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MAY 2,  2012

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:18 P.M. ET:

NORTH KOREAN NUKES – A prominent expert on nuclear weapons claims that North Korea has now stockpiled enough weapons-grade uranium to build six atomic bombs.  That's six cities inconvenienced.  There are growing concerns that North Korea, which just had a failure in a missile test, will try to make up for it by a new nuclear test in the coming weeks.

ANOTHER ECONOMIC WARNING – New orders for American factory-produced goods declined in March by the biggest percentage in three years, another sign that the recovery is fizzling.  Demand for transportation equipment and many other goods declined.  At the same time, VISA recorded a major profit advance, but that news must be viewed carefully.  Buying on credit may simply be a sign of frustration, rather than economic expansion.

TROUBLE IN WISCONSIN – A Marquette University poll shows President Obama widening his lead in the battleground state of Wisconsin, to 51-42.  That's up from 48-43 in March.  The same poll shows that, if Republican Governor Scott Walker is recalled in a June vote, he would stand no better than an even chance of being re-elected against Democratic Mayor Tom Barrett of Milwaukee.  Wisconsin has many conservative communities, but also has large numbers of liberal to left die-hard voters in Milwaukee and the daffy university town of Madison. 

CATHOLICS EVENLY SPLIT – American Catholics are evenly split between Obama and Romney, according to Gallup.  The polling stands at 46-46.  Within the Catholic community, though, there are dramatic variations, according to background.  Hispanic Catholics favor Obama 70-20, whereas "white" Catholics favor Romney 55-38.  Catholics make up a quarter of the American voting public.  But, as Gallup points out, there is today no "typical" Catholic voter.  Catholic voters are a substantially diverse lot.

May 2,  2012     Permalink

THE CHICAGO WAY – AT 10:03 A.M. ET:  Michael Barone, one of the great political analysts, weighs in on the election campaign thus far, and finds Chicago thuggery is the main dish on the Obama campaign menu.  From the Washington Examiner:

It has been reported that the Obama campaign this year, as in 2008, has disabled or chosen not to use AVS in screening contributions made by credit card.

That doesn't sound very important. But it's evidence of a modus operandi that strikes me as thuggish.

AVS stands for Address Verification System. It's the software that checks whether the name of the cardholder matches his or her address.

If a campaign doesn't use AVS, it can wind up accepting contributions from phony names or accepting contributions from foreigners, both of which are illegal.

The 2008 Obama campaign pocketed money from "John Galt, 1957 Ayn Rand Lane, Galts Gulch CO 99999" and $174,000 from a woman in Missouri who told reporters she had given nothing and had never been billed. Presumably she would have noticed an extra charge of $174,000.

The Obama campaign is evidently happy to pocket the money. After all, this is the president who, according to political scientist Brendan Doherty, has appeared at more fundraisers in three and a half years than his six predecessors did in 35 years...

...Obama talks a good game on transparency and openness, but he's ready to flout the law by avoiding AVS and to break his high-minded campaign promises.

COMMENT:  The fact is that Mr. Obama, despite his fine qualities (and he does have them), is basically a minor Chicago politician with a golden voice and a winning manner.  But he always reverts back to raw politics, which is his strongest skill.  Governing comes far behind.  I only wish he had come along 10 or 15 years later, when experience might have given him the qualities to lead the nation successfully.  But we deal with what we have.

May 2, 2012       Permalink

CNN IN CRISIS – AT 9:10 A.M. ET:  CNN, which I actually think has shown some qualitative improvement in the last year, is experiencing one of the worst ratings declines in its history.  Can this operation survive?  From Deadline Hollywood:

It’s no April Fool’s joke — last month CNN delivered its lowest-rated month in total day in over a decade, since August 2001, the month before the September 11 attacks. The once-dominant cable news network posted decade-lows among both total viewers (357,000) and Adults 25-54 (108,000). Versus April last year, CNN was down 21% in total viewers and 29% in 25-54. In comparison, leader Fox News Channel was up 2% in total viewers (1.1 million) and 1% in 25-54 (273,000) and No.2 MSNBC was flat in total viewers (425,000) and down 5% in 25-54 (139,000).

