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I have a new piece up at Power Line, "The Joys of YouTube," in which I recommend great musical and comedy performances of the past that are available on YouTube.  I think you'll like it.  The link is here.

DECEMBER 23, 2010

THE POTENTIAL ISSUE – AT 9:57 P.M. ET:  This has been sneaking up on us, but its potential as a 2012 issue should not be underestimated.  Inflation is one of the things that destroyed Jimmah Carter, an entirely delightful destruction.  It can happen again if energy prices continue to rise.  From AP:

NEW YORK — The national average for a gallon of regular gasoline topped $3 on Thursday.

It's the first time that the average retail price has been above $3 a gallon at Christmas. The average pump price rose about a cent and a half a gallon overnight, to $3.01, according to AAA, Wright Express and Oil Price Information Service. That's 14 cents more than a month ago and 43 cents higher than a year ago.

Pump prices have traditionally dropped after the peak summer driving season and into the winter, because fewer people are on the road. This year, however, gasoline prices rose as oil prices climbed from about $80 a barrel in August to more than $91 on Thursday. That's the highest it's been in more than two years.

Analysts think oil and gas prices will rise as the economy gets stronger and demand picks up. But some economists worry that high energy prices could slow the nation's economic recovery. A study by business management firm PortiaGroup says gas pump prices are already taking a bigger bite out of household spending: an average 7.4 percent of median household income this month compared with 6.5 percent in December of last year and 4.2 percent in 2008.

If higher oil prices persist, the average share of income spent on gasoline could rise to almost 10 percent by spring, with pump prices around $3.75 or more a gallon.

Most analysts say oil prices have been rising not because of strong demand and dwindling supplies, but on hopes that an improving economy usually means more demand for oil and gas.

COMMENT:  This can really bite Obama, especially as his administration is seen as hostile to oil exploration.  The Environmental Protection Administration, just this week, announced plans for very aggressive regulations of carbon emissions.  That may, theoretically, be good for us in the long term, but in the short term it can devastate us economically, not a concern for environmental religionists. 

And if Obama persists in his war on offshore drilling, that could raise fuel prices even more.  This is one of those issues that rises up and bites a president.  It does not go away easily, and it affects every family every day.  When people see $4.16 on the pump, and they may see it by 2012, their next thought may well be of Barack Obama and his policies.

And they don't even give away mugs anymore.

December 23, 2010       Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 7:39 P.M. ET:  Britain is already having a ferocious winter.  But it wasn't predicted.  In fact, none of the cold winters of recent years was predicted.  Why?  The probable answer is chilling (pun), but a stark lesson for the U.S.  From the Washington Times:

It's the coldest winter on record in Great Britain. Great Britain also has experienced its heaviest snowfalls since the 1920s. The mayor of London, who last year was subjected to a grilling in Parliament over the inability to keep the capital's roads clear, has asked why the government's Meteorological Office ("Met Office") didn't see this coming. The answer is almost certainly an institutional faith in global-warming models that is starting to conflict with reality. The United States needs to make sure it does not go down Great Britain's unplowed road.

Almost 10 years ago, the Independent, a leading national newspaper in the United Kingdom, ran a story that has become a joke, circulated by e-mail and on Facebook even among left-wingers. "Snowfalls are now just a thing of the past," was the headline, and some of the quotes will raise wry smiles among Brits shivering and slipping their way to work. "[T]he warming is so far manifesting itself more in winters which are less cold than in much hotter summers. According to Dr. David Viner, a senior research scientist at the climatic research unit (CRU) of the University of East Anglia, within a few years, winter snowfall will become 'a very rare and exciting event. ... Children just aren't going to know what snow is,' he said." This is, of course, the same CRU that became infamous last year as the source of the "Climategate" e-mails.

This snow blindness manifested itself in the Met Office's predictions for the past three years. In 2008, it predicted a milder-than-normal winter. That winter was the coldest in a decade.

COMMENT:  That is a warning for America.  Writers like Tom Friedman of The New York Times denounce those who question global warming as "anti-science," when in fact they're pro-science.  They demand the highest standards of scientific analysis, and they don't think real science should be mixed with political science. 

There is no such thing as "settled science," although some of the global warming religious community claim that there is.  Science is constantly evolving, and examining its own "truths."  Recently, a physicist at the new superconducting supercollider in Switzerland said that, because of the machine's capability, scientists will be able to learn whether the physics they've been teaching for the last generation is nonsense.

We hope 2011 will see some kind of mechanism set up in this country, perhaps a Challenger-type commission, that will finally examine "climate change" and determine what we actually know, and what we don't know.  Don't hold your breath.  There are too many interests involved, and too much money involved, to let that happen.  But maybe there'll be a very unscientific miracle and we'll get at the truth.

