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TUESDAY,  APRIL 27, 2010

THE QUIET CRISIS – AT 7:58 P.M. ET:  As we struggle to recover from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, events in Europe may make it more difficult, threatening the whole world's economy in the process:

(Reuters) - Rating agency Standard and Poor's slashed Greek debt to junk status on Tuesday and also downgraded Portugal, as investors worried political pressures could block a multi-billion euro bailout of Greece.

Markets in Europe and the United States tumbled in reaction to signs that the Greek debt crisis was spreading to other highly indebted states on the periphery of the euro zone.

"It's contagion from the Greece crisis which has spiraled out of control," said William Sullivan at JVB Financial Group in Florida.

"It's like coconuts falling from the tree. There's a flight from sovereign debt issuers that have suspect national finances."

Sullivan said there was "outright panic" among investors who feared they would lose some of their principal if Greece restructured or defaulted on its 300 billion euro debt.

COMMENT:  Some European countries are in far worse shape than is the United States.  But they'll keep lecturing us nonetheless.

There's a growing fear that increasing debt around the world will make the next big bust far worse than the collapse of 2008.  Of course, the revolutionaries would love that...until it happens.

April 27, 2010     Permalink

CRIST ON THURSDAY – AT 7:37 P.M. ET:  Republican Governor Charlie Crist of Florida will make a major political announcement on Thursday.  Crist is in a losing primary race against Marco Rubio for a U.S. Senate nomination.  There's been talk that Crist may pull out and run indy.  From The Politico:

The suspense swirling around Florida GOP Gov. Charlie Crist’s political future will culminate in an announcement Thursday.

Crist told his cabinet Tuesday morning that’s the day he’ll make clear whether he will stay in the Senate race as a Republican, run as an independent or drop out altogether.

“I’d like to go ahead and get that concluded then look forward to the last day of session,” Crist said, as reported by The Palm Beach Post.

Crist said he hasn’t made up his mind yet, but most political observers believe he’s likely to leave the GOP.

Friday is the deadline for federal candidates to file for office in Florida.

Many Republicans are betting that he’ll bolt the party.

“The clock is making him decide now. I just don’t see a path for him to stay in the Republican primary,” said David Johnson, a GOP consultant and former executive director of the party.

COMMENT:  Crist would be wiser to drop out graciously, but stay in the Republican Party.  Then he'll have some chits, will keep powerful allies, and has a future.  If he runs as an independent and loses, he's got no one. 

Senator Joe Lieberman did run as an "independent Democrat" after his own party knifed him and denied him renomination.  The difference is that Joe was the incumbent, with a huge popularity base.  He won as an independent and kept his committee chairmanship in the Senate.

April 27, 2010     Permalink

BAIT AND SWITCH – AT 7:15 P.M. ET:  That's the tactic used most often by this administration.  You can't believe any position they take this week because it may change by next week.  A "crisis" will be declared, which is the way this crowd operates.  Exhibit A, from Fox:

President Obama said Tuesday that "everything has to be on the table" as his newly appointed debt commission goes to work, but he would not entertain questions about whether tax increases, including a value-added tax, or spending cuts will get serious consideration.

"We're not playing that game," the president said.

Unbelievable.  Incredible.  The man has no shame.  Maybe he thinks it's a game.  Most of us think of it as government. 

"We're not going to say what's in. I'm not going to say what's out. I want this commission to be free to do its work," he said, warning that the country would face a "day of reckoning" if the federal government cannot control its spending.

Wha..?  Did you get that?  Isn't he the guy whose programs have driven the national debt to unsustainable levels?  Now he's lecturing us?

You can see the campaign strategy emerging, and it's a clone of 2008:  Say anything.  The public won't notice and the press will help us out. 

Peter Orszag, White House budget office director, said in prepared remarks to the commission that persistently high deficits could eventually stifle the economy.

"The options to further reduce the deficit may not be popular, but they are necessary," he said.

As you can see, belaboring the obvious is another part of the strategy.  But don't expect the "unpopular" options to get much mention until after the election.

But finding consensus among the panel -- composed of 10 Democratically appointed commissioners and eight Republican appointees -- will be an especially challenging task because it takes 14 votes out of the 18 members to approve a recommendation.

