If Caroline Kennedy is qualified to be a senator...

Assassins in our midst

Amazing...

Almost two months have passed since Obama's landslide election, and yet Alaska governor Sarah Palin remains a topic of conversation. She was fourth on Time Magazine's Person of the Year list. WHY? The media long knives are still out for her. They want her politically DEAD.

There is no doubt that fear is part of that equation. Fear by Democrats of the way she connected with people. Fear of the inside-the-Beltway Republicans who don't like the way she cleaned up Alaska's cesspool of Republican corruption.

They see her as the most scary embodiment of "flyover country" - rural values -- coloquial expressions ("you betcha"), large family, pro-life, hunter, fisher, blue-collar background, several state universities as her education. They see her as an anti-elitist -- a close call that almost succeeded had we not been protected by her "exposure" by our "watchdog media." These are the same vigilant watchdogs who have ignored the controversy over the question of a certified birth certificate of the President-elect, his corrupt machine that gave him his birth, the AWOL school transcripts and connections (where are all the fawning reminiscences of Barack Obama and his time at Punahou, Columbia, Harvard, et. al?) The compliant acceptance that his people had no improper conversations with Illinois Governor Payoffavitch...as New York governor Patterson prepares to pay off Teddy Kennedy and his family's early backing of Obama with Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg's senate seat. But then that New York Senate seat has long been a carpetbagger seat since...well, since uncle Bobby got it in the 60's, then Hillary (at least she won an election against sacrificial lamb Rick Lazio), and now Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" will be appointed.

So why the hatred for Palin? She's won more elections than Hillary has, and Caroline Kennedy has never held elective office. Well, Palin was gonna be one step away from the presidency, they said. Even Dan Quayle got more respect than Palin. But then Senator Quayle was already part of the Washington crowd. This is the crowd that CAUSED the mortgage meltdown by passing laws that in essence FORCED banks to loan money to high risk people.(Some people called this MONTHS ago...and Frank and Dodd, the chairmen of the banking committees in each house of Congress, NOW have larger majorities to do this to other areas of US industry "cough" autos "cough".) Now, those same people, will bail out the auto industry...for while. Then California...Ohio...Michigan...but not Alaska.

Governor Palin is suggesting a budget cut of 7%, and even with the decline in oil revenues still expects a SURPLUS at the end of fiscal year 2010. She hit the nail on the head with her statement, that would be well heeded in Washington, and explains her appeal to so many in the Republican Party:

"We of course are going to be prudent," Palin said. "We're going to live within our means. We don't want any Alaskans to assume that government is the answer to all of the challenges and issues and problems that any individual faces."

In a few years, America may be sorry she didn't win.

I encourage readers to read this interview with Governor Palin here. Does this sound like the chopped up interview we saw with Katie Couric? The biting New York Times piece by Dick Cavett? The hateful pieces, even by Republicans, that gave many Americans the idea that this woman was a blithering idiot with no experience that must be kept away from the White House so that the inexperienced Barack Obama, and his corrupt Chicago buddies like Chief of Staff to be Rahm Emmanuel, can keep us safe and restore international faith in the United States? (Translation: the other countries that want us weakened, but also want more of our money.)

No, that wasn't the real Sarah Palin, it was a caricature that the Lapdog Obama Media wanted us to believe.

But they won! Why are they still scared of her?

Because she still connects with people. Georgia voters know...

So, New York Times, Washington Post, etc...be afraid...be very afraid. Sarah's not going away...she will run for governor again in 2010 and win big...and then, watch out. I'm not convinced she will run for president in 2012, but in 2016, she will be in her early 50s...and a lot of successful Republican candidates for state offices will owe her for the incessant campaigning she will be doing for them over the next eight years...

Her time will come...you read it here.

PS-- Thomas Sowell remains required reading. Class dismissed.

All statements by Barack Obama come with an expiration date

You remember it...that race speech that made the presstitutes think he was the next Lincoln...it made a tingle go up Chris Matthew's leg...the greatest speech on our biggest problem. I'm talking, of course, of Barack Obama's famous speech from Philadelphia on race.

It was ostensibly to take some of the heat off of him as people were listening to sound clips of his preacher of 20 odd years saying "God damn America" and talking about the "US of KKK".

One of the things that so impressed us about the speech was that he WROTE IT HIMSELF.

Ummm...maybe not.

Now appears a post-election revelation by the Washington Post that he actually gave a number of ideas he wanted covered in the speech to his speechwriter, Jon Favreau, and Favreau worked up a speech that Obama then spent some days tweaking to fit his style.

Is this evil, you ask? Heck no. Few politicians DON'T, have speechwriters do the work for their boss, after having been given guidance on what the boss wants to say. I'm just saying, that it was part of the "lore of Obama" that he wrote that speech by himself after two days of solid work.

I'm just saying what I had said at the time...and was contradicted on by friends and colleagues...HE DIDN'T WRITE IT. So, I get to say, I was right...

But wait...that's not the end of the story. Jon Favreau is part of the story.

Now, all we heard this year was how we needed to find new HOPE that CHANGE was gonna come. And for the most part, the only change has been throwing out most of the Bush people and replacing them with...uh...old CLINTON people. We aren't going to do business like we used to...people deserved to be treated with respect.

We did get some change...and Favreau is part of that change. As part of the inebriated celebration upon Obama's winning of the nomination, a "friend" of Favreau's was stupid enough to post a picture of Favreau and friends groping a cut-out of the Secretary of State nominee.

Fear not...his job with the Obama administration is not in jeopardy...he's not a Republican. Democrats are known to be tolerant and a friend of diversity. It's those neanderthal Republicans, especially those sexist, bigoted, homophobic, warmongering, lying conservatives, who are so unfit to serve our diverse nation.

