Isn’t that great?? Well, it would be if it was actually true. But it is not. For instance, did you know that Puerto Rico has 99 districts? Nope, me, either. Because they don’t. They have 1 (one). How about Arizona? Heck, they’ve got at least 38 (thirty-eight), right? Oh, wait, no they don’t – they have 8 (eight). The alleged “recovered jobs” bragged about by Biden and how our stimulus money is being spent don’t quite match up. I know, big surprise (almost as much as the following report being on ABCNews):

Wow that’s some “state of the art system” you got going on there, Joe. And I am SOOOOO sure that all of the problems are the result of people not knowing in which district they live. Oh, sure. Because it is so difficult to access that information. I mean, really, you might need to make a PHONE CALL or something. Or look it up on “the internets,” if it isn’t in the area in which you live. Because then, you could just take a little look-see at your voter registration card! Gosh, I am just stunned that they would not be getting these numbers right!

Speaking of jobs, check out these headlines:

This is exactly why so many of us are concerned about the Government running our health care system. Can you say fraud? If they cannot even get this right, how are they going to adequately address issues of life and death?? I don’t think even an abacus could help out there …

H/T to Hot Air for this video. It is very short, so please stay with it.

Obama attempts to reassure “folks” at a town hall that health care reform does not mean long lines, nor does it mean the private insurers will be run out of business. How does he do it? He states that Fed Ex and UPS are still doing fine – it’s the post office that’s having problems.

Um. Isn’t the post office government run?

Does his “example” reassure you? Inquiring minds want to know.

Chat away.

It’s time to slap an official seal on our Vice President’s yapper. This otherwise likeable guy is also a one-man blooper extravaganza.

Now he’s done it again. But this time it isn’t as laughoffable as asking a man in the wheelchair to stand up and take a bow. Or as whacky as telling people that we must spend money to keep from going bankrupt. Or only flubbing names, such as referring to Justice Roberts as “Justice Stewart.” Or John McCain as “George” during his VP acceptance speech. Or demoting Sara Palin to “Lieutenant Governor” of Alaska. Or reinventing history by recounting President Roosevelt’s televised 1929 commentary on the stock market crash. (Besides no TV yet, Hoover was President at that time.)

This time Biden’s so-called gaffe caused us some real trouble!

In an interview with the Wall street Journal, our Vice President referred to Russia as a “limping and humbled nation.”

…Mr. Biden pointed out that the U.S. and Russia aren’t strategic equals. “I think we vastly underestimate the hand that we hold,” he said, noting that Russia’s economy and population are “withering.” “They’re in a situation where the world is changing before them and they’re clinging to something in the past that is not sustainable.” As for the arsenal Russia inherited from the U.S.S.R., Mr. Biden said, “They can’t sustain it.”

Tensions were already palpable between the two superpowers, and Biden’s suggestion that Russia’s economic troubles would force the Kremlin to cooperate with us on national security issues did not play as another “crazy Joe gaffe” over there.

Ellen Barry writing for the New York Times has this take:

Within hours, a top Kremlin aide had released a barbed statement comparing Mr. Biden to Dick Cheney. Commentators announced Mr. Biden’s emergence as Washington’s new “gray cardinal” — the figure who, from the shadows, makes all the decisions that matter. Others said Washington’s mask had been torn off, revealing Mr. Obama’s “reset” as at best insubstantial and at worst duplicitous.

It will also be hard to convince the Kremlin that the comments don’t indicate a deeper drama. Russians have spent months searching for clues to Mr. Obama’s true intentions; when Mr. Obama killed a fly during a television interview shortly before traveling to Moscow, for example, several analysts here interpreted it as a message to Russia.

One can hope that the creation of a bilateral commission led by Presidents Obama and Medvedev will soften Biden’s verbal assault and lead to better communications and mechanisms for ongoing cooperation. Fortunately for us, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be in charge of this project. Secretary Clinton also tried to help clean up Biden’s oral poop during her appearance on Meet the Press by noting that, “We view Russia as a great power. I don’t think that’s at all what the vice president meant. Every country faces challenges. We have our challenges; Russia has their challenges.”

Finally, here is my favorite Biden gaffe. On September 11, 2008, almost a month before the election, in Nashua, New Hampshire Biden blurted out, “Hillary Clinton is as qualified or more qualified than I am to be vice president of the United States of America. Quite frankly it might have been a better pick than me.”

I think he got that one right.

In honor of that (in)auspicious occasion, I would like to share this happy little tune with you, one I am sure you will be singing the rest of the day (H/T to NQ writer Ani for this), to celebrate a different kind of Happy Hour:

Now, don’t you just feel better about everything that as been going on for the past 7 months? Make that 17 months? I knew it would. Go have a drink of Kool Aide, and I am sure you WILL feel better in no time!

By the way, Sgt Crowley avoided the rays of Hope and Change emanating from President Obama. He said that they “agreed to disagree.” Hmmm – I wonder if he has some kind of antidote to the Kool Aide? Now THAT would be a study on which I would be willing to have my tax dollars spent, wouldn’t you??

Consider this an Open Thread. Have at it!

I want to express my appreciation for the opportunity to tell jokes that weren’t funny enough for me to use when we did this five weeks ago. (Laughter.) Whatever. (Laughter.) The jokes may not be as good, but neither is the guest list. (Laughter.) I’m just joking. For me, there’s no contest. Why bother hanging out with celebrities when I can spend time with the people who made me one? (Laughter.) I know where my bread is buttered.

