Political Digest for August 24, 2012

The Old Jarhead Blog: Bringing you news and information the MSM is too busy covering American Idol, celebrity affairs and sensational missing person cases to cover. Please forward to friends who need to be informed.

I post articles because I think they are of interest. Doing so doesn’t mean that I necessarily agree (or disagree) with every—or any—opinion in the posted article, or that I was able to verify the information present, which is the responsibility of the author. In some cases I post things sent to me by readers I might not have posted on my own, to get ideas circulating.

Charities I support

http://tartanmarine.blogspot.com/2011/09/charities-i-support.html

Worth Reading: Ten Myths in the Medicare Ad Wars. By John C Goodman

http://www.ncpa.org/commentaries/ten-myths-in-the-medicare-ad-wars

Excerpt: If you like public policy, this is potentially an ideal time to have a serious national discussion about the future of Medicare. What we are getting instead is something akin to school yard taunts. The best thing you can say about Mitt Romney and Medicare is that he is confused. The best thing you can say about Barack Obama is that he has trouble with the truth. Here is my prediction. Seniors are not going to be fooled by sound bites and smears. They really are going to figure this out. And it’s not going to be good for President Obama.

Eating America's Seed Corn. By Victor Davis Hanson

http://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2012/08/23/eating_americas_seed_corn

Excerpt: Apparently, Americans are not willing to produce enough new available oil to meet our always growing gasoline appetites. Yet to keep gas prices manageable in an election year, we will surely tap what our predecessors once banked for us.

Waiting Out the War in Syria: Four reasons why intervention is not in America’s interests. By Daniel Pipes

http://www.nationalreview.com/articles/314612/waiting-out-war-syria-daniel-pipes

Excerpt: Bashar al-Assad’s wretched presence in the presidential palace in Damascus may, contrary to Western assumptions, be doing more good than harm. His murderous, terroristic, and pro-Tehran regime is also non-ideological and relatively secular; it staves off anarchy, Islamist rule, genocide, and rogue control of Syria’s chemical weapons.

NBC, I do Exist! I am black and Voting For Romney

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF0O7gDJKxw&feature=youtu.be&a

Unleash the dogs! ~Bob.

Getting The Response You Want In Polling

http://www.therightsphere.com/2012/08/polling-response/

Excerpt: In the latest NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, liberals are touting the Medicare numbers when comparing President Obama to Mitt Romney with regard to their respective Medicare “plans.” The poll shows Obama with a comfortable lead of sixteen points over Romney 50% to 34%. Sounds bad right? It does until you read how they set up the question. Naturally it’s a joke. First, they describe “a” plan like this:

What the books we buy says about our politics, in one map. By Sean Sullivan

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2012/08/22/what-the-books-we-buy-says-about-our-politics-in-one-map/?wpisrc=nl_politics&wp_login_redirect=0

Excerpt: If political book-buying habits were a good gauge of voters’ electoral preferences, Mitt Romney would be a very happy man. A new Amazon.com feature called the Election Heat Map 2012 (flagged by our Post colleague Mike Rosenwald) divides best-selling political books into conservative (red) and liberal (blue) categories, then tracks sales in every state. And the country’s reading habits appear to be much more conservative than its voting patterns. (I wouldn’t put much faith in book sales as a guide. I think conservatives read more than liberals, certainly at the level of the uneducated, entitlement base of the left. But even leftist “intellectuals” are not as educated and open as they like to believe. Dr. Thomas Sowell quotes noted progressive egghead Adlai Stevenson proudly saying he “hadn’t read a book in years.” I would highly recommend a short new book by Yale Professor David Gelernter, America Lite. ~Bob.)

Israel's Nuclear Warning Shot Option. By James Lewis
http://www.americanthinker.com/2012/08/israels_nuclear_warning_shot_option.html#ixzz24JuXAUIK

Excerpt: When in the early 1970s India and Pakistan were in a secret race for nuclear weapons (the CIA as usual suspecting nothing), they exchanged nuclear warning shots. In India, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi -- irony of ironies -- ordered a nuclear test in 1974. India's secret nuclear program was called Smiling Buddha, which throws a whole new light on Buddhism.