Things did not look brighter for CNN in the evening where its shows too posted across-the-board declines: John King USA at 6 PM was down 41% in the 25-54 demo, Erin Burnett Outfront at 7 PM was down 34%, Piers Morgan was down 14% at 9PM, and Anderson Cooper 360 was down 8% at 8 PM and 28% at 10PM. In primetime, CNN had its lowest rated month in nearly two years, since August 2010, in both total viewers (508,000, down 16% from last year) and adults 25-54 (149,000, down 22%). Meanwhile FNC (1.9 million, 395,000 in 25-54) was flat in total viewers from last April and down 9% in 25-54. MSNBC (754,000; 236,000) was down 5% and 9%, respectively.

COMMENT:  I'm guessing that viewers are choosing sides – the liberals going to MSNBC and the conservatives to Fox.  While CNN is hardly neutral – it tilts decidedly liberal – viewers may see it as lacking spark, which is true.

CNN's game is to portray itself as "the most trusted name in news."  Of course, that's absurd.  If it built a great, pure news operation, it might get those numbers up.  But too often it drifts back into its biases.  Its "CNN Presents" series, weekend documentary presentations, is essentially a love song to race, gender and ethnicity, the big three of modern liberalism.

Many CNN reporters play it straight.  John King is a good political guy.  Wolf Blitzer runs a solid news show in late afternoon.  But Fareed Zakaria, a third-world leftie with a know-it-all attitude, is painful after 30 seconds, and they give him a lot more time than that on CNN.  Christine Amanpour is drifting back to CNN, which would ruin everything.  Her love letter to Barack Obama on election day, 2008, stands as one of the great disgraces of modern journalism.

CNN needs higher standards, although, as I noted, they've improved.  But the network also needs to rid itself of all bias, and all ridiculousness.  Not easy in an already biased industry.

May 2, 2012       Permalink 

THE OTHER MULLEN – We mentioned in our first post today, just below, that the man we quoted, Rev. Peter Mullen, was one of two Mullens to make news today.  The other is Admiral Mike Mullen (ret), former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Mullen was in the famous picture of America's top leaders, in the situation room, taken during the bin Laden raid. 

Have you ever wondered what our military men and women think of Obama?  We're getting some sense of it now, as many former Navy seals, and others with long military careers, express their revulsion at Obama's taking too much credit for the killing of bin Laden.  As one retired general said last night, the only time a leader should mention himself is to take blame, never credit.  Credit is given to those whose lives are on the line.

Admiral Mullen weighs in with his comments, as reported by the Washington Times:

Adm. Mike Mullen, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has joined the chorus of concern about the politicization of Osama bin Laden's killing a year ago Tuesday.

The retired four-star admiral told NBC News that he worries "a great deal" that the bin Laden raid could become a political football this campaign season, although he did not specifically call out President Obama and his campaign for doing so.

"Well, I worry about it, just because it's the political season," Adm. Mullen said. "And from my perspective, the president's support, the decision that he made, and obviously, the result stand alone in terms of the kind of call presidents have to make, and he made it. I do worry a great deal that this time of year that somehow this gets spun into election politics. I can assure you that those individuals who risk their lives — the last thing in the world that they want is to be spun into that. So I'm hoping that that doesn't happen."

COMMENT:  An exceedingly diplomatic comment, proper for Mullen, but you know exactly what he's saying.  He properly gives Obama the credit for making the right call, but expresses concern over politicization.  Well, who dragged it into politics?  Obama, again and again.

