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MAY 27,  2011

OUR FUTURE DEFENSE – AT 10:34 P.M. ET:  As we enter Memorial Day Weekend, it's appropriate to report on the cautions expressed by outgoing Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, who has served both President Bush and President Obama.  Now that he is growing free of the political restraints of office, Gates is speaking out more directly about the future of American defense.

Remember, many of those we remember on Memorial Day wouldn't have needed memorials had America been strong and ready.  From The Wall Street Journal:

In a series of farewell speeches, Mr. Gates has warned against cuts to weapon programs and troop levels that would make America vulnerable in "a complex and unpredictable security environment," as he said Sunday at Notre Dame. On Tuesday at the American Enterprise Institute, Mr. Gates noted that the U.S. went on "a procurement holiday" in the 1990s, when the Clinton Administration decided to cash in the Cold War peace dividend. The past decade showed that history (and war) didn't end in 1989.

"It is vitally important to protect the military modernization accounts," he said, and push ahead with new capabilities, from an air refueling tanker fleet to ballistic missile submarines...

...In historical terms, the U.S. spends relatively little on defense today, even after the post-9/11 buildup. This year's $530 billion budget accounts for 3.5% of GDP, 4.5% when the costs of the Afghan and Iraq wars are included. The U.S. spent, on average, 7.5% of GDP on defense throughout the Cold War, and 6.2% at the height of the Reagan buildup in 1986.

Most Americans are unaware of how little we actually spend on defense.  The leftist press makes it appear that we're mortgaging our entire future to the Pacific Fleet.

But on coming into office, the Obama Administration put the Pentagon on a fiscal diet—even as it foisted new European-sized entitlements on America, starting with $2.6 trillion for ObamaCare...

...Last year, Mr. Gates said that the Pentagon needs 2%-3% real budget growth merely to sustain what it's doing now, but it could make do with 1%. The White House gave him 0%.

It pretty much tells you what Obama plans for his second term, and it is chilling.

"More perhaps than any other Secretary of Defense, I have been a strong advocate of soft power—of the critical importance of diplomacy and development as fundamental components of our foreign policy and national security," Mr. Gates said at Notre Dame. "But make no mistake, the ultimate guarantee against the success of aggressors, dictators and terrorists in the 21st century, as in the 20th, is hard power—the size, strength and global reach of the United States military."

That's a crucial message for Republican deficit hawks, and especially for a Commander in Chief who inherited the capability to capture Osama bin Laden half way around the world but is on track to leave America militarily weaker than he found it.

COMMENT:  This is a lesson we have to learn over and over, and each year we put flags on the graves of those who paid the price because the lesson wasn't learned well enough.  The left may get its little victory in cutting the defense budget, but some kid from Iowa will be left vulnerable in battle because of it.  Then the left will shout, "Bring the boys home," not really caring about any of them.

May 27, 2011       Permalink

DEVASTATING – AT 10:13 A.M. ET:  Historian Walter Russell Mead examines the week that was and concludes that it represented a foreign-policy catastrophe for President Obama.  His piece, with the wrenching title, "The Dreamer Goes Down for the Count," is from The American Interest:

I had never thought there were many similarities between the pleasure-loving Charles II of England and the more upright Barack Obama until this week. Listening to his speeches on the Middle East at the State Department, US-Israel relations at the AIPAC annual meeting and most recently his address to the British Parliament the comparison becomes irresistible.

“Here lies our sovereign king,” wrote the Earl of Rochester about King Charles:

Whose word no man relies on.
Who never said a foolish thing
Or ever did a wise one.

This seems to capture President Obama’s Middle East problems in a nutshell. The President’s descriptions of the situation are comprehensive and urbane. He correctly identifies the forces at work. He develops interesting policy ideas and approaches that address important political and moral elements of the complex problems we face. He crafts approaches that might, with good will and deft management, bridge the gaps between the sides. He reads thoughtful speeches full of sensible reflections.

But the last few weeks have cast him as the least competent manager of America’s Middle East diplomatic portfolio in a very long time. He has infuriated and frustrated long term friends, but made no headway in reconciling enemies. He has strained our ties with the established regimes without winning new friends on the Arab Street. He has committed our forces in the strategically irrelevant backwater of Libya not, as he originally told us, for “days, not weeks” but for months not days.

Read the whole piece.  It's devastating.  Mead says of Obama, "...he’s taking another ride in the clown car, and this time it isn’t a victory lap." 

No it isn't.  And the main event – Iran's pursuit of a nuclear weapon – is barely mentioned by the president.

