Chuck Hagel

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News/Politics 11-10-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. I was just thinkin’ this would be the perfect guy to invite to the White House to discuss how to work with the GOP. 🙄

From Mediaite  “There’s obvious and then there’s painfully obvious. And in the case of Al Sharpton declaring that Tuesday’s resounding defeat for his party was not the fault of an unpopular president nor inept candidates, but of Hillary and Bill Clinton, it’s painfully obvious where the activist/host/liaison is getting his marching orders are coming from:

Valerie Jarrett.

As he’s enjoyed mentioning in the past, Sharpton has a direct line to the White House. He’s visited numerous times, trades daily emails with Ms. Jarrett. So when the Democrats went down in flames three days ago, guess who President Obama met with the next day? Not Mitch McConnell, not John Boehner, not DNC Chairwoman (for now) Debbie Wasserman Schultz. Instead, it’s was MSNBC’s ratings — challenged 6:00 p.m. host (along with other civil rights leaders), a White House official had confirmed. On the docket–because Sharpton is obviously an expert in all of these things — was Obamacare implementation, education and criminal justice. Speaking of criminal (in)justice, just what is Tawana Brawley up to these days?

Per the White House communication team: “The President also highlighted how we are looking forward to working with the leaders over the next two years to advance these and other crucial issues facing the country.”

It appears Sharpton must have been in the bathroom during the whole working-with-other-leaders part, as he proceeded to stage an upside down protest (seen here) of Republicans on his show yesterday.”

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2. Also over at MSNBC they have decided that the reason Democrats lost so bad is because they didn’t dumb down their message enough for you stupid voters.

From NewsBusters  “Appearing as a panelist on the November 6 Hardball, liberal talk show host Joe Madison offered his assessment for why Democrats lost the 2014 midterms: Liberals, being the intellectuals they are, talk above the heads of the average voter, rather than communicating their ideas in an accessible manner for the layman to understand. They need to “put it where the goats can get it,” as Madison’s grandfather would say.

Madison made his comments as part of a panel discussion in which Hardball host Chris Matthews lamented how Democrats, including Barack Obama, have not sold the American public on the economic rebound happening under the president’s watch.”

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3. Stop me if you’ve heard this joke before…..

From TheDailyCaller  “Bassem Masri hates the police, or “pigs” as he calls them. He supports the terrorist group Hamas and he hoped for Joan Rivers to “burn in hell” after her recent death because of the opinions she expressed about the ongoing fight between Israel and the Palestinians.

This is the man that the Department of Justice invited to a meeting to provide input on police reforms following the police shooting death of Michael Brown on Aug. 9.”

“He does not make clear which DOJ meeting he attended, but the timing coincides with a two-day event being held by the agency’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) division.

The stated goal of that meeting, which was closed to the press, is to “build trust and strengthen the relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve is the first of several regional collaborative reform trainings on law enforcement strategies and best practices.””

Was he Sharpton approved?

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4. Not surprising.

From DefenseOne  “Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has just a 26 percent approval rating among individuals currently serving within the national security community, according to findings from a new survey commissioned by Defense One.

The findings come as scrutiny on the Obama administration’s handling of the war in Iraq and Syria grows. At the same time, a variety of media reports hint that President Barack Obama, himself trailing in the polls after a poor showing for the Democrats in Tuesday’s election, is considering a shake-up of his national security staff. That could include Hagel.

The “Defense One National Security Survey” released Friday found few individuals inside the national security government think highly of the Obama administration’s national security strategy. The survey found that only 4 percent of respondents “strongly agree” and 16 percent “agree” that the White House has “a clear national security strategy.” Conversely, 73 percent of respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with that statement.”

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5. They haven’t learned a thing. They continue to use the IRS and DoJ against political enemies.

From Examiner.com  “In the midst of the ongoing investigation of the alleged Internal Revenue Services (IRS) and Department of Justice (DOJ) collusion in targeting conservative and Tea Party organizations for added scrutiny when applying for tax-exempt status, a source in one of the DOJ’s law enforcement agencies claims the IRS and DOJ are both probing the finances of members of one of the nation’s wealthiest families. Their alleged crime? Financially supporting what are considered conservative causes and Republican organizations. 

