Chavez Says Obama is "Lost in Space"

While it's rarely worthwhile to listen to this Bolshevik gadfly's ceaseless drivel for anything more than entertainment value, Chavez' latest snark that Obama is "Lost in Space" on Latin American policy is noteworthy in that our all-knowing Dear Leader's "extended hand" has once again been spit-in by an enemy he attempted to appease. Chavez sees only weakness to be exploited when smiley plastic mannequin Barack puts his arm around him for the cameras- of that you can be sure.

When German Generals who opposed the offensive in 1940 -out of respect for/fear of the French and British- debated with Hitler, he was quoted as saying "I have already met my enemies at Munich... they were little worms". Thus one of the most famous chapters in the folly-of-appeasement was written- of course one still yet to be learned by the perpetually deluded Carters, Bidens, and Obamas of the world.

Reuters reports that Chavez stated:

"...we are asking that "the empire" get its hands off Honduras and get its claws out of Latin America..."

"President Obama is lost in the Andromeda Nebula, he has lost his bearings, he doesn't get it..."

Chavez added that Obama needs to withdraw U.S. forces from the Palmerola air base in Honduras (also known as Soto Cano) and from Guantanamo Bay which the U.S. Navy has used as a base in Cuba for over a century.

"Get with it, Obama -- get with it, brother"

Anybody still think that Obama's Pollyanna foreign policy is getting him any respect out there?

Because it's not-

Obama's Poll Numbers REALLY in the Toilet Now

Rasmussen'S differential has plunged to negative eight- and all-time low that breaks yesterday's record of a negative five.

The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Thursday shows that 30% of the nation's voters now Strongly Approve of the way that Barack Obama is performing his role as President. Thirty-eight percent (38%) Strongly Disapprove giving Obama a Presidential Approval Index rating of –8. The President’s Approval Index rating has fallen six points since release of a disappointing jobs report last week.Thirty-four percent (34%) of voters nationwide say the U.S. is heading in the right direction, the lowest level of optimism since mid-March. The Rasmussen Indexshows consumer and investor confidence are down again today reaching the lowest level in three months. The Discover U.S. Spending Monitor fell for the first time in three months. A Rasmussen video report notes that 46% want the government to stay out of the housing market.


Oh Dear, Dear Leader...

What Can We Gain From Russia, Anyway?

In the 1980's, Reagan actually toyed with the Russians in talks at Geneva and Reykjavik. The Kremlin at the time badly needed a deal to save the entire communist economic system -Gorbachev's #1 objective- and this had to include the cancellation of the US missile defense program, a technology the Soviets lacked the resources to compete with.

But Reagan knew it, and wasn't really interested in helping them save their dictatorship, nor in giving up his SDI plans- the aim was nothing less than freedom and democracy for Russia and all of eastern Europe, not just Glastnost and Perestoika. So The Gipper waited until 1987 -a full two years after his first Swiss summit with Gorbachev- before signing the INF treaty.

Today we have Barack Obama -who's in need of a foreign-policy victory- openly pandering for a missile deal as the START treaty expires... it's hard to imagine him bringing home anything of value from Russia now. Sadly for us, it appears that Obama's poker skills are in the same league with his bowling and girly-style baseball throw. And Russia recieved much of what it wants before Obama even landed, so how would anybody expect Barack to gain any advantage? Meanwhile, the Kremlin has failed even to comply with the terms of the truce signed with Georgia last year- continuing to do pretty much as it pleases.

At this summit in Moscow, Obama is to announce the restoration of bilateral military relations with Russia, as well as of the NATO-Russian Council. And to please the Kremlin, Obama has now put on hold plans for the deployment of American missile defenses on Polish and Czech soil. In a letter to Medvedev earlier this year, Mr. Obama floated the idea of cancelling those deals entirely if Russia can prod Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions. The Russian's response was dismiss this out of hand, but they now know the installations are negotiable.

When a superpower like the United States faces the world with an insecure foreign-policy posture, you can really get taken to the cleaners in trying to convince certain people to like you. The Kremlin leaders Obama is rushing-into-the-arms-of now are in reality zero-sum, mostly ex-KGB thugs who are out to settle a few scores with the west; this crew can smell weakness, and will be taking advantage of any on the US side to the fullest. Wouldn't it be fascinating to read the Russian intelligence files on Barack and Hill's personality flaws... and how best to exploit them?

