Your country is in good hands…

Quietly, the President Finds That Golf Is No Slam Dunk

But as president, Mr. Obama has neglected the court. He has played only seven known games of basketball since taking office, compared with 25 rounds of golf, a sport he picked up about a decade ago when he was an Illinois state senator. That’s more golf than former President George W. Bush played in two terms, according to CBS White House correspondent Mark Knoller, who tracks presidential trivia.

And Nero fiddled while his empire burned and his people suffered and died…

Caring for the nation and for the troops: Dubya versus Dr. Utopia

The world has no room for cowards. We must all be ready somehow to toil, to suffer, to die. And yours is not the less noble because no drum beats before you when you go out into your daily battlefields, and no crowds shout about your coming when you return from your daily victory or defeat. – Robert Louis Stevenson

What follows is one of the best posts I have read in a long time (the comments are even better).

Via HillBuzz: Thank you former President George W. Bush and former First Lady Laura Bush

If you have been reading us for any length of time, you know that we used to make fun of “Dubya” nearly every day…parroting the same comedic bits we heard in our Democrat circles, where Bush is still, to this day, lampooned as a chimp, a bumbling idiot, and a poor, clumsy public speaker.

Oh, how we RAILED against Bush in 2000…and how we RAILED against the surge in support Bush received post-9/11 when he went to Ground Zero and stood there with his bullhorn in the ruins on that hideous day.

We were convinced that ANYONE who was president would have done what Bush did, and would have set that right tone of leadership in the wake of that disaster. President Gore, President Perot, President Nader, you name it. ANYONE, we assumed, would have filled that role perfectly.

Dr. Utopia - click for larger

Well, we told you before how much the current president, Dr. Utopia, made us realize just how wrong we were about Bush. We shudder to think what Dr. Utopia would have done post-9/11. He would have not gone there with a bullhorn and struck that right tone. More likely than not, he would have been his usual fey, apologetic self and waxed professorially about how evil America is and how justified Muslims are for attacking us, with a sidebar on how good the attacks were because they would humble us.

Honestly, we don’t think President Gore would have been much better that day. The world needed George W. Bush, his bullhorn, and his indominable [sic] spirit that day…and we will forever be grateful to this man for that.

As we will always be grateful for what George and Laura Bush did this week, with no media attention, when they very quietly went to Ft. Hood and met personally with the families of the victims of this terrorist attack.

FOR HOURS.

The Bushes went and met privately with these families for HOURS, hugging them, holding them, comforting them.

If there are any of you out there with any connection at all to the Bushes, we implore you to give them our thanks…you tell them at a bunch of gay Hillary guys in Boystown, Chicago were wrong about the Bushes…and are deeply, deeply sorry for any jokes we told about them in the past, any bad thoughts we had about these good, good people….

Criticize their policies academically and intelligently and discuss the Bush presidency in historical and political terms…but you mess with the Bushes personally and, from this day forward, and you’ll answer to us.We hope someday to be able to thank George W. and Laura in person for all they’ve done, and continue to do.  They didn’t have to head to Ft. Hood.  That was not their responsibility.

The Obamas should have done that.

But didn’t.

Wouldn’t.

Thank goodness George W. is still on his watch, with wonderful Laura at his side.

Quote of the Day: Aimless Obama

“I never thought I’d hear myself say it,” one Democrat told me. “But Obama makes you feel that at least with Bush you knew where he was on something.”

via Bloodless President Barack Obama makes Americans wistful for George W Bush.

President visits troops at Fort Hood

Bush with the troops in 2007 - click for larger

What no photos? No wall-to-wall coverage? No leg tingling? Oh wait, it’s not President Obama, should have known.

George W. Bush Visits Fort Hood, Wounded Soldiers

Former President George W. Bush and his wife, Laura, visited wounded soldiers and their families near the site of the worst mass shooting on an Army post in the United States.

The Bushes made their private visit to Fort Hood’s Darnall Army Medical Center on Friday night. Bush spokesman David Sherzer said in an e-mail that the couple thanked Fort Hood’s military leaders and hospital staff for the “amazing care they are providing.”

Obama could learn a lot from his predecessor.

The Left’s narrative false? Nah, really?

