As Expected, Liberal Reporters Mock Bush’s 48-State Coalition to Absolve Obama of Failure Abroad | Mediaite

As Expected, Liberal Reporters Mock Bush’s 48-State Coalition to Absolve Obama of Failure Abroad | Mediaite: "But Obama has France, a nation which is always prepared to intervene in its former colonial possessions and nearly nowhere else. America has the support of Syria’s neighbors as well, threatened by a growing refugee problem. And, of course, Obama’s biggest support will come from journalists, eager to protect their creation from the results of his actions.

Among the many empty promises that Obama’s supporters insisted would be fulfilled upon the president’s ascension to his high office in 2008 was a repair of America’s relations with the international community. They promised that Bush’s excesses and “cowboy” attitude had alienated America’s allies and made rapprochement with its adversaries less likely. Today, it is clear those were empty and aspirational statements."

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Among the State Department officials reinstated today is… « The Greenroom

Among the State Department officials reinstated today is… « The Greenroom: "Nearly a full year after the lethal raid, (a) none of the dozens of attackers have been apprehended or dealt with, (b) numerous high-risk diplomatic missions remain woefully unsafe, (c) long-standing questions remain unanswered, as very serious new ones arise, (d) two of the central players in the cover-up have been promoted by the president, and (e) even those few government officials nominally “punished” for this disgraceful meltdown have been reinstated.  Zero accountability."

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Racism Card Looking a Little Dog-Eared - Ann Coulter - Page full

Racism Card Looking a Little Dog-Eared - Ann Coulter - Page full: "When a policy that has saved thousands of black lives is attacked as "racist," the word has no meaning. At this rate, liberals will be claiming that peanut butter sandwiches are racist -- except that wouldn't be as crazy. "

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U2's Bono Hails Capitalism to Help the Hungry

U2's Bono Hails Capitalism to Help the Hungry: "Now, Bono is speaking up in a manner that would make his famous peers go slack-jawed. He says capitalism is the key to helping the poor, not merely handouts.
“Aid is just a stopgap,” he said. “Commerce [and] entrepreneurial capitalism take more people out of poverty than aid. We need Africa to become an economic powerhouse.”"

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Planned Parenthood gets $375,000 from DC ObamaCare exchange « Hot Air

Planned Parenthood gets $375,000 from DC ObamaCare exchange « Hot Air: "Obama did sign the EO on March 24, 2010, after signing the ACA into law.  However, it did nothing to stop the shell game that allows federal subsidies to the nation’s largest abortion-mill chain, as Democrats attempted to do in playing bait-and-switch with Stupak by pushing the Ellsworth amendment in November 2009.  It continues the charade that federal funds received by PP have nothing to do with the hundreds of thousands of abortions it conducts each year as its core business.  This payout by the DC ObamaCare exchange shows just how badly Stupak and other pro-life Democrats got snookered in March 2010."

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Obama to Greece: You know, you guys should really try growing your economy « Hot Air

Obama to Greece: You know, you guys should really try growing your economy « Hot Air: "Except that, there’s the rub: European and liberal economists seems awfully quick to blame the ‘spending cuts and tax increases demanded by creditors’ as the economy’s vanquishers and insist that “austerity is dead!,” instead of blaming — you know — the years and years of wildly unsustainable public spending policies and extravagant promises that landed Greece and others in this situation in the first place. Yes, any significant amount of economic-structural reorganization is going to mean real material hardship in the short-term, but advising more government spending to ‘create jobs’ when it’s the government’s bad habit of insanely exorbitant spending that started it all? That sounds like a punchline to some sort of tragic joke."

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MSNBC’s Now Parodies Itself With Tortured Claim Boston Bombers Were Right-Wing | Mediaite

MSNBC’s Now Parodies Itself With Tortured Claim Boston Bombers Were Right-Wing | Mediaite: "This segment hardly merits debunking. It is laughable on its face and would not be worth a mention but for the fact that so many bright and accomplished journalists, politicians, legal analysts, and opinion leaders seem to view MSNBC’s Now as an appropriate venue to appear on. They validate irresponsible topics of discussion like the one above with their appearances. Segments like these should make the venerable guests who agree to share their insights with Wagner’s audience think twice."

