the things you believe you're seeing...

The guy is just a laughing stock...does he even care whether or not what he says is true or not?

Where's the outrage and why hasn't he been forced to apologize? You know the uproar if a Republican said this? They had to outsource the response tonight , the Republican party. They had to outsource to someone who had nothing to do with Congress because the Republicans in Congress had nothing to do with the programs he was talking about tonight or the record he referred to. Outsourcing the response? Oh I get it...jobs being outsourced to India, Bobby Jindal is of Indian descent hence the funny by Matthews...and by the way, Jindal was in Congress from 2004-2006 before being elected Governor of LA.

The head of the National Economic Councils feel asleep on the podium at the ecomonic summit and the Financial Times mentions it in passing... Although Lawrence Summers, head of the National Economic Council, fell asleep on the podium, most attendees, including Republicans, appear to have appreciated the exercise. There was even some light-heartedness.

Heh! : President Obama’s administration is moving aggressively to protect what the government insists are “state secrets” from a Bush-era wiretapping program. Justice Department lawyers filed an emergency motion Friday with a federal appeals court in an effort to block a lower court’s order that the government must show lawyers for the Al-Haramain Islamic Foundation a copy of a document indicating that the group’s communications were being intercepted. The document has been the subject of a running legal battle since the papers were accidentally sent to attorneys for the group in 2004 and subsequently retrieved. … The government wants the wiretapping lawsuit thrown out on the basis of the state secrets privilege, but a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that the privilege is overruled by a law Congress wrote, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

He couldn't possibly have been an actual, oh I don't know....a terrorist? Accused of Being Little More Than a Low-Level Taliban Fighter, Abdallah al-Ajmi Was Held by the U.S. for Nearly Four Years. After His Release, He Blew Up an Iraqi Army Outpost. Did Guantanamo Propel Him to Do It?

The truth hurts ...luckily. Detainees being held at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan cannot use US courts to challenge their detention, the US says. The justice department ruled that some 600 so-called enemy combatants at Bagram have no constitutional rights. Most have been arrested in Afghanistan on suspicion of waging a terrorist war against the US. The ruling has disappointed human rights lawyers who had hoped the Obama administration would take a different line to that of George W Bush. Prof Barbara Olshansky, the lead counsel in a legal challenge on behalf of four Bagram detainees, told the BBC the justice department’s decision not to reform the rules was both surprising and “enormously disappointing”. And what's with the "so called enemy combatants" they must be talking with Helen Thomas.

What is it with these people ! BARACK OBAMA spent a record $760 million getting himself elected president. But his campaign, Obama for America, still owes Philadelphia nearly $24,000 for several pre-election events, and the cash-strapped city hasn’t given up its collection efforts. The most expensive event was an Oct. 4 rally on the Parkway, featuring Bruce Springsteen. The city’s expenses came to $9,050, including sound systems, lighting, platforms, bleachers and clean-up costs. There were smaller charges for a series of Obama appearances on Oct. 11, at Progress Plaza, the Mayfair Diner and Vernon Park, and $3,666 for a Joe Biden rally at Marconi Plaza the day before the election. Mechelle Sabb, special-event coordinator in the Managing Director’s Office, said the bills remain unpaid in spite of a December letter sent to Obama headquarters in Chicago, warning that non-payment could jeopardize his welcome at future events in Philadelphia or Fairmount Park. Calls to ...

I am stunned....not really. Pentagon Report Finds Guantánamo Humane, but Suggests More Human Contact - NYTimes.com Guantánamo Meets Geneva Rules, Study Finds A report requested by President Obama determined that the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay meets the humanitarian standards of the Geneva Conventions. The review, requested by Mr. Obama on his second day in office, is to be delivered to the White House next week. The president’s request, made as part of a plan to close the prison within a year, was widely seen as an effort to defuse accusations that there were widespread abuses at Guantánamo, and that many detainees were suffering severe psychological effects after years of isolation. The report, by Adm. Patrick M. Walsh, the vice chief of naval operations, describes steps that could be taken to allow detainees to speak to one another more often and to engage in group activities, the government officials said. For years, critics have said that many detainees spend as many ...