Another Prominent Liberal Endorses Romney-Ryan. By Bob Beauprez http://finance.townhall.com/columnists/bobbeauprez/2012/08/23/another_prominent_liberal_endorses_romneyryan

Excerpt: I hope you saw the August issue of A Line of Sight that published yesterday. I particularly wanted to draw your attention to the endorsement of Romney-Ryan by award winning radio host Craig Silverman. Silverman's support of Romney is particularly notable as he publicly supported Barack Obama in 2008, has spent most of his life as a Democrat, is Jewish, a member of the Colorado Trial Lawyers Association, and a self-identified "moderate."

Universal Mediocrity: Why do Britons like their sub-par health-care system so much? By Theodore Dalrymple

http://www.city-journal.org/2012/22_3_otbie-british-health-care.html

Excerpt: Still, the studies contained a paradox that the authors of the BMJ article failed to notice or, at any rate, to remark upon. On several measures of actual achievement, rather than subjective assessment, the NHS came out the worst of all the systems examined. For example, it ranked worst for five-year survival rates in cervical, breast, and colon cancer.

Worth Reading: Raining Nonsense during a Drought. By Blake Hurst

http://american.com/archive/2012/august/raining-nonsense-during-a-drought

Excerpt: U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases fell 1.7 percent in 2011, to the lowest level in 20 years, as a result of the substitution of natural gas for coal in electricity production and a slow economy. Carr doesn’t mention that. How disappointing it must be for Carr to see the hottest year in memory following a year when the United States decreased its emission of greenhouse gases.

Obama Caught in Misspelling of a Four-Letter State

http://visiontoamerica.com/11713/obama-caught-in-misspelling-of-a-four-letter-state/

Excerpt: The smartest President ever to grace us with his intellect, the man who was destined to lead us to a better America, who was to lead the nation out of the doldrums of the Great Recession, couldn’t lead three college kids to the proper spelling of a four-letter state.

Barack Obama: "You Just Can't Make Stuff Up." Obama Spokesmonster Stephanie Cutter: "I Disagree"

http://ace.mu.nu/archives/332147.php

Excerpt: At this point in time, Obama still hasn't "created" a single net new job. His job figures remain negative, except when you play games as far as your start period for counting them. Both Bush and Reagan added new jobs on top of the previous high-water mark for employment. Reagan's expansion was fueled by millions and millions of such jobs. Obama has yet to even get back to zero.

Tweet from @Iowahawk:

"Under Obama, homelessness and war have decreased by 98 percent. At least on TV news broadcasts."

U.S. Should Insist Egypt’s Military Buildup Must Comply with Peace Treaty. By James Phillips

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/08/us-should-insist-egypt-s-military-buildup-must-comply-with-peace-treaty

Excerpt: Egypt is preparing a military offensive against Islamist militants in the Sinai who have launched a series of terrorist attacks against Egyptian border guards in an effort to weaken the central government and provoke a war with Israel. This campaign is expected to include armored forces and air strikes in the first major Egyptian military action in the demilitarized Sinai Peninsula since the 1973 Arab–Israeli war.

CBO Budget Update: Historic Deficits Continue, Recession Threatens in 2013. By Patrick Louis Knudsen

http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2012/08/cbo-budget-update-historic-deficits-continue-recession-threatens-in-2013

Excerpt: Three key messages emerge from the updated budget outlook released today by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO):For the fourth year in a row, the federal government in 2012 will run a budget deficit exceeding $1 trillion; The nation’s fiscal and economic challenges going forward remain both daunting and unaddressed, with continued record spending and deficits and high unemployment; and Another recession threatens in 2013 if Congress fails to defuse Taxmageddon and the fiscal cliff.

