Tag: liberals

President Obama breaks another campaign promise

Here’s another campaign promise under the bus!

Via The L.A. Times:

The CIA’s secret prisons are being shuttered. Harsh interrogation techniques are off-limits. And Guantanamo Bay will eventually go back to being a wind-swept naval base on the southeastern corner of Cuba.

But even while dismantling these programs, President Obama left intact an equally controversial counter-terrorism tool.

Under executive orders issued by Obama recently, the CIA still has authority to carry out what are known as renditions, secret abductions and transfers of prisoners to countries that cooperate with the United States.

Current and former U.S. intelligence officials said that the rendition program might be poised to play an expanded role going forward because it was the main remaining mechanism — aside from Predator missile strikes — for taking suspected terrorists off the street.

The rendition program became a source of embarrassment for the CIA, and a target of international scorn, as details emerged in recent years of botched captures, mistaken identities and allegations that prisoners were turned over to countries where they were tortured.

The European Parliament condemned renditions as “an illegal instrument used by the United States.” Prisoners swept up in the program have sued the CIA as well as a Boeing Co. subsidiary accused of working with the agency on dozens of rendition flights.

But the Obama administration appears to have determined that the rendition program was one component of the Bush administration’s war on terrorism that it could not afford to discard.

So much for the changing all of the Bush Administration’s tactics to deal with terror.  One would think that the left would raise a ruckus about this. But surprisingly, there’s not been the unhinged outrage that I expected.

Others: Hot Air, The Raw Story, theheretik.us, Liberty Street, Moe_Lane’s blog, Macsmind,  Jules Crittenden and Pat Dollard

More on Kentucky Ice Storm-Gate

It seems that the Jammie Wearing Fool has Blogged on what I reported Yesterday.

Mr. Jammie writes:

Can you imagine the media reaction if this were George W. Bush? Heck, we’re still hearing about Hurricane Katrina nearly four years later.

Yes, I could. That’s because it happened while there was a Republican in office and the Democrats used that as a rallying cry for change. Oh, and because there were black people in involved too. But Because these are White Southerners and possibly even Conservatives, nobody in the liberal media cares.

Mr. Jammie also says:

Is Obama even aware what’s going on in Kentucky? I know he’s very busy between trashing Wall Street and Rush Limbaugh, but could he at least acknowledge these poor folks and get them some help?

I am sure that Obama is aware, whether cares or not, is another story. You have to remember those are the “Bitter and Clingy” one’s that did not vote for him. Kind of like the blacks in New Orleans who did not vote for Bush. It is simple case of, “Do I want to help these people? After all, they did not vote for me anyhow!” Perhaps it is a bit of a revenge towards the southern white community for what happened in New Orleans. Perhaps “President” Obama is saying to himself, “Let them damned honkeys suffer, after all MY people suffered more in New Orleans and even more so 300 years ago!”

So, I suppose this is revenge for what our forefathers did many years ago.

Update: Michelle Malkin finally gets around to blogging about it

Others: Associated Press, The Sundries Shack, Political Machine, Ed Driscoll.com, RedState, The Jawa Report and The Other McCain

Daschle-Gate Continues

The Scandal continues:

President Obama’s choice for health secretary, Tom Daschle, was aware as early as last June that he might have to pay back taxes for the use of a car and driver provided by a private equity firm, but did not inform the Obama transition team until weeks after Mr. Obama named him to the health secretary’s post, senior administration officials said Saturday.

As Senate Democrats rushed to save the nomination of Mr. Daschle, their former leader, the White House spent the day trying to explain how he survived its vetting process despite his failure to pay $128,000 in taxes.

The White House would not say when the president himself learned of the tax issue, but said Mr. Obama is standing by his nominee.

“The president believes that nobody is perfect, but that nobody is trying to hide anything,” Robert Gibbs, the president’s press secretary, said in an interview, adding, “I think Senator Daschle rightly is going to have to answer questions, but I think members will be satisfied with the answers that he gives and will understand that he’s the right man for the job.”

