Celebrity And Politics Don't Mix

One thing I took from the Benghazi hearings is that Hillary Clinton wasn't paying necessary attention to her job. Oh, sure, she racked up more air miles than any of her predecessors but what did she actually accomplish?

 Just as bad if not worse seems to be that the President didn't much care.  While the men in Benghazi were fighting for their lives he was in bed.

Then came the ludicrous story about the You Tube video which both the President and Hillary claimed as the reason for the attacks.  According to the witnesses at yesterday's hearings, both knew better.  In essence they lied to the American people but since neither was under oath, so be it.

Now you can argue that the witnesses were no more than mal contents.  Many of you will, especially those of you who feel the President and Hillary can do no wrong.  I disagree.

Both, I believe, have achieved their status due to celebrity, not ability. The voters seem to be content with it.  Consider everyone who has the slightest possibility of running for higher office in 2014 or 16 is working on their own celebrity status.  It amazes me how we embrace celebrity.

Look at Mark Sanford regaining his old House seat.  An adulterer and a liar.  Anthony wanting to run for Mayor of New York.  I'm not sure exactly how one categorizes a man who tweets photos of his underwear covered privates other than shameless.  I have other words for it, but I doubt anyone cares.

Back to the ones who have already achieved high office.  The compliant media ignored the Benghazi story as much as they could to  successfully protect Obama during the election season. Now they are doing the same in anticipation of Hillary's run.

There are just too many verifiable reports of intimidation, too many rewrites, too much righteous indignation for me to believe these witnesses are lying.  Their careers have already been altered. What is left for them to gain?

Will Hillary succeed in fooling some of the people all of the time?  I expect so.  I just hope she and her machine don't succeed in fooling all of the people.  When you listen to former diplomats and military personnel who have actually participated in government tell what could and should have been it becomes apparent what happens when you have celebrity rather than experience at the helm.

When the Secretary of Defense states the forces who were trained and exist to combat situations like Benghazi couldn't be put in harms way I wonder what they are supposed to do. When the Secretary of State asks "What difference does it make now" I wonder why she doesn't understand it makes every bit as much difference as it did the day it happened.

Who do I want to answer the phone at 3:00 a.m.  The people didn't want Hillary last go 'round.  I hope they don't want her this time either because she likely won't.  They wanted Obama.  They got him and he didn't.

I want someone who cares more about their country than themselves.  Unfortunately they seem to be in short supply in both parties.

To Thine Own Self Be True - Unless You're President

Well, here we go.  Term 2.  Unless you're a die hard liberal there was nothing encouraging in yesterday's inaugural speech nor do I expect anything in the upcoming State of the Union.

As usual I'm trying to understand.  Let me say I have no doubt what so ever that the President believes he is right about what does and does not ail our country and how or how not to fix it. Any one who disagrees is wrong. To make sure they understand that he bullies them or is contemptuous or dismissive of them.  Even if he were divinely right he certainly hasn't chosen a Divine way to show it.

But he's not and he's not willing to go there.  He won.  Well, yes, he did.  He won election to be the President of the United States, not merely the Democratic party.  And his win was by no means unanimous.

Many people of my generation have a problem with his style.  What ever happened to common courtesy?  What ever happened to  listening to other points of view?  He isn't alone with those issues.  Take the Tea Party types within the Republican Party who will not budge from a stand.  They are just as much to blame for stalemate, but no more so than the President and the Democrats.

I look at the leadership outside the White House and it too puzzles me for most are closer to my age than they are that of the President's.  Why won't Harry Reid bring Republican legislation to the floor of the Senate?  Why is Nancy Pelosi holding House minority leadership?  Why is Joe Biden allowed to even open his mouth?  Are they really that like the younger in your face set?  Or is it just misplaced party loyalty run amok? Most in my generation were taught better manners and had a modicum of reason. Of course we were actually taught manners and taught, period.

Those who are 'tweens' like Boehner are caught between the old school and the new and haven't yet figured out a way to bring them together. I do hope they do.

I believe a president is elected to lead the country where the people want it to go, not where he alone wants. I believe the people want us to be the leader of the free world and stand by our allies, not charge them to help in the most minuscule of ways if at all.  I believe the country wants our money to be spent wisely, not on personal whims.  I believe the people want both sides of the aisle to discuss our common problems in a civilized manner and determine solutions that take the best ideas from each and form reasonable legislation.  That's called negotiating and compromise.  Words that have languished of late.

I believe the people want the president to have more concern for them than special interest groups.  I believe they want him to acknowledge we do have a spending problem and that no amount of taxation is going to cure it.

 I do not believe the people want the President to turn our nation into his vision without our consent.  Do we understand that is exactly what he is and wants to continue doing?