Joe Biden Is the Problem VP Candidate, Not Paul Ryan

http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/clark-judge/2012/08/18/joe-biden-is-the-problem-vp-candidate-not-paul-ryan

Excerpt: Biden is a caricature of liberal self-righteousness. In his telling, everything he advocates is high-minded. Everything his opponents support springs from low and unseemly motives. With that kind of motif, when a campaign has determined it must take a walk in the mud, he is bound to misjudge how far is too far, too often.

It’s Not About Israel, Stupid — It’s About Us. By Michael Ledeen

http://pjmedia.com/michaelledeen/2012/08/22/not-about-israel/

Excerpt: “But if we’re retreating, then why are you leaving — as at that FOB in Helmand — one-tenth of our guys to endure the inevitable slaughter our enemies are so eager to inflict on us? …. About 2,000 Americans have perished there since 9/11….It took 108 months for those U.S. fatalities to reach 1,000. It’s taken only 27 months under Iraq-war opponent Obama to surpass 2,000 deaths.” (Excellent article! There are so many good thoughts, phrases and sets of sentences in this article it was difficult to decide what to excerpt. Ledeen has had a direct family connection to the Marines serving in the Central Asian conflict, and it personalizes the whole situation for him—and his readers. Ron P. One of the most nonreported stories yesterday—Joint Chiefs of Staff’s plane attacked by rockets x2 when he was sent to discuss attacks on Americans. Glove across the face. MSM Response? “Oh, this happens twice a month. They probably got lucky and hit that plane…Let’s talk about the dude in MO that needs a biology lesson….” Get the point—America’s National Security is NOT a priority nor are our lives. Livelihoods nor any children or grandchildren you may have. We are chattel to be used, manipulated. Perhaps we deserve it. We do not demand justice. –Barb)

At basketball fundraiser, Obama says opponents play "dirty"

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/23/us-usa-campaign-obama-idUSBRE87J0QJ20120823

Excerpt: With a nod to his basketball star host, Michael Jordan, President Barack Obama used a sports analogy at a fundraiser in New York on Wednesday to describe the election campaign and his opponents, who he said played "dirty." "I can't resist a basketball analogy. We are in the fourth quarter, we're up by a few points, but the other side is coming strong and they play a little dirty," Obama told a group of supporters, saying his team was ahead but had some injuries. (Oh, calling your opponent a murderer isn’t “dirty”? ~Bob.)

White House Aide Plouffe Takes Money Indirectly From Iran—And Nobody Seems To Notice

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/08/23/david-plouffe-iran

Excerpt: But now, in 2012, a White House aide in the Obama administration is revealed to have received a six-figure amount from a company connected to Iran, and nothing happens. …. August 6, the Washington Post’s rogue conservative blogger, Jennifer Rubin, got right down to it when she asked why Plouffe still had a job: Why hasn’t the president fired David Plouffe who “accepted a $100,000 speaking fee in 2010 from an affiliate of a company doing business with Iran’s government”? (Well, it is only wrong if a Republican does it. For Democrats, it’s The Chicago Way. ~Bob.)

Former Pakistani ambassador: Pakistan behaves ‘like Syria while wanting to be treated like Israel. ’By Jamie Weinstein

http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/22/former-pakistani-ambassador-pakistan-behaves-like-syria-while-wanting-to-be-treated-like-israel/#ixzz24LAT3EVN

Excerpt: Recently removed Pakistan Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani urged the American government to take a tougher line on his home country in a remarkably candid speech Wednesday afternoon. “Pakistan ends up behaving like Syria while wanting to be treated like Israel,” Haqqani told several dozens journalists, think tankers, opinion makers and government officials at a luncheon in Washington held by the Center for the National Interest.