We remind readers that the election is only 18 months away.  Make or break.

May 27, 2011      Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 9:38 A.M. ET:  It is remarkable to observe the depths to which some journalists go to justify and protect Barack Obama.  From The Los Angeles Times's Opinion L.A. column:

In her weekly column, Meghan Daum defends President Obama's dialect and the manner in which he addresses an audience:

"But consider this: It's not that Obama can't speak clearly. It's that he employs the intellectual stammer. Not to be confused with a stutter, which the president decidedly does not have, the intellectual stammer signals a brain that is moving so fast that the mouth can't keep up. The stammer is commonly found among university professors, characters in Woody Allen movies and public thinkers of the sort that might appear on C-SPAN but not CNN. If you're a member or a fan of that subset, chances are the president's stammer doesn't bother you; in fact, you might even love him for it (he sounds just like your grad school roommate, especially when he drank too much Scotch and attempted to expound on the Hegelian dialectic!)."

Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.  Have you ever read such a superb specimen of elitism.  Why, why, Barack Obama is just so smart he can't keep up with his own brain.  Aren't you impressed?  Don't you feel lucky to have Obama as your president?

Who cares about two years of a catastrophic foreign policy.

Who cares about a domestic policy that has failed to produce any real results.

Can you just imagine what Meghan Daum would have said about Lincoln?  "What, this buffoon with less than a year of schooling.  Can't America do better?  Where is Harvard?  Where is Yale?"  And we don't have to ask what she would have said about Ronald Reagan.

There is a segment of the press made up of people who would put their college board scores on their gravestones.  To them, indicators of high intellect are the only factors that matter.  Judgment, wisdom, maturity, integrity, experience, are the stuff of the middle brows.  Reader Jacqueline Reckseit reminds us that a sane Czech columnist wrote that he was less concerned about the inadequacies of Barack Obama than about the kind of people who put him in power.  That columnist is correct.  We can survive Obama.  We may not survive the mentality that allowed him to rule over us.

May 27, 2011       Permalink

WORRY ABOUT CHINA – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  Our eyes have been focused elsewhere, but the Chinese are quietly building their military strength as we plan cutbacks, and our leading aircraft project is in jeopardy.  From The Washington Times:

The threat from Chinese advanced weapons, including new stealth fighters and ballistic missiles, dominated concerns expressed by senior military officers at a Senate hearing this week on the military impact of delays and problems with the new fifth-generation F-35 jet.

Two senior officers in charge of U.S. air power voiced increasing worries that U.S. forces will not be prepared for a future conflict with China, during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services airland subcommittee on Tuesday.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Herbert J. Carlisle, deputy chief of staff for operations, said China’s rollout earlier this year of a new J-20 stealth fighter, which has made two or three test flights, is very troubling, along with another joint Russian-Indian stealth jet.

Both aircraft could be sold to Iran and affect a future U.S. intervention there against Tehran’s nuclear program.

“Those are discouraging in that they rolled out in a time that we thought there was maybe a little bit more time, although we weren’t sure of that,” Gen. Carlisle said.

The three-star general’s comments echoed earlier comments by Navy Vice Adm. David J. Dorsett, a senior intelligence official, who said of the J-20 in January that “we have been pretty consistent in underestimating the delivery of Chinese technology and weapons systems.”

U.S. military fighters will remain a pace ahead technologically of both the Chinese and Russian stealth jets. But if there are further F-35 delays, “then that pacing is in jeopardy,” Gen. Carlisle said.

COMMENT:  Did we ever think we'd be concerned about the Russians again?  But both China and Russia are growing increasingly assertive, while we worry about public opinion in Belgium. 

We will be cutting back on defense just when potential adversaries are forging ahead.  Why doesn't that look smart?  Why does it look so Obama?

May 27, 2011       Permalink

A WARNING FROM NEW YORK – AT 8:41 A.M. ET:  I think this is the second time in recent weeks that we've run that headline.  New York has, along with California, always been a major social laboratory that often influences other states.  But New York is an absolute mess, with a third of its young people indicating a wish to leave.   So now New York has become a warning sign.  Don't do things this way.  Consider this, from The New York Post:

New York state's school systems deserve an F -- in financial accountability.

State taxpayers spend substantially more money on education than any other state in the nation but get far less in return on their investment, according to a shocking new federal study released yesterday.

New York schools on average spent $18,126 per student in the 2008-2009 school year -- tops in the nation, the Census Bureau reports.

