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THURSDAY,  APRIL 8,  2010

QUESTION ANSWERED – AT 8:28 P.M. ET:  A couple of posts down I expressed the wish that pollsters would ask more about Obama's foreign policy.  And now, by pure coincidence, my wish has been answered via Andrew Malcolm at the L.A. Time's Top of the Ticket blog.

It turns out that polling has been done by Scott Rasmussen, and the president doesn't come out too well:

The ink isn't even dry on the president's treaty signature in Prague on Thursday, and he's still dining in old castles over there. But Rasmussen Reports finds that not even....

...one-in-three thinks it was a good idea to agree with the Medvedev-Putin gang to cut the number of U.S. warheads to 1,550.

In fact, 53% think it was a bad idea. (Sixteen percent are unsure, but they're being rounded up as we write.)

In fact again, only 31% believes the Russians will actually do what they just promised to do. How's that for job approval?

Not that the leaders of either nation admit to paying attention to polls because they know best.

Speaking of knowing best, earlier this week the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize winner announced a new unilateral nuclear arms use policy for the United States. Obama prohibited this country from using such weapons against a non-nuclear-armed country even if that country unleashed biological or chemical weapons against the United States.

Previous presidents of both parties have chosen not to announce when they would not use nuclear weapons, thinking that the possibility of annihilation might discourage an enemy attack. Obama has now erased that uncertainty except, he says, for Iran and North Korea.

The same Rasmussen national phone poll finds that 55% of Americans disagree with the Democrat's thinking on this one too. One-in-four agree with Obama.

Additionally, 45% of Americans side with Defense Secretary Robert Gates in opposing Obama's decision to halt new nuclear weapons development; 34% like the Democrat's plan.

COMMENT:  I once asked the late Charles Kuralt to name the most important thing he'd learned in all his years of doing the "On the Road" series for CBS News, an enterprise that took him around the United States.  "I've always been impressed," he replied, "at how well informed Americans are."

That's a contrarian opinion, of course.  The elites believe that Americans, as opposed to say, rural Norwegians, are dumb and empty-headed.  The elites are wrong and Kuralt was right.  The poll results reported here show that Americans are watching, listening, interested, and forming their opinions, as they always have.

And those opinions are correct.  The president is taking us down a hazardous path.  Americans understand that.  I hope they send an appropriate message at the polls.

April 8, 2010   Permalink

FLORIDA FOLLY – AT 7:56 P.M. ET:   This morning I wrote about Marco Rubio, a rising star in GOP politics.  He is the overwhelming favorite to win the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate in Florida, defeating incumbent Republican Governor Charlie Crist.

We now learn that Crist isn't going quietly.  News reports indicate that he is seriously considering dropping out of the Republican primary race and running for the Senate as an independent.  Apparently, it would be comparatively easy for him, under Florida law, to make the transition and take his campaign funds with him. 

Crist could wind up splitting the GOP vote, acting as a spoiler, and allowing a Democrat to win.  That will end his political career.  Or, he could actually win, since he'd be running in a general election, which will include liberal and independent voters. 

I hope that some major Republican figures have Crist's cell phone number and make a couple of calls, suggesting that Crist consider the practice of law, or cooking, or something, instead of becoming a pariah within the GOP. 

It would be a shame to see Marco Rubio's rise threatened by a spoiler tactic.  We'll watch this closely.

April 8, 2010   Permalink

PRESIDENT STILL SLUGGISH IN FOX POLL – AT 7:46 P.M. ET:  Fox confirms what other polls are showing, that any bounce the president may have gotten after the passage of the health-care bill has flown away:

Two weeks after President Obama signed the new health care bill, opposition to it remains strong. In addition, the president’s legislative victory did not help his job approval rating, which hit a new low in a Fox News poll released Thursday.

The poll also finds more voters would punish rather than reward incumbents who voted for the health care bill, and that the Democratic win did nothing to energize the party faithful for the midterms.

President Obama’s overall job approval rating dropped to a new low of 43 percent. Nearly half -- 48 percent -- disapprove. In mid-March, it was 46-48 percent. His current rating among Democrats (80 percent) and independents (38 percent) are among his lowest ratings with these groups. He is now in single digits among Republicans (7 percent). By comparison, former President George W. Bush’s approval among Democrats went as low as 4 percent.