On Friday, the Justice Department released reams of newly declassified documents on the CIA interrogation program. Among the documents is a revised, October 2009 version of the Justice Department Inspector General’s report on the FBI’s involvement in detainee interrogations.

This report proves, once and for all, that FBI interrogator Ali Soufan lied about his role in the interrogation of Abu Zubaydah.

Soufan has become the hero of the left for his public assault on the CIA interrogation program. Critics cite him as proof that we could have gotten the same information from al-Qaeda terrorists without resorting to the CIA’s enhanced interrogation techniques.

via New Documents Show the CIA, Not the FBI, Got Zubadayh to ‘Cough Up’ Jose Padilla

Mondays’ Headlines of HOPE® and CHANGE®

• 14 Americans killed in 2 Afghan helicopter crashes
• U.S. troops hope Afghanistan sacrifices not in vain
• Morale dips for American marines in Afghanistan
• Karzai questions US reliability as partner

click for larger

But don’t worry, the country is in good hands and Obama has not taken his eye off the ball – the ball HE deems important at least.

President Barack Obama has only been in office for just over nine months, but he’s already hit the links as much as President Bush did in over two years.

CBS’ Mark Knoller — an unofficial documentarian and statistician of all things White House-related — wrote on his Twitter feed that, “Today – Obama ties Pres. Bush in the number of rounds of golf played in office: 24.

Took Bush 2 yrs & 10 months.”

This news comes on the heels of today’s news that Obama played golf with a woman — chief domestic policy adviser Melody Barnes — for the first time since taking office.

Nothing to see here, move along.

Dems love the PATRIOT Act

Trust us, we're not George Bush.

Krauthammer’s Take

I think the big story here is how little the Patriot Act has changed given the fact that we have a large majority of Democrats in the House and the Senate and how liberal the leadership is.

We’re retaining the roving wiretaps. We’re retaining the telecom immunity — the fact that the telecom industry is not going to be subject to prosecution for helping the Bush administration. We are retaining the lone wolf provision, which means you don’t have to show that a guy is a member of a group, a terror group, in order to wiretap him.

All the major provisions are retained. And as you said, the Obama administration behind the scenes is supporting the minimal — it’s supporting the idea of no changes.

And that’s a tribute to the Bush administration. Remember, this was passed a month-and-a-half after 9/11 in the heat and the fury of that time. It totally restructured the way we go after terrorism domestically, and it got it right.

Eight years afterwards, in retrospect, with liberals in the House and Senate, it is remaining almost intact. We have not had a second attack in the eight years and we have not had any significant scandals or abuse of these powers in violating the liberties of Americans. It is really quite a remarkable achievement.

[emphasis added]

Obama: Bush lite

Obama supports extending Patriot Act provisions

The Obama administration supports extending three key provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire at the end of the year, the Justice Department told Congress in a letter made public Tuesday.

And that’s not exactly a bad thing… He spends more than Bush did, at least he can attempt to keep our country safe too.

Video: President interrupted during speech to Congress

Sorry, this is not about Obama being called for his lie by Rep. Joe Wilson. It’s a reminder that the twisting of panties you saw last night was manufactured and accusations of impropriety on the part of members of Congress being new.

Via Hot Air: Flashback: Democratic etiquette in the Bush era

The Dominant Media lies to you to support the lies of our President. Plain and simple.

Epilogues: Kennedy, Bush, CBS

President Bush at West Point circa 2002.

Today gives us the chance to put some things to rest.

Remember the Bush=AWOL rubbish? Me, too.

Hot Air: Mary Mapes knew Bush volunteered for Vietnam: CBS report:

Mapes had information prior to the airing of the September 8 [2004] Segment that President Bush, while in the TexANG [Texas Air National Guard] did volunteer for service in Vietnam but was turned down in favor of more experienced pilots. For example, a flight instructor who served in the TexANG with Lieutenant Bush advised Mapes in 1999 that Lieutenant Bush “did want to go to Vietnam but others went first.” Similarly, several others advised Mapes in 1999, and again in 2004 before September 8, that Lieutenant Bush had volunteered to go to Vietnam but did not have enough flight hours to qualify.

Wow, who’da thunk it? They knew it was a lie and still went with it.

This leads us to CBS today via BlackFive:

CBS News interviewed staffers and family and did not investigate this claim [emphasis mine].

