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APRIL 10,  2011

WE FEEL HIS PAIN – AT 10:58 P.M. ET:  So much so that we're willing to do something about it.  President Obama is complaining about the loss of anonymity that comes with the presidency.  Apparently, no one told him about this, and it isn't in the federal job description.  Herewith:

The president said he loves his life in the White House but doesn't enjoy some of the ways of Washington, such as the "kabuki dance" among political partisans before serious policy discussions begin. He also regrets his loss of personal privacy.

"I just miss - I miss being anonymous," he said at the meeting in the White House. "I miss Saturday morning, rolling out of bed, not shaving, getting into my car with my girls, driving to the supermarket, squeezing the fruit, getting my car washed, taking walks. I can't take a walk."

COMMENT:  I say, sympathize with him, and let's work to make him anonymous once more.  Let it never be said that we aren't concerned here about personal feelings.

I want this man to sqeeze fruit again.  Is that so much to ask?

April 10, 2011     Permalink

MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING – AT 9:52 P.M. ET:   An African delegation announces that the supreme high exalted divine leader of Libya has accepted an African solution to the fighting in the country.  From the way I read it, this has all the impact of a bill of sale found in a Cracker Jack box:

TRIPOLI, Libya – A delegation of African leaders said Sunday that their Libyan counterpart Moammar Qaddafi accepted their "road map" for a cease-fire with rebels, whom they will meet with Monday. They met hours after NATO airstrikes battered Qaddafi's tanks, helping Libyan rebels push back government troops that had been advancing quickly toward the opposition's eastern stronghold.

The terms of the African Union's road map were unclear -- such as whether it would require Qaddafi to pull his troops out of cities as rebels have demanded.

Some road map.  I think they need GPS.

"We have completed our mission with the brother leader, and the brother leader's delegation has accepted the road map as presented by us," said South African President Jacob Zuma. He traveled to Tripoli with the heads of Mali and Mauritania to meet with Qaddafi, whose more than 40-year rule has been threatened by the uprising that began nearly two months ago.

Would you listen to that lingo.  Would you just listen to it.  "The brother leader."  How about that?  As far as the head man in South Africa is concerned, he might mind his own country.  South Africa is a train wreck, with crime rates among the highest in the world, and government leaders with a strange affinity for dictators.  Of course, we don't hear much about it from the mainstream media, as criticism of post-apartheid South Africa is considered racist.   

"We will be proceeding tomorrow to meet the other party to talk to everybody and present a political solution," Zuma said. He called on NATO to end airstrikes to "give the cease-fire a chance."

Right.  Have NATO end its airstrikes.  Any requests for the Libyan government?  Apparently not.  And get this:

Qaddafi enjoys substantial support from countries of the AU, an organization that he chaired two years ago and helped transform using Libya's oil wealth. So it is not clear whether rebels would accept the AU as a fair broker.

I love it.  Here's the heart of the "third world," that hypocritical bunch of petty kingdoms, and they're supporting one of the world's greatest thugs.  What a choice thing to watch.

I don't get the feeling there's anything much here.

April 10, 2011       Permalink

SNIPPET OF THE DAY – AT 12:31 P.M. ET:

A 15-month-old boy was rushed to a hospital after he was accidentally served alcohol in a kids' meal at a Michigan Applebee’s, MyFoxDetroit.com reports...The boy was taken to the hospital, where he was examined by doctors. The family later learned the boy’s alcohol level was .10 – over the legal limit for an adult driver.

Boy, that was close.  Had he driven, the cops could've taken away his license.  You know how they are about drunk 15-month-olds.  Get 'em off the road.

April 10, 2011      Permalink

RYAN'S CHALLENGE – AT 11:43 A.M. ET:  A good story from Congressman Paul Ryan's home district indicates the challenge he faces in putting forward dramatic cost-cutting measures.  People are concerned about Medicare, and the Dems will do everything they can to increase those concerns by demagoguing Ryan's ideas:

JANESVILLE, Wis. (AP) -- Brian Krutsch has been long one of many automatic votes here for Rep. Paul Ryan. The unemployed warehouse manager, along with a solid majority of other Janesville voters, has helped elect Ryan seven times and watched with pride as he became one of Congress' leading authorities on the federal budget. But this week, admiration has been tinged with apprehension as one of Ryan's signature ideas - ending Medicare's status as a full, guaranteed benefit for senior citizens - suddenly took a step toward reality.

