AFTER HIS COMMENTS SEND DOW PLUNGING, DODD PICKS UP HIS FIRST CHALLENGER FOR 2010

HARTFORD COURANT: Dodd's Comments On Nationalizing Banks Roil The Market

Sen. Christopher J. Dodd sent the already reeling shares of major U.S. banks to nearly two-decade lows Friday after he said that short-term nationalization of some large banks might become necessary to lift them out of a mire of bad loans. Dodd, chairman of the Senate banking committee, was just one of several prominent officials who have raised the possibility of a bank takeover in recent days. Stocks in major banks such as Bank of America had been beaten down and continued to trade lower when the markets opened Friday, as fears of nationalization hovered.

HC CAPITOL WATCH: Sen. Sam Caligiuri vs. Sen. Chris Dodd in 2010?

State Sen. Sam Caligiuri - the former mayor of Waterbury - is considering a run against Democrat Christopher Dodd for the U.S. Senate in 2010. The web site of Caligiuri's hometown paper, The Republican-American, reported on Friday that he is thinking about challenging the longtime incumbent. "I am strongly leaning toward running, but I haven't made a final decision," Caligiuri told the paper's Capitol correspondent, Paul Hughes. But when Dodd mentioned the word and joined the growing debate, bank stocks — and with them, the entire market — took a midday plunge before partly bouncing back.

DODD DESERVES TO LOSE HIS SEAT AND GO TO JAIL - FOR SERVING COUNTRYWIDE AND FANNIE MAE AND NOT HIS CONSTITUENTS.

LIKE A VAMPIRE: OBAMA TO RAISE TAXES

OBAMESSIAH MY ASS; HE'S OBAMULA - A VAMPIRE:

TO FEED THE INSATIABLE APPETITE OF THE SOCIALISTIC STATE,
SOCIALISTS SUCK THE LIFEBLOOD OF OUT THE ECONOMY.
THEY'RE FREAKIN' VAMPIRES...
PARASITES WHO KILL THE HOST.

(CLICK PIC' FOR STORY.)

********UPDATE: MORE HERE AT DOUG'S.

LEONARD COHEN: 74; BROKE; AND BACK ON TOUR

NYTIMES: Pop Music’s Perpetual Old Man, Now 74, Is Back on the Road

Leonard Cohen kept returning to the stance of a supplicant at the Beacon Theater on Thursday night, dropping to one knee, or both, to intone his wry and ruminative songs. At the same time, he basked in the rapture of the crowd, artfully courting adulation. His mix of humility and sovereignty felt effortless, entirely true to form. And it girded the concert, his first in the United States in 15 years, with a vibrant and effective tension.

Mr. Cohen, 74, left little room for disappointment in a show that lasted just over three hours (with an intermission) and featured more than two dozen songs. The evening doubled as a preview, coming with the eagerly anticipated announcement of a North American tour this spring. (The tour includes a stop at Radio City Music Hall on May 16.) Mr. Cohen began his return to the road last year, with a slew of dates in Europe and his native Canada; one of them yielded “Live in London,” an album and DVD due out next month from Columbia.

COHEN MAKES GOOD MUSIC. CHECK IT OUT. BUY HIS STUFF. IT AIN'T HIS FAULT HE'S BROKE.

ANOTHER HARDCORE ANTI-ZIONIST GETS A BIG JOB IN OBAMA'S WHITE HOUSE

MERE RHETORIC (VIA DOUG ROSS):

Chas Freeman - who quite literally made a career out of being cozy with the Saudis and channeling their anti-Israel ravings to Washington...

Freeman, the former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, [said], "As long as the United States continues unconditionally to provide the subsidies and political protection that make the Israeli occupation and the high-handed and self-defeating policies it engenders possible, there is little, if any, reason to hope that anything resembling the former peace process can be resurrected" and decrying the consequences of "Israeli violence against Palestinians."

... is set to become chair of the National Intelligence Council. He'll be in charge of filtering the bulk of the US's intelligence output:

Sources tell The Cable that Chas W. Freeman, Jr., the former U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia, will become chairman of the National Intelligence Council, the intelligence community's primary big-think shop and the lead body in producing national intelligence estimates... Associates say that at a recent board meeting of the Middle East Policy Council, of which he has been president, Freeman said that he was resigning to take a job in the administration. He said his post was not in the State Department and did not require confirmation, but did not specify what the job was.

The appointment has been confirmed by a second source, prompting Steve Rosen to write a followup post to his first writeup about how deep in the anti-Israel camp Freeman really is. From a 2006 speech that Freeman gave:

For the past half decade Israel has enjoyed carte blanche from the United States to experiment with any policy it favored to stabilize its relations with the Palestinians and its other Arab neighbors, including most recently its efforts to bomb Lebanon into peaceful coexistence with it and to smother Palestinian democracy in its cradle.

The suspension of the independent exercise of American judgment about what best serves our interests as well as those of Israelis and Arabs has caused the Arabs to lose confidence in the United States as a peace partner.

... Americans need to be clear about the consequences of continuing our current counterproductive approaches to security in the Middle East. We have paid heavily and often in treasure in the past for our unflinching support and unstinting subsidies of Israel's approach to managing its relations with the Arabs. Five years ago we began to pay with the blood of our citizens here at home.

It's hard to overestimate the kind of access and influence that the NIC chair wields. He personally and regularly sits in on the President's daily intelligence briefings. The rest of the time he's in charge of filtering the intelligence products that the President sees. Among those products are the NIEs that the intelligence community produces. Those, you'll recall, have been kind of a thing lately.

Oh - and none of these positions require Congressional approval. Jones, Power, and Freeman are all handpicked, institutionally anti-Israel appointees.

UNBEFUCKINGLIEVABLE.

JEWS WHO VOTED FOR OBAMA SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES; THEY HELPED ELECT ONE OF THE MOST ANTI-ISRAEL POLITICIANS IN THE USA - (MORE HERE) - TO THE MOST POWERFUL JOB IN THE WORLD.

