FRIDAY,  JULY 31,  2009

THE FAST HUSTLE IS ON - AT 8:42 P.M. ET:  The cable channels are filled with chatter suggesting that the recession is easing.  Newsweek, which wasn't a news magazine even when it was a news magazine, announces on its cover, "The recession is over."

The fast hustle has begun.

The president was on TV today announcing that the latest economic statistics are encouraging, and that "economists" say it's a result of the stimulus package.  A few weeks ago the administration was arguing that the stimulus package can't be blamed for bad economic news because it hasn't kicked in yet.  Take your pick.  Both can't be right, but "honesty" isn't this president's middle name.  (During the campaign we were told we couldn't use his middle name, or that maybe he didn't have one.)

There are some encouraging economic numbers, tentative though they may be.  We have said here before that, if the country seems to be rising economically next year, Obama will take full credit, and the Democrats may do well in the midterm elections.  All stops will be pulled out by the administration, its press allies, and Obama's sympathetic operators on Wall Street, to provide the image of a new prosperity.  It may work.  Don't assume today's poll numbers will predict the 2010 elections.

We have work to do, and it begins with truth telling. 

July 31, 2009   Permalink

INTO THE DARKNESS - AT 7:17 P.M. ET:  As if any more proof were needed, there are new signs that Venezuela is slipping more and more into a Marxist-style dictatorship, despite "elections."  We should recall that, technically speaking at least, Hitler was elected:

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuela's top prosecutor insisted Thursday that freedom of expression in Venezuela "must be limited" and proposed legislation that would slap additional restrictions on the country's news media.

The new law would punish the owners of radio stations, television channels and newspapers that have attempted to "cause panic" and "disturb social peace," Attorney General Luisa Ortega said.

It also would punish media owners who "manipulate the news with the purpose of transmitting a false perception of the facts."

"Freedom of expression must be limited," Ortega said.

Ortega urged lawmakers to consider her suggestions as they debate a bill that would punish as-yet-undefined "media crimes." The National Assembly, which is controlled by allies of President Hugo Chavez, is expected to approve the measure in coming months.

COMMENT:  This is happening as the Obama administration is openly aiding the return to power of Chavez's ally and friend, the legally ousted former president of Honduras, Mel Zelaya.  That must be encouraging to the anti-Chavez forces in Venezuela. 

We have seen no comment from our own State Department on this latest Chavez outrage.  Don't expect much.  Normalization with Castro is underway.  Why cause any problems?  Communism?  Just another lifestyle choice.

July 31, 2009   Permalink

NEW IRAN HOSTAGES - AT 6:28 P.M. ET:  This has been developing over the last few hours:

(CNN) -- Three American tourists are reportedly in Iranian custody after they may have strayed across the border from Iraq during a mountain hike, Kurdish officials said Friday.

The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, Iraq, said it was checking into the reports but could not confirm them.

A senior Kurdish official said four U.S. tourists had entered Kurdistan in northern Iraq from Turkey, staying in Sulaimaniya for about two nights. Three of the tourists traveled on to a tourist area near the Iranian border called Ahmed Awa, where they intended to go backpacking.

COMMENT:  Apparently the story is true.  This once again complicates our Iran policy.  Will we have to negotiate for the release of these three?  Apologize for something?  (Well, this administration is certainly skilled at that.) 

Remember that North Korea is holding two Americans they claim are spies.  You'll notice how effective the Obama engagement policy has been in getting them out. 

I suspect that, after a few months of agony, we'll have some "humanitarian" gesture from Iran, just before the September deadline set for them for responding to our "outreach."  There may even be warm and fuzzy moments.

July 31, 2009   Permalink

RASMUSSEN - AT 9:37 A.M. ET:  Rasmussen's daily tracker continues to show the president in trouble, with no sign of improvement.  Again today, disapproval of the president's performance stands at 51%, approval at 48%.

Rasmussen also polled on the president's handling of the Henry Louis Gates arrest, and the results are pretty devastating for Mr. Obama. 

...just 30% of U.S. voters give the president good or excellent marks for his handling of the situation over the past week.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 44% believe Obama has done a poor job dealing with the situation in recent days.

COMMENT:  Coming in the midst of the health-care debacle, Obama didn't need this new headache, which he created for himself by opening his mouth about the Gates case at a news conference.

