Old Jarhead's Political SitRep for October 30, 2012
Vote in this on-line poll, then see the results and share
One week to go. ~Bob
Your one-stop-shop for political news and opinion. Please forward to friends who need to be informed. This SitRep (Military for “Situation Report”) is created by many readers who send me items for inclusion, which I would have likely missed or skipped. And I can only spend at most three hours a night pulling stuff, plus the healthcare or economic stuff that crosses my desk at work. As always, I—and you—owe them thanks and appreciation. I post articles because I think they are of interest and will stimulate thought and discussion. 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 presented, which is the responsibility of the author. I try not to post things that are false, or too far a stretch, regardless of the view point, but I don’t always succeed. As always on the Net, or in the legacy media, you must read critically and with skepticism.
Worth Reading : SEALs and Death at Benghazi
Excerpt: The two SEALs, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, killed during the terrorist attack in Benghazi
Excerpt: Barack Obama really does have a plan for the next four years. When he thought he was speaking off the record to the Des Moines Register the other day, he said he wanted to negotiate a “grand bargain” with the congressional Republicans. It would include spending reductions and tax increases to reduce forecasted federal deficits.
About the same time that the president was giving his interview, more than 80 CEOs of some of the nation’s largest companies were making a similar announcement. To get the country’s fiscal house in order, they said, we need both spending reductions and tax increases. The idea of a grand bargain is very much on the minds of Washington , D.C.
Tight polls, looming storm shake campaigns down the homestretch
Excerpt: Tight polls in a number of battleground states and a monumental storm that could hamper get-out-the-vote efforts have shuffled an already unpredictable presidential race, with eight days remaining before Election Day.
Letter to Trib on Obama endorsement
The Chicago Tribune endorsed President Obama, while in general favoring Republicans running for Congress (with the notable exception of tapping Duckworth over Walsh) in contested races. Most amazingly, the Tribune endorsed the opponent of Jan Schakowsky (D-9th) who is considered to be a shoo-in and is #4 in the House lineup as a mouthpiece for the Dem party line. Expecting that the editors will not choose to print it (perhaps they don't what to make an enemy out of Mayor Rahmfather), I could not help pointing out the absurdity of this position those who may no longer read the newspaper or give it any credence : If, as Emerson once said, “a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” the Tribune’s endorsement thinking is proof of a genius editorial board. You endorsed Tim Wolfe for the 9th Congressional seat. Good choice. In doing so you opted against the entrenched incumbent Jan Schakowsky who is one of the most prominent Obama toadies. And while enumerating his failures to address the nation’s chronic problems and his shortcomings as a leader, you endorsed Obama for another 4 years of soporific platitudes. The Tribune seemed to favor the consistent way in which the Chicago Cubs dealt with systemic breakdown. Cubs’ ownership recognized abject failure in 2011. They did not just fire third base coach Past Listach. They fired manager Mike Quade and hired new management, Epstein et al. to stop and reverse the disintegration. Don't blame a sergeant for the failures of her general. Cordially, Larry Greenberg
Obama’s independent problem
Excerpt: President Obama has a problem with independents. And it’s not a small problem. In the last three releases of the tracking poll conducted by The Washington Post and ABC News, Obama has trailed former Massachusetts
Worth Reading
Excerpt: President Obama’s campaign to raise taxes on high-income earners presents an overly simplistic view of the economy, as if tax increases only affect those people who write checks to the IRS. However, when high-income families are hit with additional taxes, they don’t keep it to themselves. They reduce spending on goods and services, hurting the local businesses that provide those things. This results in less hiring and investment by those businesses and ultimately less income for the whole community.
The Delphi Legacy-Paul Ryan hammers Obama on shady auto bailout pension deal at Ohio
Excerpt: Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan slammed President Barack Obama for the Auto Task Force’s treatment of nonunion workers who saw their pensions slashed by 70 percent, while their union coworkers lost no funds thanks to a $1 billion “top-off” by GM, during a rally in Sabina , Ohio
The Poor Tax Redistribution stymieing recovery, holding people in poverty, research shows. By Andrew Evans
Excerpt: Welfare spending is higher than ever but the money is going to people living above the poverty line—and this redistribution is actually hurting America
Guess who’s been funding the Israeli Mossad’s covert hits on Iranian nuclear scientists…Guess again!