(ASIDE: IS WHAT GENESIS 12 SAYS ABOUT APPOINTMENTS LIKE THIS THE REAL REASON WHY OUR ECONOMY IS TANKING?)

NHS DENIES DISABLED 5 YEAR OLD GIRL ELECTRIC WHEELCHAIR

BBC:

The family of a five-year-old girl Rutland who has cerebral palsy have said they are angry she has been denied an electric wheelchair on the NHS.

Amy Rowlatt from Oakham cannot walk unaided but is capable of pushing her standard chair more than 15ft (5m).

The University of Leicester NHS Hospitals Trust said this meant she did not qualify for extra help.

... A spokesman for the trust said they regretted any problems the family was facing.

"The Wheelchair Service at Leicester's Hospitals is strictly governed by the funding we receive from local primary care trusts and to allocate this funding fairly we must assess each applicant for their eligibility.

"Unfortunately, Amy doesn't fulfil the criteria for a powered chair because she has some ability to self propel. However, we have provided the family with suggestions of alternative funding they could apply for."

BRACE YOURSELVES: THIS IS WHAT OBAMA WOULD DO TO OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM: GOVERNMENT RATIONING.

I HAVE A FEELING THAT POLITICIANS LIKE DODD AND FRANK WOULD GET BETTER CARE, DON'T YOU?

ISLAM MEANS SUBMISSION

Geert Wilders received the Oriana Fallaci Award in Rome, below are excerpts from his acceptance speech yesterday:

Ladies and gentlemen, following in the footsteps of Oriana Fallaci, I want to warn you for a great threat. This great threat is called Islam.

Islam is build on two rocks.

First there is the Koran, Allah’s personal word, with orders that need to be fulfilled by Muslims regardless of place and time. As you know, the Koran calls for hatred, violence, submission, murder, terrorism, war, Jihad. The Koran calls upon Muslims to kill non-Muslims and he Koran considers Jews to be monkeys and pigs. That is why the great German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer called the Koran inferior.

That is why former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Oriana Fallaci compared the Koran to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

Second, there is the so called perfect man: Muhammad. His deeds have to be imitated by all Muslims, and since Muhammad was a warlord and executed prisoners of war we know exactly what to expect. The brave American apostate dr. Wafa Sultan said:

“The problem is that the Koran clearly says that Muhammad should be a role model for every Muslim. You are not allowed to criticise him, but you should follow in his footsteps. As a Muslim it is your mission to spread Islam by the sword”.

Please, ladies and gentlemen, let no one fool you: Islam means submission, so there cannot be any mistake about its goal.

There are moderate Muslims, but there is no moderate Islam.

(Read entire speech here)

Help Wilders resist the enemies of freedom by supporting his cause here.

ANOTHER BIG LEGAL VICTORY FOR BUSH'S DETAINEE STRATEGY

BBC:

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 move has disappointed human rights lawyers who had hoped the Obama administration would take a different line to that of George W Bush.

... In a two-sentence filing, [OBAMA'S] justice department lawyers said the new administration had decided not to change the government's position.

"Having considered the matter, the government adheres to its previously articulated position," said acting assistant Attorney General Michael Hertz in papers filed at the court.

The US justice department argues that Bagram differs from Guantanamo Bay because it is in an overseas war zone and prisoners there are being held as part of ongoing military action.

POLITICO: Obama backs Bush on terror prisoners

The Justice Department told a federal court Friday that it shouldn’t consider legal challenges filed by prisoners being held in Afghanistan by the U.S. military — another example of the Obama administration hewing to one of President Bush’s war-on-terror stances.

WILL THE MSM AND THE LEFTIST BASE OF THE DEMS WHINE?

NOPE. IT'S ALL HUNKY-DORRY NOW THAT THEY'RE FELLA OBAMA IS DOING IT. THERE'LL BE NO OBAMAHITLER POSTERS FROM THESE SO-CALLED HUMAN RIGHTS FOLKS.

THEIR ATTACKS ON BUSH'S POLICIES (WHICH UNDERMINED OUR STANDING IN THE WORLD AND OUR MILITARY EFFORTS) WERE PURELY PARTISAN AND AMORAL - LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE THEY STAND FOR.

IN 8 YEARS, BUSH LIBERATED MORE PEOPLE - RETURNING THEM THEIR INNATE HUMAN RIGHTS - THAN ALL THE LEFTIST ORGANIZATIONS LIKE HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH AND AMNESTY INT'L COMBINED IN DECADES!

[UPDATE: BEAT HOT AIR BY AN HOUR!]
COMPLETE ROUND UP HERE.

OBAMA IS INSANE OR A LIAR: AFTER SIGNING THE BIGGEST PORK BILL OF ALL TIME, HE SAYS HE WANTS TO CUT DEFICIT

NYTIMES: Obama Pledges to Seek Deficit Cuts

WASHINGTON — President Obama pledged Saturday to look for ways to “cut the trillion-dollar deficit we inherited,” and said he is turning his attention toward restoring discipline to the nation’s budget now that he put forth his housing plan and has signed his $787 billion economic recovery package into law.

LIAR. PHONY. HYPOCRITE. CROOK. OBAMA.

ANOTHER OF BHO'S APPOINTEES: OTIS MOSS, JR.

It seems that BHO is not moving too far away from Jeremiah Wright after all, at least in his theological views.

Earlier this month, he appointed Otis Moss, Jr., to the President's Advisory Council, part of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.

This article in the Weekly Standard notes some interesting facts about Otis Moss, Jr:

...Otis Moss Jr. and Wright shared a mentor in Samuel DeWitt Proctor, who helped give rise to black liberation theology. In fact, it was the radical Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference that sponsored Wright's now-infamous National Press Club appearance in late April 2008--which led to Obama's break with Trinity and Wright. Less noted was the fact that the symposium's guest preacher that day was Reverend Otis Moss Jr. Moss has publicly defended Wright and compared his preaching to that of Amos, Micah, Malachi, and John the Baptist.

