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DECEMBER 21,  2010

SOBER SECOND LOOK DEPARTMENT – AT 9:31 P.M. ET:  We've reported here that the new census data shows a shift of population southward and westward, with some blue states losing population and some red states gaining.  That appears to be a plus for Republicans.

However, a caveat:  Political writers are pointing out that much of the population gain in many red states comes from the Hispanic community, which has generally been Democratic.  That is true, which is why the GOP must make a special effort to increase its appeal among Hispanics.  Two Hispanic-American Republicans were elected to high office in the last election – Marco Rubio to the Senate from Florida, and Susana Martinez as governor of New Mexico.  That's a great start.  The Republicans must build on it.

At the same time, Democrats can't be happy over the fact that there's an exodus from many blue, Democratically run states.   And why not?  Those states overtax and overspend, some are nearly bankrupt, and they're run for the benefit of public-service unions.  Not exactly a great draw.

Both the Republicans and Democrats have work to do.  The difference is that the Republicans realize it.

December 21, 2010      Permalink

OH DEAR, OH DEAR, CALL FOR A PRIVATE TUTOR – AT 9:18 P.M. ET:  The least we can expect from our anti-terror people is that they read a newspaper, even if it's Junior Scholastic.  Apparently, that is above and beyond.  From Power Line:

Yesterday the Obama administration's top anti-terrorism officials--Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, chief counterterrorism adviser John Brennan, and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano--gave an interview to ABC's Diane Sawyer on the current state of the terrorist threat. The interview has aired, or will air, today; you can watch it here.

The questions and answers are unremarkable, except that there is a surreal moment near the end of the interview, when it becomes apparent that DNI Clapper was unaware that twelve would-be terrorists were arrested in Great Britain yesterday. Brennan jumped in to help him out, but Sawyer came back to the question later, and Clapper admitted that he hadn't heard about the arrests.

This was one of those outer space moments that are hard to fathom. The arrests were widely reported. I knew about them; Diane Sawyer knew about them; you likely did, too. Is it conceivable that the Director of National Intelligence doesn't get a daily briefing? Or that he is not briefed on likely questions before giving a network television interview? Apparently so.

COMMENT:  Gives you all kinds of confidence, doesn't it?  As John Hinderaker, who wrote the Power Line post, points out, can you just imagine the press reaction if this had happened in the Bush years?

I will not sleep more soundly tonight.  I may not sleep at all.

December 21, 2010      Permalink

GOP STAYS AHEAD ON GENERIC BALLOT – AT 10:19 A.M. ET:  Scott Rasmussen continues to monitor the standing of the parties in the congressional generic ballot, and has some reasonably good news for Republicans:

Republicans hold a seven-point lead over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot for the week ending December 19, 2010.

New Rasmussen Reports telephone polling finds that 45% of Likely Voters nationwide say they would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate, while 38% would choose the Democrat instead.

During the week of the midterm elections, Republicans led on the Generic Ballot by 10 points, but in the weeks since their lead had narrowed to the five-to six-point range. The numbers are now climbing back toward their pre-election levels.

Last week, Republicans posted a similar 45% to 39% lead over the Democrats. The week before the election, support for Republicans peaked at 51%, the highest level of support either party has enjoyed in the last two years

Republicans lead by 17 points among men but basically run even among women. They hold a 12-point lead among voters not affiliated with either major political party.

COMMENT:  Those remain pretty solid numbers.  I'm especially impressed by the fact, at least according to this survey, that the GOP has closed the gender gap.  If they can keep it closed, that is a major plus in any future election.

But stand by.  Republicans take over the House in a matter of weeks, and will have near-parity in the Senate.  They will have to work to maintain their lead.  Time to produce, Republicans.  No more party of no.

December 21, 2010       Permalink

IS HOLDER COMING ON BOARD? – AT 9:25 A.M. ET:  There have been a few signs recently that Attorney General Eric Holder has read the election returns and is entering the real world.  Welcome, Eric!  Make sure to take advantage of the free gifts from local merchants!  From ABC News:

Attorney General Eric Holder has an urgent message for Americans: While he is confident that the United States will continue to thwart attacks, "the terrorists only have to be successful once."

And while it is not certain we will be hit, the American people, he told ABC News, "have to be prepared for potentially bad news."

"What I am trying to do in this interview is to make people aware of the fact that the threat is real, the threat is different, the threat is constant," he said.

In a rare and wide-ranging interview, the attorney general disclosed chilling new details about the evolving threat of homegrown terror, and touched on topics ranging from Wikileaks to the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay.

