Lucianne.com News Forum - HomePage - RSS (http://www.lucianne.com/) http://www.lucianne.com/rssfeed/ Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:47:05 GMT Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:47:05 GMT Lucianne.com Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:37:04 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521640 43B340ADC1EED920857F4D71A0FC1894F6630AF9B2FDD04E881062E4DCDF7E44 American Spectator, by Jay D. Homnick Posted By: StormCnter- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:37:04 GMT Milton Berle was at a party in D.C. once and, making conversation over cocktails, he asked a fellow: &#34;Have you heard the latest gag about the White House?&#34; &#34;I beg your pardon,&#34; the man sniffed. &#34;I happen to work at the White House.&#34; &#34;That's all right,&#34; Milty reassured him. &#34;I'll tell it slow.&#34; Today's occupants of the alabaster demesne seem hardly swifter. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:35:08 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521639 80013BCD22B130247D595D8EBF030F47550E09D7D7B947EB7FFD7B62A65E6C22 The Wall Street Journal, by Louise Radnofsky Posted By: SP101_357- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:35:08 GMT As D.C. continued to dig out from Snowmageddon and is keeping an eye on another storm system, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was busy making a climate change announcement. NOAA, part of the Department of Commerce, is going to be providing information to individuals and decision'makers through a new NOAA Climate Service office. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:35:06 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521638 D2544E159BC65DA84259E4368770283A953E55D66D715284576FE05E82130F41 American Spectator, by Andrew Roberts Posted By: StormCnter- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:35:06 GMT &#34;I do not think America is going to smash,” Winston Churchill told his American stockbroker in the depths of the Great Depression. “On the contrary I believe that they will quite soon begin to recover…. They carved it out of the prairie and the forests. They are going to have a strong national resurgence in the near future.” Churchill’s own belief in the massive regenerative power of the United States Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:31:29 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521637 67E6E6CE31F1FD54EA702FE0C1D465DA848648A7FB3B3B68CB9756F10F9E31F1 New York Post, by Frederic U. Dicker Posted By: StormCnter- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:31:29 GMT ALBANY '' The wildest thing about the wild rumors sur rounding Gov. Paterson's supposedly imminent resignation is that everybody in the state Capitol '' indeed everybody in the state political community '' is ready to believe anything about the governor, no matter how bad it is. After a year and a half of Eliot Spitzer and nearly two years of Paterson, New Yorkers have come to expect little from their chief executives '' Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:31:06 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521636 61691C0D1D03DF11040DCD03B2A9EBF94A172D12AF343A283AA26457AE43D49C Los Angeles Times, by Andrew Malcolm Posted By: GaGardener- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:31:06 GMT A favorite story about Chicago politics involves Roman Pucinski, who served six long terms of political apprenticeship in the Washington minor leagues of the U.S. House of Representatives before the Windy City's vaunted Democratic political machine allowed him to step up and serve on the City Council. (Snip) In the last few days at least three major outlets have published well'informed evaluations of Obama's first year in office. All are well worth reading. The dominant Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:25:03 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521635 28FB7152E0B25B2300526BA7E4639030F17D362190365435AD55563F0379DAE2 Bloomberg News, by Mary Jane Credeur Posted By: BuckeyeRon- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:25:03 GMT A body found in the landing'gear compartment of a Delta Air Lines Inc. jet that flew to Tokyo’s Narita Airport from New York may spur a fresh review of U.S. aviation security. Lack of oxygen or hypothermia may have killed the stowaway, said a police official at Narita, who asked not to be identified because of department policy. (Snip) The case highlights a possible weak spot in the safety crackdown ordered after Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:19:40 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521634 45244D15677A6B2AC9B3484A562A464124CFB9DDF4349190FFD6CB3BDA68D9CD Daily Beast, by John Avlon Posted By: Oblio- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:19:40 GMT The Birthers were back in force at the National Tea Party Convention in Nashville. WorldNet Daily founder Joseph Farah used his prime'time speaking slot, broadcast on C'Span, to pump up claims that President Obama was not born in the United States—and received enthusiastic applause from the audience. Birther queen Orly Taitz was in the house, making the rounds as a celebrity conspiracy theorist. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:17:42 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521633 07E66CE7370B4A308FEA1F87DF1C56E0B29C007C67C5D9F8885CBEC89CBE912D Politico, by Manu Raju Posted By: garnet- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:17:42 GMT Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has settled in on his election'year strategy: Identify issues that unite his caucus but divide the other party, then use them to drive a wedge between the White House and congressional Democrats. At the top of his list: the administration’s handling of terrorism cases. Replicating his pattern of relentless, blistering speeches against President Barack Obama’s health care proposal and his plan to shutter the Guantanamo Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:02:44 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521632 B782459387FBEE67D8201F7B28C8E2785D648029BC93295E643070A916576333 Weekly Standard, by Matthew Continetti Posted By: garnet- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:02:44 GMT Arnold Kling: My point here is not to champion Republicans. It is not to champion democracy. My point is that the ones throwing the temper tantrum right now are the Progressives. They think that the 2008 election gave them the right to operate like China's autocracy, and they are lashing out hysterically at those they perceive as preventing them from doing so. On the one hand, the villains are a small minority in the Senate. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:02:11 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521631 E829BC9EF5B8A28753D471A879D263023747659A40B953F97D3825F7BB0F8597 Reason Magazine, by Matt Welch Posted By: zoidberg- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:02:11 GMT In just about every speech at their 2008 convention, Democrats promised voters that a change in the White House would, in Barack Obama’s formulation, restore “our moral standing” in the world. Replace the unilateralist cowboy at the top with a humbler multilateralist, and the path would finally be cleared to fix vexing international issues such as curbing carbon emissions and dealing with the mullahs in Iran. Like many of the party faithful’s long'nurtured beliefs Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:52:28 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521630 8320BC6B00337C53E7A709FDAE1289A257B8CA0DFB05BD8CF158D30421518B87 Weekly Standard, by Fred Barnes Posted By: garnet- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:52:28 GMT Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell doesn’t claim to have developed an economic stimulus plan of his own. But he does favor a cluster of proposals that, when packaged together, are a simple, sensible program for rejuvenating the economy. I take the liberty of dubbing it the McConnell Plan (without asking the Republican leader’s approval). If enacted, the plan would do a great deal more to boost the economy and increase employment than the “jobs bill” Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:04:31 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521629 F65D3FFA1AB757261F6D1E812C39A561E9D001F96A705E85FAE0F207DCEE3976 New York Post, by John Crudele Posted By: colonel53- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:04:31 GMT Whoopee! There was a big drop in the unemployment rate for January.But if you look at the numbers closely the sound you'd hear is more Whoopee Cushion than cheering. According to the official Labor Department numbers, the jobless rate in the US dipped impressively from 10.0 percent in December to 9.7 percent in January. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:46:02 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521628 1F3F6B9113EF1F7EC7AD34B58F4B4E4EB0B190CB279B72103F442978F0C5C392 Weekly Standard, by Jonathan V. Last Posted By: garnet- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:46:02 GMT The conventional wisdom is that Barack Obama’s decline in the polls represents a new, unexpected turn against him. But an examination of the results of the recent elections in Virginia, New Jersey, and Massachusetts suggests that what we might really be seeing is a return to the skepticism that significant portions of the electorate have showed about Obama from the beginning of his national career.(Snip)The question, then, (Snip) And the answer is: Without enthusiasm. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:34:13 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521627 3B90230AF1C845D53CAD8F25C0CA6E1BF6BEDAFE1A1BCD441DB07F1DF228F7EE Associated Press, by Ryan J. Foley Posted By: Judy W.- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:34:13 GMT Madison, Wis. ' The U.S. Department of Homeland Security conducted a threat assessment of local pro' and anti'abortion rights activists before an expected rally last year, even though they did not pose a threat to national security. The DHS destroyed or deleted its copies of the assessment after an internal review found it violated intelligence'gathering guidelines by collecting and sharing information about &#34;protest groups which posed no threat to homeland security,&#34; Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:14:10 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521626 954FFAF097BAD6FF2252455568525A7FD839E495CF17B5F9C6B6E91E7D009665 N.Y. Daily News, by Mike Lupica ' News Posted By: DW626- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:14:10 GMT Now Sarah Palin comes right out and says it, that she really is thinking about running for President in 2012. She says it in the same starry'eyed way kids talk about growing up to be astronauts, but actually seems to believe it, that somehow she can go from being this kind of pinup girl for her Tea Party friends to the White House <b> Please split extra wide headlines. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:12:23 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521625 5B44322C00DB736A32A435EA60854815759467091983FE69970E8B5FE88C8D59 FrontPage Magazine, by Robert Spencer Posted By: MichaelvdGalien- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:12:23 GMT Geert Wilders’s “hate speech” trial in the Netherlands began just a few weeks ago, but the outcome already seems determined. As Robert Spencer discusses in our lead story today, the Amsterdam District Court has refused to allow Wilders to call fifteen of the eighteen witnesses he had hoped to bring forward in his defense. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:06:32 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521624 9A5C2728064C3E645B01DD8239C3621B9C7DF07996697C7BC673FEB611A7F054 New York Post, by Geoff Earle Posted By: StormCnter- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:06:32 GMT WASHINGTON '' President Obama's overall approval rating has sunk to a new low '' and independent voters who propelled him to the White House have gotten downright sick of the job he's doing, according to a devastating poll released yesterday. Obama's job'approval rating has tanked to a dismal 29 percent among independents, the Marist College survey found. His disapproval rating is nearly twice as high '' 57 percent. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:00:33 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521623 93919B86E7E2F9E48DBBF0048965A6535375BC29ABF55CF3777ABA4893155EDF Politico, by Carrie Budoff Brown & Patrick O'Conn Posted By: MissMolly- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:00:33 GMT Immediately after President Barack Obama announced a bipartisan health reform summit, Democrats and Republicans made clear they have almost no expectation the half'day meeting can break a bitter yearlong standoff. The two parties are staking out positions that leave them completely at odds even before they sit down. Republicans say they’re open to compromise — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:57:34 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521622 D3E7D98028721C042A4DA9D388ABBD7574A01084A14A8FB98A4FFB6F7745ABA7 New York Daily News, by Editorial Posted By: MissMolly- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:57:34 GMT There it was, straight from the top, straight from the mouth of President Obama: The U.S. might bring the masterminds of 9/11 to trial in Manhattan Federal Court after all. Those anonymous White House aides who passed word late last month that the administration had abandoned such folly were, to put the best light on it, premature in assuring that Obama had dropped New York from his plans. Because he hasn't. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:48:28 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521621 E6EE3416E9CCBE00F113BDD3AE4F76E3AA1AB08479908C7DCC121899FB77ADD5 Weekly Standard, by John Yoo Posted By: StormCnter- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:48:28 GMT Democratic postmortems on Barack Obama’s disappointing first year in the Oval Office have emphasized, as the president himself did, difficulties inherited from “the last eight years.” Republicans, for their part, credit public opposition to Obama’s overreaching policies. But a full explanation goes much deeper. Obama is failing because he has turned the constitutional functions of the presidency upside down. The 2010 State of the Union address nicely summed up Obama’s topsy'turvy approach to the presidency. Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:41:12 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521620 58E01CF5AD9066C2928E20E0D3CB65362FDCD3CAC38A388AA9BFD0BF3BF633B6 Washington Examiner [DC], by David Freddoso Posted By: StormCnter- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:41:12 GMT In a television interview this afternoon, Democratic Tennessee Rep. Steve Cohen pronounced judgment on the doctors who were operating on Rep. Jack Murtha, D'Pa., when he died. Cohen, a government attorney before he began his political career, was asked about tort reform in health care when he brought up Murtha's death: &#34;As we speak today, Rep. John Murtha died. And he was my friend, and he served this country for many years... Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:31:31 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521619 3D70002BE891C88E220D9A27C4D8DE5A665E02F9CE1090C61FC81B6C0D459E2B Big Government, by Charles C. Johnson Posted By: StormCnter- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:31:31 GMT Imam Zaid Shakir came to speak at my school, Claremont McKenna, on December 9th to respond to the “tragedy of Ft. Hood.” Rather than respond to the massacre of American servicemen, Shakir spent the evening indicting the United States – saying “we were born in genocide.” The reason for the Ft. Hood Massacre, according to Shakir? Not jihad or Islamic fundamentalism, but the “pervasiveness of violence in our society” Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:22:39 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521618 06FB3202DEDF2740DB68974B12F10E65869348B3011E7480740CC7842403A248 Mediaite, by James Camp Posted By: StormCnter- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:22:39 GMT Back in 2003, when it still seemed like the invasion of Iraq might be the military equivalent of a quickie, outbidding your rivals by $700 million for a TV contract that, even in the sunniest conceivable outlook, was going to lose you money also seemed, apparently, like a rather bright idea. (What the hell happened, in 2003? What was in the air? Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:16:54 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521617 1CE3DB725EDC0E07DFB65570BC90D609F9025D3E0D020F03DACEC32275DB3D7A ABC News, by Jake Tapper Posted By: StormCnter- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:16:54 GMT Last March 16, President Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner announced a new $15 billion program to help encourage loans to small businesses '' the Unlocking Credit for Small Businesses, or UCSB program. Subsequently, wrote Neil Barofsky, Special Inspector General of the Troubled Asset Relief Program, in his latest report, &#34;two additional initiatives were announced to support small'business lending, and Treasury announced an increase of the TARP funding dedicated to support these efforts to $30 billion.&#34; Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:13:09 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521616 F0FF3F11D23A727BC28AF51C2894A33E7A31986912C254F2D929BAADCDF35DAF Wall Street Journal [Washington Wire], by Susan Davis Posted By: Pluperfect- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:13:09 GMT Democrats are mourning the personal loss of their colleague Rep. John Murtha, but his death today at age 77 is doubly troubling for the party that will have to defend his seat in an upcoming special election. Immediately following the news of his death, election analysts rated the race as competitive for the GOP. While Murtha has held the seat since 1974 with few re'election scares, the Johnstown'area district outside of Pittsburgh has right'leaning roots, Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:09:30 GMT http://www.lucianne.com/thread/?artnum=521615 CB4AACF6382214ACD12FFCE72BF2607D86F4BE5BB46881DE437383ECD1A4AB35 Washington Post, by Chris Cillizza Posted By: StormCnter- Tue, 09 Feb 2010 09:09:30 GMT Over the past week, President Obama and his senior aides have repeatedly cited Republicans' filibuster threats as the primary reason for the lack of progress on big ticket legislative items, an early sign that Democrats will seek to use this bit of legislative arcana against the GOP in the coming midterm election. At a meeting '' televised, natch '' with Senate Democrats last week, Obama harped on the GOP's willingness to invoke the filibuster,