And, even when he was out-voted, Kennedy was willing to take unpopular stands. He was one of the first politicians to oppose the 2003 American invasion of Iraq.

But Kennedy supported the soldiers who served in Iraq, and their families -
especially those from his own state.

“He’s gone to the funeral of every soldier who’s come home from Iraq in a casket, whether it’s up in Massachusetts or at Arlington Cemetery. And it’s hard. But he knows it pays respect for giving the last full measure that these young soldiers have given. And after he goes to that funeral, he goes up and visits the graves of his brothers,” according to long-time Kennedy aide Melody Miller…

I didn’t know about this article until a few soldiers from Massachusets [sic] emailed me to tell me that they never saw Senator Kennedy at a military funeral.  I’m sure that he went to some, but “every soldier”?

Here’s part of an email from a commander:

I’ve buried two kids myself, Ted wasn’t there…

Oh, I would be remiss in ignoring the passing of the last of the Kennedy brothers.

They were unique and all served their country as best they could. Not many know Ted Kennedy was a military man:

Kennedy enlisted in the United States Army in June 1951.[12] Following basic training at Fort Dix, he requested assignment to Fort Holabird for Army Intelligence training, but was dropped after a few weeks without explanation.[12] He went to Camp Gordon for training in the Military Police Corps.[12] In June 1952, he was assigned to the honor guard at SHAPE headquarters in Paris.[6][12] His father’s political connections ensured he was not deployed to the ongoing Korean War.[6][13] While stationed in Europe he travelled extensively on weekends and climbed the Matterhorn.[14] He was discharged in March 1953 as a private first class.[12][14]

I know quoting wikipedia is not exactly academic level research, however, I do like how they present the information.

‘Family political connections keep young serviceman from serving in on going war and keep him out of harm’s way…’.

Sound familiar?

For those of you keeping score:

Bush+CBS=BS

Kennedy+CBS=BS

OK, Boomer and Nutroots America. Let’s just close two chapters in our common history right now.

Ted, rest in peace.

Thank you, Kennedy family, now please go away.

Thank you, Bush=AWOL proponents, now please go away.

We have a bigger idiot than the two previously mentioned men to deal with right now…

A glimpse into ObamaCare: How the government treats those it is supposed to care for

The one government agency to provide for the veterans of our nation’s wars, and what do you know? The government makes sure it takes care of its own before taking care of those they are charged to care for.

This government needs to be completely turned on its head from top to bottom and rid of anyone and everyone who would make excuses or try to make justifications for such a travesty:

VA workers given millions in bonuses as vets await checks

While hundreds of thousands of disability claims lay backlogged at the Department of Veterans Affairs, thousands of technology employees at the department received $24 million in bonuses, a new report says.

Lawmakers want to know why some IT workers in the VA Department have received millions in bonuses.

A report issued by the VA’s Office of Inspector General said the department issued millions of dollars in awards over a two-year period in 2007 and 2008.

“The frequent and large dollar amount awards given to employees were unusual and often absurd,” the report stated.

The reports also called the payments “not fiscally responsible.”

Four high-level employees received about $60,000, $73,000, $58,000, and $59,000, respectively, according to the report, without sufficient justification. Another employee received a $4,500 performance award within the first 90 days of her employment from a manager who said that she did not even remember her.

If they will do this to you when you are caught up in this government bureaucracy, just think when it applies to everyone.

I bet it’s times like these they wished the VA version of the ObamaCare death panel didn’t have a questionnaire in print. In print for the first time since President George W. Bush put an end to the VA’s death counseling.

Pretty much par for the course vis-a-vis, Obama and the military.

The difference between a welfare state and a totalitarian state is a matter of time. – Ayn Rand

The good ol’ days of the media

Analysis: Press Largely Ignored Incendiary Rhetoric at Bush Protest

News outlets that are focusing on the incendiary rhetoric of conservatives outside President Obama’s town hall meeting Tuesday ignored the incendiary rhetoric — and even violence — of liberals outside an appearance by former President George W. Bush in 2002.

When Bush visited Portland, Ore., for a fundraiser, protesters stalked his motorcade, assailed his limousine and stoned a car containing his advisers. Chanting “Bush is a terrorist!”, the demonstrators bullied passers-by, including gay softball players and a wheelchair-bound grandfather with multiple sclerosis.

