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Yemen president says ready to quit within days
Today's Headlines
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Page 6: Politix
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 4: Opinion
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-Lurid Crime Tales-
SOLYNDRAGATE: Huge Email Dump Implicates Obama And Rahm
[Business Insider] The White House released a bunch of emails related to the Solyndra bankruptcy scandal to Congressional Sherlocks today, in what has become a regular Friday evening email dump.

The emails, obtained by several news organizations, implicate the most senior levels of the B.O. regime in the scandal, which has tainted the White House since the solar company went bankrupt last month, leaving taxpayers on the hook for a $534 million federal loan.
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  One of six implications - not including that "Justice Department".
Posted by: newc || 10/09/2011 0:09 Comments || Top||

#2  $534 billion million federal loan.
Posted by: tipper || 10/09/2011 0:38 Comments || Top||

#3  Poor Rahm---thought he jumped a sinking ship in time.
Posted by: gr(o)mgoru || 10/09/2011 5:01 Comments || Top||

#4  Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, now STAY TUNED for the next in a serious of exciting segments entitled.... "Women Who Bathe".... "Men Who Ballet dance."
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/09/2011 17:35 Comments || Top||


Home Front: Politix
Aimless Obama walks alone
[NY Post] The reports are not good, disturbing even.
We all deal with defeat in our own way...
I have heard basically the same story four times in the last 10 days, and the people doing the talking are in New York and Washington and are spread across the political spectrum.
... which doesn't actually make it true, just widespread...
The gist is this: President B.O. has become a lone wolf, a stranger to his own government. He talks mostly, and sometimes only, to friend and adviser Valerie Jarrett
...Chicago political hack, now senior advisor to President B.O....
and to David Axelrod
...a Chicago-based political hack, political adviser to Barack B.O. Obama since 2004. Following the 2008 election, he was appointed as Senior Advisor to Obama and we all see how well that worked out....
, his political strategist.
That's not surprising. When you're groupthinking you stay with the group, even if it's a tiny group. Reality's too likely to intrude if you don't.
Everybody else, including members of his Cabinet, have little face time with him except for brief meetings that serve as photo ops. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Edward Livingstone ...
and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner
...President B.O.'s snotty-looking treasury secretary, noted neither for his honesty nor for his competence, though he does wear natty suits...
both have complained, according to people who have talked to them, that they are shut out of important decisions.
There isn't room for everybody in the inner circle...
The president's workdays are said to end early, often at 4 p.m.
He never has struck me as a workaholic...
He usually has dinner in the family residence with his wife and daughters, then retreats to a private office. One person said he takes a stack of briefing books. Others aren't sure what he does.
My guess is that he spends the time watching Spongebob, maybe MSNBC when he needs reassurance...
Does the room have a mirror?
If the reports are accurate, and I believe they are, they paint a picture of an isolated man trapped in a collapsing presidency.
So how're things in the Fuehrerbunker?
While there is no indication Obama is walking the halls of the White House late at night, talking to the portraits of former presidents, as Richard Nixon did during Watergate, the reports help explain his odd public remarks.
Why would he talk to portraits of dead white guys, most of whom were disturbingly more competent than he is?
Obama conceded in one television interview recently that Americans are not "better off than they were four years ago" and said in another that the nation had "gotten a little soft."
It's that national malaise.
Both smacked of a man who feels discouraged and alienated and sparked comparisons to Jimmy Carter,
... the worst president ever. Maybe the second worst. The votes aren't all in yet...
never a good sign.
The ghost of James Buchanan is ever so happy to be moving up another notch in the competency list, going from the bottom to third from the bottom in a mere 30 years or so. Millard Fillmore and Franklin Pierce are looking nervous...
Blaming the country is political heresy, of course,
... but nothing could possibly be his fault. Remember the Carter administration, when the Dems were pushing the line that the country was actually ungovernable, so we should reelect Amy's daddy, rather than that actor from Caliphornia?
yet Obama is running out of scapegoats.
The number actually is finite, y'know...
His allies rarely make affirmative arguments on his behalf anymore, limiting themselves to making excuses for his failure. He and they attack Republicans, George W. Bush, European leaders and Chinese currency manipulation -- and that was just last week.
The week before it was Republicans, George W. Bush, European leaders, Pakistain, and Chinese currency manipulation...
The blame game isn't much of a defense for Solyndra and "Fast and Furious," the emerging twin scandals that paint a picture of incompetence at best.
...oozing corruption at second worst, incompetent oozing corruption at dead worst...
Obama himself is spending his public time pushing a $450 billion "jobs" bill -- really another stimulus in disguise -- that even Senate Democrats won't support.
You might describe the bill as "shovel-ready."
He grimly flogged it repeatedly at his Thursday presser, even though snowballs in hell have a better chance of survival.
They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again in the expectation of getting a different result. That's just obsessive-compulsive insanity, though. Hard-core insanity is losing all touch with reality, with maybe a few manic-depressive mood swings to keep it interesting.
If he cracked a single smile at the hour-plus event, I missed it. He seems happy only on the campaign trail, where the adoration of the crowd lifts his spirits.
The crowds are getting smaller and less adoring. Every once in awhile somebody asks an awkward question.
When it comes to getting America back on track to economic growth, he is running on vapors. Yet he shows no inclination to adopt any ideas other than his own Big Government grab. His itch for higher taxes verges on a fetish.
He simply can't conceive of anything else. To actually cut taxes would be to do what his political opponents want, and doing that would be an admission that he was wrong.
Harvey Golub, former chairman of American Express, called the "jobs" bill an incoherent mess. Writing in The Wall Street Journal, he said that among other flaws, the bill includes an unheard of retroactive tax hike on the holders of municipal bonds. "Many of us have suspected that economic illiterates were setting the economic policy of this administration," Golub wrote, adding that the bill "reveals a depth of cluelessness that boggles the mind."
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2011 11:28 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Time to write two letters.
Posted by: SteveS || 10/09/2011 12:05 Comments || Top||

