Ding Dong!

The Weekly Standard declares it the photo of the day, I have to agree:

After a long, long, looooooooooooong and did I mention long speech, Nancy Pelosi finally handed the gavel over to the new Speaker of the House John Boehner:

Ding Dong, the permanent Democratic majority  is dead.  Congratulations Speaker Boehner:

Cue the Happy Days are Here Again soundtrack, the days of Pelosi-style deficit "reduction" have come to an end.  She keeps using those words, I do not think it means what she thinks it means.

Back from my holiday hiatus

Well, I am back after a rather unexpected holiday hiatus. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and is enjoying the new year. I am enjoying having my daughter home from college and slowly recovering from a very hectic Christmas.

I find myself struggling to find a story to jump back in the blogging business with today. Tomorrow is, of course, the start of a new Congress and is sure to bring with it quite a bit of news. The media is gearing up to make John Boehner into the bogeyman before he takes possession of Pelosi's broom. Who's crying now?

Our fearless reader is busy wishing someone read his START treaty before it was ratified in the Senate. Another case of passing something so we can find out what is in it? Good thing it was only something as trivial as our national defense at stake this time instead of our health care. Keep up the good work there champ.

START was one of a string of so-called legislative victories that had the left-wing media filled with hope Obama and his agenda were here to stay after his massive defeat in the midterms. Hey, I thought the election was supposed to have been a restraining order. Jon Stewart noticed this as well but disputed the media meme "Obama as the Comeback Kid." Stewart argues he is Luke Skywalker instead. Mediaite explains the twisted analogy:

Just like Luke defeated the Evil Empire and blew up the Deathstar, so too did Obama defy outrageous odds in getting elected as The New Hope. But the celebration quickly ended as the “Republic-an Empire” struck back, with a string of political victories that made the young Jedi knight (Obama) look weak and impotent. There’s even the frozen planet of Hoth with the cave Wampa monster (who like Sarah Palin, can see the planet Tatooine from her cave.)

The twisted analogy ends with Jabba the Hutt and his chosen bounty hunter Boba Fett getting defeated as lameduck Return of the Jedi. (The repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell? Celebrated by dancing Ewoks on the planet Endor!)

This clip is 8 minutes long but Stewart gets to the Obama Skywalker stuff at about the 4 minute mark. As strained as the analogy might be, Stewart makes a point that needs to be reinforced. Rumors of Obama's demise were premature just as rumors health care was mostly dead were in the days after Scott Brown's election. Let's get busy in 2011 finding the candidate who will take this guy out of the White House in 2012 once and for all.


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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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