I should say so, Mr. President. The Press threw a yearlong party for you and stuck us with the bill. This video captures part of his remarks:

It is great to be here with so much talent from the world of TV and radio. Despite the flood of new media, I think your programming is more relevant than ever before. At least, that’s the impression I get when I read the blogs every day. (Laughter.)

I appreciate his compliment. Surely big media is increasingly irrelevant while citizen journalists on blogs like this one are doing a helluva lot more to hold our representatives’ feet the fire. Wonder how the Press who have been disseminating his Kool-Aid feel about being told they are, collectively, “his bitch?” The camera cut away to Chris Matthews not looking at all amused. Whatsamatter, Chris, are ya’ pissed the President doesn’t get a tingle up his leg about you?

Mika Brzezinski is here, I believe, in the house. (Applause.) Mika and I have a lot in common. We both have partners named Joe who used to be in Congress and don’t know when to stop talking. (Laughter.)

Gee, I guess Scarborough being the only holdout on MSNBC who thinks our President is kinda goofy has not escaped Obama’s notice. It seems quite narcissistic to so closely monitor every single lowly person who has the temerity to criticize you. But surely VP Biden has done just as much in that regard – thanks, Joe – both of you!

And President Obama cannot help but insult his own senior staff. He talked about wanting to turn Larry Summers into a hologram – you ain’t alone, Mr. President. And of course the evening would not be complete without deriding his very successful and very popular Secretary of State and intimating that her staff wants to maim her:

Now, one person that you know could not be here tonight is Secretary Hillary Clinton. As most of you know, Hillary broke her elbow a few days ago on her way to the White House. And we all wish her a very speedy recovery. I do have to say, though, that while it’s been reported as an accident, there were some suspicious. (Laughter.) Just before the incident, Secret Service spotted Richard Holbrooke spraying WD-40 — (laughter) — all over the driveway. (Laughter.)

No, Mr. President, but I wonder if that’s what you wanted to do – (laughter) – all during the Primary. (laughter).

Not surprisingly, Andrea Mitchell was the one who laughed the loudest at the President’s joke. Why shouldn’t she? She had plenty WD-40 of her own waiting for Hillary last year.

But this is the piece de resistance:

I have to admit, though, it wasn’t easy coming up with fresh material for this dinner. A few nights ago, I was up tossing and turning, trying to figure out exactly what to say. Finally, when I couldn’t get back to sleep, I rolled over and asked Brian Williams what he thought. (Laughter and applause.)

Good one, Mr. President. Brian Williams certainly is in bed with you. Yes, it’s all said in jest, but I wonder if deep down it irks Williams, aka “Mr. Gravitas,” that the man to whom he just bowed his head in an interview sees fit to humiliate him in public. Well, Brian, you broke it, you bought it.

The President then pointed out to more laughter out how “ABC is planning a series called “Dancing with the Czars.” Yeah, let’s celebrate the fact that the people supposed to be doing their jobs can’t do their jobs because we have all these “czars” in the way running interference at every turn. Wow. That is side splitting.

Look, it’s nothing personal, but this dinner conflicts with my date night. (Laughter.) I was supposed to be going out with Michelle for Thai food. In Bangkok. (Laughter and applause.)

That’s a laugh riot! Unemployment keeps rising but you keep making jokes about giving us bread and circuses, spending taxpayer money on these extravagant personal junkets. George Bush got himself into a lot of trouble for giving the impression he was “fiddling while Rome burns.” Let’s see how this behavior works out for you with the voters…

I found this next section particularly telling:

Of course, most of my attention has been focused here back home. As you know, we’ve been working around the clock to repair our major financial institutions and our auto companies. But you probably wouldn’t understand the concept of troubled industries, working as you do in the radio and television.
AUDIENCE: Oooh!
THE PRESIDENT: Oh — we don’t joke about that, huh? (Laughter.) That’s not funny. (Laughter.)

I realize some may hate Hollywood or news networks and blame them for electing Obama, but be aware there are many honorable rank and file folks in TV, radio and film who may not agree with his politics but they still have to feed their families – they are unemployed now too. This is a multi-billion dollar industry that helps keep our country afloat, as much as any other successful industry does. To deride it seems rather ungracious to me. But why not, Mr. President, you’ve got your book deal, right?

And after he made jokes about his fly swatting prowess…here’s a few more tasty treats:

Now, the challenges we face are many, and I’ll be honest — I don’t have all the answers. And when I’m not sure what’s right, I often ask myself, “WWLD?” What would a wise Latino do? …
(snip)
Another difficult challenge is how to help our automakers thrive in the 21st century. We’ve tried a number of different approaches, and tonight, I’m announcing a new one. It’s a plan passed on to me by a close friend and advisor, Oprah Winfrey. So if each of you will look under your seat, you find that — (laughter) — you get a car company! (Laughter.) You get a car company! And FOX — you get AIG. (Laughter.) Enjoy!

The truth is, as I’ve said all along, I have no ambition to run an auto company. I’m not the salesman-in-chief. And GM will rise or fall on the quality of its products — like the taut, athletic design of the new Buick Enclave. (Laughter.) It’s French-seamed leather and warm wood tones make the Enclave more than transportation. (Applause.) It’s a modern driver’s retreat. (Laughter.) Come on, work with me here. I’ve got cars to move, people! (Applause.)

