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JUNE 28,  2011

REMINDER OF REALITY – AT 11:01 P.M. ET:  A major terror attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, clearly patterned after the attack in Mumbai, India, in 2008 was largely thwarted today, with the help of NATO forces.  All six terrorists who conducted the attack were killed.  In addition, seven others lost their lives.  In the Mumbai attack, some 164 people were killed. 

KABUL, Afghanistan — Several heavily armed attackers stormed one of the capital’s fortified premier hotels on Tuesday night, and sporadic shooting and at least two loud explosions were heard as Afghan security forces battled insurgents for hours afterward.

Coming within a week of President Obama’s announcement of troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, the attack underscored the still precarious nature of security, even in the capital, as the transfer of responsibility to Afghan forces is about to begin in several areas of the country, including Kabul.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning, three attackers on the roof of the Intercontinental Hotel were killed by NATO helicopters, a NATO spokesman said.

There appeared to be six insurgents in all, said a spokesman for the Interior Ministry, The Associated Press reported. In addition to the three killed on the roof, two others were killed by hotel guards at the beginning of the assault and another was killed either in the attack by the NATO helicopters or by Afghan security forces, The A.P. reported.

At least seven other people were killed in the attack and eight were wounded, said the Kabul deputy police chief, Daoud Amin, according to The A.P. The assault ended about 3 a.m.

The heavily guarded Intercontinental Hotel, which sits on a hill on the western side of Kabul, has police guards at its base and intelligence officers stationed at the top of the hill and near the entrance. It was not clear how so many attackers could have breached the building’s defenses.

COMMENT:  Imagine how easy it would be to breach the "defenses" of most hotels in the Unite States.  It was widely expected that terror groups would try to imitate Mumbai, which also involved a hotel assault, and there will be other attempts in the future, possibly here. 

We are reminded that the war on terror is far from over, and will be a long twilight struggle.  Most Americans supported the long Cold War battle against the Soviet Union.  I wonder how many are prepared to go the distance against Islamists.

We should point out that the United States has not been successfully attacked since September 11, 2001, ten years ago.  That is a remarkable accomplishment, vindicating the security policies of President Bush.  But we can't be lucky forever, especially when both political parties seem weary of the fight.

June 28, 2011       Permalink

WILL SHE OR WON'T SHE? – AT 10:54 A.M. ET:  With Michele Bachmann now in the race, attention turns to Sarah Palin.  Will she or won't she?  Her daughter, Bristol, said on TV last night that her mother has made her decision, but Bristol didn't give any hints as to what it was.

I don't think Palin has any realistic chance of winning the nomination.  Her brand has been badly damaged.  But she could complicate things for Bachmann, as both women appeal to the same constituency.  From The Hill:

Palin will also create buzz regarding her presidential plans when she travels with her husband, Todd, to Pella, Iowa, on Tuesday to attend the premiere of a documentary film that lauds her political career, titled “The Undefeated.”

“We are very excited to visit historic Pella and its opera house and look forward to seeing the finished film for the first time with fellow Americans from the heartland,” Palin said in a statement released by the film’s producer, the Victory Film Group.

The 2008 vice presidential nominee, who has been opaque about her 2012 intentions, is reportedly going to meet with some Iowa Republican activists during her stop.

COMMENT:  Look, at least the Republican race is getting interesting, in comparison to where it was a month ago, when anti-boredom pills were required.  But let us not forget that the real opponent is Barack Obama, who will be a formidable, skilled opponent doing the one thing at which he's vastly experienced – running for office. 

The president is also coming to Iowa today to discuss the economy and manufacturing.  His political future may well rest on a few points in the unemployment statistics.  If he gets the unemployment number down a few points, he may well be in.  If he doesn't, he's vulnerable.  But don't underestimate his consummate electioneering skills.

June 28, 2011      Permalink 

SNIPPET – AT 10:06 A.M. ET: 

Wonderful dietary news from Britain's Daily Mail:  The first ‘test-tube’ hamburger is only a year away, scientists claim...The scientists are currently developing a burger which will be grown from 10,000 stem cells extracted from cattle, which are then left in the lab to multiply more than a billion times to produce muscle tissue similar to beef.