What was uppermost on his mind, however, is the alarming rise in the number of Americans who are more than willing to attack and kill their fellow citizens.

"It is one of the things that keeps me up at night," Holder said. "You didn't worry about this even two years ago -- about individuals, about Americans, to the extent that we now do. And -- that is of -- of great concern."

"The threat has changed from simply worrying about foreigners coming here, to worrying about people in the United States, American citizens -- raised here, born here, and who for whatever reason, have decided that they are going to become radicalized and take up arms against the nation in which they were born," he said.

In the last 24 months, Holder said, 126 people have been indicted on terrorist-related charges, Fifty of those people are American citizens.

COMMENT:  A thoughtful warning, especially at holiday time.  Sooner or later, one of these radical groups will get lucky.  All it takes is the ability to wire a bomb correctly. 

And yesterday we learned of an Al Qaeda plan to poison our food supply. 

Even if 99 out of 100 terror plots evaporate or fail, the one remaining plot can do devastating damage, as we learned on 9-11.

December 21, 2010       Permalink

SNIPPET OF THE DAY – AT 8:53 A.M. ET:

CBS Corp. began preliminary talks on a new contract for Katie Couric, looking to cut the evening news anchor’s $15 million salary and possibly expand her role amid falling viewership, people with knowledge of the situation said.

Expand her role?  EXPAND her role?  That's like saying to the captain of the Titanic, after it hits the iceberg, "Captain Smith, may we offer you another ship?"

December 21, 2010      Permalink

WE'RE ALL SICKOS NOW – AT 8:35 A.M. ET:  We are formally informed by the Obama administration that we require treatment.  From USA Today:

Almost 60% of American adults say they had difficult childhoods featuring abusive or troubled family members or parents who were absent due to separation or divorce, federal health officials report.

In fact, nearly 9% said that while growing up they underwent five or more "adverse childhood experiences" ranging from verbal, physical or sexual abuse to family dysfunction such as domestic violence, drug or alcohol abuse, or the absence of a parent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

"Adverse childhood experiences are common," said study coauthor Valerie J. Edwards, team lead for the Adverse Childhood Experiences Team at CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. "We need to do a lot more to protect children and help families," she said.

About a quarter of the more than 26,000 adults surveyed reported experiencing verbal abuse as children, nearly 15% had been physical abused, and more than 12% — more than one in 10 — had been sexually abused as a child.

Since the data are self-reported, Edwards believes that the real extent of child abuse may be still greater. "There is a tendency to under-report rather than over-report," she said.

COMMENT:  Look, we do not take lightly the subject of child abuse, and clearly some have had nightmarish childhoods.  But I recall the "child abuse" hysteria of the 1980s, wherein a number of innocent people were sent to jail, their lives destroyed, by false charges.

Research like this needs to be vetted, and vetted some more.  Consider, for example, this comment:

Almost one in five respondents (19.4 percent) had lived as a child with someone who was depressed, mentally ill or suicidal, the report noted.

Really?  As soon as you put the word "depressed" in there, you're playing on a pretty crowded field.  Many people claim to be "depressed."   Even "mentally ill" is suspect.  How would a child know how to assess mental illness?

Or this:

Identifying and treating abuse early can prevent many serious health consequences later in life. Programs that provide quality care for children, as well as home visitation programs in early infancy and parenting programs, are part of the solution to this problem, Sanders said.

True, unless you get govenment departments that go completely crazy, as happened in the 80s, and start pursuing innocent people, based on the latest trendy theory. 

This just looks like one of these "reports" that throws out a lot of scare numbers.  I would have loved to have seen a more carefully written story, with a variety opinions on the quality of the research.  I would have also liked to have seen some reporting on the financing of the study, and how that might have influenced the outcome.

No accusations made here, just concern over methods.  We've been burned too many times before.

December 21, 2010      Permalink

A TRULY VILE MAN – AT 8:18 A.M. ET:  Is there anything more to be said about Jimmah Carter, an egotistical little man who is determined to remain as little as possible? 

I don't think I've ever seen a similar case, where a former president of the United States colludes with enemies of his own country, and degrades his own country.  From the Jerusalem Post:

Former US president Jimmy Carter on Monday told Brazilian newspaper Folha de S. Paulo he is happy Brazil recognized Palestinian statehood, adding, "We cannot count on the United States alone to bring peace, since it agrees with almost everything Israel does," The Telegraph reported.

