The OFlake

clipped from www.americanthinker.com Here's a young man who graduated from Columbia with high marks, with a choice of positions anywhere in the country. He comes from a state generally held to be a close match to Paradise. One, furthermore, that can be characterized as the most successful multiracial society in the world So where does he choose to go? To Chicago. One of the windiest, coldest, most brutal cities in the country. One that is also infinitely corrupt in a sense that Hawaii is not. One that remains one of the most racist large cities in the U.S. (Cicero, Al Capone's old stomping grounds, a suburb that is effectively part of the city, is completely segregated to this day.) It would be nice to learn which of these aspects most attracted young Obama to the city. But if you'd asked at the beginning of the campaign, you'd still be waiting. And what does he do when he reaches the city? Why, he joins a cult.

The Genius

clipped from hotair.com Many believe that Barack Obama chose Joe Biden for his running mate to address a profound weakness on foreign policy.  Power Line points out an example of the Biden prowess on foreign relations that first appeared in href="http://www.tnr.com/columnists/story.html?id=ba9b09bb-ed01-4582-b6ec-444834c9df73&k=93697">The New Republic’s profile of Biden from October 2001.  In a vignette at the end of the article, Biden ponders mightily over how the US should respond to 9/11: At the Tuesday-morning meeting with committee staffers, Biden launches into a stream-of-consciousness monologue about what his committee should be doing, before he finally admits the obvious: “I’m groping here.” Then he hits on an idea: America needs to show the Arab world that we’re not bent on its destruction. “Seems to me this would be a good time to send, no strings attached, a check for $200 million to Iran,” Biden declares. He surveys the table with raised eyebrows, a How do ya like that? look on his face.

Obama Bin Biden: The MBNA Fannie Bus

clipped from hotair.com How thoroughly did Barack Obama vet Joe Biden?  After months of demonizing lobbyists, Obama selected a running mate who has taken millions in contributions from those same lobbyists Obama supposedly eschewed, at least until the DNC started running out of money.  In fact, Biden’s son works as a lobbyist on Capitol Hill, accruing the kind of earmarks that Obama has both decried and pursued: Take a look at the top five industries that donate to Biden as well: Lawyers/law firms Real estate Retired Securities & investment Miscellaneous finance Real estate and miscellaneous finance — wouldn’t that figure into the credit crisis and the housing market collapse? It looks like Obama didn’t just throw Hope and Change under the bus, but himself right along with it.  Whether this is hypocrisy or incompetence, it’s stunning either way.

All Mouth, No Brain

clipped from blogs.abcnews.com "The White House isn't the place to learn how to deal with international crisis, the balance of power, war and peace, and the economic future of the next generation," said a TV ad for Sen. Joe Biden's 1988 presidential campaign.  "A President has got to know the territory, but that's not enough." Campaigning for president in New Hampshire in 1987, href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B0DE4D91F3CF931A1575AC0A961948260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print">Biden admitted he had misstated several facts about his resume after a man named Frank questioned his Syracuse Law School resume. ''I think I have a much higher I.Q. than you do," Biden responded. He added that he ''went to law school on a full academic scholarship - the only one in my class to have a full academic scholarship,'' adding that he ''ended up in the top half'' of his class (not true) and ''graduated with three degrees from college" (not true). Five months later, Biden acknowledged that he graduated 76th in a class of 85.

A good match for Obama in other words...

How Is O Just Like H?

clipped from hotair.com The Washington Post notes an odd coincidence between the University of Chicago Medical Center, where Michelle Obama worked as a vice-president until recently, and a major Barack Obama donor.  The UCMC, under Michelle’s supervision, granted a $650,000 contract to a local minority contractor for upgrading the center’s intranet.  In her 2006 report, Michelle listed only Blackwell Consulting in demonstrating how she had strengthened ties to the local community.  Robert Blackwell, however, turns out to be something more than just a lucky local: EKI claimed that Obama spent long hours perusing contracts and advising them on “compliance and human resources” issues.  Did they get $112,000 worth of advice in 16 months?

Why because hundred thousand dollar wads keep mysteriously landing on their doorsteps of course...

