Great Job on Bin Laden, Mr. President. Now, About Gas Prices, the Debt Ceiling, and Unemployment…
Like most Americans, I was euphoric when our president called his late press conference to announce the death of Osama bin Laden. I was online, as were many Americans, expressing pride, relief, and that collective exhale that comes with justice served. I tip my cap to the president for maintaining the secrecy, which is so fleeting in Washington, and making what many rightly called a gutsy move of sending in a strike force to get proof of bin Laden’s death. That would have been difficult if a bomb had been dropped on that house. Aside from the choice to keep that evidence, which our men and women risked their lives to get, secret from the American people, it was a flawless operation. The aftermath, though, was anything but flawless.
You see, I had this crazy idea that after his announcement the president would get back to the business of running the country. Given evidence of his work ethic in the past, with the parties with top-notch celebrities at the White House, date nights to New York, an unusual amount of vacations, and his time hitting the links, I’m not sure why I expected that. But the president stayed true to his previous actions when he took what many, even some 9/11 families, considered to be a victory lap after killing OBL. I’m not sure if the president made this choice or he was pressured by those who are tasked with getting the president re-elected. But the buck does stop with him, yes? I’m sure the sycophants who surround the president and maybe the big man himself had visions of the campaign ads that would just seem to write themselves. All that was left to do was to hit the road and get those photo-ops. One problem: As the euphoria of getting bin Laden wanes, America is coming back down to earth realizing we have skyrocketing gas prices, out-of-control government spending, and a rising unemployment rate. If only our president were as grounded.
It was like the Keystone Cops. In their haste to score political points, the support staff around the president rolled out “facts” of the bin Laden raid to the eager public. And within hours, that same staff would walk back, downplay, or full-on contradict previous statements. There was a firefight, then there was just one gun. He was given a chance to surrender, then he wasn’t. The wife was used as a human shield, then it was an unnamed woman, then she wasn’t killed but only shot in the leg — oh, and she was indeed bin Laden’s wife. Who can keep it all straight now? The White House surely couldn’t. An exasperated Jay Carney even threw his hands up at one point saying even he was confused. Now at first blush this seems to be more evidence of something that has become common knowledge here on Capitol Hill among both parties. It’s “amateur hour” at the White House. But the cynic in me suspects something more. All the misinformation given by the White House kept the fever of this story going … and going. The story, from so-called news outlets that carry Obama’s water, was how “new” details had emerged from the raid. Fair news sources rightly called the White House out on getting so much wrong. But this statement-retraction-redefine-refine narrative allowed the White House to do something that would help in Mr. Obama’s re-election hopes. It allowed a sympathetic press to all but ignore the dire economic fallout from this administration’s policies.
The average price of gasoline is now $4 a gallon across America. When this happened to Bush, story after story was published or broadcast about how the former president’s greedy oil buddies were profiting off our misery. Conspicuously absent from news coverage today is the constant drumbeat of how Americans are suffering under the boot of high gasoline prices. The media would rather focus on the president’s trip to Ground Zero. Some news outlets are stepping up though. A recent CNNMoney survey finds that 9% of Americans’ budgets go to pay for gasoline. The report outlined that Americans could buy round-trip airfare from New York to Los Angeles or more than a dozen dinners for two at Applebee’s or two 16 GB iPod nanos if they had not spent $368.09 a month on gasoline. It’s a tax on every American family that drives, yet we have a president who stubbornly refuses to allow American companies to go after the energy resources we need here at home. For the last 30 years, liberals have said, “If we start drilling now, it will take 10 years to make a difference in oil prices.” Indeed, if we had told liberals to shut up thirty years ago, the pain at the pump could have been avoided today. But our president is a big government guy. The smartest president, or so we’re told by the left, America has ever had doesn’t realize that we need the titans of industry to get us alternative energy sources faster. His latest big idea, floated in an internal memo, is to tax every American by the miles they drive. Isn’t that novel? Just where do Democrats get that “tax and spend” label from?
