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APRIL 12,  2012

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:28 P.M. ET:

A MESS – After much fanfare, North Korea launched a large rocket today, only to have to break up and fall back either to unpopulated land or into the ocean.  So North Korea got nothing out of a test that had been condemned around the world as a violation of North Korea's obligations.  There was no announcement about the cause of the failure.

MITT AHEAD IN FOX POLL – A new Fox News poll has Mitt Romney topping President Obama, 46-44%.  Among independents, Romney has 43% to Obama's 37%.  The poll was taken among 910 registered voters.  The results dramatically differ from those of the new Washington Post poll, showing Obama well ahead.  However, that poll was taken among all adults.  Registered voters tip the poll more toward Republicans.  Likely voters, the best sample for a poll, usually produce results even more Republican.

DERSH DISSES ZIMMERMAN CHARGE – Crack appeals lawyer and Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz is appalled at the second-degree murder charge against George Zimmerman, in the Trayvon Martin case. “Most affidavits of probable cause are very thin. This is so thin that it won’t make it past a judge on a second degree murder charge,” Dershowitz said. “There’s simply nothing in there that would justify second degree murder.”  Wow, that's a pretty strong condemnation coming from a leading authority.  I also must admit to having second thoughts about the praise I heaped on the special prosecutor yesterday, after her statement announcing the charges against Zimmerman.  I was not aware that she is an elected official, and Dershowitz's comment that her announcement sounded more like a campaign speech has started to ring true.

MITT ROMPS ON OBAMAVILLE BLUNDER – The Obama campaign has hit a major iceberg called Hilary Rosen, who said, now famously, that Ann Romney had never worked a day in her life.  In fact, she raised five sons, a feat not known for being easy.  The Obamans reacted quickly, essentially doing a Jackie Mason routine.  ("We never heard of her.  Who is she?  Hilary who?")  But the Romnies also reacted quickly, demolishing the Dem charge that the GOP is waging "a war on women."  Immediately they produced a bumper sticker saying "Moms drive the economy," with Mitt's name on it.  They got fight.  Good for them.

April 12,  2012     Permalink

WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE? – AT 9:23 A.M. ET:  With all the "outrage" over the Trayvon Martin case, we're reminded that "outrage" is probably one of the most hypocritical words in the English language.  Please note this story, from Los Angeles, via Fox: 

LOS ANGELES – Brave, serious, diligent. That's how two Chinese graduate students who were shot and killed near the University of Southern California campus were described during a candlelight vigil attended by hundreds of students.

Clay Dube, executive director of the USC-China Institute, spoke to the parents of Ying Wu and Ming Qu on behalf of the university, and said the parents were shocked and devastated by the phone call.

"The families have invested so much in these children, so much love, so much hope, and the children know that. They know the expectation is they will come here and succeed," Dube said at Wednesday night's vigil.

Wu and Qu, who police say were believed to have been dating, were killed when a gunman opened fire on them while they were sitting in a BMW outside Wu's apartment early Wednesday, just after midnight. Police said it may have been a robbery or carjacking attempt.

The driver, Qu, was able to make it from the car, through the rain, to a house where he pounded on the door pleading for help.

Both were dead by the time they got to the hospital,

Both victims were graduate students studying electrical engineering. Their hometowns were not immediately released and messages left for the Chinese consulate were not immediately returned.

COMMENT:  Where is the outrage?  There's some on the USC campus, but the story, thus far, has gone largely unnoticed.  These were foreign students.  Does Hillary have anything to say?  Recently, two British students were executed in Florida, and their families in Britain never received any response from letters they sent to the White House.

I have no idea what the background of the assailant or assailants is.  Let's see how that plays into the story. 

And, as reader Allan Wylie notes, the 85-year-old wife of a 90-year-old veteran of the 101st Airborne Division, World War II, was recently raped and murdered in her Tulsa home.  He was shot.   We had to read about it in London's Daily Mail.  Anyone in the mainstream media interested?

April 12, 2012       Permalink

BLUNDER – AT 9:02 A.M. ET:  Talk about a cheap shot.  Even some Dems are recoiling.  High-profile Democratic activist Hilary Rosen, who often appears on TV to defend the faith, has attacked Ann Romney, Mitt's wife and the mother of five.

