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/

Silver Linings

You know as well as I do that any Republican frontrunner daring to show themselves as such will be trounced by the press. It’s a small wonder that anybody is even willing to call themselves ‘Republican’ anymore. Obama sits in the catbird seat. He has academe, the media and the unions running interference while he plays golf. Meanwhile Republicans are getting their heads handed to them – not by Democrats, but – by their own, for not being able to turn things around on a dime after years of cumulative mismanagement.

We foresaw this strategy and it works. In Obama’s last news conference, he blamed Republicans for forcing the insipid CR dance without mentioning that it was his and his Democrat majority’s failure to pass a budget in the first place. Every unpleasantness from now on will be blamed on Republicans and they will continue to accept the premise while insisting on playing by Queensberry Rules. This puts them in a similar position as the Libyan rebels - their backs to the wall.

Republicans fear Damocles’ sword too much. It is an illusion of their own creation. As government shut down looms like a puffy white cloud, clouds will be clouds and their silver linings will split the darkness equally. Yet, GOP leadership appears prepared to do practically anything to avoid it. Even though some are now saying this is exactly what has to happen. No chance of Republicans not taking the blame. That much is understood. Still, it would show some spine.

Voters are well aware of what happened in Wisconsin. They have identified the players and have taken sides. It is now up to Republicans to decide whether or not they want to take up the fight of saving the country in earnest or remain satisfied with making only symbolic gestures.
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On a previous thread I mentioned the gruesome murder of members of the Fogel family in Itamar. The Israeli government took the unusual step of releasing pictures of the carnage. Missing from these were pictures of what they had done to the woman. We can only imagine. I heard in passing that a memorial service is to be held in New York. It was said to have been organized by the ‘Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations’, Malcolm Hoenlein’s group. Stay tuned for details.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Going Too Fast to Take the Exits

We have now reached the point I have been warning about. The state of our nation is anything the government says it is. “The economy has turned the corner” and, poof! the stock market goes through the roof; “eight million jobs saved”, and, shebang! it is so; “companies have resumed hiring” and, would you believe it? (Obama is a genius!) Unemployment goes from nearly 10% to barely 9 (the new norm), and, again, Obama is simply the best!!! “Oil prices will not spur inflation” and, miracles of miracles… “We are winning the war.” Really?

How can we possibly oppose the policies that have brought about such incomparable blessings? All throughout the Middle East and beyond, democratic movements have awakened and unseated long-entrenched tyrants and placed power into the people’s hands. And we did it all without firing a shot. Here at home, we’re standing up for workers’ rights; a chicken in every pot; a roof over every head; heath care for all; etc.

He (Obama) will go down in history as the greatest American president since Lincoln, or is it Roosevelt? Or Reagan? Or Washington? (Let me check my calendar.) Only bright days ahead. A nation powered by shiny new high speed (can we still say, ‘bullet') trains and batteries; wind and solar power. …clean, crystalline air to breathe. No one smokes. Everyone eats healthy - and not too much. Utopia is truly within our grasp.

This one is a keeper. This president. The best we’ve ever had. Why bother with any more elections? This is a good as it gets. Boy, are we ever lucky!
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"We should seek by all means in our power to avoid war, by analyzing possible causes, by trying to remove them, by discussion in a spirit of collaboration and good will. I cannot believe that such a program would be rejected by the people of this country (England), even if it does mean the establishment of personal contact with the dictators."

- Neville Chamberlain.
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Absolutely riveting broadcasting last night, John. I had dozed off with my radio on. Was literally frightened awake by the raw energy emanating from your segment with Malcolm Hoenlein alone. You turned into a pit bull and would not let go. You got Malcolm to say what he didn’t want to say. You got him to admit that Iran is winning.

I understood Malcom’s reticence. It was so obvious the man was struggling, stumbling. He fully grasped the import of the words that you so pitilessly coaxed from his convulsing throat. He understood what it means for Israel.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/

Batchelor @ the Hard Rock

I cannot believe that Californians are still suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome. If true, it’s the only way to explain it - putting Democrats back in office. Carly Fioria is a survivor. That in itself should say it all. Boxer is a clinger. Whitman is a message. Brown is an antique.

This brings to mind something I had forgotten: Remember back when Rush Limbaugh lost his hearing? Can you imagine anything worse than for a radio host to lose hearing? Yet, he never missed a beat. True, those initial broadcasts right after his hearing loss were painful to listen to. (Someone had to transcribe what was said by his callers for him to read.) Still, it amounted to a magnificent display of pure will.

Last night at the Hard Rock was equally inspiring. Surely John’s job is a lot more difficult than how he made it seem. I was especially pleased to find myself in the same room as Malcolm Hoenlein. Larry Kudlow was better than he is on his own show, and Monica and Margaret graced the stage with their beauty and intellect.

I had expected something far more informal. McCotter doing a guitar solo, perhaps; or Sapientia taking a bow. None of that. It was professional all the way. BRAVO, John!

We’ll have to do it again!

Newsreels

Pictorial essays of any possible consequences of hard-fought policy decisions are never hard to find. I’m thinking of the film, “The Death of Mr. Lazarescu“ to which we soon may be referring as Obamacare begins to kick in. Or, of concentration camp footage when we begin to really think about our latest (non)stance regarding Israel and Iran.

Been listening to Malcolm these past few nights. He’s right on target about a lot of things. If anything, he may be understating it. Israel has always counted on the support of the U.S. In fact, she has felt herself so sure of America’s continued support, she has hardly blinked an eye when most of the ‘Quartet’ decided to turn their backs. Even in America itself, she has felt herself so invincible as to think nothing of embracing her enemies and mocking her friends. It was all such great fun! Rahm Emanuel. What a wonderful Jewish boy! they said. He’s a little screwed up, but he’s bound to learn. After all, he was smart enough to teach that Bush dolt a lesson or two.

I don’t blame the Diaspora. We fell for it too. Obama was the clean, nice-looking black guy. We elected him to prove something to ourselves - something intangible, but nevertheless vexing. Our liberal bent demanded that we give him a shot. How could it hurt? America would always be America. If things go wrong, we can always turn it around. What we didn’t count on was his hatred for us - especially for our most annoying tendency of all: being so damn condescending.

We never really imagined that he was the messiah. We just wanted to throw him a bone, poor boy. We just wanted to see how the old squawk box would look with a different nameplate. We imagined we were in the Philippines at an electronics store; that we had just picked out our new flat screen TV; and when we were getting ready to pay, the clerk asked us - almost as an afterthought - which logo we wanted him to stick at the bottom. “What are the choices?” we asked. He showed us. “African-American,” we said. At least we got the first part right.

http://pkoelliker.blogspot.com/