Conservatives agree that corporate welfare to oil companies, to all companies, must stop. It’s wrong to give taxpayer money to oil companies that make billions. It’s just as wrong to give taxpayer money to Planned Parenthood, which posts a billion dollars in annual revenue. What America should be doing is allowing these energy companies to extract America’s oil to bring down prices. That would rein in those “evil” speculators. These energy companies in turn will make profit. That’s a good thing. Understand that private companies are vastly more efficient; they have the ability to get products to market faster and less expensively than any government program would. Government could offer the energy companies a way to make more money if those companies invest their profits into development of alternative energy sources like non-food derived biofuels and solar, wind, and nuclear technologies. The government would reward those companies with tax breaks for finished products or, in other words, rewards for results and only results. But this notion escapes Mr. Obama, as he is in the practice of rewarding failure. We learned recently that Fannie Mae, a government-sponsored enterprise, will once again ask for over $8 billion in a taxpayer-funded bailout. But hey, keep the cameras on the president, who is still talking and touring about his operation to get bin Laden. Is it any wonder that we’re about to reach the debt ceiling … again?
A week-long victory lap? You underestimate the Prez, we’ll see variations of the Osama-Obama victory lap through 2012. Kill but not waterboard. We have nothing to fear except Dubya. Medium crisis, start with teleprompter screen to the right. Big crisis, start with teleprompter screen on the left. Gas prices go up, time to hit the links. Any and all opposition has a basis in race. The family needs another vacay! what super-expensive place have they not yet seen? The only economy worth spending time on is the BHO re-election campaign!
Yawn…I could think about what the next 18 months with this albatross, er, President will be like and I prefer not to. Run, Republicans, run!
Amen to that – Well Said! Love it!
OBAMA’S 7 MONTHS OF INDECISION TO KILL BIN LADEN TURNED INTO GUTSY PRESIDENTIAL HEROISM BY MSM AND WHITE HOUSE SPIN
Click my name and read my widely linked, eye opening Townhall piece: Why Obama Delayed the Misssion to Kill Bin Laden and the Bogus B-2 Bombing Story
“We can’t afford four more years of Obama. It’s just that simple.”
Ya think??? I too, have grown tired of all this bin Laden coverage, which is even being fueled by the cable news networks (you have to do something to fill a 24/7 news cycle, I guess). Few people took note that our GDP grew by an anemic 1.8% about a week ago when the information was released. For anybody keeping score, that’s going DOWN from last year, NOT up. Food prices are also skyrocketing along with gas, and Democrats think the solution to every problem is to spend more money. What was amazing to me is that when the last budget was passed in Congress and the Republicans got about $40 billion in cuts, the Democrats were entering the negotiations on the premise that there was NOTHING WRONG with the budget AS IS, meaning they wanted to cut nothing from the budget! Hard to really argue with people like that. They can literally see the Titanic going down, but all they do is order another drink instead of doing something about it.
Well, maybe like the Titanic, Washington believes that we’re doomed to go down and that there isn’t much we can do about it. I say no, we CAN do something about it and need to start by throwing Obama out of office in 2012. If we don’t do that, the ship of state really will go down, taking all of us with it.
A good thing Bush put the wheels in motion for the O ring or he wouldn’t have accomplished anything on his stay on earth.
Glass is also right. I fear the Pres. and the rest of his over-gloating incompetent groups take way too much credit for things they actually had little to nothing to do with. Our military and intel – who have been bashed unmercifully, did the work! This bunch knows ONLY ONE THING – HOW TO CAMPAIGN – No leadership, no protecting our national security interests, energy, or economy. And worse, they were too stupid to keep their mouths’ shut and exposed the town, names, base etc. of the guys. To the national media. Do these guys really have no clue, or is this all part of their plan – the Sal Alinsky Plan to name, shame, mock, isolate, and basically degrade the whole nation? Because that is exactly what they have done. Shame Shame Shame Shame Shame on this Regime – They should all be fired!
It’s apparent that Obama’s goal (his only goal) is to keep himself in the WH for another 4 years.