This is not bright:

The rhetorical war over women between President Obama and Mitt Romney escalated Wednesday night as Romney’s wife Ann launched a Twitter account to personally respond to a Democratic pundit who had dismissed her knowledge about the economy by saying she “never worked a day in her life.”

Hilary Rosen, a political consultant who advises the Democratic National Committee, questioned on CNN Wednesday night whether Ann Romney understands the economic issues facing women.

“His wife has actually never worked a day in her life,” Rosen said on Anderson Cooper’s “AC360” show. “She’s never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of the women in this country are facing in terms of how do we feed our kids, how do we send them to school and how do we — why we worry about their future.”

I'm sure this endeared the Democratic Party to millions of stay-at-home moms.

Two hours later, Ann Romney debuted a new Twitter account, @AnnDRomney, and wrote: “I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work.”

And it is.  Besides, Ann Romney has suffered from both Multiple Sclerosis and breast cancer.  There's someone you want to attack!

Dems went into major damage-control mode:

Within minutes, Obama campaign manager Jim Messina tweeted: “I could not disagree with Hilary Rosen any more strongly. Her comments were wrong and family should be off limits. She should apologize.”

David Axelrod, Obama’s top strategist, tweeted: “Also Disappointed in Hilary Rosen’s comments about Ann Romney. They were inappropriate and offensive.”

And Stephanie Cutter, Obama’s deputy campaign manager, tweeted: “Families must be off limits on campaigns, and i personally believe stay at home moms work harder than most of us do.”

COMMENT:  At least the Dem politicos were smart enough to spot a loser, and fast.  It reminds me of how sharp they are.

But, really, you don't attack families.  I recall an incident in 1960, when I was working for Senator Paul Douglas of Illinois, a liberal and a Marine hero.  ("Liberal" meant something very different in those days.)  Douglas had won re-election and Kennedy had been more-or-less elected to the presidency, defeating Richard Nixon.  So we had a big victory party, and a folk singer showed up who sang an original song attacking Pat Nixon.  Everyone just winced.  Families are off limits, unless they commit treason.

April 12, 2012       Permalink

FALSE CALM IN SYRIA – AT 8:48 A.M. ET:  The ceasefire arranged by the UN has gone into effect in Syria.  It is a false calm, however.  From WaPo:

BEIRUT — An uneasy calm descended on Syria on Thursday indicating that both the government and rebels were keeping their promises to observe a U.N.-brokered cease-fire which went into effect at dawn.

“Everywhere is quiet,” said Rami Abdelrahman of the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors reports of violence on a daily basis. “We have no shooting or shelling in all of Syria.”

Yeah, yeah.  Until you get to this:

The White House urged caution, and activists also said they were skeptical that the cease-fire would last.

“The regime is going to quit shooting, but it is not going to quit arresting people and it is not going to quit torturing them,” said Omar al-Khani, a protest organizer in Damascus who uses a pseudonym to protect his identity. “We know we can’t trust this regime for sure.”

Abdelrahman said there were extensive reports indicating that the government has set up checkpoints in towns and cities around the country, apparently to deter the demonstrations the authorities fear may erupt if their security presence is relaxed. Activists in Hama said tanks were deployed in the center of the city on Wednesday, dampening hopes there that the cease-fire would relax the government’s grip.

COMMENT:  This is a ceasefire that leaves Assad in power and Iran as the ultimate victor, since the Syrian regime is Iran's most important Arab ally. 

Neoconservatives are ridiculed when they warn that much of the diplomacy today resembles the failed diplomacy of the late 1930s, but they have a point.  This Syrian ceasefire is, ultimately, an act of appeasement.  Theoretically, it will lead to "reforms."  Would you bet on that one?

We'll watch, but optimism is impossible here, except for a president facing re-election.

April 12, 2012        Permalink

BULLETIN:  OH DEAR, OH DEAR, OH DEAR, WHERE DID THE RECOVERY GO? – AT 8:39 A.M. ET:  Following last week's staggeringly disappointing report on job creation, we now have a reversal in the positive jobless claims trend.  Figures were announced minutes ago.  From Bloomberg:

More Americans than forecast filed claims for jobless benefits last week, a sign the pace of improvement in the labor market is slowing.

Jobless claims increased 13,000 in the week ended April 7 to 380,000, the highest since Jan. 28, the Labor Department reported today in Washington. The median forecast in a Bloomberg News survey called for 355,000 claims. The number of people on unemployment benefit rolls and those receiving extended payments declined.