May 2, 2012       Permalink

BOY, THAT WAS WEIRD – AT 8:32 A.M. ET:  Did you see Obama's campaign speech from Afghanistan last night?  Strange, wasn't it?  Obama, under the great drama of secrecy, flies to the war-torn country to sign a minor agreement and give a speech that could have been given at a chicken lunch in Des Moines.

As usual, a Brit provides the deadliest insight into the president's non-event.  Conservative cleric Peter Mullen, one of two Mullens to make news today, has it right in London's Telegraph:

Barack Obama has told the citizens of the US that a decade “under the dark cloud of war" is almost over and that his administration is on course to destroy al-Qaeda. In a massively hyped speech – well, it is election year over there – the President told the American people that the US combat role in Afghanistan was now also winding down, just as it already has in Iraq.

Speaking from a military airbase in Afghanistan on the anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death, he insisted: "We can see the light of a new day on the horizon."

This is pure cloud cuckoo land oratory. “The light of a new day” is the headlights of the next suicide bomber’s approaching car. With devastating naivete the US government has announced the date of its planned withdrawal from Afghanistan – so the Taliban will simply lie low until that date and then re-emerge to take over whatever might be remaining of Karzai’s corrupt and failed state.

Obama’s speech gave the impression that he believes victory in Afghanistan – which he has no chance of achieving in any case – represents victory over al-Qaeda. This is mere folly. Al-Q-aeda are as ubiquitous as the common cold virus. They are in Yemen, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and, by their proxies, in Nigeria where they are proving to be particularly barbaric. The Americans show no signs of defeating the terrorist organization in any of those places.

Within hours of Obama’s trip to Afghanistan, the Taliban left a calling-card reminder that they had been listening attentively to the President’s speech by exploding a car bomb in Kabul where the leader of the US had been just hours earlier..

COMMENT:  That says it.  The president's speech was farcical, a throwback to Chamberlain bringing the British people "peace in our time" on his return from Munich.  All Obama needed was the umbrella...but he's way too cool to carry an umbrella. 

I thought the speech should have ended with a rousing rendition of "There's No Business Like Show Business," but the Marine Band had more important things to do.

May 2,  2012     Permalink

MAY 1,  2012

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:03 P.M. ET: 

WE'RE CRUSHED – We've gotten through May Day and the government hasn't been overthrown.  And here I thought there'd be some excitement.  In New York we had the usual demonstrations, some minor combat, and 30 arrests.  All the Karl Marx wannabes will probably be sprung by "civil liberties" lawyers by tomorrow, so they can go home to mommy,

WITNESS PROTECTION PROGRAM – A fear for the safety of witnesses, expressed by defense counsel Mark O'Mara, may lead to a delay in the George Zimmerman trial.  Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Trayvon Martin.  O'Mara said on his website that he'll delay asking the prosecution for evidence until the judge provides a means of protecting the witnesses.  I'm also concerned about the safety of jurors.  The jury will probably be anonymous, but how many jurors might worry that their names would get out anyway?

DEAD HEAT – Three major polls – Gallup, Rasmussen, and Fox – have the presidential race tied at 46-46.  Paul Mirengoff at Powerline points out that this is not a good place for an incumbent to be.  When an incumbent is polling below 50% it means that more than half the electorate has rejected his leadership.  Obviously, these numbers will change daily as the race proceeds.

GM SALES DOWN – In another sign of a still-struggling economy, General Motors reports that sales fell 8.2% last month, from the number a year earlier.  President Obama has been touting GM as a government success story, since it was his administration that bailed out the struggling automaker.  Of course, Obama also said he yearns for a Chevy Volt.  That's before GM cut production on the car because of lack of demand.

May 1, 2012       Permalink

TOO LATE IN SYRIA? – AT 9:43 A.M. ET:  We are getting constant warnings from authoritative sources that our failure to take stronger action in Syria can leave a vacuum for Islamist groups to enter.  That now appears to be happening, compounding our already grave problems in the Mideast.  From The Wall Street Journal: 

Suicide blasts on Monday and a series of other bombings across Syria have renewed concerns that unrest there is giving extremist Islamist groups room to grow, a scenario Western officials fear will make it more difficult to contain the crisis.