The co-chairman, former Republican Senator Alan Simpson of Wyoming, called it "a suicide mission."  That appears to be true.

April 27, 2010     Permalink

WHICH PRESIDENT DO WE THANK? – AT 10:59 A.M. ET:   There is all this yapping about multiculturalism.  You know the drill:  "We must understand other cultures."  But please notice what is missing from that declaration:  "We must understand other cultures...and they must understand us."

The multiculturalists would never include that full construction because multiculturalism is, for the most part, a branch office of anti-Americanism.  It's the oldest wine in the newest bottle, the leftist party line repackaged for the new century.

Other nations have, because they misunderstood the United States, made terrible mistakes.  Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor came about, in part, because the Japanese government ignored warnings that the United States would react ferociously.  Those in power in Tokyo didn't understand us.  Similarly, Hitler boasted that Americans would fight "like Boy Scouts," and he therefore wasn't afraid of us.  He declared war and took us on, not understanding that the Boy Scouts could be turned into superb soldiers.

It's pretty clear that Osama bin Laden, who knows nothing of Americans,  made a serious mistake in attacking us on 9-11.  And now one of his associates confirms that truth: 

WASHINGTON - Osama bin Laden had no idea the U.S. would hit al-Qaida as hard as it has since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, a former bin Laden associate tells WTOP in an exclusive interview.

"I'm 100 percent sure they had no clue about what was going to happen," says Noman Benotman, who was head of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group in the summer of 2000.

"What happened after the 11th of September was beyond their imagination, " says Benotman, who adds that al-Qaida thought the U.S. was a "paper tiger."

Sitting on the floor at bin Laden's compound in Kandahar, Afghanistan during a meeting the summer before the attacks, Benotman shocked bin Laden and more than 200 other international jihadist leaders by telling the al-Qaida leader his jihadi strategy was "a total failure."

And...

Benotman attributes al-Qaida's overconfident attitude to the United States' response to al-Qaida attacks on its in embassies in Nairobi, Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in 1998.

Zawahiri, according to Benotman, expected only a missile attack.

"When they attacked the embassies in East Africa, they estimated the U.S. launched 75 cruise missiles and eight people got killed. So they said this time, maybe they will launch 200 and they laughed about this."

COMMENT:  Hmm.  I think it was Bill Clinton who launched those ineffective attacks on Al Qaeda and then forgot about the issue.  It was George W. Bush who fought back hard and kept this country safe for the remainder of his presidency. 

But Clinton is treated like an elder statesman and Bush is still the butt of jokes.  Would you say that our media and intellectual elites have a misplaced sense of values?  Yeah, I'd say so.

We can only imagine how Barack Hussein Obama Jr. would have handled September 11th.  No, let's not imagine.  Aggravation shortens the life span.

April 27, 2010     Permalink

BULLETIN:  BARACK OBAMA GETS POLITICAL – AT 10:06 A.M. ET:  It may seem strange to some, but the president of the United States, lofty and endlessly good-hearted, is playing politics, and even his loyal disciples admit it.  And the politics he is playing is ugly.  The Politico reports:

Mitch McConnell is in bed with Wall Street “movers and shakers” — and is fronting “cynical and deceptive” arguments on their behalf.

John Boehner is a health care Chicken Little to be mocked for predicting Armageddon if the Democrats’ reform bill passed.

Sarah Palin can be ignored on arms control because she’s “not exactly an expert on nuclear issues.”

And Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh are just a “troublesome” twosome spreading “vitriol.”

Democratic oppo research? Comments from Daily Kos?

No, this is your president speaking.

Once chastised for not being tough enough, President Barack Obama has lately been getting personal with his political adversaries — singling them out for scorn in speeches, interviews, asides and even in his weekly radio address.

Rather than just going after big groups of bad guys — insurance companies, lobbyists, the media — Obama has adopted a strategy that gives a face to the enemy.

By setting himself up against specific opponents, he provides a point of contrast that’s useful in invigorating a base hungry for bare knuckles and bravado — and forces those in the middle to choose between him and his villain du jour.

COMMENT:  Aren't you shocked?