As I've said, at *best* he's Mayor Daley with lipstick and a Che T-shirt.

Is Obama An Idiot? Yes.

clipped from www.powerlineblog.com So our "charging into" Iraq--with dozens of allies, supported by a U.N. resolution, as a last resort after six months of build-up and negotiations, to unseat one of the cruelest dictators of modern times who had twice invaded neighboring states, was in violation of more than a dozen U.N. resolutions and was responsible for the deaths of something like two million people, who was shooting at American aircraft and had tried to assassinate a former President of the United States, in Obama's childish mind, was just like Russia's "charging into" Georgia, which resembles Saddam's Iraq in no respect. And, of course, we invaded a horrifying charnel-house so as to establish a democracy, whereas Russia invaded a peaceful democracy that it wants to re-incorporate into its empire.

Other Than That

clipped from campaignspot.nationalreview.com Speaking of opposing military action, I note that Obama said at Saddleback that opposing the war was the most gut-wrenching decision he's ever had to make, partially "because there were political consequences." Obama was a liberal Democratic state senator running in a Democratic primary against other liberal Democrats, when the base of the Democratic party staunchly and passionately opposed invading Iraq. MoveOn.org and every major liberal grassroots group was organizing and mobilizing opponents of the war. No Democrat suffered any serious political consequence for opposing the 1991 Persian Gulf War, and that well-executed war ended up being of no serious benefit to President George H. W. Bush. But other than that, I'm sure the political consequences were huge.

Thank You For Disabusing Me

clipped from www.powerlineblog.com Hugh Hewitt draws on David Freddoso's reportage to demonstrate the factitious quality of Obama's account: Obama cited McCain here as his cover for acting in a bipartisan or non-partisan fashion. The detailed account of this "teamwork" from David Freddoso's new book [The Case Against Barack Obama, pp. 97-99] puts the lie to Obama's account. In fact Obama approached McCain and "promised to work with him seriously on a bipartisan lobbying and ethics reform package," in February 2006. After some work "McCain thought they had an agreement." Freddoso then reprints the account of the Obama double-cross reported by Marc Ambinder, then working for the highly respect National Journal. Obama sent McCain a letter backing out of the effort.. McCain responded with a blistering rebuke. "I concluded your professed concern for the institution and the public interest was genuine and admirable," McCain responded. "[T]hank you for disabusing me of such notions."

Chutzpah.

Odacity Update

clipped from online.wsj.com Speaking before the Veterans of Foreign Wars this morning, Barack Obama delivered an amazing show of chutzpah. John McCain had addressed the VFW yesterday, and as the Associated Press reports, he was predictably critical of Obama: McCain . . . said Obama "tried to legislate failure" in the Iraq war and had put his ambition to be president above the interests of the United States. He said the Illinois senator did this by pushing for a timetable for withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq In politics one often hears the charge of hypocrisy: My opponent criticizes me for X, but he has done Y, which is just as bad or worse. Obama's argument here, though, is roughly opposite in form. He concedes that McCain is above reproach on this particular subject and therefore demands that McCain treat him as if he were beyond reproach. Obama's acknowledgment of a McCain virtue is well and good, but it does not mitigate or excuse his own shortcoming.

Luddites (Part 6,386,724)

clipped from planetgore.nationalreview.com The WSJ has a great editorial today on the biggest obstacles to implementing green power: Democrats and environmentalists. An excerpt: In this year's great energy debate, Democrats describe a future when the U.S. finally embraces the anything-but-carbon avant-garde. It turns out, however, that when wind and solar power do start to come on line, they face a familiar obstacle: environmentalists and many Democrats. To wit, the greens are blocking the very transmission network needed for renewable electricity to move throughout the economy. The best sites for wind and solar energy happen to be in the sticks — in the desert Southwest where sunlight is most intense for longest, or the plains where the wind blows most often. To exploit this energy, utilities need to build transmission lines to connect their electricity to the places where consumers actually live. Arnold Schwarzenegger said recently. "They say that we want renewable energy, but we don't want you to put it anywhere."

