Clinton apparently now president again

From HotAir:

The depressing truth: Given the alternative, it really would be great news.

I can’t do justice to what you’re about to see. The spectacle of the president bugging out of his own press conference to go to a Christmas party is weird enough, but having Clinton back at the White House podium fielding questions on the hottest domestic issue of the day shoots past deja vu and lands firmly in “am I hallucinating?” territory. (The good news: It turned Twitter into an hour-long snark free-for-all, with Michael Goldfarb taking first prize.) I get that The One’s trying to leverage BJ’s popularity to pressure Democratic fencesitters on the tax deal. What I don’t get is why he’d leave him alone to address reporters, suggesting either ....more here

number of federal employees, year by year, since 1940

 

A fine chart from DR

Latin Lesson Needed- Apply to POTUS

Members of Congress on Monday called on President Obama to issue a public correction after he incorrectly labeled E pluribus unum the U.S.'s motto in a speech last month, rather than "In God We Trust."... more from the Washington Times

Obama gets 12 stitches after elbowing on hoops court

In a Friday morning pickup game,President Obama was accidentally elbowed by one of his fellow players, forcing him to get 12 stitches in his lip, the White House said. Obama received the stitches under local anesthesia in the doctor's office on the ground floor of the White House after he returned home from the game at Fort McNair, a military base where he often plays. (more from the WaPo)


Though the White House wouldn't release a full list of players (or suspects), incoming House majority leader John Boehner was known to be playing, though he denied any fouling on his part. While speculation continued as to the person responsible for the presidential "fat lip" Mr Obama was heard to mutter, upon leaving the court, "I knew inviting Pelosi was a bad idea."

From HotAir

255 million: The number of Americans with existing health insurance coverage.

20 million: The number of Americans without any health coverage at all due to economic circumstances.

375,000: The number of Americans with pre-existing conditions HHS said would apply for coverage in the first year of ObamaCare, one of the main political arguments for its implementation.

8,011: The number that actually did.

Jihad and Stoning

Couple of articles on the President's visit to India.

Both mention his non-answer to a young woman's question on Jihad:

"...According to The Hindu newspaper, a student "invited his opinion on jihad during his town hall style meeting at Mumbai's St. Xavier's college." 

“The phrase jihad has a lot of meaning within Islam and is subject to a lot of different interpretations, but I will say that first Islam is one of the world's great religions. More than a billion people practise Islam and an overwhelming majority view their obligations to a religion that reaffirms peace, fairness, tolerance. I think all of us recognise that this great religion in the hands of a few extremists has been distorted by violence,” Mr. Obama said.

He saw isolating these “distorted notions” as the challenge before us. He stressed on practising universal principles, irrespective of one's religion or opinion of a religion.

“Whatever may be your religion we can treat each other with respect as per some of the universal principles...."  

Over at Sense of Events, they continue with this line of questioning and answers, what the president would/could not:

 "...The obvious question is, "What exactly are the 'universal principles' that will require adherents of Islam to act like liberals in love of tolerance and brotherhood regardless of religion? Those are Western principles, and a fairly late development in the West, that mainline Islam has never adopted and simply rejects today. 

So here is part one of a three-part series on what is jihad as Islam defines it, not as tolerant, live-and-let live Western politicians imagine it to be. Whatever jihad is, it does not include tolerance. What exactly is jihad and where does it fit into Muslim theology?....


You can go here to read the answers.




Over at American Spectator, they took another tac:


:...If one is to accept President Obama's argument that jihad "has a lot of meanings within Islam and is subject to different interpretations," then one must wonder what Obama thinks about its meaning and interpretation in certain parts of Indonesia. After all, Obama did spend four years of his childhood in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. As a presidential candidate, Obama made the argument that his time in Indonesia rendered him more qualified on questions of foreign policy ..."