One of the myths spread by the MSM is that Barack Obama is lofty and above us all, simply a higher-quality fellow than that last president, or, in fact, any other.  Well, maybe Lincoln edges him, but he was just another midwestern white guy, so he doesn't count.  Also, he talked funny.  I mean, who says "fourscore"?

In fact, Obama is a small-time Chicago politician who never took on the machine, but worked within it, who has been deceptive about his past, and who sat in a church pew for 20 years and then claimed he didn't know his pastor had hateful, anti-American views.  If he were on the right, Katie Couric and Christiane Amanpour would have laughed him out of politics years ago. 

Of the presidents I've seen, I'd rank Obama pretty much near the bottom in integrity.  This is the man, after all, whose campaign tried to label Bill and Hillary Clinton as racists.  They may be many things, but that ain't one of them. 

So don't be surprised by Obama's personal attacks.  They will get worse, not better.  And yesterday he openly played the race card, appealing to some ethnic groups, but not others, to get out and vote. 

Don't underestimate Obama's political skills.  He has a fanatical base.  Don't underestimate what he's willing to do to remain in power, with the congressional support he needs.  He has one of the best political teams in presidential history.

These are opening guns.  They're directed at our side.  Our side has yet to come up with a coherent strategy to insure a victory, rather than just dream of one.

April 27, 2010    Permalink

WHERE THE MONEY DOESN'T GO – AT 8:31 A.M. ET:  With the profligacy of the federal government, and with the huge payouts by state governments (see the post just below), you'd think services to the citizenry would be at an all-time high.  Think again, suckers.  This is government we're dealing with.  From The Wall Street Journal:

TULSA, Okla.—It has become a recession mantra: Do more with less.

Now, this heartland city is testing whether that's possible when it comes to public safety.

Since January, Tulsa has laid off 89 police officers, 11% of its force. That has pushed the city to the forefront of a national movement, spurred by hard times, to revamp long-held policing strategies.

In the crosshairs: community-policing initiatives created over the past two decades, such as having officers work in troubled schools, attend neighborhood-watch meetings and help small-business owners address nuisance crimes like graffiti. Such efforts are popular, and some experts credit them with contributing to the steady drop in the national crime rate since 1991.

And...

n New York, Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently vowed not to lay off cops, but tight budgets have slowed hiring so much that the force is down about 12% from 2000, with more attrition expected. Some violent crimes, including homicides, are on the rise. Paul Browne, a deputy police commissioner, says the department has kept a lid on problems by flooding high-crime areas with cops on foot patrol who practice community policing, such as checking in with merchants and pastors. Mr. Browne said the department is committed to such programs but acknowledges that "it's getting harder" to devote enough resources.

And...

The strain in New York and communities nationwide reminds William Bratton, former police chief in New York and Los Angeles, of the 1970s and 1980s. Then, departments lacked resources to focus on crime prevention and community partnerships, or deal with crimes such as drug dealing and prostitution.

"You'd think we would have learned our lessons from the past," says Mr. Bratton, who now runs Altegrity Security Consulting. "Policing still requires boots on the ground."

COMMENT:  We haven't learned our lessons.  Many cities are run by the kind of people who are skeptical of the police in the first place.  And crime reduction, strange as it seems, is not a priority in parts of the political spectrum.  If crime is reduced through police action, it violates one of the main foundations of modern liberal thinking – that crime is caused by "socio-economic problems of inner-city peoples," not given to law-enforcement solutions. 

So California and other states pay out huge pensions and salaries to public employees, while cutting the most vital service of all. 

It's a financial problem, we're told.  And yet The New York Times, just yesterday, informed us that the economy is really booming, if only those people out there without Ivy League degrees would simply understand it.

Get me the seasickness pills.

April 27, 2010     Permalink

WHERE THE MONEY GOES – AT 8:18 A.M. ET:  California is near bankruptcy, and yet the liberals out there show no signs of compromise on anything.  After all, the "people" must have their cake.  But which people?

There is a budding scandal in California over the salaries and pensions paid to public employees.  There was a time when those joining the civil service would give up a certain amount of salary – compared with the private sector – in exchange for the security, the benefits, and the satisfaction of a public job.  Those days are long past.  Today you give up nothing, especially in the golden state.  From the very liberal San Francisco Chronicle:

More than 1 in 3 of San Francisco's nearly 27,000 city workers earned $100,000 or more last year - a number that has been growing steadily for the past decade.