Santelli's next appearance on CNBC should be must-see TV...

Elections have consequences (Hope and Change) and here is one; At a forum with reporters on Thursday, (Steven Chu) the head of the department that has traditionally taken the lead on global oil-market policy, was asked what message the Obama administration had for the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries at its meeting next month. "I'm not the administration," the Cabinet secretary replied. "I will be speaking and learning more about this in order to figure out what the U.S. position should be and what the president's position is." ...The day before, reporters asked him about OPEC output levels after a speech to a group of utility regulators. He responded that the issue was "not in my domain." "Not in my domain" is code for "that's above my pay grade". Oh. My. God.

They apologize to the brain-dead who took offense ( Sharpy ); And good for them! Wednesday's Page Six cartoon - caricaturing Monday's police shooting of a chimpanzee in Connecticut - has created considerable controversy. It shows two police officers standing over the chimp's body: "They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill," one officer says. It was meant to mock an ineptly written federal stimulus bill. Period. But it has been taken as something else - as a depiction of President Obama, as a thinly veiled expression of racism. This most certainly was not its intent; to those who were offended by the image, we apologize. However, there are some in the media and in public life who have had differences with The Post in the past - and they see the incident as an opportunity for payback. To them, no apology is due. Sometimes a cartoon is just a cartoon - even as the opportunists seek to make it something else.

You can't make this stuff up... Tucked into the governor's 2009-2010 budget proposal is a plan to levy a $10 fee for income taxes that are filed on paper rather than electronically. State budget officials believe the paper filing fee could generate $6.8 million during the next fiscal year.

Democrats strike different tone on Katrina By BEN EVANS – 19 hours ago WASHINGTON (AP) — The economic stimulus signed by President Barack Obama will spread billions of dollars across the country to spruce up aging roads and bridges. But there's not a dime specifically dedicated to fixing leftover damage from Hurricane Katrina. And there's no outrage about it. Democrats who routinely criticized President George W. Bush for not sending more money to the Gulf Coast appear to be giving Obama the benefit of the doubt in his first major spending initiative. Even the Gulf's fiercest advocates say they're happy with the stimulus package, and their states have enough money for now to address their needs. So now they have all the money they need? What did they just it now?

And this was on CNBC too!

Of course! If you don't want the stimulus money you must be a, wait for it.....RACIST! Representative James Clyburn held a roundtable meeting to discuss how the newly-signed stimulus package will affect South Carolina. He said not only would it create jobs, but also repair roads and bridges around the state. Clyburn also had some strong comments for Gov. Mark Sanford on why he thinks he opposed the stimulus. “The governor of Louisiana expressed opposition. Has the highest African-American population in the country. Governor of Mississippi expressed opposition. The governor of Texas, and the governor of South Carolina. These four governor’s represent states that are in the black belt. I was insulted by that,” Clyburn said. “All of this was a slap in the face of African-Americans. It had nothing to do with Governor Sanford.”

So these advanced placement students watched the President's speech on his plan to deal with the mortgage crisis and had this reaction; Some of the students attentively watched the speech, giving questioning looks and comments, shaking their heads and laughing at some of Obama's words. Other students listened, occasionally glancing up to watch, while texting on their cell phones, reading a book or finishing school work.

Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) must go. - washingtonpost.com Buy-Buy, Mr. Burris The appointed senator from Illinois should go. Wednesday, February 18, 2009; Page A12 WHEN THEN-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was arrested in December for, among other things, allegedly trying to auction off the U.S. Senate seat left open by Barack Obama's election to the presidency, we feared that whomever Mr. Blagojevich eventually chose would be tainted by the association. Enter Roland W. Burris, a former Illinois state attorney general who swore up and down that there had been no quid pro quo involved in his selection. "There was certainly no pay-to-play involved," Mr. Burris assured last month, "because I don't have no money." And then this Associated Press bulletin hit yesterday afternoon: "Burris acknowledges trying to raise campaign funds for Blagojevich as he vied for Senate seat."