"...So as President Obama proceeds to the country he once called home for the next leg of his South Asian tour, one wonders if anyone will ask him what he thinks of that meaning and interpretation of jihad which sanctions death by stoning against those who commit adultery. To be precise, will anyone ask him his views of the stoning law that was unanimously passed in the Indonesian province of Aceh in September 2009? Some of the other sanctions covered under the law in Aceh are public caning for activities such as non-marital sex, drinking, and gambling. Anyone caught engaging in homosexual behavior is also subject not only to caning but a minimum of eight years in prison.

Aceh's harsh sanctions against homosexuality are noteworthy when one considers what President Obama had to say about Uganda's proposed anti-homosexual laws. ..."

Political Folly

From the Newsweek Blog no less...

...In Gallup's new poll, Americans by narrow margins agree that the new health-care law will improve coverage (44–40 percent) and the "overall health of Americans" (40–35 percent). In a way, it's astonishing that sizable minorities could disagree with those two statements, since everyone agrees the law will provide medical coverage to 32 million more Americans.


But that's where support, however ambivalent, ends. Americans think the law will harm the U.S. economy (44–34 percent), the overall quality of health care in the U.S. (55–29 percent), and the federal balance sheet (61–23 percent).



It's almost as bad when you ask voters how the law will affect them personally. There is lots of doubt and some considerable belief (or hope) that the new law won't affect them at all. But respondents who said the measure would affect them generally fear what that change would be. They think the measure would adversely affect "the health-care coverage you and your family receive" (34–24 percent); "the quality of health care you and your family receive" (35–21 percent); and the "costs you and your family pay for health care: (50–21 percent).... (more)

The Most Important Story You Didn't See Last Week (and Probably Won't Ever See)

A Senate hearing last week confirmed the public's worst concern about Barack Obama: that when it comes to national security, Obama hasn't just been asleep at the switch -- he hasn't even bothered to find the switch.

"I do not think he [Obama] has a firm grasp yet on the intelligence community," 9/11 Commission Vice-Chairman and former Democrat congressman Lee Hamilton told the Senate Homeland Security Committee.

This, even though Obama has been in office for over a year now.

"We were not paying close attention in this area," commission Chairman Thomas Kean testified at the hearing into intelligence lapses prior to the Christmas Day attempted airliner bombing. Kean noted that Obama has instead been focused on such issues as health care and cap-and-trade.

The two men have historically been circumspect about making politically charged statements, but they painted a portrait of an intelligence community, America's first line of defense against its jihadi enemies, that is devolving into disarray under Obama's leadership -- or lack thereof. (more)

Obama Approval Dips Below 50%

From a Quinnipiac University National Poll

Yes it is "Fair and Balanced"

Contrary to what the Administration would have you believe...Guess this would be "Obama Lies- Part 3

What if I told you that Fox gave Obama his worst press and John McCain his best press of any network during last year's presidential election? If you work for the White House, you'd probably take this as proof that Fox is just a mouthpiece for the opposition. Now what if I told you that Fox had the most balanced coverage of any network during the same campaign? If you work for Fox, you'd probably say we told you so.

But what if I told you that both scenarios are true? More here from Forbes

Another Day Another Lie- Part 2

And its being reported by ABC (after other outlets began the story) which is perhaps even bigger news than Obama is lying....


A series of media reports have surfaced in the past week or so, uncovering examples of significant overcounting of stimulus-tied jobs in California, Massachusetts, Texas, Wisconsin, as well several states.

For example: The Boston Globe reviewed the 12,000-plus jobs claimed to have been created or saved by $4 billion in direct stimulus spending in Massachusetts. In one case, a state college reported having added 160 new work-study jobs tied to just $77,181 in stimulus funds. A spokesman for the school, Bridgewater State College, told the Globe that the actual number of jobs was "almost nothing."
The Globe described the Bay State's stimulus job figures as "wildly exaggerated."

A Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel review found a sanitation department in Douglas County, Wis., that admitted to a typo that resulted in an estimate of 100 jobs saved or created, when the actual number was five.