That's nearly $2,000 more than the $16,271 spent in neighboring New Jersey and 80 percent higher than the national average of $10,499.

But the Empire State's four-year high-school graduation rate of 73.5 percent ranked a lowly 39th in the nation, two points below the national average, according to a separate analysis by the National Center for Education Statistics.

By comparison, Massachusetts -- which spends $4,000 less per student -- has an 83 percent graduation rate.

New York has doubled its per-student spending over 10 years. For five consecutive years the state has spent the most per student in the nation.

COMMENT:  New York has been going to a party for years, a party paid for by Wall Street and real-estate bubbles, and ridiculously high state taxes.  We've been told, of course, that it's all "for the children."  It is always is.  Must not cheat the "children." 

Now we see that, no matter how much is spent on what passes for education, the results are catastrophic.  Education is a business, and in New York it's big business.  The biggest losers are minority kids, whose parents are told by local "community" hustlers that the more we spend on education, the better it will be for their families.  No, it's usually better only for the hustlers, whose friends wind up on the school payrolls.

Don't do education our way.

May 27, 2011     Permalink

MAY 26,  2011

SPOTLIGHT SHIFTS TO GOP WOMEN – AT 10:38 P.M. ET:  Just when it looked like the race for the GOP presidential nomination was getting genuinely dull, two women look as if they'll jump in – and certainly liven things up.  Sarah Palin starts a swing through the East Coast this weekend, which attracted immediate political attention.  She gets attention just by stepping on a bus.  And another Republican woman won't be denied.  From The Politico:

DES MOINES – Hours after Sarah Palin announced a bus tour of the east coast that could presage a presidential campaign, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn) told reporters here that she was likely to announce a White House campaign next month in Waterloo, Iowa.

Bachmann, who spent much of her childhood in Waterloo, wouldn’t definitively say that she would launch a bid in the eastern Iowa city, but it was clear she was only holding back to sustain a measure of suspense for the actual event.

“The announcement will be made in Iowa, and it will be made in Waterloo and we’ll give you the date and the time,” she said via speaker phone to a room full of reporters in a hotel conference room here.

COMMENT:  The presence of these two women will add juice to the campaign, but both are also lightning rods who could further divide the party.  We'll just have to see what strategy they pursue.  We'll also have to see how they deal with each other. 

At least life will be more interesting.

May 26, 2011       Permalink

MOON RIVER, WIDER THAN A MILE – AT 9:58 P.M. ET:   They have found water in the moon.  No Diet Coke yet, but water.  From Science Daily:

ScienceDaily (May 26, 2011) — There is water inside the moon -- so much, in fact, that in some places it rivals the amount of water found within Earth.

The finding from a scientific team including Brown University comes from the first-ever measurements of water in lunar melt inclusions. Those measurements show that some parts of the lunar mantle have as much water as Earth's upper mantle.

COMMENT:  There was immediate concern that the Obama administration would ban any drilling for that water, on grounds that it threatens the natural habit of moon creatures known as lunar-tics.  This administation has been very protective of lunar-tics, and has actually employed some in the White House.

May 26, 2011     Permalink

NAVY BEATS MICKEY – READ ALL ABOUT IT – AT 8:56 A.M. ET:  There has been a great naval victory, right up there with Midway and Leyte Gulf.  From Fox:

Well, that was quick: Mickey Mouse has waved the white flag and surrendered to the real SEAL Team 6.
Disney is withdrawing its applications to trademark the name of the elite Navy squad responsible for killing Usama bin Laden, the Navy said on Wednesday.

"The Navy is committed to fully protecting our trademark rights as it pertains to this matter and will continue to examine all our legal options," Navy spokeswoman Amanda Greenberg told FoxNews.com, adding that the military continues to broaden Navy's existing portfolio.

Disney did not return numerous requests for comment.

A spokesman for the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office also did not return calls and email requests for comment.
Earlier on Wednesday, FoxNews.com reported that U.S. Navy had countered Disney's trademark applications with filings of its own.

COMMENT:  Can you imagine?  Disney, a company that once guarded its public image like a lion guards its cubs, actually tried to trademark the name "SEAL Team 6."  I mean, the nerve!  What will they try to trademark next?  The White House?  World War II?  Heaven? 

Fortunately, the Navy has some sharp lawyers who stepped in and put an end to the bad taste move of the year.  I wonder what kind of lawyers Disney has.  Do you think they wear big mouse ears and sing the Mouseketeer song? 

I've worked in Hollywood.  Nothing shocks me.