It makes me so happy that the President can mine so much good comedy material from our economic problems and his horrid policies; buying an automaker that even he does not think is much good. Mission Accomplished, Mr. President. Oops. Sorry. That was the other one who said that. Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.

In closing, the President said the following:

…[D]espite the jokes I’ve told, I’m here tonight because I appreciate the work that all of you do and the role that you play. You report the news as it happens, and you’re covering history as it’s made. With a handheld camera or a mic, or now even a cell phone or a blog, you bring the truth to people and allow people to bring truth to the world.

Well, I’m not sure who in our fourth estate is bringing the truth to the world anymore, but perhaps some of them will take the President’s suggestion to heart and find a way to do their jobs again.

Ten days before taking office Obama’s economic team released a report predicting unemployment would remain at 8 percent or below through the year if an economic stimulus plan was rushed through Congress (and it was rushed – so much so that no one read it).

The Bureau of Labor Statistics issued a report that unemployment in May rose to 9.4 percent.

“Biden said the White House is keenly aware of the gap between the rhetoric used to sell fast passage of the legislation and the reality that has 14.5 million people unemployed.

“No one realized how bad the economy was. The projections, in fact, turned out to be worse. But we took the mainstream model as to what we thought — and everyone else thought — the unemployment rate would be,” Biden said.

“At the time our forecast seemed reasonable. Now, looking back, it was clearly too optimistic,” he told reporters last Monday.”

“Everyone guessed wrong at the time the estimate was made about what the state of the economy was at the moment this was passed,” Biden said.

At least Biden admits it was a “guess”.

Perhaps the Stimulus Package has done little to help the number of jobs lost because most of it has yet to be spent. Only 6 percent of the funds have been disbursed.

According to Hans Bader from Open Market.org the stimulus package is harming the economy “both by triggering trade wars that have cost at least 40,000 jobs, and by driving up interest rates for businesses that need to borrow money to expand or create jobs.”

As economist Arnold Kling explains, “most of the stimulus spending does not take place until next year and beyond, so the short-run gains are puny. On the other hand, the big increase in the projected deficit creates the expectation of higher interest rates, which raises interest rates now. These higher interest rates serve to weaken the economy. According to this standard analysis, the stimulus is going to hurt GDP now, when we could use the most help. Much of the spending will kick in a year or more from now,” when the economy will already be in recovery, and “when the economy will need little, if any, stimulus. This is the flaw with using spending rather than tax cuts as a stimulus. The lags are longer when you use spending. Of course, if the real goal is to promote government at the expense of civil society” through “political favoritism, then the stimulus is working exactly as intended.”

Another Biden admission: “There are going to be mistakes made. . . . We know some of this money is going to be wasted.”

Oh, ok. Thanks for letting us know. I’m glad he knows, and accepts that tax payer money will be wasted. What happened to the online transparency that would allow us to see exactly where and how this money will be spent? Can’t we do something to avoid wasting the money on projects like these:

In Minneapolis, the City Council voted recently to spend $2 million in stimulus funds on a vacant 99-year-old theater that developers want to convert into a center for dance. The project would create about 48 permanent jobs, city documents indicate.

In the competition for the limited stimulus money, the council awarded less than $300,000 to a company that wants to open a solar-energy-panel manufacturing plant that would create 360 jobs by 2011, according to city records.

Because the solar plant didn’t get more funding, its chief executive officer, Joel Cannon, said he wouldn’t be able to open the plant in Minneapolis.

Or this one:

It is a six-mile stretch of guardrail near a manufactured lake in a desolate patch of the Oklahoma Panhandle. There’s little reason for anyone to visit. Weeds are overgrown; the lake bed is virtually dry.

Yet repairing the guardrail is on a list of projects developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to tap into President Obama’s $787-billion economic stimulus program. The price tag: more than $1.1 million.

As Obama moves to accelerate the flow of federal stimulus funds, public officials are voicing concerns that some of the projects being devised are of dubious merit.

Bill Beach, director of the Center for Data Analysis at the Heritage Foundation, said the unemployment figures are likely to rise even if the economy recovers soon from this worst economic downturn in decades. That is because recessions follow a typical pattern.

“Unemployment usually continues to rise for around six months after the economy has recovered,” he said. “I would expect the unemployment rate to rise into the middle of 2010,” Beach said. As for the length of the recession, economists differ. “I fully expect the recession to be over in the next several months,” Beach said.

Barry Bosworth, former presidential advisor and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, however, said the downturn is still getting worse and that there are still no signs of a turnaround. As there is no increase in production, there will be no growth in employment, he said.

A Rasmussen poll last week showed that only 39% believed that stimulus spending would help the economy, compared with 44% who said it wouldn’t.

The poll also showed that 45% of respondents believed the stimulus program should be canceled, compared with 36% who wanted to keep it going.

“This is the first time in more than two years that this poll has shown that voters trust Republicans more than Democrats (45 percent to 39 percent) with the economy, perhaps a sign of the effect of the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies (the poll was taken right after GM announced its bankruptcy).”

So…what do you think? Money well (yet to be) spent?

Bill Beach said in the article that if there is one silver lining in this recession, it is that it could spur a rash of entrepreneurialism.

When people are laid off, many opt to start their own businesses. While many new ventures fail, some become successful and grow, creating more jobs.

Recessions are also a good time for entrepreneurs to secure a labor force, as the pool of unemployed people is large and many will jump at a job opportunity, he said.

