Dilma's Dilemma

Another teachable moment. Another glimpse into the mind of our president, Barack Hussein Obama. How he is handling Libya could have been foreseen long ago. Other commanders-in-chief have done as much at the mere drop of a hat. It’s not what happens there that should be of concern to us. Of far greater concern should be what we ourselves have become.

We have become a nation of lawless and corrupt governance. Our Constitution specifies that Congress must be consulted, and be made to approve any deployment of American troops overseas. Barack Hussein Obama is the first president to bypass this convention. Instead, he claims to derive his power from what he refers to as the ‘international community’ (UN). As such, he has further shredded the Constitution of the United States. At the same time, he is continuing to marginalize the role of Congress. So much for representative governance.

Again, all this could have been foreseen. Months back, I wrote that the deliberate chaos in the 111th Congress would serve to discredit the institution irreparably. Here we have it in black and white. What does this say about the sanctity of our vote? In a short two years we have devolved from a constitutional republic to a tyranny.

Our media does not appear to grasp the enormity of what has happened to us. Small wonder. The success or failure of any quasi-democratic setup depends on an educated public. Our schools have become mere cookie cutters. The level of understanding among recent graduates is astoundingly below par. It cuts across the board from math through English. “When NEWSWEEK recently asked 1,000 U.S. citizens to take America’s official citizenship test, 29 percent couldn’t name the vice president. Seventy-three percent couldn’t correctly say why we fought the Cold War. Forty-four percent were unable to define the Bill of Rights. And 6 percent couldn’t even circle Independence Day on a calendar.”

I understand that polls are often skewed to elicit certain answers; to show specific results, most likely ones that grab headlines and spur magazine sales; and, don’t forget, of course, to promote the urgency for more money for favored institutions (such as teachers unions) and in NEWSWEEK’s case, Democrats. In this particular survey, published this week, I suspect, the numbers are probably even worse. The teaching of civics and history has perhaps suffered most in recent years. It’s natural that these would be edged out by an ever greater emphasis on ideologically based solutions. Let’s face it, Marxism is now in vogue.

As our president travels splendidly throughout Brazil, burnishing his Marxist credentials, his unconstitutional behavior with regard to Libya goes almost unnoticed. Obviously, most Brazilians have not yet gotten the message that he is one of them as evidenced by the feisty street demonstrations against him. But Dilma knows why he’s come. She’ll let him grovel and beg for her validation. Still, she must weigh her ultimate approach to him against her own need for a demon. The U.S. has always served admirably in this regard.

Even if the new Brazilian president should withhold her favors, the trip should still be regarded as a success. When things go wrong in Libya, Obama can always say, “It wasn’t me. It’s all Hillary’s fault. I wasn’t even there.”

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

America Is No Longer A Player

Apparently it takes two years to get the measure of a man. Equally apparent is that it takes some Americans even longer.

Last night’s show is one to be bookmarked. It dealt primarily with the foreign policy failures of the Obama administration, especially as pertains to the Middle East. On the eve of the president’s trip to Brazil, we can now look forward to a fresh set of policy embarrassments looming in South America. This is one of the reasons Hillary Clinton continues to distance herself from this administration.

Everything about the discussions last night was pretty much on target. And it is not something that will ever be reported in the NYT and in other liberal mainstream media outlets. Obama is their baby, after all. A mother will always stand up for her child.

But neither Batchelor or Hoenlein (or any of their guests) ever got down to actually pulling the trigger. Triangulation no longer works. Only facts are relevant. By parting ways with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Israel among others, the U.S. has planted itself firmly in Iran’s twelver camp. This did not just happen because of inattention, ignorance, or character flaws. It is deliberate. Anyone might be relieved to see our president as dupe and bumbler-in chief. It might even be so. In any case, Obama has been the public face of events that have occurred since he has been in office. It is he who must be held to account. No doubt, others much smarter than Obama are pulling his strings.

On the home front it’s the same story. Obama’s presidency has been a disaster anywhere you look.

One hopeful sign (if you can call it that): I see China inching closer to the breach. As I have predicted previously, Israel will survive. Iran will not. Half ‘evil’ will always win out over 100% ‘evil’. America is no longer a player.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Condo Shopping in Brazil

We’re all news junkies; that is, we try to keep up with the news on a daily basis. We read the headlines on various sites, as well as our favorite blogs to get some idea about what other people are thinking. We pretty much know that the mainstream media does not tell us the truth; that partisan consideration causes them to steer their intended conclusions toward some unholy end. The same is true of the conservative, or ‘alternative’, media.