Nevermind

clipped from campaignspot.nationalreview.com I and others had noted that Obama had been caught in a (charitable interpretation) misstatement or (less charitable interpretation) lie on voting against three Born Alive Protection bills in the state legislature. The National Right To Life went back and found one of them included the exact provision that Obama said he needed to vote yes; he called them liars Saturday night. Others and I thought Obama had to put up or shut up on a charge like that. A day later, his campaign explains... "eh, nevermind." He had other concerns at the time, that he never bothered to mention until now. Well, that clears things up.

A Lie Gets Halfway Around The World

clipped from www.lifenews.com Lake Forest, CA (LifeNews.com) -- During the presidential forum on Saturday night, pro-abortion presidential candidate Barack Obama repeated the erroneous claim that abortions have not declined under President Bush. The idea behind is the claim is to make it appear that pro-life policies don't reduce abortions. Yet that claim doesn't square with the latest national abortion numbers put forward by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a research firm associated with Planned Parenthood, the abortion business that has endorsed Obama. "The claim is repeated by supporters of abortion rights as evidence that Bush's anti-abortion policies have backfired, or at least been ineffective," it added. "But the claim is untrue. In fact, according to the respected Alan Guttmacher Institute, a 20-year decline in abortion rates continued after Bush took office."

The Manchurian Candidate (Part 92355)

clipped from campaignspot.nationalreview.com Just to review, the public cannot get access to paperwork related grants distributed by then-state-legislator Obama (records from 1997 to 2000 aren't available); his state legislative office records (which he says may have been thrown out); he refuses to release a specific list of law clients, instead giving a list of all of his firm's clients, numbering several hundred each year; he won't release his application to the state bar (where critics wonder if he lied in responding to questions about parking tickets and past drug use); he’s never released any legal or billing records to verify that he only did a few hours of work for a nonprofit tied to convicted donor Rezko; and he's never released any medical records, just a one-page letter from his doctor. Now the University of Illinois at Chicago is denying Stanley Kurtz access to documents relating to the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a small foundation, founded and inspired by Bill Ayers, for which Obama served as board chairman.

Above His Pay Grade To Tell The Truth

clipped from hotair.com In this version, Obama finally acknowledges that the bill he shot down as committee chair had the neutrality clause, but now he voted against it because it would have had some deleterious effect on abortion law.  As the NRLC points out to Berman, that’s flat-out untrue.  The neutrality clause Obama now acknowledge existed in the law explicitly stated that the law had no intent on affecting abortions in which the fetus did not survive; that was the entire point of the neutrality clause.  Even without it, in the language of the original bill, the law clearlt stated that it only applied to infants born alive. So Obama lied, and in typical fashion for liars, lashed out at the people who exposed the lie before finally acknowledging it.  He told David Brody in his CBN interview taped Saturday that he found it “offensive” that people pushed him on this issue, and 24 hours later the campaign folded on the point.

ODu'oh

clipped from corner.nationalreview.com If he truly believes that knowing when life begins is "above [his] pay grade" wouldn't any even moderately sophisticated moral code demand that he then err on the side of caution in deciding when to end that potential life?

And Don't Forget Medicare

clipped from corner.nationalreview.com Bottom line: Obama takes the top marginal tax rate to a level it hasn't been at for more than 20 years, and for the trouble he fills 15 percent of Social Security's shortfall. If the program's problems are as trifling as Obama makes them out to be, why does he whiff on the solution? Biggs also has a nice answer to a bogus statistic: Sen. Obama says, "Social Security has lifted millions of seniors and their families out of poverty. Without it, nearly 50 percent of seniors would live below the poverty line." This is a common talking point, but let's be clear on what it means: if we forced people to pay Social Security taxes all their lives but didn't pay them any benefits, yes, nearly 50 percent of seniors would live below the poverty line. But this is a silly standard. If we were truly "without" Social Security, we would also be without Social Security taxes, which individuals could then save on their own for retirement.