Environmental regulations hit manufacturing hardest. By Betsi Fores

http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/22/environmental-regulations-hit-manufacturing-hardest/#ixzz24L8wtWIf

Excerpt: Environmental regulations are a leading regulatory burden on the manufacturing and energy industries, according to a new study released Tuesday by the economic consulting firm NERA. Overall, regulations have grown much faster than the economy. “Looking at all regulations across the board, it’s in environmental regulations that we’ve seen the largest costs and the most rapid increase in costs,” the study’s author, David Montgomery, told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

Marital, personal ties link Obama administration to Commission on Presidential Debates By Josh Peterson and Neil Munro

http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/23/marital-personal-ties-link-obama-administration-to-commission-on-presidential-debates/#ixzz24L7kJXlq

Excerpt: The moderator of the lone October vice presidential debate was previously married to a top Obama official, an association both ABC News and the left-leaning Commission on Presidential Debates do not view as a conflict of interest. ABC Senior Foreign Correspondent Martha Raddatz, whose role as moderator was announced on August 13, was previously married to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski — an Obama appointee. ABC did not consider the disclosure of Raddatz’s ties to an Obama appointee necessary when it issued a press release announcing that the Commission on Presidential Debates had selected her to moderate the debate between Vice President Joe Biden and Republican nominee Rep. Paul Ryan.

The top four stories the media has downplayed to help Obama. By Mendy Finkel

http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/21/the-top-four-stories-the-media-has-downplayed-to-help-obama/#ixzz24L7FOwHY

Excerpt: There is nothing new about the national media downplaying stories that lend support to conservative arguments. If a firearm is used to prevent a lethal crime, or unethical activity is uncovered at a liberal institution, the media goes to great lengths to make sure no one notices. But since Obama’s election, the media has also been downplaying stories that lend support to liberal arguments — when those stories have the potential to damage the Obama presidency.

I Just Want "Triage" in November

http://justcommonsense-lostinamerica.blogspot.com/2012/08/i-just-want-triage-in-november.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+blogspot%2FMoXTa+%28Lost+in+America%29

Excerpt: Triage is the art of prioritizing treatments for an ailing patient. America is sick and getting sicker. Here's what needs to be done first: I'm not looking for Mitt Romney to be the next Ronald Reagan. I hold no hopes that Romney will be able to fix all of our nation's ills. I just want Mitt Romney to "stop the bleeding".

Anger as Iran bans women from universities

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/9487761/Anger-as-Iran-bans-women-from-universities.html

Excerpt: Female students in Iran have been barred from more than 70 university degree courses in an officially-approved act of sex-discrimination which critics say is aimed at defeating the fight for equal women's rights. (A move that will be supported by all Transnational Progressives, who believe that all cultures are equally valid—excerpt western culture which gave freedom, equality and prosperity to tens of millions. None of that counts if women here don’t get free birth control paid for by you. ~Bob.)

General Dempsey Forgets Oath, Plays Politics. By Lawrence Sellin, PhD

http://www.familysecuritymatters.org/publications/detail/general-dempsey-forgets-oath-plays-politics?f=must_reads

Excerpt: Has General Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made himself a political shill for the Obama Administration? According to Fox News, General Dempsey criticized a group of former military and intelligence operatives for its aggressive campaign against President Obama, telling Fox News that he is "disappointed" by such political activity, which he called "not useful." (OK, now we have the Chairman of the JCS coming out condemning the vets who are criticizing the President and others for the release of confidential information, which puts our people in danger. Interesting in that he is saying retired military should not speak out about politics when he is a serving military, who, above all else, should never speak out about politics! BTW, the really best point made in the whole article is an addendum at the very end. That REALLY points up the hypocrisy of a general speaking out now. --Del. So it’s fine for General Dempsey, a currently-serving officer, to defend Obama against criticism by former members of the military. But he says civilians who were once in the military should not make political statements. You know, like Dwight Eisenhower, Colin Powel, Wesley Clark, John McCain or John Kerry. ~Bob.)

Military group hits back at Pres. Obama's 'condescending and belittling' comments, defends First Amendment right to speak out
http://www.foxnews.com/on-air/on-the-record/2012/08/22/military-group-hits-back-pres-obamas-condescending-and-belittling-comments-defends-first-#ixzz24NeNU4VH

Excerpt: President Obama may say he's not taking some military veterans' criticism too seriously, but now the vets are taking on the president's latest words.