Well, there’s some good news. So, who has the next big idea? I wish I would have invented the Snuggie…

President Obama should just join the cast of “I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here!” It’s not that farfetched; he’s been on everything else….(snip) …there’s a fine line between being transparent and being overexposed. Every time you turn on the TV, there’s Obama. He’s getting a puppy! He’s eating a cheeseburger with Joe Biden! …(snip) I get it: You love being on TV. I love my bong, but I take it out of my mouth every once in a while. The other day, I caught myself saying to a friend, “Don’t tell me if he’s fixed the economy yet, I’m Tivo-ing it.”
(snip)
You’re the president, not a rerun of “Law and Order.” Save some charisma for a rainy day. Taking strangers from a TV show on a tour of your house? We have that show; it’s called “Cribs.” And letting reporters ask you questions like “You like to be the one who picks out the shaving cream, don’t you?” Or as it’s called today, “journalism.” I was willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt until I saw him take Brian Williams into his bedroom, and at the end of the bed there was a teleprompter and it said, “Who’s your daddy?”

…we see your name in the paper a lot, but we’re kind of wondering when you’re actually going to do something.

Are ya’ kiddin’ me, Bill? We’ve been saying this for two years! But it took YOU two years of idol worship to finally find a halfway coherent moment? Mr. Maher, snarky as ever, states:

Remember during the campaign when John McCain attacked Obama for acting like a celebrity and we all laughed at the grumpy old shellshocked fool? Well, it turns out he was right. Sorry, senator. I’m sending a nice gift basket of high-fiber muffins your way.

Well, no, Bill. WE didn’t laugh at Senator McCain because WE didn’t find him grumpy, old or shell-shocked. YOU did. WE knew he was spot on the money. And Hillary Clinton was also spot on the money when she said:

“Senator McCain and I bring a lifetime of service, Senator Obama has a speech he gave in 2002.”

But you were so busy trashing her on your show every week, it never once occurred to you to appreciate the work she had actually done in her career standing up for those who needed help. And the list is long. As much bashing as Secretary Clinton took during the grueling eighteen month campaign, and as happy as you were to chime in, did you not for once admire her toughness in being able to handle it all with such grace, class and fortitude. She’s a fighter. Don’t you think that quality would have been nice to have, particularly in light of your next comments about President Obama:

“…[W]hen I read about how you sat on the sidelines while bailed-out banks used the money we gave them to hire lobbyists who got Congress to stop homeowners from getting renegotiated loans, or how Congress is already giving up on healthcare reform, or how scientists say it’s essential to reduce CO2 by 40% in 10 years, but your own bill calls for 4%, I say, enough with the character development, let’s get on with the plot.

And let’s stop worrying so much about doing anything that might tarnish the brand. See, this is why I don’t want my president to be a TV star: Because TV stars are too worried about being popular — and too concerned with getting renewed.
(snip)
Obama needs to start putting it on the line in fights against the banks, the energy companies and the healthcare industry. I never thought I’d say this, but he needs to be more like George W. Bush. Bush was all about, “You’re with us or against us.”
Obama’s more like, “You’re either with us, or you obviously need to see another picture of this adorable puppy!”

Bush had horrible ideas, …[t]he point is, he didn’t care if it made him unpopular with every human on the planet not named Cletus or Fred Barnes. Which it did.
And we need to marry the good ideas Obama really believes in with that Bush attitude and Bush certitude.”

I’m afraid you’re missing the point, Mr. Maher, as are most of his die hard supporters. President Obama doesn’t have moral certitude about anything but popularity polls and his TelePrompTer. How would you like the man to attack a problem with certitude? He has never exhibited any throughout his entire career. Believe me, this is not about insulting the President. Frankly I am beyond it, or worrying about it. This is about logic and common sense. So, for the one thousandth time: You can’t know what you don’t know.

Throughout President Obama’s career as a State Senator, with 130 “present” votes and six “wrong” votes, his missing over 40% of his votes in the U.S. Senate, dodging politically risky votes, or voting several times to fund Bush’s war, he has shown a proclivity NOT to lose. His career is no accident. Every move is deliberately and painstakingly plotted out to piss off as few people as possible before actually winning the office of the Presidency.

We never saw him willing to go to the mat for anything. He promised to use public financing and reneged. Moreover, there was no principle or legislation for which he was willing to “go down fighting.” He promised a filibuster on FISA and reneged. Believe me, had he staged that filibuster, it would have been the Senate session heard ‘round the world. Imagine him, sans teleprompter, fighting the good fight till he ran out of spit. You know what, Hillary would have taken over for him and helped out while he caught his wind – because she voted correctly on that bill. That’s the difference between a leader with guts and a “reader.”

If the man’s forte has always been giving speeches, without any governing and precious little legislative experience, if he had not heretofore exhibited leadership on any cause, except talking about it, what potion did you imagine he could ingest on Inauguration Day that would magically endow him with powers he had never previously exhibited? I always appreciated SoS Clinton and Senator McCain because we have the empirical evidence to indicate they had the courage to stand alone and fight. I knew they were both capable of it. Sir, from what mysterious inner reserve did you think Barack Obama would draw this strong character you are so vehemently exhorting him to show now?

You conclude with:

I’m glad that Obama is president, but the “Audacity of Hope” part is over. Right now, I’m hoping for a little more audacity.

Even in your diatribe, you pepper your article with how much you like him and how glad you are that he is in office, as if to apologize for the fact that you dare to criticize “The One.” Frankly, Mr. Maher, this is the first time in two years when you should NOT be apologizing because your criticisms are the first sensible words I’ve heard from you in regards to President Obama.