May 26, 2011      Permalink

ANOTHER ECONOMIC JOLT – AT 8:44 A.M. ET:  Jobless claims unexpectedly rose this past week, negating the rosy predictions by the administration.  From Bloomberg:

More Americans unexpectedly filed applications for unemployment benefits last week, a sign the labor market is struggling to gain momentum.

Jobless claims increased by 10,000 to 424,000 in the week ended May 21, Labor Department figures showed today in Washington. The median estimate of economists in a Bloomberg News survey called for a drop to 404,000.

Consistent gains in hiring are needed to sustain consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of the world’s largest economy. Federal Reserve officials said the jobless rate “remains elevated” at 9 percent, one reason central bankers pledged last month to complete their asset-purchase plan by the end of June and keep borrowing costs near zero.

COMMENT:  Just ask local merchants how the economy is doing.  I do that all the time and the verdict is grim.  We are not doing well.  If there is a national plan for recovery, it really isn't working.  The housing market is a mess.  And yet, the president's poll numbers have strengthened.  Go figure.

It's up to the GOP now to present an alternative economic policy.  But the party must have the sales job ready to go with the plan.  If you can't explain your policy, it will get chewed up by the other side. 

May 26, 2011        Permalink

OBAMA'S MAKE-IT-UP-AS-YOU-GO-ALONG LIBYA POLICY – AT 8:33 A.M. ET:  The Washington Post may be a liberal paper, but its editorial page has an integrity that a certain newspaper in New York might consider examining.  WaPo is scathing in its assessment of President Obama's non-policy:

EACH TIME he addresses the war in Libya, President Obama seems to contradict himself. After a meeting Wednesday with British Prime Minister David Cameron, the president was supportive of Mr. Cameron’s declaration that “the president and I agree that we should be turning up the heat in Libya.” “The more effective the coalition is in rallying all the resources that are available to it,” Mr. Obama said, the more “we’re going to be able to achieve our mission in a timely fashion.”

Yet Mr. Obama apparently remains unwilling to rally American resources that are readily available and that Britain and France have repeatedly requested. The allies have asked for the resumption of strike operations by U.S. warplanes that Mr. Obama pulled from the fight in early April. But immediately after acknowledging that more resources are needed, Mr. Obama talked down the prospect of “additional U.S. capabilities,” saying “there are going to be some inherent limitations to our airstrike operations.”

And...

What the allies are seeking is no secret: eight or so U.S. AC-130 and A-10 planes, weapons that exist only in the American arsenal and that are ideal for the close ground-support operations that are much needed in Libya.

But Mr. Obama isn't sending them.  His policy is baffling.

Mr. Obama may be correct in his assessment that “we have built enough momentum that as long as we sustain the course that we’re on,” Mr. Gaddafi will ultimately be forced from power. But the strain on British and French forces is growing, and the president appears to have no substantial reason to deny the allies’ request, other than to prove the ideological point that the United States need not lead every NATO military intervention. That point has been made. Now it is time to do what can be done to speed the end of Libya’s war.

COMMENT:  Either Obama is serious about the Libya mission, or he is not.  We get the feeling that he really hasn't decided.  Once again he projects weakness.  Allies are watching this train wreck.

All praise to the Washington Post's editorial page, which refuses to bow deeply to The One.  Unlike The New York Times's editorial page, it has maintained its credibility.

May 26, 2011         Permalink

FACING REALITY – AT 8:12 A.M. ET:  We have not pointed it out recently, but President Obama's poll numbers have shown substantial improvement, placing him in a reasonable position before his reelection campaign.  Even Rasmussen, who polls likely voters, and whose polls have shown Mr. Obama's situation precarious, has picked up the Obama wave:

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Wednesday shows that 25% of the nation's voters Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as president. Thirty-five percent (35%) Strongly Disapprove, giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of -10.

A month ago it was -18.

The president holds a 45% to 44% edge over a Generic Republican in an early look at 2012. Republicans hold a two-point advantage over Democrats on the Generic Congressional Ballot.

That's essentially even in both the presidential and Congressional measurements.

Overall, 50% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the president's performance. Forty-eight percent (48%) disapprove.

A month ago is was 46% approve, 53% disapprove. 

True, some of this may reflect a leftover bin Laden effect, but it seems to be holding.  The president is back trying to present himself as a centrist, and some people are always fooled.

The Republican road is a tough one.  The Republican landslide of 2010 is not necessarily predictive of 2012.

May 26, 2011     Permalink