Message #162800

[Harconen]

On May 4, Colin Powell criticizes conservative talk show commentator Rush Limbaugh. “I think what Rush does as an entertainer diminishes the party and intrudes or inserts into our public life a kind of nastiness that we would be better to do without.” Powell, angered by Limbaugh’s charge that he is not a conservative and endorsed Obama solely because of race, states, “The Republican Party is in deep trouble. The party must realize that the country has changed. Americans do want to pay taxes for services.” Clearly demonstrating that he does not in fact have conservative principles and does deserve Limbaugh’s criticism, Powell adds, “Americans are looking for more government in their life, not less.” [2738]

 

The Obama administration denies reports that as many as 147 civilians died on May 4 during fighting between U.S. forces and the Taliban in Afghanistan. Regardless of the exact number of civilian casualties, criticism of Obama over the incident is almost non-existent, compared with attacks on former President Bush when those incidents occurred. [2763]

 

Still more leftist journalists jump the media ship to take positions in the Obama administration. CNN’s Sasha Johnson will become press secretary at the Department of Transportation. Former Chicago Tribune correspondent Jill Zuckman is already there, as Director of Public Affairs. CNN’s Aneesh Raman and Kate Albright-Hanna left their positions to join the Obama campaign in 2008. Beverly Lumpkin now works for the Justice Department, which she previously covered as a reporter for ABC. Rick Weiss, formerly with the Washington Post, is now with the White House Office of Science and Technology. Former Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Gosselin is now a speechwriter for Secretary Treasurer Geithner. Former Washington Post deputy editor Warren Bass is now an advisor to U.N. ambassador Susan Rice. Time magazine’s Jay Carney is now Joe Biden’s chief of staff. (Carney is married to ABC correspondent Claire Shipman.) Linda Douglass, formerly with CBS and ABC, is now handling public relations for the Department of Health and Human Services. [2739, 3494, 3545]

 

On May 5, his new Democrat comrades strip Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA) of seniority. The move takes away much of Specter’s clout, and makes it more difficult for him to campaign on the basis of being able to “deliver the goods” to the voters of Pennsylvania. Specter had been promised by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid that he would retain his seniority after switching parties, but Specter apparently learned little about how Democrats operate in his five terms in the Senate. Specter changed to the Democrat Party after realizing he was likely to lose the 2010 Republican primary; the odds are that he will be challenged in the Democrat primary and may lose his Senate seat anyway—along with any integrity he may still have. [2741]

 

In a May 5 editorial in the Washington Post, Glenn Kessler and Michael D. Shear write, “The Obama administration has backed away from overt expressions of support for human rights and democracy in favor of a more subtle approach, worrying advocates who say that the issues are being given short shrift as President Obama seeks to rebuild relations with allies and reach out to adversaries.”  They confirm that “Many human rights activists have been shocked at the administration’s apparent willingness to consider easing sanctions on Burma and Sudan. The Obama presidential campaign was scornful of Bush’s handling of the killings in Sudan’s Darfur region, which Bush labeled as genocide, but since taking office, the (Obama) administration has been caught flat-footed by Sudan’s recent ousting of international humanitarian organizations.” [3528]

 

The White House releases a seven-page memorandum, “Internal Review Concerning April 27, 2009 Air Force One Flight.” The document is meant to “explain” the publicity photo fiasco that had New Yorkers running for cover after a low-level flight of Manhattan by a backup Air Force One and two fighter jets. The memorandum explains little, but allows Obama to throw White House Military Officer Louis Caldera under the bus. [2764]

 

Federal Reserve Board chairman Ben Bernanke says on May 5 that the economy appeared to be stabilizing and there would likely be a recovery in 2009. “We expect that the recovery will only gradually gain momentum,” states Bernanke, “and that the economic slack will diminish slowly.” It is unlikely, however, that housing prices will return to their record highs for many years to come, and American consumers are almost as unlikely to go on the same kind of spending binge they have been on for the last decade. Bernanke’s optimism does not take into account the effect of inflation, which will eventually appear because of the money the federal government is printing and throwing into the economy in the hopes that it will spark a recovery. (From 1900 to 2000, home prices in the United States increased, on average, by about 3.4 per cent per year. Between 1950 and 2000, home prices increased an average of 4.4 per cent per year, just barely beating the inflation rate. From 1997 to 2006, however, prices in 10 of the largest U.S. cities rose, on average, an astounding 19.4 per cent per year. That housing “bubble” was unprecedented, and was clearly caused by government manipulation of interest rates. The bubble was created by the government, which kept interest rates artificially low; there is no reason for prices to go back up to those levels under natural circumstances. In fact, further price declines are likely if average home prices are to “get back to normal” and match the 1990–2000 trend.) [2759, 2856]

 

Former Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) complains that Obama is not doing enough to secure the nation’s border with Mexico, especially with the threat of a swine flu epidemic. The Obama administration argues that it is not worth the effort, because several Americans have already contracted the flu; tightening border security would be “closing the barn door after the horses are out.” (Some have illogically likened it to shutting a window after several bees have entered the house; but it is not clear why they would want to leave the window open for even more bees to enter.) Tancredo argues, “The problem is you cannot necessarily contain it, but what you’re trying to do is minimize the impact, of course, and reduce the number of people coming into the country with it.” Tancredo is a strong advocate for tougher border security and enforcement of immigration laws. He warns that Obama’s plans for immigration “reform” will mean amnesty for millions of illegal immigrants already in the United States. He also knows that Obama is difficult to oppose because of his loyal following. “You have to admit, he is a cult leader and the cult will go with him anywhere he wants to go. You just don’t know about the size of the cult, how big it is, if it’s shrinking or growing, but he is a cult leader and you have to realize that he’s not just a political figure, he is truly a cult leader.” [2742]