Interesting if true. ~Bob. Excerpt: Gives new meaning to the idea ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend.’ A report by a well-known journalist revealed that Saudi Arabia has provided financial backup for the Israeli Mossad agency’s terror operations on Iran
Why Our Forces Were Told to ‘Stand Down’ in Benghazi
Excerpt: The mission in Benghazi
http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/../2012/10/mission_accomplished_obama_gets_americans_killed_to_kill_the_constitution.html
Excerpt: Are you surprised that Vogue's Anna Wintour is squeezing
fashionistas to go all out for Obama? It makes sense, since the icy-eyed editrix knows style, and Obama certainly has a presidential style that's all his own. After all, Obama is the only commander-in-chief to ever manipulate Americans into getting killed so that he can kill the Constitution.
Excerpt: A newly-wed man who was arrested in a Western suburb of Mashhad (Northeast Iran) for walking his pet dog in public was sentenced to six months in prison for violating Iran
Obama executive order expands Homeland Security reach into local law enforcement. By Josh Peterson
Excerpt: President Barack Obama signed an executive order Friday that expanded the Department of Homeland Security’s ties to local law enforcement. The executive order creates a White House Homeland Security Partnership Council and Steering Committee, aimed at fostering local partnerships between federal and private institutions “to address homeland security challenges.”
“Mr. President They Know ” – A Must See Judge Jeanine Video
Excerpt: Nothing more need be said. Simply watch this video of Judge Jeanine Pirro laying out a very clear case for the guilt of Barack Obama and his administration regarding the Benghazi Massacre and cover-up…
http://pjmedia.com/andrewmccarthy/2012/10/26/sharia-killed-ambassador-chris-stevens/?singlepage=true
Excerpt: The headline on this post could just be a statement of fact, derived from an obvious truth, albeit one that our willfully blind government refuses to assimilate despite years of anti-American atrocities. Under the supremacist interpretation of sharia — Islam’s totalitarian societal system — that is regnant in the Middle East, non-Muslim Westerners who seek to implant Western ideas and institutions in Islamic countries are deemed enemies who must be driven out or killed.
Excerpt: But Secretary Clinton was talking about the fellow who made the supposedly Islamophobic video that supposedly set off the sacking of the Benghazi
The Gimme Society: The entitlement state mugs our descendants. By George Will
Excerpt: The election-eve mood is tinged with sadness stemming from well-founded fear that America ’s new government is subverting America
Excerpt: The race for Ohio Ohio
Panetta Says We Lacked Real-Time Benghazi
Excerpt: Despite real-time video, emails to the White House and desperate cries for help, our defense secretary says we didn't send rescue forces to our Benghazi Libya Del
Leadership: Romney Uses Campaign Bus to Deliver Hurricane Relief
Excerpt: The Romney campaign has canceled campaign events, commercials, and fundraising appeals in states that will be impacted by Hurricane Sandy, and is instead using a campaign bus to help deliver supplies to those who will be impacted by what forecasters are predicting may be a "storm of the century." ,,,Romney was also first on the scene when Hurricane Irene struck the Gulf Coast in August, with President Obama arriving three days later after adjusting his schedule. Twitchy, which keeps track of everything that happens on Twitter in real time, posted photos of relief supplies next to Romney's campaign bus in Virginia
Tweet from @ChelsiePaulson
Email from Romney campaign asking for donations to the Red Cross. Email from Obama campaign asking for donations to campaign.
Danger on the Mekong . By Michael Benge
Excerpt: Like a toxic fungus spreading its roots throughout Cambodia , communist Vietnam South Viet Nam Laos , Cambodia , and Viet Nam Brunei or Sudan than in SE Asia . Why is that? --Del. John Kerry’s pals on the march. ~Bob.)
Poll: Anti-Israel Sentiment Far Heavier Among Democrats
Excerpt: But the real shocker was another question: “Do you think the United States is not supportive enough of Israel?” …46% of Republicans said the U.S. was not supportive enough, while only 9% of Democrats thought so….Jews who care more about the Democrats’ support of abortion and gay rights, which directly contravene traditional Jewish principles, rather than the survival of Israel, represent Judaism as falsely as Barack Obama invoking Ronald Reagan when it behooved him.
