forward. No more electing Republicans who compromise with Democrats on these key issues. No more accepting excuses for the way they voted against these principles.

Strong and steady.

Then maybe we can save us from ourselves.

Hmmm.....

Are Doctors in the U.S. being told not to prescribe Tamiflu unless someone has been in contact with a flu victim and had symptoms? It looks like it.

Alan Stevens - New York City, US:

"I presented at Roosevelt hospital in NY this morning to get prescription for Tamiflu and Relenza as we are travelling on to Texas and then Peru where supplies may not be available. The doctors said that they were under instruction not to give out scripts to anyone unless they had been in contact with known carriers and had symptoms."

Photo Op for Air Force One Goes Wrong

People freaked. And who can blame them?

“The flight of a VC-25 aircraft and F-16 fighters this morning was authorized by the F.A.A. for the vicinity of the Statue of Liberty with directives to local authorities not to disclose information about it but to direct any inquiries to the F.A.A. Air Traffic Security Coordinator,” the Police Department said in a statement.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is "furious" over a Department of Defense low-altitude flyover of NYC in the area around Ground Zero this morning, calling it "ill-conceived" and a "waste of taxpayers' money."

Welcome to Obamanation Mr. Mayor, where ill conceived ideas and wasting taxpayer money is a way of governing.

No worries though. To make sure no one blames Obama, a white house official says Obama was "furious" too!

Soon they found their scapegoat:

On Monday afternoon, the Director of the White House Military Office, Louis Caldera, released a statement saying, "Last week, I approved a mission over New York. I take responsibility for that decision. While federal authorities took the proper steps to notify state and local authorities in New York and New Jersey, it's clear that the mission created confusion and disruption. I apologize and take responsibility for any distress that flight caused."


Imagine for a moment if Bush had done this.

We miss Dick Cheney

Priceless:

Nobody knows what Dick Cheney did all day — but whatever it was, it was certainly important. Whenever the government said the Vice President was in a secure, undisclosed location, we pictured Cheney racing through the tunnels under the Greenbrier resort, through the supposedly decommissioned fallout shelter and secret command center entombed beneathe that isolated swath of West Virginia, plotting and scheming and keeping terrorists awake at night, wondering when Darth Cheney would strike and how many of them would live to tell their tales the next day.

Dick Cheney, as Vice President, was the twisted, relentless, ruthless love child Batman and the Penguin biologically could never have. He may even be a robot sent from the future to keep us all from harm. He was, without question, the exact Vice President needed at just the right moment in history. Who knows what he was up to, but we’re certain, 100%, that it helped keep this nation safe for the last eight years.

It’s probably what he’s still working on now, from somewhere secure and undisclosed as you read this.

..........................

So, Mr. Cheney, in whatever undisclosed location you are in right now, just know that a bunch of Hillary Democrats here in Boystown who hated your guts for years now realize what remarkable service you gave this country when we needed your gruff Burgess Meredith meets Michael Keaton self. You were just the quiet badass genius strategist we needed, and we’re sure you pulled no punches and coddled no evil-doer on your watch. You also, we must remind the liberals of the LGBTQ community, were FAR MORE SUPPORTIVE of LGBTQ rights than any Vice President before you, Republican OR Democrat, and you have personally shown more willingness to advance our causes than your successor ever has — and you did this without a single word of thanks from ANYONE, including us. You are a decent man who won’t eat everyone else’s ice cream, because you’ve got more than enough of your own tucked away in whatever secret room you spent almost eight years keeping us all alive with whatever it was you were entrusted with.

Some day, we hope to have the honor of shaking your hand and thanking you in person, Mr. Cheney. Because you deserve not just our thanks, as people who FINALLY appreciate your efforts, but the thanks of the whole nation.

A Tortured Consipracy Theory

"Flu kills the torture memos"

It's like this. The government wanted us to stop talking about the torture memos. The virus likely came from a government lab (3 vials of virus samples went missing from a Maryland facility on April 22nd). A Venture Capital firm that deals with Pandemic and Bio Defense companies, will make a boatload of money off this.

This is the best part. The World Health Organization said the [unique] virus appears to be susceptible to Roche's flu drug Tamiflu. Guess who owns tons of stock in a California biotech company that owns the rights to Tamiflu? That's right, none other than the former defense secretary EVIL Donald Rumsfeld.

Now, this little twist is interesting and scary and TRUE.

The newspaper Reforma reported that President Obama, who recently visited Mexico, was escorted around Mexico City’s national anthropology museum on April 16 by Felipe Solis, an archaeologist who died the next day from flu-like symptoms.

How did I miss that? Was that on news? Googling it gets me NO msm from our country hits.

*update: I'm reading on this blog, that the gentleman in Mexico died of a heart attack, not flu. Very strange.

So what exactly is the conspiracy theory? The last two links tell us:

Is Bush is getting ready to play the Bioterror Card? The GOP cannot steal an inevitable Democratic landslide in November 2008. Will the Bush regime continue its illegitimate rule and empire by implementing a full-blown police state, in the aftermath of an avian flu pandemic or (Bush-engendered) bioterror attack?

It seems Bush is a bit late on implenting global panic, but better late than never I suppose.

Good grief.

