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JULY 26,  2011

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE:

CONSOLATION PRIZE – You may remember Goodwin Liu, the Berkeley law professor nominated by President Obama to the liberal Ninth Circuit, based in California.  Liu had to withdraw his name in face of determined Republican opposition based largely on his leftist interpretation of the Constitution.  Well, not to worry.  California Governor Jerry Brown has just appointed Liu to the state's highest court, where he should feel right at home.  It's considered one of the most liberal courts in the country.  In liberal politics, there's always a second chance.  And a third.  And a fourth.

FORD EJECTS THE CD – Ford Motor Company is doing away with CD players in its cars.  Eventually, Ford owners will access music through the internet, presumably meaning a driver would operate some dashboard controls to download the desired selection.  That's just what we need, trying to access the internet at 65 mph.  There is no word on whether Ford is supplying life insurance to go along with this technological advance.

KOCH DOES A KOCH – New York's former, and irascible, Mayor Ed Koch, who became famous as a reformer in the Democratic Party, has endorsed a Republican to replace disgraced Congressman Anthony Wiener.  Koch made it clear that he was sending a message to President Obama over Obama's Mideast policies and overall stewardship.  Koch supported Obama in 2008, but don't be shocked if the popular ex-mayor goes rogue in 2012.  While some Dems may abandon Obama because he viewed as insufficiently "progressive" (whatever that means), more moderate Democrats may drift over to the other side in disillusionment at the administration's train wreck.

WAPO GETS IT RIGHT – We've commented before that the editorial page of the Washington Post is far more reasoned and mature than is the same page at The New York Times.  Both are liberal, but only one is sane.  The Washington Post has once again proved its maturity by editorializing that the only person responsible for the Norway massacre is the person who carried out.  This comes after days of truly tasteless comments by the left-wing media, suggesting that the killer was influenced by a number of conservative writers and critics of multiculturalism, and that they deserve part of the blame.  That is rubbish, of course.  The murderer's manifesto even references Mark Twain, that well-known enabler of terrorists.  The WaPo editorial, well worth reading, is here. 

July 26, 2011       Permalink

NOT QUITE PARADISE – AT 9:12 A.M. ET:  One of the more revolting spectacles in the aftermath of last week's terror attack in Norway is the way some Norwegian leaders continue their strutting, assuring us of Norway's social superiority and general wonderfulness. 

What is coming out, though, is a portrait of an almost adolescent nation, living its myths, and whose police were frightfully unprepared on Friday to handle a serious emergency.  Germany's Spiegel online reports:

Since Friday's twin attacks, Norwegian politicians have repeatedly stressed that Norway will remain an open society, that one cannot allow the man behind them to chip away at this important and fundamental value of Norwegian society.

The sluggish and confusing way in which the police have been releasing information on the tragedy may not quite live up to this ideal of transparency. But it does show just how much the attacks have unsettled Norway, how the country is having trouble finding a balance between transparency and trust, on the one hand, and appropriate security measures and caution, on the other -- caution that is now likely only to grow after Breivik claimed in court on Monday that his network included two additional cells.

Norwegian security forces were clearly not prepared to respond to these kinds of terror attacks. Indeed, it took them roughly 60 minutes after the initial reports of shooting to make their way to the island that had become the scene of a horrific massacre of youths attending a summer camp organized by the ruling Labor Party.

Since the only helicopter available for the country's elite anti-terrorism unit was parked at Rygge airport, roughly 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of its base in Oslo, its members decided to travel to the island by car. When they finally arrived at the pier across from the island, they had no boat to make the crossing. Instead, it took them 16 minutes to commandeer private boats and cross over to the island.

It's always the same story in these countries that try to establish a socialist paradise.  Ultimately, their own people – in this case children – pay the price. 

The lack of security precautions in Oslo had long raised eyebrows abroad. Former government workers tell SPIEGEL ONLINE that, in the past, foreign politicians have voiced concerns about the level of security they found when making official visits to the prime minister's offices. They said they found the entire area far too vulnerable to attack.