I’ve been having some trouble with the internet, especially when trying to stream Glenn Beck’s morning radio show. It suddenly cuts out and I need to go down to the basement and reset the box. Honestly, it’s become a pain to listen, and I no longer listen very often. I also don’t watch much TV - especially in the afternoon. For our family, Glenn Beck has essentially ‘disappeared’.

While visiting my father, he explained to me the purpose of Brazil's new capital (now 50 years old), the building if which he had been intimately involved in. It was envisioned as a world capital housing the leaders of a single world government. Its planners predicted that there would be a war in which much of the world would suffer utter devastation. The site for the Brazilian capital was deliberately chosen as to be as far away from everything as possible and would therefore not be much affected.

The city has strict building codes as to limit its population. The expected overflow was to be housed in any number of satellite cities some distance away. Only the highest elite - the cream of the crop - were to have permission to live within city limits.

This came to mind when I first heard that Obama would be going to Brazil on vacation (or is it to shop for a condo?). Suppose now, that something were to happen here while he is away. It’s not unusual for the leader of a nation to leave his country and, while abroad, there is some kind of coup back home.

Suppose communications were cut. Suppose all we could get on the radio is old episodes of the Prairie Home Companion. Suppose there were no mention of what had happened. Suppose TV screens remained blank; the internet dormant.

Suppose Osama bin Laden were to order all his sleeper cells into action. Suppose some manufactured economic problem were to close the banks. Suppose union thugs and others took it upon themselves to target random ‘rich people’ and Republican legislators.

In very short order, America would find itself turned on its head. There would be utter chaos in the streets – not to mention, in every American heart.

Suppose that by some prearranged signal Israel and Taiwan were attacked, as well as Americans and American interests oversees.

All this would be digestible, except for radio silence. We could respond to most things, but not this. For years now, we’ve known that our media plays fast and loose with the facts. We’ve learned to be discerning and deal with it. But no news? How could we possibly deal with that?

Only those who had been tipped off beforehand would know what to do - only the best organized. The rest of us would miss the sleight of hand until long after the dust has settled and the now familiar faces of our talking heads have faded from memory.

http://peterkoelliker.blogspot.com/
http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Pretty Pink Ribbons

Conservative media is awash this morning - all asking the same question, “Where in the world is Barack Hussein Obama?” It’s as if they all received the same memo overnight; sent out by the Koch brothers, no doubt. And indeed, the question is quite valid. It seems that the Saudis have already decided that their partner in the West is and has been MIA for far too long; that it’s high time they begin taking things into their own hands. Israel is rapidly coming to the same conclusion. Turkey, Brazil and others have already fled; while still others are scrambling to find new, more reliable partners. Russia and China see untold new opportunities.

The only ones stuck in the pretense of American leadership is us. Our hands appear to be tied by convention. It’s not that we’re not aware. In fact, it becomes clearer by the day; that we’ve have jettisoned our rudder, our engines and our sails; that we are now drifting and (perhaps) worse: being blown about aimlessly by outside currents and upheaval. And that’s the best case scenario (not yet time to throw the horses overboard). The worst being, that it’s deliberate and done from the inside with a brick on the gas pedal.

This now should become critical to our calculations. If our leadership is indeed just taking a hands-off approach, then we might just eke out another year and a half. Even a clock left unwound is right at least twice a day. If, on the other hand, it’s being done deliberately, then all bets are off. We’re practically guaranteed never to catch a break. By 2012, we’ll have fallen so far; it’ll be moot to even have elections.

While there are now a few new faces in Congress who are raising concerns; at the same time, they’re already throwing up their hands. They find the institution has been eviscerated and reduced to the level of straw man. Our Republican leadership seems quite content to assume this role and appears eager to stand by and watch. The strategy, as far as I can make out, appears to center on handing the administration enough rope.

It won’t work. By the time 2012 rolls around, there just might not be much of anything left to tie up in pretty pink ribbons.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

New York, New York

The system that New York produces is self-consuming. That is to say, liberalism, is self-consuming. New York is an irresistible flame in which moths burn their wings. All Cuomos, Clintons, and Kennedys have been brought up to be either Icarus or saffron-clad monks. It’s what’s expected.

There are specific places around the globe that exude power. New York City is such a place. New York burns hot. Around it is scorched earth. It has not become the center of the world for nothing. Both China and Brazil have built great cities nobody has ever heard of - or will. Andrew Cuomo has willingly cast himself into New York’s flame. So have many others, only to be consumed by it.