The president is plainly in trouble.  Presidents get out of trouble in one of three ways:  1) they retire; 2) they do better; or 3) some outside event unifies the country around them.  Obama isn't retiring and he can't depend on outside events.  He has to do better.

July 31, 2009   Permalink

OKAY, FAIRNESS - AT 8:41 A.M. ET:  In our first post today, I complained loudly about a biased piece in the Washington Post, which reported only on contributions by health insurers to moderate Democrats, but which was silent on liberals.  Now, I'm happy to say, the Congressional Quarterly has provided some balance:

Some of the largest expenditures from lobbyists and their clients during the first six months of this year went to hosting events and making charitable donations in honor of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy , D-Mass.

On Wednesday, the American Medical Association, for example, reported spending $195,965 on an event in March honoring Kennedy, who is chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, as well as Rep. Nathan Deal , R-Ga, the ranking member on the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health.

Boston-based Partners Healthcare also reported making a $200,000 donation in June toward the Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate, a research center to be established in Boston based on the senator’s political career.

Kennedy wasn't the only liberal so honored:

The deadline for reporting lobbying expenditures and donations on behalf of lawmakers is midnight tonight. But reports already filed include: a $250,000 donation from Cigna to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation in honor of Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy , D-R.I., a foundation board member; a $38,720 expenditure by the American Psychological Association Practice Organization to honor Sen. Jeff Bingaman , D-N.M.; and $60,715 in expenditures from the Lupus Foundation of America honoring Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski , D-Md., and Rep. James P. Moran , D-Va.

COMMENT:  At least we're getting some fairness in the reporting, if only from CQ. 

July 31, 2009   Permalink

STRATEGY OR ILLUSION? - AT 8:17 A.M. ET:  We now have some details on what the Obama administration plans for Iran if the mullahs reject our offer to negotiate terms of their nuclear program.  The trouble is, there are asterisks, deadly asterisks.  From the Israeli press:

U.S. National Security Advisor James Jones, who is now in Israel to discuss Iran's nuclear program, indicated that Tehran has until the UN General Assembly in the last week of September to respond. U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates delivered a similar message during his visit here earlier this week. If no satisfactory answer is received, the Americans said, they would work to form an international coalition to impose harsh sanctions on Iran.

They key term is not "harsh sanctions" but "international coalition."  Try forming one sometime.

New sanctions would mainly aim to significantly curb Tehran's ability to import refined petroleum products. Despite its huge crude oil reserves, Iran has only limited refining capacity, so it imports large quantities of refined products such as gasoline.

Has anyone who sells gasoline to Iran even vaguely agreed to this?

In the next stage, the Americans will consider even harsher sanctions, such as banning Iranian ships from docking in Western ports and, as a next step, banning Iranian airplanes from landing in Western airports.

And the key term here is, "the Americans will consider..."  Anyone else considering?

Jones and his team presented the ideas that the administration is forging, together with France, Britain and Germany, on imposing additional sanctions on Iran via the UN Security Council if the dialogue fails. The Americans are also discussing this issue with Russia, which at this stage objects to further sanctions.

Russia has veto power on the Council.  That answers that.

China, which has numerous interests in Iran, also objects to further sanctions. Jones told the Israelis that Obama will therefore go to China soon to try to enlist Beijing to join the coalition.

China also has veto power.  But The One will convince them...just as he's convinced Iran and North Korea to change their policies.

Why is my enthusiasm limited?

July 31, 2009   Permalink

JOURNALISTIC ASSAULT ON BLUE DOG DEMOCRATS - AT 7:32 A.M. ET:  The Washington Post has shown improvement over the last year, reflecting changes in management.  But a story today returns to the old ways.  It's a hit piece on the Blue Dog Democrats - moderates - linking their views on health care to financial contributions from health insurers.

On June 19, Rep. Mike Ross of Arkansas made clear that he and a group of other conservative Democrats known as the Blue Dogs were increasingly unhappy with the direction that health-care legislation was taking in the House.

"The committees' draft falls short," the former pharmacy owner said in a statement that day, citing, among other things, provisions that major health-care companies also strongly oppose.

Five days later, Ross was the guest of honor at a special "health-care industry reception," one of at least seven fundraisers for the Arkansas lawmaker held by health-care companies or their lobbyists this year, according to publicly available invitations.

Now, there's actually nothing ethically wrong with this story.  Following the money is entirely legitimate, and looking at the campaign contributions of the health industry, especially during the current debate on health legislation, is perfectly proper.