The number of city workers paid at least $100,000 in base salary totaled 6,449 last year. When such extras as overtime are included, the number jumped to 9,487 workers, nearly eight times the number from a decade ago. And that calculation doesn't include the cost of often-generous city benefits such as health care and pensions.

The pay data obtained by The Chronicle show that many of the high earners bolstered their base pay with overtime and "other pay," a category that includes payouts for unused vacation days and extra money for working late-night shifts.

Leading 2009's $100,000 Club was the Police Department's Charles Keohane, a deputy chief who retired midyear.

His total payout was $516,118, city records show, the bulk of which came from cashing out stored-up vacation, sick days and comp time. Several other police employees who changed rank or retired also saw their annual earnings swell.

And...

The average city worker salary in San Francisco is $93,000 before benefits, according to Deputy City Controller Monique Zmuda. The data take into account everyone from park gardeners and street cleaners to attorneys and technology specialists.

COMMENT:  There's more where this came from, in other states as well.  But public-service unions have veto power in the Democratic Party, so don't expect anything to be done soon.  After all, we don't want to cheat "the kids."

April 27, 2010    Permalink

THE FINE PRINT STORY OF THE DAY – AT 8:01 A.M. ET:  Fine print is something that journalists are supposed to read so they can alert us to what a piece of legislation is really about.  But don't bet on it these days, when most of the MSM is far too interested in grander things. 

Here's lesson one in the fine print of the health-care bill.  If you're a parent, read carefully:

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama's health care overhaul was supposed to take care of a major worry for parents of 20-year-olds making the transition to work: keeping the kids insured.

But what sounds like a simple solution—starting this year, letting young adults stay on their parents' health plan until they turn 26—involves a surprising amount of fine print.

As a consequence, some families may have to wait until 2011 to get their kids covered, particularly if the parents are working for a large employer, benefits experts and government officials say.

Some employers weighing whether to immediately extend coverage for young adults are wondering whether they'll have to withhold additional federal taxes from parents to cover the value of the benefit.

And employers and insurers are trying to figure out how to price the coverage. There could be sizable differences in cost.

With college graduations just weeks away—and the economy still uncertain—the No. 1 inquiry corporate benefit managers are getting from employees is how they can keep their adult children on the company plan, said Paul Dennett, vice president for health reform at the American Benefits Council.

COMMENT:  Great.  Really great.  All this "reform," and no one can understand how it should be applied...or taxed. 

Another overwhelming victory for "the people."  Certain people.

And we haven't even started with the rest of the 2,000-page bill.

Will Americans revolt against this?  Maybe yes, maybe no.  When they're told that they may lose health coverage of any kind if they vote those bad Republicans into office – and they will be told that – they may capitulate.  It's the way the left operates.

April 27, 2010    Permalink

MONDAY,  APRIL 26,  2010

BRING IN THE BIAS – AT 7:45 P.M. ET:  An example of things to come, I'm afraid.  Former President George W. Bush will release his memoir, "Decision Points," on November 9th.  Like the gentleman he is, the former president is waiting until after the election to publish.  He should not expect similar courtesy from the media, which, as this Reuters story shows, can't wait to get at him:

(Reuters) - George W. Bush, whose U.S. presidency was marked by the September 11 attacks and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, will release a memoir on November 9, his publisher said on Monday.

The book, "Decision Points," will center on 14 decisions Bush made in his eight years as president, including "his flaws and mistakes, as well as his historic achievements," the Crown Publishing Group said in a statement.

Fine.  But then the cool and objective "reporter" throws this in:

The former Texas governor left the White House in January 2009 with one of the lowest presidential approval ratings in history, with the unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the financial crisis weighing on his legacy.

How quaint.  First of all, I've never seen a retiring president leaving the White House referred to as "the former Texas governor," or anything else other than president.  Can you imagine, "Former Arkansas governor Bill Clinton left the White House today," or "former Army man Dwight Eisenhower left the presidency..."

And then of course there is the gratuitous slap at Mr. Bush.  Low ratings!  Unpopular wars!  Financial crisis!