Excerpt: On Sunday, the Chicago Daily Herald, the second largest daily newspaper in metropolitan Chicago
Excerpt: Rude, insulting language about Romney (“bullsh****r) from the president. Vulgar sexual innuendo, aimed at seducing young women to vote for him. The vice president asking a bereaved parent about the size of his murdered son’s testicles. It’s quite a spectacle. (You can take the thug out of Chicago, but…~Bob.)
When Americans Saw the Real Obama: Why the Denver
Excerpt: We all say Ohio , Ohio , Ohio Denver , Denver Cincinnati and Lake County go for Mitt Romney on Nov. 6 it will be because of what happened in Denver
Excerpt: It’s Terrorism 101.A New York University class on transnational terrorism is requiring students to “hypothetically plan a terrorist attack” — and shocked cops say the outrageous lesson plan is an insult to the officers killed on Sept. 11.
Oliver Stone rips Obama
Excerpt: President Obama isn’t just getting ripped by conservatives — he’s also taking heat from the left.
Hope true, but still a lot undecided in this. ~Bob. Excerpt: Republican senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts Warren
The Jews of Cuyahoga County
Excerpt: An advertisement in the Cleveland Jewish News this week, paid for by a group called Jews for Israel 2012, asked this question: “Are you willing to bet the life of the Jewish people on this president?” It questioned Barack Obama’s willingness to defend an Israel
What They Are Saying: 28 Newspapers (And Counting) That Endorsed Obama In 2008 Change Their Minds In 2012
Mark Pocan’s Husband Told Beaten GOP Operative “You’re A Marked Man,” Threatened and Harassed Via Text Message
Excerpt: A series of shocking text messages purportedly show Philip Frank, the partner of Democratic State Representative and Madison-area Congressional candidate Mark Pocan, threatened a volunteer for Pocan’s Republican opponent days before the volunteer was found beaten. Last Wednesday, Kyle Wood, a full-time volunteer with Republican Chad Lee’s Congressional campaign, was beaten inside his home in Madison by a yet-unidentified attacker who claimed that as a gay man Wood should be supporting the gay candidate for Congress.
Soldiers guarding the Tomb of the Unknowns
Romney closes Obama’s lead to split Ohio
Excerpt: Boosted by a surge among male voters who think he’s the best candidate to fix the economy, Republican Mitt Romney has come back to tie President Barack Obama in battleground Ohio.
Danny Boy with War Birds
Obama cancels Florida campaign appearance because of storm. By Alex Pappas
Excerpt: President Barack Obama is citing the impending landfall of Hurricane Sandy as the reason for why he will not attend a Florida campaign event on Monday. “Due to deteriorating weather conditions in the Washington area, the President will not attend today’s campaign event in Orlando,” White House press secretary Jay Carney said in a Monday morning statement. “The President will return to the White House to monitor the preparations for and early response to Hurricane Sandy.” Obama had flown on Sunday night to Florida, where he visited with campaign workers. (If he really understood the situation other than rabid-campaign mode, would have stayed in DC in the first place. Flew to FL to leave without attending function? Waste of taxpayer $$, LARGE carbon footprint; guarantee someone—like pilot—gave dose of reality about flying AF1 into hurricane-force winds….So much for parting the clouds….—Barb.)
Hillary Clinton in Algeria to press for Mali military action
Excerpt: US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was in Algeria Monday to press for possible military intervention in neighbouring Mali, where Islamic extremists have taken over large parts of the country. But an Algerian Tuareg chief, MP Mahmud Guemama, spelt out why he opposed military intervention, in an interview with Elkhabar newspaper published on Monday. "We know how military intention starts but never know the end. Libya was a good example."
Refineries shut down, gas prices rise as Hurricane Sandy nears East Coast. By Michael Bastasch
Excerpt: Hurricane Sandy is barreling toward to the U.S. East Coast, threatening gasoline refineries and sending gas prices upward as operations are being halted or slowed down. Reuters reports that more than two-thirds of the East Coast’s refining capacity is shutting down in anticipation of Hurricane Sandy, bracing for potential power outages and flooding which could damage the pants.