"The price of our openness cannot be that government workers have to fear for their lives while at work," says Elisabeth Udgaard, a 32-year-old employee of a Norwegian ministry. "Openness and safety are not mutually exclusive," she added. "Having no protection is not open; it's naïve. Norway finally has to face up to this reality."

Very well said.  The responsibilities of adults are sometimes difficult. 

July 26, 2011     Permalink

SNIPPET OF THE DAY – AT 8:58 A.M. ET:

Rome: For decades Palermo's Ucciardone prison has been known to its inmates as "The Grand Hotel" – a place where not even a custodial sentence could prevent well-connected mafiosi from enjoying the pleasures of a fine meal and a well-cut suit.  One mobster, Michele Catalano, was even able to hold a champagne and lobster birthday banquet in the gym of the Sicilian jail, while a fellow godfather arranged a formal wedding for his daughter in the prison chapel.  But the new governor, Rita Barbera, is calling an end to the good times, starting with a ban on several designer labels such as Prada, Gucci, Valentino, Versace, Louis Vuitton and Armani.

Good idea.  Now let's apply it to Congress.  And let's certainly apply it to the UN.

MORE ECONOMIC HEADWINDS, WITH FOREIGN-POLICY IMPLICATIONS – AT 8:39 A.M. ET:  In his farewell address to the nation, Dwight D. Eisenhower famously warned about the "industrial-military complex."  His statement, as we've noted here before, has usually been taken out of context.  He was actually speaking about the need for an industrial-military complex, but cautioned that it had dangers.

Well, unless you believe in the rantings of the fringe left, the industrial-military complex hasn't taken over America.  But the complex is in danger of being weakened, which means a weakened America and an America less prepared for current and future dangers.  From WaPo: 

A job with a defense contractor was once a prized — and stable — position in the Washington region.

But top Pentagon officials have called on defense contractors to trim their costs and have made cuts to some large programs. The push for efficiency has rippled through the defense industry, prompting some firms to cut back their workforce and generating concerns that some of the industry’s most skilled employees and prospects will reconsider their career options.

Loss of those skills can create a defense tragedy down the line.  It is a myth that those industrial skills are automatically passed on from generation to generation. 

“The apprehension in the sector is generalized right now — nobody really feels like they’re safe,” said Loren Thompson, a defense industry consultant at the Lexington Institute. “As a consequence, people across the industry are examining their options and considering what they might do instead of their current jobs.”

Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin last week announced “voluntary layoffs,” offering severance packages to 6,500 employees, about 2,000 of whom are based in the Washington region. That followed more cuts last month when the defense giant announced it would lay off about 1,500 employees in its aeronautics business and 1,200 in its space systems business. This year, Falls Church-based General Dynamics said it would lay off 112 employees, or about one-third of its Woodbridge workforce, after a Marine Corps vehicle program was canceled.

And...

At the same time that some firms are cutting back, the industry overall continues to struggle to attract enough highly skilled workers with security clearances. Engineers, scientists and software designers exiting college may choose to avoid a career in the defense industry as the sector continues to cut back, said Marion C. Blakey, president and chief executive of the Aerospace Industries Association, an industry group.

“If you begin to see young talent with technical degrees going elsewhere, it’s a genuine problem for our country from a national security standpoint and an economic standpoint,” she said.

COMMENT:  For many decades the United States, more than any other nation, learned well the lessons of World War II, and our unpreparedness for that conflict.  Now, as memories fade and the World War II generation disappears, we are forgetting.  My fear is that we will be reminded, and that it will be a most unpleasant reminder.

July 26, 2011       Permalink

WU OUT FOR INAPPROPRIATE WOOING – AT 8:24 A.M. ET:  The latest Democratic member of Congress to be accused of improper sexual advances, not to mention some other bizarre behavior, has decided to get out of town before things get worse.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. David Wu, facing an accusation of an unwanted sexual encounter with an 18-year-old woman and a request for an investigation by the House Ethics Committee, will not seek re-election next year and was pondering whether he would complete his term, a spokesman for the Oregon Democrat said Monday.