The problem is, the piece is contradictory and reflects a biased, one-sided approach.  It's contradictory because it points out, almost casually, that the Blue Dogs are from conservative districts to begin with.  Their views are influenced by their constituents, and the campaign contributions are a reflection of views they already had. 

It's biased because no examination has been done on the liberal side.  You have Barbara Lee, head of the Congressional Black Caucus, who is an extremist by any congressional standard.  She was the only member of Congress to vote against military action after 9/11.  She's an openly avowed fan of Fidel Castro, and visits Cuba in solidarity.   Where is the story about her?

Where is the story about contributions given to some ultra-liberal members of Congress by far-left operators, like the troops of MoveOn.org, or interest groups financed by George Soros?  Of course, if a newspaper ran a story like that, you can be sure that it would be accused of "McCarthyism," one of the most misused words in the English language.  Only associations on the right are permitted to be discussed.

We hope the Washington Post does better.  The New York Times certainly won't.

July 31, 2009   Permalink 

THURSDAY,  JULY 30,  2009

AFTERMATH OF AIR FRANCE TRAGEDY - AT 11:18 P.M. ET:  You'll recall the recent crash of Air France flight 447 off the coast of South America.  The cause has still not been determined, and we've followed the story because of the possibility of terrorism, which has been largely ruled out.  But there has been an intriguing development:

Paris - The top pilots' union at Air France demanded on Wednesday that European airspeed monitors be replaced by US-made models across the airline's fleet after a new malfunction was reported this month.

An Airbus 320 equipped with new speed probes made by European electronics giant Thales was flying from Rome to Paris on July 13 when the sensors, known as pitot tubes, broke down, Air France said late on Tuesday.

The pilots' union demanded the Thales monitors be replaced by those made by US-based Goodrich, which provides pitot tubes to 70% of the world's aircraft.

Air France decided on June 12 to upgrade all pitot probes after pilots raised the alarm following the crash of Flight 447 in the Atlantic with 228 people on board, the airline's worst disaster in its 75-year history.

The union said the Goodrich models' record showed it had been problem-free.

COMMENT:  You know, we make some good stuff here, and we should recognize that.  Too many Americans have had it pounded into their heads that "imported from Europe" means "better," but it often just means more expensive. 

The fact that a French pilots' union has asked for American equipment should at least help us get over the inferiority complex that some Americans have about products manufactured in the United States, or at least under the direction of American companies.  From pianos to trucks, "made in USA" still has a luster.

July 30, 2009   Permalink

DOES THIS CROWD EVER LEARN? - AT 8:01 P.M. ET:  The latest list of recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom was announced by the White House.  Look, I'm sure there are fine people here.  For example, the late Jack Kemp is being honored.  But I personally find much of the list either disturbing or patronizing.  Here's the roster:

Nancy Goodman Brinker is the founder of Susan G, Komen for the Cure, a grassroots organization that invests in research to fight breast cancer.

Pedro Jose Greer Jr. is the founder of Camillus Health Concern, an agency that provides medical care to more than 10,000 homeless patients a year in Miami, Florida.

Stephen Hawking is a theoretical physicist and author who has worked through a severe physical disability to pioneer academic research in math and physics.

Jack Kemp, who receives the award posthumously, served as a congressman and as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development. He also encouraged development in urban communities.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Massachusetts, has served as a senator for 46 years and has pushed for quality and affordable health care for children, seniors and people with disabilities.

Billie Jean King, a professional tennis player of the 1960s and 1970s, was the first openly lesbian major sports figure in the United States.

Rev. Joseph Lowery has been a leader of the struggle for civil rights since the 1950s. His work included helping to organize the Montgomery bus boycott that followed Rosa Park's refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger in 1955.

Joe Medicine Crow – High Bird is the last living Plains Indian war chief and author on Native American history and culture.

Harvey Milk, who receives the award posthumously, became the first openly gay elected official of a major U.S. city when he joined the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 1977. He pushed the civil rights movement for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Sandra Day O'Connor was the first female U.S. Supreme Court justice.

Sidney Poitier was the first African American to be nominated for and win an Academy Award for best actor.

Chita Rivera was the first Latina recipient of the performing arts award from the Kennedy Center. She made her breakthrough performance in 1957 as Anita in the Broadway premiere of West Side Story and has won two Tony Awards.