Fast and Furious figure double-dips at JP Morgan

http://washingtonexaminer.com/examiner-editorial-fast-and-furious-figure-double-dips-at-jp-morgan/article/2505669?utm_source=Washington%20Examiner:%20Opinion%20Digest%20-%2008/23/2012&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Washington%20Examiner:%20Opinion%20Digest

Excerpt: On Wednesday, Republican lawmakers demanded to know why Bill McMahon -- who as a top ATF official adopted a policy of willful neglect toward the misguided operation -- has received extended paid leave from his federal government job. This means he can draw a six-figure taxpayer-funded salary, keep building his taxpayer-funded pension, and simultaneously work for the private sector. He is currently employed by JP Morgan. (So the ATF guy most squarely in the sights for the whole Fast and Furious debacle has been collecting his full federal paycheck (at his level, well over $100K) while collecting another very respectable paycheck from J P Morgan bank for whom he is working while on paid leave from ATF. I had to read this article three times to make it sink in. We as taxpayers are kicking in for this guy to double dip, which would be incredibly wrong even if he wasn't a major suspect in a disastrously failed operation. But as a major "person of interest" in the F&F horror, there's no way in the world he should be double dipping or allowed any kind so special beneficial treatment by ATF. This is probably legal, but it still amounts to in-your-face corruption at ATF. Time for those letter, e-mails, and calls to your Senator and Representatives. --Del. PS- I still can't believe it! How stupid, how ridiculous, how arrogant!)

Who's sorry about the Roberts ruling now? By Noemie Emery

http://washingtonexaminer.com/whos-sorry-about-the-roberts-ruling-now/article/2505530?utm_source=Washington%20Examiner:%20Opinion%20Digest%20-%2008/23/2012&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Washington%20Examiner:%20Opinion%20Digest

Scroll down to read. ~Bob. Excerpt: Any year now, Democrats may start to ask themselves if it might have been better had John Roberts not changed his mind. If they would be better off with Obamacare out of its and our misery, a bone of contention now safely buried, and not as a bone in their throats. For one thing, they still have the issue upon them -- the historic triumph they don't dare mention but which Republicans happily do.

Before 'legitimate rape,' there was 'rape-rape.' By Gregory Kane

http://washingtonexaminer.com/before-legitimate-rape-there-was-rape-rape/article/2505628?utm_source=Washington%20Examiner:%20Opinion%20Digest%20-%2008/23/2012&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Washington%20Examiner:%20Opinion%20Digest

Scroll down to read. ~Bob. Excerpt: Dear President Obama: Nice to hear you're the guy who's now all against people "qualifying" and "parsing" and "slicing" about rape. But where were you three years ago, pal, when there were "qualifying" and "parsing" and "slicing" aplenty? Not only were there "qualifying" and "parsing" and "slicing," but there was also widespread support in the entertainment industry for a convicted child rapist.

The VA Dems Against Mandatory Rape Sentences

http://freebeacon.com/the-va-dems-against-mandatory-rape-sentences/

Excerpt: Several Obama surrogates in Virginia opposed a popular law that ensures lengthy prison sentences for child rapists. (guess it wasn’t, you know, “rape-rape.” ~Bob.)

Worth Reading: Coburn: The Truth About Ryan and His Critics

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444443504577599120307000312.html

Excerpt: Paul Ryan didn't force President Obama to abandon the budget recommendations of his own 2010 deficit commission, known as Bowles-Simpson. Mr. Obama's decision to punt on deficit reduction—and then to ridicule Mr. Ryan's plan to address the deficit—offended and disappointed Republicans and Democrats alike. … The left's election-year war on math will not change our unsustainable fiscal outlook.

Dishonorable Disclosures

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-Xfti7qtT0&feature=player_embedded

Lots of hits. Share this one. ~Bob.

‘Independent’ Energy Loan Reviewer Gives Big to Obama

http://freebeacon.com/independent-energy-loan-reviewer-gives-big-obama/

Excerpt: The Wall Street millionaire who cleared the White House of any wrongdoing in the multi-billion dollar bailouts of bankrupt solar companies owned by Obama’s top donors is a mega-contributor to the president’s reelection campaign, according to the Associated Press.

