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MONDAY,  NOVEMBER 2,  2009

AND THE WEATHER IS BUSH'S FAULT, TOO, AND THE PROBLEM IN YOUR CAR'S DISTRIBUTOR - AT 11:30 P.M. ET:  You have to love this gang.  They make us feel young again because they're so high-schoolish in their antics.  From the Washington Times:

The White House is beginning to send strong signals that it recognizes the $1.4 trillion budget deficit is a looming political problem that needs to be addressed, even as President Obama reminds Americans that the country's fiscal crisis originated with the Bush administration and will not be resolved overnight.

As Charles Krauthammer asked in a column, is there anything Obama hasn't blamed on BUSH (!!)?

The president's budget director, Peter R. Orszag, on Tuesday will deliver the second major speech on the deficit in a week by a top White House official. Mr. Orszag's speech on "reining in the deficit" will be the first time that a top White House economist will look forward at the difficult task of reducing the gap between government revenues and expenditures.

The first time?  The first time? 

Republicans have hammered the administration for government spending levels, and public polling for the first time is showing that the American public is losing confidence in the president's handling of the economic crisis.

Gee, I wonder why.  You don't think it might be because a top White House economist is addressing the issue for the first time, do you?

COMMENT:  Governing is hard, isn't it?  It's a lot harder than standing in an arena and shouting, "Yes we can!"  Okay, Mr. Obama, "If you can, do!"

November 2, 2009   Permalink

THE EXTENT OF VOTER "IRREGULARITIES" - AT 7:21 P.M. ET:  We've devoted considerable attention today to issues of voter fraud in New Jersey.  But the problem is nationwide.  A stunning new study indicates that many voters, presumably participating in the democratic process, in fact saw their voting days end some time ago:

(CNSNews.com) – Regardless of how lively an election season might be, a new study shows that more than 3.3 million voters on current registration rolls across the country are dead.

Another 12.9 million remain on voter registration lists in an area where they no longer live.

The analysis was conducted by Aristotle International Inc., a technology company
specializing in political campaigns, developing software and databases for politicians.

In total that means about 8.9 percent of all registered voters fall under the category of “deadwood” voters on the rolls, the term for voters who should no longer be eligible to vote in a precinct.

Not only does this raise concerns about potential voter fraud, but from the interest of campaign consultants, ineligible or expired voters could lead to a waste of resources, said John Aristotle Phillips, CEO of Aristotle.

“Some states have bigger problems than others,” Phillips said. “With deadwood exceeding one in seven votes in some counties, candidates might as well spend a day a week campaigning in the cemetery.”

COMMENT:  Well, at least in the cemeteries the voters don't ask rude questions, the way they did at those town meetings. 

The figures, though, are disturbing.  They call into question the validity of many elections, and present the image of a third-world country, not a modern democracy.  The fact is, though, that many of the worst offenses occur in inner cities, where questions about voter rolls are met with charges of "racism."  The real racism, of course, is the corruption of the election process itself.

November 2, 2009   Permalink

HILLARY TALKS TOUGH TO IRAN - AT 6:27 P.M. ET:  I don't know if this is part of the good cop/bad cop routine, but Hillary Clinton is talking tough these days - first to the Palestinians, now to the Iranians.  This doesn't sound like Obama talking.

Or, maybe Hillary is realizing what side her bread is buttered on, and wants to come off as tough, the better to leave the administration and run for the top job again someday, with a record that can appeal to the broad middle, not just the left.  She is insisting that Iran take the nuclear deal on the table, as AP reports:

MARRAKECH, Morocco (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that the nuclear offer to Iran, intended to restrain its potential for making a nuclear weapon, should be fully accepted by Iran and will not be changed.

''This is a pivotal moment for Iran,'' she said at a news conference after consulting with senior government officials from several Persian Gulf nations, plus Egypt, Morocco and Jordan.