It's The Pits

I've gone and done it.  I've totally lost my sense of humor.  I define more and more of what I hear as tasteless.  Jokes included.  Take for instance Obama's crack at the White House Correspondents Dinner regarding Sarah Palin. Was it about Sarah? Or something else?

"What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull?  A pit bull  is delicious."

I guess there are some things of which I find hard to let go.  One is the horror story of football's Michael Vick and his dog fighting ring of pit bulls. I'm still reading progress reports on those rescued by Best Friend's Animal Society.  I've crossed paths with a lot of pit bulls during my years and have yet to meet one that deserves the reputation they have as a breed.  Oh sure.  They can turn and do but it's not a trait exclusive to them.  Even my beloved Saints can be nasty and believe me a nasty Saint is no Saint!  I guess that's why the President's joke left me cold.

I usually weigh how men treat their wives in public when forming an opinion.  Maybe I should pay more attention as to how they joke, or even just talk, about their dogs!  Neither Mitt Romney nor Obama rate very high on the Arf Scale!

Sure, Obama was referring to his previous comment about having eaten dog as a youth.  I know it's considered a perfectly legitimate food in some societies.  But not ours.  It's the connotation in the form of a joke.  Animal lovers in this country fight so hard to give our voiceless companions the best lives possible.  They fight the idea that an animal is no more then a possession and can be treated anyway you please.  They aren't inanimate objects.  They are living, breathing, feeling creatures. Does how you treat your possessions carry over to how you treat your animals?  Does it carry over to family too?  Some would say yes.  I'm not sure.  I've never experienced the circumstance.  Our dogs have always been treated  like the most revered of people.

It just hit my hot button.  I've been saturated with mean spirited and truth challenged commentary over the months since political season began in earnest.  It's going to get worse before it gets better, I know.  Go ahead,  tear one another apart.  Lie about one another.  Leave it to the bewildered brain power of the voters to sort it out.  But leave our dogs out of it.  Don't joke about eating them while legalizing the trapping of wolves.  Keep your attacks aimed at those on equal footing who are equipped to fight back - other politicians.

As words and phrases are being banned on what seems nearly a daily basis, maybe we should do away with "It's a dog eat dog world."  More appropriately it should be " It's a politician eats politician world." After all they are the ones cannibalizing our way of life.

Watching A Presidency Crumble

I had hoped for more from the President last evening.  I think most Americans did.  He succeeded in the one thing at which he excels. The ability to scold and veil threats.

Also to leave out substance.  It doesn't take a student of politics to know that short term fixes are not the way to generate confidence.  It leaves nothing more than the uncertainty employers and lenders already have, not to mention the rest of us in dire straits.   There was no talk of eliminating crippling regulations or making changes in the taxing structure permanent, or at least long term.

An admonishment of the union thugs in Washington state cutting brake lines and ruining cargo would have been nice.  An admonishment of Jimmy Hoffa's rhetoric toward the Tea Party would have been nice too.  But no.  He just pointed his finger at Congress.  True, they are culpable, both parties, yet he refused to acknowledge his lack of leadership as part of the problem.

One thing I have to give him and his like minded cohorts credit for, if credit is the word.  They truly think their way is the right way.  Why else would they cling to an ideology that has been proven, time after time after time, not to work?

If the Republicans get their act together and actually nominate someone who can beat Mr. Obama, I will in a very sincere way, be sad.  I believed Obama to be one of the best and the brightest of his generation regardless of race.  I didn't ask enough questions nor probe more deeply.  It was a disservice to him.  We voters elevated him, in our dreams, above his level of competence.  We've gotten in return a portrait of bull headedness and naievity that has had no equal in Presidential politics in recent times.

What's even more sad is that the Republicans seem to have taken little from the lesson in front of us.  The right wing ideologues are holding the party hostage to a one sided dialog with no wiggle room.

Someone needs to break free, someone who we can have faith in because they have an actual record, someone who will tell it like it is and let the consequences fall where they may.

Actually there are those trying to do so.  The media is paying them little if any mind.  Why are we allowing them to dictate the terms?  They too are holding us hostage to their ideology.

If it works we'll be seen as a nation of sheep without a shepard.  Talk about the fleecing of America!

The President's Mirror On The Wall

The debt ceiling has been raised.  What that means is the government is now able to spend more money.  Yet the country's unemployment rate still hovers just under 10%.  Future prospects remain dismal.

So what does the President do to empathize with the people he governs?  Throws a birthday bash where it costs ten grand to have a picture taken with him and over thirty five thousand to gain entry to the dinner.  Just one of many celebrations to be held around the country hosted by various insiders.  Of course it's a campaign event.  So why the heck would he want to burden the rich with more taxes?  It would mean less for him.