Carter explained the role he envisioned for Brazil, saying it "can help because it has a lot of influence among developing countries. Brazil can be one of the leaders in this process," according to the report.

Brazil has a rather anti-American government right now, but it matters not to Jimmah. 

So Jimmah undercuts his own party's president.  This little fool's petty resentments have guided him for years, yet he is cheered by the international left.  Carter claims to be a human-rights advocate, but in fact he's a fraud, and rather selective about his interest in human rights.  He is one of those individuals who claims to be passionate about "the rights of the Palestinians," but is utterly silent about the rights of any other Arabs.  Never a bad word to say about Saudi Arabia. 

Occasionally, Carter might avail himself of the right to remain silent.  I doubt if he will.

December 21, 2010     Permalink

DECEMBER 20,  2010

THOUGHTFUL WORK – AT 8:20 P.M. ET:  There is an attempt underway by the hack left to smear Sen. John McCain because he dared raise questions about the wisdom of repealing "don't ask, don't tell."  Like the true McCarthyites that they are, the hackish lefters try to destroy anyone who disagrees with them.  You know their limited vocabulary:  racist, sexist, homophobe, militarist, fascist, and the ever-popular "stupid."

Thus, the borderline Maureen Dowd of the less-than-borderline New York Times refers to Sen. McCain in her latest column as "ossified," the same column in which she exalts Jimmah Carter, who humbly announced recently that he's been the best ex-president ever.  Ms. Dowd, whose own ossification began in the 1960s, is not known for wisdom.

Sen. McCain's response is some very good work in the Senate.  From The Politico:

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) filed an amendment on the resolution of ratification to the START treaty Monday that non-proliferation experts suggested could clear the way for a swift deal.

McCain's amendment, co-sponsored with Sens. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), Lindsay Graham (R-S.C.), and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), would seek to address Republican concerns that the U.S.-Russian arms control pact not limit U.S. missile defenses. At the same time, it doesn’t demand changes to the treaty language itself that would have effectively killed the deal with Russia, as several Republican-proposed amendments defeated over the weekend would have done.

Arms-control advocates were cautiously optimistic Monday reviewing McCain's amendment that it was acceptable for START advocates if it could deliver the Republican votes the administration needs for treaty ratification.

"While in my view these amendments to the resolution of advice and consent are unnecessary, their appearance would suggest that there are ways to address the missile defense-related concerns of a number of New START skeptics short of treaty-killing amendments to the treaty," the Arms Control Association's Daryl Kimball told POLITICO Monday.

COMMENT:  We are not opposed to arms-control treaties here.  Reagan was an arms controller who negotiated agreements with the old Soviet Union.  His mantra was "trust but verify."  There are some Republicans – McCain, Kyl, Lindsey Graham, McConnell – who have problems with the new START treaty, and are addressing their concerns through thoughtful suggestions. 

This is what members of a deliberative body should be doing.  Naturally, they are being ridiculed by the John Kerry crowd, who are lofty and above us all, but they are right.  We might also point out that a lame-duck session of Congress is not the time to be considering a treaty of this importance, but the Dems insist.

Praise especially to McCain and Kyl, who have already gotten the administration to add funds to modernize our nuclear deterrent.  Maureen Dowd may laugh at them, but history won't.

December 20, 2010      Permalink

WHAT OUR OPPRESSED FRIENDS ARE UP TO – AT 7:52 P.M. ET:  We reported earlier that Rep. Peter King, Republican of New York, plans to hold hearings on Islamic radicalization when he becomes a committee chairman in January.

Already the usual suspects have charged out of the gate, denouncing King.  The suspect chorus is led by Mayor Mike (I'm so PC) Bloomberg of New York, who calls the hearings "inappropriate."  That's like saying it would have been "inappropriate" in the late 1930s to investigate Nazi infiltration into the United States.  In fact, the House Committee on Un-American Activities, which enjoyed a fine reputation in the thirties, did in fact probe domestic Nazi activities, and was highly praised for its efforts.

The record will show that investigations into right-wing extremism receive praise, whereas probes into left-wing extremism, or extremism approved by the left, are condemned.  Check it out.

Oh, by the way, for those interested in the topic of Islamic extremism, you might consider this, from CBS News:

In this exclusive story, CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports the latest terror threat to America involves the possible use of poisons - simultaneous attacks targeting hotels and restaurants at many locations over a single weekend.

A key Intelligence source has confirmed the threat as "credible." Department of Homeland Security officials, along with members of the Department of Agriculture and the FDA, have briefed a small group of corporate security officers from the hotel and restaurant industries about it.