NBC NY: “Vice president Joe Biden said today he would tell his family members not to use subways in the U.S. and implied schools should be shuttered as the swine flu outbreak spread to 11 states and forced school closures amid confirmation of the first U.S. death.”

Congressman Joe Sestak was on Morning Joe and intimated that he thought the Veep’s words would tend to overly alarm people.

(Of course, Rep. Sestak had planned to run against Arlen Specter for the Senate seat in Pennsylvania, and Specter’s party switch puts an end to those plans. But he’ll have that opportunity soon enough, and he doesn’t strike me — ever — as the petty type. I think he has a point about Joe, per usual, saying too much.)

President “a cross between Denzel Washington and Franklin Roosevelt”

Amusingly enough, after Biden got buried by a “plagiarism row,” and had to drop out of the 1988 presidential race when he “borrowed” heavily from Lord Neil Kinnock’s speech, the two men became pals. Lord Kinnock swears that, in 2007, Joe Biden predicted Obama would win, and told Kinnock:

“Well, there isn’t one person I could compare him to, but he’s like a cross between Denzel Washington and Franklin Roosevelt.”

Okay. I know you’re dying to share. To which two actors and politicians would you compare PBO?

“… I guarantee you we are safer today, our interests are more secure today than they were any time during the eight years” of the Bush administration.

Just how stupid this is is proved by some terrifying examples below the fold, and makes me deeply concerned that Obama et al. are not sufficiently concerned and proactive:

How in the hell can you claim that, Joe? No one – no one – can predict what might be ’round the bend.

Further, besides our perilous economic circumstances, our military is stretched to the breaking point and Obama feels he can’t even afford to send the number of troops that the military itself is requesting be dispatched to Afghanistan.

A couple weeks ago, everyone was atwitter over the crises in Mexico, filled with fear that drug cartel gangs would invade our country and create murder and mayhem. (Of course, as soon as the media had done their stories, and checked out of the border cities’ Marriotts, that story died and nobody’s worrying about that crisis anymore.)

But the point is that we don’t know what might occur tomorrow, or what crisis might seize and hold the attention of the nation.

We have North Korea firing off a missile with complete freedom and no penalties, proving Obama’s weakness in relying on the United Nations and not taking strong U.S. action.

We have Iran building redundant underground (bunker-bomb-proof) nuclear facilities across its nation so that no attack can end their program to build a nuclear bomb. If Iran gets the bomb, do you think that Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and perhaps other nations might not be far behind? And you’re CLAIMING that we’re “safer today”???

For example, there’s this highly disturbing story from Lou Dobbs’s blog at CNN, under “Issues That Matter“:

Red Storm Rising: Selling Nuclear Material to Iran
The Manhattan district attorney has uncovered a plot by a Chinese national to sell millions of dollars in potential nuclear material to Iran. The Chinese national used a false identity and set up four fake companies to do business with six Iranian shell firms. Several banks in New York were used, unwittingly, to make the deals.

And how about this terrifying doozy?!?!?!

Electricity Grid in U.S. Penetrated By Spies, Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2009:

WASHINGTON — Cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials.

The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls. The intruders haven’t sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war.

“The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid,” said a senior intelligence official. “So have the Russians.”

The espionage appeared pervasive across the U.S. and doesn’t target a particular company or region, said a former Department of Homeland Security official. “There are intrusions, and they are growing,” the former official said, referring to electrical systems. “There were a lot last year.” … READ ALL of the well-research, highly disturbing Wall Street Journal article and check out the related posts and stories listed at Memeorandum.

Joe, shut the f–k up. And take a look around our own country. This report isn’t good news: “Boom in Gun Sales Fueled by Politics and the Economy.” That’s on your watch, Joe.

While you’re jawing, Joe, here’s the worker working to truly make us safer:

From the State Dept.’s announcement on this important collaboration, given both countries’ number of seaports:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully signed on April 7, 2009, an arrangement for cooperation on nonproliferation assistance. This arrangement supports collaborative work between the United States and New Zealand to secure nuclear and radioactive materials that could be used in a nuclear or radiological weapon and to detect and deter illicit trafficking in these materials by improving monitoring capabilities at priority border crossings, airports, and seaports. …

Also check out DipNotes, the State Department’s blog, with numerous entries about Hillary’s progressive steps around the world.

Oh, readers, here’s the video if you must punish yourself:

***UPDATE: I was not aware at the time of my writing but it is reported that the Obama administration is projecting the economy will grow at a 3.2% GDP in 2010. That assumption is wildly optimistic. No respected economist would project that figure. Consensus has it in the 1.5-2% range. What does this mean? Well, lower growth means lower revenues, means higher deficits, means greater funding needs, means more borrowing, means higher government interest rates, means more “crowding out”, means slower growth for the economy going forward!!

There was little doubt about President Obama’s social agenda and economic platform during his campaign. While markets will somewhat discount campaign rhetoric, they do not discount economic reality. The markets are sending a strong signal that Obama’s economic proposals and proposed budget are anything but pro-growth. Obama Delivers $3.6 Trillion Budget Blueprint runs the risk of raising taxes at a time of economic distress. Raising taxes was a prime factor that increased the economic malaise in the 1930s. Obama is willing to take that risk as he sticks to his campaign plan and is pressured by the liberal wing of the Democratic Party.

We know that housing lies at the core of our economic crisis. Decreasing a mortgage interest deduction as proposed to fund his health care proposal will only serve to put further pressure on a large part of our nation’s housing market. I thought we were trying to stabilize housing.