Him.  Him.  Him.  It's always him.  I used to think he was just uninformed when it comes to matters of protocol.  That he has a tin ear.  Returning the bust of Churchill to the Brits the day he took office.  Giving the Queen an i-Pod filled with his own speeches.  Bowing to every world leader who lacks the stature to deserve it.  Never mind that we bow to no one.

If you love the guy it makes no matter.  But one does at times wonder why he won't release his college transcripts, or the flap over his birth certificate.  If it was by design to add to the aura of mystery.  There has to be some reason why he is referred to as the 'Sun King' or the 'Annoited One' even though it's by his detractors.  It alludes to ego and arrogance.

Then I cam across an article by  Israeli psychologist Sam Vaknin who suggests Obama may have narcissistic tendencies if he isn't an outright narcissist.  Dr. Vaknin is considered an expert on personality disorders  in general and  Narcissistic Personality Disorder in particular.

If you sometimes wonder what makes our President tick, this is an interesting read and explains a lot.  It may also explain the way Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reacts to him since it is his fellow countryman who has noted the parallels.

Many of you will totally disregard this premise, others might see a glimmer of truth in it. I found the parallels interesting and food for thought.

Is Obama's Race Really To Blame?

Is racism going to rule the next presidential election?  I wonder, when House Assistant Democratic Leader, James Clyburn, who is black, still claims most of Obama's problems are because he' black.

I'm willing to accept that Mr. Clyburn is 70 years old and racism is part of his mind set.  What he grew up with.  What he's had to contend with.  But I dare say it is not the cause of Obama's problems.

I can say this with some basis because I am white and I voted for him.  I thought he was young and bright and like so many of us, failed to realize that he had too little experience in the world of politics.  His beliefs, which he kept pretty well under wraps, have been too liberal for my of our taste.


No, Mr. Clyburn.  Even with the birthers who for some reason desperately want to prove he was born in Kenya, are more concerned he's a closet Muslim than the fact he's half black.  It's not race.

As for the birth certificate issue?   McCain was asked to prove he was born in American territory and it was concluded that he was.

The chosen example of his face imposed on a chimpanzees body?  Actually, they did the same thing to Bush.

No, his problems are of his own making.  His dreadful lack of knowledge of protocol with foreign dignitaries and his apparent refusal to learn is the least of them. His past associations.  His missteps in foreign policy.  His "I won" attitude.  His unwillingness to work with the Republicans to force his own vision.

Yes, he won.  But he wasn't elected to change the country into his vision of it,  but  to better the peoples vision.

None has to do with racism.  I can only hope the advisers to the President in his upcoming campaign, don't think they can use race as their trump card.  It will set back all the progress, as imperfect as it may be, we've made, for generations.  A setback we as a country can ill afford and can so easily avoid by looking at the truth of the matter.  It is the man, his manner, his policies, or lack of them, that drive his poll numbers.  Not his race.

Not So McChrystal Clear

Subordination, it was said. Not as much as sheer stupidity. Having read the Rolling Stone article, I found the offensive comments to be no more than what most of the military who are frustrated with these unending conflicts might say to one another in their bull sessions. To relay it to a reporter is sheer stupidity. Or is it?

McChrystal surely marches to his own drummer just as does our President. As a military man, however, the President is his Commander-In-Chief. He is to serve. Not critique unless asked to do so. Which I'm certain he was on many occasions. Coming up on the short end of his requests, I wonder if this whole episode was designed to make public just what the upper echelons of the military think of the ambassadors, the Vice President and even the President. The whole mess. Even at the cost of a career. Never mind that he'll make millions on the lecture circuit.

McChrystal wasn't my favorite General. He was the one who decided to do away with the base fast food outlets that were such a reminder of home for the troops. It was under his command that the troops were to be awarded medals for restraint. Don't shoot unless you're sure a body is really a combatant. Come on! That's no way to fight a war. WAR!

Regardless of my opinion, McChrystal is a General of some note. The President can ill afford to be shown as weak or wrong, especially with his ratings as low as they are. He can accomplish that all by himself. It is not the General's place to do so. Discipline is essential. Chain of command is essential.

The days of Patton and Montgomery as showboating military leaders are long gone. War has been politicized to the extent, just like Obama's commission on the oil spill, that there are too many fingers with no appropriate expertise in the pie. Obama promised to listen to his generals. He may have listened but he didn't hear. The McChrystal incident shows the outcome of the thinking because of it.

For better or worse, the war is now truly Obama's. He can no longer blame any of it on Bush. The generals are his, the ambassadors are his and the strategy is his. What he now needs to do is get them on the same playing field and quit letting Karzai captain the team.

