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I appeared on Silvio Canto Jr's show from Dallas yesterday.  It's here.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2010

WHY NOT?  SHE EARNED IT? – AT 6:15 P.M. ET:  Helen Thomas is getting a prize, hurrah, hurrah.  From The Hill:

The longtime White House correspondent who resigned from Hearst newspaper in June in the wake of comments she made about Israel will receive a lifetime achievement award from the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

CAIR is honoring Thomas, who is of Lebanese descent and now 90 years old, at its Leadership Conference and 16th Annual Fundraising Banquet on Oct. 9 in Arlington, Va.

What is it with these Muslim organizations?  You'd think they'd be politically savvy enough to avoid Helen Thomas.  I wonder if some of the CAIR-supported groups that have been linked to terrorism will send reps.

Speakers will also include Oxford Islamic studies scholar Tariq Ramadan.

Yeah, "scholar."

Thomas started at the White House as a reporter during the Kennedy administration. In a video interview captured at a White House Jewish heritage event for RabbiLIVE.com that spread quickly across the Internet, Thomas advised Israeli Jews to "get the hell out of Palestine" and "go home" to Poland, Germany, America and "everywhere else."

The White House Correspondents Association and the White House rebuked Thomas, and President Obama said she made the right call in stepping down for the "offensive" remarks.

COMMENT:  Why would CAIR want to honor a woman who made those comments?  Because it agrees with them.

September 18, 2010        Permalink

O'DONNELL TROUBLE – AT 5:54 P.M. ET:  More trouble for controversial GOP Senate nominee Christine O'Donnell.  Apparently some old video of her on Bill Maher's show has surfaced, courtesy of Maher, in which she talks about participation in witchcraft.  It's not clear from news reports when this participation occurred, but it certainly wasn't recent, and the descriptions sound more like adolescent pranks.

However, O'Donnell's reaction to the disclosure was amateurish.  She was scheduled to appear on Face the Nation and Fox News Sunday, and cancelled both appearance.  That is dead wrong.  The first thing you do as a candidate when confronted with something embarrassing is to fight back, and publicly.  If the witchcraft occurred three weeks ago, it would spell big trouble.  If it occurred when she was young, people will be tolerant.  It doesn't sound like much.

However, Maher says there's more where this came from, and promises to show more clips of O'Donnell until she agrees to appear on his show.  "It's like a hostage crisis," Maher said, showing his usual class. 

My own sense is that O'Donnell should make a well-prepared appearance on Maher's show, and hit it out of the ball park.  You stand up to a bully, you win.  By canceling appearances, you lose.

Oh, by the way, have you ever noticed how only conservative women are investigated and probed?  If you're a woman on the left, you get an Obama-style pass from the media.  I recall how, many years ago, the media looked the other way when Bella Abzug was in Congress.  This "feminist icon" was known in political circles to abuse women on her staff, as did Betty Friedan, but it was never reported.

I'd love to know more about Nancy Pelosi, and where all the cash comes from.

September 18, 2010       Permalink

SNIPPET OF THE DAY – AT 11:30 A.M. ET:

COLUMBIA, Mo., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Instead of finding a beach or a mountain cabin for vacation, some people are traveling Tornado Alley to experience a tornado, U.S. researchers say.

In the immortal words of that great philosopher, Jerry Lewis, "Bad looks you can change, stupid is forever."

September 18, 2010      Permalink

SERIOUS IMPLICATIONS – AT 11:01 A.M. ET:  This story has simply not been given the attention it deserves:

WASHINGTON -- A scientist and his wife who both once worked at Los Alamos National Laboratory before becoming outspoken critics were arrested Friday after an FBI sting operation and charged with trying to sell nuclear secrets to Venezuela.

The scientist, Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni, is being detained until a hearing Monday morning in Albuquerque, New Mexico. His wife, Roxby Mascheroni, was released on a variety of conditions, including a monitor attached to her.