One protester even brandished a sign that seemed to advocate Bush’s assassination. The man held a large photo of Bush that had been doctored to show a gun barrel pressed against his temple.

“BUSH: WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE,” read the placard, which had an X over the word “ALIVE.”

Another poster showed Bush’s face with the words: “F— YOU, MOTHERF—ER!”

A third sign urged motorists to “HONK IF YOU HATE BUSH.” A fourth declared: “CHRISTIAN FASCISM,” with a swastika in place of the letter S in each word.

Although reporters from numerous national news organizations were traveling with Bush and witnessed the protest, none reported that protesters were shrieking at Republican donors epithets like “Slut!” “Whore!” and “Fascists!”

Frank Dulcich, president and CEO of Pacific Seafood Group, had a cup of liquid thrown into his face, and then was surrounded by a group of menacing protesters, including several who wore masks. Donald Tykeson, 75, who had multiple sclerosis and was confined to a wheelchair, was blocked by a thug who threatened him.

Protesters slashed the tires of several state patrol cruisers and leapt onto an occupied police car, slamming the hood and blocking the windshield with placards. A female police officer was knocked to the street by advancing protesters, badly injuring her wrist.

The angry protest grew so violent that the Secret Service was forced to take the highly unusual step of using a backup route for Bush’s motorcade because the primary route had been compromised by protesters, one of whom pounded his fist on the president’s moving limousine.

All the while, angry demonstrators brandished signs with incendiary rhetoric, such as “9/11 – YOU LET IT HAPPEN, SHRUB,” and “BUSH: BASTARD CHILD OF THE SUPREME COURT.” One sign read: “IMPEACH THE COURT-APPOINTED JUNTA AND THE FASCIST, EGOMANIACAL, BLOOD-SWILLING BEAST!”

Yet none of these signs were cited in the national media’s coverage of the event. By contrast, the press focused extensively on over-the-top signs held by Obama critics at the president’s town hall event held Tuesday in New Hampshire.

The lead story in Wednesday’s Washington Post, for example, is headlined: “Obama Faces ‘Scare Tactics’ Head-On.” 

One “Blame Bush” story you won’t hear on the news tonight

Gateway Pundit: Soccer Returns to Baghdad… National Team Plays First Game Before 45,000 Fans

Uday Hussein was not able to attend.

zeitgeist by drudge, snark by jcrue

He does a better job than most – DRUDGE REPORT

click the image

Thunderous applause greets Vice-President Biden

Heh. Sorry for the misleading headline, it’s only way to make sure someone will stop and read this out of disbelief.

Iraq: Never doubt what the American military can accomplish

Michael Ramirez, Political Cartoons, Editorial News.

Iraq: Win

My father-in-law had the nerve to say returning to Iraq was a mistake. He didn’t appreciate my response.

“Asked any Iraqis about that?”

Then he went on immediately to Bush/Cheney/Halliburton/Repubicans and the whole shallow tired liberal litany against BushCo in less than a minute.

To which, I replied, “I’ll take that as a ‘no’, huh?”

Quietest dinner EVAH!!!

Gateway Pundit: Dem Leaders Avoid Thanking Bush For US Victory In Iraq Today

It doesn’t matter what the military accomplishes, they will always be someone victim in all this so someone can get more votes.

They told me if I voted for…

McCain, terrorists would be held indefinitely as part of administration policy, and they were right!

(This meme brought to you by Glenn Reynolds.)

Andrew Malcolm explains:

In yet another sign of political perfidy, the White House of President George W. Bush has drafted a presidential executive order that would allow that double-dealing Republican chief executive to hold suspected terrorist detainees indefinitely.

According to the president’s intentions, such suspects could be detained for long periods of time, virtually indefinitely. Is this really what the nation voted for last November?

Oh, wait. No. According to an exclusive Washington Post/Pro Publica report this afternoon, it’s the refreshing new Democratic administration of Barack Obama that’s now preparing this new executive order to hold certain terrorist suspects indefinitely.

This is an obviously inspiring sign of the new style of leadership the Democrat promised and is finally bringing to the White House. As one blogger put it, George W. Obama. And it shows the kind of powerful political pragmatism with which the ex-senator from Illinois approaches this job at such a crucial and globally turbulent time.Strangely, it was leaked to the Post on a slow summer Friday afternoon when it wouldn’t gain much attention.

