Sarah Palin ridiculed President Barack Obama at a conservative bloggers conference Friday for his "cocaine snorting" and eating dog as a child.
John McCain: It’s ‘Shameful’ That U.S. Won’t Arm Syria Rebels
On June - 17 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain says the lack of U.S. aid to Syrian rebels is "shameful," and that helping the opposition would be the biggest blow to Iran in 25 years.
The United States has refused to arm Syrian rebels in part to avoid a proxy fight with Iran and Russia, which back the Syrian government. The crisis in Syria is likely to come up when President Barack Obama meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Mexico on Monday.
McCain tells NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that members of the Syrian opposition are being "killed and massacred and tortured and raped" and "the fact that Americans aren't helping them is shameful."
Syrian activists say the rebel-held areas in Homs have been under attack for a week.
Independents Say Obama Hurts Job Creation
On June - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Samuel Jacobs, Reuters
With President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney delivering dueling visions for the U.S. economy in speeches on Thursday, a majority of independents said that Obama's policies have made it harder for Americans to gain employment, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Friday.Fifty-two percent of independents said they agreed with the idea that the president has not helped create more jobs in America, an argument central to Romney's campaign.
With President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney delivering dueling visions for the U.S. economy in speeches on Thursday, a majority of independents said that Obama's policies have made it harder for Americans to gain employment, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Friday.Fifty-two percent of independents said they agreed with the idea that the president has not helped create more jobs in America, an argument central to Romney's campaign.
Behind the Right Wing Dissing of the President
On June - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Dean Obeidallah, CNN
A reporter from a right-wing media outlet heckled President Obama -- not once, but twice -- on Friday as he was unveiling a new immigration policy. If this shocks you, you haven't been paying attention. This is simply the latest page from the right's playbook to delegitimize Barack Obama's presidency.Some may dismiss it as an isolated incident, but it's not. It goes much deeper. Believe me, I know hecklers -- I'm a stand-up comedian. If someone heckles me once, it can be a mistake: too many drinks, overcome by emotion, etc. But when you heckle twice, you have an...
A reporter from a right-wing media outlet heckled President Obama -- not once, but twice -- on Friday as he was unveiling a new immigration policy. If this shocks you, you haven't been paying attention. This is simply the latest page from the right's playbook to delegitimize Barack Obama's presidency.Some may dismiss it as an isolated incident, but it's not. It goes much deeper. Believe me, I know hecklers -- I'm a stand-up comedian. If someone heckles me once, it can be a mistake: too many drinks, overcome by emotion, etc. But when you heckle twice, you have an...
Why Romney Is the Favorite
On June - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Peter Wehner, Commentary
Why is Barack Obama’s road to re-election so steep and uncertain at this stage?There are five important reasons.1. An indefensible record. Every election which features an incumbent is, at least in good measure, a referendum on the record of the incumbent. The problem facing Obama is that he can’t offer a convincing case that his policies have succeeded. Recall that at the outset of his presidency, Obama told NBC’s Matt Lauer, “I will be held accountable. I’ve got four years… If I don’t have this done in three...
Why is Barack Obama’s road to re-election so steep and uncertain at this stage?There are five important reasons.1. An indefensible record. Every election which features an incumbent is, at least in good measure, a referendum on the record of the incumbent. The problem facing Obama is that he can’t offer a convincing case that his policies have succeeded. Recall that at the outset of his presidency, Obama told NBC’s Matt Lauer, “I will be held accountable. I’ve got four years… If I don’t have this done in three...
The President Is Running on Empty
On June - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
John Podhoretz, New York Post
Man, is Barack Obama running dry. The president gave a speech about the economy yesterday to put his stumbling campaign on a strong new footing — and cribbed most of it from speeches he delivered last year.OK, presidents repeat themselves; it’s no crime. But they tend to repeat themselves when they’re trying to advance a specific argument, piece of legislation, or cause — and they tend to repeat their strongest and most potent points in an effort to win that argument.
Man, is Barack Obama running dry. The president gave a speech about the economy yesterday to put his stumbling campaign on a strong new footing — and cribbed most of it from speeches he delivered last year.OK, presidents repeat themselves; it’s no crime. But they tend to repeat themselves when they’re trying to advance a specific argument, piece of legislation, or cause — and they tend to repeat their strongest and most potent points in an effort to win that argument.
Obama Listens to Rich Liberals, at His Peril
On June - 14 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Michael Barone, DC Examiner
Who does Barack Obama listen to? Not Republican politicians. Evidently weeks go by between his conversations with Speaker John Boehner, who determines what legislation comes to the House floor.Not Democratic politicians. We have it on good authority that he seldom talks to Democratic members of Congress. Lyndon Johnson used to be on the phone constantly, cajoling and inveigling but also on the alert for shifts in opinion.