According to USA Today, the Texas recipient of a $26,174 roofing contract reported erroneously that 450 jobs were created or saved when, in fact, six were.... (more)

and as a follow up:

The Obama administration, under fire for inflating job growth from the $787 billion stimulus plan, slashed over 60,000 jobs from its most recent report on the program because the reporting outlets had submitted "unrealistic data," according to a document obtained by ABC News. (more)

Because of unrealistic data or because a Republican caught on and started asking questions...

Another Day, Another Obama Lie

As we prepare to bring the confessed terrorists to trial at the place of their greatest wounding, to a city still edgy and nervous, and prepare to put citizens at risk again by the mere presence of these killers, Breitbart reminds us what Obama said on the senate floor- that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is going to get a "full military trial with all the bells and whistles"..."justice will be carried out in his case"

Maybe he forgets who he's told what. Maybe his handlers are making him change his mind. Either way its getting hard to keep up with the lies without a program...

Sharia Law In America-Welcome To Dhimmitude

In a trend that is much more widespread in Canada and the UK, Muslims are beginning to insist upon their own (Sharia) law here in the U.S. This should come as no surprise since for a Muslim the only perfect guidance is based upon the Koran and Mohamed, the basis for Sharia law.

Once again, I must emphasize that not all Muslims agree with or follow Sharia law. Thus there is no conflict with the American culture (what's left of it.) But there are many instances where authorities have caved in to these requests.

Following are some examples:

Muslims seek banking changes to accommodate Sharia law

Muslims seek to change Family Law with Sharia law

Here are some more from Traditional Values:

In Minnesota, for example, five Muslim employees at the Missions Food tortilla factory were fired for refusing to wear a new company uniform – shirt and pants. They claimed this violated their Islamic beliefs. CAIR has filed an Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit against Mission Foods.

In Minneapolis in 2006, a number of Somali cabdrivers refused to carry passengers with alcohol. The Muslim Brotherhood was behind this publicity stunt. The airport’s initial plan was to cave to Sharia law and create Sharia-compliant and Sharia non-compliant cabs. An Islamic “fatwa,” or order was issued by the Muslim American Society in June 2006 and sent to the Metropolitan Airports Commission. The fatwa stated that Islamic law prohibits Muslim cabdrivers from carrying passengers with alcohol “because it involves cooperating in sin according to Islam.”

In May 2007, the Phoenix airport installed foot washing facilities to accommodate Muslim cab drivers; and one month earlier, the Kansas City airport decided to add foot washing basins in restrooms for Muslim cab drivers.

In June 2008, the San Francisco Chronicle published a feature titled: “Islam in America’s Public Schools: Education Or Indoctrination?” The article describes how “soft jihad” has entered our nation’s public schools and kids are being indoctrinated to affirm and accept the teachings of Islam. In May 2008, for example, students at Friendswood Junior High in Houston were required to attend a CAIR-sponsored lecture on Islamic Awareness. The students were taught that there is one God, his name is Allah; they were taught how to pray five times a day and wear Islamic clothing. An Islamic charter school in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota is under investigation for its overtly religious curriculum. It is housed in the Muslim American Society’s building. The Muslim American Society is an offshoot of the radical Muslim Brotherhood. When TV news reporters were sent to the school to interview officials, they were assaulted by these Islamists.

Muslims are waging in America what’s been described as “Islamist Lawfare,” against our system of government. Brooke M. Goldstein with the Legal Project at the Middle East Forum was interviewed in May by reporter Jamie Glazov. According to Goldstein: “One tenet of Sharia law is to punish those who criticize Islam, and to silence speech considered blasphemous against Islam or its Prophet Mohammed. The Islamist movement has two wings – that which operates violently, propagating suicide-homicide bombing and other terrorist activities, and that which operates lawfully, conducting a ‘soft jihad,’ within our court systems, through Sharia banking, within our school systems and through organizations such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Canadian Islamic Congress. Both the violent and the lawful arms of the Islamist movement can and do work apart, but often, their work re-enforces each other's.”

And apparently this last one is alive and well in Seattle, Washington
Seattle Times adopts Sharia: "Do not slander Islam after Fort Hood"

And last but certainly not least, lets not forget the Obama Administration's appointment of Sharia law cheerleader Obama adviser Dalia Mogahed. She'll even take the act on the road. But Britain may be already lost.