Moss's closeness to Wright is expressed most clearly in the 40-minute tribute sermon he preached from Trinity's pulpit on the occasion of Wright's 36th anniversary at the church in February 2008.

Of Wright, Reverend Moss said: "All of us who know him and love him have been blessed by his genius, his creativity, his scholarship, his discipleship, his sensitivity as an artist, his boldness as a prophet, and, I agree, his rhythmic poetry." This homage came long after Wright's hit parade of sound-bites: "God Damn America" .  .  . "America's chickens are coming home to roost" .  .  . "Bill did us like he did Monica Lewinsky."...

... He is a political preacher and has said, "If you are preaching a gospel that has nothing about politics, nothing about economics, nothing about sociology, you are preaching an empty gospel with a cap and shoes but no body to it."...

[...]

... [B]y appointing Moss, Obama has given him the imprimatur of the White House and a position from which to help shape public policy. While Moss and other members of the faith-based President's Advisory Council aren't paid, they are entitled to public funds for travel costs, per-diem expenses, and support staff. They can hold hearings and form task forces. And of course, they can guide the work of Obama's faith-based office as it directs public funding to religious and community groups.

[...]

By tapping the likes of Moss to help steer his faith-based policies, Obama could be using the White House to "translate the energy" of black churches into "creating lasting institutions" of left-wing political agitation. A look at the other members of the advisory council certainly supports this interpretation.

Vashti McKenzie is another proponent of black liberation theology, and another friend and defender of Jeremiah Wright who has preached at Trinity United. Jim Wallis also publicly supported Wright and has even been an inspiration to the reverend. In his National Press Club speech, Wright quoted Wallis as saying "America's sin of racism has never even been confessed, much less repented for." In an earlier life, Wallis once said he hoped "more Christians will come to view the world through Marxist eyes."

In recent years he has settled for working through congressional Democrats, helping them make their policies more palatable to people of faith. Wallis has been joined in that task by Rabbi David Saperstein--another prominent liberal and member of the new faith-based advisory council.The council looks like nothing so much as an attempt to build a powerful political grassroots network to advance the liberal causes dear to Obama's heart.

The ironic humor in the whole thing is that back when it was President Bush's White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, Moss warned other pastors:

Sometimes the king will call you up even out of your dungeon and ask: "Is there any word from the Lord?" .  .  . If we are tied to the stuff of the king, it is difficult to tell the president--or the king [laughter]--it's difficult. .  .  . It's difficult if you are tied to a "faith-based grant" [more laughter] and your whole sustaining budget is contingent upon the next appropriation. When the question comes up, "Is there any word from the Lord?" you might have to say, "Wait, let me check with the board. Let me check with the budget committee."

Now that he is in a position to shape where those faith-based grants go, one suspects Moss will be singing a different tune.

Is Otis Moss, Jr., a sort of Wright redux?

In any case, Moss now has the ear of BHO. What will this black-liberation theologian whisper into the ear of the President of the United States?

HAMAS SLIPS A LETTER FOR OBAMA TO KERRY: TAB SCOOPS GATEWAY BY A DAY!

GATEWAY TODAY.

US THURSDAY.

REGULAR READERS KNOW THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.

SPREAD THE WORD. BOOKMARK US. BLOGROLL US.

MATTHEWS VERSUS SANTELLI: IT'S AS SIMPLE AS "BUYER BEWARE"

VIDEO HERE. (IN WHICH MATTHEWS TREATS SANTELLI WITH ABOUT AS MUCH RESPECT AS THE MSM SHOWED JOE THE PLUMBER!)

SANTELLI'S BOTTOM-LINE:
(1) YOU AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S PERSONAL ERRORS,
AND
(2) ANY GOVERNMENT LARGESS SHOULD BE DISTRIBUTED TO EVERYONE, NOT JUST THE PEOPLE THE GOVERNMENT THINKS ARE LOSERS, AND
(3) PEOPLE SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN ERRORS.

HERE'S MY FAVORITE QUOTE FROM SANTELLI (FROM THE VIDEO ABOVE):

IT'S A PHILOSOPHICAL ISSUE. IN AMERICA, A CARD LAID IS A CARD PLAYED. CONTRACT LAW SHOULD BE SACRED. I DON'T KNOW THAT ANY FORM OF GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE ABLE TO COME BETWEEN A PERSON WHO CONTRACTED WITH AN INSTITUTION AND THE PERSON WHO SIGNED ON THE DOTTED LINE."

OBAMA ALWAYS SAYS - IT'S ABOUT RESPONSIBILITY, WHY SHOULD YOU AND I PAY BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE IS IRRESPONSIBLE!?!

• IT'S UN-AMERICAN.
• IT'S BAD ECONOMICS.
• IT'S DESTROYS THE MORAL HAZARD AND ENCOURAGES BAD BEHAVIOR.

EASTWOOD ON SHARPTON/CHIMP CONTROVERSY

Hat tip Sondrak.

JOGGING SHARIA IN BRITAIN: TAB SCOOPS HOT AIR

• HOT AIR THIS EVENING.
• TAB THIS EARLY MORNING (12AM!).
• REGULAR READERS KNOW THIS HAPPENS ALL THE TIME.
• SPREAD THE WORD. BLOGROLL US. BOOKMARK US.

CHIMPS AND ABORTIONS: MORE DOUBLE STANDARDS FROM THE LEFT

• TO THE LEFT, IT'S OKAY TO CALL A REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT A CHIMP, BUT NOT A REAL CHIMP A CHIMP.

• TO THE LEFT, IT'S OKAY TO SAY "ABORT BUSH" BUT NOT OKAY TO SAY "ABORT OBAMA".

CRAP LIKE THIS IS WHY I HAVE ZERO RESPECT FOR THE LEFT.


ZILCH. NADA. ZERO.

AND THEY PULL CRAP LIKE THIS ALL THE TIME.

• THEY RIDICULE SANTELLI AS A CAFFEINE-ADDICTED MOB-PANDERING ELITIST.