Rumor only: General losing his job over Benghazi? By James S. Robbins
TRR: Is a General losing his job over Benghazi? - Washington Times http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/robbins-report/2012/oct/28/general-losing-his-job-over-benghazi/#ixzz2Ai6Km2CG
Excerpt: On October 18, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta appeared unexpectedly at an otherwise unrelated briefing on “Efforts to Enhance the Financial Health of the Force." News organizations and CSPAN were told beforehand there was no news value to the event and gave it scant coverage. In his brief remarks Mr. Panetta said, "Today I am very pleased to announce that President Obama will nominate General David Rodriguez to succeed General Carter Ham as commander of U.S. Africa Command.” This came as a surprise to many, since General Ham had only been in the position for a year and a half.
GEN Dempsey on rumors regarding #AFRICOM commander: GEN Ham "continues to serve in AFRICOM with my complete confidence."
Tunisian Leader Planning Slow Islamist Takeover
Excerpt: There is uproar in Tunisia over an 8-minute video that shows a leading politician advising young Salafist leaders on how they can take control of the state, gradually. The politician, Rashid al-Ghannushi, heads the country's largest party, Ennahda, and is considered to be a voice of Islamic moderation. The video belies this reputation and appears to show that this moderation is just a façade.
Chicago: 435th Homicide Equals Total For All Of Last Year
Meanwhile, here in Obamavillle… ~Bob
Saudi King Abdullah demanded a U.N. resolution Saturday condemning insults on religions. By Rachel Hirshfeld
Excerpt: Saudi King Abdullah demanded a U.N. resolution Saturday condemning insults on religions. His calls came in response to the deadly protests that have been erupting throughout the Muslim world, which have been widely blamed on a low-budget film mocking the Prophet Mohamed. (Not OUR duty. Not OUR religion. More reason for US citizens to seriously rethink the UN and its existence and function, and actions/infiltrations of POTUS, DOD and SD. –Barb. When Muslims stop insulting Jews, we’ll talk. ~Bob.)
Al-Qaeda Leader Calls for Increased Kidnappings of Westerners
Excerpt: Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has called on Muslims to increase efforts to kidnap Westerners in exchange for imprisoned jihadists, citing the success in the abduction of American aid worker Warren Weinstein in Pakistan. In an undated two-hour video posted on jihadist websites, al-Zawahiri called for the abductions as part of a vow not to "spare any efforts" to free Sheikh Omar Abdel-Rahman, the mastermind behind the 1993 WorldTrade Center bombing. (Several comments on Breitbart indicate Amb Stevens may have been lured to Benghazi from Tripoli to meet with Turkish amb deliberately as a set up for a kidnapping, to be held for ransom; so could be freed …..Thus the “Stand down” commands. These were ignored locally and black op went awry. The missing piece is the exchange prisoner could have been the Blind Sheik that MB pushing DOJ to release…Barb.)
Benghazi, Libya—Biopsy From a Malignant, Failed Presidency
Excerpt: It is undoubtedly worse than Obama simply turned his back on cornered American citizens in a foreign land, knowing undoubtedly they would die. But that Barack did so without any compelling reason—except political—is beyond evil. Only a moral monster would have made that decision when it was within his powers to possibly save them with almost no effort of his own. (It is a powerful indictment of the majority of the US media—radio, TV, print, and on-line—that this comes from a CANADIAN source rather than one of our own. Can it be that Canadians remember more of honor and integrity than we do? Please show me the front page editorial from any US big city newspaper or the 3 minute prime-time “Our opinion” TV editorial on a big city TV station calling the administration to account for its actions and inactions. Even the MANY newspapers that have suddenly endorsed Romney (after their prior support of Obama) have made little or no mention of the administration’s handling of the Benghazi murders. And, we all know how much chance there is of Congress impeaching and convicting over something like this. Our only hope of justice comes next week. You and I ARE the jury. We must render our verdict next Tuesday at the ballot box. Ron P.)
Video: Al-Qaeda Forms All-Female Brigade to Attack West
Excerpt: Al-Qaeda has formed an all-female 'Burkha Brigade' to infiltrate and hit Western military bases and targets, as they are less likely than men to attract suspicion. A film posted online shows the all-female unit of al-Qaeda using an alarming array of weapons, including machine-guns, grenade rocket launchers and sniper rifles during their training session at an unknown location. The women are thought to have been recruited from the war-torn Russian republic of Chechnya by an al-Qaeda-linked group, with bases in Pakistan and Afghanistan, The Sun reported Sunday.
