To Pray or Not

U.S. District Judge John Bates expected to issue a decision on Michael Newdow's case to eliminate prayer from the inauguration ceremony today....Story here and earlier post here.

Fiscal Conservative

Jonathan Weisman has an article that starts out explaining that President Bush, you know the one that won, is planning to "make good" on his vow:

The White House will seek to drastically shrink the Department of Housing and Urban Development's $8 billion community branch, purging dozens of economic development projects, scrapping a rural housing program and folding high-profile anti-poverty efforts into the Labor and Commerce departments, administration officials said yesterday.

The proposal in the upcoming 2006 budget would make good on President Bush's vow to eliminate or consolidate what he sees as duplicative or ineffective programs. Officials said yesterday that economic development programs are scattered too widely in the government and have proved particularly ineffectual at HUD.

However, further into the article we get the negative spin. Isn't it shocking a President that was criticized for not being more fiscally conservative in his first term, gets reelected after a "vow" to eliminate..., and proposes policies that are fiscally conservative. Imagine him actually doing what his supporters wanted him to do. You can read the article here

North Korea - Ready?

Here is a story from The Associated Press that says North Korea is ready to resume six-party talks and will consider treating America as a "friend"... Remember it is North Korea and this story can change tomorrow in an effort to make the administration look bad; however, right now it sounds good. I am also waiting to see how the MSM "spin" will sound as other news outlets elaborate on the visit.

“Our unanimous impression is that the DPRK is ready to rejoin the six-party process,” said Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., referring to the North’s official name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

Weldon, vice chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, led a bipartisan delegation that held talks in Pyongyang with North Korea’s No. 2 leader, Kim Yong Nam, Foreign Minister Paek Nam Sun and Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, who is also North Korea’s chief representative to nuclear negotiations.

Hours after the American lawmakers left Pyongyang, the North Korean regime said it would not only return to nuclear talks but also treat the United States as a “friend” as long as Washington doesn’t slander the rule of totalitarian leader Kim Jong Il.
[...]
Weldon, who spoke on behalf of his delegation, called the four-day trip an “overwhelming success.” (Read here)

VP Chimes in on Social Security

Vice President Dick Cheney speaking to students at Catholic University of America - talked up the President's Social Security reform.

Young workers who elect personal accounts can expect to receive a far higher rate of return on their money than the current system could ever afford to pay them....
Moreover, he said, personal accounts “would continue a great American tradition of upward mobility and individual independence.”
“Many low-income workers who have nothing to spare after taxes would have a chance to begin saving for their later years,” the vice president said.

I believe the White House, if they plan to win this battle, has to start getting information out to the public. Currently the only information in the Mainstream Media (MSM) is negative and/or from the opposition.

Spin Exposed

Michelle Malkin is right on target with her keen observation of conflicting news accounts involving the Abu Ghraib trial testimony - read it here.

Cover-Up Defined

Hugh Hewitt has an interesting comparison between the CBS "cover-up" an others in the recent years in his article "A Cover-Up Is a Cover-Up". I found it interesting at least.

Turning the Tables

Gary J. Andres makes and interesting comparison between the republican's policy initiatives and Winston Churchill's turning the devastating battle field defeat at Dunkirk into a cry of national unity.
Is this a stretch?

with the passage of the Medicare Modernization Act in the last Congress and the Social Security reforms promised by President Bush this year, Republicans have an opportunity to create their own bona fides on these two explosive issues.
[...]
Proposed Republican reforms also fit well thematically with other macro-societal and economic trends -- namely, replacing highly regulated, one-size-fits-all government programs with policies encouraging choice, competition and individual empowerment.

Notice the word competition, I have long thought competition would assist in sovling several problem, healthcare not the least of these… We are all aware that competition tends to decrease consumer cost while increasing satisfaction with the product - and this product can be services as well as "tangible" items.
I can further agree with the writers words of caution -

Yet Republicans need to also proceed with a blend of conviction and caution on both of these reforms because change is two-edged political cutlery.

Mr. Andres further observes -

Unfortunately for the Democrats, animus is not an alternative to Republican policy. As Majority Leader Tom DeLay suggested last week in a House floor speech, the Democrat's policy enterprise is bankrupt. "The party that was once an idealistic, forward-looking policy colossus (that advocated) the New Deal, the Marshall Plan, the Great Society, the space program and civil rights ... is hard pressed to find a single positive substantive idea.

Read the article here.