• BUT THEY FELATE MICHAEL MOORE AND CALL HIM A PATRIOTIC DISSENTER.

I HATE THE F**KING LEFT - AND THE MSM AND THE DEMOCRAT PARTY THEY DOMINATE.

THEY'RE AMORAL SCUM AT BEST.

AMERICA IS WISING UP ABOUT OBAMA AND A BACKLASH IS BUILDING

One month and Obama is a DISASTER: the markets are tanking BECAUSE of his socialistic policies; our enemies are kicking us BECAUSE of his appeasement makes us look weak, and his cabinet is a joke.

The good thing is: because Obama has been so awful more people are beginning to see that the Emperor has no clothes.

CNN:

Obama's approval rating stands at 67 percent in the new poll. That's down 9 percentage points from the most recent CNN poll, which was conducted in early February.

And the backlash is building.

When the traders standing around Santelli spontaneously erupted and shared their antipathy for Obama's policies it wasn't the reaction of an elite. It was the eruption from the masses. It was a HOWARD BEALE MOMENT!

The fact that the youtube of this exchange was the most popular thing emailed and viewed online yesterday proves this.

People are sick and tired of the OBAMA BS.

We're mad as hell and we're not gonna take it anymore!

*******UPDATE: 2/21 update: Dan Gainor agrees - via Hot Air.

THE FACE OF COLLABORATION

Hat Tip: Red State

Well, What Do You Know? The Pentagon Report Obama Requested Says, Guantanamo Bay Is Geneva-Compliant

Of course, all of us supporters of the torturous, maniacal, homicidal, fascist Bush regime have been saying this for years. And no one listened.

But, I have a feeling that now that Obama is saying it, everything will be a-ok.

Oh yes, and no apologies will be forthcoming.

From the New York Times:

A Pentagon report requested by President Obama on the conditions at the Guantánamo Bay detention center concludes that the prison complies with the humanitarian requirements of the Geneva conventions, but it makes many recommendations for increasing human contact among the prisoners, according to two government officials who have read portions of it.

The review, requested by President Obama on the second day of his administration, is due to be delivered to the White House this weekend.

The White House did not immediately respond on Friday to a request for comment.

It has been clear that some Pentagon officials have continued to press the case that the Bush administration’s approach to handling detainee issues — and the Guantánamo Bay prison itself — should not be abandoned. The report is likely to continue that behind-the-scenes struggle.

One Pentagon official, speaking anonymously because no one had been authorized to discuss the report publicly, said it showed that the Bush administration created a humane detention camp that has been unfairly characterized by critics. Speaking of the remaining 245 detainees there, this official said the report underscored that if the men are moved, they may “go from a humane environment to a less humane environment.”

Critics of the Guantánamo Bay detention center, which is located on the grounds of an American naval base at the eastern end of Cuba, have been preparing for Admiral Walsh’s report. They said they were concerned that the new administration would use it to avoid major alterations to Guantánamo during the year President Obama has said it may take to close the prison.

PERES GIVES NETANYAHU THE TASK OF FORMING A GOVERNMENT COALITION

The great news has now arrived: president Shimon Peres has asked Benjamin Netanyahu to form a government.

Tzipi Livni, who must doubtlessly be humiliated, and deservedly so, at not being given the honor of doing so, doesn't want to join. Despite what the article says though, I don't know if she has the backing of her entire party to sit in the opposition. There is the possibility that several Kadima members may want to join. Or maybe they'll oust Livni like France's social party did with Segolene Royale.

NATIONAL ASPIRATIONS?

Why not recognize the States Of Gaza, the West Bank, Basquerland, Kurdistan, Pashtunistan, North Korea etc. and welcome them to the club of Freedom Loving Nations? Of course if they do not live up to their responsibilities of Nationhood we would BOMB ACCORDINGLY.

CREEPING SHARIA IS NOW JOGGING IN BRITAIN

CLICK PIC' FOR AMAZING POST ABOUT HOW MULTI-CULTI LEFTISTS
ARE AIDING PROPAGANDA EFFORT OF JIHADISTS IN BRITAIN

EXCERPT:

UK: School Kids Asked to see the 7/7 Attacks From the Suicide Bombers Point of View....

Pupils are being asked to put themselves inside the minds of the 7/7 bombers to understand the motives of terrorists.

A government-endorsed teaching pack suggests secondary schools ask pupils to do a presentation on the 7 July London terror attacks from the bombers' perspective.

The attacks, in 2005, killed 52 of the capital's commuters and injured 700 others.

ARCH-DHIMMI OF CANTERBURY REITERATES HIS DESIRE TO SEE SHARIA START IN BRITAIN. GEERT WILDERS DEPORTED. SCHOOLCHILDREN TAUGHT TO IDENTIFY WITH THE JIHADISTS. WHAT A WEEK.

SICKENING.

OBAMA: LEADER OF A MUTINY OF CROOKS AND INCOMPETENTS

After just a month in office it now seems clear to me that the Obama Administration is like a bunch of mutineers who have just taken over the ship of state and discovered - right in the middle of the storm of the century - that none of them know how to navigate!

The sad thing is we're the passengers.

TRAITOROUS KERRY AT IT AGAIN: CONVEYING ON BEHALF OF THE ENEMY - THIS TIME HAMAS!

WHEN HE RETURNED WITH HIS DUBIOUS PURPLE HEARTS, KERRY AIDED THE VIETNAMESE COMMUNISTS DURING THE VIETNAM WAR - EVEN GOING AS FAR AS MEETING WITH THEM IN PARIS.

HE'S UP TO HIS OLD TRICKS:

HE GOT A LETTER FROM HAMAS TO GIVE TO PRESIDENT B. HUSSEIN OBAMA.

BBC:

Hamas 'sends Barack Obama letter'

The Palestinian group Hamas has sent a letter addressed to the US president via a US politician visiting Gaza, a senior UN official has said.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE SHOULD EXPECT FROM THE LIKES OF KERRY AND OBAMA: INSTEAD OF DEFEATING THE BAD GUYS THEY ACCOMMODATE, APPEASE AND AID AND ABET.