Proposing a decrease in the deduction for charitable giving by the top 2% is not going to help increase — let alone hold — the level of giving when it is most badly needed. (Joe Biden needn’t worry about this given he has averaged $350 per year in charitable giving over the last ten years!! That’s right. Those stats are in his publicly filed tax returns). I thought we were trying to promote charitable giving.

Given that many small businesses file under the individual tax system as limited liability companies or Subchapter S corporations, Obama’s proposed tax increases will not serve to help employment. I thought we were trying to promote job growth.

Well, I can’t say that I’m surprised by Obama aggressively putting forth his agenda, but this is the redistribution of wealth that was hotly debated during the campaign.

I strongly believe the government should not focus on tax rates but rather tax revenues. What rates generate the most revenues and then spend it accordingly.

Additionally, if one thinks his tax increases are stopping at the top 2% or only those at 250k and above, let me share with you that these changes will effect those with taxable earnings of 208k. Well, 208k vs 250k. I mean it’s close. If you think he is stopping at that, guess again. The 2% Illusion is not reality!!

Obama is President so he writes the budget, but for every action there is a reaction and the markets are not reacting well.

Ceteris are NEVER paribus!

LD

Political Punch: At Capitol, Biden Feeling Great Because He ‘Doesn’t Have to Do Anything’

ABC News Capitol Hill producer Dean Norland reports:

Vice President Biden just walked in to Statuary Hall with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., on his way to the chamber.

Reporter: "Mr Vice President, how are you feeling tonight?"

Biden: "Feeling great, cause I don’t have to do anything."

Big smiles and…scene.

Apologies for ripping off your entire post, Jake, but it was so short! And you OBVIOUSLY felt like I do — who can embellish on THAT?????

I PRAY that you readers have something to say about the Veep. Good god almighty.

All that alliteration in the title? I implore you to empathize with me, and chalk it up to “shell shock” from reading Tapper’s piece.

In her first trip abroad since taking office, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will travel to Asia, departing Washington, DC on February 15. Secretary Clinton will visit Japan (February 16-18), Indonesia (February 18-19), the Republic of Korea (February 19-20), and China (February 20-22).

As she prepares for her first overseas trip as Secretary of State I got to thinking of the Hillary I know, not the Hillary some imagine.

There are those, like wifebot, who are convinced she drank the Kool-Aid and is dedicated to carrying out the foreign policy goals of his Oliness.  These are the people, many former Hillary supporters too, who always ask me, “aren’t you thrilled with the new Secretary of State’, ‘What an achievement.”  I’m not here to pass on how I respond to them.

These people, IMHO, truly imagine that Mrs. Clinton realized the error of her ways and has been doing penance since she bowed out of the race last spring.  She latched on to Obama’s superior foreign policy concepts with a vengeance, then asked to be given the opportunity to sell the policies to the world.

I say Cow Patties.

President Obama is no dummy.  He knew very well that the person his team blasted as just a first lady, is in fact brilliant and incredibly well informed on world issues.  He on the other had no clue and proved it in many a debate, yet I believe he is smart enough to know he had no clue.  The policy she and he will be managing is her policy that he has embraced and not the other way around.

Now I’m not saying I trust him any more than Blago.  I’m just saying that I think she is really in charge of this game and, and the “economic crisis” has given her a window of opportunity to amaze the world and all Americans with the depth of her brilliance.  Essentially, he and a brilliant staff, framed the entire campaign, trumped her at every move leaving her always playing catch up.  Now she has the very visible ball of foreign policy to frame in her image.

But you ask, where has she been?  Why has Joe Biden been traveling and speaking about policy?

She, dear friends, has been doing what sets Hillary Clinton apart from all others.  She has been in her room studying.  Preparing and learning before jumping into the battle.

Joe Biden speaking to that security forum in Munich was the correct person to be there.  It was almost entirely heads of state or their second in command.  It was a higher level, no real work sort of deal.  Had Obama sent his Secretary of State, some would have seen that as a slap in the face, in fact I bet it was Secretary Clinton’s decision. Update: Since initially posting this at Partizane, I’ve learned that I was wrong on the count of attendees. “13 heads of state and government, as well as 46 ministers and 6 heads of international organizations have announced their attendance at the 45th International Security Conference.” http://unian.net/eng/news/news-299345.html My response to the reader who pointed out the true numbers: “typical bosses meet and would have been a real waste of Hill’s valuable time. Joe has 4 years to waste on funerals and useless meetings where no real work is done.”

And you worry about those other strong women, Rice and Power.  Rice as UN Ambassador is strickly a spokesperson for the administration.  Power on the otherhand, will be in a position to back stab but she will also be in a position to be closely watched and squashed by Obama if needed.  If those two are all Hillary has to worry about then her job should be easy.

Hillary has been quiet, Hillary has been working hard to prepare for her role and the immediate needs of the upcoming trip.  I think most of us normal people have no idea about the level of focus she will give to the countries and leaders she is about to visit.  I think those leaders are about to be amazed by the focus she brings to the table and the uncanny knowledge one can only get by hard, detailed studying.

Bon Voyage Madam Secretary.  I know you will make us proud.

Originally posted at Partizane

Biden, you see, was letting us in on a scary little “fact” regarding President Obama’s Stimulus Package, which just passed the Senate by a vote of 61-37:

Pity poor Joe Biden. His “there’s still a 30 percent chance we’re going to get it wrong” quote is put straight to President Barack Obama during the White House press conference just now and his boss seemed to want to say: “Vice-President Who?”