www.dcexaminer.com >> Politics For Obama, it’s more about showmanship than sunlight By Byron York Chief political correspondent 2/17/09 After rushing Congress to act, why did he wait for days to sign the "emergency" stimulus bill? Back during the presidential campaign, Barack Obama promised something he called “Sunlight Before Signing.” Obama complained that “too often bills are rushed through Congress and to the president before the public has the opportunity to review them.” So he pledged that, as president, he would “not sign any nonemergency bill without giving the American public an opportunity to review and comment on the White House Web site for five days.” “Sunlight Before Signing” faded into darkness with the first bill that came across Obama’s desk. The new president signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act two days after it was passed by Congress — and without posting it on the White House Web site. Then he signed the second bill of his administration, an upda...

GOVENOR PATERSON SECRETLY GRANTED RAISES - New York Post ALBANY - Gov. Paterson has secretly granted raises of as much as 46 percent to more than a dozen staffers at a time when he has asked 130,000 state workers to give up 3 percent pay hikes because of the state's fiscal crisis, The Post has learned. The startling pay hikes, costing about $250,000 annually, were granted after the governor's "emergency" declaration in August of a looming fiscal crisis that required the state to cut spending and impose a "hard" hiring freeze. One raise was approved as recently as last month - when Paterson claimed the budget deficit had reached an unprecedented $15.5 billion. The raises, which have stunned the few state workers who know about them, are outlined in data obtained from the office of state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, prepared at The Post's request.

Of course some stories like this would have been more helpful two weeks ago but of course that's the point. The media stays silent until it passes and then they raise all sorts of questions so they can cover their asses; Will the stimulus actually stimulate? Economists say no By Kevin G. Hall | McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — The compromise economic stimulus plan agreed to by negotiators from the House of Representatives and the Senate is short on incentives to get consumers spending again and long on social goals that won't stimulate economic activity, according to a range of respected economists. "I think (doing) nothing would have been better," said Ed Yardeni, an investment analyst who's usually an optimist, in an interview with McClatchy. He argued that the plan fails to provide the right incentives to spur spending. "It's unfocused. That is my problem. It is a lot of money for a lot of nickel-and- dime programs. I would have rather had a lot of m...

SURPRISE! Dems Break Promise: Stimulus Bill to Floor Friday - HUMAN EVENTS SURPRISE! Dems Break Promise: Stimulus Bill to Floor Friday by Connie Hair 02/12/2009 In a press conference Thursday, the House Republican leadership spoke candidly about being kept out of the House-Senate conference on the Obama-Pelosi-Reid so-called “economic stimulus” bill. They confirmed they had not yet seen the text of the bill as of 4 p.m. Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said he was unsure how many Democrats would vote with Republicans again on this bill but that he thought Republicans “may get a few” Democrats to side with them. The fact that the Demos have now broken their promise to have the public able to see the bill for 48 hours may drive more Dems into the Republican camp.

It seems the census power grab was too much for Gregg to accept! “I want to thank the President for nominating me to serve in his Cabinet as Secretary of Commerce. This was a great honor, and I had felt that I could bring some views and ideas that would assist him in governing during this difficult time. I especially admire his willingness to reach across the aisle. “However, it has become apparent during this process that this will not work for me as I have found that on issues such as the stimulus package and the Census there are irresolvable conflicts for me. Prior to accepting this post, we had discussed these and other potential differences, but unfortunately we did not adequately focus on these concerns. We are functioning from a different set of views on many critical items of policy . “Obviously the President requires a team that is fully supportive of all his initiatives.

So after "bending over" for The One and facilitating the forward movement of this disasterous bill through to conference, Bloomberg News reports today about the backdoor national health care provisions in the stimulus bill and then Arlen Specter has the gall to say the bill needed more vetting;

Are you kidding me?  Well it is Harry Reid's spokesman so I guess he learned from the best; Reid Spox Assails Blue Dog Rep. Shuler's QB Skills February 09, 2009 5:51 PM In the Charlotte News & Observer today, Rep. Heath Shuler, D-NC, is quoted saying that while President Obama has "reached out to listen to his concerns," Democratic leaders on the Hill haven't. "I truly feel that's where maybe House leadership and Senate leadership have really failed," Shuler said. This prompted a withering response from Jim Manley, the spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "Let me get this straight - this is coming from a guy who threw more than twice as many interceptions than touchdowns?" Manley emailed Politico's Glenn Thrush . "Maybe Someone should tell congressman Shuler that under the leadership of President Obama we have put together a bipartisan bill that will create or save 3 to 4 million jobs, and that We have been...