Who does Barack Obama listen to? Not Republican politicians. Evidently weeks go by between his conversations with Speaker John Boehner, who determines what legislation comes to the House floor.Not Democratic politicians. We have it on good authority that he seldom talks to Democratic members of Congress. Lyndon Johnson used to be on the phone constantly, cajoling and inveigling but also on the alert for shifts in opinion.
Would Truman Blame Paris?
On June - 13 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal
The Europe of Charlemagne, Marco Polo and Churchill, after millennia of undoubted achievement, has finally spent itself to the verge of collapse and irrelevance. Witnessing this historic catastrophe, Barack Obama, the president of the United States, is complaining that it's bad for business in Pittsburgh. What electorates in Europe and here have long suspected is proven true. Ours is the age of small men.Europe is in the grip of a financial plague wiping out a generation of wealth and opportunity for millions of its citizens and threatening the world's economies. Does anyone believe...
The Europe of Charlemagne, Marco Polo and Churchill, after millennia of undoubted achievement, has finally spent itself to the verge of collapse and irrelevance. Witnessing this historic catastrophe, Barack Obama, the president of the United States, is complaining that it's bad for business in Pittsburgh. What electorates in Europe and here have long suspected is proven true. Ours is the age of small men.Europe is in the grip of a financial plague wiping out a generation of wealth and opportunity for millions of its citizens and threatening the world's economies. Does anyone believe...
Obama Listens to Rich Liberals, at His Peril
On June - 13 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Michael Barone, DC Examiner
Who does Barack Obama listen to?Not Republican politicians. Evidently weeks go by between his conversations with Speaker John Boehner, who determines what legislation comes to the House floor.Not Democratic politicians. We have it on good authority that he seldom talks to Democratic members of Congress. Lyndon Johnson used to be on the phone constantly, cajoling and inveigling but also on the alert for shifts in opinion.
Who does Barack Obama listen to?Not Republican politicians. Evidently weeks go by between his conversations with Speaker John Boehner, who determines what legislation comes to the House floor.Not Democratic politicians. We have it on good authority that he seldom talks to Democratic members of Congress. Lyndon Johnson used to be on the phone constantly, cajoling and inveigling but also on the alert for shifts in opinion.
A Rising GOP Tide & Romney’s Opportunity
On June - 11 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Thomas McClanahan, KC Star
Like a change of momentum in a big game, the last two weeks have brought an almost palpable shift — and for President Barack Obama, a long-running nightmare of bad news. The economy, which had been strengthening, suddenly downshifted. The jobless rate ticked up. Growth estimates were revised down.The political significance of events comes not in the snapshot but in the trend, and when a favorable trend for an incumbent suddenly breaks and turns bad, the effect can be politically devastating. Supporters lose hope. Once-friendly pundits turn away, giving permission to others to do the...
Like a change of momentum in a big game, the last two weeks have brought an almost palpable shift — and for President Barack Obama, a long-running nightmare of bad news. The economy, which had been strengthening, suddenly downshifted. The jobless rate ticked up. Growth estimates were revised down.The political significance of events comes not in the snapshot but in the trend, and when a favorable trend for an incumbent suddenly breaks and turns bad, the effect can be politically devastating. Supporters lose hope. Once-friendly pundits turn away, giving permission to others to do the...
Republicans’ California Opportunity
On June - 10 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Michael Barone, DC Examiner
We pundits have been busy crunching the results in last Tuesday's Wisconsin recall election and have noted that the public-employee unions sustained a huge defeat.Some have also looked west, to California, where San Diego and San Jose voters Tuesday voted 66 and 69 percent to cut back public-employee pensions. Those cities voted 63 and 69 percent for Barack Obama in 2008.But there's something else worth noting in the California returns. State voters adopted a new primary procedure, in which the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, go on to the general election.Washington state...
We pundits have been busy crunching the results in last Tuesday's Wisconsin recall election and have noted that the public-employee unions sustained a huge defeat.Some have also looked west, to California, where San Diego and San Jose voters Tuesday voted 66 and 69 percent to cut back public-employee pensions. Those cities voted 63 and 69 percent for Barack Obama in 2008.But there's something else worth noting in the California returns. State voters adopted a new primary procedure, in which the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, go on to the general election.Washington state...
How the Gay-Rights Movement Won
On June - 9 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
E.J. Graff, American Prospect
Fifty years ago, being gay put you beyond the social pale. You could be savagely beaten, kicked out of public spaces and private clubs, arrested, fired, expelled from your family, and scorned as a pariah. Today, lesbians and gay men are all but equal, with full marriage rights in view—supported by President Barack Obama in action and words. How did we win so much so fast?It’s a natural question after any major social change, especially for those hoping to apply the lessons elsewhere. How did smoking go from ubiquitous to despised? Why did feminism and black civil rights...