I can't wait.  Can you?  Why, I'm thrilled at the thought of meandering into Five Guys, ordering my stem-cell burger, medium rare, with a side order of lab fries, and a glass of carbonated vitamin gel.  Yeah, can't wait.

AMERICANS MAKE THEIR JUDGMENTS – AT 9:20 A.M. ET:  A new Gallup Poll tells us that Americans' view of the press has improved a bit in the past year, but has essentially gone from the sub-basement to the basement:

Americans are more confident in news presented by television and newspapers than they were last year. Unfortunately for the press, that confidence is still pretty low.

Twenty-eight percent of adults have a “great deal” of confidence in newspapers and 27 percent have “quite a lot” of confidence in television news, according to a Gallup poll. Those numbers are up 6 percentage points for newspapers and 4 points for TV since 2007, when Gallup found confidence in media at its lowest point in the past 20 years.

For comparison’s sake, 78 percent of Americans reported great trust in the military, while 12 percent felt the same about Congress, according to Gallup.

Newspapers enjoyed the largest trust bump from respondents aged 30-49, with a gain of 9 points in that age group compared to 2010. Echoing the march of technology away from printed news, people aged 18-29 reported less confidence in newspapers, with a drop of 10 points from 2010.

That same age group is where television news made large inroads, with an increase of 10 percentage points among those aged 18-29 over 2010. Respondents with a high school education or less also showed a confidence increase of 12 percentage points over the 2010 numbers. The only area where confidence in TV news didn’t improve was in college graduates; 16 percent reported great confidence in TV in 2011, while 21 percent did in 2010. That same age group also showed a slight drop in confidence of newspapers.

COMMENT:  It has always amazed me that journalists show so little interest in public perception of their craft.  I think it's pretty clear that the country is now onto press bias, and I suspect many Americans sense what is true, that many "journalists" are poorly prepared, do too little research, and are often inadequately educated. 

Journalism is very hard work.  The true journalists – the ones who consider the title "reporter" a badge of honor – work extremely hard, and the reader never knows what political side they're on.  I knew some like that at The New York Times of old – the unsung heroes like Robert Alden and Peter Kihss.  There are too few of their like today.

And why is it that, as the educational level of journalism has gone up, the quality has gone down?  The same occurred in Hollywood.  Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

June 28, 2011       Permalink

REMEMBER IRAN?  – AT 8:43 A.M. ET:  It's that country right next to...well, you know.  But can you honestly say you've seen a good, front-page article on Iran's nuclear and military programs in the last few months?  The issue, one of the most frightening out there, has simply been forgotten in the orgy of "come home America" speeches and debt-crisis conferences.

The danger to America is immense.  From Fox:

TEHRAN, Iran -- A senior Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander claimed on Tuesday that his country has the ability to produce even longer range missiles than those currently in its arsenal.

But Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the Guard's Aerospace Force, stressed that Iran will not manufacture such missiles because Israel and U.S. bases in the Gulf are already within its reach.

The remarks came as Iran is conducting 10 days of war games, its latest show of military force amid a standoff with the West over the country's controversial nuclear program.

Hajizadeh said the Guard's arsenal already includes missiles with a range of about 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) -- putting Israel, U.S. bases in the Persian Gulf and parts of southeastern and eastern Europe within Iran's reach.

COMMENT:  We don't expect the Europeans to be all that interested.  Their first instinct will be appeasement, believing that after they grovel and sell equipment to the Iranians, the Americans will come in to save them. 

Think ahead to the time, not far off, when the Iranians will be able to tip those missiles with nuclear warheads.  They will become the most powerful force in the region, just as we're reducing our presence.  They will essentially control most of the world's oil supply. 

Churchill warned about people who will feed the alligator in hopes that they'll be eaten last.  I'm afraid, based on political trends in the West, including the United States, that we will be feeding the alligator.

June 28, 2011       Permalink

BYE, BYE – AT 8:23 A.M. ET:  Why not start the morning with good news?  Only a day after Chris Wallace asked Michele Bachmann, "Are you a flake?" a question for which the gracious Chris has now roundly apologized, a real flake announced that she is leaving Congress.  The skies have turned blue.  From The Hill:

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.) confirmed Monday evening that she's retiring next year.