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Kathleen Parker: President Hillary just might save the world, you know « Hot Air

Kathleen Parker: President Hillary just might save the world, you know « Hot Air: "What you’re seeing in columns like this, and in the sort of messianism that greeted O in 2008, is identity not only as a substitute for major career achievements but as something actually superior to them. We don’t need someone with a track record of significant civic, business, or military accomplishments; we need someone who, by virtue of the historic nature of their candidacy and their own iconic persona, will somehow save the world purely by attaining power. It was unconvincing five years ago. It’s less convincing now."

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Sebelius: These uncooperative red states are really making ObamaCare’s implementation “doubly difficult,” you know « Hot Air

Sebelius: These uncooperative red states are really making ObamaCare’s implementation “doubly difficult,” you know « Hot Air: "Drilling through the “misinformation”? Er… really? Is that really the turn of the screw upon which the fate of ObamaCare depends? It couldn’t be that ObamaCare consistently resembles — oh, I don’t know — an overly ambitious, fundamentally flawed, economically harmful, and generally poorly planned raging monster of a legislative package tripping over its own shortcomings, could it?

And is it just me, or is that kind of a bold-faced thing to say a matter of hours after the administration announced that they were arbitrarily delaying the caps on out-of-pocket costs for consumers that are kind of a major component in that whole “affordable” part of the ACA? There have been plenty of problems coming out of enthusiastic blue states about getting insurance companies to comply with the arbitrarily determined caps, but never mind — it’s always going to be those stubborn red states’ fault, natch."

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Rich Lowry: What Obama Can't Admit

Rich Lowry: What Obama Can't Admit: "At least liberal analysts are willing to admit that premiums are going up, which the president can't yet bring himself to do. Jonathan Cohn, a staunch defender of the law at The New Republic, lamented the president's misleading remark at his press conference. He wrote of average listeners: "They'd come away thinking their insurance will be cheaper next year. For some, it won't be. Obama isn't doing himself, or the law, any favors by fostering a false expectation."
But that false expectation, surely, is the entire point, and always has been."

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The Plantation Theory | National Review Online

The Plantation Theory | National Review Online: "And that is what the plantation theory gets wrong. Democrats are not buying black votes with welfare benefits. Democrats appeal to blacks, to other minority groups, and — most significant — to women with rhetoric and policies that promise the mitigation of risk. (Never mind that these policies don’t work — voters never sort that out.) Conservatives routinely generalize our own economic confidence, assuming that it is shared by the general public, with catastrophic political consequences."

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Reid: Hey, ObamaCare is only the first step toward killing the health-insurance industry « Hot Air

Reid: Hey, ObamaCare is only the first step toward killing the health-insurance industry « Hot Air: "What should come after its failure is a reliance on free-market forces, including the end of comprehensive insurance in most cases, replaced by hospitalization coverage and health-savings accounts (HSAs) for Americans to pay retail costs for routine care.  That will force price transparency, which then allows for normal pricing signals to reach the consumer rather than be blocked by third-party payers.  Providers will then compete on price and performance as they should — and as they do in the cosmetic surgery and Lasik markets now. Perhaps this experiment in big-government intervention and market distortion will make an even better argument for that path rather than a government takeover that follows government incompetence and rationing.  We can certainly hope so, anyway."

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Slate Pitches: Online Magazine Confirms Your Bias With Noble Stand Against Washington Redskins’ Name | Mediaite

Slate Pitches: Online Magazine Confirms Your Bias With Noble Stand Against Washington Redskins’ Name | Mediaite: "Maybe Slate will move its readers to support changing the team’s name, but it’s more likely that the vast majority of Slate’s readership already supports their editorial position. Besides reaffirming their belief in the righteousness of this shared creed, it’s hard to identify what Slate has accomplished with this editorial. But everyone feels a little bit better about themselves today, and that is a victory in itself."

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Obama on Obamacare: Promise the impossible, confess impotence, point fingers, repeat « Hot Air

Obama on Obamacare: Promise the impossible, confess impotence, point fingers, repeat « Hot Air: "There is also serious concern, conceded by supporters of the law, about whether young, healthy people needed to prop up the system will actually get into the system. Economically, it makes far more sense for them to pay a relatively cheap mandate fine for not having insurance than to buy much more expensive insurance (even when accounting for subsidies) when they hardly ever get sick. And, when they do get sick, thanks to Obamacare, they can require any insurer to cover them because of the pre-existing conditions stipulation. Where is the incentive to sign up?"

