I guess that the dems have finally figured out that Obama is just the second term of Jimmy Carter. When Obama was elected, I was hoping for the best for America. Clearly the guy has been a huge disappointment to the party and an embarrassment for all Americans.

I was reading yesterday that 92 percent of blacks approve of Obama’s job as president where less than 40 percent of all other ethnic groups approve. So much for Obama being the great unifier. JD

The moment has been long in coming, but it may finally have arrived.

For the last year and a half, on issues including healthcare, financial regulation and climate change, Democrats in Congress have bent for President Obama. Liberals swallowed hard to accept compromises that fell short of their long-sought goals, and moderates cast tough votes that now threaten their reelection prospects as voters revolt against government overreach.

Then, last week, the president asked them to bend yet again — this time to approve more money for his troop buildup in an Afghanistan war that many Democrats oppose.

And once again, lawmakers went to work. On the eve of the vote last week, Democratic leaders compiled a complicated $82-billion package of war funding, disaster aid and domestic spending that achieved the seemingly impossible — meeting the president’s request while accommodating the needs of its politically diverse members.

Obama responded with a one-word message that sent shudders through his party on the Hill: veto.

In that exchange, the tension between the White House and the president’s Democratic allies spilled over.

Obama has led what historians have called the most productive Congress since President Lyndon Johnson, but he may have a much harder time extracting difficult compromises in the future.

“You’ve got a lot of people doing a lot of heavy lifting here,” said freshman Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.). “I don’t know that we expected flowers and chocolates,” he said. But the president’s response “was an unwelcome message.”

In recent weeks, the president has expressed growing interest in the remaining items on his legislative agenda, including energy and immigration policy. Both are initiatives whose only hope at passage would require another legislative squeeze from the lawmakers who have already yielded to some of the president’s toughest requests.

Yet compromise appears difficult as lawmakers approach the midterm election when they, not the president, must fight for their political lives in a tough electoral climate.

“There’s no question we’ve taken on big policy issues,” said Rep. Allyson Y. Schwartz (D-Pa.). “Each time we reach a heavy lift we think, ‘How are we going to do more?’ We do.”

Perhaps no issue illustrates the divide between the president and his party as the troop increase in the Afghanistan war, an escalated military campaign that many Democrats opposed.

Liberals fought President George W. Bush on the war in Iraq. Some Democrats won their seats in the 2006 and 2008 elections doing so. But while many Democrats believe Afghanistan is the right war to fight, Obama’s decision to add 30,000 more troops last winter gave the worried pause.

Because of deepening economic distress at home combined with political and military setbacks in Afghanistan, some Democrats see the war as one without end and one they cannot philosophically or economically support.

“I would rather do a little bit more nation-building here at home,” said Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.). The $37 billion approved for the war could pay for proposals to extend jobless benefits for the unemployed.

Pragmatic liberal lawmakers, for their part, wanted to use the emergency spending bill as a way to win approval for recession aid that would be difficult to pass otherwise as voters grow increasingly concerned about the national debt.

Rep. David R. Obey (D-Wis.), the flinty antiwar lawmaker and powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, seized on the administration’s interest in saving 140,000 teachers’ jobs nationwide as a way to tack onto the war bill a legislative accomplishment that hews more closely to his caucus’ agenda.

Obey has shepherded one war-spending bill after another through Congress for Bush and Obama. As the administration’s support for the teachers’ aid waned, Obey — in what may be the final war bill before he retires at year’s end — made a passionate stand for the measure.

“There is nothing as expensive as ignorance, and ignorance is fed when you have an inadequate number of quality teachers,” Obey argued during the floor debate.

Liberals around America must be rejoicing at the prospect of Dick Cheney laying on his death bed. I read several liberal blogs this morning and the libs commenting are once again wishing death on Cheney, who is often vilified by the liberal media.

Can you imagine if the roles were reversed and it was the rightards wishing death on Joe Biden? I guess in order for Biden to suffer from these types of attacks he would actually have to demonstrate the ability to have an IQ higher than Forrest Gump.

Nonetheless, it will be interesting to watch the liberal media and the leftards bash Cheney when he dies. JD

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Former US vice president Dick Cheney, who has a long history of heart problems, was being observed in a Washington hospital Saturday after unspecified health complaints, his spokesman said.

Cheney, who checked into hospital Friday, is not expected to be discharged until next week, and his office has made no comment on his condition since he was admitted.

It was not immediately clear whether the latest hospitalization was related to heart troubles that saw the 69-year-old Republican hawk suffer his fifth heart attack in 32 years in February.

“Former vice president Cheney was not feeling well and was seen this afternoon by his doctors in their offices at George Washington University,” spokesman Peter Long said in a statement late Friday.