Speaking to reporters at her California home, Woolsey, 73, cited her age as one of the reasons.

"You don't have to stay there till you die," she joked, when asked why she was leaving Congress, according to the Marin Indpendent Journal.

The 10-term lawmaker noted that "after two decades of service to this district, it will be time for me to move on," adding that she doesn't have "one ounce of regret."

Her announcement has been expected.

Woolsey is one of the most liberal members of Congress and has served as co-chairwoman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. Her district is heavily Democratic and should be easy for the party to retain.

COMMENT:  Woolsey's most recent prominent appearance was with a group of Code Pink hard-left activists.  One suspects Woolsey will join them more formally after she retires, while collecting her generous U.S. Government pension.   At the meeting was the woman who interrupted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech before a joint session of Congress, shouting at him as she was escorted out by the Capitol Police.  Woolsey turned to the woman and said, "You did me proud."  We're talking that kind of nut.

Bye, Lynn.  You didn't do us proud.

June 28, 2011     Permalink

JUNE 27,  2011

WHOOPS – AT 7:52 P.M. ET:  Republicans must finally learn that they must operate to a higher, more precise standard, to help overcome the media bias thrown their way.   President Obama can commit one gaffe after another – such as saying that the U.S. has 57 states, or getting the name of a Medal of Honor recipient wrong – and the media gives him a pass.  Not so for Republicans. 

Michele Bachmann launched her campaign for president in her home town of Waterloo, Iowa, today, and the launch went well...until the "oh no" moment.  From the Los Angeles Times:

And then it happened. A microphone was placed in front of her, and a statement that should have been ingrained in her head came out all wrong. She said that like the famous rugged cowboy star, John Wayne, she too was from Waterloo which was why she was picking the small town to announce her candidacy.

"Well what I want them to know is just like John Wayne was from Waterloo, Iowa. That's the kind of spirit that I have, too," Bachmann told a Fox News reporter.

One small detail: John Wayne Gacy, the infamous mass murderer is from Waterloo. The Duke, although his parents met in Waterloo, is from Iowa, but from Winterset, nearly three hours away by car.

Gacy had his first run-in with the long arm of the law in Waterloo. The man who killed dozens of young men and boys over a six-year murder period was locked up in Waterloo for a year and a half for an attempted sexual assault.

Oh, oh, oh.  This is the kind of mistake that Bachmann can't afford to make.  She has a history of gaffes, but probably no more than Obama.  But she will be treated differently, and must realize the need for getting every "i" dotted.  What she should probably do now is simply say that she misspoke, that John Wayne, the actor, had a Waterloo affiliation.  It will pass.

Michele is now in the major leagues.  When you're batting against the Yankees or the Red Sox, you don't take your eye off the ball.

June 27, 2011       Permalink

BLAGO TO WEAR PRISON FASHIONS – AT 7:15 P.M. ET:  From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was found guilty Monday of 17 out of 20 federal corruption charges — including all charges tied to allegations that the Chicago Democrat tried to trade an appointment to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by President Barack Obama.

“Patti and I are obviously very disappointed in the outcome,” Blagojevich, standing with his wife, Patti Blagojevich, told reporters after the verdict was announced. “I, frankly, am stunned.”

The former governor blew kisses to supporters as he got in an SUV to leave, to the sound of some boos directed his way by spectators who gathered outside the Dirksen Federal Courthouse in downtown Chicago.

COMMENT:  All right, let's get beyond the obvious, that Blago is going to jail, like some other Illinois governors.   The key question involves his attempt to, in effect, sell the Senate seat vacated by Barack Obama when Obama was elected president. 

So the questions:  What did President Obama know, and when did he know it?  What did the president's aides, including now Mayor Rahm Emanuel of Chicago know, and when did they know it?  What did Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. of Chicago, apparently the subject of some cash-for-appointment talks know, and when did he know it? 

The stonewalling has just begun.  But we have a right to know whether major public officials, including the president of the United State, were involved in these schemes, which would clearly be illegal.

Will the mainstream media start probing?  Or will it spend it time going through the high-school records of Republican presidential candidates?  Guess.