The investigation first drew attention last October when federal agents reportedly seized six computers, two cameras, two cellphones and hundreds of files from the scientist, Pedro Leonardo Mascheroni.

Mascheroni declared his innocence to The New York Times last year, saying, "If I were a real spy, I would have left the country a long time ago."

After their arrest Friday morning, the two appeared in federal court in Albuquerque, New Mexico and were accused of dealing with an FBI undercover agent posing as a Venezuelan agent. The government did not allege that Venezuela or anyone working for it sought U.S. secrets.

COMMENT:  There is no question that the husband is an embittered, fired employee.  That may be all there is here.

But there also may be more.  Why would someone think that Venezuela wants to develop nuclear weapons, or would want nuclear secrets?  Please remember that Venezuela is building a close relationship with Iran.  Recent reports from Fox News suggest that technical and intelligence people fly back and forth between the two countries on special airline flights reserved for them. 

Reporters should stay on the story.  What did Mascheroni know about Venezuela that the U.S. Government should know?  Were there contacts?  Is Venezuela working on its own nuclear weapons?

Some day, there may be a lot more coming across our border besides illegal immigrants.

September 18, 2010     Permalink 

DOES CHRISTINE HAVE A CHANCE? – AT 10:20 A.M. ET:  Just about everyone with an Approved Pundit membership card is writing off Christine O'Donnell in Delaware.  But Roger Simon, at The Politico, is trying to put the brakes on the "inevitable loser" talk, and he has a point:

People often...look for a candidate “who understands my problems” or “is a regular person just like me.”

A few voices question whether O’Donnell’s loss is inevitable: Neil King Jr. of The Wall Street Journal wrote an article that appeared Wednesday with the headline “Odds Are Tough, but Not Hopeless, for GOP in Delaware,” and Mark Halperin of The Page referenced his Thursday appearance on “Morning Joe” under the headline “Don’t Write Off O’Donnell.”

But most analysts are writing her off (or are waiting for the polls to see which way they should jump).

After all, O’Donnell really is way over on the right, and Delaware is not a ‘way over on the right’ state — at least until now.

Something is clearly going on in this country. And while O’Donnell, Palin and the tea party are giggled about in Washington, they are seen as a deadly serious and potent political force by many outside. Those outside are not giggling right now. They are waiting for election night to do that.

COMMENT:  There's a great deal of wisdom in that.  O'Donnell, though, must do her part by running a masterful campaign, refraining from nutty comments, and confronting her past.  She apparently has left a trail of unpaid bills, tax problems, and difficulty paying her college loans.  Hey, maybe she's normal.

O'Donnell may have to make the modern equivalent of a "Checkers" speech to have a shot.  For those too young to remember, or those whose American History course in college included only slavery and George McGovern, here is a brief reminder:  In 1952, Republican presidential nominee, Dwight D. Eisenhower, chose Senator Richard M. Nixon of California as his running mate.  But it came out that Nixon had access to a "slush fund" provided by campaign supporters, something clearly outside ethical norms.  Nixon had to explain himself and clear his name, and so he addressed the nation on the then-new medium of television, denying any wrongdoing, but conceding that his family had accepted one gift, a little dog that Nixon's daughters named "Checkers."  And Nixon swore he'd never give it back.  The heartwarming nature of the speech saved Nixon's candidacy.

The next two weeks are critical for Christine.  She's got to define herself and her opponent.  And she's got to unite Republicans around her.

September 18, 2010      Permalink

BAKED ALASKA – AT 10:06 A.M. ET:  Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who lost the GOP primary to keep her seat recently, has announced that she will run as a write-in candidate.  The GOP primary winner was West Pointer Joe Miller.

It's absurd.  Miller won fair and square.  Both are conservatives.  There are no great issues of principle here, as there were when Joe Lieberman ran as an independent after losing the Connecticut primary to a leftist.  Joe ran on his principles as an independent and won.  But Murkowski?  Lisa, sometimes it's wise just to say thank-you and good-bye.  Most observers believe the race will come down to a contest between Miller and Murkowski, with the Democrat making an appearance.  But you never know.  Republicans should unite around Miller and tell Lisa to try another time.