Nothing about keeping America safe for seven years, building relationships with democracies like India, which had been historically chilly toward America, and surviving, with good cheer, some of the worst abuse ever hurled at an American president. 

Brace yourself for the reviews.  We can practically write them already.

April 26, 2010    Permalink

HIGH-RISK POKER – AT 7:28 P.M. ET:  Wall Street is not popular right now, and Republicans know that, if they're linked to The Street, it will hurt them in November.   But they're united in the Senate in opposing a bill they consider defective.  This is high-risk, given public attitudes toward the "financial community."  Fox has it:

Republican lawmakers stuck together Monday in preventing a massive financial regulatory bill from proceeding in the Senate, despite efforts by Democrats to portray the GOP as supporters of Wall Street -- not Main Street.

In a key test vote Monday evening on the financial regulatory bill, all Republican senators -- and one Democrat -- voted to block debate on the legislation.

Sen. Oylmpia Snowe, R-Maine, and Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., were among the lawmakers who bjected to the bill moving forward. All 41 Republicans voted to prevent the debate from starting in order to give Banking Committee Ranking Republican Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., a chance to continue negotiations on a compromise with committee chairman Chris Dodd, D-CT.

President Obama said shortly after that he was "deeply disappointed" that Senate Republicans voted to block debate on the bill.

No way.  He was delighted.  The Dems are maneuvering in the Senate to force Republicans to vote against "reform" because they know it's a great political issue.  Republicans can only come out on top here if they produce and vote for a new measure.

Harry Reid gave the party line:

"As far as I can tell, the only thing Republicans stand for is standing together," Reid said on the Senate floor Monday afternoon. "But a party that stands with Wall Street is a party that stands against families and against fairness."

Polls show Americans are moving toward supporting tighter controls on financial institutions, and freshman Democrats have told leadership they want this kind of confrontation with Republicans.

A senior Senate leadership aide told Fox News that Democrats will continue to ask for the approval of all members to start debate on the package Monday as a way to further highlight what they say is Republican obstructionism.

COMMENT:  There is a general consensus, even among Republicans, that financial reform is needed.  The question is whether the Democrats want to produce a good bill, or simply work to paint Republicans as obstructionists. 

April 26, 2010     Permalink

DEM STRATEGY EMERGING – AT 7:01 P.M. ET:  Do not count on the Democratic Party to lie down and play dead this fall.  Democrats in recent years have outmaneuvered Republicans, especially in 2008.

The Dem strategy is unabashedly ethnic, trying to bring together the coalition that elected Obama.  The Washington Post outlines the approach:

The keystone of the Democratic National Committee's $50 million plan for the midterms is persuading the roughly 15 million people who voted for the first time in 2008 to return to the polls this fall. Although such voters historically do not cast ballots in midterm elections, party leaders think their participation this year could help lift Democrats over the top in close contests.

The DNC's plan, which will be announced Wednesday, calls for reaching those first-time voters -- most of whom are registered independents and are young or minorities -- through the same vehicles Obama employed in 2008, according to internal party documents provided by the committee. The DNC is focusing on staff and volunteers in all 50 states, personal communication with the president via new media, and sophisticated voter-targeting technology.

Obama has released a new video with a pretty standard scare message:

In the video message to his supporters, Obama said his administration's success depends on the outcome of this fall's elections and warned that if Republicans regain control of Congress, they could "undo all that we have accomplished."

"This year, the stakes are higher than ever," he said, according to a transcript of his remarks provided by Democratic officials. "It will be up to each of you to make sure that young people, African Americans, Latinos and women who powered our victory in 2008 stand together once again.

Not too subtle, ay?

As the WaPo story points out, it's difficult for a president to transfer his personal popularity to other candidates.  But a "do it for Barack" message can bring out just enough voters to make a decisive difference in some races. 

Historically, the Dems have frightened voters with images of the GOP repealing Social Security and Medicare.  Now they can add Obamacare.  Remember, if you don't vote Democratic, you may lose your right to ever see a doctor, a dentist, a faith healer, an astrologer, or even Carnac the Magnificent. 

And some people will believe it.