Mary Robinson was the first female president of Ireland. She is also the founder of Realizing Rights: The Ethical Globalization Initiative, an organization that focuses on the link between human rights and globalization.

Janet Davison Rowley is a human geneticist and the first scientist to identify a chromosomal translocation as the cause of leukemia and other cancers. She received the National Medal of Science in 1999, the United States' highest scientific award.

Desmond Tutu is a retired Anglican archbishop who played a lead role in South Africa's anti-apartheid movement. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

Muhammad Yunus pioneered micro-loans in his effort to reverse poverty trends. The Bangladeshi economist provided small, low-interest loans to low-income people in Bangladesh. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

COMMENT:  Am I wrong in thinking that this list is more an exercise in diversity than in excellence?  It has the necessary quota of gay people, blacks, Hispanics, even a physically challenged scientist.  And there is, natch, a guy named Muhammad. 

Look, I want to see people from every group treated equally, and recognized appropriately.  I'm sure you do as well.  But this list is so obvious, it's embarrassing.  It's also tacky.  It also raises eyebrows.  Mary Robinson, for example, presided over the sickening Durban I conference in 2001, just days before the 9-11 terror attacks.  She went right along with the demands of the worst of the Muslim extremists.

Desmond Tutu may have been stalwart against apartheid, but that was decades ago.  In the years since he hasn't exactly earned his human-rights keep. 

It would have been gracious to honor some outstanding members of the Bush administration.  One can disagree with Condi Rice, but honoring her would have been a classy gesture for an administration not exactly famous for a classy style.

Rudy Giuliani could have been honored.

Or, yes, John McCain.

There are no former military officers, which says something. 

There are decent people on this list.  But the list is cynical, and merit is diminished.

July 30, 2009   Permalink

REPORT FROM THE SUMMIT - AT 7:15 P.M. ET:  Our sources tell us that the summit conference between Professor Gates, Sergeant Crowley, and President Obama is still underway at the White House.  Vice President Biden joined the conference, apparently so the president could have a person to blame if something inappropriate is said.

We still have no word on any decisions about the fate of Massachusetts - whether it will be given to the Russians, or what.  We also don't know whether Gates will be named White House race czar, adding to the thousands of other czars the administration apparently dreams of. 

UPDATE:  We now hear that Sgt. Crowley has threatened to place Vice President Biden under arrest for general obnoxiousness, a misdemeanor.  The president told Biden that this is a teachable moment.

July 30, 2009   Permalink

BUMMER FOR THE WHITE HOUSE, STUNNER FOR US - AT 9:36 A.M. ET:  Rasmussen this morning reports President Obama's worst poll numbers yet.  The Rasmussen poll is a bit more serious than some of the others since it measures likely voters, not just anyone who picks up the phone. 

Rasmussen reports Obama's approval at only 48%, and disapproval at 51%.  Even worse, Ras's presidential approval index has 40% strongly disapproving and only 28% strongly approving, a 12% gap.

At Angel's Corner this morning we examine the reasons for the decline in Obama's personal popularity.  Before now it was his programs that were unpopular.  Now it's becoming personal.

July 30, 2009   Permalink

DEMS AT WAR, HOW DELIGHTFUL - AT 9:24 A.M. ET:  There are all kinds of reports in the mainstream media that health-care "reform" is moving rapidly ahead, and that obstacles are falling.

Not so fast.

While the objections of moderates and conservatives are being addressed, now it's the so-called "progressives" who are up in arms.  (Well, they wouldn't say "arms."  Too militaristic.  They'd say they're distressed, and will need professional attention.)  There is a confrontation brewing between moderate and leftist Dems.   Personally, I can't wait.  I'll pay for tickets:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spent half of Wednesday finalizing a deal with the Blue Dogs — and the other half quelling a brewing rebellion among progressives who think conservatives have hijacked health care reform.

Liberals, Hispanics and African-American members — Pelosi’s most loyal base of support — are feeling betrayed after House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) reached an agreement with four of seven Blue Dogs on his committee who had been bottling up the bill over concerns about cost.

And...

“Waxman made a deal that is unacceptable,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), one of about 10 progressives who met repeatedly with Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) on Wednesday.

Nadler actually represents Ground Zero in New York, but is way out in left field.

By sundown Wednesday, the outcry from the left had become so loud that Waxman was forced to scrap a scheduled markup of the compromise measure. He rescheduled the meeting for Thursday morning and convened a mass question-and-answer session for a deeply divided Democratic Caucus — a meeting that is expected to be extremely contentious.