The development also complicates efforts to encourage compliance with a United Nations-brokered cease-fire by President Bashar al-Assad—who has long held that the uprising against him is the work of terrorists.

Two suicide bombings ripped through busy districts of the northern city of Idlib early Monday, killing at least nine people and injuring at least 100, the government said. Earlier, rocket-propelled grenades hit the central-bank building in Damascus.

There have been eight suicide attacks reported in Syria since December, including two Monday and a bombing on Friday that killed at least 10 people.

Western and Arab officials and some members of the Syrian opposition say the attacks point to the growing activities of al Qaeda and radical Sunni Islamist groups in operations against the Syrian regime, as the popular uprising against Mr. Assad has developed into armed conflict.

U.S. officials, including Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, have said strikes on security and intelligence buildings in Damascus and Aleppo over the past four months have resembled al Qaeda attacks, and that extremists, mainly al Qaeda insurgents from Iraq, may have infiltrated Syrian opposition groups.

COMMENT:  Douglas MacArthur once said that all military disasters begin with two words:  too late.  We may well be seeing this in Syria.  If the extremists take over the opposition, we lose no matter who has power.  Iran backs the Assad regime, but the Iranians would probably feel just as comfortable working with a radical Islamist government. 

It is estimated that as many as 11,000 have been killed in the revolt so far.  President Obama seems little interested, and has restrained the West from taking action more decisive than some ineffective sanctions. 

Our position in the Mideast is eroding, but the president expects to sell foreign policy as one of the victories of his administration.  I wonder what he thinks defeat looks like.

May 1, 2012        Permalink

RUBIO FACING HEAT – AT 9:09 A.M. ET:  Marco Rubio is a favorite here, and is clearly on the short list of potential vice-presidential picks for Mitt Romney.  But Rubio, now in the spotlight, is facing a buzz saw of serious questions, and a toll is being taken.

Last week Rubio agreed to pay a fine of $8,000 levied by the Federal Elections Commission for accepting improper campaign contributions in 2010.  Now he is facing questions about other possible ethics violations.  He was interviewed toughly by Bret Baier of Fox.  From The Politico:

BRET BAIER: When you were speaker of the Florida house, you charged personal expenses on this party-issued credit card. What happened with that?

MARCO RUBIO: At the end of every month, we would get those statements. We would see what was on there that was party-related, and the party would pay that. If it wasn't party-related, I would pay that directly to American Express.

Now, obviously, in hindsight, it looks bad, right? I mean, why are you using a party credit card at all? Well, some of these expenses were because a travel agent had the number, you know, the credit card number, and they billed it to that card instead of the other card. Sometimes, it was just a mistake, you know, literally just reached for the wrong card.

But it's important people understand I did not bill personal expenses to the Republican Party of Florida. The Republican Party of Florida never paid my personal expenses. Never. But look, you know, I shouldn't have done it that way. It was -- it was -- lesson learned.

BAIER: Another thing that people raise concerns about -- what is your relationship with Representative Rivera?

RUBIO: He's a friend. I mean, he's a friend I've known on a personal level even before I was elected or he was elected to office. So look, I know he's going through a tough time. And we've all read the press reports and none of us like to see that about anybody, much less a friend. And he's going to have to deal with those issues.

COMMENT:  It goes on from there.  Clearly, Romney is hoping to avoid the avalanche of attacks that came Sarah Palin's way when she was chosen by John McCain.  The questions about Rubio are building.  He's a great guy, in my view, but I'm starting to be concerned that he could become the issue in the campaign, which is what no presidential candidate wants.

Maybe that's why so much talk has turned to Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, and Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire.  While I have no evidence that this chatter is being generated by the Romney people, I wouldn't be surprised if it is.  Romney wants a wide choice. 

