Krauthammer on Palin in 2012: "...I think she is rather weak.”

I don't agree, but Charles Krauthammer shouldn't be ignored.

Krauthammer:

“And she is not the favorite,” he continued. “She has a very strong core constituency but outside of that I think she is rather weak.”

Today's Chart: 10,000 Years of Greenland Ice Core Temeratures

You can see it is much cooler now than it has been in the past.

Via Watts Up With That:

Anybody see a strong global warming trend?

Israel Discovers Massive Natural Gas Field

Moses may have led the Israelites to the only place in the Middle east without oil, but they now have a massive natural gas field.

JERUSALEM — Exploratory drilling off Israel’s northern coast this week has confirmed the existence of a major natural gas field — one of the world’s largest offshore gas finds of the past decade — leading the country’s infrastructure minister to call it “the most important energy news since the founding of the state.”

Houston-based Noble Energy, which is working with several Israeli partner companies, said that the field, named Leviathan, whose existence was suspected months ago, has at least 16 trillion cubic feet of gas at a likely market value of tens of billions of dollars and should turn Israel into an energy exporter.

Big Sis Develops an Interest in Border Security

It isn't what you were hoping for. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano is interested in border security in Afghanistan.

(The Hill) — Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano touched down in Afghanistan on Friday morning and planned to spend New Year’s Eve visiting troops.

Six Department of Homeland Security (DHS) customs and border security officials will accompany Napolitano on the weeklong trip, which will include stops in Qatar, Israel and Belgium.

Napolitano spent Friday morning touring Afghanistan’s Torkham Border Crossing with Pakistan and meeting with Afghan an U.S. border security and customs officials to find new ways to establish a border-security and customs system to counter terrorism while allowing legitimate travel and trade.

WaPo's Ezra Klein: Constitution ‘Has No Binding Power on Anything’ (video)

WaPo's Ezra Klein is only saying what liberals have believed for a long time. The Constitution is an archaic document that has "No Binding Power on Anything." In other words, the Constitution should mean what liberal judges interpret it to mean.

Fox Host Megyn Kelly debates Obama Birth Certificate Controversy but forgets to invite any Birthers!

This doesn't seem to be "Fair and Balanced." Fox Host Megyn Kelly and her guests don't even understand the issues raised by those seeking to see Barack Obama's original birth certificate and records.

Video: Predator Drone Attack

As this year comes to a close, we must not forget there is war going on. Please remember and support our troops.

Predator Attack


H/T Weasel Zippers.

Democrats Jump Off Sinking Ship

25 Democratic legislators have jumped party and become Republicans since the election. Desperation has set in on moderate and conservative Democrats. Unfortunately, there aren't that many moderate and conservative Democrats left.

(Washington Examiner)- GOPAC chairman Frank Donatelli just sent out a press release crowing that 25 Democratic legislators have now switched parties and become Republican.

“We are pleased with the decision of these men and women to leave the Democratic Party and join with us. They are adding to the ranks of Americans who want to put result-oriented ideas into action to get us moving in the right direction...

FOX Sports NFL commercial mocks Obama's TSA (video)

FOX Sports NFL commercial mocks Obama's TSA. It couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch.



Hat tip Jack Hoft via Freedom's Lighthouse.

Global Warming Fail: UK Could Have Coldest Winter in 1000 Years

Britain is having the coldest winter in 327 years. It could turn out to be the coldest in 1000 years.

BRITAIN’S winter is the coldest since 1683 and close to being the chilliest in nearly 1,000 years.

Latest figures reveal that the average temperature since December 1 has been a perishing -1C.

That makes it the second coldest since records began in 1659.

The chilliest on record was 1683/84, when the average was -1.17C and the River Thames froze over for two months.

But with January and February to come, experts believe we could suffer the most freezing cold winter in the last 1,000 years.

Obama played his 56th round of golf yesterday

John Kim, Producer for PGA.com, is envious.

(Politico 44)- Few seem to begrudge President Obama the occasional golf outing (presidents needs to unwind, right?). But John Kim, a producer for PGA.com (the PGA Tour runs the primary men’s professional golf tours in North America), took to Twitter Tuesday night to ding POTUS for excessive golfing.