And as to set the tone, as Obama landed in Moscow thousands of Russian troops were involved in the biggest war games in the south Caucasus since the end of the Cold War... menacing the small, independent nation of Georgia yet again. President Saakashvili remains a thorn-in-the side survivor, resistant to Russian hegemony in what the Kremlin sees as its near abroad. A pro-Kremlin regime in Georgia would give Moscow the control it desires over energy routes through the Caucasus... and influence over independent-minded Azerbaijan and Armenia, too. But as Barack smiles and glad-hands Kremlin leaders, it's like the brutal war in Georgia never happened. The Russians have paid no real price whatsoever for their expansionist adventure there- and therefore would do the same thing again in a minute.

It's hard to imagine just what Barack Obama expects to gain for America by rushing over to Moscow like this- as with Iran, he's allying the US with unsavory, anti-democratic regimes for little benefit, while abandoning those who aspire to traditional American ideals of free elections, free press, free enterprise, and rule of law in Russia and the CIS.

And he might be betting on the wrong horse yet again- the evolving reality in Russia today is that Vladimir Putin is on the political ropes-

As reported in American Thinker:

A few weeks ago, a massive protest by unpaid aluminum industry workers in the town of Pikalyovo, outside of St. Petersburg, snarled traffic for more than a hundred miles on a major interstate roadway. Putin was forced to make an emergency visit to the town and put up significant government funds to assure payment of wages.

Nearly a quarter of Russia's population lives in "monotowns" like Pikalyovo, which depend entirely on a single industry for subsistence. Russia can't afford this kind of largesse everywhere, and economists were openly worrying whether the gesture in Pikalyovo could place the country on the road to ruin.

Putin's assumed plans of cruising right back into the presidency in a couple years are suddenly looking shaky; the collapse of the Russian stock market and the ruble have dented support, and it's not possible to blame it all on Medvedev- everyone knows where the real power lies. Like Gorbachev, Putin needs an arms deal to save his economic model -a brand of dictatorial crony capitalism- so Barack Obama would be well-advised to not let him have it.

The new missile deals Obama has made a priority seem to be of little value to US interests- few expect Russia to ever seriously face off with the US or NATO, let-alone with nuclear weapons. But any substantial nuclear arms deal with Moscow certainly frees them up to focus on far more useful endeavors, such as modernized conventional forces that could wipe the floor with Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, or Poland. More special forces and US-type weapons, communications, transport, and training is something Putin could actually put to good use... unlike 2000 ICBMs sitting in silohs.

Russia has little to offer the United States in any negotiations- and they have almost no influence on America's foreign policy. It would be difficult for the US to purchase gas without the necessary LNG infrastructure in place. Russia's state-dominated oil industry is a chronic underacheiver, and government property grabs discourage western oil tech firms from providing the needed development. Add to that the Kremlin's use of energy as a diplomatic truncheon and oil deals simply look better elsewhere. Moscow's industrial backwardness and continuing Wild East legal environment brought them a pitiful $36B in trade with the United States last year- much of that likely Stolichnaya, not notoriously shoddy Russian manufactured goods.

However, there are few things we would value coming from Russia- like maybe a halt to their calculated and opportunistic attacks upon US power and influence, i.e.- bad mouthing the dollar/calling for a world currency, selling high-tech weapons and nuclear know-how to our enemies/terrorist sponsors such Tehran, Damascus, Caracas, and Pyongyang, as well as nabbing that US/Kyrgizstan air base from right under Obama's nose... just to make a point. But it's difficult to address these issues when Obama appears to not be interested in any such unpleasantries while chatting with Vlad and Dmitri.

The prototypical narcissist Obama is primarily after power and fame- and at any cost. In practice this means looking for a headline weapons-control deal that props-up his man of peace schtick while allowing him to eliminate F-22 production, cancel needed missile defense programs, and perhaps even cut military aid for traditional American allies, and all in order to fund his expensive domestic programs and entrench the Democratic party politically.

Obama long-ago bet his whole foreign policy platform on appeasement and legitimizing dubious regimes, and has nowhere else to run... it's hard for him to now support America's traditional freedom agenda when he's already on the record abandoning it. Thus his kid-gloves treatment re. issues like Russia's bullying of Georgia and Obama's shameful acquiescence to the brutality deployed in Tehran last month.

We have a president who's more focused on his personal and far-left domestic political agendas than on what's in the long-term, common-sense strategic interest of the United States- at best, a warped world view. Today's Russia is nothing to be afraid of, either- really just a Saudi Arabia with trees. Russia is a deeply dysfunctional society who's industry, political culture, and rule-of-law all remain seriously underdeveloped. They've got oil, though- and pride themselves in punching-above-their-weight. What our president doesn't seem to realize is that the Russians are -as is so often their practice- bluffing... as they are dealing from a position of comprehensive weakness.