AND THIS IS ONLY THE START; THERE'S WORSE TO COME...

CNBC'S SANTELLI SPEAKS TRUTH TO POWER: THE BAILOUT SUCKED, AND THE FORECLOSURE PLAN SUCKS , TOO!

Watch for the Palin-Santelli 2012 Signs [Kathryn Jean Lopez]:

I've had a case of deja vu today.

I'm noticing the tone. I'm seeing the enthusiasm. And I'm digging out from the sheer volume of e-mails I've been getting today about that CNBC dude. The reaction to Rick Santelli's Chicago-trading-floor incident this morning echoes the emotional reaction my inbox had to Sarah Palin's convention speech this summer.

I make no endorsements. It's just an observation.

I think people are hungry for someone who is fed up with the way things are and who seem to believe in something enough to know there in an alternative worth fighting for.

ERIC AND BARRY HATE AMERICA & AMERICANS

The Attorney General's recent harangue should serve as a warning that the Federal government is now in the hands of people who hate America and despise Americans. Eric Holder, who moved heaven & earth, circumventing the Justice Department which he now heads, in order to obtain pardons for Marc Rich and Puerto Rican terrorists, revealed his disdain for the people who pay his salary:

"Though the nation has proudly thought of itself as an ethnic melting pot, in things racial we have always been and continue to be, in too many ways, essentially a nation of cowards," Holder said.

"A nation of cowards."

That's just a cheap shot. An insult. A gratuitous drive-by sound-bite.

And completely in harmony with Barack Obama's unguarded comment about the people he publicly extolled when he was speaking at a private gathering of San Francisco billionaires whose lucre he needed to finance his run against America:

"And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

The latest outburst should remind us that men like Eric Holder and Barack Obama were brought up on an intellectual diet of anti-Americanism. They were taught to disparage and abhor the values that guided the men and women who made this country great, and who certainly were not cowards. No matter how many flags Barack Obama pins on his lapel, no matter how many flags are draped behind his podium, he is at heart the child of an America-hating woman who sought voluntary expatriation among people who hate us; the teen-aged disciple of an American communist who encouraged him to hate white people; the young acolyte of Saul Alinsky's communist-inspired organizers who taught him the techniques of subversion and revolution; the close friend and colleague of unrepentant terrorists Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn; and the willing pupil of radical jihadist Rashid Khalidi. These were not mere "associations" he had, these were the intense and close relationships that formed the basis of his intellectual and political identity.

The Obama administration's obsequious foreign policy is another example of how the men who are now running this country despise our values and subscribe to the vicious ideologies of fanatics who hate us.

The henhouse is in the hands of foxes. It is going to get worse before it gets better.

NISDC ADMITS THAT THE ARCTIC ICE-MELT FEARMONGERING WAS BASED ON FAULTY DATA

VIA ED MORRISEY'S HOT AIR:

"The National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) has been at the forefront of predicting doom in the arctic as ice melts due to global warming.

In May, 2008 they went so far as to predict that the North Pole would be ice-free during the 2008 'melt season,' leading to a lively Slashdot discussion.

Today, however, they say that they have been the victims of 'sensor drift' that led to an underestimation of Arctic ice extent by as much as 500,000 square kilometers.

The problem was discovered after they received emails from puzzled readers, asking why obviously sea-ice-covered regions were showing up as ice-free, open ocean.

It turns out that the NSIDC relies on an older, less-reliable method of tracking sea ice extent called SSM/I that does not agree with a newer method called AMSR-E.

So why doesn't NSIDC use the newer AMSR-E data? 'We do not use AMSR-E data in our analysis because it is not consistent with our historical data.'

Turns out that the AMSR-E data only goes back to 2002, which is probably not long enough for the NSIDC to make sweeping conclusions about melting.

GORE AND HIS EVIL AGW-MINIONS LIKE KOMMISSAR BROWNER SHOULD BE FORCED TO PUBLICLY APOLOGIZE, RETRACT ALL THEIR FEARMONGERING AND EAT A GALLON OF FROZEN PENGUIN POOP.

OR FROZEN POLAR BEAR POOP, IF THEY PREFER.


DESPITE THIS, OBAMA IS PRESSING FULL SPEED AHEAD WITH THE REGULATION OF NON-TOXIC GAS CO2.

(A STORY WE SCOOPED ALL THE BIGGIES ON. WE POSTED IT LAST NIGHT.

THE REST OF THE BLOGOSPHERE TODAY.)

OBAMA AWOL AGAINST AMERICA'S ENEMIES

Dick Morris demonstrates below how Barack Hussein Obama, Jr., has been derelict & non-compliant in his prime responsibility as President of the United States:

President Barack Obama’s record in battling terrorism has proven so weak that one wonders if he really takes the issue seriously.

Since he has taken office, the president has:

• Announced closure of Guantanamo.

• Declined to prosecute the mastermind behind the USS Cole bombing.

• Closed all overseas CIA interrogation centers.

• Appointed an Attorney General and Justice Department officials on record as opposed to the use of “enhanced” interrogation techniques in terror investigations.

• Granted Al Arabia television his first news organization interview and called Fatah Party leader and PA President Mahmoud Abbass in his first phone contact with any foreign leader.

Now, with no strings attached, the president has allocated $20.3 million in “post-conflict humanitarian aid” to “Palestinian refugees and conflict victims in Gaza. The additional funds bring to $60 million U.S. aid commitments in Gaza. (Read entire article here)

THIS WEEK ON THE GATHERING STORM

Listen to The Gathering Storm Radio Show, which WC and I cohost. The show broadcasts live every Friday beginning at noon, Pacific Time.

The call-in number is (646) 915-9870.

Callers welcome!

Our guests this week are investigative reporter Joe Kaufman, Yid With Lid, and Australia's Blue Heeler (aka Gravelrash).

Listen to the February 20, 2009 edition of The Gathering Storm Radio Show, live or later, by CLICKING HERE.