Oh yeah, did I mention the DHS appointment? That's the Department of Homeland Security folks:
New DHS official linked to Muslim Public Affairs Council, which calls Hizballah a "liberation movement"

And before I leave you, remember the big fuss about the 10 Commandments and our government's misguided decision to ban them from schools? Well apparently its OK to teach the Five Pillars of Islam....

Welcome to Dhimmitude

I will not submit

Global War On Terror (GWOT) Updates

Oh wait. We aren't supposed to use that term- "Global War On Terror." What is it the present Administration wants us to use? Oh yes, "A Man Made Disaster."

Not a fan of the renaming of the GWOT but, well, that's what it was wasn't it? 14 dead. A man made disaster- yup that pretty much sums it up. Caused by a man that was perhaps a bit unstable, who believed ardently that others should be converted, who was frustrated terribly when others failed to see his way and agree with him. But the man of whom I speak was not at Ft Hood last week. At least not in the flesh. The man of whom I speak is Mohamed himself. With apologies to those Muslims who reject Islam's violent beginnings/teachings, Mohamed would have been proud of what happened at Ft Hood as surely as he lopped off the heads of the tribal leaders who opposed him in Medina. ( I wonder how many nasty comments/death threats I'll get from offended Jihadists? Maybe I'll make the list of websites deemed dangerous by the Jihadists. Probably not but its an interesting list. I've added many of the sites under the GWOT heading.)


He would have been proud for two reasons. First, Hasan was earning his way into heaven. You see, unlike Christianity, which says one cannot get to heaven through good works alone but only by the grace of God, Islam lets you earn your way in. As long as you have more marks in the good column than the bad, you are good to go. If you fall behind you can double up on prayers and the like and get extra points to close the gap. If you are really bad and go to strip clubs and fail to marry and have kids like a good Muslim should, like Mr Hasan. (Or if you are homosexual which could explain the fact he was 39 and unmarried as well as the HIV meds found in his apartment) Then you need something BIG to catch up on the good marks. Now doubling up on prayers isn't going to help you much here so what do you do? You call in the big point makers like Jihad and killing infidels. And lo and behold only a short time after al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leader Nasir al-Wahayshi wrote an article in the Jihadi magazine that called for jihadists to conduct simple attacks against a variety of targets, Mr Hasan decides to get a morning coffee and start squeezing off rounds.


Which brings us to the second reason Mohamed would have been proud. Since Muslims see Mohamed as the perfect man and pious Muslims are called to emulate him, then it stands to reason that even his violent ways are to be copied. When Mohamed consolidated power in Medina (read- killed off the competition) he marched back to Mecca, from whence he had been in effect, exiled, and made his request again. Will you convert? This time, however he had an army to back him up, so his request had two choices: convert or be killed. Which is why Jihad and killing infidels scores such big points. It is true that not all Muslims accept the violent ways of Mohamed as behavior to be followed but to ignore the fact that so many do is to invite the type of carnage that we have seen all these years, most recently at Ft Hood.

Still there are those who will say that this is simply the machinations of a mad man, that he acted on his own. That he was mad, I will agree. That he worked alone is a lie.

Daniel Pipes has a really good article contrasting those who would say that Hasan was but an "over-stressed victim" crowd with those who see it as a symptom of the Jihadist disease which infects society. Here is a list and some of the colorful descriptions from the killer as victim crowd.

