Obama admits "there's a sense he hasn't been successful"

Via The Blaze:

Only in the perception that Obama hasn't really changed Washington though. Of course, that perception is wrong, wrong, wrong because he has made improvements don't ya know. He has made improvements, but mainly in the areas where "he has complete control."

 That whole "sipping on Slurpees" riff and calling Republicans "the enemy," was that what we can expect when Obama has complete control? Maybe that is the best he can muster when he is forced to negotiate with terrorists as the American people are held hostage? No one can really expect much more from a man who must deal with a Republican Party that, may fight to end the middle-class tax cuts that I've championed and that they've opposed,"  can they?

Still, Obama is going to continue to work to rebuild a sense of trust in government and restore a belief that ordinary people' s voices are heard in Washington.  Like our voices were heard when they wanted to pass health care?  Thanks but no thanks, champ:


Obama on 9NEWS from The Blaze on Vimeo.
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Breaking: Federal Judge rules against parts of health care law

CNN reports :

Washington (CNN) – A federal judge in Virginia has ruled parts of the sweeping health care reform effort led by President Obama to be unconstitutional. This is the first federal court to strike down the law, contradicting other recent rulings the law was permissible. The key issue of contention was the "individual mandate" requirement that most Americans purchase health insurance by 2014.

This ruling was expected to go against the administration as The Wall Street Journal reports:

The ruling by District Judge Henry E. Hudson is perhaps the most significant so far among a slew of state-based legal challenges to the law, which also faces attack by newly resurgent Republicans in Congress. More than 20 federal lawsuits have been filed against the health overhaul since President Barack Obama signed it in March.

While the cases differ somewhat, they largely rest on the argument that Congress lacks constitutional authority to require most Americans to carry health insurance or pay a fee. The Obama administration counters that three clauses of the Constitution gave Congress the power to put the requirement, known as the individual mandate, in the law as part of regulating how people pay for health care.

 (snip)

Supporters of the law are bracing for defeats in Virginia and in Florida. Judges Hudson and Vinson have both shown sympathy to the plaintiffs' arguments and are GOP appointees.

Two other federal judges, in separate lawsuits in Michigan and Virginia, have already ruled in the administration's favor on the individual-mandate question. Those cases, along with the other federal cases challenging the law, have a narrower base of plaintiffs than the suits brought in Florida and before Judge Hudson in Virginia.

Read the  rest for background on  the Virginia case as  well as the case brought in Florida which is likely to garner another ruling against the law later this week.  This is unlikely to stop the health care law in its tracks but it does open up a path to challenge the law in higher courts.  Stay tuned...

UPDATES

From NRO - Eric Cantor calls on Obama and AG Holder to send the case directly to SCOTUS:

“To ensure an expedited process moving forward, I call on President Obama and Attorney General Holder to join Attorney General Cuccinelli in requesting that this case be sent directly to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Though I doubt Obama or his JD will support a fast track to the Supreme Court they would be helping to resolve the uncertainty that will surround the law for the next few years if they heeded Cantor's request.  If they are confident of their position why not resolve the constitutionality question ASAP?

Here is a pdf of the ruling:  Ed Morrissey spots the crux of the judges sentiments in this AP report:

Hudson rejected the government’s argument that it has the power under the Constitution to require individuals to buy health insurance, a provision that was set to take effect in 2014.

“Of course, the same reasoning could apply to transportation, housing or nutritional decisions,” Hudson wrote. “This broad definition of the economic activity subject to congressional regulation lacks logical limitation” and is unsupported by previous legal cases around the Commerce Clause of the Constitution.

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Condoleezza Rice kicks Katie Couric's behind

Via Breitbart

I don't have much time to comment here but this video clip does all the explaining necessary. Katie Couric trots out the liberal media narrative about the Iraq war and Condoleezza Rice kicks Katie's sorry behind in addition to her sorry argument:




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Snowmageddon in Minnesota

Alternatively, folks are calling it Snowmygawd. It's the largest snowstorm to hit the Twin Cities in 19 years.  Neil Gaiman is loving it. His dogs are mostly loving it.  Though the male, Cabal, would prefer to be admiring the snow from the inside of Gaiman's nice warm house.  I can't say I blame him, I love this house:

I hope readers from the Minnesota area are enjoying their Snowmageddon as much as Gaiman and his beautiful dogs.

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Bill and Barry's excellent press adventure

It never fails. On a day I was mostly away from the computer, Barack Obama abdicates his role as president and decides to put Bill Clinton in charge instead. Well, at least he left him in charge of a press conference anyway. Too bad.  Who wouldn't gladly accept a third Clinton term at this point in lieu of Obama finishing out his first?

When I first heard this news, my impression was that the wily Clinton was upstaging Barack and an annoyed-but-helpless Barack left exasperated. Nearly everyone blogging this incredible news conference seemed to conclude Obama was in a hurry to get to his holiday party and was fine with leaving the grownup in charge. Which scenario is more incredible seems a toss up at this point.  The whole thing is surreal.

Nearly all the video I have seen captures the jaw-dropping moment when Barack takes his leave as Clinton dismisses him with a wave of a hand. Mediate has a longer clip, however,  that shows Clinton opening with a question "he feels awkward being here and you're going to leave me here all by myself," suggesting they actually planned it this way:



My jaw still hits the floor every time I replay the clip. Indeed, reports indicate that Obama and Clinton cooked this conference up all by themselves:

The leader of the free world and the ex-leader wandered a deserted hallway, past the offices of the senior advisers, only to discover the door to the press corps briefing room locked.