The poll finds by a 54 to 39 percent margin, American voters oppose the new health care law. Just prior to the bill’s passage, 55 percent opposed, while 35 percent favored the overhaul.

And get this:

Interest in this fall’s elections among Democratic voters continues to fall far below that of Republicans.

COMMENT:  Voters say the economy will be their number one issue, which is not surprising.  I'd like to see, though, how the president stands on foreign policy.  The signing of the arms-control treaty today is a pretty slim reed.  The rest of the record is failure and excuse.

Obama now says that sanctions against Iran are just weeks away.  Trouble is, they were weeks away a year ago.

April 8, 2010   Permalink

JOB SHOCK – AT 10:27 A.M. ET:  There was some guardedly good news on jobs last week, but things seem to have slipped back.  This wasn't expected:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The number of newly laid-off workers seeking unemployment benefits rose last week, a sign that jobs remain scarce even as the economy recovers.

The Labor Department said Thursday that first-time claims increased by 18,000 in the week ending April 3, to a seasonally adjusted 460,000. That's worse than economists' estimates of a drop to 435,000, according to a survey by Thomson Reuters.

The report covers the week that includes the Easter holiday, and a Labor Department analyst said seasonal adjustment for Easter can be difficult since the holiday occurs in different weeks each year.

California also closed its state offices for a holiday March 31, the analyst said, which likely held down the claims figures. On an unadjusted basis, claims rose by 6,500 to nearly 415,000.

Economists closely watch unemployment claims, which are seen as a gauge of layoffs and a measure of companies' willingness to hire new workers.

The four week average, which smooths volatility, rose to 450,250. Two weeks ago, the average fell to its lowest level since September 2008, when Lehman Brothers collapsed and the financial crisis intensified.

Jobless claims peaked during the recession at 651,000 in late March 2009.

COMMENT:  If this can't be turned around in the seven months before the midterms, Democrats will take a bath.  We'll supply the soap.  And maybe bubbles too.

April 8, 2010   Permalink

WHAT IS BARACK OBAMA? – AT 9:15 A.M. ET:  The great Michael Ledeen, who has been more right on Iran than any scholar out there, now turns his attention to a deft analysis, at Pajamas Media, of Barack Obama, what he is, and why.  Required reading, I think.  Thanks to Ed Lasky of American Thinker for alerting us to this. 

Obama, Ledeen says, should be seen as a guy in a classroom.

Because he’s the stereotypical American undergrad at a stereotypical Ivy League college in the age of political correctness.

He doesn’t much like America or Americans, or the “former colonial powers” like Britain. Like so many would-be intellectuals, he admires lefty writers and screenwriters and actors and actresses. He likes the downtrodden, like the Palestinians, but he’s overcome with awe for the occasional cool (non-Western) monarch or emperor (whether Arab or Chinese). He probably has a Che tee shirt tucked away in a drawer, don’t you think?

He doesn’t know much history...

The most important thing to this president is how you feel and what you say, not all those annoying facts...

And, like most students, when the debate goes badly for him, the president makes fun of his critics–when he actually lets them talk a little bit....

As a typical undergrad, Obama loves to talk, and loves to talk about peace and justice. You know, the really important things. His new nuclear policy is right out of a college bull session: “Why don’t we just promise not to use them?” Nukes are bad, ugly things. Doesn’t everyone agree that the world would be better off without them?

Well, grownups don’t necessarily agree. It all depends how you get there, and what the others do along the way. We do have real enemies, but our undergrad-president understands their ire and shares their pain...

Finally, he doesn’t seem to realize what a mess he’s making. And when he gets his grades, he blames the professors (we the people, in this case) for being unfair...

That’s the sort we’ve been graduating for a generation or more, isn’t it?   Did you really think we’d never get one as president?

Great stuff.  Read the whole thing.

