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FEBRUARY 12,  2011

SNIPPET OF THE DAY – AT 8:32 P.M. ET:

From The Wall Street Journal:  In another sign of its ever more improvisational approach to governance, the Iranian regime has outlawed Valentine's Day. "Symbols of hearts, half-hearts, red roses, and any activities promoting this day are banned," announced state media last month. "Authorities will take legal action against those who ignore the ban."

The multiculturalists are no doubt applauding.  After all, who are we to judge the damage that love can do?

February 12, 2011      Permalink

BAD TASTE AWARD – AT 7:15 P.M. ET:   When you think you've seen the worst taste in politics, someone always comes along with something even worse.  From The Politico:

The race for Arizona’s open Senate seat has quickly focused on one question: What will Gabrielle Giffords do?

The Democratic congresswoman who survived an assassination attempt in Tucson last month is still undergoing rehabilitation in Houston for a gunshot wound to the head. Physicians have warned that her recovery will proceed at its own pace.

But even though questions about her health remain, Giffords’s astonishingly rapid recovery has left Democrats in Arizona and Washington looking to her as a potential candidate to replace retiring GOP Sen. Jon Kyl.

Giffords was mentioned as one possible contender for the 2012 race during a closed-door meeting of Senate Democrats on Thursday, two sources with knowledge of the meeting said.

In Arizona, strategists continue to view Giffords as a compelling candidate for higher office. That’s a distinction few Democrats in the state can claim after last November, when Republicans captured two U.S. House seats and won every statewide office on the ballot.

“Congresswoman Giffords’s name was clearly at the top of the list of potential candidates against Sen. Kyl, or if Sen. Kyl stepped down, over the past couple years. Given that, a lot of people of course thought immediately of her for this seat,” Arizona Democratic Party Chairman Andrei Cherny said.

COMMENT:  Geez!  I mean, the woman is still grievously wounded.  You'd think these people would avail themselves of the golden opportunity to shut up and show a little class.

Yes, yes, it's true.  If Gabby Giffords recovers and runs, she's a shoo-in.  I'm not sure the GOP would even want to run a candidate against her.  (How would you like to be the candidate who runs against Gabby Giffords and has to attack her?  Nothing like losing the loyalty of your wife and children.)  Giffords, whom I've always admired, is a moderate Democrat who could win in generally Republican Arizona.

But please, give it a little time.  We live in a vulgar age, but why advertise it?

February 12, 2011     Permalink

AND NOW THERE ARE THREE – AT 11:29 A.M. ET:  It is just remarkable.  Two major Western leaders – German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister David Cameron, have recently declared that multiculturalism within their nations has not worked.  Now they are joined by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who articulates the problem. 

PARIS (AFP) – French President Nicolas Sarkozy declared Thursday that multiculturalism had failed, joining a growing number of world leaders or ex-leaders who have condemned it.

"My answer is clearly yes, it is a failure," he said in a television interview when asked about the policy which advocates that host societies welcome and foster distinct cultural and religious immigrant groups.

"Of course we must all respect differences, but we do not want... a society where communities coexist side by side.

"If you come to France, you accept to melt into a single community, which is the national community, and if you do not want to accept that, you cannot be welcome in France," the right-wing president said.

"The French national community cannot accept a change in its lifestyle, equality between men and women... freedom for little girls to go to school," he said.

"We have been too concerned about the identity of the person who was arriving and not enough about the identity of the country that was receiving him," Sarkozy said in the TFI channel show.

Wonderful quote.  Absolutely wonderful.

British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Australia's ex-prime minister John Howard and Spanish ex-premier Jose Maria Aznar have also recently said multicultural policies have not successfully integrated immigrants.

Howard and Aznar were, when in power, great friends of the United States.

Merkel in October said efforts towards multiculturalism in Germany had "failed, totally."

COMMENT:  Incredible, isn't it?  We used to think we were the tough guys, and the Europeans were just soft old lefties...and indeed there are plenty of European "intellectuals" who fit that description.  But the saner heads of Europe are now well ahead of us, and warning of the danger that multiculturalism brings.

One man not heard, of course, is Barack Hussein Obama Jr.  Why, he thinks multiculturalism is just fine.  He even wanted to ban the word "terror," and his own director of national intelligence this week called the Muslim Brotherhood a secular organization.  (As one pundit said, strange name for a secular organization.) 

We are a weakening nation under the leftist Obama.  At least some other nations are stiffening their resolve.

February 12, 2011      Permalink

EGYPT THIS MORNING – AT 10:48 A.M. ET:  There's really very little actual news, but the news networks are giving us plenty of talk.

The only significant development is a statement by the ruling military council that Egypt will adhere to all treaties, which means the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty.

What we're getting now is a great deal of speculation:  1)  What will happen next in Egypt?  2)  Will Egypt become a true, modern democracy?  3)  What role will the Muslim Brotherhood play?  4)  Will the "Egyptian example" spill over into other Arab countries.