But the cynical Kremlin surely doesn't take Obama seriously at all, instead they purely see an opportunity for comprehensive strategic and diplomatic gains at America's and NATO's expense. The reality is that Russia has nothing to offer the US- so as Barack heads over there to flatter them and give away our strategic advantage, perhaps we should ask for what?

And the worst is yet to come. In 1978 Jimmy Carter met with Soviet Premier Brezhnev, extending his hand in friendship much as Obama is doing in Russia today. After seeing what kind of a zero they were dealing with firsthand, the Soviet Union promptly invaded Afghanistan- in direct violation of promises made to Carter in Moscow six months earlier.

It is hard to imagine today's Kremlin being cowed or intimidated after meeting with a smiley plastic mannequin like Obama, putting his arm around them and schmoozing all the time- they know he's not going to do anything.

Next year it's Yes We Can invade Ukraine... and what are you going to do about it?

UPDATE: Obama reaches all-time low of -3% differential rating in Rasmussen's latest -here-

WHERE is the Left on Iran?

Throughout the Cold War years, the self-appointed moral watchdogs of the American left preached to us ad-nauseum on the perils of supporting anti-communist dictators like The Shah, Samoza, and Pinochet. We only damaged our own credibility when backing those who did not uphold human rights above all- regardless of the complex security challenges and/or decidedly undemocratic opponents that confronted these allies. This according to the McGoverns and Carters of the world, anyway.

And the pragmatism that lay behind the defense and intelligence policies that they so heavily criticized -these were in actuality proxy struggles with the expansionist Soviet Union- was brushed aside by liberals as cynicism and a lame excuse for continued US "imperialism". But these views were decidedly in the minority in the United States- and the narrow appeal of such short-sighted thinking surely contributed to McGovern's drubbing in the 1972 election.

Later, pollyana do-gooder Jimmy Carter showed us all how it's done with his withdrawal of support of Samoza over human rights concerns- perhaps it never occurred to him that we'd get something 10x worse with the communist Sandinistas: armed and trained by Moscow, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia... and allied with Havana in a Kremlin-funded enterprise to export communist revolution throughout central and South America.

Now we have a President Obama that basically got elected trashing America's proud history and defense policy-as he continues to do- as well as proposing that we downgrade our position as leader of the free world. All in all, there's not much daylight between Obama's zeitgeist and the finger-wagging, simplistic moral assumptions of the Cold War left.

So with the president's astounding silence and even apparent disinterest in today's Iranian crisis, WHERE is the moral concern of the holier-than-thou left now? Shouldn't these hypocrites being asking a few questions now that Barack Obama has kissed-up to Ahmedinijad and the Iranian theocracy since before he was even elected? We're talking about a former kidnapper and Holocaust-denying president of what all can now see is a brutal police state; one racing towards constructing nuclear weapons with the oft stated aim of wiping Israel from the map; a regime that cozies up to most or all of America's enemies; who supplied a large amount of Iraq's instability; one that publicly stones adulterers and petty criminals after burrying them up to their necks... and today is shooting unarmed protesters in the street. (Gateway Pundit).

Obama has now gotten his 3am-crisis-call- and so far he's done little but pound the snooze button. The complete inaction and lack of leadership is stupifying. Of course, the irony is that while the Ayatollah Khamenei is now laying blame for his Iranian citizens' uprising on the "Americans" and "the Jews"- the United States under Obama is really not doing anything of substance to support the protesters and would be counter-revolutionaries. To add insult to injury for the freedom-seeking patriots of Iran- the Obama administration also has zeroed out funding for pro-democracy programs inside Iran from the State Department budget for fiscal 2010... just as protests in Iran are ramping up (Newsmax).

Khamenei is now hinting strongly of a much harder crackdown to come- he's already using Hamas thugs imported from Gaza, who are showing their appreciation for the funding, arming, and training of their Islamofacist terrorist organization by cracking heads in the street alongside Iran's own plainclothes security forces.

Compare this all to Ronald Reagan's brave and unwavering support for Solidarity in Poland in the early 80's: in collaboration with Pope John Paul and Polish anti-communists, Reagan helped those seeking freedom in any way possible- with money, training, equipment such as radios and stepped-up VoA broadcasting to help liberate those behind the Iron Curtain.

Obviously -although it’s the last thing Team Obama want to hear- Ronald Reagan’s support of Poland’s Solidarity in the dark days of the Soviet-ordered crackdown is the model- not the preposterous straw-man argument of “what are you going to do, invade?” disingenuously presented by the do-nothing, Obamapologist left/MSM.