''We continue to press the Iranians to accept fully the proposal that has been made, which they accepted in principle,'' Clinton said. ''Acceptance fully of this proposal ... would be a good indication that Iran does not wish to be isolated and does wish to cooperate with the international community.'' She said Iran should accept it as it stands, ''because we are not altering it.''

COMMENT:  Okay, she said we're not altering it.  Now the question is whether Obama will back her up, or throw her under the bus, like all the others who became redundant to his ambitions.  Her statement is clear and uncompromising.  If it gets bent by the White House, she will come off as someone out of the loop.

We are at a critical moment, not only on Iran policy, but in the relationship between the marshmallow in the White House and his much tougher secretary of state.

November 2, 2009   Permalink

MORE ON JERSEY ELECTIONS - AT 6:10 P.M. ET:  No journalist knows more about election fraud than John Fund of The Wall Street Journal, and now he trains his sights on tomorrow's New Jersey contest for governor.  New Jersey provides such a rich canvas:

The race for governor in New Jersey is so close in final polls that it may well end up in a recount -- the 1981 election did and was decided by less than 1,800 votes. If there is a recount, you can bet disputes about absentee ballots will loom large. Moreover, if serious allegations of fraud emerge, you can also expect less-than-vigorous investigation by the Obama Justice Department -- which showed just how seriously it takes such allegations when it walked away from an open-and-shut voter intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party in Philadelphia earlier this year.

Ah yes, we remember it well.

Absentee voter fraud is in danger of becoming a hardy perennial in New Jersey. Atlantic City Councilman Marty Small and 13 campaign workers were indicted in September on charges of conspiring to commit election fraud using absentee ballots. One worker pleaded guilty last month. In Newark, five campaign workers were indicted in August on charges involving absentee ballot fraud.

The stories are pouring in:

Victor Negron, a campaign adviser for independent mayoral candidate Roberto Feliz, a former director of Camden's public works department, says he's shocked that more than fifteen times the normal number of voters are casting absentee ballots in Camden this year. In the 2005, when the city's voters voted for both governor and mayor on the same day, only 200 absentee ballots were cast. This year, some 3,700 have already been received.

And practice does make perfect:

Authorities in nearby Philadelphia know about such scams. In one infamous case, a key 1993 race that determined which party would control the Pennsylvania state senate was thrown out by a federal judge after massive evidence that hundreds of voters had been pressured into casting improper absentee ballots. Voters were told by "bearers" that it was all part of "la nueva forma de votar" -- the new way to vote. Local politicos tell me Philly operatives associated in the past with Acorn may now be advising their Jersey cousins on how to perform such vote harvesting.

And...

Nor is in-person fraud at the polls unknown in New Jersey. In 2007, a former Hoboken zoning board president noticed a group of men outside a polling place being given index cards by two people. One of the loiterers later tried to vote in the name of a voter who had moved out of the area. When challenged by the former zoning board president, he ran out of the building and was caught. He later admitted to police he was part of a group from a homeless shelter who had been paid $10 each to vote using the names of other people.

COMMENT:  The New Jersey result is likely to be close.  The GOP gubernatorial candidate is a former U.S. attorney, who knows the law and the tactics likely to be used.  This may well be a contest that will be decided in the courts.  We'll be alert all day tomorrow to charges of fraud, especially in New Jersey's cities, like Newark.  We may not know the actual outcome for weeks.  If the Obama justice department is drawn in, the mess can impact the White House.

November 2,  2009   Permalink

LAST RAS BEFORE THE VOTE - AT 9:34 A.M. ET:  The last Rasmussen presidential tracking poll before tomorrow's election has just been published, and it's not good news for the White House or those depending on Obaman coattails:

Some 27% of likely voters strongly approve of the job President Obama is doing, but 40% strongly disapprove, a minus 13 gap.  Only one before on a day in August, did the president fare worse in this measurement.

Overall, 46% of likely voters approve of the president's job performance, but 52% disapprove.

Other polls show the president in a stronger position, but some of them measure total registered voters or even total citizens, not likely voters.