I love it!   From Big Hollywood ; Until Republicans acted this week, the Senate was actually prepared to bestow hundreds of millions of dollars of stimulation for Hollywood. The “Hollywood clause” would have given movie studios special tax breaks and enabled them to depreciate the costs of production equipment at a quicker rate. Perhaps, however, Congress should consider reinserting that provision. Doing so would give us the perfect excuse to impose the types of compensation controls on the movie industry that President Obama is now demanding of other industries who receive federal help… But seriously, for the people who are leading the environmental movement and spearheading efforts to turn the Academy Awards green, cut back on the number of SUV’s in their entourage, and demonstrate frugality to Al Gore, this is such a great opportunity to demonstrate restraint and help out the new President. What better way to show solidarity with Democrats who want to impose a command and control ec...

Washington Times - 'Doom' rhetoric seen by some as 'not presidential' 'Doom' rhetoric seen by some as 'not presidential' Poses risk for 'Yes, we can' candidate Joseph Curl (Contact) Monday, February 9, 2009 From crisis to catastrophe. Off a cliff. Dark, darker, darkest. Mortal danger of absolute collapse. Armageddon. President Obama and top Democrats on Capitol Hill are deploying these and other stark predictions of doom and gloom to push through their economic-stimulus package. In terms not heard in Washington since the late 1970s under President Jimmy Carter's watch, the new president has sought to terrify Americans into supporting the $800 billion-plus bailout bill. While President Bush was accused shortly after taking office in 2001 of "talking down the economy" - and for saying the economy was "slowing down" - Mr. Obama is using ever-heightening hyperbole to hammer home his message. But the strategy brings great r...

From the CBO: CBO anticipates that  the current recession, which started in December 2007, will last until the second half of 2009,  making it the longest recession since World War II. (The longest such recessions otherwise, the 1973–1974 and 1981–1982 recessions, both lasted 16 months. If the current recession were to continue beyond midyear, it would last at least 19 months.) It could also be the deepest recession during the postwar period: By CBO’s estimates, economic output over the next two years will average 6.8 percent below its potential—that is, the level of output that would be produced if the economy’s resources were fully employed (see Figure 1). This ecession, however, may not result in the highest unemployment rate. That rate, in CBO’s forecast, rises to 9.2 percent by early 2010 (up from a low of 4.4 percent at the end of 2006) but is still below the 10.8 percent rate seen near the end of the 1981–1982 recession. So why do we need to spend $1 trillion dollars? To stop a...

Simply mind-boggling that the party that claims it was patriotic to pay your taxes, time to pitch comes yet another tax cheat nominated to the Obama administration; A Senate committee today abruptly canceled a session to consider President Obama's nomination of Rep. Hilda Solis to be labor secretary in the wake of a report saying that her husband yesterday paid about $6,400 to settle tax liens against his business — liens that had been outstanding for as long as 16 years. It seems the party that lectures us on everything under the sun needs to shut up and take a hard look at themselves...

This genius doesn't realize that by firing the rockets he revealed himself; This video was made by the bad guys. The cameraman is filming his friend as he praises Allah and launches mortar shots at American troops. Little does he know that new mortar shell tracking technology can track the trajectory of a hostile round and fire a retaliatory shot to precisely the spot from which the hostile shell was fired.?This only requires the hostile mortar to fire 2 to 3 rounds. More..Count the number of mortar rounds the masked insurgent fires in the video. See how well it works. Isn't technology wonderful?