A pickup in claims, following last week’s figures showing a smaller-than-projected rise in March employment, may make it difficult to boost the consumer spending that makes up 70 percent of the economy. The figures highlight Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke’s concern that stronger demand is required to fuel labor market gains.

“It’s going to be difficult in the immediate future to make a lot more progress on initial claims,” Nigel Gault, chief U.S. economist at IHS Global Insight in Lexington, Massachusetts, said before the report.

COMMENT:  The economy is Romney's strength.  We want the country to succeed, not fail, but it will not succeed under the antiquated, grudge-oriented policies of the Obama administration. 

Some economists believe we're heading into another recession.  What, precisely, does this president intend to do?

April 12,  2012     Permalink

APRIL 11,  2012

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:41 P.M. ET:

LEGAL MINDS – The vice president of the United States, Joe Biden, today described former Saturday Night Live comedian, Senator Al Franken of Minnesota, as a "leading legal scholar."   As Johnny Carson used to say, "I did not know that."  Franken is not a lawyer, but he did go to Harvard.  Maybe, in Joe Biden's mind, that makes him a scholar in everything.  Somehow, I don't think so.

SICKENING – U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who is a racialist, today heaped praise on Al Sharpton.  He thanked Sharpton “for your partnership, your friendship, and your tireless efforts to speak out for the voiceless, to stand up for the powerless, and to shine a light on the problems we must solve, and the promises we must fulfill.”  Yeah, right.  We in New York know Sharpton as a racial arsonist who has contributed essentially nothing to the lives of his own people, but contributed much to himself.  The man is an embarrassment, and so is our attorney general.

MUST BE A DEFECT IN THE CALCULATOR – It turns out that the Obama White House, which accuses the GOP of a "war on women" has been paying female employees much less than male employees for the same work.  Britain's Daily Mail reports that there's an $11,000 median difference in salaries.  And Mitt Romney is turning the tables on Obama, charging that it's the current administration that's waging a war on women, pointing out the number of women thrown on the unemployment roles since Obama took office.

IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF POLITICS – The Republican National Committee has issued a video showing speeches by President Obama, made a year apart, but using almost identical language.  “During moments of great challenge and change like the one that we’re living through now, the debate gets sharper and it gets more vigorous,” Obama said in 2011.  In 2012 he said,  "During moments of great challenge and great change like the ones that we’re living through now, the debate gets sharper, it gets more vigorous.”  Many other mirrored quotes were found.  I wonder how much the speechwriters are being paid.

April 11,  2012     Permalink

ZIMMERMAN CHARGED – AT 7:52 P.M. ET:  George Zimmerman, the shooter in the Trayvon Martin case, has been charged with second-degree murder and has turned himself in.  He was promptly arrested.

I watched special prosecutor Angela Corey make her statement announcing the charge on television.  She behaved with great dignity, explaining the process, and the need to try a case in court, with facts, and not in the press or in the court of public opinion.  Ms. Corey obviously takes her work seriously, and her thoughtful statement should be appreciated by those who demand high standards of public servants.

Now the state must prove its case against Zimmerman, and that may be very difficult.  The question:  Will we get a real trial, or an O.J. Simpson trial, where an outrageous verdict was rendered.  Already the family of Trayvon Martin, their grief understandable, is saying that this charge is only the first step.  In effect, they are demanding a conviction, and one must wonder whether a jury, even an anonymous jury, will feel intimidated.  To people like Al Sharpton, one of the Martin family's "advisers," justice is never the goal.  Winning is the goal, at any cost, and with any facts or lies.

From Fox:

Neighborhood watch volunteer George Zimmerman is being charged with second-degree murder in the shooting of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager whose death ignited nationwide protests.

Special prosecutor Angela Corey says that the 28-year-old Zimmerman is in custody, but wouldn't say where for his safety. She said that he will be in court within 24 hours.

Defense attorney Mark O'Mara, Zimmerman's new lawyer, said that Zimmerman will plead not guilty to the murder charge. O'Mara also said he is "hoping that the community will calm down."

Corey says that authorities did not come to the decision lightly, nor was it based on public pressure. She wouldn't disclose other details of her investigation, saying: "That's why we try cases in court."

A second-degree murder charge in Florida carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. It is typically charged when there is a fight or other confrontation that results in death and where there is no premeditated plan to kill someone.