As reporters started giggling, Obama came close to conceding that Biden was indeed a joke. “You know, I don’t remember exactly what Joe was referring to, not surprisingly.”

Not surprisingly??? So basically, to save himself, Barack Obama just made Vice President out to be a laughing stock. Damn! You chose him, Mr. President.

Chickens coming home to roost.

Lest we forget, VP Biden is likewise a “heartbeat away” from the presidency. So it was okay to trash Governor Palin on that score, but the new President just made Biden seem like some sort of rambling, doddering idiot. Is that supposed to make us feel safe and secure?

It is not a good thing to treat a six term Senator, now your VP, so disrespectfully. Not smart. Arrogant is as arrogant does. Biden told the truth, or a mild version of it, because I think saying the stimulus package has a 70% chance of success is very generous on his part. For his trouble, Obama dissed him — in front of the world.

The President went on to say that “I think what Joe may have been suggesting, although I wouldn’t ascribe any numerical percentage to any of this, is that given the magnitude of the challenges that we have, any single thing that we do is going to be part of the solution, not all of the solution.”

Of course, Biden wasn’t saying anything of the sort – Obama knew that and all the rest of us did too.

Nothing must interfere with the message! I mean, I get that part. But President Obama has been advised by Joe Biden for years. He knows his reputation for opening his mouth. More good judgment in choosing him, Barack? When one makes one’s bed, it is not a good idea to burn it, particularly not when you need a place to sleep the next night. There might come a day when Obama needs Biden’s friendship. He threw Nancy Pelosi under the bus last week to save his stimulus package. That’s not a list of enemies he wants to grow. After all, the President is not the only one with an outsized ego.

Biden’s exact quote, read out by Fox’s Major Garrett at the presser was: “If we do everything right, if we do it with absolute certainty, if we stand up there and we really make the tough decisions, there’s still a 30 percent chance we’re going to get it wrong.”

Clearly, Obama and his aides were unhappy about Biden’s loose lips. On Friday, top Obama adviser David Axelrod said on CNN: “I don’t know exactly about what that math was.”

We’re probably going to have to get used to Obama explaining “what Joe may have been suggesting”. And Biden must be wondering if he’s going to end up as a Dan Quayle figure.

Unfortunately, we may already have the answer to that one.

Chat away.

I cannot help but wonder how in the world this young man with such a limited resume came to Obama’s attention, and out of ALL of the ministers in this country with far more experience and qualifications, this guy is the one Obama picked? But there he is.

I wrote a little about DuBois and Obama’s Faith-Based Initiatives recently (”Gimme That Old Time Religion“), and Obama’s expansion of Bush’s range. And now, it is official. Obama kicked it off at the National Prayer Breakfast the other day. Wanna guess what particularly odious piece Obama did not remove from Bush’s plan? The hiring issue. You know the one. It’s whether or not a group getting federal money could demand the people they hired believed the same as the organization doing the hiring. And for now, the answer is YES. You may recall that on the campaign trail, Obama said this:

On the campaign trail last year, Obama vowed to reverse the Bush hiring policy. “As someone who used to teach constitutional law, I believe deeply in the separation of church and state,” Obama said last July in a speech that pledged to expand Bush’s office of faith-based initiatives. “If you get a federal grant, you can’t use that grant money to proselytize to the people you help, and you can’t discriminate against them—or against the people you hire—on the basis of their religion.”

Except when you can, apparently. Naturally, all of the secular groups are crying foul, like Kathryn Kolbert of People For the American Way:

“President Obama needs to make good on his campaign promise that tax dollars aren’t used to unconstitutionally discriminate on the basis of religion,” said Kathryn Kolbert, president of People for the American Way.

She added: “It’s disappointing that today President Obama has missed an opportunity to put it into practice immediately.

Oh, sure – I just know Obama will get right on that, Ms. Kolbert. Hahaha – good one.

Funny, it wasn’t all that long ago that a spokeswoman for PFAW said:

“We’re glad to have a good seat at the table and that [the Obama transition team] is listening to all sides,” says Tanya Clay House, director of public policy for People for the American Way, which has expressed concerns about the propriety of federal faith-based initiatives. “The old administration listened to just one side of the argument.”

And look how well that “good seat” worked out for you, Tanya, not to mention the TAXPAYERS in this country. But I am just so sure Obama will come through for you, the other progressives at that wonderful table, and us. Right? Sure. Well, maybe, according to Mr. DuBois:

The newly named director of the Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships Office, Joshua DuBois, said that it was impossible to give a timeline for resolving the hiring issue and that resolution might come on a case-by-case basis, rather than in a sweeping policy directive.

“This is an area of unclear policy and practice, but we can now begin seeking the advice of government and outside actors and see what groups are doing on the ground,” said DuBois, who had previously served as religious outreach director of Obama’s presidential campaign. “The previous administration made decisions without understanding the state of law and practice.”

And the Obama Administration is different on that count HOW, exactly?? *Crickets* That’s what I thought.