Chris Salcedo’s article is on the money. Obama has done nothing to help the economy. The keys to helping the economy are simple: drill everywhere in the USA and offshore, rescind needless federal (and state) regulations and lower taxes. It ain’t rocket science; it’s economics 101.
Instead we still have this empty suit, this pathological narcissist, this Marxist who doesn’t have a problem with overseeing the USA entering another Great Depression. Yet, he thinks his actions (inactions!) will get him re-elected. Why?
The sad fact is that there is a “confederacy of fools” who will vote for Obama as they starve to death. They hate this country SO MUCH, that they will kill it just to see it die, even to their own detriment. There is a hardcore sector of the population (about 20%) who want socialism in the USA and another 20% (libbies) who vote based on feelings, not critical thought.
Al Qaeda is an enemy, for sure, but not the most insidious. That title belongs to our fellow Americans who are following Obama into hell.
If Obama is the “smartest” president ever elected, then electing the dumbest next election is what’s necessary to turn Washington around and become “pro-America” again.
How do people actually believe his B.S.?
The price of food and fuel are two of the largest factors in what it cost to maintain a job and employment, yet, these two factors are not even used in the “Cost of Living” index.
And he plans on taxing the mileage workers accumulate in their commutes? Yea! That’s totally “SMART”!
And please explain to me how this is supposed to impact “The Rich” that are the largest enemy to the middle class in America?
Good Lord! How long can this parade of STUPIDITY continue?
I hate to ever defend a proposed tax…and I loath to defend the President, but the current situation in regards to how roads are funded in this country must be address. Paying for roads as a tax on the amount of gas consumed made sense a decade ago. But now, with cars having better and better gas mileage, the amount of wear and tear on the roads, per gallon of gas consumed is much higher than it ever was. This is not even factoring the simple issue that electric cars are using the roads and generating costs, but without any tax on them going into the system.
Don’t get me wrong…I fully expect Washington to completely butcher this whole thing up massively…but I fail to see an alternative to pay for road usage without requiring tolls every five miles.
Nice “devil’s advocate”, Diablo.
Food, fuel, and concrete/asphalt, are considered “commodities” and are even traded as such. This makes them volatile in price, as well as manipulable by the purveyor as to availability and cost.
Contractors deal with warrantee’s on their products every day. It should be no different with government contracts; Products get warranted for specified amounts of time during which replacement/repair is done at the cost of the contractor, not the customer.
Then again, this may be too “business like” for our government to handle. But, it is basic business all the same.
Our Congress, State and Federal, are acting like homeowners that give any contractor that comes to the door, 50% of any estimate on the ‘promise’ that they will return and complete the work. AND WITHOUT ANY GUARANTEES! (Of course, they’re NOT dealing with their own money!)
How can this be misunderstood as “smart”?
you have kind of answered your own question
the gas tax being a TAX means that any money collected goes to the cronies, union coffers, and personal interests…
taxes are never used for what they were intended; you know that
‘Great job on Bin Laden’? THE GUY SLEPT ON IT! He’s been in his sights since Fall ’10! Obama’s quicker to decide where he’s gonna mulligan his next golf outing.
‘W’ had Bin Laden in his sights as well though didn’t pull the trigger.
Clinton too had an aircraft in the M E, engines running on the carrier’s tarmac but didn’t give the kill order for he was too busy schmoozing at a golf tournament in the 90′s.
FYI: These guys are wastes of space and in many ways, enemies of the state. Plain and simple.
Helping destroy/wipe out the dollar and exporting, extorting/raiding/stealing from Social Security chest for decades, strong-arming mandated health insurance, creating more federal employment (i.e. see ‘lazy’), wiping out the private/proven to succeed and continued financial growth capitalist system, multiple attempts to re-implement the ‘fairness doctrine’, continue pushing the counterproductive EEO/AA, ‘social justice’, ‘gender justice’ in college/pro sports – which is REMOVING many sports programs from schools, for ‘fairness’ reasons (honestly, there is NO WAY the WNBA is in the black financially), exorbient taxes (err ‘investments’ – sorry).