UPCOMING SHOWS:
February 27: Chaim and Elisabeth of Austria
March 6: Mohammed Abdul and Sabir
March 13: Elmer's Brother
March 20: Dr. Paul L. Williams

CITIBANK BANKRUPT? (STILL)

Citibank in Denmark has stopped lending money, and Professor Finn Østrup at the Finance Institute of the Copenhagen Business School states this just might be a symptom that Citibank is still insolvent. There have been warnings of the insolvency of many Wall Street entities since 2007! Looks like the Central banks will need to throw tons of liquiditiy at this monster...

AWESOME: LIVNI HASN'T A CHANCE AT BECOMING PM

JPOST: 77 MKs to tell Peres they do not support Livni for PM

Israel Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Lieberman returned from his Minsk vacation on Wednesday night to find that his status as kingmaker for a prospective coalition had been reduced after factions totaling 77 MKs decided not to join any prospective government led by Kadima leader Tzipi Livni.

Coalition talks continue as Peres receives official election results

United Torah Judaism decided on Wednesday to join the Likud, Shas, Habayit Hayehudi and the National Union for a total of 50 MKs who will recommend to President Shimon Peres that Likud chairman Binyamin Netanyahu form a government.

THIS MEANS BIBI IS THE NEXT PM.

• THANK GOD.

• HE'S THE BEST AVAILABLE PERSON FOR THE JOB.

WHY COULDN'T AMERICA DO THAT!?!?

BREAKING: OBAMA'S CARBON-POLICE STATE ABOUT TO BEGIN

NYTIMES: E.P.A. Expected to Act in Regulating Carbon Dioxide

WASHINGTON — The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to act for the first time to regulate carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that scientists blame for the warming of the planet, according to top Obama administration officials.

The decision, which most likely would play out in stages over a period of months, would have a profound impact on transportation, manufacturing costs and how utilities generate power.

• THE CARBON COPS WILL BE RUN BY KOMMISSAR BROWNER - AN AVOWED SOCIALIST.

• THIS WILL NOT HELP GLOBAL CLIMATE OR THE ECONOMY.

• IT'S LIKE PUTTING THE PEDAL TO THE METAL ON THE ROAD TO SERFDOM. AND ALL IT'LL DO IS LEAVE LIBERTY AND PROSPERITY IN THE DUST.
  

SICKENING.

DISSENT ACCORDINGLY.

HUGE MURTHA SCANDAL ABOUT TO BREAK!?

HERE.



VIA GLENN.



PREVIOUS CRAP HERE.

ORTEGA: THE MUGABE OF CENTRAL AMERICA

CHAMORRO EXPLAINS.




REMEMBER: HE ALSO PALS AROUND WITH AHMADINEJAD...

THERE'S ANOTHER FELLA - A LITTLE FURTHER SOUTH - WHO IS THE MUGABE OF SOUTH AMERICA.

A SIMPLE AND FAST SOLUTION TO THE HOUSING MESS

SIMPLE. EFFECTIVE. FAST.

FINALLY, BRITAIN CAN DEPORT ABU QATADA UPDATE: AND THEN AGAIN, MAYBE NOT

But then again, will they actually do so? Well first, let's take a look at the following news excerpt (via Hot Air):

In a victory for the Home Office, law lords today decided that Qatada - who is wanted in Jordan on terror charges - could be deported from the UK.

The Government had appealed against a court decision preventing his deportation on the grounds he may face unfair treatment in Jordan.

The 48-year-old, once dubbed Osama bin Laden’s right-hand-man-in Europe, has claimed evidence against him was extracted by torture. [...]

Human rights groups condemned the decision, which also favoured the Home Office in its efforts to deport two Algerians.

Amnesty International urged ministers not to take the judgment as a “green light” to deport more people to regimes where they risked unfair trial and torture.

Ahem. These are savage criminals in focus here. Who cares what happens to them? I've got a feeling that, depending on what circumstances come up next, those regimes might not do anything to such scum in the end. And yet, why do I get the feeling that, even with this victorious ruling, they won't actually deport the vermin? It ain't over till its over.

Update: quite predictable, I'm telling you (Hat tip: Jihad Watch):

Radical cleric Abu Qatada will stay in Britain for months despite a House of Lords ruling that he should be deported to Jordan where he faces terror charges.

The Law Lords said Qatada, dubbed "Osama Bin Laden's right hand man in Europe", could be sent back to Jordan where he faces terror charges after overturning a Court of Appeal decision.

But the extremist could still remain in the country for many months if he takes his case to the European Court of Human Rights.

And one can only guess how that'll turn out. Right? He'll appeal to the overlording court of Europe, we can be sure, but even if they don't reverse the verdict, it's possible that Britain may just forget to bring him to the airport, and he'll go into hiding within the country. And to make matters worse:

The move is likely to delay any moves to deport him for months and even years.

I figured as much.

REALLY, SHIMON PERES? YOU MEAN IT?

Shimon Peres claims that he was wrong about the disengagement, but still leaves a lot to be desired:

President Shimon Peres said Wednesday that he had erred in supporting Israel's unilateral withdrawal from Gaza.

The revealing remarks come three years after Israel's evacuation of the volatile coastal strip which has since been seized by Hamas.

"Whatever will happen in the future, we shall not repeat the mistakes we made in leaving Gaza," Peres said in a question and answer session with a group of American Jewish leaders. "It should have been done otherwise. I was for leaving Gaza. I consider myself as one of the persons mistaken."

The dovish leader, who has long been a champion of Israeli territorial withdrawals, said that although "lessons must be drawn" from the 2005 unilateral Gaza pullout, demographic and democratic considerations still necessitate the creation of a Palestinian state.

"It doesn't change the fact that there is a [demographic] reality," he told the annual Israel meeting of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. "I want to make sure that the state we have remains Jewish."

I hate to say this, but if he's still supporting creation of a palestinian state, then he's just undermining any regret he claims to have. The verdict: he's still talking out of both sides of his mouth and being weak on the issue.