Not More Than Wildly Extreme. Move Along Now.

clipped from article.nationalreview.com In 2001, Senator Barack Obama was the only member of the Illinois senate to speak against a bill that would have recognized premature abortion survivors as “persons.” The bill was in response to a Chicago-area hospital that was leaving such babies to die. Obama voted “present” on the bill after denouncing it. It passed the state Senate but died in a state house committee. In 2003, a similar bill came before Obama’s health committee. He voted against it. But this time, the legislation was slightly different. This latter version was identical to the federal Born-Alive Infants Protection Act, which by then had already passed the U.S. Senate unanimously (with a hearty endorsement even from abortion advocate Sen. Barbara Boxer) and had been signed into law by President Bush. Obama is currently misleading people about what he voted against, specifically claiming that the bill he voted against in his committee lacked “neutrality” language on Roe v. Wade. The bill did contain this language.

The (Sadly) Irrelevant

clipped from www.nytimes.com As a Lebanese-Christian immigrant who spent her girlhood amid the bloody devastation of the Lebanese civil war, you have lately emerged as one of the most vehement critics of radical Islam in this country. Are you concerned that your new book, “They Must Be Stopped,” will feed animosity toward Muslims? I do not think I am feeding animosity. I am bringing an issue to light. I disapprove of any religion that calls for the killing of other people. If Christianity called for that, I would condemn it. What about all the moderate Muslims who represent our hope for the future? Why don’t you write about them? The moderate Muslims at this point are truly irrelevant. I grew up in the Paris of the Middle East, and because we refused to read the writing on the wall, we lost our country to Hezbollah and the radicals who are now controlling it.

Worthless

clipped from www.davidwarrenonline.com As I write this, I have just read a short account -- an admirable piece by a BBC correspondent in the Black Sea port of Poti, Georgia, writing without their permission right under their noses -- of the Russians “in control and on the move.” Together with many other short reports from around Georgia, it makes clear that the Russians are not observing the ceasefire agreement that President Sarkozy of France brought to Moscow, and induced the President of Georgia to sign; and that their purpose from the start was not to “free South Ossetia” (easily accomplished, given its tiny size), but rather to make an example of Georgia. These things are happening on undisputed Georgian territory, after the Georgians have ceased to fight, and after Russian troops have fully occupied both Abkhasia and South Ossetia. They confirm that the word of the Russian government is worthless. We should not forget this when listening to Russian assurances on other topics

Why Wasn't It?

clipped from sciencepolicy.colorado.edu The story is a remarkable indictment of the corruption and cynicism that is rife among climate scientists, and I’m going to try to tell it in layman’s language so that the average blog reader can understand it. In response to the Bishop Hill piece McIntyre writes: There’s a definite foolhardiness and contemptuousness of the public by the IPCC and, in particular, the core of the Hockey Team. . . Every step of the process has been publicly documented. You’d think that they’d have been extra diligent in their reviewing. Instead, what we see is one thing botched after another and one sly manouevre after another. If this is representative of how climate articles are written and how climate peer reviewing is done, what a pathetic performance. They might say - well, this is a bad example. To which I’d say, well, you knew that it was in the public eye, it should have been a good example, why wasn’t it?

The (Unintended) Advantage

clipped from outsidethewire.com With the Russian Bear deciding the 'Great Game ' is back on and steady growth of the Chinese military--History and big geopolitics is, as Robert Kagan says , making a comeback. Geopolitics and History invariably lead to the Clauswitzian politics by other means--war. And in those other means, the United States has a distinct advantage over all others--not just in machines and materials--but where it counts the most:  NCO and Officer Leadership. On March 20th, 2003, when the U.S. led coaltion crossed from Kuwait into Iraq, very few officers and non-commissioned officers of any rank had actual combat experience. Five years and several months later--the United States military is one of the most combat-experienced militaries in history. Virtually every U.S. Rifle Platoon has something the Russian and Chinese military do not--experience in a gun fight.

In A Rusty Russian Tank Shell

clipped from www.powerlineblog.com Michael Ramirez brings together two of the central issues of our time in this cartoon; click to enlarge:

What Went Wrong?

clipped from www.americanthinker.com For a few brief years, the East no longer believed the tale of its political and ideological bosses.  Hong Kong, not Beijing, was the future of China.  Bricks of the Berlin Wall were solid souvenirs of Marx's folly.  Russians dreamed of a joyful future.  Reagan had been Washington again, and when Madison and Jefferson did their work, the world would be well, so it seemed. Then nothing happened.  When Reagan left office, it was like when Lincoln was shot. The Presidency in eight short years went from being occupied by a moral colossus to a moral dwarf.  Clinton sold national security secrets for something as banal as campaign contributions.  Although Yeltsin was President of Russia during all of Clinton's administration, our clever Clinton was unable to prevent on August 19, 1998 - one decade ago - the collapse of Russian financial markets and the destruction of the hope of a Russian middle class.