#2  I commented, but managed to jump threads.

See here:

Posted by: KBK || 10/09/2011 12:20 Comments || Top||

#3  "Here" being the "GOP Vows Retaliation..." thread.
Posted by: KBK || 10/09/2011 12:24 Comments || Top||

#4  He always was a clown, still is a clown and will always be a clown.
Posted by: DarthVader || 10/09/2011 13:28 Comments || Top||

#5  His narcissism won't allow him to admit any part of his stupid policies are wrong. I'm looking forward to he and Michelle Antoinette helicoptering off on Jan 20 2012 for good. There have been fewer vain and stupid people in charge...at least since Carter

*spit*
Posted by: Frank G || 10/09/2011 15:13 Comments || Top||

#6  While there is no indication Obama is walking the halls of the White House late at night, talking to the portraits of former presidents...

Former presidents of the Soviet Union, maybe. "Comrade Malenkov, was it like this for you?"
Posted by: Matt || 10/09/2011 17:10 Comments || Top||

#7  If the reports are accurate, and I believe they are, they paint a picture of an isolated man trapped in (an empty suit) and a collapsing presidency.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/09/2011 17:19 Comments || Top||

#8  Why have impeachment processes not begun yet for just being totally useless, actually worse than useless?
Posted by: Rhodesiafever || 10/09/2011 19:26 Comments || Top||

#9  If Obama is impeached he can collect unemployment for 99 weeks before accepting a position a university of Cuba.
Posted by: Airandee || 10/09/2011 19:36 Comments || Top||

#10  "the bill includes an unheard of retroactive tax hike on the holders of municipal bonds."

Whaaaaaaaaat?

'Retroactive Tax' - I think that means that Jarret is in control.
Posted by: Free Radical || 10/09/2011 21:31 Comments || Top||

#11  I have to say, when this clown is out of office I'm confident in the next 10years we will have books and rumors of some sort of Mental Disorder he has. One that was known about and hidden much like JFK's and Roosevelts health problems were.
Posted by: Charles || 10/09/2011 22:30 Comments || Top||


Obama Campaign Pressures Potential Donors by Comparing Them With Neighbors
Posted by: Skidmark || 10/09/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  It's great when the left makes the lists themselves. It'll save everyone else time later.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 10/09/2011 9:44 Comments || Top||

#2  I'm delighted with the small numbers of donors.
Posted by: Omoting Ulinerong6111 || 10/09/2011 11:39 Comments || Top||

#3  It sounds like desperation on the part of the Obama camp. Things must be getting worse for campaign funds, if they resorting to this tactic.
Posted by: Delphi || 10/09/2011 13:44 Comments || Top||

#4  They pull that crap extortion on me, they'd get an e-mail back: Not one goddam dime.

Of course, I didn't publicly support an incompetent empty suit/black guy so I can prove to other people how wonderful and enlightened I am I'm not in the tank for O-Bow-Ma.
Posted by: Barbara || 10/09/2011 16:57 Comments || Top||

#5 
Messina went on to say that all those donors "had their own personal reason for giving," and reiterated that "our records show that you aren't one of the 15,049 people where you're from who have stepped up for 2012.


Obama; We know who you are and who your friends are...
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/09/2011 17:16 Comments || Top||


GOP vows retaliation after Reid uses nuclear option in Senate
[The Hill] Senate Republicans vow they will retaliate for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's
... the charismatic senator-for-life from Nevada, currently majority leader ...
(D-Nev.) decision to unilaterally change the Senate's rules Thursday without prior warning or negotiation.

Republican aides say their bosses will now be even more reluctant to allow the Senate to conduct routine business by unanimous consent, forcing Reid to gather 60 votes for even the most mundane matters.