According to the Post report, the 44th president is now starting to think that closure of the internationally-reviled Guantanamo Bay detention facility, which Obama announced with so much fanfare on his first day in office last winter, may be impossible to actually accomplish before the one-year deadline he set for himself before actually planning where else to put these prisoners.

In other words, fanfare aside, status quo ante. Democrat or Republican, same deal. Ex-Vice President Dick Cheney will be so pleased that the Obama-Biden folks finally accepted his advice to protect national security.

Another sign, finally, of real change after eight long years of the very same thing.

Can I get a ‘McSame” from Code Pink? How about you all at MoveOn.org? Hollywood? Oh wait, sorry for interrupting the slobber fest over MJ for something serious, move along…

And when does Bush/Cheney receive their apology for the derision of a complete fool and rookie statesman during his two year campaign for the White House? Honestly, I don’t think the current President has the integrity nor the character to apologize for being so damn wrong about our national security and our enemies.

Mark this up for another Liberal playing politics with our national security to get votes.

Hot Air covers this story with the same excellent analysis: The rank dishonesty of the Obama administration:

Obama has essentially endorsed the detention policies of George Bush without the courtesy of apologizing for slandering him over the last two and a half years. Obama and his allies screeched endlessly about indefinite detentions, and not just in Gitmo, either. They specifically railed against the holding of terrorists without access to civil courts in military detention facilities around the world, specifically Bagram, but in general as well. Not even six months into his term of office, Obama realized that Bush had it right all along.

I got a delivery for the American people.

Did he even have the grace to admit that? No. Instead, the White House took the cowardly method of a late-Friday leak to let people know that Obama had adopted the Bush policy all over again. Barack Obama just appeared at a press conference this last Tuesday to discuss Iran, energy policy, and ObamaCare, where he could have told the national press that he had changed his mind on indefinite detention. Instead, he kept his mouth shut, and had his media staff whisper it into phones to a couple of White House favorites in the press.

It’s a shameful performance, and the measure of the man in charge.

Chris Matthews or Whack Job?

I wished I could embed these.

UPDATED and BUMPED: CarGate: Totalitarianism emerging in Obama’s America?

Surprise! How do you like CHANGE® Chicago-style beyochs?!?!?

American Thinker Blog: More evidence emerges that Chrysler Dealer closings was politically motivated:

I wrote yesterday of the possibility that Chrysler dealers who had been given the ax were disproportionately Republican – many of them large contributors to GOP candidates and the RNC.Now comes more evidence that these dealer closings were politically motivated….

The dealer closings were not ordered by the bankruptcy judge but by the White House. This puts a whole new light on how the dealers to be closed were chosen and, more importantly, who did it.

And Jim Hoft has found an incredible piece of information. Apparently, a politically connected group of Democrats who own six Chrysler dealerships not only were allowed to keep them, but their competition was deep sixed.

If anyone in the Hate-Bush crowd who was afraid of a take over of American by totalitarian fascists had any intellectual honesty, you would see the marches every weekend.

But since we know that is not true, the only thing we are seeing are the people’s complacency.

UPDATE: Doug Ross provides some maps of the dealerships that are closing and those remaining open and then showing you who donated to whom:

All I can say is Holy Sh*t that is scary.

UPDATE 2: In today’s episode we find one dealership being closed contributed to Dems and the guy who is Obama’s Car Czar is married to a former DNC big wig involved in what? Financing the DNC.

Obama the Rookie, vidicating Bush the Younger

Fooled you all again!

Pajamas Media: Vindicating Bush — Again

A mere 48 hours following his swearing-in, President Obama had already redefined his stance on our most politically-defining policy matter. On January 22, I predicted a coming vindication of Bush-era security procedure:

For all the vitriol that has been coming from the left, and specifically out of President Obama’s mouth during the campaign, there’s a difference in tone coming out of the Obama camp over the last several weeks. There has been an abandonment of the hot rhetoric of the leftist in favor of a liberal forced to face the reality of the world around him (i.e., adopting existing White House policy). The change in tone is recognition that the rhetoric that the American public was offered during the election was simply not based on reality.