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'Elysium' Review: Socialism 101 Bogged Down by Sorry Script, Story

'Elysium' Review: Socialism 101 Bogged Down by Sorry Script, Story: "Elysium is a joyless cry for open borders, universal health care and damning the rich, one that doesn't remotely care about the consequences of such actions. The film feels like the work of a liberal artist who has been cocooned in his ideology for decades and can't fathom any opposing thoughts. Yet Blomkamp is a relatively young man, and a promising auteur who does sizable damage to that reputation with Elysium."

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Powers: It’s “Democratic ladies” pushing ignorance in the abortion debate « Hot Air

Powers: It’s “Democratic ladies” pushing ignorance in the abortion debate « Hot Air: "When you are pulling the Catholic card to defend your support of unrestricted late-term abortion, you’ve officially gone off the rails."

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The Magical Economy Tour continues on Leno tonight « Hot Air

The Magical Economy Tour continues on Leno tonight « Hot Air: "Don’t be too quick to laugh, though.  Obama received a tremendous amount of criticism for eschewing serious media outlets during the 2012 campaign for appearances on frothy shows like Entertainment Tonight and glossy celeb magazines like People.  That turned out to be a good strategy for engaging low-information voters, thanks to softball interviewers and mass-publication outreach.  This is a repeat of that strategy, although one perhaps forced on Obama after the more serious news outlets lost interest in his retread speech and proposals.  Unless Republicans follow up with their own appearances on the entertainment-media circuit, Obama will have the floor to himself … like 2012."

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Nurse: Filner offered to help brain-damaged Marine — if I promised to have dinner with him « Hot Air

Nurse: Filner offered to help brain-damaged Marine — if I promised to have dinner with him « Hot Air: "Said Raggazino, the Marine, “I don’t appreciate being used as a bargaining chip to fulfill his sexual desires.” When was the last time America saw a sex-related political scandal quite this noxious? I say “sex-related” because it’s not a “sex scandal”; there’s nothing consensual about any of it. It’s a harassment scandal that’s related to sex. But maybe that’s a misnomer too. Note that Tyler doesn’t say that Filner demanded sex outright; he wanted her to “spend personal time” with him but also to “be seen in public with him.” Seems like he was getting off on the ego stroke in wielding his power as mayor as much as, if not more than, the sexual thrill. "

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CO lawmakers granted immunity from parking, speeding tickets while happily gouging the little people with them « Hot Air

CO lawmakers granted immunity from parking, speeding tickets while happily gouging the little people with them « Hot Air: "Or, maybe not. A 2012 report, also from the local CBS affiliate finds the state has gotten better and better at gouging citizens for “improper use of a meter,” sometimes while they’re at a government building waiting to pay their parking tickets, and other such tiny infractions while they give the big guys a pass."

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Weiner to 69-year-old at AARP event: “What are you going to do about it, grandpa?” « Hot Air

Weiner to 69-year-old at AARP event: “What are you going to do about it, grandpa?” « Hot Air: "I wonder if Spitzer, who broke the law he swore to uphold to get sexual satisfaction, has ever had someone get in his face like that. What is it about Weiner? Is it just that he’s especially bad at feigning shame? Is it that he has no record to run on, so voters feel less compunction in treating him like the sleazy careerist pol that he is? Is it just the name? Clinton’s sex scandals would have had more traction if he’d been “Bill Scrotum,” I suppose. (President Scrotum?) Exit question: What makes Weiner such an irresistible target?"

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Video: Beware the Fatberg … really « The Greenroom

Video: Beware the Fatberg … really « The Greenroom: "On Tuesday, utility officials announced the discovery of a 16.5-ton “fatberg” composed of congealed fat and wet wipes blocking the sewers underneath the Kingston neighborhood in southwest London."