Bridges TV's Press Release On "the most shocking of domestic violence incidents"

First, a Muslim beheads his wife, and then his co-religionists go about beheading the truth, by calling an Honor Killing a case of "domestic violence".

From Infidel Bloggers Alliance:

Received this today from Bridges TV.Received this today from Bridges TV.

Dear Friends,

My name is Hunaid Baliwala and I have been at Bridges since May of 2005. I am writing to you as the newly appointed interim General Manager of Bridges TV. Previously, I held a number of operations and business development roles.

We apologize that we have not been able to connect with you earlier, as we were trying to deal with this shocking event and did not have access to our facilities.

At Bridges TV, all the staff members are deeply shocked and saddened by the murder of Aasiya Hassan [Zubair] and subsequent arrest of Muzzammil Hassan. Our deepest condolences and prayers go out to the victim’s family. This appears to be the most tragic of domestic violence incidents and, although we have heard statistics that imply that more than three cases of domestic violence occur every day in the US, no one here could ever imagine that this may happen to our beloved colleague.

While the staff is obviously in a state of shock given how closely we all worked with both Aasiya and Muzzammil, we are all unwavering in our determination that, for the sake of Aasiyaʼs vision of this channel, we remain strong and continue the good work that she had initiated. We have a strong staff and I am confident in the success of the Company moving forward.

I would like to request that the right to privacy for the families and staff be respected as we continue to go about our daily business routine.

The two biggest issues that we currently face at Bridges TV are the negative publicity generated by this domestic violence incident and the ongoing funding constraint. Both are extremely time sensitive and are being addressed directly by myself and our Board of Directors (composed primarily of our investors). Without your support we would not have been able to come this far. Therefore, we value your continued support and will need it to get through this challenging time. If you have any ideas and suggestions please do not hesitate to contact me. Given all the myriad of activities at Bridges TV, I may not be able to respond to each correspondence but please let me assure you that all will be read and absorbed by our team. We are all resolute in fulfilling Aasiyaʼs mission for Bridges TV.

If you know anyone who would find this information useful or helpful please pass this along.

Hunaid Baliwala
Phone: 716-961-3140
EM:

hbaliwala@bridgestv.com

HOPE & CHANGE IN JAKARTA

Hat Tip: Gateway Pundit

Wow, I thought B. Hussein Obama, Jr., had deep roots in Indonesia as a student, a step-son, residency/citizenship, Friday Mosque attendance, etc.

This Muslim Appeasement Tour by Hillary was to supposed to be a slam dunk with the One as our new leader!!!

Maybe Al Qaeda's memo hasn't gotten to the south Pacific???

TWO IRANS

Hat Tip: Bare Naked Islam

It would take a pro-active President, like Ronald Wilson Reagan, to take the requisite measures to exploit the inherent generational splits which are occuring in the Persian homeland.

I feel, however, that both the Condhimmi approach, as well as the new initiatives undertaken by the Obama regime, will only serve to strengthen Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Maj. General Mohammad Ali Jafari, Commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards.

WHACK SWAT

Does anyone believe the threat of Islamism will wilt away like a desert gourd? The threat of Islamism did not emerge overnite - and will not disappear without the supreme efforts of those who believe in protecting the hardwon rights of free people. A containment policy vis-a-vis the cold war is - given the existence of a 5th column within the "free nations"- untenable, and at best would perpetuate the status quo while bestowing our enemies the time to perfect their evil plans. The present situation in Pakistan, where the Government has practically capitulated to the Taliban in Swat, does not bode well. The Taliban continue to operate in a large swath of territory along the border with Afghanistan, and in Swat they are only 250 kilometers from Islamabad. Only fools could believe that a Hudna with Taliban Clan leaders would be in our long term interest. Given the presence of a nuclear arsenal in Pakistan, the inability - or unwillingness - of the Pakistani Government and ISI to bring these regions under control is arguably a clear and present danger to the United States. Obama's Afghan surge is not enough.

MEXICAN PROTESTORS BLOCK USA BORDER - IN SUPPORT OF DRUG CARTELS

BBC:

Marchers block Mexico-US border

Hundreds of people in Mexico have blocked key crossings into the US in protests against the deployment of the army fighting drug traffickers.

Traffic was brought to a halt on a number of bridges in several border towns in northern Mexico.

The protesters accused the army of abuse against civilians. Government officials said the blockades had been organised by drug gangs.

The army was sent into border towns in 2006 to control rising drug violence.

Violence continued on Tuesday in the border town of Ciudad Juarez where three police officers were shot dead by unidentified gunmen.

More than 5,000 people were killed in drug-related violence last year, Mexican officials say.

Powerful drug cartels have been fighting both each other and federal forces as they battle to control the immensely lucrative routes trafficking cocaine and other drugs from Colombia to the US via Mexico.

Up to 40,000 troops are currently deployed against trafficking cartels.

AT LEAST THE MEXICAN GOVERNMENT IS TRYING... THEIR ARMY IS PROBABLY AS COMPROMISED AS PAKISTAN'S AND AFGHANISTAN'S.

OBAMESSIAH ALREADY MAKING MIRACLES: CANCER RATES FOR BLACKS DROP !

IN JUST 3 WEEKS IN OFFICE:

Cancer death rates dropping among African Americans but survival rates still low

New report details progress and challenges

ATLANTA– February 18, 2009 – While death rates from cancer continue to drop among African Americans, the group continues to be diagnosed at more advanced stages and have lower survival rates at each stage of diagnosis compared to whites for most cancer sites. The findings come from Cancer Facts & Figures for African Americans 2009-2010, the latest edition of a report produced every two years by the American Cancer Society, the nation's leading voluntary health organization.

The new report says death rates for all cancers combined have decreased faster in African American men than white men, primarily because of rapid declines in the death rates from lung and prostate cancers.

While overall cancer death rates have also decreased among African American women, they are dropping at a slower rate than among white women.

The slower decline in African American women is largely due to smaller decreases in breast and colorectal cancer death rates.