"Reid fired a major salvo and it's hard to imagine a return shot won't be fired. Maybe over the weekend they'll come up with something and try to make it less worse than it already is," said a Senate GOP leadership aide.

Partisan anger hit a boiling point in the chamber this week after Republicans refused to allow final passage of a China currency bill unless Democrats voted on President B.O.'s jobs package, as originally drafted.

Triggering what has come to be known as the chamber's "nuclear option," Reid overturned Senate precedent that allowed Republicans to force votes to proceed to non-germane amendments. He did so by voting with 50 of his fellow wardheelers to overturn a ruling by the Senate parliamentarian.
Posted by: Fred || 10/09/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Cause meet effect.

Land swindler, meet businessman.
Posted by: newc || 10/09/2011 0:34 Comments || Top||

#2  What does he do?

.

Insider: I’m at my desk here right? We’re sitting here having this conversation. How about we take a look at what the president would look like in the same situation? Walk into that room – that office of his on the 2nd floor. He spends less and less time downstairs – that’s Daley’s world now. The president doesn’t like the Oval Office much – he’s made that point repeatedly to more than a few at the White House. He prefers to be upstairs, no suit. No shoes. No joke —

Ulsterman: (Interrupts) —Shoes?

Insider: Yeah – shoes. President Obama, when he is in his de facto office upstairs – the one that is closer to Jarrett’s own office, and a short hop over to the residence, he spends his time there often in shorts, or sweats, a t-shirt, and those sandal things…flip-flops. There is a large screen television in there and that’s where hours of his time are spent when he is actually at the White House. Day in and day out. The First Lady rules the residence, and the president heads over to his 2nd floor West Wing study. Starting around last spring, he started to take regular briefings in there. And the instructions that went out on those briefings to the president were that they were to be most importantly – brief. Anything more than about 15 minutes is unacceptable to Obama. So let’s look through the eyes of someone heading into Barack Obama’s upstairs office at the White House to give him a briefing. Maybe it’s on national security. Maybe the economy. Energy policy. Whatever – doesn’t matter. The scenario being played out these days is pretty much the same regardless of the particulars. You knock on the door – it’s always closed. Always. Often you have to knock for some time before being given approval from inside to enter. The big screen will be on – the volume loud. You can easily hear it from outside the door. The sports channels are the ones most commonly playing, though sometimes the channel will be set to music, or Fox News. Sometimes Valerie Jarrett might be there, but most often it is just the president and his personal aide. A large leather chair will be facing the television – it’s well worn. Not part of the White House furnishings but something the president must have brought in from back home. That’s where you’ll most often find the President of the United States – the most powerful man in the free fucking world. He often sits with one leg draped over one of the chair’s arms and the other leg stuck straight onto the floor. Shorts, sweats, a t-shirt, and like I said, no shoes or just those sandal things that so many of the younger people like to wear these days. And that leg that’s draped over an arm of the chair will be bopping up and down, like…like someone with a lot of nervous energy. Like a kid does. And there’s the smell of smoke hanging on the president. The guy never quite smoking – that was all bullshit. I told you that already. In fact, there’s one of those smokeless ash trays on the desk in there. And that desk, it’s a mess. Magazines spread out all over it. Stupid shit too. Real low brow reading material the president is into. People. Rolling Stone.


Reality or Onion?

Who knows?
Posted by: KBK || 10/09/2011 12:13 Comments || Top||

#3  Hm, that belonged in the Obama thread above!
Posted by: KBK || 10/09/2011 12:20 Comments || Top||

#4  I said this a few days ago on a thread about the Wall Street "Occupation". Probably fits even better here re: KBK....

Rember the Reichstag.
Posted by: AlanC || 10/09/2011 13:47 Comments || Top||



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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2011-10-09
  Yemen president says ready to quit within days
Sat 2011-10-08
  Mexican security forces find 46 dead in Veracruz
Fri 2011-10-07
  Doctor Who Helped U.S. Find Osama Bin Laden May Hang
Thu 2011-10-06
  Shelling Resumes in Sana'a
Wed 2011-10-05
  Afghanistan foils plot to kill Karzai
Tue 2011-10-04
  Bomb kills at least 65 in Mogadishu
Mon 2011-10-03
  Syrian Opposition Forms United Common Front
Sun 2011-10-02
  Syrian troops battle hundreds of renegade soldiers
Sat 2011-10-01
  Underwear-bomb maker also believed dead in Yemen strike
Fri 2011-09-30
  Anwar al-Awlaki killed in Yemen
Thu 2011-09-29
  US ambassador Robert Ford pelted with tomatoes by Syrian brownshirts
Wed 2011-09-28
  NTC Fighters Capture Sirte's Port
Tue 2011-09-27
  1 injured, 2 missing as Egypt pumps sewage into Gaza tunnel
Mon 2011-09-26
  Missile targets Afghan president palace
Sun 2011-09-25
  French Envoy Targeted with Eggs, Stones in Damascus


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