Had it not been, Mr. Obama and Mr. Clinton might have discovered only a few reporters milling about or catching a few minutes of sleep. Instead, they turned around and found a junior staffer sitting outside of the office of Robert Gibbs, the White House press secretary.

“Do you know how to open up the briefing room?” Mr. Obama asked the staffer, Katie Hogan.

“Yeah,” Mr. Clinton said, “can you help us unlock it?”

Hearing that, Mr. Gibbs walked out.

“I said, ‘what are you guys up to?’” Mr. Gibbs recalled later. “President Obama said, ‘we’re looking for some reporters.’”

“What have you guys got on your mind,” Mr. Gibbs –- always cautious — countered.

Note the last link to the New York Times ends with a comment indicating Gibbs did not know which of the two came up with the plan for the news conference. I am going to go way out on a limb and bet everything Clinton hatched this plan. Just look at his face as he entered the briefing room:

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words and with Clinton he will add a thousand more to boot.  He stayed reliving his glory days taking questions from the press for nearly an hour.  I am surprised he didn't do the Risky Business Dance.

UN Climate Change Delegates: Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide and Destabilize the US economy? Sounds good to us!

Via James Delingpole at The Telegraph


During last week's UN Climate Change Conference representatives from CFACT asked delegates to sign 2 petitions to prove what fools these global warming overlords be. The first called for the destabilization of the United States economy by imposing a series of tariffs and trade restrictions that would cause a 6% drop in GDP. Sounds awesome right?  The delegates had no trouble with that concept at all and quickly signed their names. Does anything register with these folks?

 The second petition called for the ban of dihydrogen monoxide, a "dangerous" chemical compound, because as the "largest greenhouse gas" it poses a serious threat to the environment. Notice what the delegates, who freely sign the petition, are consuming as the dangers of dihydrogen monoxide are detailed:



Crossposted at Potluck
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Lawrence O'Donnell annihilates Alan Grayson on MSNBC

MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell gets in, what may be the Last Word, on the biggest loon ever elected to Congress.  I don't agree with O'Donnell on anything really, but there is a reason he is giving Fox's Greta Van Sustern a run for her money in ratings.  O'Donnell knows what makes great television; I guess his years working on The West Wing continue to pay off for him. The Other McCain has the video so I won't post it here.  Watch Ezra Klein's facial expression (about the 2:35 mark) as Grayson is really on a tear.  Klein's expression was priceless.

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Harrah Reid lassoing his casino payback to the tax bill

It appears  Harry Reid found a target for his payola Pottersville project I mentioned on Saturday.  Majority leader Harrah Reid thinks it would be swell to lasso it to that controversial tax bill:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is trying to use the tax cut package President Barack Obama brokered with Republicans to legalize online poker, POLITICO has learned — a move that could further complicate the deal Obama announced Monday.

Already, the online poker proposal has exposed the Nevada Democrat to charges of flip-flopping on a controversial issue, as well as using his Senate leadership position to repay big casino interests that helped him win reelection in a hard-fought campaign against Republican Sharron Angle last month.

How much of a payback would this little Pottersville proposal be, you ask:

“The House Republicans will go crazy if this is in the bill,” said one senior congressional aide, declaring it “a total, 100 percent payback” for the support Reid received from gambling interests. The aide asserted that lobbyists for the Las Vegas-based casino operator Harrah's, now known as Caesars Entertainment Corp., even helped write the legislation.

“You could call him ‘Harrah Reid’ at this point,” the aide quipped.

Once again, Reid's office is silent on this proposal.  What can they possibly say other than they're just really grateful Harrah's execs recognized “Waking up to the defeat of Harry Reid Nov. 3 will be devastating for our industry’s future.”  Reid is so grateful he let them write their own payback.  Where would we be without Harry Reid?  His bumbling guardian angel has the answer.

More on Memeorandum


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Parody - Grandma got molested at the airport

A friend posted this hilarious parody of the song Grandma got run over by a reindeer on Facebook earlier.  I couldn't resist posting it here.  Everyone knows the tune I am sure and the video has lyrics.  Feel free to sing along:



Thanks to Doug Ross for the Larwyn Link!!
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Book Review - Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin and the race of a lifetime

I was pleased to be offered an opportunity to review the paperback edition of Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime as part of TLC Book Tours virtual tour.  I read the hardback edition when it was released in January, tantalized, as were most, by the juicy revelations leaked  in the days leading up to the release.   On January 11, 2010, I mentioned having stopped at several book stores trying to pick up a copy of the book; it was sold out everywhere.  For political junkies, Game Change was the equivalent of the latest Harry Potter release, sans the wands and costumes.

Witches, however, were in abundance, at least as we found them in the pages of Mark Halperin and John Heilemann's insiders' accounting of all things campaign 2008.  On the path to elect a candidate with a paper-thin resume, two women Palin and Clinton, were burned at the stake in the press while a third, Elizabeth Edwards, is revealed to be an insufferable shrew.  We've come a long way haven't we ladies?

Halperin and Heilemann reveal Obama to be the improbable beneficiary of a plot among senior Democrats to stop a Clinton nomination.  Democrats such as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid were fearful a Clinton nomination was one salacious report of a Bill Clinton affair away from implosion.  Indeed, the Clinton campaign was reported to have established a "war room" devoted to containing the threat of yet another adulterous scandal that could derail a Clinton candidacy.  Ironically, the greatest threat to Clinton's candidacy was another love affair entirely; the soppy adoration among DC insiders and the bulk of the liberal media is evidenced by the absence of "dirt" delivered to the authors in their extensive "deep background" interviews with over 200 beltway insiders.