June 27, 2011       Permalink

AL GORE FAINTS AT THE NEWS – AT 11:35 A.M. ET:  Now, the script says that global warming, or climate change, or whatever it is, will result in dramatic increases in severe weather.  Uh, just a second:

During the past 6-years since Hurricane Katrina, global tropical cyclone frequency and energy have decreased dramatically, and are currently at near-historical record lows. According to a new peer-reviewed research paper accepted to be published, only 69 tropical storms were observed globally during 2010, the fewest in almost 40-years of reliable records.

BUSH is doing this!

Furthermore, when each storm's intensity and duration were taken into account, the total global tropical cyclone accumulated energy (ACE) was found to have fallen by half to the lowest level since 1977.

And CHENEY has his hand in it, too, suppressing the weather to hide the effects of global warming.

In his new paper, "Recent historically low global tropical cyclone activity", Dr. Ryan Maue, a meteorologist from Florida State University, examined the last 40-years of global hurricane records and found strikingly large variability in both tropical cyclone frequency and energy from year-to-year. Since 2007, global tropical cyclone activity has decreased dramatically and has continued at near-historical low levels. Indeed, only 64 tropical cyclones were observed globally in the 12-months from June 2010 - May 2011, nearly 23-storms below average obliterating the previous record low set in 1977.

COMMENT:  What will Gore say?  At which of his energy-guzzling mansions will he say it?  I think this is propaganda from Texaco, don't you think?  We all know that the world will end in ten years because of climate changed caused by too many Toyotas.  This report is an attempt to throw us off.

June 27, 2011       Permalink

THE STRONG HORSE ALWAYS WINS – AT 9:53 A.M. ET:   There's a saying in the Mideast – it was quoted by Osama bin Laden – that people will always follow the strong horse.  It's accurate.  That's what people do.

So it's not surprising that leaders in the region, and beyond, even "allies" of the United States, are succking up to Iran now that we're starting to pull out.  They're aware that even in our leaderless, rudderless, Republican Party, there are signs of a new isolationism.  From Fox:

Washington – Iran is moving to cement ties with the leaders of three key American allies -- Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq -- highlighting Tehran's efforts to take a greater role in the region as the U.S. military pulls out troops, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

The Afghan and Pakistani presidents, visiting Tehran, discussed with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad "many issues … that might come up after the NATO military force goes out of Afghanistan," Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said.

"The three presidents were very forthcoming in carrying out the cooperation and contacts so as to make sure things will go as smoothly as it could," he said.

That comment was seen as a jab at Washington, which is increasingly in competition with Tehran for influence in the region, particularly as popular rebellions have surged across the Middle East and North Africa since January.

The overtures by U.S. nemesis Iran come amid tensions between Washington and three governments that have each received billions of dollars in U.S. aid.

COMMENT:  That reference is to Pakistan, Afhanistan, and Iraq.  The new isolationist crowd will tell us that, if only we had minded our own business and not sent in the troops, these countries would have no anti-Americanism.   Yeah, right.  We recall the pro-American policies of Saddam Hussein.  We revel in the warmth we received from the Taliban government of pre 9-11 Afghanistan.  And of course all Americans know of our longtime close "alliance" with the Islamic-influenced government of Pakistan, which hid and protected Osama bin Laden. 

If we move toward a "come home America" strategy, some Americans will cheer for a time, but our children will pay a terrible price.

June 27, 2011       Permalink

SNIPPET – AT 9:40 A.M. ET: 

LOS ANGELES (AP) _ The Los Angeles Dodgers have filed for bankruptcy protection in a Delaware court. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt cites Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig's interference with club operations and refusal to approve a Dodgers TV deal with Fox Sports as the cause for Monday's bankruptcy filing.  In a news release, the team says Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection will provide the Dodgers with a process to address its immediate financing requirements and obtain the capital necessary to ensure the baseball franchise's long-term financial stability.

For those of us born-in-Brooklyn types who never forgave the Dodgers for leaving us 54 years ago, or, as we call it, "yesterday," the news is bittersweet.  You know, fellas, there's plenty of room in Brooklyn for a new stadium.  Comfortable seats, bright lights, and adoring fans.  I mean, who wants to have a crowd filled with Hollywood agents?  How about it?  I'll buy the first ticket.