Corey said the decision to bring charges was based on the facts and the law, declaring: "We do not prosecute by public pressure or by petition."

Meanwhile, the parents of Trayvon Martin said charges against George Zimmerman in the fatal shooting their son would start the healing process, but they won't stop fighting until he's convicted. "We just wanted an arrest and we got it," Martin's mother, Sybrina Fulton, said.

Yeah, and that's part of the problem.  "We want."  Like the Duke University lacrosse case, there is danger that this case will be more show and less justice.  There is a possibility that Zimmerman, whose guilt or innocence we do not judge, will be thrown to the mob.

Zimmerman's new attorney, Mark O'Hara, will undoubtedly face threats and harassment.  He has guts.  He should be protected by the state, if need be.

Now, another point:  It is critical, in my view, for the Florida Bar to investigate the behavior of Zimmerman's former lawyers.  Those are the birds who "resigned" from the case yesterday, saying they couldn't get in touch with their client.  In fact, they had been out of touch a day and half, hardly a long period.  Paul Callan, a former New York prosecutor and a CNN legal analyst, was on TV today to say how dismayed he (and other lawyers) are at the behavior of these attorneys.  They appeared on TV to announce that they're leaving the case.  They all but said that Zimmerman was mentally unstable, something highly inappropriate for counsel to say in public.  They said that Zimmerman had fled the state of Florida.  In fact, he surrendered to authorities in Florida today.  They prejudiced public opinion against their own former client. 

A probe is called for. You'll recall that, in the Duke University case, the local district attorney was probed over his actions, and eventually disbarred.  

This case will find its way into national politics this year.  It will be used to whip up the Democratic base.  It is the left wing of the Democratic Party that sets group against group.  Not very pretty.

April 11, 2012       Permalink

SOME GOOD NEWS, FOR A CHANGE – AT 9:57 A.M. ET:  It's good to publish some good news.  It turns out that the teen pregnancy rate is plunging in the United States.  That is good, and it demonstrates that social pathologies can be fought...if we actually decide to fight them, and not listen to the "multiculturalists" who tell us that "Teen pregnancy has its own culural validity..."  From the Washington Times: 

In 16 states, teen birthrates tumbled by at least 20 percent in recent years, the federal government said in a report. Large declines such as these helped push the nation’s teen birthrate to a new low in 2010.

It’s a “pretty amazing” set of trends, said Brady E. Hamilton, senior researcher and co-author of the Tuesday report from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), which provided state data and other details about the 2010 teen birthrates.

These data show “a truly extraordinary American success story,” said Bill Albert, chief program officer for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.

“You couple these impressive declines with the better than 40 percent decline in teen pregnancy … and it really is quite remarkable progress,” he said.

Mr. Albert, whose group was not involved with the report, attributes the decline to a shift in teen behavior.

“More teens are delaying sexual activity, which is a good and responsible thing to do. And those teenagers who are having sex are using contraception better.”

COMMENT:  That's very encouraging.  Much more work has to be done, of course.  Each new generation must be taught, and must accept that the right thing to do is also the cool thing to do.  But we should study what's being done in the fight against teen pregnancy, and apply the lessons elsewhere...with or without the permission of cultural propagandists.

April 11, 2012      Permalink

THAT POLL – AT 9:40 A.M. ET:  Rarely have I seen a political poll get so much attention.  Yesterday's ABC News/Washington Post poll, reporting that Obama is very strong at this stage, has elicited a major uproar among those familiar with polling methodology.  What they see, they don't like.  From the Weekly Standard:

Yesterday, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll seemed to confirm the meme that Barack Obama is pummeling Mitt Romney among women, helping the former open up a 7-point lead in the general election horse race.

What to make of this?

Well, for starters, the poll has an inexplicably large Democratic advantage – the party breakdown in the poll is 34 percent Democratic, 23 percent Republican, and 34 percent independent. As a point of historical comparison, the party spread in four of the last five elections since 2002 has basically been an even split between the two sides. In 2008, a “perfect storm” of bad news for the GOP, the party ID advantage was “only” +7. So, a Democratic advantage of +11 is an unjustifiable number, at least in terms of what the electorate is thinking.

Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey did a solid job of dressing down the pollsters for such an absurd Democratic skew, and I encourage you to read his response carefully. I’ll just add that I am always amused when pollsters find an advantage for Democratic candidates that is less than their Democratic oversample. In this case, ABC News/WaPo finds Obama’s job approval at +5 (50 percent approve to 45 percent disapprove), but that is not nearly so impressive in a D+11 sample!