That the failed McCain candidacy frequently targeted Sarah Palin as a scapegoat for an inadequate campaign strategy and an uninspiring candidate has been widely reported from election night onward.  For this reason, I found revelations about Palin, as reported by these same insiders, the least interesting and least surprising in the book.  Oddly enough, it is Hillary Clinton who emerges as the most intriguing and sympathetic personality.  Accounts of Bill Clinton's anger and frustration as he was painted a racist because he criticized the media fairy tale that was Barack Obama, foreshadowed how most would be treated if they dared criticize Obama as well.  Details of the strain and frustration experienced by the Clintons during the primary to the tenuous alliance with Obama in the days post election are worth the price of admission alone here.

Halperin and Heilman include new material in the latest paperback release.  In an afterward they opine on the political futures of Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Sarah Palin.  The authors give further pause to those hoping Hillary might make another run for office.  Besides facing an age barrier, Clinton we are told, hates Iowa.  I find talk of a viable Biden candidacy laughable particularly when a second term for Obama seems far from a sure thing at this point in time.  Palin, of the three, has the benefit of time on her side.  We'll all be waiting to see what she does in coming days.  One thing is assured, however, Palin will never be the beneficiary of the laudatory coverage Barack Obama received, nor will she find senior Republicans conspiring to see her elected over the supposed frontrunner.

Reading the book again, in preparation for this review,  I found the book every bit as interesting as it was back in January.  I found different passage more intriguing, particularly after the November midterm elections.   Admittedly, I am a political junkie who finds the details of the improbable election of Barack Obama intriguing on many levels.  With a $10 price tag for this latest paperback release, Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime seems like a great gift choice for the political junkie on your Christmas list.


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Crying foul on "Fair Game"

A scorching movie review in the place you would least expect it, a Washington Post editorial.  Here is a sample:

Hollywood has a habit of making movies about historical events without regard for the truth; "Fair Game" is just one more example. But the film's reception illustrates a more troubling trend of political debates in Washington in which established facts are willfully ignored. Mr. Wilson claimed that he had proved that Mr. Bush deliberately twisted the truth about Iraq, and he was eagerly embraced by those who insist the former president lied the country into a war. Though it was long ago established that Mr. Wilson himself was not telling the truth - not about his mission to Niger and not about his wife - the myth endures. We'll join the former president in hoping that future historians get it right.

3, 2, 1... heads explode in the left-wing blogosphere.

First stop TBogg at Firedoglake:

America’s fifth most influential liberal journalist Fred Hiatt doesn’t have enough to do these days having delegated most of his editorial responsibilities to sensible classical liberals like Charles Krauthammer, Michael Gerson, Marc Thiessen, Jennifer Rubin, Robert Kagan, Robert Samuelson, Kathleen Parker, and George Will. So today he thought he would try his hand at movie reviewing but, alas, he hasn’t grasped the differences between “drama” and “documentary.”

Heads-a-poppin' at Balloon Juice:

It was a movie—you know, fiction that tries to get to larger truths about life. But because one of the truths that it tried to explore was the waste of the Iraq war, Fred had to go on the attack.

Brad DeLong writes in a post titled, "There Ought to Be Resignations in Protest and Disgust from the Washington Post Every Day, But Today More than Ever:

Why oh why can't we have a better press corps?

Excellent question Brad, let us know when you come up with an answer.

More on Memeorandum

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Harry Reid lassos the moon

Look Harry Reid, every time a bell rings, a casino in Nevada gets a squeeze:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is pushing behind the scenes for lame-duck legislation that would allow poker games over the Internet but restrict initial licenses to casinos and racetrack operators that have been in businesses at least five years.

Some of the biggest casino operators in Reid's home state of Nevada are eager to get a piece of the online gambling industry, which generates an estimated $5 billion a year for offshore operators.

A congressional aide familiar with the issue said Reid aides were circulating the draft legislation, and a copy of it was obtained by The Associated Press. The aide was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter and did so only on condition of anonymity.

Four years ago, Congress effectively banned online gambling, passing legislation that prohibits banks and credit card companies from making payments to gambling websites. Supporters of online poker face less opposition with Democrats in charge of both chambers for another month. The House Financial Services Committee this year approved a bill that established a regulatory structure for online gambling.

Reid's office would not answer questions about the legislation.

What a surprise Reid's office is silent on this.  What could they possibly say?  I would love to hear Reid explain why he is in such a rush to pass payola legislation for the casinos that put him back in office.  Surely the 9.8% who are unemployed can wait.  Never mind worrying about the tax rates set to increase at the end of the year either.  The whole country can wait while Harry Reid puts a few finishing touches on his project Pottersville.  Someone needs to lasso Harry Reid
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Thanks to Doug Ross for linking

Obama in Afghanistan dodging bullets

Where else  would he go to dodge the latest  bad news from a stalled economy.  Notice he didn't take a surprise trip when Michelle gave the ok for us all to eat pie.  Obama decides to make a surprise trip as  unemployment unexpectedly hits 9.8%  and just as news hits both manufacturing orders and durable goods were down  in October.  It's almost as if the economy sees Obama as the enemy.