At least six leading Democratic senators have come out in support of Mr. Daschle, but the fate of his nomination is unclear. The Senate Finance Committee, which is charged with holding a confirmation hearing on Mr. Daschle’s nomination, will meet behind closed doors Monday to discuss his taxes. After Timothy F. Geithner, Mr. Obama’s Treasury secretary, faced similar issues, some senators may have little appetite for confirming another nominee with tax problems.

“It’s totally shocking,” an aide to a Democratic senator said Saturday. “Why do we have to continue to have the same story over and over again with these nominees?”

via Daschle Knew of Tax Issues Over Car Use Last June – NYTimes.com.

I find it absolutely amazing that the Democrats would still confirm this guy, after learning about all these indiscretions. But then again, integrity is not one of the Democrats strengths. If the shoe was on the other foot. The Republicans would have already withdrawn his nomination and someone else would have been offered.  But because he is one the team of “The One”, he will confirmed and his tax problems quickly forgotten. Funny how that works, is it not?

Others: Althouse, Betsy’s Page, JustOneMinute

(via Memeornadum)

Terrible Ice Storm Rocks Kentucky, FEMA takes Five Days to respond, AP does not have the stones to critize Obama

Talk about the shoe being on the other foot! 🙄

The Story:

Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear has called up all of his Army National Guard troop and some Air National Guard units to get the state back on its feet following a crippling ice storm.

The addition of 3,000 soldiers and airmen makes 4,600 Guardsmen pressed into service. It’s the largest call-up in state history.

More than 400,000 people remain without power in Kentucky five days after the storm hit. Many others still lack electricity in other states from the Midwest into Appalachia.

The storm is suspected in at least 42 deaths across several states. Authorities say it could be weeks before some areas get power back.

via Storm-struck KY calls up entire Army Nat’l Guard – AP

The reason I say the above about the AP, is because if you look over on Tim Blair’s Blog, you see the following quotes from the AP:

Dozens of deaths have been reported and many people are pleading for a faster response to the power outages. Some in rural Kentucky ran short of food and bottled water, and resorted to dipping buckets in a creek …

Local officials grew angrier at what they said was a lack of help from the state and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

[…]

Emergency Management Director Randell Smith … said roads are littered with fallen trees and people shivering in bone-chilling cold are in need.

“We’ve got people out in some areas we haven’t even visited yet,” Smith said. “We don’t even know that they’re alive.”

Smith said FEMA was still a no-show days after the storm

But if you go back to the original AP article, the parts quoted above are gone! Just like magic. Could it be that the editors at the AP, are scared of “The One” and fear that criticizing his response to this disaster in Kentucky might put at risk their ability to report from the White House?

Further more, five days?!?!?!?! Does anyone remember the outrage expressed by the Liberal media, after the disaster in New Orleans during Katrina? I have yet to hear any sort of outrage about this from CNN, I have yet to hear Anderson Vanderbilt Cooper yelling at Government officals on his show.

But the “magic one” did give a phone call, so it’s all good!:

Kentucky’s governor is praising the Obama administration’s prompt reaction to the fierce wintry weather that slammed his state.

“They really hit the ground running,” said Steve Beshear, interviewed by CNN. “They’re working very hard to get all the equipment and supplies here that we need.”

Crews have been working to restore power and water service to hundreds of thousands of people. Beshear said that while he realizes “nothing moves fast enough,” he said the federal assistance “has been a great help to us so far.”

Beshear, a Democrat, explained that when the first wave of bad weather came through on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, officials realized that they needed additional help.

“I called the White House directly at that time. I had my other folks talking to FEMA, but I went straight to the top because we needed fast help,” he said.

He said he spoke to the director of intergovernment relations and said she walked Kentucky’s paperwork through. He said President Obama called him and told him he was announcing an emergency declaration for the state.

“I can’t tell you how appreciative we were,” the governor said. “He not only expressed his concern, but he obviously had the Kentuckians in his thoughts and prayers, and he communicated that to us.”

Oh, He called, big whoopee do! Why isn’t he down there? Why isn’t he doing more? Oh wait, that’s because he’s a Democrat and they can do no wrong. My Bad.

Does anyone remember this picture, that left about lost thier mind over?

I remember how the liberal media crucified Bush over this. But Obama just makes a Phone call and he gets off, scott free!

Can you say Bias?