To be New York’s governor is like riding a bucking bronco. There’s no question that you’ll be thrown. The challenge is one of endurance; to stay on as long as you can - and (perhaps) be thrown mercifully into the blanching waters of the Potomac.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

A Condo For Hillary (in Brasilia)

The difference between Republicans and conservatives is that conservatives know that present policies will not bring the economy back. As present policies are in control, the jobs picture will not improve. What’s left, is to determine who gets the blame.

POTUS will blame Republicans for obstructing. Republicans will blame POTUS and Democrats for policies already in place. Stalemate, so far. Enter the press. This tips the balance in favor of the Dems.

I’m telling you, Obama has it sewed up unless we get serious; meaning, starting immediately with impeachment proceedings.

Bolton is my guy as well. He is smart, serious and articulate. He knows his stuff. He is a patriot. He is practical. He is not a politician. He’s everything that I would want an American leader to be. As such, he is unelectable. America no longer elects competent leaders. America elects only show horses. The ideologues among us know this.

Where would you say Hillary Clinton is right now as we speak? Nobody knows. But I know. She’s down in Brazil, hobnobbing with the likes of Hugo Chavez and Dilma Rousseff, a Chavez client. Rousseff is taking office today. Hillary is there to make a down payment on a condo in Brasilia just in case things don’t work out here.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Horse Trading

Anwar al-Maliki is the modest leader of a fledgling nation that is determined to survive. He does not aim to change the world. As such, he is out shopping for alliances.

Shopping for alliances is somewhat akin to horse trading. You hope to secure the strong horse. Tehran is the strong horse at the moment - not necessarily the good horse, or the kind horse, or the enlightened horse; but the one that can be reasonably expected to get the job done.

Tehran has an impressive resume. Of all the horses in the field, it is currently ahead of the pack. It will soon be able to claim a nuclear arsenal; already appears to have firm control of its political process; and enjoys an ever widening circle of influential friends that reaches to the very doorstep of universally despised America.

Iraq now finds itself in the position of Israel in the early years of its founding. Israel too bought the backing of the strong horse. It has served her well. Surrounded by openly hostile nations, Israel with the support of strong-horse America has been able to keep them all at bay and preserve its territorial integrity.

Things change. America is in decline. America hasn’t successfully prosecuted a serious challenge in some time. In fact, America seems to be locked in a life-and-death struggle with itself.

Neither Iraq or Israel can stand alone. At the moment, there is grave doubt if America will even come to Israel’s aid should the fur begin to fly. There is no question that Tehran is already licking its chops in anticipation of U.S. departure from Iraq. Iraq has to make peace with the strong horse. Iraq will do its bidding and in return it will be allowed to keep its name.

Should Israel fall - as seems more likely each day - regional accolades will accrue to Tehran. Iraq will be allowed to join in the celebration along with Turkey, Brazil among others. Like I said, Malaki has no intentions of changing the world.

When parents are (some would say) burdened with a handicapped child, they continue to love him and try to integrate him into the workings of normal society. Although they might not give him the keys to the car, they may give him a shovel and tell him to dig. Next, they might tell him to fill the hole up again. The child will be busy working and feeling good about himself. And mother might be granted a moment to rest. It’s called ‘make work’ and is commonly used in the army to forge character, strong bodies and discipline. The work itself is quite useless and adds little to the overall scheme of things.

This the is the level to which the office of the president has fallen in our nation. We obviously do not consider the job important enough to seriously consider background and qualifications. Maliki, on the other hand, is skilled. He has (as JB points out) the trappings of a statesman and an instinct for survival. He is doing what he thinks is best for his country at the moment. No doubt, as conditions change, he will change his stripes - again.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Dilma Rouseff: The Most Powerful Woman in the World

Cathy pines for a forgotten era. It is woman who is now celebrated in all walks of life (except homemaker). Women dominate the political scene. They are heads of corporations and institutions. They are policemen, spokesmen, and Secretaries of State.

Every time a new exciting political star pops up, it is a woman - or so it appears. To me it seems contrived and calculated. Personally, I don’t ascribe to the bias that says women are smarter or more effective than men or vice versa. What is troubling is that we as a nation seem to have reached a consensus that gender affirmative action is the way to go. And I am not a supporter of affirmative action on any level.

My most fervent wish is to be proven wrong about everything. I could turn to reading the liberal blogs, but they are despairing as well (though not for the same reasons). We seem to be caught in an eternal twilight of general nausea. It’s as if the sun has decided to rise only barely above the horizon each day, leaving us in darkness for much of the time.

One of the most significant elections will be taking place in Brazil on October 3rd. Their current president (Luiz Inacio Lula) rose to power on the strength of his effectiveness as a union organizer. His rule can be described as having been center-left. It was significant in that he managed to allow market forces just enough space to breathe to vault the country to the stature of a rapidly emerging global player.

