The Usual Suspects Get Their Facts Wrong, as Usual (or Response the Tom Morrissey Recall Effort)

In an extreme case of the pot calling the kettle black, the anonymous bloggers at Seeing Red, TruGOP and Sonoran Alliance are up in arms over an anonymous email that was sent to Tom Morrissey seeking his resignation this week.

The super sleuths did their super sleuthing and figured out who sent the email- Jeff Vath, the proprietor of this fine website.

The problem is, that's not true.


I know that because the email was written and sent by me, TheOnlyTrueConservative.  Mr. Vath had no involvement in the project, didn't write the email and didn't have any say in the content of the website that the email refers to.  The only connection between Mr. Vath and this recall effort is that I blog on this site, and I created the other site.


But let's not let facts get in the way of a good anonymous smearing, right?


I'll go ahead and give you some facts anyway, in case you're the kind of person that cares about those types of things.


The email that started this, which I suspect you'll see a copy of on Monday, told Tom Morrissey about an effort I have started to attempt to recall him, and included a link to the website for that effort.  I told Tom that I'd rather keep this quiet and not have to go public, so I gave him the weekend to consider resigning, for the good of the party.  If he chose not to resign, the site would launch on Monday, the anniversary of his 100 days in office.  As I mentioned before, I wrote the email.  I built the website.  Nobody else.


(Since it's not Monday yet, I'm not linking to the website in this piece.  You see, I like to keep my word.)


I blog anonymously.  So do many other people, such as the bloggers at Seeing Red, TruGOP, and some of the Sonoran Alliance bloggers, most notably the fake founding fathers from Michigan.


Some people have told me that by not revealing my "true identity" the recall effort looks less serious.  They are entitled to their opinion.  I respectfully disagree.  I think it keeps the effort focused on Tom Morrissey, his  bad judgement, and his (lack of) qualifications to do the job he was elected to do, instead of me.  If people choose to focus on the messenger instead of the message, then that's their problem.


Besides, I know that there are several independent efforts underway to Recall Mr. Morrissey, so if you don't like me or my tactics, feel free to find one of them instead.

You can feel free to disagree with this website, or the humor that we use here to make our points.  But the bottom line is that everything we print is true to the best of our knowledge.

For instance, Tom Morrissey, Chairman of the Republican Party in Arizona, has been married 5 times.  I know this because I've seen emails from his fourth ex-wife, and he's married again.  4 + 1 = 5.


Mark Spinks, a paid consultant for the Republican Party of Arizona, is a criminal sex offender.  I know this because I've seen court records that say so.  He is unrepentant about his criminal past.  I know that because he told the Arizona Republic that his nakedness was "far less harmful than drunken college bar fights for which he was never charged."


Brett Mecum, Executive Director for the Arizona Republican Party allegedly tried to sell an endorsement for $2,000.  I know this because it was mentioned in an investigative report.


If you can find an example of something that is not true in any article that I have written, I would hope that you would email me (TheOnlyTrueConservative@gmail.com) so I could correct the record.


I doubt you'll get the same offer from the anonymous bloggers over at Seeing Red, TruGOP or the fake founding fathers who post at Sonoran Alliance.  And I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for them to retract or correct their stories smearing Mr. Vath.


Stay tuned for Monday, when the effort to recall Tom Morrissey officially launches.

BE NICE OR GET SUED BY HJS

HJS Comments: One terrible problem with Europe’s idea of Freedom of Speech is that they really do not believe in freedom of speech. For example, a very decent analyst wrote a book that described the funding of world terrorism. (A really good book, by the way.) One Saudi individual complained that her book offended him, so sued her in a UK court not because she lied about him, she didn’t—that was never in question—her evidence was there in black and white. He simply was offended by what she said. It did not matter that it was the truth. That was quite enough to satisfy the UK courts and they allowed the suit and said the writer must fight the charges in the UK court. The US courts enforced the UK court’s decision. Question: How does one prove that a person was not offended?