"I think that's one of the things they should probably leave alone - you know - unless it's absolutely necessary," Krutsch said as he took a break from reviewing job openings at the Rock County Job Center. "Old people need help with medical bills. There's too many people under-insured right now - especially people like myself right now who don't have insurance."

Changing Medicare has become a hot topic around town, and the qualms underscore why many officeholders are wary of talking about it.

No one in Janesville can be surprised by Ryan's ideas for reining in government spending. The cerebral, soft-spoken congressman has been explaining and diagramming his proposals at community meetings for years. But this week House Republicans gave Ryan's plan a high-profile show of support in a televised press conference, ensuring that it will be a key issue in the 2012 election even if the measure goes no further in Congress this year.

COMMENT:  And what will the Democrats say?  You know what they'll say.  They'll say that Paul Ryan wants to take Medicare away from you, while favoring tax cuts for the rich.  They will say it over and over, and they'll make it stick with many frightened voters.

It's not a new line.  When Nixon ran against Kennedy in 1960, the Dems – and I was one of them at the time – spread the message that Republicans wanted to take away Social Security.  It was false, of course, and former Republican presidential candidate Thomas E. Dewey went on TV to assure Americans that the GOP had no such plans.  But some voters were swayed.

As we said earlier today, a Paul Ryan moment is approaching, and the press will not be on Ryan's side.  If he triumphs, there is no end to his political possibilities.  If he's destroyed, he will join a long list who tried to take on the scare merchants.

April 10, 2011       Permalink

WHERE OBAMA STANDS – AT 10:54 A.M. ET:  The latest Rasmussen tracker indicates that the president didn't exactly win over converts during the recent budget crisis.  His numbers have been slipping, and there isn't much on the horizon to make them better, except political maneuvering by the White House.  And Libya may turn out to be a disaster.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Sunday shows that 21% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Thirty-nine percent (39%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -18.

And...

Overall, 45% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. Fifty-four percent (54%) disapprove.

Other polls also show Obama's approval rating hovering in the mid-40s.  That isn't terrible, but it does flash "vulnerability."

And this is significant:

Twenty-five percent (25%) believe the economy is getting better while 53% say it is getting worse. Democrats are evenly divided on the question. Republicans, by a 70% to 12% margin, say the economy is getting worse. Most voters not affiliated with either major party (54%) think the economy is getting worse.

COMMENT:  That view of the economy, this far into Obama's presidency, will not result in a happiness party at the White House.  And remember, gasoline prices are soaring.  That will result in higher food and transportation costs all around.  Unemployment, while easing a bit, is still much too high. 

A tumultuous political year ahead.

April 10, 2011      Permalink

DEAR LEADER TO SPEAK TO US, SAVE US – AT 10:25 A.M. ET:  I have exciting news.  Barack Obama has graciously agreed to speak to his subjects this week on...debt reduction.  Before you do anything else today, please send a note of thanks to the Oval Office.  You know, dear leader doesn't have to take time off from hoops and hip-hop concerts at the White House to do this.  He does it because he loves us.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A top White House political and economic adviser says President Obama will lay out new plans this week to reduce the federal deficit.

Obama adviser David Plouffe, speaking Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press," says Obama plans to offer ideas for what Plouffe calls "long-term deficit reduction" as Congress begins to debate raising the nation's debt ceiling.

Plouffe is giving few specifics on what Obama will announce, but he says that the president believes taxes should go up on higher-income Americans. He also says that the Republican budget plan offered this week by congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin may pass the House but won't become law.

Ryan's plan would repeal Obama's signature health care reform and make significant changes to Medicare and Medicaid.

COMMENT:  Bottom line, the only reason this speech is being given is politics.  The president didn't get such hot reviews on his role in last week's government-funding crisis.  He seemed out of touch, out of ideas, out of interest.  There's an election next year, and this White House is absolutely devoted to Mr. Obama's political survival.