“On the advice of his physicians, he was admitted to the hospital for further testing. He is expected to remain in the hospital over the weekend.”
One of America’s most powerful and controversial vice presidents who served under

George W. Bush, Cheney is known as a key driving force behind the “war on terror” that included wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, warrantless wiretapping on US citizens, and use of torture on terror suspects.

Cheney became a hero to hawkish conservatives and a nemesis without equal for liberals and Democrats.

He has had a long list of health scares, including undergoing quadruple bypass surgery and two artery-clearing angioplasties. In 2001, he was fitted with a pacemaker.

Cheney has also twice been treated with electrical shocks for atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm that places him at risk of a stroke if not treated, and in 2005 underwent surgery for an arterial aneurysm on the back of each of his knees.

Despite his persistent health problems, Cheney has remained on the political scene since leaving office, fiercely criticizing President Barack Obama, a Democrat.

He accused Obama of making the country less safe by repudiating Bush-era policies, and regularly took to the air to denounce the administration’s national security policy.
His sudden public prominence was in marked contrast to the extreme secrecy he was known for in office, when he was jokingly referred to by many — including then-senator Hillary Clinton — as Darth Vader.

He embraced the epithet, mocking himself in a 2004 interview.
“Am I the evil genius in the corner that nobody ever sees come out of his hole? It’s a nice way to operate, actually,” he quipped.

While Republicans, including Bush, acknowledged mistakes were made in the years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, Cheney never expressed doubt about his support for indefinite detention or even waterboarding — a form of torture that was used on terror suspects in US custody.

“I feel very good about what we did. I think it was the right thing to do. If I was faced with those circumstances again, I’d do exactly the same thing,” he told Fox News in 2008.

The general was probably thinking “What the hell was I thinking joing the Obama administration?” Dehydrated? Thats all he has to say about passing out in front of the rest of the blithering idiots in Washington? No wonder we are losing the war in Afghanistan.

DES MOINES, Iowa — A 12-year-old girl has been arrested for trespassing after she allegedly refused to leave U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin’s office in Des Moines while protesting the war in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Frankie Hughes was arrested late Wednesday. Her mother, Renee Espeland, who was standing outside the Iowa Democrat’s office, was ticketed for contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

Police were called after another woman, Christine Gaunt, allegedly refused to leave Harkin’s office when it closed. Police found Gaunt and Hughes in the office, and both were arrested.

Sally Frank, a law professor at Drake University, said she will probably defend the protesters. She said she thinks police were “trying to put a scare into the peace movement.”

Los Angeles police on Thursday said it learned through relatives that 45-year-old Marine Corps Sgt. Major Robert J. Cottle, a member of the LAPD’s SWAT unit, was killed in combat in Afghanistan. It’s not clear exactly how he died: The Los Angeles Police Department stated that it would leave the details to the U.S. Department of Defense, which was expected to issue a statement soon.

Cottle was a Marines reservist who was deployed on active duty in August 2009, according to the LAPD. He served out of Camp Pendleton. He’s been on the LAPD force since 1990 and most recently served on SWAT’s “D” team as a senior officer.

“This deeply saddens me, especially since I’ve known RJ for over 20 years,” LAPD Chief Charlie Beck stated. “He is a fine man and a great example of the best LAPD has to offer. He will be missed.”

Late Thursday afternoon Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa also issued a statement that reads, in part: “Very few people know what it truly means to everyday have the courage to unflinchingly march forward in the face of danger. Yet Officer Cottle did so with not only a steadfast commitment to the safety of this city, but with a strong sense of pride and duty for his country … Officer Cottle will eternally remain a part of this department. His unwavering dedication to public service will undoubtedly live on as an example to future generations of officers.”

Adam Gadahn, pictured with Pizza Hut table cloth on his head, was arrested in Pakistan

Adam Gadahn, an American spokesman for al Qaeda, has been arrested in Pakistan, a senior Pakistani government official source told CNN.

The official said Gadahn was arrested Sunday in Karachi.

Several U.S. officials told CNN that they have no indication that Gadahn has been captured.

News of the arrest came hours after Islamist Web sites posted video of Gadahn praising a November shooting rampage at the U.S. Army base in Fort Hood, Texas. On the video, Gadahn said the Army major charged with gunning down 13 people “lit a path” for other Muslim service members to follow.

Gadahn has routinely posted lengthy videos on Islamist online forums.

In 2006, he was indicted on charges of treason and providing material support to terrorists. The U.S. government has offered a $1 million reward for information leading to his capture.

Gadahn grew up on a California farm, and was home-schooled until age 17. A year later he moved in with his paternal grandparents, who were secular Jews. He converted to Islam at the Islamic Society of Orange County, California, but was banned from the mosque two years later after hitting its chairman, Haitham Bundjaki.