It isn't all bleak for the administration.  The number of people who consider themselves Democrats has inched up in recent months, whereas the number who consider themselves Republicans has dropped slightly.  It now stands at 37.8% Dem, 31.9% GOP.  However, this poll was taken among all adults, and Rasmussen points out that Republicans are somewhat more likely to vote.  And we should not forget that independents have been trending rightward recently, so party affiliation may not be an indicator of election results. 

The poll that counts is the one taken tomorrow in key states, and all over the country in 2010 and 2012.

November 2, 2009   Permalink 

THOSE OUTSIDE AGITATORS - AT 8:50 A.M. ET:   Dede Scozzafava, who's now enjoying her 15 minutes of fame - make that 5 minutes - as the GOP establishment candidate who got eliminated in New York's 23rd congressional district by a conservative insurgent, whined loudly about outsiders influencing the election by their support of said insurgent, Doug Hoffman.  Now that Scozzafava, known as "Dede the loyal," has jumped ship and endorsed the Democratic candidate for the House seat, she seems more open to participation by them foreigners.  And, of course, Dede being Dede, there'll be some profit.  The Politico reports:

Fearful that the party had almost no chance of winning the Nov. 3 New York special election after Republican nominee Dede Scozzafava abruptly announced Saturday that she was dropping out, high-ranking national Democrats immediately began working to secure her endorsement of Democrat Bill Owens, POLITICO has learned.

Can you just sense the promises coming.

According to several senior Democratic officials, Rep. Steve Israel, a Long Island Democrat and DCCC official, was dispatched to meet face-to-face with Scozzafava in her upstate New York district within hours of her departure from the race to make the case on behalf of the national party. He carried the proxy of the White House and congressional Democrats.

And we wasn't only bringing tea and sympathy.

When some senior Democrats worried Scozzafava might be wavering about the endorsement, according to another account, the White House got Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, one of the most powerful figures in the state, and New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo to place calls to the assemblywoman on Saturday evening to coax her into delivering it. Sen. Charles Schumer, who had been in touch with White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and Israel, also weighed in.

Just friends, just friends, just old friends calling to see how the family was.

Two senior Democrats with ties to the White House praised Cuomo’s role in the operation, saying they were confident Scozzafava was on board after learning that she told Cuomo: "You're going to be the next governor of New York."

So she's now endorsing a Dem for governor without even knowing who the candidate of "her" party is.  Hmm.

I would love to know what was offered. 

Also critical was Silver’s assurance, in a phone conversation with Scozzafava, that the state Assembly Democratic caucus would embrace her if she chose to switch parties, now viewed as a real possibility after her endorsement Sunday of Owens.

Real politics played the hard way.  Look for Dede to send back her GOP membership card and suddenly see the light shining from the dome of Barack Obama.

November 2, 2009   Permalink

ELECTIONS, THE JERSEY WAY - AT 8:24 A.M. ET: When the term "clean elections" is mentioned, the name "New Jersey" does not instantly come to mind.  Among many finer things, the state is also known for some, uh, colorful election practices.  Are we seeing the usual tactics practiced by the usual suspects?  Maybe so.  There'll be an election for governor in Jersey tomorrow.  There'll also be a vote count.  The two may be somewhat connected:

...evidence is building that Corzine’s campaign may see its only salvation is in rigging the election.

I'm just shocked to read this.

Now, in the final days of the campaign, it appears state democrats are paying for robo calls supporting Independent Chris Daggett. First reported here, the robo calls attack Christie (but not Corzine) and promote Daggett. At the end of the call, it is mentioned that the calls are paid for by a “project of the NJSDC.” No idea what that acronym stands for, but New Jersey State Democratic Committee, isn’t too big of a stretch. More interesting is the fact that the return number on the calls is the same number that was used to promote Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley’s election in closing days of the 2006 race.

But all men are brothers, aren't they?

More telling that the fix is in, however, is the sudden appearance of ACORN on the scene. Not by name, mind you, as their reputation is so tarnished that even New Jersey Democrats don’t want to be associated with them. No, in New Jersey ACORN sought cover behind its big brother, SEIU, specifically SEIU Local 32BJ.