Most importantly, Reagan brought the Poles moral support with consistent public statements that gave the revolutionaries hope. The Gipper did this not only because of his belief in the cause of freedom worldwide; he also recognized the larger geopolitical implications of peeling the Warsaw Pact away from a weakened USSR bit-by-bit (similar to the effect that a free Iraq and free Iran could have on the Middle East today). While most referred to European states behind the Iron Curtain as Soviet "satellites"- Reagan insisted on calling them "captive" nations. And not only was Reagan right, visionary, and victorious... but the Poles remember who was with them when it seemed all was lost... that's why Poland is one of America's strongest allies for over 20 years now.

Shamefully, it seems Obama's primary concern is to bide a little more time for the the Mullahs and Ahmedinijad to pull themselves up by their bootstraps... while they beat-down any hope of actual democracy. Barack's already bet all his chips on legitimizing this vile regime- a democratic revolution in Tehran could be downright embarassing at this point. Once the Mullahs put a lid on things over there, these boys can all get back to talking business... just like they do it back in Chicago.

A liberated Iran does little to help Obama politically... which is all that ever really interests him in the end. Besides the obvious embarassment that would result from a new Iranian revolution -or even a substantially more moderate regime in Tehran- Obama appears to lack a Plan B. And if Iran becomes a struggling young democracy, trying to create a better society while battling the country's darker forces (a development any normal US president would have welcomed) -like, say, Columbia- it looks like Obama might just turn on them, too- as he's far more interested in cozying-up to the Castros, the Chavezes, and other tin-pot bullies who hold America in contempt... while snubbing the allied nations that share traditional American values of freedom, democracy, and free-market enterprise.

In other news, Obama's poll numbers are headed south: Rasmussen's daily tracking has him at a weak +1% rating- only once before has it slipped lower -to zero- and that was last week. The more friendly Gallup has him at a job approval of 58%- still a new low for this administration- looks like the deprogramming of the delusional Obamamania cult has begun.

UPDATE 6.21.09: make that Rasmussen poll differential a negative two (-2%)... a new low, and the first time in negative territory for the Obama Administration.

Obama Blows a Slam-Dunk

Barack Obama is clearly not qualified to be President of the United States- period. The chance to topple the maniacal regime in Tehran is right-there for the taking... and Obama is standing frozen like a deer in the headlights. Our False Prophet appears to have no idea what a golden opportunity he is passing up... overthrow this evil regime without firing a single shot... get their Armageddon-inspired nuke program off the world stage... and free 30 million people all at one time. But the boy wonder is too stupid to see it... or somehow just doesn't care? Perhaps he's happy to sell out Israel and the Iranian's people's right to freedom for some perceived political gain- it's hard to imagine what on God's Earth he's thinking, really.

Reagan would have toppled Ahmedinijad last night, and you'd have read about it in the papers today... but NO, we've got a non-committal coward who's instead obsessed with having the DNC hector Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh rather than deal with America's actual enemies. Obama's surely too busy with petty domestic politics to do what history would expect of him... we'll all pay the price for it.

And if anybody doesn't think that American-delivered freedom in Iraq has been a substantial factor in bringing this about... think again; the effects of a free Iraq, in which there is a spectrum competing parties and substantial economic freedom must be dramatic upon the Iranians. Many of them visit Iraq annually... and today's New Iraq has maintained a Shiite Islamic character for the most part without the repressive policies the Iranians must endure. These two countries have long been competitive in most ways... and surely the Iranians feel they are missing out on something most Iraqis now enjoy.

Unfortunately for the appalling and incompetent regime in Tehran, this is exactly the opposite of how it was supposed to all work out... Bush was "losing"... and they were going to swoop-in and control their former Iraqi adversaries at America's expense.

Isn't this what George W Bush told you was going to happen in the Middle East following Iraq's liberation? Maybe that's why Barack Obama has so little apparent interest in finishing the job in Iran... no matter how much it benefits the US and free world. Anyone who expected him to act in the interests of the United States -rather than for his own political security- hasn't taken a serious look at how Obama got this far in the first place.

Of course, a ruthless, narcissistic thug like Ahmedinijad has a lot in common with Obama- small wonder Barack's been kissing his posterior since before he was even in the White House. He's the kind of guy a Chicago Machine hack can do business with... maybe that's why Barack's got his back.

Yes-We-Can (Get Laughed-At by an Eccentric Tin Pot Dictator)

Doesn't look like many countries take Obama and Hillary very seriously, does it?  And the reason it appears that way is because they don't. Time to break-out another goofy "restart" button, perhaps? 

(good luck spelling it right in Korean this time).