In a letter sent Monday, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi requested the Ethics Committee investigation. The Oregonian, Wu's hometown newspaper, had reported that a California woman left a voicemail at Wu's office accusing him of an unwanted sexual encounter. Wu, 56, has said the encounter was consensual.

A few hours after the investigation request, Wu spokesman Erik Dorey told The Associated Press: "He's still determining his political future, but he will not run for re-election. He's fully focused on fulfilling his elected duties and serving his constituents to the best of his duties here in the House."

Wu tried to keep a low profile Monday as lawmakers returned to work and focused their attention on the debate over raising the debt ceiling. Dorey, his communications director, noted that Wu took part in House votes.

Wu, in his seventh term, was guaranteed a stiff primary challenge after seven staffers resigned in January because of unusual behavior that included sending a photo of himself in a tiger costume to a staff member and an angry public speech. Wu attributed those actions to a period of mental health challenges that began in 2008 as marital issues led to separation from his wife.

Those problems paled compared to the potential fallout from the encounter with the young California woman. Citing anonymous sources, The Oregonian reported that Wu told senior aides that the sexual encounter was consensual. The Portland paper reported Facebook notes indicated she graduated from high school in 2010 and that she registered to vote in California last August.

COMMENT:  So off to the land of Weiner goes Wu.  Is there something about the letter "W" that bums Democrats?  Ultra-lib Democratic Congressman Lynn Woolsey, in a safe district, recently announced she was leaving Congress.  Expect some Democrats to protest the letter "W" as a human rights violation.

July 26, 2011       Permalink

WARNING FOR BOTH PARTIES – AT 8:08 A.M. ET:  "A plague on both your houses" seems to be the message of the American people in a new Washington Post/ABC poll.  As we traditionally point out, a poll is a snapshot in time, or even less than that, and results will vary as we approach the 2012 election.

But we note that rising dissatisfaction with President Obama is not being matched by any great enthusiasm for the Republican Party, as a party.  The story: 

More than a third of Americans now believe that President Obama’s policies are hurting the economy, and confidence in his ability to create jobs is sharply eroding among his base, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

But Americans’ discontent does not stop there. The survey also found that Americans harbor negative feelings toward congressional Republicans. Roughly as many people blame Republican policies for the poor economy as they do Obama. But 65 percent disapprove of the GOP’s handling of jobs, compared to 52 percent for the president.

The dissatisfaction is fueled by the fact that many Americans continue to see little relief from the pain of a recession that technically ended two years ago. Ninety percent of those surveyed said the economy is not doing well, and four out of five report that jobs are difficult to find. In interviews, several people said that they feel abandoned by both parties, particularly as debates over the debt ceiling gridlock Washington.

COMMENT:  If there's a lesson here, it's that Republican success in 2012 must be based on the choice of a solid, stirring candidate who will not run simply as "the Republican."  Michele Bachmann, whose political acumen should not be underestimated, constantly distances herself from the Republican establishment.  I think you'll see that with Rick Perry as well, once he enters the fray. 

Please remember that Ronald Reagan was not overwhelmingly popular with establishment Republicans, who tried to burden him with former President Gerald Ford as the vice presidential candidate in 1980.  Some establishment types boosted the idea of a "co-presidency" because they didn't trust Reagan, and had bought into the fiction that he was a loose cannon. 

One problem with Romney is that he comes off as the consummate establishment guy, right down to the preppy clothing and neat haircut.  I would look for a GOP primary battle in which the more astute candidates will try to stress their independence.  And they'd be right.

July 26, 2011     Permalink 

JULY 25,  2011

NOTHING SAID, NOTHING ACCOMPLISHED – AT 10:14 P.M. ET:  Both President Obama and Speaker of the House Boehner spoke to the nation on television tonight, discussing the debt crisis.  Neither man said anything, but both wore well-pressed suits.  Nice suits, I thought.  I can't imagine that the TV ratings went through the roof.  From CNN:

Washington (CNN) -- Congress is at a stalemate over raising the federal debt ceiling, and Americans need to pressure their elected representatives to work out a compromise that will avoid a potentially devastating default, President Barack Obama told the nation Monday night.

For about the 44th time.

The president singled out House Republicans for intransigence and said the political showdown is "no way to run the greatest country on Earth."