Since then, the United States Congress passed two bills that became law (Rachel’s Law)that will not allow our courts to enforce any suits based on laws less stringent on Freedom of Speech than ours.

Would you like to visit Europe—or Canada? Watch what you say, and watch what you toss away. Throwing away a person’s business card might be offensive to a person finding it in the file 13. Yep, it does not have to offend the principle person—if it offends anyone, the person “offended” can sue. One wonders how the inoffensive lyrics shown below could possibly offend a passerby who was not even in the club while the song was in progress. But see, that is the weakness of the European systems: it is not WHAT you say or do; it is HOW someone else FEELS about it what he thinks he heard or saw! In other words, it is a sin or a violation of law to offend someone, whether you meant to or not, even if it is childish, stupid, or outrageous for anyone of sound mind to be offended.


World UK Pub Singer Arrested for Singing ‘Kung Fu Fighting’ in Earshot of Chinese Pair
Posted on April 27, 2011 at 2:57am by Scott Baker
Daily Mail:

A pub singer has been arrested on suspicion of racism for singing the classic chart hit Kung Fu Fighting.

The song, performed by Simon Ledger, 34, is said to have offended two Chinese people as they walked past the pub where he was singing.

The entertainer regularly performs the 1974 number one, originally by disco star Carl Douglas, at the Driftwood Beach Bar in Sandown, Isle of Wight.

But after one of the passers-by reported his routine on Sunday afternoon, Mr Ledger was arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated harassment.

The Sun:
Simon said: “We were performing Kung Fu Fighting, as we do during all our sets. People of all races were loving it. Chinese people have never been offended by it before.

“But this lad walking past with his mum called us w*****s and did the hand sign before taking a picture on his mobile phone.

“We hadn’t even seen them when we started the song. He must have phoned the police.

“They phoned me when I was in a Chinese restaurant that night. They arranged to meet me and I was arrested.



The Isle of Wight Gazette:
“I thought it was a joke but they were serious. They seemed pretty amazed but said the law is the law and it was their duty. It’s political correctness gone potty.”
Simon added: “There are plenty of Welsh people at our shows – does it mean I can’t play any Tom Jones?”

Bar owner Sean Ware said: “The song is in no way racist and nor is Simon. There is no way he would abuse anyone.

“He didn’t start the song just because Chinese people were walking past. He had already started playing it.”

Simon, who is on bail until today, wrote on Facebook: “If the lad who phoned the police is reading this, WHAT IS WONG WITH YOU? Sorry, what is wrong with you?”

One Hit Wonders Lyrics
Carl Douglas
Kung Fu Fighting Lyrics



CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO!

The Washington Post Morning Fix: Obama escapes blame for the economy, but he can’t escape the economy

washingtonpost.com/thefix

Obama escapes blame for the economy, but he can’t escape the economy


President Obama continues to dodge taking the blame for causing the country’s economic problems, but people are more than happy to blame him for failing to pull the nation “out of the ditch” fast enough.






New polling from Marist College for McClatchy newspapers shows Obama’s approval on the economy hitting a new low, with just 40 percent of voters now approving of the job he’s done. His disapproval is also at a new high, 57 percent.






At the same time, voters continue to ascribe the financial crisis to Obama’s predecessors, with just 30 percent saying the problems are mostly a result of his policies, and another 63 percent saying he inherited them.






But while the blame rationing has been pretty consistent — with even one-third of Republicans still saying it wasn’t (mostly) his fault — Obama’s approval on the economy has dropped at a steady pace.






And it’s all about pessimism.






According to the poll, 57 percent of Americans think the worst of the economic crisis is yet to come — a stunning 18-point increase since January and the highest in at least seven months.






Despite small gains in the unemployment rate and other measures, people aren’t seeing things get better fast enough, and now that gas prices are rising, people are losing hope again.






Four years is a long time to avoid the blame, and whatever was left of Obama’s economic honeymoon appears to be at an end. Americans are increasingly pegging the state of the economy to Obama’s tenure as president; while it might have been the other guy who got you in this mess, it’s this guy who hasn’t yet gotten you out of it.