Social Security Issues

What no Democrat is willing to acknowledge about Social Security is that the current projected CBO (Congressional Budge Office) estimates for future retirees are inaccurate. Under current law when the trust fund assets fall to zero the benefits must be reduced! This little fact eludes much of the discussion I have seen on the internet or in the papers. Combine that with the key word estimates, which goes for both assets and benefits no one can guarantee, to my satisfaction, what those numbers will be. Nevertheless, with the current estimates we are looking at an insolvency issue within a little more than a decade!

Now Sen. Ted Kennedy making bold statements like:

"We will not let any president turn the American dream into a nightmare for senior citizens and a bonanza for Wall Street," Mr. Kennedy said, a reference to President Bush's proposal to allow workers to divert some of their payroll taxes into private investment accounts. "The biggest threat to Social Security today is not the retirement of the baby boomers, it's George Bush and the Republican Party."

As far as a threat to Social Security, how about the current system and laws as stated above?

"Our misguided resort to war has created more -- and much more intense -- anti-American feeling than Osama bin Laden ever dreamed of," he said. "And the sooner we reverse that distressing trend, the better."

The same could be said of you, Mr. Kennedy, the DNC and MSM, but I suppose the damage done by your public attacks on our military, our president, and your fueling propaganda by providing footage of perceived torture for the terrorist to use in recruiting campaigns, just fine and dandy - I don't!

Hey Dowd, It is "Freedom of Choice"

Maureen Dowd's newest whine (column) appears to stem from either her not receiving enough romance, her dream man, or both.

Men only want to marry their personal assistants or P.R. women."

I'd been noticing a trend along these lines, as famous and powerful men took up with the young women whose job it was to tend to them and care for them in some way: their secretaries, assistants, nannies, caterers, flight attendants, researchers and fact-checkers

Now I guess she is going to start telling men who they need to choose to be with - What happened to freedom of choice?

A New Twist - NOT!

Washington Post has a story about protests scheduled for President Bush's second inauguration. Now this is a huge story, I mean huge, who would have even suspected there would be protest planed for President Bush's inauguration - right!

Protesters unveiled more specifics about their plans yesterday for a spirited day of demonstrations to counter President Bush's second inauguration next Thursday, as one group said it was considering a lawsuit to gain more access to the parade route.

Will they be peaceful, I guess not.

Anarchist Resistance said it would stage a "festive and rowdy march" from Franklin Square. A message posted on its Web site says: "There's nothing left to salvage in this empire that is the U.S. government. It's time to bring it down."

I have never understood the "let's protest the war and get arrested" mentality like these demonstrators plan.

The D.C. Anti-War Network is sponsoring a rally at Meridian Hill Park, also known as Malcolm X Park, in Columbia Heights and a march to McPherson Square. After the march, some participants will risk arrest by lying down at 16th and H streets NW, across from Lafayette Square, as part of a civil disobedience "die-in," organizers said.

Stupidity Rewarded

Well who says stupidity is not rewarded accordingly. You can read the story here.

A British man was sentenced to 18 months in prison Tuesday for calling in a phony bomb threat in what authorities called an attempt to prevent a friend from missing her plane at Philadelphia International Airport.

Social Security - The Fight is On!

Well the fight is on!

Democrats yesterday said their No. 1 goal is to stop President Bush from succeeding ..... Rep. Sander M. Levin, Michigan Democrat, said his party's key focus is to "prevent the Bush administration from wrecking" Social Security with Mr. Bush's proposal.

Notice there is no counter proposal or solution only "prevent", meaning stop President Bush at all cost! Although Mr. Levin does acknowledge there is a problem.

"As we see it, Social Security faces a challenge, not a crisis," Mr. Levin said

Didn't the democrats learn anything from the election - or do they still believe saying over and over again something is "wrong" makes is so, which it does not! I guess they believe not telling the American people what they plan to do is a good strategy or do they not have a plan - why don't you try say "I have a plan go to my website….! You can read the article here.

Berger Update

Read a Washington Post article giving an update on Sandy Berger here.

The grand jury probe, reported exclusively in The Post Tuesday, is digging into why another former Bill Clinton aide, Sandy Berger, sneaked the national security documents out of the Archives — possibly in his socks.

Al Qaeda - Boogyman? Get Real!

Robert Sheer(stupidity) wrote a column in which he suggest, "Al Qaeda, as defined by President Bush as the center of a vast and well-organized international terrorist conspiracy, does not exist?", are you serious? It is amazing the lengths a liberal will go to discredit the President! Mr. Sheer(stupidity), you might need to throw Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Al Gore, and other democrats into the same pile because they agree with the assessment concerning Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda - really where do they get this stuff!

December Budget Surplus

The government ran a one billion dollar budget surplus in December and the shortfall is down about sixteen billion dollars for the same period last year - Did you hear anything about this? I certainly do not recall hearing anything about it! You can read the story here.