The World Against The Government!

To listen to President Obama tell it everyone from BP to the auto industry, Wall Street and the health insurance companies are all against him, him being the government. As Daniel Henninger spells it out in this morning's Wall Street Journal he's making it personal. It's a glimpse into the mind of a man who seems increasingly angry. In the President of the United States, I'm finding it uncomfortable, to say the least.

Laws seem to be of little interest to him when he decides to take action. There is no law supporting his demand of British Petroleum and when the White House was asked, the questioners were told no law was necessary. There was no law to support his firing the President of GM.

We're going in the wrong direction here. It's not just the administration, nor just this one, but this one is the one in power. Include Congress. Of what possible value is today's grilling of Tony Hayward other than to allow the panel to posture and humiliate Mr. Hayward. Well, one thing it did do was, as usual, showcase the lack of knowledge Congressmen have about the issues at hand.

Yet they must be seen to be doing something. This is where we have a graphic example of just why the President's quest for bigger government is a flawed idea! The Coast Guard, Corp of Engineers, Salazar and Napolitano have done little but stumble all over one another. The end result is chaos.

At the head of the table sits the President. "Put a six month moratorium on all deep water drilling! BP can't pay their dividends! I'm tough. I'm in charge."

Whoa Nelly! Was any thought given to the consequences? Dividends are not like executive bonuses, for crying out loud. They go to investors, many of which are pension funds. Even rich ones like Obama's unions could be hurt.

As for the moratorium on drilling, an lot of jobs for those suffering Gulf states go away. It isn't the tourism business or fishing that generates the big bucks. It's oil . It isn't call it black gold for nothing. There is one other kicker. Other oil companies aren't going to let those rigs sit idle for six months. They'll be moved and just try getting them back. In truth I don't think Obama cares. I don't think he wants them.

The other kicker is how the world views all of this. We had dinner with friends from England last week and they had no kind words to say about our President and his ways. Companies considering U.S. operations may think twice. They see how he's treated the auto industry, banks and Wall Street. How health care was ramrodded through. They see how he's treated Toyota yet what have you heard about the recent recalls at GM? Is Obama Motors exempt from the press? They're looking at this BP business and thinking maybe not.

The President made a point of apologizing for all sins American from years past on a world wide tour. Who's going to apologize for what he and his Congress are doing to us?

Those Who Can, Do; Those Who Can't, Posture

What possible good can come from the government suing BP? I'm by no means absolving them from a share of the fault for the massive leak, but they are by no means solely responsible. If the U.S. hadn't been swayed by the enviros and their faulty science the oil companies wouldn't have needed to seek deeper and deeper locations in which to drill.

If, indeed, the administration was on top of the disaster from the beginning, why didn't they make it public? Saying the Coast Guard was there isn't the same thing and they had nothing to do with what was happening on and beneath the rig anyway. Obama, I believe, was greeting the Duke Blue Devils. I don't see much difference between the way this administration has handled this issue than the way Bush handled Katrina.

Let's face it. Those taking the brunt of the responsibility and biggest financial hit is BP and those involved with them in the drilling. The blow out wasn't anticipated. What exactly happened, if short cuts and procedures were shaved, at this point is all speculation. Accidents happen. Not to lessen the impact on the natural environment and those who's livings depend on use of the sea and it's products, it hasn't been a romp in the park for BP or the industry as a whole either. Their stock has plummeted leaving scores of stockholders in the dump. Their bottom line is fractured with the cost of trying to fix the leak and then the clean up required afterwards. A law suit would only drain those resources further.

Maybe Obama is infuriated and frustrated with the time it's taking for a fix. If the emergency plan that was in place had been functional, perhaps matters wouldn't have gotten so bad. Who is to blame for the equipment needed for the plan not being in place? Certainly not BP! Give the petroleum industry, those who have the knowledge and expertise in the field, space to figure it out and get it done.

The government and the justice department would do well to just stay out of the way until the problem is resolved and the clean up finished. Plenty of time for recriminations then. Is there an oil man among them? Not Salazar. Not Napolitano. Certainly not Obama.

Right now would be a good time for the government to do what it does best. Nothing.

When The "Bingo" Bulb Burns Out

We live in a time of instant gratification. Remember when dial up was the norm for your computer? Look at it now!

So why is it we have an administration so bent on commissions to study every issue that comes along. Pair that with a President who's bulb isn't screwed in tight enough, we have problems. With mid terms behind us it will be interesting to see how many times that old bulb flickers when it comes to candidate support. The President flies to California for a big bucks fund raiser for Barbara Boxer yet let Arlen Specter go down in flames. Flicker.