To many Americans who follow the political scene in the U.S., not a day goes by without some Democrat or liberal-left pundit throwing out the name “Koch Brothers” as if it’s a proven fact that they are criminal conspirators of sorts. But according to a law enforcement source who contacted the Examiner, Democrat lawmakers – many of whom are the same Senators and House members who pushed for the IRS to target groups such as True the Vote – have secretly contacted both IRS and DOJ officials to scrutinize the philanthropic activities of the two multi-billionaires.

Thanks to soon-to-be-former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the Democratic Party alone spent millions of dollars insinuating illegal ties between Republicans and the ultra-wealthy Charles and David Koch. The strategy of vilifying to two men is even starting to bother some Democrats especially when Sen. Reid told friendly news media outlets that even after his party’s drubbing he planned to continue his pursuit of exposing the evil Koch (pronounced coke) brothers, Charles and David.

In one of the most hypocritical moves, David Brock who runs the left-wing web site Media Matters, has openly said he was going to pursue the Koch’s spending into the 2016 election. This exercise in hypocrisy seems lost on the Democrats since Media Matters would cease to exist without the deep pockets of multi-billionaire and Republican-hater George Soros.”

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News/Politics 8-22-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. That’s strange. 6 months ago Hagel called them a “JV Team” that he thought wasn’t much of a threat. Wrong again, eh Chuck?

From Reuters  “The sophistication, wealth and military might of Islamic State militants represent a major threat to the United States that may surpass that once posed by al Qaeda, U.S. military leaders said on Thursday.

“They are an imminent threat to every interest we have, whether it’s in Iraq or anywhere else,” Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon.

Hagel’s assessment of Islamic State, which gained strength during Syria’s civil war and swept into northern Iraq earlier this summer, sounded a note of alarm several days after the group posted a video on social media showing one of its fighters beheading an American hostage kidnapped in Syria.

Asked if the hardline Sunni Muslim organization posed a threat to the United States comparable to that of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Hagel said it was “as sophisticated and well-funded as any group we have seen.”

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2. This should be interesting.

From NationalReview  “A federal judge ordered President Obama’s team to hand over some documents pertaining to Operation Fast and Furious and to provide a list of withheld documents.

Once House Republicans see the list of withheld documents, they will have a chance to challenge the withholding of particular documents.

“This Administration has been so intent on hiding the contents of these documents that it allowed Attorney General Holder to be held in contempt instead of just turning them over to Congress,” House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chairman Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) said of the ruling. “The privilege log will bring us closer to finding out why the Justice Department hid behind false denials in the wake of reckless conduct that contributed to the violent deaths of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and countless Mexican citizens.”

Holder was held in contempt in 2012 after he refused to produce 1,300 pages of documents subpoenaed by Issa’s committee. Obama said that the documents were shielded from congressional review by executive privilege.”

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3. So it’s not the first time he’s made statements that weren’t true. Could be a problem if this is your star witness.

From IJReview  “Dorian Johnson, the primary witness to the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, has an outstanding warrant for a 2011 theft in Jefferson City and pleaded guilty for filing a false police report related to that theft.

St. Louis ABC affiliate ABC 17 cross referenced Johnson’s name against several records and discovered the warrant.

Johnson will be the star witness for any potential prosecution proceedings against Officer Darren Wilson for the shooting of Brown. Johnson was walking with Brown when the shooting occurred.

He has already done multiple media appearances where he falsely claimed Brown was shot by Wilson in the back.  He also has claimed that Brown never reached for Wilson’s gun, was “shot like an animal” and that Brown had his hands up and told Wilson he was unarmed.”

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4. Don’t want to host a gay wedding on your farm? There’s a fine for that.

From TheBlaze  “Owners of a family farm in Schaghticoke, New York, are being fined $13,000 for refusing to allow a gay wedding ceremony to take place on their property in 2012, just one year after the state legalized same-sex nuptials.

Cynthia and Robert Gifford, owners of Liberty Ridge Farm, a family-friendly farm and special events venue, told Jennifer McCarthy and Melisa Erwin, a lesbian couple from Newark, New Jersey, that they were welcome to hold their reception on the property, but not the actual wedding ceremony, according to Religion News Service.

The Giffords live on the premises and these ceremonies are typically conducted on the first floor of their home or on the nearby property. Considering that they are Christians and consider marriage to be confined to relationships involving one man and one woman, the two weren’t comfortable hosting McCathy and Erwin’s nuptials.”