Fifty years ago, being gay put you beyond the social pale. You could be savagely beaten, kicked out of public spaces and private clubs, arrested, fired, expelled from your family, and scorned as a pariah. Today, lesbians and gay men are all but equal, with full marriage rights in view—supported by President Barack Obama in action and words. How did we win so much so fast?It’s a natural question after any major social change, especially for those hoping to apply the lessons elsewhere. How did smoking go from ubiquitous to despised? Why did feminism and black civil rights...
Obama the Amateur: What Bill Clinton Means
On June - 8 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Neal Boortz, Nealz Nuze
For the past 18 hours or so I've been watching various pundits try to analyze Bill Clinton's so-called "apology" to Barack Obama? Apology for what? Apology for suggesting that now, while we're in a recession and trying to find the key to growing our economy, might not be a good time to raise taxes on the rich. So naturally the Obama people contacted the Clinton people to ask them just what in the hell they're trying to do? Obama's one constant theme since he was sworn in is that the rich "“ the people...
For the past 18 hours or so I've been watching various pundits try to analyze Bill Clinton's so-called "apology" to Barack Obama? Apology for what? Apology for suggesting that now, while we're in a recession and trying to find the key to growing our economy, might not be a good time to raise taxes on the rich. So naturally the Obama people contacted the Clinton people to ask them just what in the hell they're trying to do? Obama's one constant theme since he was sworn in is that the rich "“ the people...
Mitt Romney: "More Hispanics have fallen into poverty under Obama."
On June - 8 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Romney ad says more Hispanics are in poverty since Obama took office
In a new Web ad, the Romney campaign questions how Hispanics in the U.S. have fared under President Barack Obama. The ad, titled "Dismal," flashes shadowy faces of Latinos along with text citing rising unemployment and poverty rates in that minority group. The statistics are bookended by clips from Obama’s own Spanish-language ads that say the country is moving in the right direction. "Really?" the ad asks. We decided to take a look at one of those statistical claims, specifically that "more Hispanics have fallen into poverty under Obama."
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Barack Obama: "When Mitt Romney was governor, Massachusetts lost 40,000 manufacturing jobs, a rate twice the national average."
On June - 8 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Half-True | Barack Obama ad says manufacturing jobs fared worse in Massachusetts under Romney
President Barack Obama’s campaign took aim at Mitt Romney’s economic record as governor of Massachusetts in a television ad released June 4, 2012. The campaign is paying a reported $10 million to air the ad in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. One of the claims: "When Mitt Romney was governor, Massachusetts lost 40,000 manufacturing jobs, a rate twice the national average." We'll examine this claim in two parts: Are the numbers right? And is Romney to blame? We turned to the ...
>> MoreObama Has Always Been a Divider
On June - 7 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Thomas Sowell, Investor's Business Daily
Among the people who are disappointed with President Obama, none has more reason to be disappointed than those who thought he was going to be "a uniter, rather than a divider" and that he would "bring us all together."It was a noble hope, but one with no factual foundation. Barack Obama had been a divider all his adult life, especially as a community organizer, and he had repeatedly sought out and allied himself with other dividers, the most blatant of whom was the man whose church he attend for 20 years, Jeremiah Wright.Now, with his presidency on the line and the polls...
Among the people who are disappointed with President Obama, none has more reason to be disappointed than those who thought he was going to be "a uniter, rather than a divider" and that he would "bring us all together."It was a noble hope, but one with no factual foundation. Barack Obama had been a divider all his adult life, especially as a community organizer, and he had repeatedly sought out and allied himself with other dividers, the most blatant of whom was the man whose church he attend for 20 years, Jeremiah Wright.Now, with his presidency on the line and the polls...
Gary Johnson: "Right now, I’m polling at about 8 percent" against Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
On June - 6 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Truth-o-Meter says: Mostly False | Gary Johnson tells Jon Stewart he has 8 percent support nationally
During the June 5, 2012, edition of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Gary Johnson, the former Republican governor of New Mexico now running for president as a Libertarian, discussed how much support he needs to secure a spot on the debate stage this fall. "How do you get onto the debate? How can you become like Ross Perot did and get included in the national debate?" Stewart asked, referring to the third-party candidate who was invited to the 1992 presidential debates with President George H.W. Bush and his Democratic challenger, Bill Clinton.
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Ex-CIA Official: Drone Attacks Create Terrorist Safe Havens
On June - 5 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
A former top terrorism official at the CIA has warned that President Barack Obama's controversial drone program is far too indiscriminate in hitting targets and could lead to such political instability that it creates terrorist safe havens.