The political director for the SEIU local is Peter Colavito. Just last year, he was ACORN’s political director in New York, working directly under Bertha Lewis, ACORN’s CEO and co-chair of ACORN-backed Working Families Party.

Oh, ACORN.

GOP officials recently received a phone tip from a hospital in Newark, reporting that people in ACORN t-shirts were in the facility signing up and collecting absentee ballots...

...There are reports out of Camden, New Jersey that voters are discovering that absentee ballots have already been submitted under their name. They did not authorize these ballots. Early reports suggested that the number of absentee ballots ‘requested’ in Camden city is higher than in any previous election.

Camden is one of the most depressed, and dangerous, cities in the nation.  Look, maybe people want absentee ballots for their personal safety.  You never know...

And get this:

Possibly anticipating this confusion, the state Democratic Committee recently sent a letter to the Secretary of State, arguing that any absentee ballot that is rejected should still be counted as a “provisional” vote. The letter complained that almost 3,000 absentee ballots had already been rejected “solely on the basis of a comparison of their signature to the signature on record.” Solely? If the signature of the voter doesn’t match the signature on the ballot, is there really a reason to look at anything else?

Oh, come on.  Signatures are artistic expressions.  Maybe some citizens like to vary them.  This reporter has no sense of local culture.

The best hope here is that Christie wins by enough of a margin that these dirty tricks are moot. As they say in sports, put enough points on the board and the refs can’t steal it from you.

We'll be reporting an election to you tomorrow night, I think.  You'll know Jersey is in trouble if the number of votes in some precincts exceeds the number of people who live there.

November 2, 2009   Permalink

NEW JERSEY LAST MINUTE - AT 5:02 A.M. ET:  A last-minute poll, conducted Saturday and Sunday by Public Policy Polling, gives Republican challenger Chris Christie a solid lead over incumbent Dem Governor Jon Corzine in New Jersey's gubernatorial race:

Chris Christie leads Jon Corzine 47-41 in PPP's final poll of the New Jersey Governor's race, with Chris Daggett at 11%.

Corzine had pulled to within a point of Christie on our poll three weeks ago after trailing by as many as 14 points over the summer, but his momentum has stalled since then and Christie's built his lead back up to 4 points last week and now 6.

Christie's advantage is due largely to his support from independents and because he has Republicans more unified around him than the Democrats are around Corzine. Christie leads Corzine 52-29 with indies, as Daggett's support with that group has declined to 16%. Christie is getting 82% of Republicans to Corzine's 72% of Democrats.

COMMENT:  We stress again that this is one poll.  There may be others during the day.  We also stress that the last-minute impact of President Obama's campaign visit to New Jersey could not be reflected in this poll. 

Internal examination of the results shows a disturbing racial split, with African Americans and Hispanics heavily for Corzine, whites heavily for Christie:

Corzine leads 76-12 among African Americans and 51-37 among Hispanics but trails Christie by a resounding 55-33 margin with white voters.

That is a pattern we're likely to see in other races around the country. 

Stand by for possible updates.

November 2,  2009   Permalink

NEW YORK 23 LAST MINUTE - AT 5:01 A.M. ET:    Polling in the tumultuous race in New York's 23rd Congressional District, a race that has taken on national proportions, indicates that Conservative Party insurgent Doug Hoffman, who knocked the establishment Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava, out of the race, may be headed for a solid victory Tuesday over Democrat Bill Owens.  From Public Policy Polling:

Doug Hoffman has a large lead in his bid to be elected the new Congressman from New York’s 23rd Congressional District.

Hoffman is at 51% to 34% for Bill Owens and 13% for Dede Scozzafava in the poll conducted over the weekend. In a two way contest against Owens, Hoffman holds a 54- 38 advantage.

Among Republicans Hoffman is at 71% to 15% for Scozzafava and 12% for Owens. With independents Hoffman holds a 52-30 lead over Owens. Owens is getting 67% of the Democratic vote to 21% for Hoffman and 10% for Scozzafava.