"We operate under the premise that individuals prepared to carry out terrorist acts are in this country," said Dec. of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on Dec. 6, 2010.

The plot uncovered earlier this year is said to involve the use of two poisons - ricin and cyanide - slipped into salad bars and buffets.

Of particular concern: The plotters are believed to be tied to the same terror group that attempted to blow up cargo planes over the east coast in October, al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

In online propaganda al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula has praised the cargo attack, part of what it called "Operation Hemorrhage."

The propaganda says in part, "...attacking the enemy with smaller but more frequent operations" to "add a heavy economic burden to an already faltering economy."

Manuals and videos on jihadist websites explain how to easy it is to make both poisons.

COMMENT:  Now, remember students, the proper response to this is not to ask, "How do we stop it?" but to ask, "Why do they hate us?  What did we do?"

Extra credit will be given by elite universities and news organizations to those who write e-mails to Peter King and the congressional leadership demanding that King's planned hearings be cancelled.  Please warn that offense will be taken.

And watch what you eat.

December 20, 2010      Permalink

STICKY WIKI – AT 9:30 A.M. ET:  The Brits have done vastly better reporting on WikiLeaks and its sleazy spiritual leader, Julian Assange, than has the American press.  For example, Iain Dale in London's Daily Mail, asks the following: 

He preaches openness but demands privacy. He reveals 'secrets' but 99% are prurient gossip. He's accused of rape but won't face his accusers. Why do the Left worship the WikiLeaks 'God'?

Well put, don't you think?  When the Brit writers get going, they really get going.

Far from being a 21st Century hero, I have come to regard Assange as a dictatorial charlatan whose real agenda is not the furtherance of greater transparency, but the furtherance of Julian Assange and his anti-American agenda.

His ego seems to be without equal and he’s now reached the dangerous point of believing his own publicity. So much so that some of his staunchest supporters, such as the Guardian journalist Nick Davies, have cut off contact with him.

Dale makes the reasonable point that whistleblowing and exposure can have honorable motives.  But he doesn't attribute honor to the wicked Wikis:

...its ethics and operations are now coming under serious scrutiny, and rightly so.

Whenever anyone – journalist, or otherwise – reveals confidential information there has to be a point to it. By releasing three million random documents, illegally obtained from U.S. government computers, WikiLeaks put paid to its reputation in one fell swoop.

Had Assange and his cohorts sorted through the documents and filtered out those with a genuine public interest, he could have been seen as a modern-day hero.

But he released everything in the name of so-called transparency. He did it because he could – the prerogative of every dictator in history.

Read the whole piece.  Well worth it.  Try to find that kind of commentary on this side of the pond, in the mainstream media.  You'll be looking a long time.

And, while you're at it, read this companion piece in the Mail: 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1339859/Wikileaks-Julian-Assanges-promiscuous-lifestyle-revealed-Jemima-Khan-look-away-now.html

Good reporting, juicily served.  Assange is major sleaze, and some of the beautiful people supporting him are going to seem far less beautiful when all the facts come out. 

But the most important facts are those still not explored:  Who leaked these documents?  As we've said, they certainly weren't all leaked by one little Army private now in custody.  As Americans, we have a right to know who violated their public trust, and why.   True journalists should be Woodwarding and Bernsteining all over the place, but they are not.  There is no career advancement to be had in exposing corruption in a liberal administration, except maybe at Fox News or The Wall Street Journal.  We hope they have reporters on the case.

December 20, 2010       Permalink

BIDEN ANNOUNCES, AND WE WAIT FOR THE RETRACTION – AT 8:33 A.M. ET:  The White House is keenly aware that the nation's remaining liberals, all 12 of them, are seriously disappointed in the Obama administration.  One source of their disappointment – we are still in Afghanistan. 

The decadent Democratic left, whose members haven't bought a calendar since the early 1970s, dreams of another Vietnam, and an ignominious American collapse.  Now Joe Biden is trying to soften their anger, as Fox reports:

WASHINGTON -- Despite uneven progress in Afghanistan, Vice President Joe Biden said next summer's planned withdrawal would be more than a token reduction and that the U.S. would be out of the country by 2014 "come hell or high water."

And we can hear the cheering from the lovely caves of Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Biden's prediction appeared to go further than statements by his boss, President Barack Obama, who just last month said there would be a reduced U.S. footprint in Afghanistan by 2014 but that the number of troops that would remain was still in question.