In response to learning of Obama’s 50-plus rounds of golf since taking office, Kim wrote, “that’s more than me! But then again, my job is … golf. Wait, that doesn’t seem right.”

Rewarding Bad Behavior

President Obama has bypassed the Senate and mad a recess appointment of an ambassador to Syria. Syria hasn't had an ambassador for five years because of their support for Hezbollah and terrorism.

Washington (AP) – President Barack Obama has bypassed the Senate and directly appointed four new U.S. ambassadors whose nominations had been stalled or blocked by lawmakers for months.

The White House announced Wednesday that Obama would use his power to make recess appointments to fill envoy posts to Azerbaijan, Syria and NATO allies Turkey and the Czech Republic. Recess appointments are made when the Senate is not in session and last only until the end of the next session of Congress. They are frequently used when Senate confirmation is not possible.

Incompetence: TSA Misses Bag Full of Bullet Primers

They did manage to fondle a couple of children and do a virtual strip search on an attractive model they picked out of the line. The guy with the bag of explosives wasn't a priority.

NBC Miami: A man has been arrested after FBI and TSA officials said his luggage contained volatile gun parts, which caused his bag to explode Tuesday just before it was about to be loaded on a plane.

The unidentified 37-year-old man had 500 to 700 bullet primers in his luggage. Primers are considered the "spark plugs" of a bullet and ignites the gun powder, projecting it toward the intended target.

Remember those stronger ID checks that are supposed to be taking place at the border?

It's not happening.

My San Antonio reported:

WASHINGTON — A federal audit now documents what at least a million border crossers already knew: U.S. border agents are failing to fully enforce laws requiring U.S., Mexican and Canadian citizens to present passports or other documents to enter the United States.

Keith Olbermann lost 11% of his audience in 2010

I am shocked anybody still watches him.

(Politicususa)- The bad news keeps coming for MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann. The 2010 ratings data is starting to trickle in, and the news is not so great for the Countdown host. In a down year for cable news where all three networks registered a decline in viewers, Keith Olbermann lost 11% of his total audience, but what is most troubling is that among the coveted age 25-54 demographic Olbermann lost 25% of his audience.

Liberal Heartache: Dem Dennis Kucinich Likely to Lose His House Seat After Redistricting

I am going to really miss this moonbat.

(CNN) – The state of Ohio will lose two congressional seats thanks to the latest U.S. Census figures, and liberal stalwart Dennis Kucinich is worried his seat is on the chopping block.

In an e-mail to supporters Wednesday, the seven-term Democratic congressman and two-time presidential candidate says the Republican-controlled Ohio legislature is likely to eliminate his heavily Democratic Cleveland-area district.

But Kucinich says he’s not just going to stand by while that happens...

Hawaii Governor Abercrombie Says He Will Produce Evidence That Obama Was Born in Hawaii (Video)

Bring it on. Let's end this controversy once and for all.

It has begun: EPA Takes Over Air Regulation in Texas

This change was announced in the dead news time shortly before Christmas. It is part of President Obama's backdoor plan to implement climate change legislation by regulation.

(Chron)- The federal Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday effectively declared Texas unfit to regulate its owngreenhouse gas emissions and took over carbon dioxide permitting of any new or expanding industrial facilities starting Jan. 2.

The EPA also set up a framework for regulating greenhouse gas emissions in seven other states: Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Oregon and Wyoming. In addition, the agency set a timetable on establishing regulated levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry plans to fight.

FOX News Takes Competitors to the Cleaners

Can you say dominate? FOX News outdrew MSNBC, HLN, and CNN combined.

(Business Insider)- It was also the only news channel to hit the top 10 in cable networks, ranking fourth in Primetime behind USA, ESPN and TNT.

Want some context for that? Fox News’ total viewers for the year exceeded MSNBC, HLN, and CNN combined.

That dominance came primarily at the expense of CNN which lost 29% of its total viewership in 2010...

DADT Survey Was a Fraud

The study touted be the Pentagon as proof DADT could be repealed was a fraud. The study was done by email and only 28% responded. 54% of the responses came from Coast Guard members. The Coast Guard is a fine organization, but hardly representative of the other branches of the military.