The Crucial Car

clipped from www.nytimes.com TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. — General Motors said Thursday that it had “essentially finished” designing its first plug-in hybrid car, the Chevrolet Volt, and would have production-ready prototypes within 10 days. The automaker still has considerable work to do on the car’s lithium-ion battery and other technology in the two years before the Volt is scheduled to go on sale, but completing the design is a milestone for what is arguably the most crucial car in decades for G.M. The Volt would be able to travel at least 40 miles on battery power alone, G.M. said. The battery is recharged by plugging a cord into a household outlet. As of Thursday afternoon, 35,750 people from all 50 states and 63 countries had signed up on an unofficial waiting list for the car at gm-volt.com, a Web site run by a neurologist in New Jersey who is not affiliated with G.M. The doctor, Lyle Dennis, started the site as a fan when G.M. announced the car.

"Special Interests"

clipped from www.realclearpolitics.com We take it for granted that a vote means a secret ballot but it was not always that way. Moreover, it will not remain that way for workers who vote on whether or not they want a labor union, if legislation sponsored by Congressional Democrats and endorsed by Senator Barack Obama becomes law. Before there were secret ballots, voters dared not express their true preferences if those who watched them vote could retaliate-- whether by firing them, beating them up or in other ways. Anyone who is serious about people being free to express themselves with their votes wants a secret ballot. Senator Obama has also said many times that he is against "special interests." But, like most politicians who say that, he means that he is against other politicians' special interests. His own special interests are never called special interests.

Carpet Or Paint

clipped from www.nytimes.com Big arrays of mirrors that concentrate sunlight to run turbines, which first emerged in the early 1980s, are resurgent in sun-baked places like the American Southwest, Spain and Australia. Some developers say this solar thermal technology is competitive now with power generated by natural gas when demand, and prices, hit periodic peaks. With more research, the solar thermal method might allow for storing energy. Currently, all solar power is hampered by a lack of storage capability. “The scale on which things actually have to happen on energy is not fully either appreciated or transmitted to the public,” said Dr. Lewis of Caltech. “You have to find a really cheap way to capture that light, for the price of carpet or paint, and also convert it efficiently into something humans can use for energy.”

The Godfather Today

clipped from corner.nationalreview.com In addition to the measures that have been announced over the last couple of days — our military's humanitarian mission to Georgia, a missile-defense agreement with Poland, etc. — the administration should immediately withdraw its submission of the nuclear cooperation pact and make clear that a mafia family dressed up as a regime cannot be a strategic partner of the United States.  We must also acknowledge that what passes for our Iran policy — which depends critically on the fantasy that Russia is a cooperative friend rather than a sneaky, proliferating enemy — is a failure and must be rethought.

The Jesus Paper

clipped from bishophill.squarespace.com There has been the most extraordinary series of postings at Climate Audit over the last week. As is usual at CA, there is a heavy mathematics burden for the casual reader, which, with a bit of research I think I can now just about follow. The story is a remarkable indictment of the corruption and cyncism that is rife among climate scientists, and I'm going to try to tell it in layman's language so that the average blog reader can understand it. As far as I know it's the first time the whole story has been set out in a single posting. It's a long tale - and the longest posting I think I've ever written and piecing it together from the individual CA postings has been a long, hard but fascinating struggle. You may want to get a long drink before starting, and those who suffer from heart disorders may wish to take their beta blockers first.

A Great New Base

clipped from corner.nationalreview.com The Russian Black Sea fleet is based at Sevastopol (as it has been for eons) under a 20-year lease that expires on 2017.  The Ukrainian government has made it clear that Russia can forget about renewing the lease. But there is another dimension to this — the balance of power.  Russia knows that its invasion of a democratic U.S. ally and forcible alteration of its borders is a heavy strategic blow to the United States: it makes a mockery of the value of an alliance with us.  Russia must be made to see that its action will be answered by an even more grievous strategic blow.  The loss of Sevastopol — Russia's equivalent of Norfolk — is the perfect punishment.  And what a great new base it would make for the U.S. Sixth Fleet.