He's opting out of the wreath ceremony in D.C. for one in Chicago, where he will be vacationing. We have men and women at war in two countries and one on the verge. Flicker.

Instant gratification. I had hoped for it after my acupuncture session yesterday but was told to be patient. Things would get worse for a spell. The acupuncturist sure wasn't whistling Dixie! I hurt so bad today I relegated my activity to the couch and while there listened to Obama's explanation of his response to the oil spill.

He and his team were on top of it from day one he said. They were studying what to do. As for Governor Jindal's request for sand dams to hold the oil off shore; well, the Corp of Engineers were studying it. There would be a commission set up to study ways to address such disasters should one reoccur. There would be a commission set up to study drilling and exploration leases.

Commissions for this, commissions for that. It's good to talk things through but there never seems to be timely end results. No instant gratification. That old "bingo" bulb just flickers away.

On the Arizona immigration bill. The Fed's are studying it. Meanwhile 1200 hundred troops will be sent somewhere along the border to help out. Flicker. They will have no authority to make arrests. Oops! The bulb just burned out.

Obama had best start pondering whether or not he'll seek a second term right now. By the time he studies it to the point of actually making a decision the election may well be over!

Good For You Mr. President!

This should shock the living daylights out of those who think I can't have anything positive to say about the President. Especially since I take him to task every time he commits a breach of protocol!

Since John Adams first declared this is a "nation of laws, not men," we seem to have drifted further and further away from that premise. Especially when it comes to the to the President.

Even when President's have been assassinated, we've managed to continue on without rebellion or coup, but rather seamlessly and peacefully. That's because the law reigns supreme, not any one man.

I sometimes think the amount of security, staff and media that follow the President 24/7 is a disservice to him as a man. We complain that he is out of touch and wonder why when he's surrounded by media. They don't inform him, they stifle him. He loses the ability to be "one of us." It happens to all of them.

Today when I read Obama leaves WH without press, breaking protocol I laughed out loud. It seems our President wanted to be a Dad today. Oh yes, he still had his security detail to be sure, but I love the idea that the press was left behind.

What was so important? The soccer game of one of his daughters. Good for you, sir. I'm sure we'll survive not having seen you on the sidelines cheering as we have so often before and will, no doubt, again. If such a breach should happen again, however, I'll be the first to shout "way to go!"

Mr. President, You Are Flat Out Wrong!

Mr. Obama, you have just done more to put our country at risk of a terrorist attack than the tens of thousands of Americans you scrutinize daily as they go through airports. What are you thinking?

I've tried. I have really tried to find something you have done since taking office that makes me proud that I voted for you. I have not. What you have done is scare me. You scare me with your ego. You scare me with the advisers with which you have surrounded yourself and their tactics. You scare me with your lack of commitment to those around the world who are truly working for the betterment of their countries. You scare me with your support of the dictators who oppose those people. You scare me with your efforts to diminish this country to the level of the least common denominator. You scare me.

You have made a pact with the devil in changing our defense policies to leave allies vulnerable and to reduce our stockpile of nuclear weapons. Now you announce to the world we would use nuclear power on such a limited basis that we would be annihilated before we could ramp up to defend ourselves.

Those who accused you of being too naive to hold the Presidency are proving to be correct. Idealism is wonderful but it has no practical place in governing what was, before you took office, the greatest, most respected nation in the world. One that did not have to apologize for itself. What we were stood on it's own as the beacon to which all freedom loving peoples were drawn.

On your watch we have become the mockery of two bit dictators. Chavez, Kim Jong Il, Ahmadidejad, Karzai. How many others? Hamas, Hezbollah and those who support them. Al Qaeda and the Taliban and those who support them. Do you think for one minute they would hesitate to use nuclear weapons against us? Good God, man! They hate us!

Oh, they might not start with us. On American soil. No, it's most likely to start in their own territory. Take Israel and Iran for instance. What if the unthinkable should happen? How would we respond to rogue states who out weapon us?

It's strange. You seem intent upon nationalizing our country. You are giving unprecedented power to government agencies, allowing them more and more control over our lives and our institutions while you wave a white flag in the face of our adversaries! You are making us more and more vulnerable with every action you take.

This is about the last straw. I will not threaten to leave my country if you are re-elected along with your like minded followers. I will promise you this, however, I will do whatever I can to see that does not happen. You see this is not the government's country. It belongs to the people. To have our President put us in the greatest peril we've ever been in was beyond imagining!

Sadly, now it is a reality. What have you done? And why?

A Flock Of Sheep ~ Baa!

This is not how I intended to return to blogging after our mini-vacation but I am so disgusted with our government I need to get it out of my system! Actually we don't have a government. We have elected a flock of sheep who follow the wolves in sheep's clothing.