I was also struck by the comment of Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, who has, like Rubio, denied interest in the vice-presidential slot, that he would expect that Romney might try to persuade him.  I'm not sure.  Christie, like Rubio, is a conservative favorite, but he's a loose cannon who shoots off his mouth whenever possible.  He has never played the national circuit.  The concern for Romney:  that Christie would start making comments that would shift the focus to him, rather than to the presidential message.

Ah, choices are so difficult and men are so imperfect.

May 1, 2012        Permalink

ANOTHER REMINDER OF THE REAL WORLD – AT 8:48 A.M. ET:  German intelligence has discovered a major haul of Al Qaeda documents, providing a picture of what the group, though weakened, plans for the West.  From CNN:

Future plots include the idea of seizing cruise ships and carrying out attacks in Europe similar to the gun attacks by Pakistani militants that paralyzed the Indian city of Mumbai in November 2008. Ten gunmen killed 164 people in that three-day rampage.

Terrorist training manuals in PDF format in German, English and Arabic were among the documents, too, according to intelligence sources.

U.S. intelligence sources tell CNN that the documents uncovered are "pure gold;" one source says that they are the most important haul of al Qaeda materials in the last year, besides those found when U.S. Navy SEALs raided Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, a year ago and killed the al Qaeda leader.

One document was called "Future Works." Its authorship is unclear, but intelligence officials believe it came from al Qaeda's inner core. It may have been the work of Younis al Mauretani, a senior al Qaeda operative until his capture by Pakistani police in 2011.

The document appears to have been the product of discussions to find new targets and methods of attack. German investigators believe it was written in 2009 -- and that it remains the template for al Qaeda's plans.
Investigative journalist Yassin Musharbash, a reporter with the German newspaper Die Zeit, was the first to report on the documents. One plan: to seize passenger ships. According to Musharbash, the writer "says that we could hijack a passenger ship and use it to pressurize the public."

Musharbash takes that to mean that the terrorists "would then start executing passengers on those ships and demand the release of particular prisoners."

The plan would include dressing passengers in orange jump suits, as if they were al Qaeda prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, and then videotaping their execution

COMMENT:  We are being assured by the Obamans that Al Qaeda has become a weakened organization, which is true.  But Japan was a desperately weakened nation in 1945 and produced ghastly American casualties at Iwo Jima and Okinawa.  For a terrorist organization, which dreams of things like attacks on hotels, "weakened" may not make that much of a difference.

Eternal vigilance is required.

May 1, 2012       Permalink

MAY DAY – AT 8:21 A.M. ET:  Welcome to May Day.  We will observe as the Obama campaign mechanics try to suppress the inner socialist in the Obama administration today, so as not to disrupt the re-election campaign with any embarrassing truths.

May Day, at one time, was a traditional, seasonal holiday celebrated in many countries.  In recent times, though, it has become more famous for being International Workers Day.  In Europe it's more of a deal than it is here, in part because many Americans, and American institutions, resisted the Marxist attempt to hijack the day, whereas in Europe resisting totalitarianism isn't exactly an all-day thing.

So in America, May 1st was promoted as "Americanization Day" by veterans' groups, following the Russian revolution of 1917, as a counter to the Reds.  In 1949 it was informally renamed Loyalty Day.  In 1958 Congress made Loyalty Day a national holiday, and President Eisenhower also proclaimed it as Law Day.  I haven't heard much about Loyalty Day or Law Day in recent years.

Some unions and leftist groups have tried to maintain the May 1st connection to the labor movement and leftist causes.  The Occupy movement has announced plans for demonstrations today, especially in New York, but Mayor Bloomberg has announced the the police would move quickly to clear any disruptive activities. 

Today will also mark the one-year anniversary of the killing of Osama bin Laden by Navy Seals, who actually were there.  The guy who gave the order was comfy in Washington, but is taking the credit.

May 1,  2012     Permalink