April 8, 2010   Permalink

PENNSYLVANIA – AT 8:49 A.M. ET:  Pennsylvania has been trending Democratic in recent elections, but the drift may be reversed this year.  A new Quinnipiac poll shows GOP Senate candidate Pat Toomey waltzing past new Democratic convert Arlen Specter:

Republican Pat Toomey is back on top 46 - 41 percent over Sen. Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania's seesaw U.S. Senate race, while Attorney General Tom Corbett, the leader for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, remains ahead of each of the three top Democratic contenders by double digits, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Gov. Ed Rendell's job approval rating is 45 - 45 percent, up from a negative 43 - 49 percent last month, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University survey finds. But President Barack Obama's approval is a negative 45 - 49 percent, down from 49 - 46 percent.

Disapproval of the President's health care plan, 53 - 39 percent, is unchanged from a 52 - 37 percent disapproval March 2. Pennsylvania voters say 39 - 20 percent they are more likely to vote against a lawmaker who supported the health plan.

Toomey, a former congressman who is unchallenged for the GOP Senate nomination, trailed Specter 49 - 42 percent March 2. The two men have swapped the lead by small margins since last fall.

Toomey also leads U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, who is challenging Specter in the Democratic primary, by 42 - 34 percent. Specter leads Sestak for the Democratic nomination 53 - 32 percent in a Quinnipiac University poll released yesterday of likely Democratic primary voters, a different sample.

COMMENT:  So far, so good.  One of the GOP dreams is to pick up Pennsylvania in the 2012 presidential election.  Big state.  Mucho electoral votes.  Let's start thinking that way.  With Marco Rubio leading in Florida, that state will have a powerful GOP effort in 2012. 

Win.  I'm not interested in anything else for 2012.  No excuses.

April 8, 2010    Permalink

THE NEW STAR – AT 8:27 A.M. ET:  At political meetings I attend, most of the talk isn't about Scott Brown of Massachusetts, but about Marco Rubio, running for the GOP Senate nomination in Florida.  Real Clear Politics:

In the first three months of 2010, Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio (R) raised an impressive $3.6 million. Over the same time period, Rubio pushed Gov. Charlie Crist, the former frontrunner, out of the lead in their primary race.

Starting the year with a strong fundraising quarter was important for Rubio, who had some catching up to do. With more than $7.5 million in the bank, Crist held a $5.5 million cash advantage at the end of the year.

Rubio's take for the first quarter of the year represents nearly half of his total receipts over the entirety of his campaign. He raised $1.75 million in the 4th quarter of 2009 and more than $1 million in the 3rd quarter.

Rubio holds a 25.4-point lead in the RCP Average for the Florida Republican Senate primary. Florida is currently listed as Likely Republican on RCP's new Battle For The Senate Map.

COMMENT:  Rubio is a coming star.  He is Hispanic, from Florida, and, if he wins big in November, an obvious entry on the vice presidential possibilities list for 2012.

By the way, the other name I hear most often is Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, a young man who dazzles with his sheer knowledge of issues and his ability to present them.  The GOP bench is getting thicker.

April 8, 2010   Permalink

THAT SICK FEELING – AT 8:01 A.M. ET:  The United States and Russia have signed an arms-reduction treaty.  President Obama traveled to Prague, Czech Republic, an ally for whom he has shown minimal respect, to sign the agreement.  Russian President Medvedev also signed. 

We have no problem here with intelligent arms agreements.  President Reagan was an arms controller, and an active one, but the difference is that Reagan believed in a strong national defense and Obama...well, you know.

The New York Times has the story, which contains some curious comments.  Consider: 

The apparently warm relationship between the two presidents was on display as they entered the hall to trumpet music. They whispered and smiled with each other in English as they sat side by side signing copies of the so-called New Start treaty, then traded compliments during a follow-up exchange with reporters.

Mr. Obama called the Russian a “friend and partner” and said “without his personal efforts and strong leadership, we would not be here today.” For his part, Mr. Medvedev said the two had developed a “very good personal relationship and a very good personal chemistry as they say.”

Contrast this, please, with Obama's behavior with actual friends of the United States – Britain, India, Israel, even Canada.  No warmth.  No praise for leaders.  No sensitivity. 

No, the president seems to feel right at home with the Russians.  Considering his past associations, that shouldn't shock us.

And note this:

Warmer relations with the Kremlin worry American allies in Central and Eastern Europe, which were already concerned that Mr. Obama’s decision last year to scrap Mr. Bush’s missile defense plan in favor of a reformulated architecture was seen as a concession to Moscow.