That should increase the spirit of good will and compromise.

In response, House Speaker John Boehner argued the opposite, saying in televised remarks that excessive government spending caused the problems the nation faces and cutting that spending is the only way to solve the problem.

"The sad truth is that the president wanted a blank check six months ago, and he wants a blank check today," Boehner said. "That is just not going to happen."

COMMENT:  These chaps don't have a high regard for each other, and it showed.  The speeches were a waste of their time, and the nation's.  I have the sense that we're heading for some short-term, stop-gap measure to allow us to muddle through until some true negotiations occur.  Some pundits are saying that the stop-gap solution may have to take us through the 2012 election, after which the great statesmen of our time will get serious, and start coming to negotiating sessions in long pants.

July 25, 2011       Permalink

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:45 P.M. ET;

OBAMA ON THE TUBE AGAIN – Mr. Obama will once again address the nation tonight.   He's been on so much recently that he could become a summer replacement for Jay Leno.  The president will talk about the debt negotiations, again.  Given the economic state the country is in, we're calling this his First Fire Sale Chat.

POLLS ARE UNFRIENDLY – Gallup reports that Obama's approval rating has dipped to 43% again. Dems assure us that other presidents have had low approval ratings and have come back to win reelection.  But Clinton's approval rating in 1995, a year before the presidential election, was above 50%. 

A LARGE ARRIVAL – New Jersey's "stout" Republican governor, Chris Christie, arrives in Iowa today for a speech.  Donors and Republican groupies will be looking for any sign that he's reconsidering his declaration that he isn't running for president.  Christie is considered by some to be the ideal Republican candidate because of the dramatic steps he's taken to put New Jersey's house in order.  I have to disagree.  He's done a great job as governor, but he has two substantial deficits:  First, he has an abrasive manner that may work in a room filled with ultra-partisans, but will wear thin in a national race, where being "presidential" is critical; and, second, he has zero foreign policy experience, and has no known views on that and other national issues.  He's a governor, and, for now, that's his proper role.

July 25, 2011       Permalink

SICKENING – AT 4:25 P.M. ET:  As if more proof were needed that the left, especially the European left, intends to use the victims of last week's horror in Norway for its own purposes, we have the example of the little prime minister of Spain, who now lectures us.  From CBS News:

The prime minister of Spain reportedly said Monday that last week's killing spree in Norway requires "a European response" in which Europeans should be called on "to rise up and fight radicalism, to respond against xenophobia."

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero made the comments during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister David Cameron at his No. 10 Downing Street office in London, the British Broadcasting Corp. reported in its liveblog about the Norway attacks.

Zapatero spoke before a Norwegian judge briefed reporters on a court hearing for Anders Behring Breivik, the man who confessed to killing an overall total of at least 76 people in a shooting at an island youth retreat and a bombing at Oslo's government headquarters Friday. Breivik wrote in his manifesto that his plan was to save Europe from Muslims.

"This isn't just another event," Zapatero told reporters. "This is something extremely serious that requires a response, a European response, a shared response to defend freedom, to defend democracy, calling on people to rise up and fight radicalism, to respond against xenophobia."

COMMENT:  Zapatero, who took advantage of the terror attacks in Madrid in 2004 to win his office, is one of the great clowns of Europe.  An old America hater – he famously refused to stand for the American flag when it passed in a parade saying, "It's not my flag" – he also presides over one of the most pro-Arab and anti-Irael governments in the West.  At one time he liked to suit up in Arab scarves to show his solidarity, apparently with a gang of Mideast dictators.

His country is an economic mess, and may have to be bailed out.  But Zapatero now lectures us to fight radicalism, although he's supported radicalism of the left most of his life.  As usual, he didn't express the slightest sympathy for the victims of last week's murders.  It's all political.

Fortunately, throughout the internet, conservatives are fighting back against attempts to link them to the Norway incident, and I believe we'll easily win the fight for public opinion. 