Polls like this are useful, however, in a kind of “Nixon goes to China” sense. Put another way, if Democrats look weak in polls that are so ridiculously pro-Democratic, you know they are in trouble.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  It's fascinating.  The poll was taken among "all adults," an approach that always tilts toward the Democrats.  Many Democrats don't vote.  (And we must not encourage them!) 

The ineptness of that poll doesn't, however, mean that Romney is in particularly good shape.  This will be a very tough race against an incumbent who will stop at nothing to be re-elected, and whose White House has been turned into a 24/7 campaign headquarters.

April 11,  2012     Permalink

WATCH THESE BOYS CAREFULLY – AT 8:40 A.M. ET:  Iran is an ancient nation, and has always been known for the quality of its international negotiators.  They are not amateurs.  Remember that Iran has "negotiated" over its nuclear program for years, and has still been able to do whatever it wished. 

Now, just before still another round of "talks" on its nuclear program begins, the Iranians dangle a very small olive branch:

(Reuters) - Iran will present new proposals at talks on Saturday aimed at easing concerns about its nuclear activity, state television said, but it was unclear if Tehran was willing to address its disputed uranium enrichment drive as six world powers want.

Yeah, that little thing always gets in the way.

It was the latest apparent attempt to strengthen Iran's position ahead of the talks, which the powers insists must tackle its higher-grade enrichment activities seen in the West as a disguised effort to develop nuclear weapons capability.

The Islamic Republic says the program is solely for power generation and medical needs.

"Iran's representatives will participate in the negotiations with new initiatives and we hope that the P5+1 countries will also enter talks with constructive approaches," said the head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Saeed Jalili, according to English-language news network Press TV.

Jalili, Iran's chief nuclear negotiator, said it was "ready to hold progressive and successful talks on cooperation" but that "the language of threat and pressure against the Iranian nation has never yielded results."

COMMENT:  As if anything else has yielded results.  My great fear is that Iran, like the old Soviet Union, knows that there are eager "useful idiots" in the West ready to grasp at any minor concession.  If Iran were to put the word "peace" on each of its nuclear reactors, there are people around Obama who would announce, "See, we're making progress."

And Iran knows that President Obama is desperate to avoid any disruption before election day.

These talks will be intriguing, and dangerous.

April 11, 2012       Permalink

STUNNING REBUKE – AT 8:15 A.M. ET:  A group of former astronauts and scientists and engineers has rebuked NASA for the agency's rigid adherence to the ideology of global warming.  I guess all these people, with their formidable reputations, will now be denounced as cranks and kooks.  From the Washington Examiner:

In an unprecedented slap at NASA’s endorsement of global warming science, nearly 50 former astronauts and scientists--including the ex-boss of the Johnson Space Center--claim the agency is on the wrong side of science and must change course or ruin the reputation of the world’s top space agency.

Challenging statements from NASA that man is causing climate change, the former NASA executives demanded in a letter to Administrator Charles Bolden that he and the agency “refrain from including unproven remarks” supporting global warming in the media.

We recall that Bolden said, upon taking office, that President Obama had given NASA the mission of Muslim outreach.  Why spend time on science?

“We feel that NASA’s advocacy of an extreme position, prior to a thorough study of the possible overwhelming impact of natural climate drivers is inappropriate,” they wrote. “At risk is damage to the exemplary reputation of NASA, NASA’s current or former scientists and employees, and even the reputation of science itself.”

The letter was signed by seven Apollo astronauts, a deputy associate administrator, several scientists, and even the deputy director of the space shuttle program.

NASA had no immediate comment.

In their letter, the group said that thousands of years of data challenge modern-day claims that man-made carbon dioxide is causing climate change. “With hundreds of well-known climate scientists and tens of thousands of other scientists publicly declaring their disbelief in the catastrophic forecasts, coming particularly from (NASA’s) Goddard Institute for Space Studies leadership, it is clear that the science is NOT settled,” they wrote.

COMMENT:  Good for them.  They are taking risks in going up against the trendies and the global warming industry, but they are doing the right thing.

Some of these true heroes will not get the best cocktail-party invitations if they visit Washington, Manhattan, or Beverly Hills, but I get the feeling they won't care.

April 11,  2012     Permalink