Time for Thorns

In case you’re thinking the foreign press is still bowled over by His Oneness and Our Lady of Perpetual Dissatisfaction,  enjoy  this piece in the Daily Telegraph about the White House Christmas decorations.    Scroll down to the caption above the picture of former First Lady Laura Bush

As predicted,  the White House tried to  laugh off the Dunn comments,  with Dunn herself  claiming to have picked up the Mao reference from the late Republican strategist,  Lee Atwater.  Except no one can find that quote by Atwater…..  And now the evil Glenn Beck has played a clip of Dunn saying the White House isn’t interested in being interviewed by reporters,  but in controlling what they have to talk about.

Aaron Gee said Obama had found his oppressor,  and the Washington Times pointed out that FOX is a more  trusted news source than the New York Times.     Don Surber pointed out that other media should be  sticking up for FOX instead of either covering for His Oneness or actively going after FOX as Newsweek did,   or suggesting Obama needs even more imperiousness ,  as did the New York Times.

The funniest line was Rahm Emanuel bleating that FOX wasn’t a news organization because it  “had a perspective.”   Umm,  the New York Times and MSNBC don’t?    In second place was David Axelrod appearing on ABC to say that other news outlets shouldn’t treat FOX as a news outlet.

Obama’s vendetta would serve to give his base a target,  and he certainly knew he could count on support from most of the rest of the media.    So why is the White House  now saying it will appear on FOX?     Is it because it wants coverage of its upcoming  “green” week?   Or because the latest  Rasmussen poll on the health bill shows 54% of us oppose it, versus only 42% supporting it?

I don’t know,  but finish with a  cartoon which sums up Obama’s attitude perfectly.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs sniffed that they weren’t “aware” of the Tea Party rally.   But the President certainly became so, since his chopper flew over some of the crowd as he began his retreat to Minnesota to repeat the same dreck he ladled out Wednesday night.

Now I ask you — who in their right mind wants an administration which is unaware of a crowd several hundred thousand strong just a few blocks away from the White House?    Do they truly imagine that by pretending it doesn’t exist they can simply wish the protest away?    They know they can depend on MSM to downplay the huge rally,  and indeed only one besides FOX has managed to admit “tens of thousands”  were there.    Most simply said “thousands” — technically correct,  but hardly a fair characterization of the real number.

Lucianne.com has a fine  collection of videos from the day.

The White House had a very special guest last night for its dinner celebrating Ramadan,  one Jameel Jaffer,   a Canadian citizen,  vetted by White House staff,   invitation approved by the White House Counsel’s Office and the Office of Political Affairs.

Jaffer runs the ACLU’s “national security project,”  and  is  a leader in pushing for the closure of Gitmo and providing legal rights to detainees.  You can find an long laundry list of his pro-terrorist, anti-American activities at the American Spectator.

It’s widely believed  he was among the lawyers providing legal advice to the Justice Department for creating an investigation of the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques,  which have already been thoroughly investigated.

Mr.  Jaffer was also a lead attorney trying to get a 2004 visa ban lifted for Tariq Ramadan,  a notorious Islamist.

Money quote from the Spectator piece is from a current CIA employee:  “…Work against America and get invited to the White House for dinner with the president. .. “

Now try telling me that His Oneness didn’t want AG Eric Holder to go after the Bush Administration,  specifically VP Cheney,   via the CIA.    Convince me how open and transparent and accountable this White House is.     Repeat how forward-looking the Obama Administration is  in all things.    Get me a magic carpet….

And we’re supposed to let these people run health care?

And how many oldsters will be steamed by this unpleasant news?

New York Congressman Anthony Weiner was on Neil Cavuto’s show on FOX  Monday accusing Social Security actuaries of skullduggery because they aren’t supposed to make any determination until October.   He was in full froth,  even inferring that the White House might have intervened.    Well,  what better way to deny that inflation is setting in than by having Social Security rule it nonexistent?

Go here and here for a simple explanation of how the cost-of-living adjustments work,  and what the actual effect is likely to be.

Aside from the fact that if Obama were Bush and golfing in the midst of the Iranian crisis he would be pilloried by the media,   I found his explanation of why he golfs interesting.    First he says it’s because he gets to be outdoors,  then at the end:  “…But getting out of the confines of this place is, uh, I find useful.”    This is the second time I’ve read of his finding the White  House confining.    I’m sure that it is in a certain sense,  but the average American is going to have difficulty imagining feeling terribly constrained while living in a 55,000 square foot mansion with a full complement of staff.

I started laughing when Press Secretary Robert Gibbs claimed that his boss had been “moved” by the Iranian protests.  The only emotion I have discerned from his bland statements on the uprising has been irritation that the protesters were scribbling in green crayon on his diplomatic road map.    David Podvin takes a far less charitable view,  and I don’t disagree with his basic premise that progressivism breeds violence.