You can tell by the story that the demagoguing will officially begin with Obama's "ideas."  Raise taxes.  Paint Paul Ryan's excellent plan as "extreme." 

You can be sure Ryan will be ready to answer.  He always is.  But be sure of something else:  Destroying Paul Ryan is now a White House priority.  This is a president whose campaign had no problem using the race card against Hillary Clinton in 2008.   Imagine what they'll do to a rising Republican star who's red hot, and can get hotter.

This week's Obama speech may well set up a Paul Ryan moment, and it can become a moment in history.

April 10, 2011     Permalink

APRIL 9,  2011

MADNESS ON A SATURDAY NIGHT – AT 11:56 P.M. ET:   Have you recently asked, "Who is teaching our children?"  Maybe you'd better start asking.  This, from NewsBusters:

Seattle, Washington sounds like a town competing for the most ACLU-friendly city in America. A public school teacher there told a teenage volunteer she could hand out Easter eggs with candy....as long as she called them "Spring Spheres."

Jessica, 16, told KIRO Radio's Dori Monson Show that a week before spring break, the students commit to a week-long community service project. She decided to volunteer in a third grade class at a public school, which she would like to remain nameless.

"At the end of the week I had an idea to fill little plastic eggs with treats and jelly beans and other candy, but I was kind of unsure how the teacher would feel about that," Jessica said. She was concerned how the teacher might react to the eggs after of a meeting earlier in the week where she learned about "their abstract behavior rules."

"I went to the teacher to get her approval and she wanted to ask the administration to see if it was okay," Jessica explained. "She said that I could do it as long as I called this treat 'spring spheres.' I couldn't call them Easter eggs."

Rather than question the decision, Jessica opted to "roll with it." But the third graders had other ideas.

"When I took them out of the bag, the teacher said, 'Oh look, spring spheres' and all the kids were like 'Wow, Easter eggs.' So they knew," Jessica said.

COMMENT:  And remember next December to put up your Chilly Weather Tree as you prepare to greet Mr. All-Cultures Claus and his solar-powered sled.  Be sure to treat the reindeer equally and with respect for their different narrative about life.

Geez.

April 9, 2011     Permalink

SYRIA FIGHTING CONTINUES – AT 12:39 P.M. ET:  The fact that clashes within Syria between government forces and demonstrators have gone on so long indicates that the grip of the Assad family on power in the country may be loosening.  More violence today in Iran's closest Arab ally:

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) — Syrian security forces fired on protesters in the cities of Latakia and Dara on Saturday, a day after the bloodiest and largest antigovernment protests since the uprising began.

In the port city of Latakia, security forces fired live ammunition to break up a sit-in early Saturday.

Residents reported hearing hours of heavy gunfire overnight as security forces dispersed hundreds of protesters.

“The shooting went on for almost two hours,” said one resident, speaking on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. “It was frightening.”

There was no immediate word on casualties.

And...

Later Saturday, security forces fired on protesters during a funeral in Dara, a volatile southern city where at least 25 people were killed on Friday, a Syrian human rights advocate said.

The advocate, Ammar Qurabi, who leads Syria’s National Organization for Human Rights, said the group’s information was coming from residents and witnesses in Dara. He said several people were wounded Saturday as burials were taking place.

COMMENT:  Syria, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia, Jordan, Bahrain.  It is extraordinary to see the eruptions in so many Arab countries at the same time. 

Also, there are renewed clashes between Israel and the Hamas forces in the Gaza Strip.  Some observers are predicting a major escalation, with the potential for a major war this summer. 

And what is American policy?  I'm not sure anyone has figured it out, and the secretary of state has been remarkably quiet in recent days.

The whole region could explode.  If you think four-dollar gas is high...