Elizabeth Warren new campaign theme based on doctored video. By Anne Sorock

http://legalinsurrection.com/2012/08/elizabeth-warren-new-campaign-theme-based-on-doctored-video/

Excerpt: The problem is, Warren misleadingly clipped the video mid-sentence. Warren’s theme is based on a doctored video. While the more complete video is not available, Brown’s full sentence was quoted at HuffPo, and the full sentence makes clear only that Brown was telling Warren not to distort his record: (1/32^nd Injin speak with forked tongue. ~Bob.)

2,527 Dept. of Homeland Security Employees Convicted of Crimes

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/08/22/2527-DHS-accused-of-conspiracies-and-crimes

Excerpt: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) needs a security check. Since 2004, there have been a staggering 2,527 employees and co-conspirators convicted of corruption and other criminal misconduct. And there will be more; as of July 15, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) was dealing with 1,591 open criminal cases. (Unfair. Democrats need jobs too. ~Bob.)

Professors’ study predicts Mitt Romney win

http://redalertpolitics.com/2012/08/23/professors-study-predicts-mitt-romney-win/

Excerpt: Mitt Romney will win the popular vote and take the White House with more than 300 electoral votes, according to an election model that correctly determines the winner when applied to the last eight presidential elections. The model, based on state-level economic data, predicts that President Barack Obama will lose nearly all key states that many observers view as toss-ups:

9/11 trial 'may not begin for another four years'

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/september-11-attacks/9493267/911-trial-may-not-begin-for-another-four-years.html

Excerpt: The trial of the five men charged over the September 11 attacks on America will not be televised and may not begin for another four years, it has been disclosed. (Damn. I may not live long enough to serve on the firing squad. Can I get a waiver to shoot one now if I contribute to Obama? ~Bob.)

No Respect. By John Yoo

http://www.claremont.org/publications/crb/id.1992/article_detail.asp

Excerpt: President Barack Obama has many supporters, but none more fervent than academics. Professors' donations to political campaigns run about three or four to one in favor of Democrats. According to a recent study, the ratio of registered Democrats to Republicans at the University of California, Berkeley (where I teach), is 17 to 1 in the humanities and 21 to 1 in the social sciences. Apparently, the figure is only 4 to 1 in the professional schools, which leads me to wonder: where are they all hiding?

Is the era of fast U.S. economic growth coming to an end? By James Pethokoukis

http://www.aei-ideas.org/2012/08/is-the-age-of-fast-u-s-economic-growth-coming-to-an-end/#more-69384

Excerpt: Are the good times really over for good? A provocative new paper from economist Robert Gordon, “Is U.S. Economic Growth Over? Faltering Innovation Confronts the Six Headwinds,” makes just that case, or at least questions the assumption “that economic growth is a continuous process that will persist forever. There was virtually no growth before 1750, and thus there is no guarantee that growth will continue indefinitely … the rapid progress made over the past 250 years could well turn out to be a unique episode in human history.”

Gee, they want me! Just got this e-mail.

Robert: I get chills reading through this list: Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Bill Clinton and Elizabeth Warren. They’re all going to be at the Democratic National Convention. We want to send you and a friend on a FREE trip to join them there. 15 HOUR WARNING: The deadline is midnight tonight. Hotel and airfare are on us. Donate $3 or more and you’ll be automatically entered to win a FREE trip to the Democratic Convention. (Personally, I get nauseated reading through that list. ~Bob.)

Finally Some Hope, Thanks to the Paul Ryan Pick. By Tom Blumer

http://pjmedia.com/blog/finally-some-hope-thanks-to-the-paul-ryan-pick/

Excerpt: Though eleven weeks is an eternity in presidential politics, it now seems likely that Mitt Romney’s decision to choose Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate will come to be seen as the day when Barack Obama’s chances at reelection began to fade. The 2012 presidential campaign is — at least for now — about substantive fiscal, economic, and regulatory matters, as well as about fundamental human freedoms.