I knew you could!

Update: Michelle Malkin finally gets around to Blogging about it.

Others: Right Wing Nut House and Tim Blair

See Liberals? We did win.

I am so happy to read about this.

The Video:

Voting was extended by one hour due to a strong turnout, including among Sunni Muslims who boycotted the last polls.

The first nationwide vote in four years is being seen as a test of Iraq’s stability ahead of a general election due later this year.

Thousands of soldiers and police were deployed around polling stations.

The election is also being seen as a quasi-referendum on the leadership of Mr Maliki.

“This is a victory for all the Iraqis,” he said, after casting his vote in Baghdad’s highly-protected Green Zone.

He said a high turnout would be an indicator of “the Iraqi people’s trust in their government and in the elections” and “proof that the Iraqi people are now living in real security”.

via BBC NEWS | Middle East | Iraqi PM hails vote as ‘victory’.

Of course, the New York Times cannot provide a positive outlook on the election there. That’s because it messes with the script that the liberal media must stick to. You know, that the war in Iraq cannot be won, that we must retreat in shame and lose. The usual for that crowd. Notice how they drudge up crap from like 2007 and previous to that? Why can’t they just report the positive stuff and not remind people of the past?

I wish the people of Iraq all the best for their future. 😀

I think I would be speaking for many, if I said that every Military death in Iraq was worth the pictures up there in that video. I admit, there were screw ups. But we did finally get it right. That video is proof of that. I believe that somewhere in the distant future, George W. Bush will be remembered for Democracy that exists now in Iraq. However, those on the far left will never let the world forget that the WMD thing was a mistake. Which I think, was unfair. Bush acted on what he knew at the time.

God Bless Our Troops. 😀

Others: Hot Air, RedState, Neptunus Lex, Don Surber,  QandO and More via Memeorandum

Barry will pork the budget, but cut our defense.

The Dad-blasted idiot!

The Obama administration has asked the military’s Joint Chiefs of Staff to cut the Pentagon’s budget request for the fiscal year 2010 by more than 10 percent — about $55 billion — a senior U.S. defense official tells FOX News.

Last year’s defense budget was $512 billion. Service chiefs and planners will be spending the weekend “burning the midnight oil” looking at ways to cut the budget — looking especially at weapons programs, the defense official said.

Some overall budget figures are expected to be announced Monday.

Obama met Friday at the White House with a small group of military advisers, including Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Gen. James Cartwright, vice chairman, and Gen. Jim Jones, National Security Council chairman.

via Defense Official: Obama Calling for Defense Budget Cuts –  FOXNews.com.

He does this, but he’ll pork the hell out of that stimulus package.  What a damned douche nozzle! 😡

I know what I’d like to call ol’ Bambi right about now. But I’m biting my tongue….. quite hard.

Others: RedState, Josh_Painter’s blog, Hot Air, Stop The ACLU Gateway Pundit, Riehl World View, THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS, The Jawa Report and Cold Fury

Tom Daschle has serious issues with taxes.

Seems Senator Tom Daschle has got issues. Big Issues. 😮

ABC News has learned that the nomination of former Senator Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., to be President Obama’s secretary of health and human services has hit a traffic snarl on its way through the Senate Finance Committee.

The controversy deals with a car and driver lent to Daschle by a wealthy Democratic friend — a chauffeur service the former senator used for years without declaring it on his taxes.

It remains an open question as to whether this is a “speed bump,” as a Democratic Senate ally of Daschle put it, or something more damaging.

via Political Punch: Bumps in the Road: Obama’s HHS Secretary Nominee Faces Tax Questions Over Car and Driver.

I saw this last night and I thought, “Okay, no big deal.” But then I read about this:

Via Jack Tapper:

ABC News has obtained the Senate Finance Committee Report on Tom Daschle’s nomination to be Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, which indicates that Daschle’s tax problems were even more substantial than earlier reported.

The report indicates that Daschle’s failure to pay more than $101,000 taxes on the car and driver a wealthy friend let him use from 2005 through 2007 is not the only tax issue the former Senate Majority Leader has been dealing with since his December nomination prompted a more thorough examination of his income tax returns.