OR MAYBE COULD THIS BE RESULT OF BUSH'S 8 YEARS? YOU THINK?!

RAHM EMANUEL IS TOTALLY CORRUPT - AND HAS BEEN CAUGHT. WILL HE BE PROSECUTED? WILL OBAMA ASK HIM TO STEP DOWN!?

THE NYPOST HAS DETAILS.



SO DOES THE WEEKLY STANDARD.



I DEMAND THAT OBAMA AND HOLDER APPOINT A SPECIAL PROSECUTOR.

THE 8 MOST TERRIFYING HOLES IN THE WORLD

AWESOME PICTURES AND COMMENTARY!

MUST BE SEEN!

HAT TIP PASTO.

WHAT GM'S HQ - THE RENAISSANCE CENTER - TELLS US ABOUT THE AUTO INDUSTRY, THEIR BAILOUT, AND THE STIMULUS PACKAGE

THE EXTRAORDINARY BUILDING KNOWN AS THE RENAISSANCE CENTER IS GM'S HQ.

AND IT TELLS US A LOT ABOUT THE AUTO INDUSTRY, THEIR BAILOUT, AND THE STIMULUS PACKAGE:

Some background:

WIKI:

Conceived by Henry Ford II and financed primarily by the Ford Motor Company, the Renaissance Center became the world's largest private development with an anticipated 1971 cost of $500 million.^[6] In part, civic leaders intended this ambitious urban renewal project to quell the white flight which increased, following the social unrest from the 12th Street riot in 1967.

The project was intended to revitalize the economy of Detroit.

... John Portman was the principal architect for the original design. The first phase constructed a five-building rosette, with a 73-story hotel surrounded by four 39-story office towers. This first phase officially opened in March 1977. Portman's design renewed attention to city architecture,^[2] constructing the world's tallest hotel at the time.^[1] Two additional 21-story office towers opened in 1981. This type of complex has been termed a city within a city.

In 2003, General Motors completed a $500 million renovation of its world headquarters in the Renaissance Center, which it had purchased in 1996.^[3] The renovation included the addition of the five-story Wintergarden, which provides access to the International Riverfront.^[4] Architects for the renovation included Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Gensler, SmithGroup, and Ghafari Associates. Work continued in and around the complex until 2005. The Renaissance Center totals 5,500,000 square feet (511,000 m²) making it one of the world's largest office complexes.^[5]

Cost estimates to build the Renaissance Center today exceed $5 billion.

... The Renaissance Center (also known as the GM Renaissance Center and nicknamed the RenCen) is a group of seven interconnected skyscrapers in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Located on the International Riverfront, the Renaissance Center complex is owned by General Motors as its world headquarters. The central tower, called the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center, is the tallest all-hotel skyscaper in the Western Hemisphere,^[1] and features the largest rooftop restaurant, Coach Insignia. It has been the tallest building in Michigan since 1977.

IT WAS A FAILURE FOR FORD. THEY DUMPED IT AT A LOSS.

AS A STIMULUS FOR DETROIT, IT WAS ALSO A FAILURE:

FORBES (1/2008):

Imagine living in a city with the country's highest rate for violent crime and the second-highest unemployment rate.

As an added kicker you need more Superfund dollars allocated to your city to clean up contaminated toxic waste sites than just about any other metro.

Unfortunately, this nightmare is a reality for the residents of Detroit.

The Motor City grabs the top spot on Forbes' inaugural list of America's Most Miserable Cities.

FOR GM IT WAS A FAILURE, TOO:

AND GM - WHO BOUGHT THE $500 MILLION WHITE ELEPHANT FOR $73 MILLION - CAN HARDLY BE SAID TO HAVE BENEFITED AFTER SPENDING ANOTHER $500 MILLION RENOVATING IT.

AND THIS IS WHAT IT TELLS US ABOUT THE BAILOUT, THE STIMULUS:

• THE RENAISSANCE CENTER IS A BILLION DOLLAR "STIMULUS PACKAGE" GONE HORRIBLY WRONG - FOR EVERYONE (EXCEPT THOSE WHO GOT PAID TO BUILD IT).

• AND IT'S VERY MUCH LIKE OBAMA'S STIMULUS PACKAGE, WHICH WILL BE A FAILURE FOR MOST PEOPLE, TOO: A MISERABLE FAILURE.

BREAKING: AFTER ANOTHER FAILED ATTEMPT TO MURDER THE COUNTERJIHAD MOVEMENT, LGF HAS COMMITTED SUICIDE

THE STALINISTIC LGF IS DEAD - KILLED BY CHARLES JOHNSON.

READ ALL ABOUT IT HERE.

THOSE HE HAS BANNED (SEE BELOW; CLICK TO ENLARGE)
ARE FAR MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIM AND HIS LIZARDOIDS.

PITY: A FEW YEARS AGO IT WAS A GREAT BLOG. SIGH.

Kommissar Waxman wants to extend the fairness doctrine to the internet

DETAILS HERE - INCLUDING A STALINIST QUOTE
FROM KOMMISSAR - I MEAN CONGRESSMAN WAXMAN.

THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS SCOOPS BYRON YORK: IF THE STIMULUS WHY SO URGENT, THEN WHY DID OBAMA WAIT FOUR DAYS TO SIGN IT?

BYRON YORK TODAY:

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?

TAB POSTED YESTERDAY AFTERNOON:

"IF PASSING THE PORKULUS WAS SO URGENT THAT THEY HAD TO DO IT IN 15 HOURS, THEN WHY IS OBAMA WAITING FOUR DAYS TO SIGN IT!?"

Regular readers know this happens all the time.

Spread the word. Bookmark us. Blogroll us.

WESTERN CIVILIZATION AT RISK

Hat Tip: Radarsite

Newt, once again, has it right, "We are in trouble."

The "Religion of Peace" , which in reality is the Cult of Death, will never cease and desist from attempting to install a barbaric, world wide Caliphate which will condemn us to darkness and malevolence.