In 1997 Gadahn began working for a California charity suspected of having ties to al Qaeda. He moved to Pakistan in 1998.

His family has said they last heard from him in 2002. In 2004, the FBI identified him as part of an al Qaeda cell that was planning attacks aimed at disrupting that year’s presidential election in the United States.

In October 2004, he began appearing in disguise in al Qaeda videos. Gadahn dropped the disguise in 2006.

In 2008, he renounced his U.S. citizenship and destroyed his passport in another al Qaeda video.

In his video message posted online Sunday, Gadahn says Muslims should emulate the alleged Fort Hood shooter.

“I believe that defiant Brother Nidal is the ideal role model for every repentant Muslim in the armies of the unbelievers and apostate regimes,” Adam Gadahn says in English in the video.

Maj. Nidal Hasan, an Army psychiatrist and a U.S.-born citizen, is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder in the November 5 killings. Hasan is also facing 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder and is eligible for the death penalty.

“The Mujahid brother Nidal Hasan is a pioneer, a trailblazer and a role model who has opened a door, lit a path and shown the way forward for every Muslim who finds himself among the unbelievers and yearns to discharge his duty to Allah and play a part in the defense of Islam and Muslims.”

Gadahn also cites in Sunday’s video the U.S. and allied buildup in Afghanistan, where the United States is in the process of adding about 30,000 troops.

“It is rapidly becoming clear that this already hot global battle is about to get even hotter,” he says. “This is a war which knows no international borders and no single battleground, and that’s why I am calling on every honest and vigilant Muslim in the countries of the Zionist-Crusader alliance in general and America, Britain and Israel in particular to prepare to play his due role in responding to and repelling the aggression of the enemies of Islam.”

In December, Gadahn released a video message in English offering condolences to “unintended Muslim victims” killed in attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan and elsewhere. It was a rare example of al Qaeda offering condolences to the families of those killed in the group’s own attacks.

What else would we expect from Barack O’Blunder? The man can barely form a cognitive sentence without reading it first from a teleprompter. Obama snubbing other world leaders is no big deal. Its probably for the best. Had Obama Showed up, he would have bowed to them, further embarrassing the United States. Ed.

PARIS (AP) – French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel brushed off President Barack Obama’s decision not to attend an annual summit with European leaders while stressing Thursday the importance of Russia as a European partner.

A U.S. State Department deputy briefing reporters made the announcement Monday that Obama would miss the EU-U.S. summit in May that will take place in Spain, which now holds the rotating EU presidency.

Since then, European media have been awash with commentary wondering what the White House’s snub means for Europe as it struggles to find a united voice in foreign affairs following the creation of the new posts of EU president and foreign minister.

“With the United States, I don’t understand the debate,” Sarkozy told a news conference with Merkel after a joint meeting of the entire French and German governments in Paris.

“Where is the drama? Is that our only problem in the world today?” he continued.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero also expressed understanding Thursday for Obama’s decision, telling a meeting of the Atlantic Council in Washington that European leaders “do not think he has lost interest in the EU.”

Obama already had miffed Merkel by skipping the ceremonies marking the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall in November, and she was more taciturn. She said that along with Sarkozy and other EU leaders, she would discuss the issue at an informal summit in Brussels next week.

Sarkozy indicated that Obama might choose to meet with European leaders in the fall when the U.S. president would be expected to attend the annual NATO leaders summit which this year is in Portugal—a combined solution the French leader said was a “rather good idea.”

“If the summit is in November instead of May, it truly doesn’t matter. My feeling is that there are too many summits. There are too many trips. There is too much time lost,” Sarkozy said.

Zapatero, who spoke briefly with Obama earlier Thursday echoed that idea, indicating the timing of the next summit would be based on “content” and not a specific date.

“We will be holding an EU-U.S. summit when the agenda so allows,” Zapatero said. “By that I do not mean dates, I mean the content.”

The U.S. leader traveled to Europe half a dozen times last year and met European leaders at other international venues, including at the United Nations.

Sarkozy and Merkel stressed the importance of their relationship with Russia. Both Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin are scheduled to visit France in coming months.

The French leader said that he wanted France and Germany to be in total harmony regarding relations with Russia, while Merkel said Russia’s relationship with Europe was a “central question.”

“We have to end the Cold War,” she said.

Sarkozy and Merkel were meeting for the first time with their entire governments since the German leader’s re-election. They outlined a roadmap for bilateral relations until 2020, aiming to strengthen their joint leadership role in Europe.

Most of the proposals concerned economy, education, climate change, civil affairs and immigration. The two countries pledged greater cooperation on Afghanistan, fighting nuclear proliferation and transatlantic security.

Concerning the biggest issue of the day, however, the fate of the financing of the A400M military transport plane that is over budget and behind schedule, both leaders said only that a solution would be found.