1990: "A prescription drug for … depression" (to explain the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane)
1991: "A robbery gone wrong" (the murder of Makin Morcos in Sydney)
1994: "Road rage" (the killing of a random Jew on the Brooklyn Bridge)
1997: "Many, many enemies in his mind" (the shooting murder atop the Empire State Building) 2000: A traffic incident (the attack on a bus of Jewish schoolchildren near Paris)
2002: "A work dispute" (the double murder at LAX)
2002: A "stormy [family] relationship" (the Beltway snipers)
2003: An "attitude problem" (Hasan Karim Akbar's attack on fellow soldiers, killing two)
2003: Mental illness (the mutilation murder of Sebastian Sellam)
2004: "Loneliness and depression" (an explosion in Brescia, Italy outside a McDonald's restaurant)
2005: "A disagreement between the suspect and another staff member" (a rampage at a retirement center in Virginia)
2006: "An animus toward women" (a murderous rampage at the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle)
2006: "His recent, arranged marriage may have made him stressed" (killing with an SUV in northern California)

Perhaps this shooting has woke us up. Mosques and buildings are being seized because of ties to Iran. Although it is clear these investigation have been ongoing. The time has come to take off the gloves.

Still, the call has gone out. More of these types of attacks will occur. The Jihadists are chomping at the bit. Sleeping too much? Follow the link and read the comments that have been reproduced on this blog. Keep you up better than a case of energy drinks.

In addition, Baitullah Mehsud, the most feared and dangerous militant commander in Pakistan’s tribal region has promised an attack on Washington

And Iran may be behind the insurgency in Afghanistan (Shocker!) while it continues unabated toward its goal of making a nuclear weapon and the poor state of military readiness of Russian forces has lowered the nuclear threshold.

Thankfully we have a decisive, strong leader in place to keep us safe at night.
Sleep tight and sweet dreams.

White House Says No ‘Veracity’ to Argument That Forcing Individuals to Buy Health Insurance Is Unconstitutional

Not going to confuse you with an English major either but that is another issue.
You're not really surprised they would say that are you? Interesting that Mr Gibbs also says that,

"I won't be confused as a constitutional scholar, but I don't believe there's a lot of--I don't believe there's a lot of case law that would demonstrate the veracity of what they're commentating on," said Gibbs.

Well, of course there isn't any case law on it because the government HAS NEVER TRIED IT BEFORE!

As CNSNews points out:

In 1994, when the Clinton administration attempted to push a health care reform plan through a Democratic Congress that also mandated every American buy health insurance, the Congressional Budget Office determined that the government had never ordered Americans to buy anything. “The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States,” the CBO analysis said. “An individual mandate would have two features that, in combination, would make it unique. First, it would impose a duty on individuals as members of society. Second, it would require people to purchase a specific service that would be heavily regulated by the federal government.”

But of course the Constitution does not appear to be a very large consideration for this Administration in this or (m)any other matters.

13 New Tax Hikes In the Dems Healthcare Bill

Let's see 1,990 pages divided by 13 is one tax hike every 153 pages.....From Americans For Tax Reform:

H.R. 3962, the "Affordable Health Care for America Act" has been introduced--all 1990 pages of it. This gargantuan beast contains thirteen new tax hikes. Here they all are, with description and page number (PDF version):
***
Employer Mandate Excise Tax (Page 275): If an employer does not pay 72.5 percent of a single employee’s health premium (65 percent of a family employee), the employer must pay an excise tax equal to 8 percent of average wages. Small employers (measured by payroll size) have smaller payroll tax rates of 0 percent (<$500,000), 2 percent ($500,000-$585,000), 4 percent ($585,000-$670,000), and 6 percent ($670,000-$750,000).

Individual Mandate Surtax (Page 296): If an individual fails to obtain qualifying coverage, he must pay an income surtax equal to the lesser of 2.5 percent of modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) or the average premium. MAGI adds back in the foreign earned income exclusion and municipal bond interest.

Medicine Cabinet Tax (Page 324): Non-prescription medications would no longer be able to be purchased from health savings accounts (HSAs), flexible spending accounts (FSAs), or health reimbursement arrangements (HRAs). Insulin excepted.

read the rest here...

Obama Administration -Privacy Act Does Not Apply to White House

In a not so surprising statement the White House has stated its position that the Privacy Act does not apply to it. So how's that new era of openness working for ya?