December 23, 2010      Permalink

OBAMA IS BACK, OR IS HE? – AT 9:26 A.M. ET:  I find amusing – well, actually revolting – the sudden political resurrection of Barack Obama, courtesy of the mainstream media.

Suddenly, we are told, the president is back on track, as if the election of just last month never happened.  Why, Obama has won great "victories" from the lame-duck session of Congress.  He's on a roll.  He's Batman, Superman, even Superwoman, all rolled into one. 

So let's see:  A lame-duck session of Congress, with the heavy Democratic majorities elected two years ago, slams through major legislation that hasn't even been fully debated, showing utter contempt for the will of the people, as expressed last month.  And this is considered a great victory for the president.

Not so fast, Barack.  The new club comes in on January 5th, and you won't be doin' much slammin'. 

Personally, I think we've lost something in the last few weeks, no matter how you feel about individual pieces of legislation that got rocketed through.  We've lost a bit of democracy.  By tradition, lame-duck sessions handle only routine matters, deferring to the newly elected Congress to take up major legislation.  But the current incarnation of the Democratic Party doesn't think much of this democracy stuff.  Democracy, to this largely coastal, largely leftist crowd, is what exists when their side wins.  When it doesn't win, "we don't need no rotten democracy."

So we've had a runaway Congress, getting it its pet legislation enacted before the new Congress takes over.  And the sad fact is that the Republican establishment, true to form, went right along with it, as Lindsey Graham pointed out with disgust.

It will now be up to Republicans to pull themselves together, come up with a positive agenda, and make it clear that the days of gimmicks and fast-talk operations are over.  Or are they?

December 23, 2010      Permalink

WHILE AMERICA SLEEPS – AT 9:09 A.M. ET:  While our lame-duck session of Congress has indulged itself these last weeks, foreign enemies are at work.  And they're not building rowboats.  From Britain's Telegraph:

Iran is operating a worldwide recruitment network for nuclear scientists to lure them to the country to work on its nuclear weapons programme, officials have told the Daily Telegraph.

They claim that the country is particularly reliant on North Korean scientists but also recruits people with expertise from African countries to work on developing missiles and nuclear production activities.

North Korea relies on an lucrative financing agreement with Iran to fund its expanding nuclear activities. In return for Iranian money and testing facilities, North Korea sends technology and scientists.

Mohamed Reza Heydari, a former Iranian consul in Oslo, told The Daily Telegraph, that he had personally helped scores of North Koreans enter the country while working for the foreign ministry's office in Tehran's Imam Khomenei airport.

"Our mission was to coordinate with a team from the Ministry of Intelligence in checking the visas of the foreign diplomatic and trade delegates who visited Iran, with special attention to VIPs," he said.

"We had the instructions to forego any visa and passport inspections for Palestinians belonging to Hamas and North Korean military and engineering staff who visit Iran on regular basis.

COMMENT:  We have developed a curious lack of urgency about this.  But the fact remains that Iran, unless it is stopped, will eventually get the bomb, changing the entire power relationship in west Asia and the Middle East.

The pathetic European Union, waving its 1930s mentality for all to see, is about to begin new "talks" with the Iranians, as if seven or eight years of talks have had any meaning.  We are heading for serious trouble with Iran, but the mainstream media, following the trendies on the left, shows very little interest.  We will be awakened.

December 23, 2010       Permalink

YOU REALLY CAN'T MAKE THIS UP – AT 8:40 A.M. ET:  Look, it's Massachusetts, and eastern Massachusetts at that.  So who's surprised?  From Fox:

The principal of a public school in Brookline, Mass., is asking parents to fill out permission slips before their children can participate in a weekly recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

Gerardo Martinez, the principal of The Devotion School, informed parents that the school would begin reciting the pledge in January over the public address system.

The Devotion School?  I wonder what they're devoted to.

Attached to the letter was a form that asked parents to check either: "Yes, my child will participate in the weekly Pledge of Allegiance" or "No, my child will not participate in the weekly Pledge of Allegiance."

"I urge you to have a conversation as a family to help your children understand why I will be reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and to support them in feeling comfortable and confident in the decision on whether or not to participate," Martinez wrote in the letter.

The school also sent parents a copy of the Pledge of Allegiance along with a note that defined the words "under God" as meaning "there is one Supreme entity for every citizen."

Wha..?  The school defines what "under God" means?  And it means that "there is one Supreme entity for every citizen"?  Really?  Is that like "one God, one vote"?

School officials told Fox News Radio they are in the process of offering some sort of clarification about the school’s policy as well as the definition of the words "under God."

COMMENT:  Guys, I strongly suggest that you cool it.  We don't need the truancy officer to define "under God."  Most people get it, and, being Americans, they define it their own way. 