“McCarthy and Erwin weren’t happy with this rejection, so they took their complaint to the New York’s Division of Human Rights, claiming that they were discriminated against as a result of their sexual orientation.

A judge subsequently ruled in their favor in the case New York State Division of Human Rights v. Liberty Ridge Farm, rejecting the Giffords’ argument that the family owns a private business that is legally permitted to issue such refusals.”

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News/Politics 6-2-14

What’s interesting in the news today?

1. By now you’ve heard about the prisoner swap for an American POW held by the Taliban. The more details we get, the worse the deal sounds. And it looks like it may have been another illegal move by the White House.

From TheBlaze  “Two Republican lawmakers said President Barack Obama violated U.S. laws when he approved the exchange of an American soldier believed held by Islamist insurgents for five years for five Afghan detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Congressman Howard “Buck” McKeon of California and Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma said Saturday in a statement that Obama is required by law to notify Congress 30 days before any transfer of terrorists from the U.S. detention facility.

In response, the White House says that officials considered what they called “unique and exigent circumstances” and decided to go ahead with the transfer despite the legal requirement.

Lawmakers weren’t notified of the Guantanamo detainees’ transfer until after it occurred, according to the Washington Post.”

And the detainees swapped were the worst of the bunch.

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2. The White House is also dodging questions about just how it was he came to be a POW in the first place.

From TheHill  “Top Obama administration officials on Sunday avoided question about whether Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who was released by the Taliban in exchange for five detainees on Saturday, deserted the Army. 

ABC News “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos asked National Security Adviser Rice whether such allegations would be “investigated.”

“If it is found that he did, will he be disciplined or has he already paid the price?” he asked.

“Certainly, anybody who has been held in those conditions in captivity for five years has paid an extraordinary price, but that is really not the point,” Rice said. “The point is he’s back. He’s going to be safely reunited with his family. He served the United States with honor and distinction.”

Oh well, I guess we should be happy. At least she didn’t blame it on a video this time.

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3. But others are talking about it.

From TheTelegraph/UK  “But hopefulness soon gave way to despair after his unit began to take casualties and he saw how US troops treated the Afghans they were supposed to be saving. “These people need help, yet what they get is the most conceited country in the world telling them that they are nothing and that they are stupid,” he wrote in an email to his parents on June 27, 2009.

Three days later, according to Rolling Stone, the 23-year-old soldier simply walked off his base in Patika province, carrying a knife, his diary and a small camera.”

“Chuck Hagel, the US secretary of defence, said the first priority is to restore his health before American intelligence officers begin to debrief him in the hope of extracting valuable information on the Taliban. He declined to comment on the possibility that Sgt Bergdahl could face a court martial for desertion when he finally returns to the United States.”

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4. Things are worsening at the southern border. 2,000 a day in Texas alone. Overwhelming the system, classic Cloward/Piven.

More on that here, from FoxNews

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5. Oh boy. The Epic Fail continues to.. well, fail.

From IJReview  “A new study was released which shows that Obamacare will both increase the cost of health insurance and increase the number of uninsured.

Professor Stephen Parente and Adjunct Professor Michael Ramlet did an analysis of Obamacare and its projected effect on the number of uninsured over the next ten years. He found that the number of uninsured will go up starting in 2017, due to the declining purchasing power of the government subsidies.

Parente & Ramlet also found that health insurance costs will increase by nearly $1400 for those individuals with “silver” plans and $4200 for families with “silver” plans.”

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6. And since we’re on the subject of failures….. As always, revised down.

From HotAir  “For the first time in three years, the American economy contracted over the course of a quarter. In the interim report on GDP, the BEA estimates that the US economy shrunk by a full point in 2014 Q1, a downward revision of the advance estimate of 0.1% growth:

Real gross domestic product — the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States — decreased at an annual rate of 1.0 percent in the first quarter according to the “second” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter, real GDP increased 2.6 percent.

The GDP estimate released today is based on more complete source data than were available for the “advance” estimate issued last month. In the advance estimate, real GDP was estimated to have increased 0.1 percent. With this second estimate for the first quarter, the decline in private inventory investment was larger than previously estimated (see “Revisions” on page 3).”

“The decrease in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected negative contributions from private inventory investment, exports, nonresidential fixed investment, state and local government spending, and residential fixed investment that were partly offset by a positive contribution from personal consumption expenditures. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased.”

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