Dear Leader Comrade Generalissimo Kim Jong Il 

(I hear he's  one-hell-of-a-golfer ) somehow doesn't seem to have fallen under the charms of Obama's hollow schmoozing one bit.   Rather, sensing weakness, the communist North Korean regime responded to the conciliatory gestures with nothing but contempt and aggression.  The flurry of nuclear testing and missile launches timed for our Memorial Day weekend was yet the latest "diplomatic statement" from the pugnacious, Stalinist 

Hermit Kingdom.

Of course, it never really made a lot of sense to try and deal in good faith and "reach out" to a dark, evil, and Machiavellian regime that would "hate" Mickey Mouse if he was US president- and for a refresher, has shot-down civilian airliners, operates a cruel police-state with a chain of torture/concentration camps... and even had plans to assassinate Reagan on his visit to Korea's DMZ in 1983.  

So it's hard to imagine that a grown-man like Obama truly believed that Pyongyang was reasonable, trustable... and cuddle-able.  The difference with this president is that they will not only hate him, but will despise and disrespect him deeply for his cowardice, naivete, and lack of resolution.  Of course,  a man with all the diplomatic experience and strategic/moral clarity that Obama and Hillary lack -like say, a John Bolton- could have told you this is exactly how it would play out with Obama's appeasement-based posture... as he did. 

Sadly, all Team Obama are really considering is the same kind of "deal" that serial-failure Jimmy Carter talked Bill Clinton into ten years ago: bribing Pyongyang with fuels and food to stop their development of nuclear weapons and ICBMs, while they graciously accept our gifts and continue to do just as they please at secret, underground sites... and serruptitiously selling nuclear know-how to our other enemies like Syria and Iran.

Pyongyang is currently developing -and has now tested- it's longest range ICBM, one specifically designed to carry a nuclear warhead. The Taepodong-2 missile has a 6000 km range, bringing Alaska and even possibly the west coast of the US within range... and right as the misguided Obama seeks the cancellation of many of America's defense programs.

Although many still in the ether don't realize it yet, Obama is in a tailspin on the economy, ethics, and foreign policy.  Nobody that has any sense of how the world works respects (nor fears) him... and that includes Wall St., the military, the Kremlin, Tehran, Caracas, or Pyongyang.  

Somehow all the talk of how Kim is this crackpot eccentric while Obama is portrayed as all-knowing and wise doesn't quite square with reality when the "crackpot" is running circles around our flawless messiah.  This is the same oblivious President Obama that was apparently busy with his puppy-vetting process or playing basketball while the Russians where nabbing our Afghan supply air-base in Kyrgizstan 

In addition to his ethical and fiscal follies, Barack Obama is endangering our national security, a failure of his most primary duty as president... maybe we should draw a line here? 

The luxury of living in a celebrity-driven/liberal/MSM fantasy world is not a right that Obama supporters can cling-to indefinitely, as it's both the voters and the press' duty to make informed, responsible, good-faith decisions... not waste power making a self-indulgent PC fashion statement instead.  And it's getting to the point where this kind of willfully-ignorant "thinking" is not just irresponsible, but dangerous.  Obamania's sheeple are deeply delusional, and in desperate need of deprogramming... as the misguided Obama's enablers, these fools are going to get us killed.

Ruthless, insatiable foes clearly have no reason to take seriously a smiley plastic mannequin like Obama, they know he's not going to do anything.  He was hoping to half-surrender to everyone on his recent international glad-handing tours and have Gates handle Iraq and Afghanistan- in order to buy us some peace and tranquility for him to focus on his real pet project, a radical, far-left domestic agenda... but events tend to have a way of intervening-

I would say that we should now expect for Tehran to deal Obama even greater defeats... except for the fact that tiny Israel will likely be saving us from our folly.   Obama, like Jimmy Carter, is making the US into an impotent, irrelevant bystander as events take their course, and nations like Russia and China fill the leadership vacuum.  Allies such as Israel will be plotting a more independent course in the interest of self-preservation... and will -like our enemies- simply ignore Obama.

The White House is likely working diligently on how to offer-up a speech or statement full of empty platitudes and ludicrous apologies (as in Prague)... do nothing about Pyongyang's defiance... and then blame it all on someone else.  But the problem with this standard Obama default strategy is that Democrats Bill Clinton and ex-President Carter are the ones who created this mess ten years ago... and our new president has adopted the identical, failed policy lock-stock-and-barrel.  

If you're American or one of our allies, and not scared with Barack Obama as US Commander-in-Chief yet...  you sure ought to be.  