Maybe teach a little English.  Some math, if you get the chance.

December 23, 2010       Permalink

GRACIAS – AT 8:32 A.M. ET:  I want to thank the many Urgent Agenda (and Power Line) readers for their e-mails in response to my piece currently up at Power Line.

If truth be told, the largest response I get on the internet is to my articles on popular culture.  There's an old saying that Americans have two businesses, their own business and show business.  I think it's true.  I also think it's true that there's a strong appreciation for, and yearning for, the great performances of the past.

We're planning the future of Urgent Agenda, and thinking of expanding our horizons, both on the free site and our subscription site, dealing more and more with popular culture and American society generally.  What do you think?

December 23, 2010     Permalink

DECEMBER 22,  2010

DEMOCRATS FIND SOLUTIONS TO ALL THEIR PROBLEMS – MIRACLE CURE – READ ALL ABOUT IT – AT 7:45 P.M. ET:  The Democratic Party, having realized that Barack Obama is not godlike, has turned to the one place where new gods can be created upon demand...Hollywood.  Hear the Heavenly music. SEE the lightning strikes.  From WaPo:

Midway through Philip Rucker and Paul Kane's story about Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's transition to minority leader comes an interesting bit of news. The California Democrat, vilified by Republicans in the last election, has turned to director Steven Spielberg for help rebranding House Democrats.

"Lawmakers say she is consulting marketing experts about building a stronger brand. The most prominent of her new whisperers is Steven Spielberg, the Hollywood director whose films have been works of branding genius. Lawmakers said Spielberg has not reported to Pelosi with a recommendation."

Spielberg has been a power player in Democratic politics for years, working on everything from President Bill Clinton's millennial celebrations to the 2008 Democratic National Convention. He endorsed Hillary Clinton in the last presidential race, but since then he's helped fundraise for President Obama.

But, the news that he is advising the leading Democrat in the House on building a strong party brand would seem to be a different -- and more expansive -- role than Spielberg has played in the past.

COMMENT:  Am I confused, or am I wrong to think that the Democrats' problems lie with their policies?

But maybe Spielberg can help.  Hey, the Dems can rebrand themselves as the "shark fighters," fighting the GOP sharks, whose JAWS are bigger than life.  And the Dems fight them on cap 'n trade and win!

Yeah, that'll work.  Sure.  Hollywood has all the answers.  And wait'll you see the remake of "The Ten Commandments," called "Obama's Orders."  Surefire success.  SEE the Parting of the Red States, as Obama's hordes move forward across the wide screen.

I'm excited.  Get me the coast.

December 22, 2010      Permalink

SUBVERTING DEMOCRACY – AT 10:46 A.M. ET:  We may not often think about it, but some of the world's most degenerate dictators rose to power through democratic elections...only to destroy democracy once they had the power to do so.  Think Hitler, Adolf.  And now think Chavez, Hugo.  From The Washington Times:

The United States isn't the only country suffering a lame-duck power grab. On Friday, Venezuela's outgoing socialist-dominated parliament granted President Hugo Chavez the power to rule by decree for 18 months. If democracy is not already dead in Venezuela, it's about to breathe its last breath.

Chavez's drive for dictatorship comes in the wake of an unexpected electoral reverse. In September's parliamentary elections, the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which had controlled 83 percent of the legislative seats, dropped to 59 percent control, while the opposition Coalition for Democratic Unity surged from 4 percent to 40 percent. More troubling to Chavez was that his party attracted only 48 percent of the popular vote against the opposition's 47 percent. Had the election been more free and fair, the opposition likely would have found itself in the majority.

The new parliament doesn't sit until Jan. 5 so the old majority took a page from the Pelosi-Reid playbook and decided to ram through as much of its unpopular agenda as possible while their supermajority lasted. The crowning achievement was the grant of dictatorial powers to Chavez, who - like President Obama - will face the electorate in 2012, if there is a Venezuelan electorate to face.

COMMENT:  It's discouraging to see how little editorial response there's been in this country to Chavez's power grab, a power grab that will, in all probability, lead to the end of whatever democracy is left in Venezuela.

One of the great myths is that intellectuals love freedom.  They often love it for themselves, but the record of intellectual classes in the last century is hardly encouraging.  We have seen intellectual elites too often embrace totalitarian regimes and philosophies, both German fascism and Soviet communism included.

Now we observe, once again, the silence of too many intellectuals, and editorial writers, in the face of the rising tide of dictatorship in Venezuela.  If certain "elites" accept it there, they'll accept it here, and you must never forget that.