Texas has over 2 MILLION acres burned from fires ALREADY prior to their Summer, firefighters have been killed, yet no federal Emergency declared.
Cut to the chase, the most inept, unaccomplished P C worship phonies are the majority on the swamp, in your local City Councils, running your police department and more.
Yet the sanctimonious vegans, alternative energy/Mother Gaia worshipers and other self righteous knuckleheads pull the levers in many areas? Oy vey..
A million jobs in a thousand industries could be created if the government blowhards just legalized the growth and production of industrial hemp. The Canadians are building cars from hemp, check out the Kestral EV both body and interior all from hemp. Makes better plastics products because hemp is bio degradable, Europeans are building homes from hemp that are stronger than wood at half the cost. Save the trees hemp makes a better source for paper products than wood pulp, an acre of hemp will produce four times the ethanol as an acre of corn. Hemp is better than cotton for clothing, a fantastic source of Omega 3 for the healthiest food around, the uses of hemp are in the thousands and it is grown legally in China, Europe, India, Canada, and elseware, but not in the U.S.A. Trump is right when he says we have some real idiots in government, we need what hemp can do.
Chris, you give credit to Obuma for being in office. The decision to take down bin Laden was in no way courageous, it was a no-brainer! If it had gone sour most people would have thought, “They had a workable plan! They tried! Maybe next time! Keep trying!” The Lame Scream Media would have put the blame on the CIA, or the SEALs or the soup chef! On the other hand, if it came out that they had bin Laden in their sites and Obama chicken out, how could the LSM spin that? The more he tries to fluff it up the more it flattens out! Staying on the military theme, How are things in Libya?
I have written that it is proper for our President to take a day or so and rightly congratulate our incredibly able and brave CIA and Navy Seals for a job well done and remember those who were slaughtered by our now dead enemy.
But a President’s primary job is also to set policies which will protect our nation in years to come. From my expertise, energy, I am certain he is destroying any chance we will even survive, due to his wholly wrong ideology. Simply put, our only real energy policy is to use nuclear power, and all of our fossil fuels, or fall into poverty. All “green” energies cost too much and will cost too much for the remainder of the century. Their weakness lies in their technical characteristics, hence they will never survive even if massive subsidies continue. The only real effect will be to financially break our next generation; their dollar bills will not buy food.
The government does not control gas prices on a day to day basis, but they do dictate about 95% of future fuel costs. The price at the pump, today, was carved in stone by government regulations enacted decades ago. Moreover, it is crystal clear, from every cabinet member and our President, that they are pleased with the rising fuel costs and intend to push them even higher. America can not survive this; take it from an old energy engineer.
I am often reminded of Bobby Kennedy’s thought, if the public wants to go hexx, it is our job to get them there. I just wish there was more candor, both from our politicians, the media, and more informed judgment in the electorate.
Glad to see somebody point out that “green energy” is nothing more than a pipe dream. Solar and wind and ethanol made from corn are not now nor will they be in the foreseeable future an alternative to petroleum or nuclear power. Natural gas is also a great alternative as well as shale oil!
Evidently there was no cost benefit analysis on “green energy” or they wouldn’t even be discussing it as the panacea they seem to make it sound like!
I knew an economist, a PhD in comparative cost analysis, who attempted, within EPA, to formulate energy policy, on a rational cost basis, decades ago. After a short time, the entire effort was terminated. The developing answers were not well received. Energy is a complex, and ubiquitous technology. Everyone who has a solar powered calculator, benefits from one form of energy, and the contributions of many talented people. Electronics uses very little energy, and contributes greatly to more efficient process control. But the bread and butter of America’s energy, and the foundation of our advanced way of life, must be nuclear energy and all fossil fuel energies. Or our economy will collapse. This is where we are headed, rapidly.
Fake News, Fact Facts and now….. Fake Watchdog sites.
http://wwwtwosetsofbooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/dianne-feinsteins-credibility-problem.html
Keep reminding everyone…
Gas Pump Activism: Print This Poster!