Countdown to 49%

The emotionally-driven, mindless euphoria of Obamamania is finally grinding to a halt, as reality increasingly intervenes.  The strange part of this development is the incredible wasted opportunity- Obama enjoyed such astronomical approval ratings before he'd even lifted a finger, all he had to do was set obvious priorities and bring in competent experts to focus on the task-at-hand... while doing his level best to fulfill some campaign promises.   With the pressing issue of the day being the worldwide financial crisis, the expectation of just such a sensible approach from an Obama administration was precisely what moderates and Obamacons retorted with when queried by the less-smitten  "how can you vote for this guy?".   In-addition to the unquestioning support Obama received from so many, they were also extraordinarily patient with him- and cut him and awful lot of slack.  All understood the depths of the crisis... and just wanted him to bring in a qualified crew to confront it effectively.  

Instead,  this volatile exigency has been manipulated to install the life-long dream of Obama and his wacked-out Marxist-professor mentors- a socialist America. Besides the reckless political brinkmanship of exploiting these circumstances to enact an agenda few actually want, Team Obama has also been inherently dishonest- and even anti-democratic. Obama employed a fear-mongering offensive to frighten the country into huge spending programs, with nonstop -and nonsensical- comparisons to the Great Depression, when unemployment was actually more than triple the rate of today... with the resultant damage to consumer confidence. 

The Democrats snuck-in the seeds of socialized medicine and unilateral detente with Cuba, as well as packing the "stimulus" and omnibus spending bills with an extra-helping of pork for all at the table.  The record-setting appropriations and controversial policy changes were whisked-through committees sans debate- bypassing most standard procedures. Although the President promised repeatedly to put the $800B "stimulus" bill online prior to the vote,  inexpicably this did not occur- and even the legislators themselves had less than 24 hours to read the 1000+ page legislation.  The Democrats and Obama  put into law a $400B omnibus spending bill that contained over 8000 earmarks... in yet another chucking of a major Obama campaign pledge. Americans are starting to smell a scam here... and they don't like it.

Republicans who spoke-up against these abominations were met with "I won" from the hubristic Obama- regardless of promises of bringing a  new post-partisan era to Washington (perhaps what he meant by "post-partisan" was that the GOP would be neutralized, rather than collaborated with).  Although some inferred that the Republicans were acting in unison for political purposes, polls in fact showed that the stand was unpopular- so where was this supposed political ploy?  The reality is that the GOP caucus acted bravely, and in good-faith against an ill-advised spending spree that we simply can't afford... but were promptly rebuffed on most any revision. Obama accused them of offering "no alternatives", while ignoring and rejecting the GOP suggestions he know full well existed. When serial-isle-crosser John McCain turns against Obama's plans and methods in the first month... what does that say?  

And while doing their duty as the loyal opposition, they were not just stiff-armed, but even attacked by the White House in a propaganda campaign, framed as the "Party of No".  Anyone else voicing opposition, such as Dick Cheney, Rush Limbaugh, Jim Cramer, et. al. were accosted harshly by Team Obama and their left-wing media allies... with the DNC even running television ads against Limbaugh. This country has never seen such a disengenuous and totalitarian mindset from a president.

And the serial-opportunist Obama is habitually dishonest and misleading, with almost every word that comes out of his mouth calculated towards his (semi) hidden agenda. When asked (finally) by a NY Times reporter "are you a socialist?" in a recent interview aboard Air Force One, Obama expressed  feigned surprise... like this was a ludicrous question.  Obama even called the reporter back later from his helicopter to ask him if he was "joking".  Instead of addressing such logical concerns regarding the variance between his actions and how he had campaigned, he put on an act like asking such a question was completely absurd- he simply didn't want this word appearing in the press, and for obvious reasons. But this sort of dishonesty has a tendency to catch-up with a president over time.  

One of Obama's best cabinet choices, Senator Judd Gregg, tellingly removed himself from consideration over not only Obama's repellant pork-n-welfare "stimulus" bill, but the power grab and blatant electoral manipulation of the White House commandeering the census for political purposes.  Now the Senator tells us that Obama's budget proposal will "bankrupt the country".  Small wonder then that Americans are finally coming-out of the ether to the dawning realization that Obama isn't addressing the financial crisis in an effective manner-  but is instead fulfilling a stealth agenda... ensuring, as Emanuel remarked, that they "never let a good crisis go to waste."

While all these Stalinist shenanigans are going on, and as Barack works the talk-show circuit, makes his (lousy) NCAA picks just like one-of-us-guys, dedicates months of time and effort to a puppy-vetting process (for some reason vastly-superior to the one employed in choosing his cabinet) and throws lavish parties, shmoozing, smiling, and yucking-it-up...  Rome is still burning.  Although continued catastrophe may be politically useful,  blamed on George Bush and used to further Obama's far-left schemes, Americans are not a patient bunch- especially when they're in the process of being shipped-off to the poor house.