There are now rumors – only rumors at this stage – that Congressman Mike Castle might try the same stunt in Delaware, having lost the GOP Senate primary to the controversial Christine O'Donnell.  We'll soon find out if the rumors bear fruit.  I wouldn't be surprised if Castle is polling.

Maybe we need a new way to tell candidates that they've lost.  Things are getting very strange.

September 18, 2010     Permalink

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

NEW FOX POLL BRINGS GOP SMILES – AT 4:01 P.M. ET:  A new poll just announced by Fox brings reassurance to the GOP.  It confirms, among other items, that the enthusiasm gap tilts dramatically in the Republicans' direction, while Obama's approval rating hits a new low:

With less than 50 days until Election Day, American voters favor Republicans over Democrats by a six percentage-point margin, and that advantage widens among those voters most interested in the election. After the economy, the next most important issue to voters is the trustworthiness of candidates.

Meanwhile, President Obama’s job rating has hit a new low.

..when the results are narrowed to voters who say they are certain they will vote in November, that gap widens to 9 points.

The Republican advantage expands to 20 points when looking only at results among voters who say they are extremely or very interested in the election -- a group that includes more Republicans (75 percent extremely/very interested) than Democrats (50 percent extremely/very interested).

However, not all the news was good:

The vote among independents is split evenly between the parties (30 percent each).

That worries me.  Constant talk, exaggerated by the mainstream media, about GOP "extremism," can turn off independents, who are the key to any victory.  We'll watch the polling carefully, but I'm concerned a possible erosion in the Republican margin among independents.  This is the second poll this week to show it.

President Obama’s job approval hit a new low this week. Overall, 42 percent of voters approve of the job he is doing, down from 46 percent earlier in September, and 52 percent disapprove. Compare that to his 54 percent approval rating a year ago (15-16 Sept. 2009), and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s current 66 percent approval rating.

Fox now has Obama less popular than does Rasmussen.

The Clinton figure continues to fascinate.  Of course, she's not as exposed as Obama, and knows when to keep her mouth shut.  There may also be some guilt feelings over the way she was treated during the 2008 primary campaign.  We continue to look for signs that Obama might not run in 2012, handing the nomination to Clinton.  The odds are against it because of Obama's ego, but strange things happen in politics.

September 17, 2010      Permalink

RELIGION OF PEACE STRIKES AGAIN – AT 3:41 P.M. ET:  Something else for the Ground Zero mosque guy to explain – an apparent attempt on the life of Pope Benedict.  From London's Telegraph:

Police have arrested five suspected Islamist terrorists, working as street cleaners in London, over an alleged plan assassinate the Pope.

The men were arrested during raids at 5.45am at a rubbish depot in central London based on an intelligence tip off received overnight.

The suspects, aged 26, 27, 36, 40 and 50 were arrested by officers from Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

They are said to be from a variety of nationalities including a number of Algerian origin.

The depot where they worked is less than a mile from Hyde Park where the Pope was due to hold a prayer vigil tomorrow evening.

As street cleaners they would have been able to move relatively freely and inconspicuously through the London crowds.

COMMENT:  Good work by the Yard, and a close call for civilization.  But I'm taking bets:  How long do you think it will be before these gents are released on grounds that 1) it was a misunderstanding, or 2) there's no hard evidence, or 3) we must try to understand Muslim anger? 

Britain is being warned repeatedly that it is in the terrorists' sights.  But the new, supposedly conservative government of David Cameron, has been a major disappointment, in part because it had to team with liberals to form a majority coalition. 

The pope is considered a major target of Muslim extremists.

September 17, 2010      Permalink

PRESIDENT CATCHES NO BREAK IN LATEST POLL – AT 9:37 A.M. ET:  The president has been out on the campaign trail, but it hasn't helped his own poll numbers, at least according to Scott Rasmussen:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Friday shows that 27% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Forty-five percent (45%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -18 (see trends). 