The Palestinian Authority, which has power in the West Bank, has just announced fall elections, apparently in response to Egypt.  The elections were supposed to be held last year, but, you know, it's the Arab world.  A year here, a year there, who notices?  Hamas, which runs the Gaza Strip, has declared that it will not participate in the elections.  Hamas came to power through an election, and then proceeded to destroy the very institutions needed to maintain a democracy.  (Hugo Chavez has done the same in Venezuela.)  So let's not get too enthralled with the concept of "free elections."  An election is only the first step toward democracy.  Please note that our own Bill of Rights, one of the great documents in the history of human freedom, doesn't even mention elections.  It's about the rights of the people, and the limits on government. 

Some of the best journalism I've seen has tried to explain why the Muslim Brotherhood has remained in the background.  It has done so, according to some sharp analysis, in its own interest.  It understands modern public relations, and realizes that, if it's too out front right now, it becomes a lightning rod.  By remaining in the shadows, it can influence events, and then become more active when it senses weakness or division. 

It is incredible to me that so many reporters, and our own intelligence services, have been taken in by the Muslim Brotherhood, an anti-American, anti-Christian, and anti-Semitic organization.  It would be helpful if some observers would learn the difference between real policy and public relations.

February 12, 2011      Permalink

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ABE – AT 10:09 A.M. ET:  Today is Abraham Lincoln's real birthday.  We used to know that as kids until the powers that be morphed Abe with George to form President's Day.  Lincoln would be 202 today. 

Since our educational system seems determined these days to present Lincoln, warts and nothing else, it's time to put in a good word for Abe.  He provides one of the strongest reasons for the "great man" theory of history, that history revolves around the decisions of great (or evil) men in critical times.  No Hitler, no World War II.  No Reagan, no end of the Cold War on our terms.  No Lincoln, no saving of the union.

Indeed, Lincoln was probably the indispensable man.  We cannot really imagine anyone else in the American presidency in his place.  He reminds us that great men are usually known for one great thing.  Who recalls Lincoln's agricultural policy?  They are also known, not simply for great decisions, but the unique ability to explain those decisions, often in memorable prose.  Lincoln is revered as much for his speeches as his actions.  The speeches explain, and inspire.   

Lincoln had one year of formal schooling.  Take that, Ivy League. 

We used to memorize Lincoln's Gettysburg Address.   Any literate American knew "With malice toward none, with charity for all..."  Do young kids know those words today?  I doubt it, and I doubt if they're made to care.  I doubt most even know when the Civil War occurred.

We recall FDR's "Four Freedoms," and his "day of infamy" speech after Pearl Harbor.

Ronald Reagan's "Tear down this wall" has become a staple of American rhetoric.

Sadly, some of our recent presidents, and certainly the current one, don't comprehend the power of a well-turned phrase.  Do we recall anything that Bill Clinton every said, except for "I did not have sex with that woman..."?  As for Mr. Obama, he's a bright man, but a second-class writer.  He mouths the words beautifully, but he's like a bad date.  You forget what he said immediately. 

So, happy birthday, Abe.  You did good.  I wish we had film.

February 12, 2011     Permalink

FEBRUARY 11,  2011

OBAMA SPEAKS – AT 3:39 P.M. ET:  President Obama has made his formal statement about the transition in Egypt.

Obama has been largely a bystander, his international influence fairly minimal.  His speech was pretty much what one would have expected – democracy is great, we're witnessing history, we congratulate the Egyptian people, and, oh, let's throw in a quote from Martin Luther King Jr.

There was, sadly, no request that the Egyptian-Israel peace treaty be completely honored.  That is one of the building blocks of American policy in the Mideast, and we are a guarantor of the treaty.  If it breaks down, it will be U.S. troops involved.

Other than that, one can't really complain about Obama's speech, which contained his usual soaring rhetoric.  The problem, though, is this:  When Obama speaks, you just don't feel he means it.  His speeches are constructed, not felt.  Contrast please with Ronald Reagan.  Because Reagan had a real, and substantial, political history, we knew where he stood.  When he spoke, he meant it, and we sensed it.  Today, we felt the hollowness.

Indeed, I wish Obama had spoken in such a soaring manner when Iranians were in the streets, their revolution crushed as Obama stood by, showing little interest.  Many commentators will, no doubt, point out the difference between Obama-Cairo and Obama-Tehran.

Now, in Egypt, the hard part begins.  The outcome, which we hope will be great, is quite uncertain.

February 11, 2011      Permalink

EGYPT, CONTINUING – AT 12:16 P.M. ET:  President Obama has now scheduled a speech about Egypt for early this afternoon.  Can you just sense the anticipation?

All the world is waiting for Obama's wisdom, based on his years as a community organizer and a toddler in Indonesia.  Given the fact that he's botched just about everything about this crisis, we can't wait for the latest round. 

We hope the president doesn't invite the Muslim Brotherhood to join the Egyptian government. 

We note that Hillary Clinton seems to have disappeared.  She always disappears when things get embarrassing.  Expect to see her face on a milk carton at your favorite convenience store.

Meanwhile, wiser heads are cautioning that today's resignation by Hosni Mubarak is only a beginning.  No elections have been held or even scheduled.  Fortunately, the army, a respected, stable force, is in power.  Christiane Amanpour has not been crowned queen, despite the obvious yearning.