July 25, 2011       Permalink 

I'M SHOCKED, SHOCKED, AT THIS LACK OF FAITH – AT 12:06 P.M. ET:  Can you imagine that some Americans don't trust the media?  Have you ever heard of anything so silly?  But a poll for The Hill shows that those ungrateful citizens don't realize what a package of truth and purity they're getting from today's press and TV: 

Likely voters hold a dismal view of the news media, generally regarding reporters as biased, unethical and too close to the politicians they purport to cover, according to a new poll for The Hill.

A full 68 percent of voters consider the news media biased, the poll found. Most, 46 percent, believe the media generally favor Democrats, while 22 percent said they believe Republicans are favored, with 28 percent saying the media is reasonably balanced.

That 28 percent can be found in Chicago cemeteries, though they're let out to vote on election day.

The share of voters who believe the media are too friendly with politicians is almost twice as large as those who find their coverage of politicians appropriate. Forty-four percent of voters assert the former; only 24 percent believe the latter.

The picture is not much brighter on the general question of ethics. Fifty-seven percent of voters think of the news media as either somewhat or very unethical, while only 39 percent see them as somewhat or very ethical.

COMMENT:  This lack of respect for Keith Olbermann has got to stop.  What do these people want?  Facts?  With all the hard work the media did in 2008 to elect Barack Obama, you'd think there'd be a little respect.  We're spoiled, so spoiled.

July 25, 2011     Permalink

GRIM JOB PICTURE CONTINUES – AT 9:48 A.M. ET:  If we cannot solve our unemployment problem, this economy will go nowhere.  Consider this chilling report:

Putting pressure on an already lousy job market, the mass layoff is making a comeback. In the past week, Cisco, Lockheed Martin and Borders announced a combined 23,000 in job cuts.

Those announcements follow 41,432 in planned cuts in June, up 11.6% from May and 5.3% vs. a year earlier, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

Meanwhile, state and local governments have cut 142,000 jobs this year, The WSJ reports, and Wall Street is braced for another round of cutbacks. This week, Goldman Sachs announced plans to let go 1000 fixed-income traders.

If these trends continue, we may soon be talking about losses in the monthly employment data -- not just disappointing growth, says Howard Davidowitz, CEO of Davidowitz & Associates.

"Everything in business is confidence," Davidowitz says. "You lose confidence and businesses can't deal with that [and] who could have confidence with what's going on in Washington?"

Davidowitz is bipartisan in his criticism, calling the U.S. political system "dysfunctional and deranged."

COMMENT:  One of the things not emphasized enough in reporting the budget and debt talks in Washington is that our economic problems will be much reduced if our economy started to roar again.  It is not roaring, however.  It is whining, at best.  A strong, growing economy is the best antidote to the current mess, that and sizable cuts in bloating government spending.

And yet, some economists say that our unemployment crisis may become a permanent fixture.  In that case, America will become like too much of Europe.  The sad fact is, though, that there are some in the "intellectual" world who think that would be just fine.

I've lost all confidence in this president's ability to create jobs, because all he creates is apprehension and uncertainty.  We need to change the captain so the liner can avoid the iceberg.

July 25, 2011       Permalink

AFTERMATH II – AT 9:20 A.M. ET:  There is a concept in law known as "compounding the libel."  I learned it at Columbia's journalism school, and met it again when I was assistant to Herman Kahn, the nuclear-war theorist.  He was thinking of suing a writer who'd compared him to Dr. Strangelove.

Compounding the libel simply means that, if you sue someone for libel, the nature of that libel can legitimately be reported by the news media.  It can be repeated over and over again as the story of the case develops.  That's why some people are advised not to sue if they're libeled because the libelous statement will be repeated over and over by the press, potentially doing more harm than the original libel.  That is the reason Herman Kahn never sued.

I thought of the concept while reading all the giddy leftists denouncing reporters whose first instinct after the Norway attacks was to wonder if they were carried out by Al Qaeda.  As noted in the post below, the reporters are now having fingers shaken at them by the multiculturalist crowd.  The catch is, every time a member of that clique denounces a journalist for bringing up Al Qaeda, the name "Al Qaeda" is used.  Over and over again.  And it will remind people of  why that name is used, the constant barrage of jihadist attacks, all over the world.