And then there was the following article by Martha Burk at Huffington Post. Oh, don’t worry, I have the whole thing here so you don’t have to click over. Why? Because I care. Anyway, Ms. Burk is kinda mad about all of this whole because she claims that, “Obama’s Faith-Based Office An Insult To Women.” Oh, “Sweetie” – are you “feeling blue” because Obama is shoving women to the side again? May I ask, just what in his entire campaign history made you think he was going to NOT throw women overboard? Did you not get just a little inkling when he played Jay Z’s “99 Problems But a Bitch Ain’t One?” (And frankly, this has been so well documented by now, it does not need a link.) Or did you think when he signed the Lilly Ledbetter Act into law, it meant he cared about anything more than a photo op? You know that he (and Biden) weren’t even one of the 54 co-sponsors of that bill, right? And you SURELY must have heard that he didn’t even pay women the same on his staff as the men for the same job, didn’t you? Yeah – he only gave them 78 cents compared to the dollar for the men. I mean, I know you write for Huffington Post and all, but c’mon – you NEVER caught how incredibly sexist he was to Clinton, Palin, and women in general?? Really??

Apparently not:

President Obama attended the annual National Prayer Breakfast yesterday and used the opportunity to tout the reconstitution and expansion of George W. Bush’s Office on Faith Based Initiatives. In his remarks the president said he didn’t want to favor one religion over another, or “even religious groups over secular groups.” But in fact, that’s just what he’s doing.

National women’s organizations have been lobbying Obama, who has said he is a feminist, to reopen the White House Office on Women’s Issues. So far the answer is a big fat no – women’s concerns will be under the already swamped Office of Public Liaison. That’s a tiny shop that’s chronically understaffed and overstretched. Even with the best intentions, there’s almost no chance they can interface with women’s advocates in a meaningful way, much less shape policy to overcome the many setbacks we inherited from the Bush years.

Hold the phone – you BELIEVED him when he said he was a FEMINIST? All evidence to the contrary, it would seem. Burk continues:

In a direct insult to women, George W. Bush closed the Clinton-era White House Office on Women’s Issues in his first week, then ensconced the first-ever church/state liaison office in the same space. For our new president to “keep the faith” with religious groups while short-changing women is equally insulting. There is no doubt that women are responsible for his election. Females went for Obama by 56 percent to McCain’s 43 percent, while men split their votes about evenly. The Jesus crowd, on the other hand, voted 60% against the president.

You know what was an insult, Ms. Burk? A man who said absolutely NOTHING in the face of sexist, misogynistic attacks like this:

Now THAT’S insulting, regardless of whether it was Clinton or Palin. It speaks to a mindset, and a pattern. Never mind Obama flipping Clinton the bird, or brushing her off his shoulder, again in Jay Z style (and again, if you haven’t seen examples of either one of these instances, you need to see an optometrist). Or promoting – PROMOTING – a young man who had a photograph of himself
groping a cutout of Secretary of State (to be, at that time) Clinton ON THE INTERNET, to be the top speechwriter position in the White House. So if you think Obama is a feminist, I would suggest you are unclear on the definition of “feminist.” Here’s one for you:

Feminism is the belief that women have equal political, social, sexual, intellectual and economic rights as men do.

Nope – can’t see how you ever thought Obama was one. EVER.

Burk continues in her complaint about Obama shunning women for religion:

The newly constituted “office for faith-based programs and community partnerships” will be headed by Joshua DuBois, a 26-year-old Pentecostal preacher and Obama confidant, who will preside over a task force of 25 or so religious and community leaders. This group will give DuBois advice, which will presumably be passed on to the president.

To accord this advisory panel so much power, while relegating women to the margins, speaks volumes. Religious groups gained a lot from the Bush years – access to the White House, and millions of dollars in federal money, some of which was used to proselytize. And don’t forget, almost all faiths consider women second class citizens; many actively campaign against affirmative action, the Women’s Equality Amendment, the international human rights treaty for women known as CEDAW, and civil rights for gays and lesbians. Keeping this act going – even if it is broadened to include “community members” – is not the change women voted for.

You so were not paying attention to the entire primary and election campaigns, Ms. Burk. Obama has been pushing this religious agenda all along, including using people like Doug Kmiec, a Prop 8 proponent, to push that agenda. He has surrounded himself with sexist, homophobic pastors who he considers his close friends and confidants. And you thought that this wouldn’t have an impact on where women fell on the totem pole with him?? Okey dokey…

But Ms. Burk continues, like so many of the women who voted for Obama, to give him the benefit of the doubt, even though he has done NOTHING to deserve it:

It’s not too late for President Obama to change his mind and give the majority – women – a place at the table by re-opening the White House Office on Women’s Issues. If he really does support women as he claims, restoring the losses of the last eight years on reproductive rights, enforcement of Title IX, Medicaid funding, and employment protections should be given a higher priority than keeping the religious right happy for what promises to be a very short honeymoon.

Women’s groups are elated that the Texans are finally out of the White House. But if the new president wants their continuing loyalty, he ought to follow some good ol’ Texas advice: Dance with the one that brung ya.

Uh huh. MS. Burk, if I were you, I would not hold my breath for that. And you might want to consider removing those blinders or rose-colored glasses or blindfold that have kept you from seeing who Obama really is, especially when it comes to the treatment of women. It won’t change anything now – you already helped to get this sexist pig into the White House. But it will probably be better for your health to stop having unrealistic expectations of this man.

And it will be better for the country if the people who so blindly clung to his hope-y change-y message realized they were had by a marketing ploy, nothing more, and not re-elect this man. Now THAT is a change for which I dearly hope.

Oh, one last thing, Ms. Burk. Perhaps you might want to spend some time meditating on the following message, and consider that the next time you vote:

I’m just sayin’.