Hoping to soothe those concerns, Mr. Obama plans to have dinner Thursday night in Prague with 11 leaders from the region, including the presidents or prime ministers of Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia.

Huh?  What is this, a mass feeding?  Will there be menus, or just selections written on a big chalk board posted at the entrance?  Will there be a coat check room?   Genuine cloth napkins?

The president should be meeting individually with all those leaders, if only for brief periods, to show his respect, and his respect for the struggles of Eastern Europe to free itself from the Soviet grasp.  But he doesn't have that respect, and it shows.

We'll judge the treaty on its merits.  The body language surrounding Obama's foreign policy is already being judged around the world.  We lose.

April 8,  2010   Permalink

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 7,  2010

BULLETIN:  CULTURAL MISUNDERSTANDING WATCH – AT 10:39 P.M. ET:  From ABC News:

Federal air marshals subdued a man who authorities say attempted to "light his shoes on fire" on a United flight from Washington Reagan to Denver Wednesday night, federal law enforcement officials told ABC News.

Authorities say an explosive team is on the way to the airport, and that while the presence of explosives has not yet been confirmed, they believe it was an attempted "shoe bomb."

The suspect was identified by authorities as a diplomat in the Qatar embassy in Washington, Mohammed al Modadi. The FBI said the man had full diplomatic immunity as the 3rd secretary and vice-consul.

Authorities said two jet fighters were scrambled from Buckley Air Force Base to accompany United flight 663, a Boeing 757, as it flew the final 40 miles to Denver where it landed safely.

COMMENT:  You see, here is where we really fall down as a country.  Every truly sophisticated person in Manhattan or Beverly Hills knows that lighting one's shoes is an important custom for Islamic diplomats.  So what's all the fuss about?  What right do we as a Western, colonial, imperialistic, militarist country have to question what a person of the third world does with his shoes? 
Given the mentality of the Obama administration, this "diplomat" will probably be invited to the White House for a full apology.

Following it.

UPDATE:  FALSE ALARM.  THE DIPLOMAT STUPIDLY MADE A SARCASTIC COMMENT ABOUT LIGHTING HIS SHOES WHEN A CABIN ATTENDANT NOTED SMOKE COMING FROM A LAVATORY.  ALTHOUGH THE CABIN CREW PROBABLY SHOULD HAVE NOTED THAT THE MAN'S SHOES WERE NOT ON FIRE, PROVOCATIVE COMMENTS HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN TAKEN SERIOUSLY BY AIRLINES.  THE DIPLOMAT SHOULD BE SENT HOME, AND HIS GOVERNMENT, QATAR, SHOULD COMPENSATE THE UNITED STATES FOR THE COST OF THE INVESTIGATION.  NO APOLOGY FROM US IS REQUIRED, ALTHOUGH I WOULDN'T BE SHOCKED IF THE WHITE HOUSE ISSUED ONE.

April 7, 2010   Permalink

AMATEURS – AT 8:25 P.M. ET:  What does President Obama think he's running, a student government?  We've having a problem with President Karzai of Afghanistan, a country in which American troops are fighting.  You won't believe how the minor leaguers in the Obama crowd want to deal with the problem.  From AP:

WASHINGTON – In a new indication of strained relations, the White House said Tuesday it would consider canceling an upcoming visit by Afghan President Hamid Karzai if he continues to make troublesome remarks. Such a move would be a remarkable diplomatic slap likely to infuriate the mercurial leader.

Hey, they've gotten practice with the treatment of the British and Israeli prime ministers.  Why not put some of those skills to work again, right?

Despite the public reproach, senior administration officials said the tough statement was really meant as a warning and a sign of Washington's continued unhappiness with the Afghan leader's comments. The officials, one of whom described it as "a shot across the bow," said canceling Karzai's invitation was not being seriously considered, at least not yet.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the administration's strategy, which they were not authorized to discuss publicly.

Karzai has infuriated the White House with accusations that the United Nations and the international community interfered in last year's fraud-tarnished presidential election in Afghanistan.

COMMENT:  Karzai is no gem, and his comments are out of line.  But there is a disturbing pattern here:  This administration goes out of its way to insult allies, while appeasing enemies.  The world is clearly noticing. 