Didn’t get the “Islam is a Religion of Peace” memo. ~Bob
Exposure: Banaz - An Honour Killing
Excerpt: Banaz Mahmod, a beautiful girl from south London, was murdered by her own family because she fell in love with the wrong man.
The Economy Is Crumbling so Let’s Talk Abortion and Rape. By Stuart Rothenberg
Excerpt: The unemployment rate is still 7.8 percent, and the gross domestic product is growing at a sluggish 2 percent. Young people graduating college can’t find jobs and are living in their parents’ houses. Economies in Europe and Asia are weakening, suggesting additional problems in the year ahead for the U.S. economy.
GALLUP: Romney Surges Back To 5-Point Lead Over Obama
Excerpt: Republican nominee Mitt Romney jumped back out to a 5-point lead over President Barack Obama in today's Gallup tracking poll, reversing a day of gains for the president.
Worth Sharing: New IW Voice Ad: Mr. Dependable
Benghazi: Obama Emerges from the Fog of War: If Obama ordered the military to “secure our personnel,” where is the order? By Bing West
Excerpt: Suddenly, on the campaign trail in Denver on October 26, he changed his story. “The minute I found out what was happening . . . I gave the directive,” he said, “to make sure we are securing our personnel and doing whatever we need to do. I guarantee you everybody in the CIA and military knew the number-one priority was making sure our people are safe.” Notice the repeated use of the present tense, implying that he gave the order during the attack.
Father of Benghazi Victim Learned of Son’s Death on CNN… Before Being Contacted by State Dept. By Candice Lanier
Excerpt: Last month, Ray Smith was hoping to get together with his son, Sean, whom he had not seen for 15 years. But, it became devastatingly apparent, after seeing a story on CNN about the four Americans killed in Libya, that he would never see his son alive again. “I seen all these coffins come off the plane,” Smith recalled. “Four of them. Then I saw his picture in the corner. They mentioned Sean Smith was one of those killed.”
Tweet from Dennis Miller Show @DennisDMZ
It used to be called "The Fog of War." Under this Administration, it's been tweaked to read "The Blown Smoke of War."
Explosive Video: When the Navy SEALS called
Worth Sharing: Bryna Franklin
Excerpt: Bryna Franklin of Jerusalem is a lifelong Democrat and former chair of Democrats Abroad Israel. She voted for a Republican for President for the first time in her 80 years when she voted this year for Mitt Romney.
Might? McCain: Obama Might Be Conducting ‘Massive Cover-Up’ With Libya Attack
Excerpt: Sen. John McCain claims the Obama administration might be conducting a “massive cover-up” with the deadly terror attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
GOP Rout In Pennsylvania Absentee Ballot Returns
Excerpt: This morning President Obama’s campaign indicated they are going on the air in Pennsylvania and sending Joe Biden to the state trying to protect what once just one week ago considered to be safe ground. One possible reason? The enormous GOP edge in absentee ballot returns in the state, creating an enormous and unexpected hole for the President’s campaign to dig out of. (Whoa. It's the revenge of the bitter clingers. –Melissa Clouthier.)
Did TWITTER end up hurting Obama's campaign? It's hard to coordinate in real time. Sonny Bunch
http://sonnybunch.com/its-hard-to-coordinate-in-real-time/
Excerpt: I mean, it’s worth stipulating that there is almost certainly still a Journolist-style listserv still in operation on the left (probably several of them). But it’s impossible to arrange talking points when the members of said list are one-upping each other in a public forum, panicking in the cleverest and most retweetable way possible. That’s something worth dwelling on a little: Did the competitive nature of Twitter—the rush to be funniest and fastest and most visible—push the Democrats over the edge?
http://sonnybunch.com/its-hard-to-coordinate-in-real-time/
Excerpt: I mean, it’s worth stipulating that there is almost certainly still a Journolist-style listserv still in operation on the left (probably several of them). But it’s impossible to arrange talking points when the members of said list are one-upping each other in a public forum, panicking in the cleverest and most retweetable way possible. That’s something worth dwelling on a little: Did the competitive nature of Twitter—the rush to be funniest and fastest and most visible—push the Democrats over the edge?
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