Obama Following in McGovern’s Footsteps
On June - 5 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh PG
President Barack Obama is racing down the trail blazed by Sen. George McGovern, who in 1972 was buried by the largest popular vote landslide in American history. (President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 won a slightly higher percentage of the popular vote than Richard Nixon did in 1972, but LBJ's margin over Sen. Barry Goldwater was smaller.) Sen. McGovern was too far to the left, swing voters thought, and not very competent -- an image reinforced by the shambles his supporters made of the Democratic national convention.Swing voters are forming a similar opinion about President Obama, who...
President Barack Obama is racing down the trail blazed by Sen. George McGovern, who in 1972 was buried by the largest popular vote landslide in American history. (President Lyndon Johnson in 1964 won a slightly higher percentage of the popular vote than Richard Nixon did in 1972, but LBJ's margin over Sen. Barry Goldwater was smaller.) Sen. McGovern was too far to the left, swing voters thought, and not very competent -- an image reinforced by the shambles his supporters made of the Democratic national convention.Swing voters are forming a similar opinion about President Obama, who...
Barack Obama: Drone Warrior
On May - 31 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
A very strange story, that 6,000-word front-page New York Times piece on how, every Tuesday, Barack Obama shuffles “baseball cards” with the pictures and bios of suspected terrorists from around the world and chooses who shall die by drone strike. He even reserves for himself the decision of whether to proceed when the probability of killing family members or bystanders is significant.
A very strange story, that 6,000-word front-page New York Times piece on how, every Tuesday, Barack Obama shuffles “baseball cards” with the pictures and bios of suspected terrorists from around the world and chooses who shall die by drone strike. He even reserves for himself the decision of whether to proceed when the probability of killing family members or bystanders is significant.
Why I Joined GOP & Stopped Supporting Obama
On May - 31 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Artur Davis, FOX News
Fmr. Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) explains his party switch on FOX News with Neil Cavuto. Cavuto: Artur, good to have you. Why this move? Davis: Neil, good to talk to you. You know, I've made a move I think that millions of Americans have made in the last several years. Fifty-three percent of people in this country voted for Barack Obama. At the time, 51 percent said they were Democrats. Well, those numbers have gone south in the last several years. So, I'm one of millions of people who, frankly, didn't get what we voted for. A lot of people in my old state of Alabama, 15...
Fmr. Rep. Artur Davis (D-Ala.) explains his party switch on FOX News with Neil Cavuto. Cavuto: Artur, good to have you. Why this move? Davis: Neil, good to talk to you. You know, I've made a move I think that millions of Americans have made in the last several years. Fifty-three percent of people in this country voted for Barack Obama. At the time, 51 percent said they were Democrats. Well, those numbers have gone south in the last several years. So, I'm one of millions of people who, frankly, didn't get what we voted for. A lot of people in my old state of Alabama, 15...
Church Is Still Not State
On May - 30 - 2012 1 COMMENT
Daniel Henninger, Wall Street Journal
How ironic it will be if Catholic voters, about 27% of the electorate, put the first Mormon in the White House some 50 years after John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic president. More telling, though, about the current state of the American mind will be the fact that after more than a thousand days and events in Barack Obama's presidency, the reason for this result will be an unexpected reaffirmation of an American principle older than the country's first presidential election: the free exercise of religion.Also telling about the current American mind is that the Democratic...
How ironic it will be if Catholic voters, about 27% of the electorate, put the first Mormon in the White House some 50 years after John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic president. More telling, though, about the current state of the American mind will be the fact that after more than a thousand days and events in Barack Obama's presidency, the reason for this result will be an unexpected reaffirmation of an American principle older than the country's first presidential election: the free exercise of religion.Also telling about the current American mind is that the Democratic...
Obama Campaign May Be Fooling Itself
On May - 30 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Michael Barone, DC Examiner
"Axelrod is endeavoring not to panic." So reads a sentence in John Heilemann's exhaustive article on Barack Obama's campaign in this week's New York magazine.Heilemann is a fine reporter and was co-author with Time's Mark Halperin of a best-selling book on the 2008 presidential campaign. While his sympathies are undoubtedly with Obama, he does a fine job of summarizing the arguments and tactics of both sides.
"Axelrod is endeavoring not to panic." So reads a sentence in John Heilemann's exhaustive article on Barack Obama's campaign in this week's New York magazine.Heilemann is a fine reporter and was co-author with Time's Mark Halperin of a best-selling book on the 2008 presidential campaign. While his sympathies are undoubtedly with Obama, he does a fine job of summarizing the arguments and tactics of both sides.
Huckabee Issues Response To Dem’s Birther Charge
On May - 30 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Prior to tonight's 2012 New Hampshire GOP Victory Dinner, where former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee spoke to a crowd of more than 700 Republicans, Raymond Buckley, head of the NH Democratic Party, suggested the former Arkansas governor's views fall in line with Donald Trump's in terms of the theory that Barack Obama was born outside the United States.