From Judicial Watch:

..."What the Obama administration is effectively saying here is that if the White House decides to illegally compile FBI files and violate your privacy rights, tough luck," said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. "It is disturbing that the Obama administration has taken the legal position that the Privacy Act does not apply to the White House and the Clinton FBI files scandal was not a scandal. It is worrying to those of us concerned about the Obama White House's collecting "fishy" emails and compiling an enemies list of new organizations, radio hosts, businesses, and industry associations to attack and smear. Is the Obama defense of the FBI files scandal less about that Clinton scandal and more about what his White House is up to now?"

Administration Loses Bid to Exclude Fox News From Pay Czar Interview

Well, I guess this means they aren't totally beholden to Obama after all, much to the Administration's chagrin I suspect.... But should this not scare the hell out of all of us? True, Presidents have a history of getting in pissing matches with certain members of the news media and have been vocal and more about those the were displeased with, but to attempt to completely exclude a news outlet? That is extreme no matter which side you're on- at least it should be.

The Obama administration on Thursday tried to make "pay czar" Kenneth Feinberg available for interviews to every member of the White House pool except Fox News. But the Washington bureau chiefs of the five TV networks decided that none of their reporters would interview Feinberg unless Fox News was included. (more from Fox)

Does He Lie?

Was Wilson right? Does Obama lie? Krauthammer says no, its more subtle than that. I guess it all depends upon what your definition of "is", is. I know if my child did this, I'd say he lied.
This is even more devious than a lie.

From Charles Krauthammer via Town Hall:

Three examples within a single speech -- the now-famous Obama-Wilson "you lie" address to Congress on health care -- of Obama's relationship with truth.

"I will not sign (a plan)," he solemnly pledged, "if it adds one dime to the deficit, now or in the future. Period."

And then, part two:

"And to prove that I'm serious, there will be a provision in this plan that requires us to come forward with more spending cuts if the savings we promised don't materialize."

This apparent strengthening of the pledge brilliantly and deceptively undermines it. What Obama suggests is that his plan will require mandatory spending cuts if the current rosy projections prove false. But there's absolutely nothing automatic about such cuts.

Medicare had a similar plan in 2003 to institute automatic cuts to sustain its growth. Every year since it was enacted Congress has waived the cuts.

This same deceptiveness is used regarding providing health care coverage to illegal immigrants. Obama says they will not be covered, yet all four committee-passed bills in Congress allow illegal immigrants to take part in the proposed Health Insurance Exchange.

Also, there is no provision to require proof of citizenship of those who seek health care and two attempts by Republicans to include such language have been shot down by Dems. This raises the question of why the Dems care so much about making illegal immigrants happy. Is it a future block of potential voters or perhaps it represents those already signed up by ACORN? But that is a different post.

After Wilson’s outburst the Senate Finance Committee revisited the language of its bill to prevent illegal immigrants from getting any federal benefits. To which Krauthammer asks, “Why would the Finance Committee fix a nonexistent problem?” Why indeed.

(3) Obama said he would largely solve the insoluble cost problem of Obamacare by eliminating "hundreds of billions of dollars in waste and fraud" from Medicare.

That's not a lie. That's not even deception. That's just an insult to our intelligence. Waste, fraud and abuse -- Meg Greenfield once called this phrase "the dread big three" -- as the all-purpose piggy bank for budget savings has been a joke since Jimmy Carter first used it in 1977.

Moreover, if half a trillion is waiting to be squeezed painlessly out of Medicare, why wait for health care reform? If, as Obama repeatedly insists, Medicare overspending is breaking the budget, why hasn't he gotten started on the painless billions in "waste and fraud" savings? (more)

This type of deception and misdirection has been a hallmark of this administration even in while he ran for the office. I have never been so distrustful of any President in my entire life.

Washington Post: Obama's Plan Just Expands The Status Quo

From the WaPo:

One of the bewildering ironies of the health-care debate is that President Obama claims to be attacking the status quo when he's actually embracing it. Ever since Congress created Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, health politics has followed a simple logic: Expand benefits and talk about controlling costs. That's the status quo, and Obama faithfully adheres to it. (more)