FIND HIM ON THE POST OFFICE WALL – AT 9:05 A.M. ET:  The exalted leader of Libya is in more legal trouble this morning.  Calling Perry Mason.  From Fox:

DEVELOPING: The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants Monday for Muammar Qaddafi, his son Seif, and his intelligence chief for crimes against humanity in the Libyan leader's four-month battle to cling to power.

Gee, didn't these legal wizards notice anything about the Qaddafi bunch before this war began?

Judges announced that the three men are wanted for orchestrating the killing, injuring, arrest and imprisonment of hundreds of civilians during the first 12 days of an uprising to topple Qaddafi from power, and for trying to cover up the alleged crimes.

The warrants turn Qaddafi, his son Seif al-Islam Qaddafi and intelligence chief Abdullah al-Sanoussi into internationally wanted suspects, potentially complicating efforts to mediate an end to more than four months of intense fighting in the North African nation.

But...

Libyan officials rejected the court's authority even before the decision was read in a Hague courtroom, claiming the court had unfairly targeted Africans while ignoring what they called crimes committed by NATO in Afghanistan, Iraq "and in Libya now."

"The ICC has no legitimacy whatsoever. We will deal with it. ... All of its activities are directed at African leaders," government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told reporters Sunday.

COMMENT:  The bottom line here is this:  The ICC doesn't really have any power.  Qaddafi will go only if he's dislodged by NATO, and NATO thus far hasn't been able to do the job, absent American leadership.  Obama has botched the entire issue by refusing to get Congressional approval for his early military action in Libya, and by refusing to lead, or even explain this action to the American people in a formal, Oval Office speech.  So right now we're nowhere, which is where the age of Obama has taken us.

June 27, 2011       Permalink

BACHMANN ANNOUNCES – Michele Bachmann formally announces her candidacy for president in her birthplace of Waterloo, Iowa, this morning.

Waterloo, by the way, is famous as the home of the Sullivan boys, the five brothers killed aboard the light cruiser USS Juneau in the South Pacific in World War II. 

We will be watching Bachmann.  Love her or loathe her – and there are plenty on both sides – she's the most fascinating candidate to emerge thus far, very much the Sarah Palin of this campaign.  As much as I like Sarah, I must concede that Michele comes to the party better prepared.  She does her homework. 

Let us also concede that one reason for all the attention she receives is her good looks, which clearly is also the case with Sarah.  I don't know why journalists are so frightened to say that.  Maybe it's the politically correct rigidity of modern journalism.  Looks count, whether they belong to a man or woman.  I recall the Kennedy campaign of 1960, when Kennedy's presumed appeal to women was discussed quite openly, and frequently.  (In fact, the women's vote went for Nixon.  Kennedy is reported to have sighed, when watching teenaged girls jump with joy when he passed, "I wish they were old enough to vote.") 

From Bloomberg:

Michele Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman whose attacks on President Barack Obama and his policies made her a favorite of Tea Party activists, pivots from talk to action today as she formally enters the 2012 Republican presidential contest in a state critical to her bid.

Bachmann will begin her campaign in Waterloo, Iowa, the city where she was born and the state where a strong finish in its caucuses would solidify her place as a major challenger to former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the frontrunner in polls in the Republican race.

“My focus will be on turning the economy around and job creation,” Bachmann said yesterday on the CBS program “Face the Nation.” Obama, she said, “doesn’t seem to have an understanding of how to do the job.”

The political fire will now start coming at Bachmann.  You may be sure that opposition researchers are hard at work, delving into her past.  I have no doubt that the same people who worked to destroy Sarah Palin are at it again.  Bachmann represents the same kind of threat to their world – she's a pro-life female conservative.

She has much to overcome.  There's a history of gaffes and seemingly over-the-top statements.  Her record, although deeper than Obama's when he ran, is not extensive.  She did well in the New Hampshire debate several weeks ago, but not that well on "Face the Nation" yesterday, in part because of a maddening tendency to evade questions.  She will have to deal directly with verbal challenges.

But she excites people and motivates them, and therefore she's important to this race.  And now I wonder whether Sarah will jump in as well.

June 27, 2011     Permalink