As a patriotic American, I hope the Washington Post über-journalist misquoted
President Obama in his upcoming book discussing the president's thinking behind
the war on terrorism. Reading advance excerpts earlier today, I came across the
following quotation attributed to the president:
"We can absorb a terrorist attack. We'll do everything
we can to prevent it, but even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever ... we
absorbed it and we are stronger."
As I listened to the president's wide-ranging press conference, I was struck by a comment he made in regard to the income tax system currently in place in America.
When asked whether he would support the extension of tax cuts for the top 3 percent of earners of the population, the president responded that "I support tax cuts for families who need it versus those that don't." What a remarkable statement.
In the euphoria following President Obama's election, we were told time and
time again by the intelligentsia that America had finally entered a
post-racial era. The man who was supposed to cool the planet and stem our
rising tides would also preside over a nation that had finally achieved Dr.
King's vision to judge others by the content of their character rather than the
color of their skin.
Some 18 months later, the gleam has faded from the hope and change we were
promised. $3 trillion added to the deficit, an extremely unpopular healthcare
bill rammed through the Congress and constant hectoring by the president have
seen his approval ratings drop to the mid-40 percent approval range.
First, the facts speak for themselves in this
case:
(1) Two members of the New Black Panthers stood before a polling station
in Philadelphia on Election Day of 2008. One of the men was clearly seen
brandishing a nightstick — a weapon the Justice Department itself has
characterized as a deadly weapon.
(2) After watching video reports of the
incident, the Department of Justice filed suit on Jan. 7, 2009.
Earlier today I had the opportunity to attend the United States Commission on
Civil Rights’ hearing on the U.S. Department of Justice and the New Black
Panther Party litigation. The testimony by the hearing's lone witness, former
DoJ lawyer J. Christian Adams, was nothing short of extraordinary.
During the 2008 presidential election, members of the New Black Panther Party
were caught on videotape brandishing a nightstick and hurling racial taunts at
white and black voters as they sought entry to a polling station in
Philadelphia.
As we head toward the dog days of summer here in your nation's capital, a development must of us would characterize as stunning has apparently not fazed the folks in the Obama administration who ostensibly look after our safety.
You see, long ago the Department of Justice uncovered a sleeper cell of Russian agents living under assumed names next door to people like me and you. Not Boris and Natasha from the “Bullwinkle” days. No, according to the New York Post, one of the alleged spies, Anna Chapman was a "femme fatale" worthy of Ian Flemming's Cold War relic, 007. Putting all of the press intrigue and interest aside, I can't help but wonder what in the world is going on in the White House and the State Department, given their reaction to the situation in the press. According to Phillip Gordon, assistant secretary of State for European Affairs: "We're moving toward a trusting relationship. We're beyond the Cold War ... I think our relations absolutely demonstrate that. But as I say, I don't think anyone was hugely shocked to know that some vestiges of old attempts to use intelligence are still there."
At first blush, President Barack Obama's announcement earlier today
to set aside $8 billion in loan guarantees to break ground on the nation's
first nuclear power plant in more than 30 years was highly encouraging.
Things don't bode well for tonight, but I hope I'm wrong. I'm
listening to President Barack Obama's senior adviser, David Axelrod, preview
tonight's State of the Union address, and was just baffled to hear him say that
the middle class in America has been ignored for the past 10 years and that
President Obama inherited the worst economy since the Great Depression.
They still don't get it. They, of course, are the denizens
inside 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., safe and confident within the wrought-iron bars
that encircle the White House like a protective moat.
For much of America, the stunning special election in
Massachusetts to fill the Senate seat of the late Edward M. Kennedy (D) served
as a repudiation of the manner in which the president and the Democrats in
Congress had placed partisan ideology over pragmatic policymaking to govern the
nation. In a state where Republicans are outnumbered by Democrats by a 3-to-1
margin, clearly something had sparked the attention of the electorate,
something to upset the equilibrium whereby Democrats controlled most elective
offices and Republicans losing them was nearly a foregone conclusion.
Enough is enough. There was a time when the amateur hour that has characterized the behavior of the staff in the Obama White House over the past year could be chalked up to innocent inexperience. Now that behavior is nothing short of dangerous and President Barack Obama is being ill served by those by those closest around him: Mr. Cool must lose his cool and fire those staff members who have failed their president and failed their nation.
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