And...

Overall, 45% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. Fifty-five percent (55%) disapprove.

COMMENT:  There is variance in this poll from day to day, but what stands out is the intensity of dislike for this president and the consistency of his negative numbers.  It is hard to see anything that Mr. Obama can do in the six and a half weeks before election to change things.  This midterm is a referendum on him, and we note that many Dem candidates don't want to be seen with him.

What a reversal from 2008.  Winning is the easy part.  It's the governing that gets them.

But the Dems are desperate, and expect a fear campaign of huge proportions as we approach election day. 

September 17, 2010     Permalink

NOT ACCEPTABLE – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  Information is surfacing on the possible infiltration of jihadism into Capitol Hill.  This is disturbing, and we assume that members of Congress are aware of it:

When a report challenging our national security policy of ignoring Islamic supremacism through Islamic law, “Shariah: The Threat to America,” was released during a Capitol Hill press conference on Wednesday (disclosure: I was one of the co-authors of the report), among the chief critics were representatives from the Congressional Muslim Staffers Association (CMSA).

This group, which has been briefing both Democratic and Republican congressional leadership in recent months that there is nothing inherently violent in Islamic law, has a poor history of embracing Islamic radicals and even al Qaeda terrorists.

Immediately after 9/11, the CMSA began holding Friday afternoon prayer services on Capitol Hill. Who did they choose to lead them in their prayers? Al-Qaeda Sheikh Anwar al-Aulaqi, who is currently subject to a kill or capture order issued by President Obama. In fact, video of Aulaqi preaching to the CMSA was included in the 2002 documentary, “Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet”. That video clip is available to view by the Investigative Project on Terrorism.

And...

...I reported on an Islamic conference on Capitol Hill that had been scheduled by Johnson as chief of staff from Rep. Gregory Meeks. The conference was cancelled at the last minute by the House of Representatives Sergeant-at-Arms when it was discovered that the conference scheduled by Johnson was to feature a long list of Islamic radicals, some of whom were known to be on the terror-watch list.

COMMENT:  This is explosive stuff.  Of course, the usual suspects will crawl out of the woodwork to scream "McCarthyism," but we, as Americans, have a right to know who's on the public payroll.

Infiltration is not new in American life.  There's no question, acknowledging the excesses of Joe McCarthy, that Communists had infiltrated into the U.S. Government in the 30s, 40s, and 50s.  There's no question but that there was an active pro-Nazi movement in America before World War II.  (Did you know that in the town of Yaphank, in eastern Long Island, there was a Hitler Street and a Goebbels Street?)  A Hollywood film, "The House on 92nd Street," portrayed that infiltration.  And yes, there's no question but that elements loyal to the Japanese emperor were operating on our West Coast before Pearl Harbor, although the overwhelming number of Japanese-Americans were intensely loyal to America and sent their sons to fight with conspicuous gallantry in Europe.

Please read the whole article.  What's happening on Capitol Hill may be legal, but it isn't right.

September 17, 2010      Permalink 

NO CLASS IS NO CLASS – AT 8:29 A.M. ET:  We occasionally follow, with fascination, the maneuvers of one Jimmah Carter, an accidental president and one-man nation-wrecking machine.  Jimmah's last outburst, a few days ago, assured Americans that the well-meaning folk in the North Korean government are sincerely interested in a deal with the United States.  Why would we think otherwise?

Now little Jimmah is out with a startling charge:

Former President Jimmy Carter says the late Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) is to blame for delaying the implementation of health care reform for 30 years.

In an interview with CBS’s “60 Minutes,” Carter says that health care reform during his presidency fell through because Kennedy killed the bill.

“The fact is that we would have had comprehensive health care now, had it not been for Ted Kennedy's deliberately blocking the legislation that I proposed,” Carter said of the senator who died last year.