December 22, 2010      Permalink

RUDY REDUX? – AT 9:38 A.M. ET:  One of the most frequent questions we get here at Urgent Agenda is, "Whatever happened to Rudy Giuliani?"  The former mayor, and a true hero of 9-11, is in private business, paying a high tax rate, but is often mentioned when electoral politics comes up, and he regularly speaks on behalf of Republican candidates.  The Hill even believes that Rudy has a good shot at the GOP 2012 presidential nomination.  This is an unusual take, but an intriguing one:

As a 2008 primary front-runner, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani tanked. But as a 2012 dark horse, he could do surprisingly well.

It’s not because Giuliani has shifted; it’s because the Republican Party has. The 2010 election was less about social conservatism than it was fiscal conservatism, and that aligns with Giuliani’s socially moderate and fiscally conservative ideology.

There is another promising wind of change blowing Giuliani’s way, one that’s less ideological. This isn’t the era of kinder, gentler politicians. This is the age of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — three politicians whose appeal lives, partly, in their aggressive rhetoric.

But, according to Giuliani, he started the political fad. When explaining Christie’s appeal to the New York Post, Giuliani said: “What’s making him popular is that he’s not afraid to be called a bully. I used to be proud to be called a bully, and Christie would call me and tell me, ‘I’m going to do it just the way you did.' "

Thus, both the national ideology and aesthetics of these political times are more favorable to Giuliani than, perhaps, at any time in his political career.

COMMENT:  I've always admired Rudy.  He was a great mayor of New York, and a pioneer in effective crime fighting.  His policies dramatically reduced the violent crime rate in New York City, and brought the city back.  Compare please with Chicago, still a mess.

But Rudy as a presidential candidate...again?  I dunno.  He is certainly aggressive, but "aggressive" often doesn't wear well in presidential politics.  Yes, Ronald Reagan was aggressive, but with a smile and a vision of "morning in America."  Rudy has never been accused of being the sunshine type. 

One thing could challenge this assessment:  If we are hit again, in a major terrorist attack, or a series of attacks, Rudy might turn out to be The Man, the one America looks to for backbone and leadership.  We hope a tragedy doesn't occur, of course.  But, if it does, watch Rudy.

December 22, 2010      Permalink 

CRISIS OF THE DAY – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  We are informed by The Politico that there are elements in Washington D.C.'s Georgetown bastion that are upset with John McCain.  We are prepared to put aside all other concerns, including Iranian nuclear progress, to deal with this truly critical issue.  The UN may take it up today:

During the Senate's debate over repealing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy, Sen. John McCain took a swipe at "the salons of Georgetown and other liberal bastions here around the country" that can't relate to the sacrifices of each American soldier.

Georgetown isn't happy.

Beth Solomon runs The Georgetown Dish, a website that chronicles all-things-Georgetown, and told POLITICO that, "The salons of Georgetown owe Sen. McCain a huge debt of gratitude -- they'd be nowhere without him. We feel a bit hurt that Sen. McCain didn't criticize The Georgetown Dish. We're kind of a 21st Century salon -- at least we try."

The commenters on Solomon's recent item about McCain have lashed out, saying such things as "Poor John McCain is really losing it" and "McCain is mentally ill" (and those some of the mild ones).

Solomon also points out an earlier comment by Georgetown doyenne Sally Quinn, who said McCain has not ignored Georgetown's cocktail circuit.

COMMENT:  Ironically, it is an old Democratic maxim to "afflict the comfortable and comfort the afflicted."  Big John is afflicting the comfortable.  For the comfies, this is a time of trauma.  May it continue. 

We're sure Jimmah Carter will rush up to give aid and comfort to Georgetown. 

December 22, 2010       Permalink

THE EMERGING "ISSUE" – AT 8:36 A.M. ET:  We've been following the reaction of "elite" colleges to the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell."  The existence of DADT has been the reason most cited by the elites for not permitting ROTC programs back on their overpriced campuses.

So far, we've had good statements from the presidents of Harvard, Columbia, and Yale.  Whether those positive responses will lead to positive action is another matter entirely, for a new "issue" is emerging, which may give the decidedly left-wing elites a way out – so called "academic" concerns.

Simply stated, the "issue" involves the question of whether ROTC courses meet the academic standards of the schools involved.

The issue is absurd.  The purpose of ROTC is to train military officers.  We assume that the college or university will handle the major academics.  ROTC is still present at many colleges, including some of our finest state universities, and we haven't seen an academic crisis yet.  But don't be shocked if schools like Stanford and Brown, whose spokesmen are already hinting at it, attempt to still bar ROTC, despite the repeal of DADT, citing academic concerns.  The left is very creative at coming up with gimmicks. 

We wait, with hope, but with realism and skepticism. 

Fox has a well-done story on the subject here.

December 22, 2010     Permalink