It's time for this administration to graduate from high school.  The aura of amateurism and immaturity surrounding Obamaville is growing, and it is hurting the country's diplomacy.  The fish rots from the head, and the blame must be placed squarely on President Obama, a man who has turned out to lack graciousness, or any other characteristic that would indicate humanity.

Deal with Karzai.  Get firm with Karzai.  But do it privately, fellas.  That's the way the adults work.

April 7, 2010   Permalink

ASSAULT ON BLACK CONSERVATIVES – There is a concerted assault on black conservatives who have aligned themselves with the tea party movement.  The race industry is on their backs, accusing them of selling out, of being Uncle Toms, and worse.  The attacks are based on the libel that the tea partiers are racists.

Ward Connerly, the California black conservative who has fought affirmative action for years, and has been subjected to horrible abuse because of it, comments at NRO:

If I have learned one thing from life, it is that race is the engine that drives the political Left. When all else fails, that segment of America goes to the default position of using race to achieve its objectives. In the courtrooms, on college campuses, and, most especially, in our politics, race is a central theme. Where it does not naturally rise to the surface, there are those who will manufacture and amplify it.

Such is the case with the claims that the “Tea Partiers” are a bunch of racists and that many of them spat upon members of the Congressional Black Caucus and called them “n*****s.” I am convinced beyond any doubt that all of this is part of the strategic plan being implemented by the Left in its current campaign to remake America.

In a video that has been played repeatedly showing CBC members as they walked past the tea partiers, Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. is seen using his telephone to tape the event. If he had any evidence to corroborate the racial claims, why hasn’t he come forward with his phone by now to settle this matter? I believe we all know the answer.

I agree with earlier Corner posts on the matter: By their reckless accusations, those who are alleging “racism” without evidence are doing inestimable harm to the social fabric of America.

COMMENT:  Absolutely accurate.  But, sadly, look for the cries of racism to increase.  We are going to be sold the message that anyone who votes against Obama's program is racially motivated, and that the only way we can redeem ourselves is to reelect Obama and his army.

The tragic fact is, it may work.  It has worked before.  It is a staple of college-campus conversation.

April 7, 2010    Permalink

LIZ – AT 7:12 P.M. ET:  Sorry for the absence.  I was in New York City today, visiting my taxes.  I also had the distinct pleasure of introducing Liz Cheney, daughter of the former vice president, at a Hudson Institute lunch.

As always, Liz was terrific, warning us that the lax national-security attitudes of this administration, including the regular insulting of allies, was putting us in danger.  What struck me about Liz, although I'd seen it in her TV appearances, was the clarity of her thought and the directness with which she spoke.  She has the ability to organize and English sentence and hurl it at the audience, like a weapon.  Several members of the audience suggested that she run for office.  Many people will say that gratuitously to a speaker.  In this case, it was meant.  She'd make a wonderful, attractive candidate, and has the right views and the knowledge to back them up.  She also has a great family, with five kids.  Can't hurt in politics.

Liz is co-founder of KeepAmericaSafe.com.  Visit the site.  You'll get good, current information about national security.

One of Liz's co-founders in KeepAmericaSafe, Debra Burlingame, was also at the meeting.  Debra is a lawyer, formerly with Court TV, and an expert on the legal aspects of national security.  Her brother, Chick Burlingame, was the captain of the hijacked American Airlines plane that was plunged into the Pentagon on 9-11.

Here were two women involved in national security, a field normally dominated by men.  It's good to see that.

April 7,  2010   Permalink

UNBELIEVABLE, JUST UNBELIEVABLE – AT 9:32 A.M. ET:  India is the world's largest democracy.  At one time, especially in the 50s and 60s, it was openly anti-American, identifying us with the colonial powers.  Indian diplomat V.K. Krishna Menon, the country's ambassador to the UN, regularly appeared on American television to denounce, in the most hateful way, the U.S.