It was somewhat of a tumultuous polling weekend, first with Scozzafava’s withdrawal on Saturday and then with her endorsement of Owens on Sunday. But there were no significant differences in the numbers at any point over the course of the weekend. Hoffman led Owens by 18 points in interviews before Scozzafava’s withdrawal, 19 points in between her withdrawal and the announcement of her endorsement, and by 14 points subsequent to her encouraging people to vote for Owens.

COMMENT:  We stress that this is one poll, although PPP is widely seen as tilting Democratic.  Things can change during the day.  We'll give you results of any other last-minute polls.

November 2, 2009   Permalink

SUNDAY,  NOVEMBER 1,  2009

NEW JERSEY LATEST - AT 8:38 P.M. ET:  The latest respected New Jersey poll that we have was taken Wednesday through Friday and shows GOP challenger Chris Christie with a one point lead over incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine.  A third candidate, who, it is believed, takes votes from Christie, is at eight percent, and fading.

That one point lead means nothing.  The Dems control the election machinery in New Jersey, and don't be shocked if we find, after Tuesday's election, that more people voted in some precincts than lived there.

Obama was in the state today, and held a massive rally for Corzine in heavily African-American Newark.  The racial undertone was obvious in the themes on display:  This was something owed to the president.  This went beyond New Jersey.  They could have easily been chanting, "The whole world is watching."  At one point Obama urged voters to get their lazy uncles off the couch and to the polls.  If anyone else had said that, it would have been called racism.

It may work.  Dems have a history of pulling out elections in New Jersey.  But the fact that it is this close, requiring several presidential visits, and the fact that Virginia seems likely to go GOP on Tuesday, indicates that the age of Obama may have lasted 10 months.

November 1, 2009   Permalink
 

NICE TO KNOW - AT 6:28 P.M. ET:  The president's political adviser, David Axelrod, has been doing the talking today on Afghanistan policy, and I thought you'd like to know the state of the president's thinking on what Obama recently called a "war of necessity":

''We are going to deal with the government that is there,'' senior Obama adviser David Axelrod said. ''And obviously there are issues we need to discuss, such as reducing the high level of corruption. These are issues we'll take up with President Karzai.''

Axelrod said Obama would announce a war strategy ''within weeks.'' A senior U.S. official told The Associated Press that Obama has still not yet decided what to do, and it remains unclear whether he will decide before he goes to Asia on Nov. 11.

COMMENT:  How many months has Obama been in office?  It's going on ten.  He hasn't yet decided what to do?  But he was out campaigning for the disliked governor of New Jersey today.  And yesterday he was holding a Halloween party, with some of his advisers in costume.  One costume, worn by our UN ambassador, was the Disney character, Goofy.  Look, she wore it.  I'm just reporting.

Maybe we'll get a decision on Afghanistan soon.  In the meantime, enjoy all the White House entertainment.

November 1, 2009   Permalink

DISGRACEFUL - AT 4:39 P.M. ET:  I happen to believe that there is room for a reasonable variety of views in each of our two major parties.  Indeed, the genius of American politics is its practicality.  Unlike European parties, ours are not so ideologically based that a change of government produces convulsions. 

But there are limits.  We saw one limit reached today.  In New York's 23rd Congressional District, the focus of national attention, the official Republican candidate, Dede Scozzafava, faced a challenge from Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman.  Hoffman, with the backing of prominent  national Republican leaders, overtook Scozzafava in the polls.  Scozzafava, ostensibly a Republican, actually is to the left of 46% of the Democratic members of the state assembly, where she sits.

Scozzafava dropped out yesterday.  It was expected that this would give Hoffman an easy win.  But today, Ms. Scozzafava endorsed the Democratic candidate, Bill Owens, in an act of disloyalty that should get her thrown out of any respectable party.  She could have remained silent.