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Best of the Web Today: True 'Lies' - WSJ.com

Best of the Web Today: True 'Lies' - WSJ.com: "So the Walker reforms are not only saving taxpayers money but compelling unions to become responsive to the interests of workers. Sounds like a winner all the way around."

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Pressing the placebo buttons « Hot Air

Pressing the placebo buttons « Hot Air: "Question for discussion: does this story have the ring of truth to it for you? And if so, can you think of any other examples? The first one that jumped to mind for me was the “clear print job” on the printer which you frantically try to push after accidentally sending the entire 370 page pdf to the laser jet instead of just page 59. In the end I always wind up unplugging it anyway."

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George Will: If he thinks libertarianism a “dangerous thought,” people may think Christie himself is “dangerous” « Hot Air

George Will: If he thinks libertarianism a “dangerous thought,” people may think Christie himself is “dangerous” « Hot Air: "There is a rising libertarian stream that Chris Christie has said is a very “dangerous thought,” so let’s be clear about what libertarianism is and what it isn’t. It is not anarchism, it has a role for government. What libertarianism says, it comes in many flavors and many degrees of severity. It basically says, before the government bridges the freedom of an individual, or the freedom of several individuals contracting together, that government ought to have, A, a compelling reason, and B, a constitutional warrant for doing so. Now, if Mr. Christie thinks that’s a “dangerous thought,” a number of people are going to start saying Mr. Christie himself may be dangerous."

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Pentagon agency accused of refusing to ID Honored Dead of WWII « Hot Air

Pentagon agency accused of refusing to ID Honored Dead of WWII « Hot Air: "Stone has been using such “questionable” tactics and analysis as matching the initials on a cigarette case found on the body of one sailor off the Arizona to the initials of the only unaccounted for sailor from that ship who had those initials. Yet the agency would not approve a request to ask the family for DNA to make the match. In another case, he identified one set of remains from an extremely short American with medium ash brown hair, killed in battle on the Pacific island of Tarawa. Of the missing from that fight, it narrowed his search down to only two heroes, one enlisted and one an officer. The body had officer insignia in a pocket of the uniform. How would you not pursue a match like that? Yet the agency again refused. In fact, as you’ll find in his report, JPAC refused each and every one of his more than 100 requests for DNA match testing, saying that they wouldn’t be doing any more research based on “biometric” data investigations."

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Chuck Schumer and the great Greek-yogurt grift « Hot Air

Chuck Schumer and the great Greek-yogurt grift « Hot Air: "Every time I walk into a Whole Foods or some high-end grocery store, there are something like eight different brands of Greek yogurt occupying the dairy shelves. The stuff is all the health-food rage right now, and the Greek-yogurt market is clearly a pretty competitive micro-industry. I have no doubts in my mind that Chobani would not merely like to secure a cozy government contract for themselves, but also deny it to their several competitors, by whatever rent-seeking means necessary — and as much as people like to blame businesses for this type of thing, a big government that creates and caters to the opportunity to do so is the real root of the problem."

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Ann Coulter: Unsung black people

Ann Coulter: Unsung black people: "Whites never need to be brave this way. There's absolutely no pressure on white people to root for their race. In fact, there's often pressure to root against their race. Instead of being asked to weep over President Obama's ever having been looked at suspiciously (probably by Jesse Jackson), could we reflect on the fortitude of ordinary black citizens who resist "racial solidarity" and speak the truth? "

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Howard Dean: Meh, Rand Paul isn’t really a libertarian, ’cause he’s pro-life « Hot Air

Howard Dean: Meh, Rand Paul isn’t really a libertarian, ’cause he’s pro-life « Hot Air: "First of all, no, I don’t know that we would classify Rand Paul as a full-blown, isolationist libertarian looking for a major retrenchment away from the world, and you could reasonably mention that point when the issue at hand is the recent foreign-policy tiff with Chris Christie in the neoconservative corner and Paul representing the recent libertarian-leaning shift. But, why on earth bring up abortion as a libertarian disqualifier in a conversation in which we’re discussing the two sides of the GOP’s national-security spectrum? A, how does it apply? And B, since when can libertarians not be pro-life? I’m pretty sure if Howard Dean thought about it for a moment, he could rationally conceive of why there’s still plenty of debate on abortion among the libertarian set — “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” no?"

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