(WND)- On page 36 of the 267-page Pentagon study, the report's authors note that they conducted a "service member survey" asking 103 questions online of 115,000 personnel – a got a 28 percent response rate overall based on an e-mail awareness campaign. The Pentagon acknowledges there that 54 percent of the survey respondents are Coast Guard members.

Another problem with the email survey is responses could be tied to individuals. I am sure they promised the survey results would be anonymous, but most military knew the answer Team Obama was wanting. Those oppose may have been afraid to respond.

"Tingles": Sometimes I get the feeling that Democrats don’t want to enforce the border

Has Chris Matthews been replaced with a look-alike robot? Yesterday, he wondered why President Obama doesn't just release his original birth certificate.

Video: Jesse Jackson Calls for “Radical Reordering” of U.S. Economy or Something

President Obama referred to this as "spreading the wealth."

Confirmed: Voters Hate Net Neutrality

Only 21% of Likely U.S. Voters want the government to control the Internet like they do other broadcast media. Looks like Team Obama has picked another loser with their “net neutrality” regulations.

(Rasmussen)- American voters believe free market competition will protect Internet users more than government regulation and fear that regulation will be used to push a political agenda.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that only 21% of Likely U.S. Voters want the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to regulate the Internet as it does radio and television. Fifty-four percent (54%) are opposed to such regulation, and 25% are not sure.

The survey was conducted shortly after the FCC decided on a party line vote to impose so-called “net neutrality” regulations on the Internet world.

Chart of the Day: Global Sea Level Predictions

The chart below shows seal level predictions from the anthropogenic global warming crowd and the actual change. Telling, isn't it?

From American Thinker:

Gore, Schwarzenegger, and the IPCC made their mark through their dramatic predictions of catastrophic sea level rise due to increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causing global warming.  Gore once predicted that sea levels would rise by twenty feet over the century.  Last year, Schwarzenegger unveiled a map showing world sea levels rising by 1.5 meters over the next century.  In 2001, the IPCC predicted that sea level would rise by three feet over the next century.  Their past predictions and the accurate satellite measurements are shown in the chart below:

Please read the rest here.

New Marine Recruitment Video (parody)

Welcome to the new Marine Corps.

Study Finding Fox News Viewers Are Misinformed Was Bogus (video)

The study from the University of Maryland and WordPublicOpinion.org was bogus. Here is a video debunking. It is well worth your 21 minutes. Prepare to receive an education.

CNN Poll Finds Only 38% Support for Obamacare Mandate

If President Obama and Democrats could strip the individual mandate from Obamacare, support for it would rise significantly. Of course, they can't do that without removing provisions of the bill that actually are popular. If you eliminate the mandate, you have to allow consideration of pre-existing conditions. Imagine how much automotive insurance would cost if you weren't required to buy it, but could purchase it after a wreck and have your insurance company pay the bills. The entire law is fatally flawed and needs to be scrapped.

(The Hill) — Public support for a key element of President Obama’s healthcare reform law is slipping after a federal judge ruled the provision is unconstitutional, according to a poll released Monday.

A CNN/Opinion Research poll showed that only 38 percent now favor language “requiring all Americans who do not have health insurance to get it.” Support fell six points from August, when it was at 44 percent. Opposition to the provision has risen to 60 percent from 56 in August. Support for the individual mandate was at a high in November, when 49 percent said they backed it.

Oh my! Chris Matthews Wonders Why Obama Doesn't Release His Original Birth Certificate

I never thought I would agree with Chris Matthews, but he has a good point. Why doesn't President Obama just ask to have the original birth certificate document released? Click the image below for RCP video.

Via RCP:

"Why has the president himself not demanded they put out the original documents?" Matthews wonders.

"If it exists, why not put it out?" Chris Matthews asks.

President Obama is a Michael Vick Fan?

Michael Vick and his cohorts acted like monsters. Here is how the pit bulls were treated.

• The formation of Bad Newz Kennels and testing of the dogs began in early 2002. According to the indictment, one of the dogs did not fight well and was shot to death with a .22 caliber pistol.
• In March 2003, after a pit bull from Bad Newz Kennels lost in a fight, it was executed by wetting it with water and electrocuting it.
• In April 2007, approximately eight dogs that did not perform well in testing were killed by "hanging, drowning, and slamming at least one dog's body to the ground."

You can't reform someone that cruel, but President Obama seems to want to let bygones be bygones.