“I think we’re to the point that voters are holding the president responsible for not fixing the problems, regardless of their cause,” said GOP pollster Jon McHenry.






Which harkens back to something you will hear over and over again: that Obama’s reelection is almost completely tied to what happens to the economy.






Birth certificates, deficit reduction and collective bargaining may be the issues du jour, but the public’s view of the economy is so closely tied to Obama’s approval rating that we sometimes forget how simple the equation is when it comes to his reelection campaign.






The good news for Obama is that this is a poll in early 2011 — 18 months before the only poll that matters. Plenty will happen between now and then on the economy.






At this point though, it appears things may have to improve for Obama to win.






Ads up against McCaskill and Brown: The League of Women Voters is going up with $1.6 million in ads against Sens. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) and Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.) for their votes on environmental legislation. Both are targeted for their votes on amendments to small business legislation.






Brown is criticized for voting to prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from putting forth regulations concerning the emission of greenhouse gases to prevent climate change. McCaskill is hit for voting to suspend any implementation of the Clean Air Act for anything other than vehicle emissions (known as the Rockefeller Amendment, for author Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.).






Both ads feature young children suffering from asthma. It’s part of a new campaign, “People Not Polluters.”






Anti-abortion group appeals to Daniels: The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List is urging Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R) to sign legislation defunding Planned Parenthood.






Daniels is under pressure from both sides as he makes his decision. Planned Parenthood has argued that the bill is fiscally irresponsible and vowed to sue if it becomes law. Anti-abortion groups like this one are pressuring Daniels to live up to his reputation as a staunch ally.






Susan B. Anthony List President Marjorie Dannenfelser said recently that she believes Daniels, who has called for a “truce” on social issues, will sign the legislation: “We expect that Gov. Daniels understands that there is no truce on doing what is right.”






N.H. Dems file complaint against Romney: The New Hampshire Democratic Party has filed a complaint to the Federal Election Commission against former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R), alleging that his campaign is funneling soft money though his state political action committees.






The argument is that donors to these PACs intended to help Romney’s presidential campaign, not state efforts, and that he illegally used the state funds for his own national campaign. Some of these PACs can accept unlimited corporate and individual donations, while donations to a federal presidential campaign are strictly limited.






Money raised by state PACs is not supposed to be used for a federal campaign, and there is no indication that it’s happening in Romney’s case. And Romney isn’t the only one using creative campaign finance setups, and the FEC generally gives candidates the benefit of the doubt on these arrangements.






Club for Growth scorecard highlights: The conservative Club for Growth is out with its 2010 scorecard rating lawmakers according to their votes.






A few nuggets:






* Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), whom the Club may try to defeat for the Republican nomination in 2012, tied for the third-highest score at 97 percent (though his lifetime score is much lower — 74 percent).






* Other potential 2012 Club targets, Sens. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), as usual scored near the bottom among Republicans. Snowe, whose lifetime score is 26 percent, upped that to 49 percent but was still the lowest-scoring Republican. Lugar was slightly above his average at 70 percent.






* Former Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) took his party change to heart. After switching to become a Democrat in 2009. Specter, whose lifetime score is 32 percent, dropped to 0 percent.






* House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), with a so-so lifetime rating of 83 percent, clocked in at 100 percent for 2010.






Fixbits:

• Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) won’t join in on the Trump-bashing.

• Another setback for the Carl-Lewis-for-state-Senate team.

• Rick Santorum lays out his foreign policy agenda.

• West Virginia state House Speaker Rick Thompson (D) is up with a new ad in the state’s governor’s race highlighting efforts to curb union rights in Ohio and Wisconsin and saying he’ll fight for unions.

• President Obama’s approval rating is sliding in New Hampshire.