Key question:  Will this spread to other Arab countries?  That's very important for our own foreign interests, but don't ask American intelligence officials.  One said yesterday that the Muslim Brotherhood was secular, and another said that he got his news about Mubarak's intentions from TV.  I will sleep soundly tonight only with pills.

February 11, 2011       Permalink

BULLETIN:  AT 11:03 A.M. ET:  Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman has just announced that Hosni Mubarak has stepped down as president, yielding power to the armed forces. 

There is celebrating in the streets of Cairo, but we wonder whether this will be enough to satisfy the protesters.  The army retains power.

February 11, 2011       Permalink

BULLETIN:  AT 10:01 A.M. ET:  It has just been reported that Hosni Mubarak is about to make another statement to the Egyptian people.  Please stand by.  We're monitoring.

Maybe he'll announce that he's abdicating because he cannot be away from the woman he loves.  (Don't take that line seriously.)

Standing by.

February 11, 2011      Permalink 

SNIPPET OF THE DAY – AT 9:49 A.M. ET:

From The Politico:  Oprah called on President Obama's critics on Friday to “show some level of respect.”...  "I feel that everybody has a learning curve, and I feel that the reason why I was willing to step out for him was because I believed in his integrity and I believed in his heart," the influential TV host said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” in Chicago.

Oh, please.  I'm sure we all recall Oprah asking Americans to "show some level of respect" for President Bush, when he was called a fascist and a warmongering liar.  I guess I must've missed that show.

February 11, 2011      Permalink 

TOURISM NEWS – AT 9:32 A.M. ET:  Former U.S. ambassador to Egypt Dan Kurtzer, appearing on CNN, has confirmed that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has fled Cairo and is now in Sharem a-Sheikh (often spelled Sharm el-Sheikh.) 

Kurtzer reports that Mubarak has checked into a hotel, where he often stays.  Sharm is a well-known Egyptian resort, and often the scene of international conferences.  We understand the hotel has fine food, a decent gym, and colossal room service.  The beds are too soft, though. 

Please note that Sharm is southeast of Cairo, near the Red Sea.  It is a very close flying distance to Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.  The Saudis are particularly close to Mubarak, and the Saudi king is a personal friend. 

At the same time, The New York Times is reporting the impression – and we have to be careful about going too far, considering the way we were misled yesterday – but the impression that there is a transfer of power to the army underway.  That is tentative.

February 11, 2011      Permalink

AS THE BRITS SAY, A BIT OF BOTHER – AT 8:52 A.M. ET:  One aspect of the debate over Obamacare is the issue of its effect on American jobs.  Apparently, the pitcher is less than half full.  Maybe less than half full.  Maybe almost empty.  From the Daily Caller:

Congressional Budget Office (CBO) Director Doug Elmendorf confirmed Thursday during a House Budget Committee hearing that President Barack Obama’s health care law will reduce the workforce by 800,000 by 2021 because some individuals will no longer have to work just so they can afford health insurance, Politico reported Thursday.

“[I]t’s been argued…that the new health care law will create jobs and increase labor force participation,” said House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. “But if I recall from your analysis, it was quite the opposite. Is that not the case?”

“Yes,” replied Elmendorf.

Elmendorf agreed with Republican California Rep. John Campbell’s claim that the health care law would reduce employment by 800,000.

COMMENT:  But remember, those idle 800,000 can get jobs as demonstrators in Cairo, since the demonstrations will probably still be going on in 2021.  In the Mideast, things happen slowly.

February 11, 2011      Permalink

EGYPT – AT 8:28 A.M. ET:  The crowds are massing in Egypt.  It's Friday, the start of the weekend, and a big prayer day.  In the Arab world, people on Friday gather in mosques to hear the peaceful words of the Prophet, then go out and smash things.  Who are we to judge?

At the same time, Fox and other outlets are reporting that Hosni Mubarak has left Cairo:

As protesters fill Tahrir Square in another day of demonstrations, an Israeli military intelligence official told Fox News that President Mubarak has left Cairo via helicopter, and was headed to his residence in Sharem a-Sheikh, a resort town in Egypt.

This comes a day after the embattled leader told protesters he planned to stay in office until the country’s upcoming elections in September.

Many opponents have made it clear that they want Mubarak and his authoritarian regime to step down immediately.

The statement by the Armed Forces Supreme Council -- its second in two days -- was a blow to many protesters who had called on the military to take action to push out Mubarak after his latest refusal to step down, reported the AP.

But soldiers also took no action to stop demonstrators from massing outside the palace and the headquarters of state television, indicating they were trying to avoid another outbreak of violence.

COMMENT:  It is logical for Mubarak to have left Cairo, where he could easily be trapped by crowds.  We wonder whether his trip to the summer house may be brief – just long enough to pick up the sunglasses and digital camera – and is the first leg of a longer journey to, say, Saudi Arabia. 

We'll be monitoring all day, maybe with a little more caution than yesterday, when we were royally misled by "authoritative" reports that Mubarak was ready to resign.

February 11, 2011     Permalink