President Says Faith is Important

The Washington Times has an article, by James G. Lakely detailing a conversation with President Bush, the subject, religion.

"I think people attack me because they are fearful that I will then say that you're not equally as patriotic if you're not a religious person," Mr. Bush said. "I've never said that. I've never acted like that. I think that's just the way it is.
"On the other hand, I think more and more people understand the importance of faith in their life," he said. "America is a remarkable place when it comes to religion and faith. We had people come to our rallies who were there specifically to say, 'I'm here to pray for you, let you know I'm praying for you.' And I was very grateful about that."
[...]
"I fully understand that the job of the president is and must always be protecting the great right of people to worship or not worship as they see fit," Mr. Bush said. "That's what distinguishes us from the Taliban. The greatest freedom we have -- or one of the greatest freedoms -- is the right to worship the way you see fit.
"On the other hand, I don't see how you can be president -- at least from my perspective, how you can be president, without a relationship with the Lord," he said. (You can read the article here)

Can someone please tell me what about this generates so much hate from the left? The President goes on to say "The great thing about our country is somebody can stand up and say, 'We should try to take "under God" out of the Pledge of Allegiance" - and he is right! We have this freedom and this goes for the President, duly elected President, I might add...

AMMP is Done?!

Howard Fineman has a neat article about the demise of the AMMP (the American Mainstream Media Party). Here are some snippets:

A political party is dying before our eyes — and I don't mean the Democrats. I'm talking about the "mainstream media," which is being destroyed by the opposition (or worse, the casual disdain) of George Bush's Republican Party...
[...]
The crusades of Vietnam and Watergate seemed like a good idea at the time, even a noble one, not only to the press but perhaps to a majority of Americans. The problem was that, once the AMMP declared its existence by taking sides, there was no going back. A party was born.

It was not accident that the birth coincided with an identity crisis in the Democratic Party....

Republicans always have been less dependent on, or concerned about, the AMMP's role in their internal politics.
[...]
Bush doesn't hate the AMMP (indeed, he likes his share of reporters on a personal basis). He just refuses to care about what it's up to.

In this situation, the last thing the AMMP needed was to aim wildly at the president — and not only miss, but be seen as having a political motivation in attacking in the first place. Were Dan Rather and Mary Mapes after the truth or victory when they broadcast their egregiously sloppy story about Bush's National Guard Service? The moment it made air it began to fall apart, and eventually was shredded by factions within the AMMP itself, conservative national outlets and by the new opposition party that is emerging: The Blogger Nation. It's hard to know now who, if anyone, in the "media" has any credibility. (Read here)

UPDATE: LaShawn Barber's Corner has an excellent take on this subject.

Swiftee Gets Help - Why Was it Needed?

Thanks to Michelle Malkin for bringing this up. Steve Gardner, the "10th brother" who refused to stand with John Kerry and spoke out against Mr. Kerry, has fallen on hard times, but is getting help.... Some excerpts from an article:

Days later, Brinkley called again, warning Gardner to expect some calls. It seems Brinkley had used the "fact checking" conversation to write an inflammatory article about Gardner for Time.com. The article, implying that Gardner was politically motivated, appeared under the headline "The 10th Brother."

Twenty-four hours later, Gardner got an e-mail from his company, Millennium Information Services, informing him that his services would no longer be necessary. He was laid off in an e-mail -- by the same man who only days before had congratulated him for his exemplary work in a territory which covered North and South Carolina. The e-mail stated that his position was being eliminated. Since then, he's seen the company advertising for his old position. Gardner doesn't have the money to sue to get the job back.

"I'm broke. I've been hurt every way I can be hurt. I have no money in the bank but am doing little bits here and there to pay the bills," he said.
[...]
And, even though Gardner is broke and jobless for speaking out, the husband and father of three says he'd do it all over again. He says it wasn't for politics. It was for America. (Read here)

I find it interesting that it appears those supposedly there for the "down trodden" are the exact ones that caused this down fall! The Patrick Henry Center for Individual Liberty has agreed to help Mr. Gardner.

Terrorist Collateral Damage

These insurgents do not care who they kill. Had the United States military made a mistake and killed innocents as this story describes the insurgents making, the US media would crucify the entire military and attempt to identify an individual to blame. However, in this incident I am sure someone somewhere will still blame the US military - which is a real shame. My point, these terrorist have no concept of war or how to conduct it, attempting to instill terror is all they know and have no iota of concern for the innocents that might die as they continue their campaign of terror.

Peyton Wins it Again

Well I could not let the fact that Peyton Manning won his second consecutive NFL MVP go without acknowledging it.... (Story here). Now if he can just get his first Super Bowl win.