Political Digest September 16, 2009

Soldier’s Funerals
A few years ago, statists and their media sycophants were bashing Bush for not going to the funerals of troops killed in Iraq. Pointing out to them that it would create a media and security circus that would intrude badly on the families, and that no president in recent memory had attended military funerals of troops KIA made zero impact. It proved how insensitive Bush was. Now that Obama is president, I don’t see him going to funerals of troops killed in Afghanistan. That’s perfectly correct on his part. Apparently the left thinks so as well. At least, I haven’t heard them complaining about how insensitive he is.

Biden Makes Unannounced Trip to Baghdad
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/15/AR2009091500992.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
So, is this a diabolical attempt to confuse al Qaeda, or a diabolical attempt to get rid of Biden so Van Jones can become Veep? 'You Lie!' Shout Brings

Vote on Sanction
Racial Issue Simmers as Black Democrats Lead Push Against Wilson
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/09/14/AR2009091403567.html?wpisrc=newsletter&wpisrc=newsletter
See, Wilson did it because BO is half black. And, of course, the Democrat Congressmen who booed Bush, or Republicans who booed Clinton, did it because they are white. Meanwhile, I saw a press report that Wilson had raised $1M in campaign contributions, twice as much as his challenger. That will be the most-watched House race in the country in 2010.

Democrats see race factor for Barack Obama foes
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0909/27120.html
Playing the race card, thus feeding racism. Can’t be we think the policies are bad, they are perfect, so it must be race. HillaryCare was, therefore, defeated because she…white? Reminds me of the black guy who was arrested election night in Chicago for waving an unlicensed handgun around. Claimed the cops arrested him because Obama got elected. The more blacks play the race card when it isn’t racism, the more racism they breed. It’s hopeless.

Baucus Plan Draws Fire From all Sides
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/09/15/baucus_plan_draws_fire_from_al.html?wprss=44
Excerpt: Baucus' fellow Democrats have concerns of their own, the Wall Street Journal writes. Ron Wyden fears that the plan's subsidies would be too small to make coverage affordable. And John Kerry doesn't like the new taxes being used to pay for reform, including a levy on the most expensive health plans. They and other Democrats will likely offer numerous amendments to Baucus' bill during markup.

Broken trigger: Another false Obama promise
http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Broken+trigger%3A+Another+false+Obama+promise&articleId=e537d30d-28a1-439c-97f0-ee7537c2ce8b
Excerpt: There's just one problem with such triggers. They don't work.The New York Times reported on Friday that "once in law, such automatic triggers have not proved effective as a way to reduce federal spending. In the past, Congress and the White House have simply overridden or ignored them."

A Skeptical Take on Global Warming
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/capitalweathergang/2009/09/a_skeptical_perspective_on_glo.html
Excerpt: This Capital Weather Gang blog entry is written with considerable trepidation given the politically-charged atmosphere surrounding human-induced global warming. I am a meteorologist with a life-long weather fascination. As I'm sure you know, meteorology is an inexact science due to the large number of variables involved in predicting and understanding the weather. I frequently say that weather forecasting is a humbling endeavor, and I have learned to respect its challenges. From this perspective, you might be able to better understand why I wince when hearing pronouncements such as "the science is settled", "the debate is over", or even the "the temperature in the 2050s is projected to be..." I realize that forecasting climate and weather are different, but both involve a large number of moving parts. There are numerous reasons why I question the consensus view on human-induced climate change covered extensively on this blog…

Obama vs. Immigrants?
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/sep/15/obama-aide-calls-e-verify-reliable/?source=newsletter_must-read-stories-today_more_news_carousel
Excerpt: President Obama's new director of Citizenship and Immigration Services on Monday defended the accuracy of E-Verify, the government's electronic verification system for workers, putting himself at odds with immigrant rights groups that have been strong supporters of the president. Expanding E-Verify is one of several immigrant enforcement moves the Obama administration has made that have caused alarm among rights and immigrant advocates. Those groups had hoped Mr. Obama would move early to overhaul the nation's immigration laws and give the nation's illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. But Alejandro Mayorkas, who was sworn in last month as director of USCIS, said the agency is continuing to improve the system and get it ready in case Congress mandates it for all U.S. businesses as part of an eventual immigration overhaul. The Obama administration has expanded use of the system, which matches workers' Social Security numbers against a database to determine whether they are eligible to work. (Bet they cave.)

Rules of Engagement and Other Stupid Decisions
http://www.rightsidenews.com/200909136420/editorial/rules-of-engagement-and-other-stupid-decisions.html
Excerpt: By now you have heard the story. Taliban insurgents ambushed a 13-man team of U.S. Marine and Army advisors assigned to the Afghan National Army as they approached a small hamlet. Repeatedly the Marines called for artillery support that was denied by their commanders and helicopter gunship support that took more than one hour to arrive. The refused support and slow air response caused the unit to suffer eight Afghan soldiers, one interpreter and four Marines to be killed in action. The uproar across the military community has been deafening and the NATO commanded forces are now investigating why commanding officers rejected repeated calls for artillery fire. They are also looking into the reason why close air support that was supposed to be no more than five minutes away took more than one hour to reach the scene of the battle.