Mr. Daschle also didn’t report $83,333 in consulting income in 2007.

The Senate Finance Committee Report also notes that during the vetting process, President Obama’s Transition Team “identified certain donations that did not qualify as charitable deductions because they were not paid to qualifying organizations.  Daschle adjusted his contribution deductions on his amended returns for 2005, 2006 and 2007 to remove these amounts and add additional contributions.” This adjustment meant a reduction in the amount he contributed to charitable foundations of $14,963 from 2005 through 2007. With the unreported income from the use of a car service in the amounts of $73,031 in 2005, $89,129 in 2006 and $93,096 in 2007; the unreported consulting income of $83,333 in 2007; and the adjusted reductions in charitable contributions, Daschle adds a total of $353,552 in additional income and reduced donations, meaning an additional tax payment of $128,203, in addition to $11,964 in interest.

On January 2 of this year, Daschle filed amended tax returns to pay the $140,167 in unpaid taxes.

Oy Vey… Good luck in getting confirmed dude. I mean, not to sound crass, but; how the fuck can you forget to pay your damn taxes? It must be nice to have so much money that you cannot remember how much you have, so you can pay your taxes! I mean, I’ve got 43 bucks and some change (Not hope and change!) in my account, luckily for me, I’ve been out of work so damned long that I do not have to pay income taxes this yet. I even called to make damned sure too; anyhow, I’m just saying man, how can someone forget? Just does not make any damned sense.

Of course, if this blog takes off; I might have to start paying taxes on the income and register a business name and all. But I’m nowhere near that level, yet. I’m getting decent hits, but zero income. I mean, 10 bucks here, 3 bucks there. But nothing huge, yet.  It takes time, I suppose.

Others on the subject: The Hill’s Blog Briefing Room, Fox News, Washington Monthly, The Politico, Outside The Beltway, USA Today, Fausta’s Blog, Warner_Todd_Huston’s blog, QandO, RedState, TigerHawk, Hot Air, NewsBusters.org, Neptunus Lex, Betsy’s Page, TIME.com, Don Surber, The Moderate Voice, Glenn Thrush’s Blogs, PoliticalBase.com Blog, D-Day and AmSpecBlog and More via Memeorandum

Liberal Smear Machine Starts Against Michael Steele

I knew it was coming, liberals are now turning on smear machine towards Michael Steele.

As we all know, what Liberals fear, they try to smear and discredit.

Go here to read it all.

Amanda Carpenter has more.

Update: Sister Toldjah has an excellent posting the counters the tripe that’s found on some of the Liberal Blogs. Excellent work! 😀

Why does America always do stupid things like this?

I will never, ever understand why America does stupid things like this right here, ever!

The Obama administration on Friday made an emergency contribution of more than $20 million for urgent relief efforts in the Gaza Strip, a day after the United Nations launched a flash appeal for $613 million to help Palestinians recover from Israel’s three-week military operation there.

The State Department said President Barack Obama had authorized the use of $20.3 million from the U.S. Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance Fund for humanitarian assistance to the 1.4 million Palestinians in Gaza.

The money will go to U.N. agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which are distributing emergency food assistance, providing medical care and temporary shelter, creating temporary employment and restoring access to electricity and potable water, the department said in a statement.

The Israeli offensive killed nearly 1,300 Palestinians, including hundreds of civilians, and caused an estimated $2 billion in damage, Palestinian officials say. The assault was launched to halt years of Hamas rocket fire on southern Israel.

via US puts up $20 million for Gaza relief – AP.

You want to know where this money is going to end up? In the hands of Hamas, the very terrorist organization that was attacking Israel, in the first place.  This money is supposed to be reserved for American Citizens, not for foreign countries!  You know, I find it absolutely amazing that the United States of America, would support a military attack on Gaza by Israel to defeat terrorists; only to have them send aid to the very people that Israel attacked. Not only this, our government is using money that is specifically earmarked for the people of the United States of America. This is an outrage! Someone should be complaining to the high Heavens about it!

The reason this outrages me so much is this; yeah, that money might go to American agencies approved by our Government, but ultimately, it will end up right back into the hands of the Hamas terrorists.

I will never understand why America continues to prop up those they claim are terrorists.