Must-reads:

• “GOP releases NV redistricting map, awaits Dem plan” — AP

• “Here’s to Haley” — Kathy Kiely, National Journal

By Aaron Blake and Rachel Weiner

RedState Morning Briefing For April 29, 2011

 

1. McConnell Should Appoint DeMint to Finance Committee


2. Uncivil War: States’ Attorneys General Rip Into Union-Controlled NLRB in Letter



3. Become a Community Organizer: If You Control the Precincts, You Control the Party




—————————————————
1. McConnell Should Appoint DeMint to Finance Committee


Last week, Nevada Senator John Ensign resigned his seat, creating a vacancy on several Senate committees. While Congressman Dean Heller will fill Ensign’s Senate seat, a member with more seniority will be appointed to his coveted slot on the Senate Finance Committee. The Finance Committee is considered a prized “Super-A committee” due to the extent and relevance of its jurisdiction, which includes trade, taxes, Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Unlike its House counterpart, the Senate Finance Committee also encompasses the jurisdiction of the House Ways and Means Committee. This panel is clearly the most important Senate committee in the realm of domestic policy. Who better to sit on that committee than Jim DeMint?






Please click here for the rest of the post.






2. Uncivil War: States’ Attorneys General Rip Into Union-Controlled NLRB in Letter


President Obama’s union-controlled NLRB isn’t making any friends these days (unless you count union bosses, of course).


Earlier this week, Obama’s labor board filed its lawsuit against Arizona and South Dakota for those states’ voters having the gall to pass amendments favoring the preservation of their right to a secret ballot.


Please click here for the rest of the post.






3. Become a Community Organizer: If You Control the Precincts, You Control the Party


Figuring the headline might grab you, this is just a little ‘nudge’ to remind you about how easy it is to wrest control of the government from the claws of the professional, big-government establishment.


If you’ve read even one of ColdWarrior’s posts, then you know the importance of Precinct Actvisim. Thankfully, people are beginning to take notice and, more importantly, get involved in their precincts. But there is a long, long way to go.


Please click here for the rest of the post.




Sincerely yours,




Erick Erickson
Editor, RedState.com

YOU'RE FIRED!

A Public Question for Congresswomen Gifford's Staff

All of us remember that horrible January day in Tucson when Congresswomen Gifford's(CD-8) and others were so tragically injured and killed by what Pima County Sheriff Dupnick called a mentally ill person. In my professional past I have seen victims of crimes and accidents sustain terrible head trauma. I have seen first hand the tragedy this causes for not only the victim but the victims families as well. In reading the press releases by Congresswoman Gifford's political staff and her husband it is truly one of Gods miracles that she is doing so well, yet, so far she has been sequestered away from press and the public which is understandable at this point.


We all hope and pray that the Congresswomen has a complete recovery but the question we must start to ask ourselves is how long will or could this take. It has been 4 months since the tragedy which has caused representation for the voters of CD-8 to cease. I feel the question needs to be asked at what point do the voters deserve to have returned to them Congressional representation and votes on very important issue's that are coming before Congress? I feel we can both look forward to a full recovery for "Gabby" but discuss the rights of her constituents for Congressional representation as well.


Walt Stephenson
Chairman Republican Party LD-28

Of Lions and Lying By HJS

HJS Comments: The president released a long-form birth certificate and his facial expression as he announced it gave me the impression that he thought that made everything all right. It was never really about the certificate itself, but about him. No matter what he provides now, it will only satisfy some people; and for good reason; we do not trust him. Some of us did not trust him from the time he said he would fundamentally change America. I wrote at the time for this blog the following:

The great lion
There is a lion at large in the Middle East;
The lion is the american president.
The Europeans have heard his roar
And it frightens them; his power and presence
They do not understand--his dedication to
World peace and his fight to secure and
Preserve it, are lost on them; they have forgotten
That peace is won and held, not given. they are a people
Who will not fight to preserve anything--nothing
To them is worth fighting for. A sad state of affairs.