Soon to dent Obama's support further is the fact that many are becoming frightened by his misguided, pacificist Carter-esque foreign policy... the pitfalls of which have already become glaringly apparent (to those who didn't already remember monumental incompetence of Carter). Sensing weakness, Iran, Russia, and North Korea have all spit in Barack's "extended hand"... while Venezeula's Comrade Chavez plans South American air bases for the Kremlin and taunts Obama from his podium. Obama was caught dozing while the Kremlin snaked our vital Krgyzstani air base, and China now talks of an "international currency" that would surely to spear Obama's massive borrowing plans- while they now test our Navy (and Commander-in-Chief) for weakness on the high-seas.

Americans have an unhealthy fondness for hollow celebrities, but over time they also have a tendency to sniff-out fakes... and dismantle them in a very public manner.  It may turn-out that Obama's ill-advised appearance on Jay Leno's Tonight Show was his PR-Waterloo... as his gauche "humor" mocking the disabled went over like a fart in church. Trouble is, when Barack isn't hard-wired to a TelePrompTer, strange things tend to come-out... things that bear little resemblance to his carefully crafted, yet hollow-plastic public image of the campaign.  His unpresidential disrespect for Special Olympics athletes is much like the factually-incorrect cheap shot on 87-year-old Nancy Reagan in PEBO's very first presser.  Not only is he unfunny and factually wrong, but apparently the favored targets are old ladies and the handicapped... some messiah.

With ironic justice, the Tonight Show episode also proved a boost to one that the Democrat's media allies have done so much to destroy- Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.  Videos of Palin's Special Olympics speech now circulating the internet show her support and understanding for those with special-needs in an impressive, professional, and sincere manner that makes Obama look like a puerile playground bully.  And poll numbers for Palin continue to creep-up by the week, as Obama's support dwindles... regardless of the fraudulent survey conducted last week and trumpeted by the MSM claiming she would be "trounced" by Obama in a head-to-head contest.  While the DNC's agenda is clearly to encourage voters to dismiss Palin as irrelevant ASAP, the part they neglected to mention was that the poll's methodology was dubious- and it that it was conducted by Stanley Greenberg, who was Bill Clinton’s pollster. He also advised the presidential campaigns of Al Gore and John Kerry. Greenberg, in partnership with James Carville and Bob Shrum, co-founded the left-leaning Democracy Corps- and this disinformation against Palin is pure propaganda. 

Obama is vaporizing his once towering popularity in a political Bonfire of the Vanities,  as he hastily tosses free-market capitalism, democracy, free-speech, and American individualism onto the pyre... and the unquestioned support he's enjoyed up to this point is rapidly coming to an end. He must know that his vision of statist America is not widely supported, and there will be a powerful backlash at some point, it's just a matter of when.   Thus, the disgraceful opportunism of rushing it all through under the cover of "crisis"- coupled to a deeply cynical disinformation campaign.  

Perhaps this President's boundless arrogance prevents him from realizing that the blind faith that he's squandering will not come-back easily, if at all... most likely, once it's gone, it's gone.  But one has a tendency to become dilusional when all is handed to them on a silver plate, elections are a set-up by the party, and habitual dishonesty is covered-up ceaselessly by their supporters and the press... why should he think he needs to change now?  Doing as he damn-well pleased and lying about it have gotten him all he ever wanted- and it's all he's ever known.   Obama appears to lack awareness that he's in  a very, very different situation now- one which is he comprehensively unqualified, unprepared... and simply not worthy of.

The goodwill that sprang from the perceived "need" for an African-American president and his orchestrated image as the grinning and "hip" anti-Bush cannot remain detached from negative  approval ratings for both "Congress" and the "Direction of the Country" forever- as the White House is the most relevant factor in almost every initiative in Washington today, and acting in very close alliance with Democratic legislators.  Obama now polically owns the $800B "stimulus" package, the $400B earmark-laden omnibus bill, and likely his pending $3.55 trillion-dollar budget... so there is no political cover when these fail to produce real economic gains, then stoke inflation and crash the dollar.  A harsh reckoning looms. 

Maybe the most significant factor in Obama's ability to escape any effective measure of scrutiny so-far has been the irresponsible cheerleading and lack of vetting by MSM jounalists.  While these drones who blindly promoted Obama were unflinching in placing all their chips on blue, then all the faster some of them might turn on him... in a simple act of professional survival. They made themselves co-dependents with Obama- but these are clearly not the type of principled individuals to go-down-with-the-ship. And we are seeing a bit of this already.