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Assange arrest imminent

Via Verum Serum, The Daily Mail has the details:

WikiLeaks supremo Julian Assange could be arrested in Britain today over sex allegations.

Scotland Yard detectives were last night preparing to detain the 39-year-old over claims of rape and sexual assault in Sweden.

An extradition warrant is expected to be passed to the Metropolitan Police today or early next week.

Meanwhile Stacy McCain has a harsher sentence in mind:

This guy is the Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of the Internet. Kim Jong Il with a blog.

The appropriate U.S. response to Julian Assange could be summarized in four words: Predator drone. Hellfire missile.

Dude, that's harsh.  When I think Kim Jong Il with a blog, I think Meghan "sweet dumb babboo" McCain.    Assange as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of the internet is just about right though.

Exit Question:  Sweet Dumb Babboo?

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"The Moment of Truth"

"The Moment of Truth" is here.   This 66-page report from the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform documents the arrival of our country at the crossroads. This is the time to choose whether oceans of debt begin to recede and our planet debt star begins to heal.  John Merline, AOL Opinion Editor, spots a few hidden gems buried in the report:

2) Health reform's cost savings apparently were bogus. Remember how Democrats boasted that health reform would cut the budget deficit by $170 billion over the next decade and far more after that? The deficit commission must not have gotten that memo. It says health spending projections under the new law "count on large phantom savings" and the reform law's new long-term care program that the report calls "unsustainable." As a result, Congress will still need to enact "a number of other reforms to reduce federal health spending and slow the growth of health care costs more broadly."

Who knew this thing would turn out to be a "fiscal Frankenstein?"  Aside from the 600 + posts I wrote on the subject, nearly everyone who was paying attention knew the Democratic math didn't add up.  The only way the cost curve  would be bent with this fiasco was upward.  The report at least acknowledges "the elephant in the room."

Despite offering high praise for the committee and the report, Congressman Paul Ryan is not going to vote for the plan:

"Obviously, I’m not going to vote for it,” said Congressman Ryan, who is an important voice on the commission as incoming chairman of the House Budget Committee come January.

Ryan’s biggest problem with the debt commission report, he said, was that “it not only didn’t address the elephant in the room, health care, it made it fatter.“

Just what we need, a fatter elephant.  Where is Michelle with her diet advice when we need her?  Maybe she is out buying another pair of $600 sneakers.  She, like her husband is a big spender:

5) Obama is a big spender. Although President Barack Obama has talked about fiscal discipline -- and set up this deficit commission -- his own budget plan would spend $350 billion more on so-called discretionary programs over the next decade than if the government were just left on autopilot, according to the report. 

I am completely shocked at this news.  I thought we had a  big old Blue Dog living at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.  Read the rest of Merline's list of hidden gems, there are quite a few.

Despite my doubts real reform is possible under this president, I agree with Paul Ryan who praised the report for putting a plan on the table and elevating the discussion on our looming financial crisis to "adult level."  Ryan is wise, as always, for calling attention to the elephant in the room.  This is the moment to get that elephant out of the living room and the "Blue Dog" out of the White House.

Ed Morrissey  has more.
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Quote of the day

Via Instapundit linking a post at The New Editor.  Tom Elia noticed the most laughable statement attributed to Obama I have heard in some time.  That's really saying something.  Naturally New York Times columnist  Matt Bai reports it without a note of irony: 
"The body of Mr. Obama’s writing and experiences before he became a presidential candidate would suggest that he is instinctively pragmatic, typical of an emerging generation that sees all political dogma — be it ’60s liberalism or ’80s conservatism — as anachronistic. Privately, Mr. Obama has described himself, at times, as essentially a Blue Dog Democrat, referring to the shrinking caucus of fiscally conservative members of the party."

Wow, what is he smoking these days?  Fiscal conservative?  Why yes, it's practically the first thing I think of when I hear the name Barack Obama.  Or not.  Let's hope Mr. Obama has his Blue Dog hat handed to him like the rest of the Blue Dog Caucus.  

UPDATE:  Anne Leary links with Charles Barkley's take - what a hoot.
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Meet the latest comic book heroine: Super Maureen Dowd

Saving the world from sure destruction with her pixels and a pistol, meet Super Maureen Dowd, starring in:
THE INCREDIBLY FANTASTIC ADVENTURES OF MAUREEN DOWD (A WORK OF SATIRE AND FICTION).

The plot, yes there is a plot, requires a time change so the villains can be Republicans natch. Super Maureen must blow the lid off the Valerie Plame scandal:  "Can she fend off the assaults of fanatical White House officials and Hezzbollah commandos in time to write and deliver her column before deadline and still be on time for her third date with George Clooney?"  Only in her mind and in the satirical musings of Benjamin Marra who is offering this work   for the bargain price of $3 plus $1.75 shipping and handling.

click to enlarge

The rest of the preview must be seen to be believed.  I am speechless.
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W on Facebook: Leadership, China and Wikileaks

For anyone who missed the Facebook live interview with George W. Bush, here is the video. Bush was in rare form in the interview and shared a few of his thoughts with Facebook creator and CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Bush made frequent jokes about being there to sell his book,  reminding Zuckerberg and another questioner to get back to selling the book. At one point when discussing Condi Rice Bush quips, "If you're listening Condi, why aren't you in the audience? Have you bought the book?"