Obama has discussed maintaining a counterterrorism capability in Afghanistan after 2014. As recently as Dec. 16, he said the U.S. and its NATO allies would have an enduring presence there after 2014, although the details of that were unclear.

You know, it's really very important that Joe Biden get a copy of every Obama statement, with the key points underlined.  Or, maybe a reader can be sent to Joe every morning to read him the latest news.  He seems a bit out of the loop.

The Obama administration has said repeatedly that July would mark the beginning of the troop withdrawals and that their size would depend on military conditions.

"We're starting it in July of 2011, and we're going to be totally out of there, come hell or high water, by 2014," Biden told NBC's "Meet the Press" in an interview broadcast Sunday.

Biden will probably pull a Clinton and now say that it depends on the definition of "hell" and maybe "high water" as well.  Reasonable people can differ.

Maybe the Obamans should get smart and realize the next election will not be decided by how Michael Moore or Code Pink vote. 

December 20, 2010      Permalink

IT'S ABOUT TIME – AT 7:49 A.M. ET:  One refreshing aspect of the new GOP majority in the House will be the willingness to name our enemies, something that, gosh darn, countries involved in conflicts have traditionally done.   It makes it so much easier to understand the trouble, you know.

In World War II we didn't refer to the Japanese as "deeply offended subjects," and we didn't call the Nazis "racially motivated extremists."  But in the new land of Oz, Obamaland, terrorist attacks became "man-made disasters," without naming the man himself.  Wouldn't want to get Christiane Amanpour too upset.  And, of course, we "reached out" (that awful phrase) to those committing the acts and those who sympathized with them.  As Johnny Carson used to say, notice the difference?

Now, an incoming GOP committee chairman, Peter King of New York, is determined to change the conversation.  Watch the usual suspects come out of the woodwork to assail him.  From the New York Daily News:

Rep. Peter King said Sunday he'll hold hearings on the "radicalization of the American Muslim community" - but some critics fear an anti-Islamic witchhunt.

Already the standard vocabulary of the McCarthy era is being readied for Pete.

King (R-L.I.) said a Congressional probe is needed because Al Qaeda has increasingly targeted Muslims living legally in the United States as potential terror recruits.

Despite the threat to their own community, King said, some Islamic clerics resist cooperating with investigators.

"We want to assess the extent of the radicalization of the Muslim community," he said. "It's clear to me there has not been sufficient cooperation."

"With Al Qaeda trying to recruit from within their community, it's important that they cooperate," said King, who will be chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security in the new Republican-controlled Congress. King's call drew fire from Muslim groups, who said they fear the hearings will only fuel bigotry and hatred.

"We're concerned that it'll become a new McCarthy-type hearing," said Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

Told you, told you.  Joe McCarthy is the gift that keeps on giving to the political left and its allies.  Trouble is, the name is wearing thin.  Joe died more than half a century ago, and we've had higher quality villains since – like the misunderstood guys who plunged planes into buildings on 9-11. 

King said he's already been accused of being a bigot and worse - but insists he won't change course.

Good for Pete.  He's one of the good guys, and he's a rarity - a conservative with a New York accent.  He will persist in this, but will be targeted by the left immediately.  And I almost can't wait to see The New York Times at work. 

We look forward to the hearings, if they're ever allowed to get off the ground. 

December 20, 2010     Permalink

THE ENEMY SEES CHRISTMAS A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY – AT 7:35 A.M. ET:  We forget the debt free nations owe to military and police forces, who are on special alert during the holiday season:

British anti-terrorism police said Monday they arrested 12 men in early morning raids on three cities to protect the public amid fears of a holiday season terrorism plot.

Assistant Commissioner John Yates, the U.K. 's lead police officer for counterterrorism, said the suspects were detained in London, in the central English city of Stoke-on-Trent and in Cardiff, Wales.

The arrests follow several weeks of surveillance and are not believed to be linked to other recent plots against Europe or the recent bombing in Sweden.

"The operation is in its early stages so we are unable to go into detail at this time about the suspected offenses," Yates said in a statement. "However, I believe it was necessary at this time to take action in order to ensure public safety."

Police said 11 of the suspects were arrested at or close to their homes at around 5 a.m., while the remaining man was detained at a property in the central England city of Birmingham.

COMMENT:  I wonder what "grievance" the alleged plotters were intent on dealing with. 

This will be an especially tense week for the anti-terror forces.  Remember that Christmas Day, 2009, was marked by an attempt to bring down an airliner over Detroit.

December 20, 2010     Permalink