The savages and the sadists have felt the strength of his claws and his terrible bite; those who once owned the night
Now own nothing and are strangers and enemies in their
Own villages. The people have taken strength by knowing
The lion is among them and are no longer afraid. Only the
Savages now are afraid--of the people!
But the lion’s time is almost up and everyone waits.
What will america do? Will it send another lion?
Or will the great nation become the laughing stock of fools
When the great, earth-shattering roar is no longer heard
And the new sound is that of a rabbit chased by the jackals
Of germany and Russia and the sounds of savages loose
In our streets.

HJS

I have not yet seen anything that warrants a change in my opinion of his presidency.

http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/2011/04/factcheck-org-obama-repeatedly-lied-in-critique-of-ryan-plan/

FactCheck.Org: Obama Repeatedly Lied In Critique of Ryan Plan

Posted by Jim Hoft on Monday, April 25, 2011, 5:07 AM

Obama didn’t just misrepresent one or two things. Obama lied throughout his critique of the Ryan Plan. And, he did this after he invited Rep. Paul Ryan to sit up front for the speech.
No wonder Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) was so upset after Obama’s horrible attacks and lies.
Link to 3 minute video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WT30c5qbk90&feature=player_embedded

FactCheck.org reported, via Free Republic:

President Barack Obama misrepresented the House Republicans’ budget plan at times and exaggerated its impact on U.S. residents during an April 13 speech on deficit reduction.
- Obama claimed the Republicans’ “Path to Prosperity” plan would cause “up to 50 million Americans “¦ to lose their health insurance.” But that worst-case figure is based in part on speculation and assumptions.

- He said the GOP plan would replace Medicare with “a voucher program that leaves seniors at the mercy of the insurance industry.” That’s an exaggeration. Nothing would change for those 55 and older. Those younger would get federal subsidies to buy private insurance from a Medicare exchange set up by the government.

- He said “poor children,” “children with autism” and “kids with disabilities” would be left “to fend for themselves.” That, too, is an exaggeration. The GOP says states would have “freedom and flexibility to tailor a Medicaid program that fits the needs of their unique populations.” It doesn’t bar states from covering those children.

- He repeated a deceptive talking point that the new health care law will reduce the deficit by $1 trillion. That’s the Democrats’ own estimate over a 20-year period. The Congressional Budget Office pegged the deficit savings at $210 billion over 10 years and warned that estimates beyond a decade are “more and more uncertain.”

- He falsely claimed that making the Bush tax cuts permanent would give away “$1 trillion worth of tax cuts for every millionaire and billionaire.” That figure — which is actually $807 billion over 10 years — refers to tax cuts for individuals earning more than $200,000 and couples earning more than $250,000, not just millionaires and billionaires.

- He said the tax burden on the wealthy is the lowest it has been in 50 years. But the most recent nonpartisan congressional analysis showed that the average federal tax rate for high-income taxpayers was lower in 1986…

There’s more at the link.

Obama’s whole speech was riddled with lies.

Of course, the state-run media completely ignored this.

NET RIGHT DAILY Must Reads for April 28, 2011

To view in your web browser, click here.

• EPA imposes will on Florida, costs estimated to top $1.5 billion

• NLRB seeks to overturn voter-approved secret ballot laws in Arizona, South Dakota…

• Union Battles: A window for parental choice

• How big a problem are public-sector pensions?

• Economy Slowed By High Prices, Bad Weather [And, Definitely, Not Failed Policies of Barack Obama]

• Barone: It's too early for clues on the GOP's 2012 nominee

• Online gaming: A question of liberty

• Now, can we get on to the real debate?

• Man vs. the state

• Keynes vs. Hayek: Round 2

• The Ben Bernanke variety hour

• Superman to renounce U.S. citizenship…

• Protein Wisdom: The 2011 mock NFL draft

Read more at NetRightDaily.com.

The Washington Post Morning Fix: A town hall revolt redux?

A town hall revolt redux?



By Aaron Blake






Over the past few days, we’ve been treated to stories about hecklers, overflow crowds and even “bedlam” greeting Republican members of Congress at town hall meetings in their home districts.






Democrats have only been so happy to point out the rough time some members are having after voting to drastically reform Medicare as part of the House Republican budget proposal.