Now the race is in turmoil.  If the Dem wins, with Scozzafava's endorsement, it will be a setback for conservative Republicans, who couldn't stomach Scozzafava's phoniness.  Scozzafava will then undoubtedly reap some rewards from the Democratic Party, maybe a job in the administration in Washington. 

Dems are gloating, pointing to the 23rd as evidence that the Republican Party is narrow, intolerant, and is purging moderates.  (Scozzavafa, of course, isn't a moderate, but a liberal, like former Senator Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, who's now become a Democrat.)  Of course, Dems probably won't want to discuss what they did to Joe Lieberman in Connecticut, who dared to stray from the liberal party line on national defense.  And, of course, they won't want to discuss the trashing of Hillary Clinton during the 2008 campaign - even calling her a racist - to advance the 1960s dream of Barack Obama.

We'll watch the 23rd on Tuesday night.  There will be fallout either way.

As for now, we must be tolerant, but within limits.  A party must stand for something. Ms. Scozzafava should be shown the door.

November 1, 2009   Permalink 

HOW MOVING - AT 2:18 P.M. ET:  Bill Clinton is also traveling, having renewed his American Express card.  From AP:

PRISTINA, Kosovo -- Thousands of ethnic Albanians braved low temperatures and a cold wind in Kosovo's capital Pristina to welcome former President Bill Clinton on Sunday as he attended the unveiling of an 11-foot (3.5-meter) statue of himself on a key boulevard that also bears his name.

Clinton is celebrated as a hero by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority for launching NATO's bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999 that stopped the brutal Serb forces' crackdown on independence-seeking ethnic Albanians.

COMMMENT:  No picture of the statue is shown.  We are assuming it shows Clinton alone, and fully clothed. 

November 1, 2009   Permalink

THE TIMES OF INDIA MUST GET WITH THE PROGRAM - AT 10:35 A.M. ET:  It's pretty clear that reporters and editors of The Times of India don't know how to get invited to the proper parties in Georgetown and Manhattan.  Here, the nerve of them, they actually run a story favorable to former President George W. Bush:

NEW DELHI: Prime ministerial lunches are rarely fun affairs. People sort of get on with it, and then get on with their lives. Not on Friday.

Early in the day, former US president George Bush, on a pleasure trip to India, announced cheerily, “I’m off to have lunch with my old pal.”

He sauntered across to the home of his pal, one Manmohan Singh, who famously abandoned his starchy mien to declare this nation’s “deep love” for Bush, then stood stoically through the vicious jokes hurled at him. But for all those present at the “friendly” lunch this afternoon, Bush clearly reciprocated in full measure. The food wasn’t to die for but the conversation, declared one guest, was adequate compensation.

Colleagues reported that Singh was rarely as “chirpy” as he was on Friday afternoon. The conversation was light and sparkling, there was a lot of laughter and banter. So when Singh talked about how much he appreciated the huge gesture of the nuclear deal, Bush quipped, “Yeah, it was a big deal and to get it we had to break a bit of china.”

COMMENT:  Wait a second.  Just wait.  I thought President Bush was hated throughout the world.  I thought they throw shoes 'n stuff at him.  I thought none of these countries actually exist anymore because of BUSH (!!).  I thought...

Maybe I'm reading the wrong papers.  Maybe I'm reading papers.

Fact is, former President Bush is highly respected in many parts of the world - India, the world's largest democracy; Africa, where there are roads named for him; Eastern Europe, which appreciates his stalwart support; Japan; South Korea.  Unfortunately, these aren't the places dear to the hearts of the university and media left.  They much prefer the cafes of Europe and the socialist union halls of the UK. 

Bush, like Truman, will grow in stature.  But some historians and columnists may have to retire first.

November 1, 2009   Permalink

PRESIDENT SLIPPED IN OCTOBER RASMUSSEN POLL - AT 9:38 A.M. ET:  With October now past, Scott Rasmussen sums up the trends for the president during the month, and finds that Mr. Obama dipped a bit:

When tracking President Obama’s job approval on a daily basis, people sometimes get so caught up in the day-to-day fluctuations that they miss the bigger picture. To look at the longer-term trends, Rasmussen Reports compiles the numbers on a full-month basis.