There was always a hint of trouble (for the U.S.) on this horizon however. An avowed leftist, he joined hands with the likes of Chavez, Erdogan and Ahmadinejad. The gap between rich and poor, though improving, continues to be enormous. The well-off in his nation live in constant fear of kidnapping and assassination. Should someone blow out a tire on some lonely road, it’s advised to keep moving rather than get out to change it. Reminds of what I’ve been told about stopping for red traffic lights in Philadelphia at night.

Brazil is under intense development. There is construction everywhere. The money for this has come not so much from taxes as from its abundant natural resources. Cronyism and corruption are suspected to be epic. The new capital (Brasilia/DF) is spacious and impressive. The long-term goal was to create a center where the elites make their homes. As such, those who comprise the service sector are in the process of being quietly moved out to satellite cities where poor-on-poor crime continues to be rampant. Brasilia was envisioned as an international oasis - a hub - for global powerbrokers to strike deals.

The person who is expected to win Brazil’s election is a woman (Dilma Rouseff) who has been carefully groomed by the current president. Though initially trailing in the polls, she has suddenly - some say unexpectedly - emerged as the candidate who will win easily. She is said to be an avowed Leftist and flamethrower. Her magic formula has been simply to say over and over again that she will help the poor. Because she is appears matronly, perhaps, people believe her.

Obama has seen the writing on the wall. He’s been doing everything he can to ingratiate himself with these people. They will not accept his overtures no matter how many concessions he is prepared to grant. They will continue to portray the U.S. as an adversary to rally the home folk; to blame things on when things go wrong. The same is true for dictators all over the world. They can rest easy now, knowing that the piñata has been cracked open; that America will no longer defend itself.

This leaves America’s (former) allies in the lurch. They must now scramble to coalesce around some nation, or band together as a group of the like-mind, that will not shirk the responsibility of fighting to maintain Western ideals. Much more likely though, they will find themselves pressured to abandon their principles in favor of protection.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Midterms: Pyrrhic Victory For Republicans

All this about the "Impossible Kick" by Brazilian Roberto Carlos in a 1997 match of Brazil vs France applies if you have two teams out on the field. In America you have only one team playing. Whatever split can be discerned is only between good players and bad players. There is no goalie guarding the opposition’s net. Even the bad players can make a goal (if the others will let them).

We still pretend we have a two-party system with checks and balances. We pretend we have something akin to a democracy - much as the Left pretends there is still ‘global warming’. The Left’s pretense succeeds precisely because there is no credible opposition.

Republicans winning overwhelmingly in the November congressional elections will not change this one-sided game. The Left will continue to win where it counts. Obama is the Left. He has already succeeded in reducing the legislative branches to ashes. Nothing either one can propose that differs from the official line can amount to more than spit in the wind.

These past two years, congress has broken all the rules of acceptable behavior. It is no longer viable as an institution. Obama has succeeded in essentially carving the guts out of it.

This leaves only Obama and the courts. Therein lies the last remaining friction. But even there Obama is rapidly gaining the edge. Must I remind that the Justice Department also is no longer independent? They don’t even try to hide it anymore.

The media, education, science - they’ve all aligned themselves with the hard Left. The Left is the only team playing. All the rest is BS.

Yesterday evening on returning from dinner in central Chennai, we passed a street along which every single shop sold furniture. Each one was brightly lit. The stop-and-go traffic gave me time to peer inside. The proprietors and their clerks seemed bored and were glued to the windows, idly staring at the steady stream of mechanized humanity streaming past their premises. From what I could see all of them were Muslim.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Autocratic Tendencies

The prevailing sentiment among productive Brazilians is fear. They fear random violence and unequal justice. Their government tells them that violence is to be expected in a country where the gap between rich and poor is so uncompromising. The Brazilian media has elevated the reporting of common street thuggery to high art. If you were housebound anywhere in the country and had only the newspapers and TV to let you know what’s going on outside, you would think it’s nothing less than a bloodbath in which only the fittest survive to live another day. The left-of-center government does very little to address this situation. Obviously it works in its favor.

Obama sides with Zelaya, because he is from the (far) left-of-center school regarding political survival. He knows exactly how dictators achieve power and remain there. Intimidation, chaos, fear and violence are the tools that dictators find most effective. Do not think the current administration will not make use of any and all of these as the next election cycle approaches.

Zelaya is an ideologically kindred spirit. All the lefties will automatically rush to his aid the moment he’s in trouble. It’s an entirely reflex impulse, even more indicative of deep-seated autocratic tendencies than carefully parsed public pronouncements.