Of all the sound bites I heard while gone, three stick with me. One from Nancy Pelosi sometime around Thursday when she said no more "deals" would be made. Of course she went right on making them up until the vote and we have absolutely no idea of what many of them are. Another from Ms. Pelosi I commented on in a previous post where she emphasizes, quite proudly, if we want to know what's in the bill they have to pass it. Well, they did but we have no idea what more has been given away of our money!

Then there was the most egregious bleat from the President as he urged votes "to save his Presidency". How great is that for a leader? Asking members of his own party to put their careers in even greater risk than they already are for him. For his legacy. For legislation the majority of the American people do not want. It's not about the people. It's about him.

There is much in this "bill" with which I disagree. That is nothing new to you who read me with any regularity. Forgetting the fine points for the moment, the most glaring is forcing Americans to buy a product many don't need nor want under threat of fines and imprisonment.

I didn't think anything could trump Bush taking us into an unprovoked war but Obama has succeeded. This is the most un-American action I've ever seen carried out by the government we've elected, against us.

Well, I'm back. Do I feel better? Not at all. Disillusionment is depressing.

Up Yours!

What is the one exam people hate more than anything else? A colonoscopy, right?

President Obama has inadvertently shown exactly why we don't want a medicare type system for the country by virtue of his colonoscopy. You see, he had a virtual colonoscopy. If you're on Medicare, you can't. Dr. Mark E. Klein explained it quite well in Today's Wall Street Jounal . He explains that it takes about 15 minutes and requires no sedation. Though if polyps are found that have to be removed in a second procedure, only about 10% of people have them. It is also perfectly safe, eliminating the possibility of perforation and all that goes with that.

So why would this highly approved procedure be turned down in favor of the traditional one? Because it could "identify possible abnormalities outside the colon that might lead to further testing and additional costs". Hello? If they find something abnormal wouldn't you want to find out what it is and what to do about it? I would!

Then too, he goes on, there are the huge numbers of people who refuse to have the traditional procedure and that can lead to untimely death that's quite preventable!

I find it interesting that the President personally chose a procedure that those of us over 65 cannot have unless we're willing to pony up out of our own pockets. It wouldn't be because it's, in the long run, less expensive, more comfortable and, most importantly, safer.

How timely, as the health care war is heating up for the final battle. I fear we're not so much being governed as much as we're being ruled. There are privileges to being a part of the ruling class. Those of us who aren't part of it are close to having to live by their dictates while they enjoy the finest medical technology available.

And they wonder why we're angry.

Watching And Waiting...

I spent some time this morning watching the health care summit. A few things struck me. Nancy Pelosi did not look happy. I think she was bored and wanting to get back to passing the massive legislation that awaits us.

President Obama interrupted John McCain who was trying to make a valid point and scolded him by telling him the campaign was over. How would Obama know? He hasn't stopped yet himself!

The Democrats have been busy telling the Republicans how many times they used reconciliation when they were in power. This is pay back time. Now isn't this a fine way to pass legislation that they don't have to abide by but we will?

Friends, we are being governed by a group of children more interested in furthering their personal ideology than sorting out a complex issue for the good of the country. Let's face it, the Democratic leadership wants a socialist America. The people do not. It's really pretty simple. They have the power. We do not. It's really pretty simple.

The Republicans suggestion of starting over and passing issues on which they can agree, or at least compromise, is not at all unreasonable. Yet the Democrats, including and especially the President, are the ones saying no.

I see the ball being squarely in the President's court. If he doesn't go back and amend his outline to include some of what the Republicans want we'll know there was no good faith in this meeting. It indeed will be nothing more then theater.

Actually, he has to do a bit more. He has to take Pelosi and Reid to the woodshed if necessary to get them to cooperate. I doubt that he will nor that they would.

If there is no move toward the Republicans I will have lost the final wisp of respect I have for the President and his party.

It's sad, really. I'm moving more and more toward the likelihood of no longer participating in national elections. No matter who wins, once the newly elected are settled in it's right back to business as usual.

We talk of how abhorrent dictatorships are. They essentially have one in both Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. True ones exist in many African nations and of course North Korea. Well, you know, we're not so far from it here. The name? The Democratic congress for now. That, of course, is subject to change to the Republican congress in due time.

We need the old war horses of Congress, those who respect it's rules and procedures for how they were meant to work. We need them to hold those who will thwart the rules that made it one of the great institutions of the world accountable. We're not getting through from the outside; if they will perhaps they can.

One thing of which they might take note. The people will only be pushed so far. All they need do is look at Iran. They're already threatening us with fines and jail time for not buying their product. What's next? Troops in our own streets? Just what is America becoming?