And as the string of stories mounts, the comparisons to the summer of 2009 are unavoidable. Back then, it was health care that motivated hecklers and created scenes across the country as Democrats tried to explain their support for President Obama’s plan.






Democrats say the town halls of today hark back to that time two years ago, and even some Republicans have hinted at the similarities.






House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) reportedly said this week that the crowds he’s seeing are larger than the ones he saw during the health-care debate. (It could partially be because Ryan’s name is most synonymous with the budget.)






And Rep. Rick Berg (R-N.D.) reportedly commiserated with the man he defeated, former representative Earl Pomeroy (D-N.D.), while getting his own town hall grilling: “Now I see why my predecessor didn’t want to do town halls.”






But is history repeating itself?






The answer is that we don’t know yet, but it certainly could.






The Medicare issue actually polls much more unpopularly than the health-care bill ever did (65 percent opposed the Ryan changes in the most recent Washington Post-ABC News poll). Yet it’s similarly close to people’s pocketbooks and personal well-being, so it’s going to arouse plenty of emotion.






At the same time, there are some things working against a return to the summer of 2009.






One is that, while there have been hecklers, there’s also been plenty of people willing to shout them down. Look at town halls held by Reps. Allen West (R-Fla.) and Daniel Webster (R-Fla.) — two cases often cited by Democrats — and you’ll see the hecklers being combated by the rest of the crowd.






As Dave Weigel notes, the 2009 town halls often seemed more unbalanced, with hecklers stealing the show and the rest of the crowd sitting idly by.






Republicans say the reason is that many in the audience feel just as passionately about the need for the cuts, whereas supporters of the health-care bill weren’t as passionate as the detractors.






The other major difference is that these protests aren’t yet getting the same kind of coverage as the 2009 ones did. Those town halls were held in the doldrums of summer, with little else going on. Between President Obama’s birth certificate, the situation at the Treasury and several other stories going on, the town halls haven’t penetrated the national consciousness — at least, yet.






Of course, all of this is political theater, and one shouldn’t read too much into the actions of a few people at town halls.






But there's also plenty of evidence that these isolated incidents say something larger about how the public views an issue. Republicans were accused of astroturfing in 2009 (i.e. organizing attendees to heckle), but even then, it turned out to be pretty indicative of the actual opposition to the bill.






It remains to be seen whether the resistance to these Medicare changes rises to that level.






Indiana Planned Parenthood bill passes: The Indiana state House overwhelmingly passed a bill that cuts off funding to Planned Parenthood, sending the legislation to the desk of Gov. Mitch Daniels (R).






Daniels has a difficult decision to make, as social conservatives support the bill but the measure might cost the state all of its Medicaid federal family planning funds. Planned Parenthood of Indiana has already announced its intention to contest the legislation in court.






Daniels has previously called for a truce on social issues while the economy digs itself out of a hole, and he hasn’t backed down from that.






“Gov. Mitch Daniels will now be forced to decide whether to put his presidential ambitions above thousands of Hoosier women who would lose access to birth control, cancer screenings, and other basic health care,” said Nancy Keenan, the president of NARAL Pro-Choice America.






Boehner’s honeymoon over: A new Gallup poll finds that House Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) ratings have slipped precipitously since he took the gavel. In January, his favorable rating was twice as high as his unfavorable rating. Now, the two are about even. The biggest change, proportionately, was with independents.






It’s not at all uncommon in politics for familiarity to breed contempt. When Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) first became speaker in 2007, her ratings underwent a similar path up and then down.






Florida GOPers avoid union fight as Massachusetts Dems begins one: Despite a rare personal visit from Gov. Rick Scott (R), state Senate Republicans in Florida are refusing to move on legislation that targets union dues.






The bill, which passed the House, was seen as a way to weaken Democrats politically before a round of redistricting that could hurt the GOP.






Scott has also failed to get his fellow Republicans in the legislature to back him on income tax cuts, immigration legislation and pension plan changes, raising questions about his effectiveness and ability to work even with members of his own party.