But in recent decades American presidents have reversed the tide, turning India into an American ally.  Now, under Obama, that progress seems to be in grave jeopardy.  Once again, we are faced with catastrophic failure.  Surprisingly, this is from the usually in-the-tank-for-Obama Newsweek:

Barack Obama is in danger of reversing all the progress his predecessors, including George W. Bush, made in forging closer U.S. ties with India. Preoccupied with China and the Middle East, the Obama administration has allotted little room on its schedule for India, and failed to get much done in the short time it did make. Hosting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the November state visit, the administration managed to produce cordial photo ops, but the agreements reached on education, energy cooperation, and the like dealt with trivia.

Have you ever seen an administration like this?  Abuse our friends, respect our enemies.  That is the apparent slogan.

Indian diplomats close to Singh say the lackluster results show how far the relationship has fallen since Bill Clinton and the two Bushes transformed a strained Cold War rivalry into a close strategic partnership between the world's largest democracies. Obama's predecessors built a relationship around trade negotiations, joint military exercises, and ad hoc coalitions for humanitarian assistance in the aftermath of the Indonesia tsunami. Despite his reputation for uniquely pushy diplomacy, it was George W. Bush who concluded the landmark deal that recognized India as a legitimate nuclear power and opened the door to the sale of civilian nuclear technology to India. No single American move has done more to demonstrate Washington's respect for New Delhi as a rising and equal power. Now Obama, who came to office promising to respect U.S. allies, is backpedaling on that deal, to the growing chagrin of the Indians.

Obama appears largely oblivious to India's concerns. When the U.S. gathered its allies in the Afghan war at a London summit in January, Indian officials felt they were marginalized because their views were not sought or paid heed to in any fashion.

COMMENT:  Bush was gentle compared to Obama.  But Obama affects the persona of an intellectual with a third-world pedigree, so he gets little criticism from the wine-and-Brei crowd in the United States. 

The damage Obama is doing!  Day by day.

April 7, 2010    Permalink

OH DEAR, DO YOU SENSE A BACKLASH COMING? – AT 8:50 A.M. ET:  Apparently, a lot of Americans didn't get the memo on Obamacare.  All those juicy benefits?  Well, maybe someday.  All that free care?  Well, not really.  Eternal life?  Well, we're working on it.

Watch the anger start.  From McClatchy:

WASHINGTON — Two weeks after President Barack Obama signed the big health care overhaul into law, Americans are struggling to understand how — and when — the sweeping measure will affect them.

And a lot of us are still struggling to understand what's in the bill. 

Questions reflecting confusion have flooded insurance companies, doctors' offices, human resources departments and business groups.

"They're saying, 'Where do we get the free Obama care, and how do I sign up for that?' " said Carrie McLean, a licensed agent for eHealthInsurance.com. The California-based company sells coverage from 185 health insurance carriers in 50 states.

McLean said the call center had been inundated by uninsured consumers who were hoping that the overhaul would translate into instant, affordable coverage. That widespread misconception may have originated in part from distorted rhetoric about the legislation bubbling up from the hyper-partisan debate about it in Washington and some media outlets, such as when opponents denounced it as socialism.

Oh, come on.  There's that bias again.  Some reporters can't help themselves. 

"We tell them it's not free, that there are going to be things in place that help people who are low-income, but that ultimately most of that is not going to be taking place until 2014," McLean said.

Adults with pre-existing conditions are frustrated to learn that insurers won't have to cover them until 2014 (though those under 18 will be protected in late September); then they become both hopeful and confused upon learning that a federal high-risk pool for them will be established in the next few months. "Health insurance is so confusing. You add this on top of it and it makes it even more confusing," McLean said.

COMMENT:  Yeah, it's confusing.  And it's complicated.  And the nation deserved better than the mess we were given.  The biggest losers will of course be the very people the bill was designed to help.  And they will get very, very angry.

April 7, 2010   Permalink

AH, THE FRUITS OF OBAMA'S POLICIES – AT 8:27 A.M. ET:  Well, folks, the results of President Obama's change in nuclear-weapons strategy are pouring in.  Can you hear the applause?  You can't?  Must be something wrong with your ears. 

Well, actually, there is no applause.  Our allies – the countries most Americans think of as allies, but Obama doesn't – must be shivering in their boots to see that American foreign policy is governed by a doctrinaire leftist.