As President Obama and his people are briefed on what has been happening in the world these last eight years, the insider’s view has given them a completely new perspective on what to do about the situation, resulting in completely different actions as compared to the ones they were telling everyone they would take once they were given the power.

Five months later? Bush’s vindication is apparent and remarkable — see President Obama’s quiet reestablishment of the military tribunals he loudly rejected as a candidate — but perhaps the most notable phenomenon of Bush’s rise from the ashes is the political damage Democrats have suffered by sticking to the pre-election platform. The base is claiming betrayal, the dinosaur media — if they bother to recognize the change at all — is giving a confused and muffled response, and the politicians who cannot let go of their Bush-bashing ways are caught in hypocrisy and losing their constituencies.

What a journey from extreme Left to the Middle on so many things about which he lied to get elected. Wow.

I wonder if Obama has asked any Iraqis if the war was unnecessary

I almost want to call Obama a giant, egocentric assh*le for being this smug, arrogant and ignorant in front of men and women who have four more years of actually serving this nation than the President has. Especially given Obama doesn’t know just war from unnecessary from domestic terrorism unless filtered through the lens of the people with whom he associates, But I won’t.

Naval Academy Speech: Obama Implies Iraq War Was Unnecessary

AP: “As long as I am your commander-in-chief, I will only send you into harm’s way when it is absolutely necessary,” Obama said, in an apparent veiled criticism of the Bush administration war in Iraq, which the president has argued was unnecessary.

I would also bet Obama does not give a flying crap about what most Iraqis think about the removal of Saddam.

I wonder why?

via Gateway Pundit: Western Media Continues to Ignore Mass Graves In Iraq

I guess it doesn’t fit their agenda and may cause George W. Bush to look like he did a good thing by removing Saddam.

Enough with the personal anecdotes, Mr. President!!! (updated)

They are MEANINGLESS to the serious issues you are supposed to be discussing. Just read this clip from your terrorism speech today:

…I believe with every fiber of my being that in the long run we also cannot keep this country safe unless we enlist the power of our most fundamental values. The documents that we hold in this very hall – the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights –are not simply words written into aging parchment. They are the foundation of liberty and justice in this country, and a light that shines for all who seek freedom, fairness, equality and dignity in the world.

I stand here today as someone whose own life was made possible by these documents. My father came to our shores in search of the promise that they offered…

via Los Angeles Times

Are you frickin’ kidding me? You want to bring up your dad?

Your biological father didn’t come to America for those things our founding documents promise, he came for an education.

Plain and simple. (Well, there were a few “other” things…wink wink nudge nudge, know what I mean?)

Your father could have received the same education anywhere in the world and did not benefit from anything uniquely American. He didn’t have to come to America to get what he did. He came (no pun intended) and went in what, four or five years, and then he spent the rest of his life in Africa, right?.

Not exactly the example I would use of how one benefits from what our Founding Fathers created. His story sounds more like how one benefits from a few drinks, some smooth talk and a nice smile at a party. So please, stop spinning yarns and blowing smoke.

Respectfully, Mr. President, please explain to me again how your father coming to America for a degree or two along with a few pieces of tail has to do with the ugly, difficult, painful, and deadly work of protecting this country and its citizens. You know, that important work you have only been doing the last few months and for the first time in your life?

Because after reading your speech I have the feeling you still don’t get it. You don’t understand the big picture. You still sound like a pie-in-the-sky Liberal who lives in an imaginary world world of relativism and intangibles and not an American leader.

Hopefully, in the next few years you will learn you can’t miracle peace, love, and cooperation with our enemies with “just words”, speech-i-fi-cation and personal anecdotes. It takes a great deal more than what you have displayed to preserve those things our founding documents intend for us. But until then you leave the White House, please save the family stories for the hags on The View and your sycophants in the Dominant Media in the future.

UPDATE: This is also a great description of the speech I think hits the nail on the head:

Obama’s is the speech of a young senator who was once a part-time law professor–platitudinous and preachy, vague and pseudo-thoughtful in an abstract kind of way. This sentence was revealing: “On the other hand, I recently opposed the release of certain photographs that were taken of detainees by U.S. personnel between 2002 and 2004.” “Opposed the release”? Doesn’t he mean “decided not to permit the release”? He’s president. He’s not just a guy participating in a debate. But he’s more comfortable as a debater, not as someone who takes responsibility for decisions.