Even the heavily Democratic Massachusetts House has now passed legislation curbing unions’ collective bargaining rights. But Gov. Deval Patrick (D) suggested that union gripes that the bill is similar to the bill passed in Wisconsin are unfounded.






Fixbits:

• How the White House obtained the birth certificate.

• The publisher of the upcoming birther book “Where’s the Birth Certificate?” acknowledges that the title is “unfortunate.”

• Donald Trump’s antics appear to be boosting ratings for “The Apprentice” but hurting “Celebrity Apprentice.” So it’s a wash?

• Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) wants Massachusetts to draw a majority-minority congressional district.

• Lots of intrigue over mistaken a mistaken report Wednesday that said Mike Huckabee wasn’t going to run for president.

Must-reads:

• “Departure of five Iowans for Tax Relief staffers shakes up Republican politics” — Jennifer Jacobs, Des Moines Register

• “Petraeus’s optimism about Afghanistan not shared at CIA” — Josh Rogin, Foreign Policy

• “Dean Heller in U.S. Senate shift’s landscape in state politics” — Anjeanette Damon, Karoun Demirjian and David McGrath Schwartz, Las Vegas Sun

THE ROYAL "WETTING"

Today in the Washington Examiner April 28, 2011

Timothy P. Carney - The rise of the cybersecurity-industrial complex

The $100 billion Washington will spend on cybersecurity in the next decade may be less about guarding America from a real threat, and more about enriching revolving-door lobbyists and satisfying pork-hungry politicians. A new working paper by Mercatus Center authors Jerry Brito and Tate Watkins makes the case that "the rhetoric of 'cyber doom' employed by proponents of increased federal intervention ... lacks clear evidence of a serious threat that can be verified by the public." Read More






Alex Pappas - Obama releases birth certificate to end 'silliness'


President Obama released his long-form birth certificate Wednesday, saying questions from "sideshows and carnival barkers" about his citizenship and legitimacy as president have become too distracting. "We do not have time for this kind of silliness," Obama said. "We've got better stuff to do." Read More






David Freddoso - If Obama thinks this will stop the nuts, he's sadly wrong


For most Americans -- even those who have perhaps had a brief fling with birther-ism -- Obama's release of his birth certificate will settle the issue. But that won't do it for some people, the hard-core. If you think that the release of Obama's birth certificate is going to stop the kookery, you are already being proven wrong. How about this: Read More






Philip Klein - Obama shouldn't have caved into birthers


President Obama's decision to release a copy of his birth certificate won't put an end to the stupid birther nonsense, but it does set a bad precedent. This isn't a matter of needed transparency and disclosure. Read More






Conn Carroll - Oil imports spike as Obama oil ban decreases domestic production


President Obama sent a letter to Congress earlier this week urging them to “eliminate unwarranted tax breaks for the oil and gas industry, and to use those dollars to invest in clean energy to reduce our dependence on foreign oil.” Let’s leave aside for a second the fact that even after 30 years of subsidies, Read More






Phil Klein - Seniors not buying Dem Mediscare on Ryan Budget


Gallup has their first round of polling out on Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity and the results are encouraging for conservatives:. While “the Republican plan put forth by Congressman Paul Ryan” falls one point short (43%) of “the Democratic plan put forth by President Barack Obama” (44%) the splits among age groups are noteworthy: Read More






David Freddoso - Reid: Senate will vote on Ryan budget


Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., seems to think it will make good politics for him to force a Senate vote on the Ryan budget. Writes Sam Stein: Read More






Philip Klein - Herman Cain hits Romney on health care plan


Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain on Wednesday said his rival Mitt Romney would have to “deal with” the health care law he passed in Massachusetts, which Cain grouped with ObamaCare as “government-centered” health care. Read More






Conn Carroll - Factchecking Obama’s birth certificate press conference


President Obama claimed that the reason he released his birth certificate today is because the issue had become a distraction. Specifically, he blamed the conspiracy for drowning out his speech earlier this month attacking Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity. Obama claimed: Read More