The C.I.A. had an influx of Nazis after World War II,  and has long had a preference for dealing with tyrants  –  after all,   if you have the tyrant on your payroll,  you have the country.    His Oneness has the same preference,   but I think it’s because he considers government the proper power to run the world.    Individual freedom is an impediment to his goals,   which is one reason he’s pushing the so-called hate crimes legislation.    Remember that the goal of any totalitarian regime is to make it impossible for any citizen to go about his daily life without violating some regulation or law.

Once broad enough hate crimes laws are in place,   the government can claim anything it dislikes is the basis for a hate crime charge.    There will be a presumption of guilt,   not innocence,  and how can you prove you were not thinking “bad” thoughts?     That’s why hate crimes laws are actually thought crimes laws,  and so dangerous.

The House has already passed H.R.1913,  but pick up your phone,   or move your mouse and tell your senators to vote against  S. 909.    It was no accident,  or mere misunderstanding,  that the House Democrats voted down this simple amendment :

“The term sexual orientation as used in this act or any amendments to this act does not include pedophilia.”

Read Rep.  Alcee Hastings’  reason for defeating the amendment and supporting the bill.

Now get busy!

I came inside for some cold water to drink and a comfy chair to rest my back in, and FOX News is reporting that Chrysler has filed for bankruptcy.   In retaliation,  the White House has issued a statement saying this in “not in the best interests of the country.”

Translation:  How dare you interfere with my plans to nationalize automakers and rescue the labor unions from the predictable consequences of their greed?!!

UPDATE:    His Oneness is now making a formal statement on Chrysler, and blaming a “small group of speculators”,   some hedge funds, to be more precise,  for refusing to take the haircut that everybody but the labor unions are taking on GM.    Of course, nobody is mentioning that the GM takeover would leave stockholders with only 1% of company ownership,  or that he’ll be placing labor union picks on the corporate board,  which means GM will probably cease to exist within two years,   no matter how much additional taxpayer money Obama pours in.

Now, the backstory is that senior administration officials speaking on condition of anonymity  said the government would provide up to $8 billion more to carry the company through bankruptcy,  and will help appoint a new board of directors.

Now we know that the relaxation of the reporting rules for the labor unions wasn’t merely a sop against the possible failure of the card check bill.

Yesterday the White House pushed out the chairman of General Motors and told Chrysler to form a partnership with Italian automaker Fiat within 30 days as a condition for receiving another round of government aid.

With the C.E.O. gone,  GM is now run by the Chief Operating Officer.  What reporters need to ask at the daily briefing from the White House is what the COO agreed to do that the CEO would not.    That ought to give Press Secretary Robert Gibbs a whale of a deer-in-the-headlights moment,  but I won’t hold my breath that any reporter will oblige me with what should be the most obvious question of all.

There is no mention, of course, of the new mileage standards the government just mandated.    Thank God I bought my big diesel truck before all this nonsense started.    Pretty soon we’ll all have vehicles that will tote about 2 bags of groceries,  and nobody in cities will be able to afford anything larger than a bicycle,  which is what the liberal urban planners consider Nirvana.

Let’s see, the financial sector is already run by White House dictates, now the auto industry.    Who’s next?    And there will be a next,  even if Congress manages to resist Geithner’s call for more regulatory power.    His Oneness isn’t concerned,  since they’ve taken the power without its being granted — so what if Congress doesn’t catch up.

POLITICO actually notices that the White House isn’t posting what it should,  and thus not keeping faith with its grand proclamation of open,  transparent administration.

This site tracks the campaign promises of His Oneness.

The Obama victory bash still owes $1.74 million to the city of Chicago,  which already has a $50.5 million budget shortfall.

They haven’t quite descended to the Clintonian excuse of   “we’re not crooked, just incompetent”,  but  “this was just a mere oversight”  is getting close,  isn’t it?

What was it the Church Lady used to say on Saturday Night Live?  How conveeeeenient!

This:http://www.spectator.org/archives/2008/11/07/wasting-no-time

has 2 juicy stories – first, the elevation of perennial investigator Henry Waxman to the  House Energy and Commerce Committee, which means he can meddle in even more areas, and be exponentially more obnoxious.

But the real news is the “Obama/Biden Transition Project,” a 501(c)4 tax-exempt organization, with no limits on the contributions it can receive and no requirements to divulge the names of individuals or organizations that give it money.

Other incoming administrations have set up inaugural funds, and others to deal with legal costs and other expenses to close down the campaign, and some have had quasi-corporate offices to deal with transition issues.

This appears to be the first tax-exempt fund.  Regardless of the purpose, Obama campaign officials say it won’t be shut down after the transition ends.  I smell a White House slush fund that will make the Clintons’ renting out the Lincoln Bedroom look like kindergarten graft.   Don’t I remember Obama promising openess and transparency?  Didn’t Nancy Pelosi promise the same things?