 Bush referred to Facebook's success throughout. At one point he compliments Zuckerberg for giving back to the country through his education initiatives. He often drew comparisons between he and Zuckerberg when discussing criticism and leadership. At one point Bush is asked how do you stay the course, he responds, "By not whining. By setting an example..." He then goes into a rather long and interesting discussion on managing and leadership. If you can't watch the whole interview the 10 minutes after the 20 minute mark are interesting.

Bush shares his thoughts on working with Bono and relates a story of Jacques Chiraq lecturing Bush on unilateralism. Bush let Chiraq have it which evidently impressed Bono. From there the discussion moves to China. Bush relates an anecdote where he asks Hu Jintau what keeps him up at night, Jintau answers "creating 25 million new jobs a year. Bush thought this was very reflective of China and the Chinese people. Again this is a really interesting segment that comes after the 40 minute mark.

Lastly Bush discusses Wikileaks, quite reluctantly. He was very emphatic when he ultimately declares these leaks dangerous and says that the leakers must be prosecuted. He related this to a similar episode he shares in the book. He goes on to say that there may be difficulty establishing trust when working with foreign leaders as a result of the leaks. The balance of the interview is fairly light hearted but in my estimation this was Bush at his absolute best. This is worth a watch if you have the time:

facebookguests on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

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Another dangerous global warming denier: David Letterman's mom

H/T: Doug Powers

Maybe the apple really does fall far from the tree after all. Joining the list of global warming deniers is David Letterman's mom:

Dave’s mom noted the unseasonably warm temperatures plaguing his hometown of Indianapolis. “That’s that climate change,” Dave responded.”It’s the global warming. You know that, mom? Do you believe in the climate change, in the global warming?”

“Not really,” she said. Dave shook his head:

Any chance HuffPo will add Letterman's mother to the list of "dangerous global warming deniers?

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Obama is all aboard the federal pay freeze - UPDATED

President Obama is set to announce a pay freeze for federal workers today.  The pay freeze could save up to $30 billion over the next five years, though the freeze would be in effect for two years.  Though the pay freeze made its debut in the GOP Pledge to America, Obama is likely influenced by the public support for the freeze:

There are about 2.65 million civilian employees of the executive branch, per the Washington Post. That's about 8.4 federal workers per 1,000 American citizens.

A Washington Post poll in October found that 52 percent of Americans believe federal workers are overpaid. About half of respondents said they believe federal employees work "less hard" than their peers in the private sector.

Zero Hedge  thinks government workers should be thanking Obama, "as this means federal salaries which have exploded in the past 5 years will be stuck at all time highs for at least two years, even as nominal salaries for everyone else (except FIRE workers of course) continue to decline."  He does hate it when people forget to thank him for all his hard work.  Of course the hard thing here would be cutting federal pay but I wouldn't expect to see Obama doing the heavy lifting on that anytime soon.

UPDATE 
Ed Morrissey doubts we'll see much in terms actual savings:

Will we actually see this cost savings?  Probably not.  Gabriel Malor received an official explanation given to federal employees today, which assured them that the freeze “will not impact step increases or bonuses for federal workers.”  It applies to cost-of-living increases, mainly.  If an agency wants to give a worker an increase, they just need to increase their pay grade or boost their bonuses to make it happen.

Come on, this is pathetic.  There is no such built-in workaround for seniors who won't be getting their COLA for social security.  Even if a legitimate pay freeze is necessary and perhaps long over-due, this doesn't get to the institutionalized waste and abuse that a massive bureaucracy invites, as Rep. Darrell Issa points out at The Corner:

“At a time when our nation’s seniors have been denied a cost-of-living-increase and private sector hiring is stagnant, it is both necessary and quite frankly, long over-due to institute a pay-freeze for the federal workforce. As Republicans outlined in our Pledge to America there are a number of actions the President and Congress should immediately act on to demonstrate a real commitment to reigning in the excessive growth and spending of the federal government.

“To put this in perspective, the Obama Administration says this two-year pay freeze will save $2 billion, however, just last week, OMB released a report revealing that the federal government’s improper payments for FY-2010 totaled $125 billion, $15 billion higher than the previous year. It is unthinkable that we have come to accept having a bureaucracy that has institutionalized waste, fraud and abuse to the point where $125 billion in improper payments were made last year. The first place we should look to make progress on higher costs, increased debt and a stagnant economy is look inward at how taxpayer dollars are being spent and doing more to ensure that tens of billions of dollars are no longer erroneously paid out.”

What a disgrace, $125 billion in improper payments in one year?  This is Barack Obama's Smart Government at work:

“There are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short.  For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage. What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works.”

It's not working Mr. President.  It's not smarter, it's at least 15 billion dollars more wasteful than the year before.

Heh: Leave it to Stacy McCain to capture the spirit of Obama's message:

Shorter Obama: ‘In This False Dilemma, America Must Make a Manichean Choice Between My Indisputably Wise Policies and My Tendentious Straw-Man Caricature of Republican Policies’

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My favorite things: A list of amazing gifts for women

A few of my blogging friends have put together gift suggestions that serve a dual purpose. First these are great suggestions for gifts and frankly the hardest part of shopping is deciding what to buy. Second, any item purchased through one of these links will also support the blog at no additional cost to you. Amazon pays a small commission when a reader follows a link from here or any other blog when the link results in a purchase.    You can also use the Amazon search bar on the sidebar of this blog if you know of something specific you want.  Since you would be buying there anyway, searching from here just helps me make a little bonus.