The president’s ratings dipped slightly in October after stabilizing in September.

In October, for the third straight month, 39% Strongly Disapproved of the president’s performance. The number who Strongly Approved fell two percentage points to 29%, the president’s lowest full-month total to date. That leads to a Presidential Approval Index rating of -10, also a new low for Obama.

Also in October, the president’s total approval slipped a point to 48%. His total disapproval remained stable at 51%.

COMMENT:  There is really nothing encouraging on the horizon for the president.  The White House might mention the possible passage of health-care "reform," but that is so controversial that it's hard to see it helping Mr. Obama's cause.  He continues to dither in Afghanistan.  The only thing on time and working smoothly is Air Force One.

November 1, 2009    Permalink

THE GUY FROM IRAN'S MOUNT RUSHMORE SPEAKS - AT 9:16 A.M. ET:  The president of Iran is feeling mighty good these days, and why not?  He's rolling the West in the nuclear talks, giving up nothing while getting plenty of time to develop a nuclear bomb.  This is the fruit of Obama's "engagement" policy.  From AP:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday compared the power of Iran's enemies to a "mosquito," saying Iran now deals with the West over its nuclear activities from a position of power.

He rarely speaks the truth.  This is the rare time.

The comment from Ahmadinejad came as Iran is negotiating with the West over a UN-backed proposal to ship its uranium abroad for further enrichment.

And...

"While enemies have used all their capacities ... the Iranian nation is standing powerfully and they are like a mosquito," a government Web site quoted Ahmadinejad early Sunday as saying.

Ahmadinejad also said Iran doesn't trust the West when it sits for talks.

That's nice to know, now that the West has invested seven years in fruitless talks with the mullah menace.

"Given the negative record of Western powers, the Iranian government ... looks at the talks with no trust. But realities dictate to them to interact with the Iranian nation," he said according to the site.

COMMENT:  The Iranians have essentially turned down our latest offer, but there are indications yet of any punishment.  That has been the problem all along.  We're told, in a report based on an unnamed Washington source, that Obama wants to "play out" the talks.

Maybe the play should stop.  This is not a student government.

November 1, 2009   Permalink   

THE OUTRAGE CONTINUES - AT 8:54 A.M. ET:  A health update:  Earlier this year Scotland, with Britain's assent, released the Lockerbie bomber back to Libya on compassionate grounds, claiming he had only three months to live.  There was outrage at the time, especially from families of the victims of the bombing of PanAm 103 in 1988.  The outrage grew amidst reports that the "deal" involved commercial considerations.

A few weeks ago it was reported that the Lockerbie bomber had died.

Not so fast.

He is alive and well, and past the "three months to live" standard that Britain said it had applied when it agreed to the release. London's Telegraph reports:

The health of the Lockerbie bomber has "not deteriorated" since his release from prison three months ago – despite doctors' assessments that he would have died by now, a senior source has told The Sunday Telegraph.

Of course, he hasn't been subjected to Obamacare.

The disclosure will reignite the row over the release of Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi on compassionate grounds despite his conviction for the murder of 270 people when Pan Am flight 103 exploded in mid-air over Lockerbie in 1988.
Megrahi, who is suffering terminal prostate cancer, was sent home to Libya to die after medical experts concluded in a report on July 30 he had just three months left to live. The time span was crucial because only prisoners with three months or less to survive are eligible for release on compassionate grounds.

Within three weeks of the medical examination by Professor Karol Sikora, one of Britain's leading cancer specialists, Megrahi was put on a plane and sent home to Tripoli to die.

But three months on from Prof Sikora's diagnosis, Megrahi is well enough to "walk and talk" and shows no sign of deterioration, according to a senior source involved in his release.

Watch.  He'll next appear on "Libyan Idol," and win.

COMMENT:  The whole thing is a farce, and an act of appeasement.  We know where appeasement goes.  There should be a formal investigation in Britain.

November 1,  2009   Permalink