COMMENT:  There are indications that this dispute is becoming increasingly racial.  The Congressional Black Caucus, led by pro-Marxist Congresswoman Barbara Lee of California - the only member of Congress to vote against military action after 9/11 - is demanding a much more socialist bill.

Will the Democratic Party come apart?  Unlikely.  The factions need each other to stay in power and hold committee chairmanships.  But the "progressives" (really, the reactionaries) resent the way in which the moderate "Blue Dog" Dems have leveraged their power.  The problem for the "progressives" is that they can't pass anything on their own.  They need the moderates.  By contrast, the moderates often have Republicans as their allies. 

The actors in the new hit play, "The Age of Obama," aren't following the script.

July 30, 2009   Permalink

ANOTHER DEFENSE WARNING - AT 8:16 A.M. ET:  Coming on the heels of news that Obama wants $60-billion in cuts from the Pentagon, we now have a warning about America's deteriorating strength at sea.  From an op-ed piece by retired Rear Admiral Paul Rohrer in the Washington Examiner:

Hot on the heels of President Obama canceling the Air Force's most advanced strike fighter, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) announced this week that we now face a much greater shortfall in Navy and Marine Corps strike fighters than was previously estimated. Last year, CRS predicted a shortfall of 125 navy fighter jets by 2017. They now predict that the shortfall will more be more than 300 jets.

The American people deserve to understand what those shortages really mean.

On the surface, President Obama's defense budget calls for cutting the Navy's aircraft carrier strike groups from 11 to 10. But a closer inspection reveals that Obama's program delays and budget cuts will do terrible harm to the readiness and capability of our carrier groups.

COMMENT:  The aircraft carrier, which was almost killed by a bitter Defense Department dispute in the late 1940s, is our leading strike weapon.  Not requiring the permission of any foreign nation to operate, it has been deployed in almost all the crises we have faced.  It is the main means by which we project, quickly, American power overseas. 

It is not shocking to read that the Obama administration is weakening our carrier forces.  When you think of national security, the name Barack Obama does not spring quickly to mind.  He'll never be known as Mr. Defense. 

Obama is pulling a Carter and a Clinton, combined.  At a time when he's spending trillions for dubious purposes, his Pentagon budget cuts appear reckless and very risky.  This, again, is a time for the moderate Democrats in Congress to show their clout and insist on adequate funding for the Pentagon.  And it is a time for Republicans to stake their claim, weakened in recent years, as the national-defense party.

July 30, 2009   Permalink

PROTESTS IN IRAN - AT 7:56 A.M. ET:  Opposition continues vocal in Iran, although you'd never know it from the silence of the Obama administration.  Today is a major protest day, marking 40 days since the murder, in the streets, of several dissidents.  The New York Times reports:

Opposition supporters in Iran have gathered in Tehran to mark the 40th day after the death of several protesters on June 20, including Neda Agha-Soltan, the young woman whose last moments were captured on video that day and seen around the world on the Web.

The Times is now carrying this update:

7:42 a.m. A witness in Iran has told Reuters that Iranian police have arrested mourners who gathered at a Tehran cemetery to honor victims of the unrest that followed the disputed presidential election on June 12. According to the witness: “Hundreds have gathered around Neda Agha-Soltan’s grave to mourn her death and other victims’ death … police arrested some of them … dozens of riot police also arrived and are trying to disperse the crowd.”

Reuters also reports that the opposition leader Mir Hussein Moussavi is among the mourners at the cemetery.

COMMENT:  The Obamans have not exactly been steadfast in their support for Iranian freedom fighters.  They've given Iran a vague, shaky deadline of September to reply to America's "outstretched hand."  The president faces a major showdown with Iran in the fall, and appears to lack the spine for it. 

He'll probably blame BUSH (!!).

July 30, 2009   Permalink

GALLUPING AWAY - AT 7:41 A.M. ET:  Add Gallup to the polling organizations tracking Obama's steep decline.  The latest Gallup survey has presidential approval at 53%, with 39% disapproving. 

While not as grim as Rasmussen's report, Rasmussen is probably more useful.  Ras polls among likely voters, Gallup among adults 18 or older. 

We should point out that the decline in Mr. Obama's approval rating does not necessarily translate into increased support for anyone else, or for Republicans in Congress, who generally poll poorly.  Much work remains to be done.

July 30, 2009   Permalink