Perhaps election time will let those in power know we do not consider it a game nor a toy for them to break beyond repair.

The Obama Bush Blend

This picture appears on a bill board on I-35 outside Wyoming, Minn. It was paid for by a group of small business owners obviously not happy with the Obama administration's policies.

I chuckled while thinking how many of us voted for Obama because he seemed to be the exact opposite of Bush. He is in many, many ways yet in some respects he is not.

Perhaps the most obvious is both believe that what they think is right. Remember when Bush was asked if there was anything he regretted during his term and his answer was "No"? I see that steadfast resolve in Obama. In his recent interview with Diane Sawyer he commented, "I'd rather be a really good one term President than a mediocre two-term President." That's an indication that he believes his policies are the correct ones even as the country continues to protest. If the electorate doesn't see it that way, it's our problem, not his. He's right. On that basis it certainly is our problem!

We see him creeping more to the center when the banking and brokerage bonuses are suddenly acceptable, when he reluctantly allowed, at least partially, the numbers needed for success in Afghanistan, and possibly backtracking on civilian trials for the 9/11 terrorists. I can see Bush's little smirk as I write this.

Where he differs is disturbing. He is now considering advancing his agenda by a series of executive orders. If he really tries to do this expect legal challenges. It would not only be a resounding slap in the face of the American public but also Congress. He was not elected dictator!

The excuse of Republican obstinacy is running thin when Harry Reid throws out a bipartisan jobs bill. The excuse that all our problems stem from the Bush administration would carry more weight had Obama made some progress in correcting them.

We also need to remember as we try to sort through all the finger pointing and blame gaming that the Democrats were in charge of the House and Senate for the last two years of the Bush administration. The legislation in place is courtesy of a Democratic House and Senate even if the Executive branch was Republican.

I'm sorry Mr. Obama is having difficulty governing. He had no practical experience before coming to office and the voters, including myself, should have paid more attention to substance over style.

If the style, as indications show, becomes dictatorial, Mr. Obama will indeed be a one term President. Unfortunately, he won't have been a really good one.

Bow Wow!

Bowing. Is it a sign of respect or a sign of deference? Either way, I don't like it in our President except where it is customary in the country being visited. Like Great Britain and Japan. Even then it requires no more than a slight bow, not a deep one. Part of who we are is that we bow to no one!

Here, however, we have him bowing not only to the Saudi King but the Premier of China, the Mayor of Tampa and Nancy Pelosi. Please! If bowing to Pelosi doesn't look like deference what does?

It may be a natural habit with Obama but it's one he ought to curb. It's all about image and we know that's what he's all about!

If he's going to bow to anyone, it should be to the will of the American people.

Short post today. We're off to Olympia for a funeral. Perhaps that explains my mood.

We Have Nothing To Fear...But The Bush Administration

My more liberal friends, at least those who are still enthralled with President Obama, have continually admonished me to be patient ever since I began hedging my support.

The Obama administration has been in place for a few days shy of a year now. They own it all. Though the "Democratic strategists" who are often foils on the talking head shows don't seem to agree. Have you ever noticed that whenever asked a direct question they always fall back to what the Bush administration did? I've got a hot flash for them. The Bushies have been out of office for a year now!

Rather than "changing" what the Bushies did wrong, it seems to me they are continuing the same practices. Mainly, governing by fear. Take health care. Mandating that everyone buy insurance or face fines or jail time. If that isn't fear, I don't know what is! Add to that the uncertainty of a plan being put together behind closed doors that the President would like to have voted on the day Congress returns. That's darned scary!

That's pretty mild, however, when compared to the national security fiasco. Why is it the American public is being made to pay for their foul ups? It isn't the American public that didn't connect the dots. It was the administration! The Islamic radicals are not boarding planes in this country; they're coming from overseas. Yet we're being put through intrusive hoops of questionable value. It isn't the American public who had a Muslim Major counseling soldiers returning from combat. Counseling them about what? Killing Muslims! It was them!

Somehow they always manage to tie it back to the Bush administration. One thing they won't be able to tie back is the decision to try these Islamic extremists in our civilian courts. What if, just what if, one of them was to be acquitted? Maybe the underwear bomber. Due to inability to prove beyond a reasonable doubt. What we we do with him?

Sorry. This wouldn't even be close to a reasonable question if the Bush administration was still in power. No way. No how. I'm not defending Bush. I am saying Obama is proving to be very much the same. That to me is something to fear.

Loveability And Ability Do Not Equate

Christmas is over. Just like that. After months and months of build up, the day arrives and passes and it's done. People are now out in droves returning unwanted gifts. So much for peace and love. Merry Christmas.