The Disabled Protest Obama

ABC News' Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller report:

Police have started to arrest some of the disabled protestors picketing outside the White House right now. Almost all of the 400 demonstrators are in wheelchairs."Shame on you, Obama is a liar! Shame on you, Obama is a liar!" some are chanting.They're here from all over the country -- Texas, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania -- to protest what they see as President Obama not sufficiently supporting the Community Choice Act, a bill that would amend the Social Security Act to provide those with disabilities and older Americans the ability to use federal funding for community-based attendant services instead of just for nursing homes.

Pic here.

Let me take this moment once again to encourage you to do something yourself to help the disabled.

This is a gifted and wonderful young man named Matt Proctor. He attends Texas A&M University and his fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi sends selected young men on "The Journey of Hope" benefiting "Operation Push," a charity where ALL proceeds go to help people with disabilities. It is a three team, 80 man bike ride from San Francisco across the entire country, ending in Washington D.C. in mid-August. Almost every day the team stop in a new town and visits centers and events for people with disabilities to mentor and spend time with those with disabilities. They bring awareness to each community in what the community can do to include and help those dealing with a disability.

Read Matt's own words here. Donate here.

It's tax deductible and an accredited charity. It would mean a lot to me if you could give what you can.

Swine Flu

Since no one is talking about this......;-)

When Biden said Obama was going to be tested, he wasn't kidding. I figure it's only a matter of time before the plague of locusts.

Discuss.

They can't change the past

Former CIA chief Goss: (via HotAir)

Today, I am slack-jawed to read that members claim to have not understood that the techniques on which they were briefed were to actually be employed; or that specific techniques such as “waterboarding” were never mentioned. It must be hard for most Americans of common sense to imagine how a member of Congress can forget being told about the interrogations of Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. In that case, though, perhaps it is not amnesia but political expedience.

Let me be clear. It is my recollection that:

– The chairs and the ranking minority members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, known as the Gang of Four, were briefed that the CIA was holding and interrogating high-value terrorists.

– We understood what the CIA was doing.

– We gave the CIA our bipartisan support.

– We gave the CIA funding to carry out its activities.

– On a bipartisan basis, we asked if the CIA needed more support from Congress to carry out its mission against al-Qaeda.

I do not recall a single objection from my colleagues

Ok, now that we know that Pelosi (Madame Speaker, elected as leader by her fellow Democrats I might add) was fully aware of our interrogation techniques and never uttered a peep of objection to anyone, even privately as far as we can tell, I think it's time to call bull on the left's outrage unless they extend their outrage to their own leadership.

Like that's going to happen.

Because this was never about moral indignation. This was always about political theatre.

You will have to excuse me when I laugh every time a liberal says that we lost "our moral authority" with the interrogations. Maybe they should look up the word "moral" as they advocate abortion, pornography, gay marriage, and all assortment of things that might not be considered "moral."

*Had to add this. From the WSJ:

Yet last week Mr. Obama overruled the advice of his CIA director, Leon Panetta, and four prior CIA directors by releasing the details of the enhanced interrogation program. Former CIA director Michael Hayden has stated clearly that declassifying the memos will make it more difficult for the CIA to defend the nation.

Some might say THAT was immoral.

This is what happens when there is no basis for morality. It shifts with the wind, or in the case, the political wind.

As Noemie Emery points out here in a Townhall piece, Democrats always like to forget when they approved of things that they later see would do them better politically to be against.

We all remember the video of all the Democrats who demanded Saddam be removed and warned us of his ability and probability of having WMD's. I can't find the one we all saw a couple of years ago, but this video has the same lovely summary (including Madame Speaker).

The Democrats don't like to remember those statements about Iraq and Saddam listed in the video above. Because it shows their complete and utter hypocrisy on the issue. They knew without a doubt that Saddam was dangerous and was supportive of the President at the time of taking Saddam down.

This is clearly the same thing. I believe that Pelosi felt at the time of the interrogations, that what we were doing was needed to keep our country safe. Agree or disagree with that, it doesn't matter. Pelosi was a part of it. The trumped up outrage is nothing more than drama put out there to paint a false picture of the reality at the time.

If the left want to see Bush punished for what he did to keep us safe after 9-11, then Pelosi and all those who knew about the interrogations would have to punished as well. When I see the left calling for that, then they might have some credibility.

Noemie has this thought as well:

Let's get at the truth, not merely about the administration before this one, but of all of the ones that came before that. If we prosecute people in government who try to save American lives by doing "harsh" things to America's enemies, why should we stop at 2001? There's President Truman, who dropped two atomic bombs on Japan, killing and injuring tens of thousands of innocent people. Impeach him in retrospect, for the women and children. Talk about harsh. Go back before him, and impeach FDR: Without him, there would have been no Manhattan Project, specifically conceived to be "harsh" on the enemy

You think the left is really outraged? I don't. This is really only about one thing. No matter what is said or written in the future about Pres. George Bush there is one fact they can never change;

Bush kept us safe after 9-11 from another attack. He promised he would do everything possible to do that, and he did.

This is a fact they cannot stand. They must damage it or diminish it in some way. That is what this about.

It's really quite sad and pathetic when you think about it. Their anger being a result of innocent Americans not being blown to bits or being flown into buildings. "DAMN George Bush for the war on terror working out that way! DAMN HIM!"

Oh, they will never admit it. I doubt they even admit it to themselves. What else can explain the warped sense of anger that pervades the left? Even as they have won the White House and the Congress, their anger seethes.

They can't change the past. So they will only try to sully it.