Repeat after me: All statements by Barack Obama come with an expiration date...

Sexism is now ok. Racism is only a problem for white people. He's for gay marriage, he's against gay marriage. He wants us out of Iraq, we can't leave Iraq quite yet.

BARACK OBAMA IS SIMPLY A POLITICIAN.

I expect this theme to be a regular occurrence on this blog...sad to say.

Coach

Is "fear itself" all that's left?

No question, it's a tough road ahead.

But it's not time to throw the baby out with the bath water.

Today's great article is by Jonah Goldberg and can be found here.

Based on my nearly 20 years in asset management, I think he's right on the money (pardon the pun), but will America panic and make things worse?

Mr. Obama will be closely watched...

The Legacy of December 13th

This is another first for me...I am going to post another person's post. Please read this...and keep this in mind when you hear all the angry comments from our citizenry about Bush and the Iraq War.

Today marks the fifth anniversary of Saddam Hussein’s capture by U.S. forces, when he was pulled dirty, afraid, and alone from a hole in Tikrit, Iraq. Five years from that day, Iraqis continue to face a somewhat uncertain future fraught with challenges and perils. Critics of the war complain that there is no certainty that democracy can take root in Iraq, and lament the possibility that this “experiment” will fail. These cynics are correct in asserting that our achievements in Iraq remain fragile and potentially reversible, and they may be justified in their skepticism about an Iraqi democracy’s staying power. One thing is certain though: The Iraqi people, who have never had reason to, are now learning how to hope. They no longer face each day with the certainty that conditions are immutable and inevitable, as they had been forced to do for so many years under Saddam’s regime.

Saddam Hussein, his sons, and his supporters terrorized the people of Iraq and subjected them to violence and maltreatment without reason or restraint. His record of rape, torture, murder, and oppression is well documented but marginalized and deflected by critics who claim that the violence of the war overshadows Hussein’s heinous crimes. This argument does not, and cannot stand. During Saddam Hussein’s reign, Iraqis had no sense that the terror would ever end. The individual citizen had neither the right nor the ability to oppose Saddam’s henchmen, who took what they wanted, killed and raped at will, and tortured (think hooks, blowtorches, and electricity) to intimidate or eliminate potential enemies. The purpose of this evil was solely to maintain Saddam’s power and strengthen his regime by dominating the will of the people. He was held up as something more than human, above all laws and criticism and accountable to no one. Operation Desert Storm did little to give Iraqis lasting hope that Saddam would be defeated, and when he ruthlessly crushed the Shia and Kurds after the war without response from the West, they recognized it as another validation of Saddam’s invincibility.

When U.S. soldiers pulled Saddam Hussein from that hole in Tikrit, the spell that had held Iraqis captive for decades was broken. Suddenly, there was a glimmer of hope for a population who had never had the right to dream of a better life. That hope is what differentiates every day before December 13, 2003, from every day since. It is the hope that things will get better, that the individual life can mean something. That the next generation can live a better life than the current one, and that through effort and will the people can make tomorrow better than today. This hope is fundamental to meaningful human existence, but is often taken for granted by Americans who have never endured a life where its expression is denied by a cruel dictator. Some suggest that Saddam’s dictatorship, though cruel and oppressive, was the only way to effectively control the tribes, maintain order, and govern the country. Day by day the Iraqi people are proving them wrong; this is the legacy of December 13.

— Gabe Ledeen is the director of the Vets For Freedom Educational Institute. He served two tours in al Anbar, Iraq, as a Marine officer with an infantry battalion.

May we never forget people like Gabe Ledeen and his comrades...Semper Fi!

Was Bush the problem in the War on Terror

We saw a lot of talk about this subject through the last few years, as well as in the recent campaign. Now we read some interesting articles about the aftermath of the Mumbai massacre. A piece of which is quoted below:

Asked what was different about the victims of the incident, another doctor said: "It was very strange. I have seen so many dead bodies in my life, and was yet traumatised. A bomb blast victim's body might have been torn apart and could be a very disturbing sight. But the bodies of the victims in this attack bore such signs about the kind of violence of urban warfare that I am still unable to put my thoughts to words," he said.

Asked specifically if he was talking of torture marks, he said: "It was apparent that most of the dead were tortured. What shocked me were the telltale signs showing clearly how the hostages were executed in cold blood," one doctor said.

The other doctor, who had also conducted the post-mortem of the victims, said: "Of all the bodies, the Israeli victims bore the maximum torture marks. It was clear that they were killed on the 26th itself. It was obvious that they were tied up and tortured before they were killed. It was so bad that I do not want to go over the details even in my head again," he said.

Corroborating the doctors' claims about torture was the information that the Intelligence Bureau had about the terror plan. "During his interrogation, Ajmal Kamal said they were specifically asked to target the foreigners, especially the Israelis," an IB source said.

It will be instructive to see how the president chooses to deal with this. Some actions portend a serious approach. Others are more worrisome. Still other issues are being cited as having put so much pressure on the new president-elect as to lead to some worrisome physical challenges. Whether we voted for him or not, all Americans should want the new president to succeed. However, as President Bush saw in his terms, facing external threats did not inoculate one from harsh criticism of one's actions.

Late Addition: 24 hour news outlets are being used by people like the Mumbai terrorists to seek out their victims. We know that the terrorists were using Blackberries to communicate with each other. It now appears they were also using CNN to track down tourists who had escaped their roundup. Hostage emptor.

Last Addition: The best summary of the attacks is here at the Wall Street Journal.