And so too, life goes on. The good and the bad. My cynical self is back. The sleigh bell (note Polar Express) Hub gave me is perched on my computer where I can jingle it in time of need. It will be often used and I will always hear it.

My cynical side surfaced when I read Peggy Noonan's column in this morning's Wall Street Journal. He Just Does What He Thinks Is Right. Had Obama himself written it I'd have thought it the height of ego. What he thinks is right. No matter what part wisdom and the advice emanating from it might be. But it came from a headline writer about the saccharine blathering of Ms. Noonan.

She speaks of the 'love' some still hold for him and how importantly embracing it is when so many are turning against him. I have a feeling that need for 'love' and those who give it blindly will be his downfall. I have a feeling it is part of the reason why he is slow to make decisions and when he does they are not as well studied as he'd like us to believe. One cannot risk the 'love'.

Personally, I don't care to 'love' my President. I want to believe in his abilities. I want to respect him. He has to earn it. It is more than being able to deliver a good speech that is set before him on teleprompters.

That he may be a great guy, is personable and warmer in person than his image indicates is great. So are a lot of people. That does not earn my love. I loved my dog. I love my husband. I love my family. I feel warm and happy and safe and loved in return when in their company. You see there has to be that personal connection. Without this it is not 'love'; it's an illusion. People who crave love tend to surround themselves with those who offer it willingly. That contrivance makes it meaningless except for the ego.

Where has he let me down? Other than the long, agonizing time it took for him to decide to send too few troops to Afghanistan, the most obvious shortfall is his blanket approval of health care which leads me to believe he knows not what all is in the two bills. The importance being that they exist. Not their content.

As importantly is what he said to the world in his Peace Prize speech.

So even as we respect the unique culture and traditions of different countries, America will always be a voice for those aspirations that are universal. We will bear witness to the quiet dignity of reformers like Aung Sang Suu Kyi; to the bravery of Zimbabweans who cast their ballots in the face of beatings; to the hundreds of thousands who have marched silently through the streets of Iran. It is telling that the leaders of these governments fear the aspirations of their own people more than the power of any other nation. And it is the responsibility of all free people and free nations to make clear to these movements that hope and history are on their side.

To date America has been a voice for absolutely nothing. Most vividly the deafening silence supporting the protesters of Iran's oppressive regime. Rhetoric. Actually, as Hillary said during the campaign, "words, nothing but words." Where ever the heck she is!

Without the backing up of words they are meaningless. They seem contrived. Everything is beginning to look like little more than slick orchestrations. Right down to the idea that the Lincoln Bedroom is no longer used for White House guests because the Emancipation Proclamation was signed there.

That is cynicism at it's height. If there is a bright side, I would suppose it's that there is no 'love' lost.

What Is The President Trying To Accomplish?

I really don't understand where the President is coming from. His missteps are becoming legendary in diplomatic circles. He bows to the wrong people. He declined to meet with the Dali Lama, he declined to join the King of Norway for lunch while in Oslo to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He snubbed Gordon Brown.

Now, according to The Wall Street Journal, he has returned a bust of Winston Churchill to the British. This particular bust is from the British government's art collection and was lent to this country by Tony Blair as a sign of solidarity after 9/11. It sat in a place of honor in the Oval Office. Due to be returned after the end of Bush's administration, the British let it be known they'd like the Obama administration to keep it for the same reason. As a sign of solidarity. After all, they are our strongest ally in two wars, just as we were in the days of Churchill.

Bad manners? Yes and no. One, Obama looks to the European Commission as a stronger ally than individual countries. Our alliance with Great Britain is a relic, a thing of the past. Strange, since both France and Germany are not huge fans. It is Britain who has men fighting along side ours.

The second reason, and more troublesome, is a grudge. It seems Mr. Obama has a grudge against Britain for it's colonialist past. During this period his paternal grandfather was labeled a subversive in the Mau Mau rebellion in Kenya, detained and treated accordingly. That is somewhat akin to bearing a grudge against Great Britain for the Revolutionary War!

This from a man who has yet to send a cent to his family members who today live in an impoverished village in Kenya. It seems contrived.

I look at the support we've gotten from European nations as a whole versus what we get consistently from Great Britain and wonder if we're going down the wrong foreign policy path one more time. We picked the wrong side in the internal business of Honduras, the Cubans are unhappy with us again, Iran is seeing how ineffectual we are with quelling North Korea's nuclear ambitions thereby ignoring pleas for negotiations.

Over and above those implications, there is world image. He is no longer viewed as the super star he was. I find myself wondering if he is arrogant or ignorant of the ways of the world. Either way, someone needs to clue him in. Or does he choose not to listen?