So maybe our side, in a very cynical way, will actually benefit from the finger pointing.  Mention Al Qaeda, and what do people think?

As one conservative said, Al Qaeda may not have been responsible for the Norway attacks, but it is no less a threat today than it was a week ago.

July 25, 2011       Permalink

AFTERMATH I – AT 8:13 A.M. ET:  It was not difficult to predict, after we learned that the Norway killer was a "right winger," that the international left would go nuts.  We didn't have to wait long.

The deranged criminal who committed the atrocity left writings, many of which are remarkably mainstream.  He quotes writers, on the right, who are quoted routinely around the world.  These writers are now being smeared all over the internet for having provided the "inspiration" for the actions of this one man.  That, of course, is obscene.  It is common for even the most corrupt of political actors to quote perfectly respectable sources.  Ho Chi Minh, the leader of the vicious North Vietnamese dictatorship, quoted Thomas Jefferson.  That didn't make Ho a Jeffersonian democrat and it didn't make Jefferson a Commie lover. 

Those self-righteous clowns who are today lecturing those on the right who have warned of multiculturalism and have taken on the jihadists and their teachers might ask themselves a simple question:  If these writers, like Robert Spencer and Melanie Phillips, "inspired" the mad Norway killer, why weren't any of their other readers inspired to do the same thing?  A truly inspirational writer inspires the masses, not one man with a mental defect.

And the left is also becoming unhinged because a number of commentators, in the hours after the atrocity, theorized that Al Qaeda might have been involved.  Yes, I would have preferred that judgment be withheld, but the speculation in this case was informed speculation, not wild guesses.  The fact is that a number of incidents involving Norway in the weeks leading up to the attacks involved threats against that country from radical Islamic sources.  The fact is also that the overwhelming majority of large terror attacks committed each year are committed by jihadists.  Speculatively mentioning that is not irresponsible.

In this case the speculation turned out to be wrong, and that requires cautious apology, but only cautious apology.  You may be sure that much of the left, which had no problem blaming Sarah Palin for "inspiring" the Tucson shootings, wants to now try to sell us the line that the Islamic threat has been exaggerated, and that talk of the failure of multiculturalism is "racist" and "hate speech," and that we must ban it.  You can almost hear the smacking of lips on trendy college campuses, where dissent from the party line is indeed often called "hate speech." 

Fortunately, thoughtful conservatives are immediately fighting back against the outrageous attempts to link this Norwegian lunatic with conservatism, Christianity, or concern over multicultural excess.  Ross Douthat, the somewhat conservative columnist for The New York Times, points out that America's Unabomber wrote things about environmentalism that could have been written by Al Gore.   And he notes that Angela Merkel of Germany has denounced the failures of multiculturalism.  He adds:

...this doesn’t mean that conservatives need to surrender their convictions. The horror in Norway no more discredits Merkel’s views on Muslim assimilation than Ted Kaczynski’s bombs discredited Al Gore’s views on the dark side of industrialization. On the big picture, Europe’s cultural conservatives are right: Mass immigration really has left the Continent more divided than enriched, Islam and liberal democracy have not yet proven natural bedfellows and the dream of a postnational, postpatriotic European Union governed by a benevolent ruling elite looks more like a folly every day.

For decades, Europe’s governing classes insisted that only racists worried about immigration, only bigots doubted the success of multiculturalism and only fascists cared about national identity. Now that a true far-right radical has perpetrated a terrible atrocity, it will be easy to return to those comforting illusions.

But extremists only grow stronger when a political system pretends that problems don’t exist. Conservatives on both sides of the Atlantic have an obligation to acknowledge that Anders Behring Breivik is a distinctively right-wing kind of monster. But they also have an obligation to the realities that this monster’s terrible atrocity threatens to obscure.

Well said.  But The Times will undoubtedly get letters denouncing Douhat as a "hate" writer. 

Oh, and it would be nice if some of the leftists would express some compassion for the victims of the attacks.  In their rush to politicize the horror, they have left out the young kids who will never see another day.  You know, sometimes people count, not just ideology.

July 25, 2011     Permalink