I put together a list of my favorite things.  Honestly, my favorite things list is way better than Oprah's; look who she chose for President.  I don't buy myself much but when I do I like it to be something I will use for a long time.  Generally speaking, things that last longer are higher quality and yes a bit higher priced.  Still, I would rather have one nice bag or great shoes than a variety that don't hold up as well.  The items I am recommending here are all things I have purchased or would love to have as a gift.  Hopefully you might see something here that would be perfect for a wife, girlfriend or hey women how about treating yourself.  Here is the list:

This is a fantastic coat.  I have one, or rather had one, I should say.  My daughter took it from me and now seems to believe it is hers.  If you are looking for a gift this is a great option.  Michael Kors tends to run on the small side so I would not suggest going smaller on this coat.  This is a really flattering coat that looks great on women of all sizes.  I originally went looking for a Michael Kors coat after Sarah Palin was spotted wearing one in the famous Thanksgiving turkey massacre video.  She had a similar Michael Kors coat paired with a Burberry scarf.  Amazon has a nice knock-off if yo don't have a couple hundred laying around to shell out on a scarf.  See Premium Pashmina Plaid Shawl Wrap Scarf - Sand and a little nicer version here 100% Cashmere Scarf.  Together the combination looks really amazing but the coat does look great alone.

Next on my list of amazing things for women is the Ugg Coquette slipper in either black, Women's Ugg Cozy II Chestnut or the awesome new color Women's UGG® Australia Coquette-9--Bomber Jacket.  They have them in all sizes so the links really just take you to the color.  I have the black and am now on my second pair.  These just feel amazing on your feet.  I wear them with jeans out or with anything around the house.  I also highly recommend the Women's UGG Bailey Button Boot.  These look great and are so warm and toasty I hate to take them off.  Both the boots and the slippers run very large.  I buy a size down and they fit perfectly.  They only come in whole sizes so if you are an 8 1/2 buy the 8's, etc.  I think I will be looking to get the new bomber jacket color in the coquettes this year.



The new Kindle 3G wireless is also something I have been wanting for quite a while.  I have the Kindle app added to my laptop but I really feel as though I am tied to my computer enough as it is.  I also have it added to my blackberry but the screen is just too small to make that something I would use regularly to read a book.  Here is what I love about digital reading though, the books are available in a matter of a minute.  When Decision Points (which is great by the way) became available at midnight, I had it 12:05 AM.  I didn't have to wait to make a trip to the bookstore and hope they still had a copy.  I didn't have to wait until Amazon's free shipping finally got here. Books are cheaper and there are a lot of classic books that can be downloaded for free.  The savings makes this purchase one that will pay for itself quickly.  This is one amazing invention and something that will be a necessity in the future.

Ok, so don't choke on the price of this gorgeous black wristlet.  That is the bag I would choose if money were no object.  For most of us that isn't the case.  I do, however, think a really nice wristlet bag is one thing I absolutely can not do without.  I carry mine everywhere and find it all that is really necessary when I make a run to the store or really almost every trip I make anymore.  I almost never carry a pocketbook anymore but the wristlet goes with me everywhere.  Here are some really nice picks if an $800 little black bag will bust the budget.  First, this Cole Haan Gramercy Clara Wristlet,Black, is really beautiful and much more reasonable at $128.  It also comes in Dark Aubergine which is very pretty too.  Another nice choice is this Latico Cris Cris Pocket Wristlet which comes in right under $100.


Fragrance is always a matter of personal choice but there are some great perfumes that smell incredible on everyone.  I love the new perfume LOLA by Marc Jacobs and the bottle is just adorable.  This would be one of my top picks for a new perfume this year.  I usually wear Dkny Be Delicious By Donna Karan For Women.  which I love for its' clean fresh apple scent.  A great choice for a younger woman is Vera Wang Princess By Vera Wang.  This is one of my daughter's favorites so occasionally I use a spray or two of hers.  This smells delicious and I can't imagine a woman of any age not enjoying it.  Of course some women don't go for perfume at all.  If they do, however, these are all great choices.   For men Acqua Di Gio By Giorgio Armani  smells incredible as does my all time favorite PACO RABANNE By Paco Rabanne .



























Some great beauty choices for stocking stuffers or just a nice treat.  First off is the Nars blush/bronzer duo in the provocatively named "orgasm."  I have been wearing this blush, which has a nice pinky-peach glow for years.  I saw it in a beauty magazine listed as a color Jennifer Aniston wears.  It doesn't make me look like her but it gets me a little closer anyway.  Seriously, it is a nice blush in a very pretty, flattering shade.  Next up is one of may favs by Smashbox their hydrating perfecting powder.  This is a little pricey but worth every penny.  Once again, after I bought this my daughter actually used her own money to buy herself some as well. There is no higher testimony to the worth of a product than watching my daughter actually buy it herself.

A great stocking stuffer is the Tweezerman slant-tip tweezer.  These are the best, you would never ever buy another brand after using them.  Also on the stocking-stuffer list is Rosebud lip balm, awesome stuff.  Last on the list is the slightly pricey Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare Firm Resolutions kit.  I got a few samples of the peel included in this kit recently and was shocked what a difference it made in my skin.  Although this price might seem a bit high, it is actually a really great value and a heck of a lot cheaper than having a peel done by a Dermatologist.  I am planning on buying this after having tried the sample.

Amazing Belgian chocolates for those want to give the best to your favorite chocolate connoisseur.  From a great review:
 If it is possible to fall madly in love with a box of chocolates, then the assortment is the perfect place to start such an adventure. These chocolate are named after Leonidas Kestekidis, who definitely knew how to create chocolates for the true chocolate connoisseur. 