April 26, 2010    Permalink

CAN WE GET TOGETHER ON THIS, GUYS? – AT 9:33 A.M. ET:  Two newspapers, same subject – the economy – and the journalistic results?  A bit of a conflict.

From The New York Times:

PORTLAND, Ore. — The docks are humming again at this sprawling Pacific port, with clouds of golden dust billowing off the piles of grain spilling into the bellies of giant tankers.

“Things are looking up,” said Dan Broadie, a longshoreman. No longer killing time at the union hall while waiting for work, instead he is guiding a mechanized spout pouring 44,000 tons of wheat into the Arion SB, bound for the Philippines.

At malls from New Jersey to California, shoppers are snapping up electronics and furniture, as fears of joblessness yield to exuberance over rising stock prices. Tractor trailers and railroad cars haul swelling quantities of goods through transportation corridors, generating paychecks for truckers and repair crews.

From The Los Angeles Times's Top of the Ticket blog:

There's one problem with the encouraging economic talk coming out of the mouths of Barack Obama, Joe Biden and their political posse in Washington and elsewhere these days. Turning the corner on the bad times seems to be the operative phrase.

But evidence is now mounting that more than 15 months into the Obama era, many Americans don't believe it.

A new Harris Poll out this morning indicates that 43% of the country feels less secure about its economic position now when compared to last year. In the next six months half the country thinks its economic situation will be the same.

But the poll of 2,755 adults also finds 30% saying it will be worse come late October, which is just about the time millions of Americans will be making their candidate choices for the Nov. 2 midterm elections.

And...

Only one-in-ten Americans believes the job market has started growing again and nearly four-in-ten don't think it will for another year or longer.

COMMENT:  I get the sense, from a variety of sources, that the L.A. Times is a lot closer to the truth here than is The New York Times.  The New York boys sound like Herbert Hoover announcing that prosperity is just around the corner.  Don't find many people believing that.

April 26, 2010    Permalink 

ILLINOIS, ONCE THE LAND OF LINCOLN – AT 8:04 A.M. ET:  If Lincoln could see what's going on today in Illinois politics, he'd probably ask that his grave be moved to a more refined state.  First, there is the already nominated Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, as the Chicago Tribune notes:

Only hours after federal regulators took over the failed bank that his family controlled, an emotional Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Alexi Giannoulias took a big swig of water and labeled his day personally "devastating."

Now Giannoulias must convince the White House and voters that it's not politically devastating as well.

Oh come on, it's a bank failure, fellas.  This is Illinois.  It's not like the St. Valentine's Day massacre.  Those were the days!

The closing of the doors at Broadway Bank for the final time Friday failed to slam shut ongoing concerns over Giannoulias' relationship with the bank and the impact on Democratic hopes to retain the Senate seat once held by President Barack Obama.

In 2006, Giannoulias portrayed himself to voters as a savvy young executive at a thriving community bank with the experience that qualified him to be state treasurer. Four years later, his role at the bank is being downplayed and the bank is out of business as he tries to persuade voters to send him to Washington.

In Illinois politics, U.S. senator is a demotion.  State treasurer – that's really something.  All that money, all that patronage.

That contrast has become the dominant early story line of Giannoulias' general election contest against Republican Mark Kirk, with political overtones that stretch to the White House.

Standing before reporters, choking back tears as he described the bank his father founded 30 years ago, Giannoulias pronounced himself as having a "renewed vigor and a new perspective on just how horrible it is out there for so many people."

COMMENT:  Glad you noticed, son.  Mark Kirk is a solid candidate, and deserves election to the Senate, flipping Obama's hardly used seat to the Republicans.  As for Giannoulias, an MBA from a local school might help clear the mind.

Oh, some late Illinois news:  The former Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, who had to withdraw when it was learned he'd been charged with domestic violence, is now seriously planning a run for governor as an independent.  I knew you'd want to know so you can send contributions.

April 26, 2010     Permalink

ANOTHER DEM IN TROUBLE – AT 7:53 A.M. ET:  It's hard to think of a Democrat losing a Senate seat in the state of Washington, which, in recent years, has become San Francisco north.  But incumbent Patty Murray seems to be having some trouble.  From Politics Daily:

Three-term Democratic Sen. Patty Murray is looking vulnerable in her bid for reelection, with former gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi leading her by 10 points and three lesser-known candidates all within margin-of-error range of her, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted April 19-22.