And, of course, Obama claimed he was trying to influence Iran to change its ways by setting a good example, pure as the Campfire Girls.  Here is Iran's reply, via AP:

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran's hard-line president on Wednesday ridiculed President Barack Obama's new nuclear strategy, which turns the U.S. focus away from the Cold War threats and instead aims to stop the spread of atomic weapons to rogue states or terrorists.

Obama on Tuesday announced the new strategy, including a vow not to use nuclear weapons against countries that do not have them. Iran, however, was a notable exception to that pledge, along with North Korea, because Washington accuses them of not cooperating with the international community on nonproliferation standards.

Concerns over Iran's nuclear program figure prominently in the new U.S. strategy. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said the focus would now be on terror groups such as al-Qaida as well as North Korea's nuclear buildup and Iran's nuclear ambitions.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad derided Obama over the plan in a speech Wednesday to a crowd of thousands in the country's northwest.

"American materialist politicians, whenever they are beaten by logic, immediately put their finger on the trigger like cowboys," he said.

And get this:

"Mr. Obama, you are a newcomer (to politics). Wait until your sweat dries and get some experience. Be careful not to read just any paper put in front of you or repeat any statement recommended," Ahmadinejad said in the speech, aired live on state TV. "(American officials) bigger than you, more bullying than you, couldn't do a damn thing, let alone you."

COMMENT:  The warmth, the gratitude, the respect.  This is what Obama gets after more than a year of "engagement." 

Will he learn?

I recall one of those five-year-old minds in the body of an adult who once announced to me proudly that she'd been a Communist until the Soviet 20th Party Congress, when "Stalin was unmasked."  I remember asking myself, "When did Stalin ever wear a mask?"

I get the same sense about Obama.  He won't change until the facts are so crushing that even his adolescent mind must accept them.  By then the damage will have been done, and he'll probably be writing his 17th book about himself.

April 7, 2010    Permalink

ANOTHER RETREAT – AT 8:06 A.M. ET:  It is getting very disturbing.   Each day seems to bring more news of still one more American retreat in foreign policy.  Obama knows that the congressional elections are seven months away, and that he will probably lose a number of seats.  He has seven months to run wild without much fear of congressional opposition.  And he is running wild.

Yesterday, he announced a new doctrine governing the use of nuclear weapons.  It tries to influence the world by setting a good example.  That's nice.  Question:  When has any nation ever changed its policies because of an American "example"?  Nations act in their interests, and they probe for weakness.  The probes don't have to go very deep these days to find American weakness.

Now, this morning, we learn something else:

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama's advisers will remove religious terms such as "Islamic extremism" from the central document outlining the U.S. national security strategy and will use the rewritten document to emphasize that the United States does not view Muslim nations through the lens of terror, counterterrorism officials said.

The change is a significant shift in the National Security Strategy, a document that previously outlined the Bush Doctrine of preventative war and currently states: "The struggle against militant Islamic radicalism is the great ideological conflict of the early years of the 21st century."

The revisions are part of a larger effort about which the White House talks openly, one that seeks to change not just how the United States talks to Muslim nations, but also what it talks to them about, from health care and science to business startups and education.

That shift away from terrorism has been building for a year, since Obama went to Cairo, Egypt, and promised a "new beginning" in the relationship between the United States and the Muslim world. The White House believes the previous administration based that relationship entirely on fighting terror and winning the war of ideas.

COMMENT:  May I just point out that Barack Hussein Obama Jr. has been in office for a year and a third, and has "engaged" the Muslim world.  As Johnny Carson used to ask, "Notice the difference?"

Apparently, we will no longer be permitted to mention who we're fighting, or even why.  Only a child will think that these changes will make any positive difference at all.  Indeed, their immediate effect may well be to discourage the democratic forces astir within the Islamic world.  If the United States won't tell the truth, who will?

Some say that Obama has done some positive things in defense policy, like strengthening our commitment to Afghanistan.  Nonsense.  He couples that move by announcing to our enemies that we'll start to leave Afghanistan in 2011.  Hey, Adolf, don't sweat it.  We bomb today, we'll be out of Germany tomorrow.

So remember, we're fighting the enemy from nowhere.  And if strikes us again in the United States, he has no name.  Let's get with the program.

April 7,  2010   Permalink