It was amusing to behold last Sunday's NY Times , the most biased of Obama promoters, feature not one, not two, but three editorials critical of Obama...Frank Rich, Thomas Friedman and Maureen Dowd went after Obama in an unprecedented way.  Add this to The Times' pressing him on the "socialist" question last week, and one can sense a hedging of bets, at minimum.

Obama's power to this point has been drawn from his electoral mandate, speaking abilities, trendiness, and continued grass-roots support and effectively organized "army" on the street and on the internet- but much of this power appears to be dissipating.  Obama indeed receieved a significant mandate, but now polls show moderates running-away from Obama.  This seems to indicate that the mandate he received was for some change, as well as the bipartisanship he promised... and not the implementations of a far-left agenda and de facto one-party rule. Independent voters are a vital check-and-balance, and might now see an over-compensation to the left in 2006-08 that requires correction.

As for the vaunted speaking ability, many are arriving at the conclusion that he's simply nothing without a TelePrompTer- and he's even being openly mocked for it. The verbal slapstick with the Irish Prime Minister and Obama reading each-other's speeches was particularly embarassing. And what to do?  If he continues to lean on his crutch, the critics are proven correct... and if he dumps it, likely more gaffes... reinforcing the argument further.

While Barack was bizzarely chuckling as he discussed the severity of the financial crisis on 60 minutes, host Steven Kroft eventually felt the need to ask Obama if he was "punch drunk" on last Sunday's show.  Perhaps not, but he finds it hard to contain his enthusiasm for a financial disaster that makes possible his wildest far-left fantasies.  Hitler danced a jig too, when informed of France's surrender in 1940- not yet realizing he had sealed his -and his nation's- doom.

 

Europe is now seeing the real Obama as well-  As stated in the Daily Telegraph (UK) by Tim Shipman , Obama has a "childish desire to retain his image as the uber cool dude he so clearly believes that he is" and is "turning into Jimmy Carter." Shipman goes on to call Obama "tongue-tied", then "humourless"- and states that he "doesn't know the difference between campaigning and governing".  He even quotes Michael Wolff as branding the allegedly-charming Obama "a terrible bore".

Regarding Team Obama's comprehensive grass-roots efforts, as stated on McClatchy "The president's lieutenants tried to open a new front in the "Obama revolution," the grassroots mobilization that propelled the once little-known Illinois senator to the White House last year. David Plouffe, who ran Obama's campaign, now runs "Organizing for America" out of the Democratic National Committee. It uses the same Web-based tactics that won the presidency to mobilize public opinion behind Obama's initiatives..."  Anyone reading online political forums such as Politico and Topix can't help but be struck by the wolfpacks of shrill Obama supporters who get up early, cheerlead relentlessly, post the first five messages after every news item, and attack all critics of the administration promptly.  When some of these characters are on there posting 15 hrs/day, you have to wonder who's paying them... perhaps now we know.

But such efforts are not having much effect in the budget battle, where Team Obama recently deployed them in a door-to-door effort to drum-up support for his prolifigate-spending, big-government budget (I'm still waiting for them to come to my door... the vat of boiling oil is waiting out on the balcony) "The army of canvassers fanned out across the nation over the weekend to drum up support for his $3.55 trillion budget, but they had no noticeable impact on members of Congress, who on Monday said they were largely unaware of the effort.  'News to me,' said Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, a House Budget Committee member, of the canvassing."

And as the MSM continues to do Obama's and the DNC's bidding by publishing endless stories on the GOP's pending demise, the reality is entirely different.  Fact is that the Republicans have pulled even with the Democrats in the generic congressional ballot, at 42% apiece. And Obama's approval ratings are weak- with grumbling about his performance, ethics, and tactics growing.

How long before Obama's personal approval is below 50%?  Good question, depends on it he's willing to moderate in an act of self-preservation, how fast his specious promises and ethics issues come back to bite him, and of course... "events".  But the trend is decidedly negative since the day he took office.  In my opinion some of the more right-leaning polls such as Rasmussen and Zogby could be there any day now, you can already feel the momentum shifting.

After enjoying such bouyant numbers for little apparent reason except fashion, social guilt, and a well-orchestrated bait-and-switch, and with the press wildly inflating expectations beyond any likely reality- it's now become abundantly clear that Obama is far more liberal -and far less principled- than advertised... and that the easy part for him was getting elected. 

Barack Obama is extremely arrogant and quite radical, as we all now know-  but he's also an insecure man- an apparent narcissist who craves admiration.  It will be interesting indeed to see just how he proceeds once the wind is taken out of his sails... and he has to get up every morning knowing most people don't like him so much anymore. 

UPDATE:  In a just-released Zogby Poll, President Obama's approval rating has dropped three points... and now stands at  exactly 50%