April 9, 2011       Permalink

THE FINE PRINT – AT 10:37 A.M. ET:  While there is much relief in Washington, it may be short-lived, as the fine print of the budget deal is published.  Michele Bachmann, for one, isn't pleased.  She points out, correctly, that the cuts in spending are minimal, and far from enough to make a big difference.  From The Politico:

“The deal that was reached tonight is a disappointment for me and for millions of Americans who expected $100 billion in cuts, who wanted to make sure their tax dollars stopped flowing to the nation’s largest abortion provider, and who wanted us to defund ObamaCare," Bachmann said in a release. "Instead, we’ve been asked to settle for $39 billion in cuts, even as we continue to fund Planned Parenthood and the implementation of ObamaCare. Sadly, we’re missing the mandate given us by voters last November, and for that reason I voted against the Continuing Resolution.”

COMMENT:  There obviously will be disagreement on where cuts should be made, but Bachmann is fundamentally correct.  The real hero of the week was Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, who unveiled a Republican budget that would dramatically reduce government spending over ten years, and, yes, would inflict some pain.  Naturally, the budget is already under attack as anti-people, anti-children and anti-pet dogs. 

The budget deal reached last night is, to quote Churchill, not the end, not the beginning of the end, but it is the end of the beginning.  We are just getting started in putting our fiscal house back in order, and success, given the special interest involved, is far from assured.

April 9, 2011      Permalink

THE GOVERNMENT STANDS – AT 10:10 A.M. ET:  The government was not shut down last night thanks to a last- minute deal made by congressional Dems and Republicans, with the White House involved.  Thus, we will continue to enjoy the same efficiency, quality and dynamic leadership that we're used to.  The sound you hear is me choking. 

Now, who get the credit for the last-minute deal and the spending cuts it contains?   Well, if you ask President Obama, he gets the credit.  He spoke last night as if he'd wanted spending cuts all along.  This is pretty unbelievable:

"Like any worthwhile compromise, both sides had to make tough decisions and give ground on issues that were important to them," Obama said before cameras in the White House Blue Room as he acknowledged some of the cuts agreed to would be painful, with certain programs cut back and other projects encountering delays. "But beginning to live within our means is the only way to protect those investments that will help America compete for new jobs," he said.

COMMENT:  Huh?  The only way?  Did he really say that, or is this a bad dream?  When has this president ever emphasized living within our means?   The government's deficit this year is $1.5-trillion, and I haven't seen one member of the Obama White House faint at the number. 

But this is a president who claimed that his election meant that the oceans would recede, so his sudden conversion to fiscal discipline, which might last as long as a day, should come as no surprise.

April 9, 2011       Permalink

NEW VIOLENCE IN EGYPT – AT 10:01 A.M. ET:  Just when we thought Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times had this one put away and wrapped up as a victory for the common man, reality intervenes.  How unfair:

Egyptian soldiers armed with clubs and rifles have stormed Cairo's Tahrir Square in a pre-dawn raid that reportedly killed at least two people, reigniting the simmering tensions in the country.

Video footage showed hundreds of troops firing weapons and charging in large numbers into the square to clear it.

Tahrir Square – which for 18 days was the centre of the Egyptian revolution that ousted President Hosni Mubarak — was occupied again on Friday by hundreds of thousands of Egyptians calling for Mubarak to be put on trial, and for the head of the army, Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, who is the titular head of state, to be removed.

Many demonstrators were demanding that the army council be replaced by a civilian one during a transitional period to democracy, accusing the military of protecting members of the former regime.

The huge turnout followed growing fears that the revolution had been hijacked by the army.

Witnesses in the square said the raid was led by a mixture of army, police and internal security forces. About 300 soldiers swept into the square at around 3am, backed by 20-30 military trucks. Witnesses said firing continued in the square until around 5.30am on Saturday.

COMMENT:  Egypt is the most important Arab nation, culturally.  We cheered the revolution, but, like many revolutions, the reality may not be that pretty.

In addition to this story of renewed violence, there are new reports of Islamist groups making their move before the fall elections.  They may not win outright, but will exert far more influence in Egypt than they did under Mubarak.

What will the Egyptian people gain?  Maybe we should also ask what they will lose.  So far, the signs aren't brilliant, and the peace between Egypt and Israel, a key ingredient of American foreign policy in the region, seems more fragile than ever. 

Viva the revolution.  Yeah.

April 9, 2011     Permalink