When he moved back to Belgium he not only married his true love, he created chocolates the world now adores. When you taste these chocolates, your taste buds will also finally know true chocolate happiness. Whether you try one of these with a cup of coffee or tea or enjoy one as a daily indulgence, these will impress. 

Sounds incredible to me.  I have always wanted to try these so maybe this year I will give them a try.

Still my all-time favorite cookbook.  I have tried a lot of these recipes and they make the patient cook into a gourmet chef with ease.  Last Thanksgiving I shared a couple recipes from this book and that post is one that is frequently searched on the blog or found through google.  This is not a cookbook you will use everyday but for those special occasions it is undoubtedly my favorite.

For one that will become dog-eared from daily use there is nothing better than Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006 or the original itself Joy of Cooking.  Another great cookbook that I use constantly is Julia Child's The Way to Cook.  These cookbooks are invaluable to anyone who wants to learn and master the fundamentals of cooking.


I have been looking at Wacom pen tablets for over a year now.  While I find it amazing what can be accomplished on the Wacom Cintiq, the $1000 price tag is just out of my league with one kid in college and another one headed there soon.  I finally broke down and bought this great starter tablet because the sale price ($56) was really too good to pass up.  That is my little Christmas present to me.

This is the review  that sold me on this model:
For as cheap as this little tablet is, it does a GREAT job! I purchased it to have an extra travel one; I have a larger Intuos that is PHENOMENAL (I won't lie, it is much more sensitive and because it is larger it is much, much, much more precise) but the problem is that it is totally unsuitable for a mobile lifestyle. This little cutie works excellent for the things I do on the fly. 

Considering that I am a professional digital imaging specialist who uses my tablets constantly, I hope you'll take this advice: for those of you who are weekend enthusiasts or whom are just getting started and perhaps may have never used a tablet before, this is a good one to purchase. It does just fine for most applications and is sensitive enough to do the average things. Once you've totally become addicted to it and know for sure that it suits your needs, maybe then save up and get a larger Intuos.

I can't wait to get this little device up and running. After spending most of the day putting this list together I think I got myself in the shopping mode. Hopefully something I have listed here helps those of you looking for a great gift or a nice treat for yourself.  Happy shopping!

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Next tragedy of the impending climate change apocalypse

Your Thanksgiving turkey is going to be like all pasty and dry and just generally nasty:

Climate change could one day affect the cost and quality of dishes traditionally served for Thanksgiving Day dinner, suggests a recent paper in the journal Food Research International.

Pasty, dry turkey meat along with expensive fruits, vegetables and potatoes could be on the horizon if more variable extremes in regional weather patterns continue as a likely result of climate change, indicates author Neville Gregory.

The usual star of the Thanksgiving Day feast, roast turkey, could suffer in quality as a result.

Poor things are going to be all heat stressed.  Maybe it's just turkey menopause or something.  Meanwhile if  the country is actually cooking like a cat on a hot tin roof  we're going to be fretting that our Thanksgiving turkey is not very juicy?  I think not, but thanks for playing.

Via Memeorandum

Also blogging:  theblogprof, Watts Up With That?, YID With LID and Pirate's Cove

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Let there be pie

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  

There is much to be thankful for this year.  I have two healthy and relatively happy - as happy as teenagers get anyway - children who are doing well in school and appear to be on a path to being productive people in the future.  Whether they will have jobs waiting for them is anyone's guess but, hey, let's not let the small things get us down.  I am still hopeful we can turn this around.

I am grateful we have elected a new Congress that is unlikely to hold votes, at all hours, when the country is least paying attention, in order to pass legislation most of the country opposes vehemently.  That we get to wrestle the gavel from claws of a certain someone in the process is, as Martha Stewart would say, "a good thing."

I am grateful for all those who come here and read what I have to say.  I mean that more than I can say, so thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I hope you are all well and enjoying a wonderful day with family and friends.

I am endlessly grateful for my health and continued well-being of my family.  As I look around to some of my friends posting on the internet, there are amazing stories of people who accomplish so much with a positive spirit when many would become bitter in the face of such adversity.  Far too often, it takes a reminder that people make do with far less, thrive under the most tragic circumstances to remind us to be grateful for things we take for granted everyday.

Speaking of health, I am really grateful that our Queen Michelle has deemed, in her infinite wisdom, that on this one day we can eat cake.  Well, really she said pie, but why quibble when we get dispensation from the paragon of fitness and health herself:

Michelle Obama said it's fine to eat what you want on Thanksgiving.

"Don't worry about how much you eat. Just enjoy it," she said. "This is the time. Have pie."

There you have it, it is ok for just this one day, to have your pie and eat it too.  So, let there be pie.  Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Shout outs to my friends in the blogosphere below the jump.

Settlement reached in Palin V Gawker

Scroll down for updates to this post

Days after Sarah Palin and her publisher Harper Collins scored a major win  over the mean team at Gawker, we learn a settlement has been reached.   Alas, there won't be a TSA screening  for Gawker at the hands of Sarah Palin any time soon.  While some may be disappointed the attorneys at Harper Collins won't get to rifle through the junk in Gawker's trunk, this is still a major victory for team Palin.