Help the NObama Sticky Note Campaign Go Viral
Ok, let’s see how Obama has failed or succeeded below. For all educated people, you be the judge.
1) Saved the Big 3 automakers from a total collapse with bailout stimulus loan from the Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, not a grant that Bush previously gave, and programs like Cash For Clunkers which in fact did succeeded. The Big 3 automakers has shown huge profits for the first time in over 5 years and are paying the money back, regardless of how pundits try to twist things.
2) Saved the mortgage industry from a total collapse with bailout stimulus loan from the Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009 to mortgage banks, raising a tax credit from $6,000 to just $8,000 for first time home buyers, and lowering the mortgage interest rates. We are not hearing massive foreclosures on weekly bases now as we did in 2007-2008, during Bush’s last 2 years of office.
3) Passing Health Care Reform, Credit Card Reform Act, Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, and the financial regulatory reform to avoid another economic collapse.
4) When Obama took office from Bush, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit bottom at 6,547 at one point and the NASDAQ was at 1,036. Today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is at 12,597 and the NASDAQ is at 2,834 due to the Recovery & Reinvestment Act of 2009, which the majority of the large mortgage banks are now paying back.
5) Got BP to commit to paying back $20 billion to all the devastated Gulf communities for the Gulf oil spill.
6) The last U.S. combat brigade had left Iraq as promised by Obama, after 7 years and over $700 billion spent on this war.
7) Campaigned in 2008 that he would use the “scalpel” rather than a “hammer” to defeat Al Qaida and capture or kill Osama Bin Laden. Rather than sending in hundreds of thousands of our troops to Afghanistan to risk their lives and capture or kill Osama Bin Laden like a “hammer”, he opted in surgical and tactical strikes with the use of predator drones and special ops to target Osama Bin Laden and his top officials like a “scalpel”. This strategy has proven effective since our predator drones have killed numerous of top Al Qaida officials in the past 2 years. Now President Obama, our intelligence officials, and special ops have finally pin-pointed and killed Osama Bin Laden after a decade of looking for him.
People must realize this clearly, Obama took over the Presidency at a worse time than Reagan or Clinton did. Reagan took over a bad economy from Carter but there were not 2 wars, Big 3 automakers collapse, and mortgage industry collapse. Clinton took over a bad economy from Bush Sr. without the same problems. Obama took over the Presidency with a total economic meltdown plus 2 simultaneous wars. So people, you be the judge.
Dave…what flavor is that kool-aid?
1)saved 3 automakers who were failing becuase of lavish union contracts. The unions support dems. Then Obama gave a stake in those companies to the unions…just gave it away through legislative fiat.
2)Saved the mortgage industry? Fannie Mae just requested 8 billion more dollars in tax payer money…your definition of saved is different than mine. Saved does not = continued failed policies.
3)Healthcare reform that remains unpopular, a system that has never worked in human history and has casued health costs to go up…not down. Great job!
4)To make the case that Obama is pro-Wall street is laughable.
5)He forced BP to provide the government a slush fund, the Gulf Coast is still in shambles and oil prices are sky-rocketing because Obama has refused to allow for more energy exploration.
6)Iraq was won by Bush with a policy of a surge that Obama opposed.
7)The average length of a recession is 10 months. Before Obama the longest length was 16 months. We’re on month 40 under Obama. His policies have prolonged American suffering, and people like you rub your hands together and say ‘GOOD!’
I was 13 during the hostage crisis. To those older, I pose a question:
If Carter’s “Operation Eagle Claw” had succeeded in rescuing the hostages, would it have made a difference in the election, or was he toast anyway?
I ask because 0 is worse than I remember Carter being.
And Carter was a natural-born citizen.
The Osama action was successful because someone other than Obama (the military) planned it and carried it out. Obama is not a leader, never has been, never will be.
Do not worry folks, Obama is working hard to do everything he can do to solve this. Obama Golfs for the Seventh Weekend in a Row by KEITH KOFFLER on MAY 15, 2011, 11:19 AM
http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2011/05/15/obama…
“Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism.” George Washington