“It was his fault. Ted Kennedy killed the bill,” Carter added, blaming a political feud between the then-titans of Democratic politics. “He did not want to see me have a major success in that realm of life.”

COMMENT:  The incredible shrinking Carter.  Whether you liked Ted Kennedy or not really isn't the issue.  Carter didn't even have the decency to make his charge while Kennedy was alive, and could reply.  He waited for the man to die. 

Jimmy Carter is a petty little man who should never be taken seriously.  His election to the presidency in 1976 came as a result of public revulsion over Watergate and other things happening in Washington.  It demonstrates the danger of votes cast for negative reasons only.

An Urgent Agenda source informs us that Carter and his wife were despised by the permanent White House staff.

Carter lost a good chunk of the Jewish vote to Ronald Reagan in 1980, and has since become militantly anti-Israel.  I suspect that the two are related.

Mr. Small Time.

September 17, 2010      Permalink

TEA PARTY UNDER SCRUTINY – AT 8:02 A.M. ET:  Christine O'Donnell's victory in Delaware has prompted new debate over the role of the Tea Party in Republican politics, and, more important, in the nation.  It's what diplomats like to call an "agonizing reappraisal."  Michael Gerson examines the issue in the Washington Post:

Following the primary season, the position of the Republican Party is strong but precarious, like a bodybuilder on a tightrope. Republicans benefit from Tea Party momentum. They suffer from Tea Party victories. As part of a political coalition, the Tea Party movement empowers. As the dominant actor, it alienates.

The problem for Republicans: They have no idea at what level the influence of the Tea Party movement will crest.

Gerson makes plain his displeasure at Delaware:

Delaware's Republican Senate primary defined one possible future. Voters elevated ideological purity above every other political value, including probity, relevant experience and electability. In the process, Republicans wasted an unusual opportunity to win a Senate seat in a heavily Democratic state. One poll reports that just 31 percent of Delaware voters believe Republican nominee Christine O'Donnell is fit to hold public office.

Look, this just can't be denied.  I want O'Donnell to win, but she has more baggage than Samsonite.  An article in today's Politico quotes former O'Donnell staffers, and it's devastating.  It will be used against her effectively.

But the primary season told other stories. Sen. John McCain's trouncing of J.D. Hayworth showed that the Tea Party label does not guarantee success for buffoonish candidates. In a number of states, mainstream conservatives turned aside Tea Party challenges and are now propelled by political winds that once threatened to capsize their candidacies. One Tea Party hero -- Marco Rubio -- has turned out to be a strong candidate and likely Republican star.

So the picture is mixed.

And...

A Republican Party propelled by Tea Party enthusiasm is headed toward victory. A Republican Party dominated by Tea Party ideology would be pure, disturbing -- and small.

This is a very thoughtful piece, and I commend it to you.  Movements can generate enormous enthusiasm, but they are often run by people who have little talent for governing and little tolerance for the fact that what may sell in one part of the country can be poison somewhere else.

The Democratic Party is run by zealous groups that have brought it to its current ridiculous position.  Consider the zealots in teachers' unions who have paralyzed the party's role in education.  I don't want to see that happen in the GOP.  I also recall the Adlai Stevenson crowd within the Democratic Party in the 1950s.  They demanded a second presidential nomination for Stevenson in 1956, and tried even to get him a third in 1960, despite overwhelming evidence that he was unelectable.  They liked his intellectual style, which was everything to them.

Elections are about winning.  There's no prize for second place.  As Gerson points out, the Tea Party, while producing victories in some House races, might be responsible for the Republicans not winning the Senate, depriving the GOP of committee chairmanships that could be instrumental in shaping the fate of the nation.

The GOP faces a common, but bitter dilemma – how to accept support but prevent a takeover.  The master of that art was Ronald Reagan, who always kept a distance even from movements that supported him.  He learned the lesson from FDR, who did the same.  Accept their support, limit their influence.  It's a strategy to remember.

September 17, 2010     Permalink