Reading between the lines of the statements by both sides, we can piece together key pieces of the settlement between the parties.  Gawker has agreed to keep the infringing material off its website and will not post the material at any time in the future.  Erin Crum, a spokesperson for Harper Collins gives us insight why Gawker readily agreed to this point:

Ms. Crum said that a federal judge said that Gawker had published a “substantial portion of the book” and that it had “not used the copyrighted material to help create something new but has merely copied the material in order to attract viewers.” 

The judge was obviously well acquainted with the findings of Harper & Row V Nation Enterprises.  The language reported by Crum sounds remarkably similar to words used by Justice O'Connor when she wrote of The Nation, "went beyond simply reporting uncopyrightable information and actively sought to exploit the headline value of its infringement, making a "news event" out of its unauthorized first publication."  

Crum points out the judge said Gawker had not used the material to create something new.   In a famous 1994 Supreme Court ruling found the transformative nature of the use to be a chief indicator of fair use.  Justice Souter wrote, "The more transformative the new work, the less will be the significance of other factors, like commercialism, that may weigh against a finding of fair use."   I am going to go way out on a limb here an guess the judge was unlikely to be persuaded that gawking gave new meaning or expression to Palin's book.  Gawker was going to lose.

Crum declined to comment whether there had been any financial settlement had been reached.  Does anyone ever disclose terms of a financial settlement?  There was probably some financial settlement.

Compare and Contrast the wealth of information weighing in favor of Palin and Harper Collins vs the meager but belligerent spin from Gawker:

Remy Stern, editor in chief of Gawker, said in an email: “HarperCollins’ decision to file suit against us and seek a temporary restraining order generated a good deal of press for Ms. Palin’s book in advance of its publication. Now that the book is out and destined to appear on the bestseller list, we’re pleased that Harper Collins proposed settling this case as is, this avoiding lengthy litigation for both sides.”

So maybe Gawker thought Palin was going to have a hard time showing the infringement undercut the marketability of her book.  Palin's book is going to do very well but there was a case to be made a couple million gawkers gawking at nearly 10% of Palin's book online for free was going to cut into some sales.  Note however, Stern makes a point of mentioning Harper Collins proposed settling the case as if going to trial was going to be a bigger loser for Palin than it would be for Gawker.  It would certainly be expensive for both.  Perhaps Palin found having her rights as an author protected while Gawker ended up covered with egg a nice outcome.  That Maureen O'Connor wagged her sorry finger in Sarah Palin's face only to have it turned on herself likely added a sense of emotional victory as well.

While an extensive probing of Gawker's junk might have provided further embarrassment to an organization that richly deserves it, Palin and her publisher would have been open to charges they were using her copyright to bully a bully.  Unlike the many copyright holders who abuse their copyright to extract a settlement when they have no reasonable claim, Palin's original question "Isn't that illegal" has been answered with conviction.

She protected her constitutionally afforded right as well she should.  She may have gone further than most in sheltering those who believe fair use is a right worth protecting as well.   Bill McGeveran, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, notes fair use is "fragile enough as it is."  Protracted litigation might have served the purpose of undermining its legitimacy further:

As with illegal music downloaders who try to stretch fair use to cover outright piracy, extravagant claims of fair use for large-scale leaks of significant chunks of a book risk undermining the perceived legitimacy of those rights.

Though McGeveran appears to be no fan of Palin, he laid blame for that potential outcome at Gawker's doorstep.  While I would love to have seen Gawker probed in a way they so richly deserve, there does come a point when winning a battle leads to losing the war.  As with all things Palin, the media attention generated during a battle between her and Gawker would be astounding.  McGeveran concern is a legitimate one I am afraid.

Settling the case so soon after the judge issued the injunction may serve to underscore the point sites like Gawker and Palingate can't use someone's unreleased book to generate page hits for their pitiful websites.  As copyright expert Ron Coleman wrote, "[h]ating someone doesn't mean you can infringe her copyright." This is a huge victory particularly when the left feels perfectly entitled to probe Palin's uterus so why should they stop to consider they are not entitled to her book as well.   I would add that is was particularly satisfying to see mean girl Maureen O'Connor get schooled by a woman she believed was her intellectual inferior.  All in all, that's not a bad days work for Sarah Palin.
Linked by The Other McCain - Thanks!

UPDATE : Via Memeorandum
Galleycat has the full statement from Harper Collins. Judge Grisea read Gawker the copyright infringement riot act it seems:

On Saturday afternoon, Judge Thomas Griesa of the US District Court in Manhattan entered a temporary restraining order against Gawker. In an opinion issued yesterday, Judge Grisea stated that “the purpose of the copyright law is to prevent the kind of copying that has taken place here.” Judge Grisea’s opinion also said that Gawker “published what amounts to a substantial portion of the book” but “essentially engaged in no commentary or discussion”, and that it had “not used the copyrighted material to help create something new but has merely copied the material in order to attract viewers.” Immediately after the hearing, Gawker removed the offending pages from its web site as the Judge ordered.

Read the rest as they say.  I hope Maureen O'Connor has taken a moment to read those links she asked Sarah Palin to read.  If she hasn't, Judge Grisea seems perfectly willing to walk her through it.

Also blogging: Cubachi at Hot Air and cross-posted at Cubachi.com

Heh, Jim Treacher delivers a shpanking commenting on Gawker's meager yet belligerent spin:

That’s right, sweeties, you meant to do that. To help her sell books. Because if there’s one thing Gawker is good at, it’s selling books. Oh wait no never mind.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2010/11/24/world-war-three-averted/#ixzz16Dsi1idi
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