Blinking And (Hood)Winking

clipped from www.usnews.com This is a pretty big change for Obamanomics. Economic advisers Austan Goolsbee and Jason Furman, in today's Wall Street Journal, now say that Barack Obama's tax plan will do the following: 1) It will increase capital gains and dividend tax rates, to 20 percent, only for families making over $250,000. Before, Obama was hinting at rates as high as 28 percent for everyone. 2) On the issue of the Social Security income cap, he's now considering a plan that would make folks earning over $250,000 pay in the range of 2 to 4 percentage points more in total (combined employer and employee) payroll taxes. Previously, there were hints at increases of from 6 percent to 12 percentage points. recent research shows that tax hikes may be less harmful if accompanied by spending cuts. Yet Obama is planning huge and specific spending increases matched by often vague spending reductions. Clintonomics was all about balancing the budget. This is not a priority for Obama.

1864 Update

clipped from www.americanthinker.com A nation enduring hard times. A frustrating war, a doubtful president. Public turmoil, political disagreement, future prospects uncertain as best. Then a figure appears from nowhere, a secular messiah from the heartland -- unique, appealing, promising solutions that are effective, fast, and easy. He stirs up an immediate and vastly excited following across the country, though many share quiet doubts. I'm well aware what this sounds like. But in fact the year is 1861, and we're speaking of George B. McClellan. McClellan did not sit still. In the 1864 presidential election, after insisting he wouldn't run, he accepted the Democratic nomination at the behest of the Copperheads, a pro-slavery and anti-war group in effective control of the party. Under a McClellan presidency, the South would have been allowed to go its way, slavery would have prevailed for further decades, and a second civil war, perhaps fought with the techniques and pure viciousness of WW I, would have been inevitable.

The Lesson

clipped from www.americanthinker.com Thousands of  Obama's foreign donations ended in cents. The  "cents" did not make sense. And we compared McCain donation documentss  to Obama's. McCain's records are nothing like Obama's. McCain's are so clean. No cents, all even dollar amounts.  But Obama's contained thousands of strange, odd amounts -- evidence of foreign contributors, since Americans living overseas would almost uniformly be able to contribute dollars. Still no media. So here an intrepid blogger finds a keg of dynamite of dirty dollar donations to Obama and what does the media do? They ignore it. And when forced to confront it by the sheer newsworthiness of the story, what happens? They go after McCain. They punish McCain. And that is meant to be a lesson to all of us,  Whatever you find, whatever you discover about the Candidate of Mystery, they will blow it back in your face. And they did. Almost immediately.

Political, Not Geological

clipped from reason.com The media constantly repeat the claim that it would take a decade to get the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) into oil production and about as long for offshore continental oil to start flowing. Most accounts promote the views of extreme environmentalists to make the issue appear so hopeless that we must instead "change our way of life" rather than tap into proven oil reserves. In July, CNN repeatedly reported that offshore drilling would take "seven to 10 years" to get into production. Yet Brazil's Petrobras expects its new finds in extraordinarily deep waters to already be producing 100,000 barrels per day in just two years. What is wrong with American oil companies that they would take so long? In fact, the world oil shortage is political, not geological. In the U.S., the government prohibits drilling offshore.

Lightening Strike

clipped from blog.wired.com Boeing announced today the first ever test firing of a real-life ray gun that could become US special forces' way to carry out covert strikes with "plausible deniability." In tests earlier this month at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser -- a modified C-130H aircraft -- "fired its high-energy chemical laser through its beam control system. The beam control system acquired a ground target and guided the laser beam to the target, as directed by ATL's battle management system." The claim that a laser strike could be carried out without attribution appears in two separate briefing documents by Air Force personnel, describing the benefits of the new directed energy weapon. Without any previous cases to go on, no pathologist could definitely say that a laser was involved. The injury might resemble a lightning strike more than anything else.