Rossi, a businessman and former state senator who lost the closest governor's race in U.S. history in 2004, leads Murray 52 percent to 42 percent with 7 percent undecided. He has the support of 87 percent of fellow Republicans while Murray is backed by 73 percent of Democrats. Rossi leads among independents (39 percent of the sample) by 58 percent to 38 percent with 4 percent undecided. While Rossi claims a big majority of conservatives, as does Murray with liberals, the two run almost evenly among moderates (43 percent of the sample).

Rossi has not yet made up his mind about jumping into the race. The filing deadline is June 11, and the GOP primary is August 17.

COMMENT:  Run Dino run!  Your state could use some effective representation.  Patty Murray is a nice lady, but hasn't said anything important since the age of three.  She's one of those Dem liberals who gets her marching orders and starts marching.  She should be replaced.

April 26, 2010    Permalink

SCIENCE MARCHES ON – AT 7:38 A.M. ET:  Remember how, last week, the transatlantic flights were cancelled because of a volcanic ash cloud that supposedly was drifting over Britain and Europe?

Well, uh, there's kind of a, well, a rethinking.  It seems – and look, don't tell me this makes you doubt all the global warming stuff.  Why, that's rock solid.  That's...uh...we'll talk about it later.  It seems some mistakes may have been made, as London's Daily Mail reports:

Britain's airspace was closed under false pretences, with satellite images revealing there was no doomsday volcanic ash cloud over the entire country.

Skies fell quiet for six days, leaving as many as 500,000 Britons stranded overseas and costing airlines hundreds of millions of pounds.

Estimates put the number of Britons still stuck abroad at 35,000.

However, new evidence shows there was no all-encompassing cloud and, where dust was present, it was often so thin that it posed no risk.

The satellite images demonstrate that the skies were largely clear, which will not surprise the millions who enjoyed the fine, hot weather during the flight ban.

Jim McKenna, the Civil Aviation Authority's head of airworthiness, strategy and policy, admitted: 'It's obvious that at the start of this crisis there was a lack of definitive data.

COMMENT:  But remember, science is infallible, and global warming will engulf the world and destroy everything in its path, and nothing will be the same.  And...

There is a global warming bill up in Congress.  Maybe the members should look at this story and start questioning the weather "models" we're being sold by the Al Gore Corporation.  We saw last week the kind of panic that can be caused by poor data.  That was only a warning to us.

April 26, 2010     Permalink

MR. POPULARITY – AT 7:17 A.M. ET:  – There is much to-do in the international press about a recent BBC poll showing that America's popularity around the world has indeed risen since Barack Obama was anointed on January 20, 2009.

We're reluctant enough to accept the findings of any poll commissioned by the BBC, history's most overrated "news" organization, but, even if true, the poll should give us no joy. 

People do not get their news directly.  They get it from news organizations and government handouts.  So, whatever rise in popularity we're experiencing must be explained in part by the distortions committed by the international press, which not only leans, but often falls flatly to the left.  Obama is simply made to look better than he is.

And there is something else, more intangible, but far more important.  It was best expressed by Golda Meir, the late prime minister of Israel.  She was asked why Israel did things that were unpopular around the world.  She shot back, "I'd rather have a bad editorial than a good obituary."  It's something we should remember the next time we go through one of those "image" debates on our standing in the world.  Becoming more popular may have a price attached that thoughtful Americans may not want to pay. If we become more popular through appeasement, weakness, ridiculous foreign "engagements," that kind of popularity isn't worth it.  We may have the better editorial, but we may also have the quicker obituary.

My friend Silvio Canto Jr. reminds us each day at his website of Ronald Reagan's warning that we are always one generation away from losing our freedoms.  The fact is, we are always less than a generation away from losing our country.  There is no written guarantee that America will survive, especially given the nature of some of our enemies, increasingly equipped with nuclear weapons.

So don't get caught in the popularity trap.  Ask why our popularity is rising, and whether you're willing to pay the price, for yourself and for your children.  The rational answer is often "no."

April 26, 2010    Permalink