As everyone had been saying the Lancet study was a load of manure! ABC News: Nondisclosure Cited in Iraq Casualties Study Nondisclosure Cited in Iraq Casualties Study Controversial Survey Author Rebuked for Failing to Disclose Details of His Work By GARY LANGER Feb. 4, 2009 In a highly unusual rebuke, the American Association for Public Opinion Research today said the author of a widely debated survey on "excess deaths" in Iraq had violated its code of professional ethics by refusing to disclose details of his work. The author's institution later disclosed to ABC News that it, too, is investigating the study. AAPOR, in a statement, said that in an eight-month investigation, Gilbert Burnham, a faculty member at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, "repeatedly refused to make public essential facts about his research on civilian deaths in Iraq." Hours later, the school itself disclosed its own investigation of the Iraq casualties report "to de...

Sources: Sen. Judd Gregg accepts commerce secretary post - CNN.com Two New Hampshire Republican Party sources have suggested to CNN that Gov. John Lynch is careful to appeal to Republicans and might be open to appointing a Republican to, as one of the sources said, "follow the will of the people." Late Monday, political sources in New Hampshire confirmed to CNN's John King that Lynch will name Bonnie Newman, former chief of staff to Gregg, to fill out his term in the Senate. Sources from both parties confirmed the move. Obama first nominated New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to be commerce secretary. But Richardson withdrew in early January, citing the distraction of a federal investigation into ties to a company that has done business with his state.

Ben Smith takes a cheap shot at the Republican Party...and not a very accurate cheap shot since David Duke started life as a Democrat in 1975 and ran for President in 1988 also as a Democrat. After losing then switched to the Republican Party so Ben Smith's article could easily have read "Steele's appeal (but not to the Democrat Party)" ; Ben Smith's Blog: Steele's appeal (but not to David Duke) - Politico.com Steele's appeal (but not to David Duke) Nate Silver looks back at the results of Michael Steele's losing 2006 Senate race, and suggests he was a strong candidate because he did better than you might expect for a Maryland Republican, breaking 44 percent of the vote in a terrible GOP year. There's certainly something to that: Steele ran as an independent outsider with a memorable ad campaign. But he also benefitted from an old dynamic familiar to anyone who follows urban politics, in which a racially divisive Democratic primary gave the Republ...

You can't make this stuff up...

Check out the correction the AP had to make to this headling at the bottom of the article...make sense when you think about it; The Associated Press: Iraq wraps up election with no major violence Iraq wraps up election with no major violence 13 hours ago BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's provincial elections have wrapped up without any reports of serious violence. Polls closed at 6 p.m. local time (10 a.m. EST) on Saturday — an hour later than planned. Millions of voters cast ballots for influential regional councils around most of Iraq. Iraqi authorities imposed a huge security operation around the country that included traffic bans in major cities and extensive checkpoints and surveillance posts. The U.S. military also was out in force but did not take a direct role in the election security. Results from the elections are not expected before Tuesday. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq's provincial ...

We Republicans would love to take credit for killing this crap sandwich as its being called across the blogoshere; As the $820 billion stimulus package heads to the upper chamber, Senate Democratic leaders are launching a pre-emptive strike. In a Thursday afternoon news conference, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid urged Senate Republicans not to line up against the bill, and says Republicans will be blamed for any delay in the landmark economic legislation. “If we don’t [pass the bill], it’s not our fault, we’re trying,” Reid said. “The president has done a remarkable job covering all the bases on Capitol Hill.” And Senate Vice Chairman Charles Schumer said that any GOP effort to lay the blame on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for failing to win was “very unfair.”

For a guy that told us he had all the answers, that all we needed was some hope and change, he sure is the bearer of bad tidings. He is the King of Gloom and Doom all the time. Eventually this strategy is going to backfire when Americans start wondering why the savior is so dire and that he doesn't really have a clue of a plan on fixing things... Obama pushes economic plan; cloud over health pick | Reuters Sat Jan 31, 2009 6:28pm EST By Matt Spetalnick and Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama sought to rally support for his emerging economic rescue package on Saturday, as he stood by his latest cabinet nominee to run into tax problems that could impede confirmation. Obama, in his second weekly radio address since taking office, pledged to help lower Americans' mortgage costs under a new plan to be unveiled soon to help revive the financial system and "get credit flowing again."