A Stable Pakistan Needs a Stable Afghanistan
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204731804574386602057103982.html
Excerpt: Critics of the war have suggested we should draw down our troops and force Pakistan to play a larger role in eliminating radical extremists. American concerns about al Qaeda and Taliban operating from Pakistani bases have led to the conventional wisdom that Pakistan matters to the U.S. because of what it could do to help—or hurt—in Afghanistan. The conventional wisdom is wrong as usual. Pakistan is important because it is a country of 180 million Muslims with nuclear weapons and multiple terrorist groups engaged in a mini-arms race and periodic military encounters with India—the world's most populous state and one of America's most important economic and strategic partners. Pakistan has made remarkable progress over the last year in its efforts against Islamist insurgent groups that threatened to destroy it. But the fight against those groups takes place on both sides of the border. The debate over whether to commit the resources necessary to succeed in Afghanistan must recognize the extreme danger that a withdrawal or failure in Afghanistan would pose to the stability of Pakistan.

Rules of Engagement
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574398772057266610.html
Excerpt: Britain's lack of helicopters and armored vehicles in Afghanistan is illustrative. British troops have been fighting valiantly in Helmand Province and elsewhere, but they could benefit greatly from airlift and transportation that their allies could help provide -­ if Paris, Berlin, Rome and other capitals would let their troops do so. In theory, all the troops in theater operate under uniform rules of engagement laid down by the command of the International Security Assistance Force, or ISAF. In practice, NATO countries in Afghanistan are shackled by nationally mandated restrictions, known as "caveats," on where they may go and in which types of operations they may engage. The chief caveats are geographic, with the major European powers and their materiel largely relegated to their regional corners of Afghanistan.

To fix health care, first fix the broken immigration system
http://www.frontpagemag.com/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=36290
Excerpt: A total of 43 percent of non-citizens lack health insurance, compared to just 12.7 percent of native-born Americans. These uninsured immigrants impose huge strains on our healthcare system that helped create the crisis we currently face. Plenty of analysts and commentators have exposed how illegal aliens will receive healthcare under ObamaCare. They point out that while the House version of the plan, H.R. 3200, claims to prohibit illegal aliens from receiving benefits, the Democrats repeatedly blocked amendments that would screen for the illegals. Steve Camorata of the Center for Immigration Studies recently estimated that 6.6 million illegal aliens will be eligible for public healthcare if the bill passes. This is an outrage for hardworking Americans, but I’d like to focus on two other important but largely ignored aspects of our immigration crisis that will cost taxpayers billions of dollars if Obama’s healthcare boondoggle is passed.

Fables for Adults
http://townhall.com/columnists/ThomasSowell/2009/09/15/fables_for_adults
Excerpt: The most childish of all the things being said in the august setting of a joint session of Congress last week was that millions of people can be added to the government's health insurance plan without increasing the federal deficit at all. If the President of the United States could do that, it is hard to imagine what he would do as an encore. Walking on water would be an anticlimax. (The only reason Democrats won’t implement Sowell’s policies is because he’s black and they are racists. Well, that’s what they call us for opposing Obama’s policies.) Another day, another ACORN expose — this time in New Yorkhttp://newsrealblog.com/2009/09/14/another-day-another-acorn-expose-this-time-in-new-york/Excerpt: Like the previous videos shot in ACORN offices in Baltimore and Washington, DC, this one shows ACORN employees in New York, willing and eager to use taxpayer money to fund brothels full of underage girls. (You against under-age hookers? You must be racists!)

Health care reform faces inconvenient questions
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/Health-care-reform-faces-inconvenient-questions-8227772.html
Excerpt: Now that President Obama has outlined his goals for an overhaul of the American health care system, Democrats are trying to fashion new legislation that will include all of Obama's aims. The president wants a new government-run insurance program, additional regulations for the insurance industry and rules requiring all Americans to buy insurance if they can afford it or be given coverage if they can't. Obama's plan draws elements from the multiple bills in Congress. But in trying to merge the ideas into a compromise bill, Democratic leaders face a series of inconvenient questions.

Senate de-funds ACORN, but seven stand by them
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Senate-de-funds-ACORN-but-seven-stand-by-them-59277612.html
Excerpt: The Senate has voted overwhelmingly to strip ACORN of funding in the Transportation/Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. After ACORN workers were caught on tape in three cities allegedly abetting what they believed was a fraudulent mortgage and sex-trafficking scheme, only seven senators were willing to stand by them: Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., Roland Burris, D-Ill., Dick Durbin, D-Ill, Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, Patrick Leahy, D-Vt, Bob Casey, D-Pa, Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y. Not voting were Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., and Sen. Robert Byrd, D-W.Va. The key now is to see whether Democrats try to strip out this provision later in a House-Senate conference committee.