Pro Football Talk reported:


Though the Eagles didn’t have a chance to make news on the field tonight, they made some more news off the field.

Peter King of NBC reported during Football Night in America that President Barack Obama recently called Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie to congratulate the team for giving quarterback Mike Vick a second chance.

Somalia Jihadists: "tell the American President Barack Obama to embrace Islam" or they are going to kill us or something

Somalia’s Islamist insurgency is threatening to attack us. Apparently, they will reconsider if Barack Obama converts to Islam. I guess they haven't heard that many Americans think that has already happened.

(Fox News) — A leader of Somalia’s Islamist insurgency threatened to attack America during a speech broadcast Monday.

“We tell the American President Barack Obama to embrace Islam before we come to his country,” said Fuad Mohamed “Shongole” Qalaf.

Al-Shabab has not yet launched an attack outside Africa but Western intelligence has long been worried because the group targeted young Somali-Americans for recruitment. About 20 have traveled to Somalia for training and at least three were used as suicide bombers inside Somalia. Al-Shabab holds most of southern and central Somalia and has the support of hundreds of foreign fighters, mostly radicalized East Africans.

Stupidity: Obamacare supporters think the problem with the new law is the PPACA name

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act already has a catchy name. It's 'Obamacare.' The problem with the new law isn't the name, it's the content. Nancy Pelosi famously said Democrats had to pass the law so we could learn what is in it. Well, we now have a pretty good idea what is in the new health care reform law and voters don't like it. 60% of voters now favor repeal.

(WaPo)- In fact, it's the ungainly acronym of the new health-care law - PPACA, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Many people who support the law, or are neutral toward it, call it "puh-pack-uh" or "pee-pack-uh." Others call it the Affordable Care Act or plain old health-care reform.

But those less-than-inspiring monikers aren't much help to Democrats trying to convince the public that "Obamacare" - the Republicans' pejorative name for the law - is worth keeping, said Robert J. Blendon, a professor of health policy and political analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health.

Democratic pollsters concede that there is a problem.

60% of voters now favor repeal of Obamacare

This is the second time this month Rasmussen has found support for repeal at 60% among likely voters. This law has become an anchor hanging around President Obama and Democrats neck. If they had any sense, they would repeal it.

For the second time this month, 60% of Likely Voters at least somewhat favor repeal of the national health care law, while the number who expect health care costs to increase is at its highest level since August.

Shocker: NYT Hates the Repeal Amendment Idea

The repeal amendment would restore the balance of power between the states and the federal government. By a vote of two-thirds of state legislators, any federal law could be overturned.

(NYT)- With public attention focused on taxes, the deficit, gays in the military and nuclear arms reduction, little attention has been paid, so far, to the Tea Party’s most far-reaching move to remake American governance. It is contained within a bill, called the repeal amendment, that was introduced in Congress after the election. The bill won the support of the incoming House majority leader, Eric Cantor, and is supported by legislative leaders in 12 states.

The proposal is sweeping, expressing with bold simplicity the view of the Tea Party and others that the federal government’s influence is far too broad. It would give state legislatures the power to veto any federal law or regulation if two-thirds of the legislatures approved.

If this amendment can be passed, the Supreme Court should be the next target. Wouldn't it be great to remove Supreme Court Justices by a two-thirds vote of state legislators? Perhaps that would motivate some of them to base their decisions off the Constitution.

Sen. Tom Coburn: U.S. Must Live "Within Our Means"; If Not, "We Have a Bleak Future"

Sen. Tom Coburn explains why Republics fail. It's over money. He cuts through the chase and says, "Within Our Means."

Russian immigrants flee Democratic Party

The Socialistic policies remind them too much of what they fled from in their native land.

(SI Live.com) — Many Russian immigrants to the “red borough” of Staten Island are flocking to the Republican Party, saying that the national Democrats’ “socialistic” policies remind them too much of the top-down oligarchy they fled in their native land.
With many of the borough’s Russian arrivees already owning businesses and active in civic organizations, their muscle could help the Island GOP solidify electoral gains made this year, when the party took back congressional and Assembly seats.

WH Press Secretary Robert Gibbs Regrets Terrorists Will Be Held Indefinitely

Perhaps there is an empty house on Gibbs street.

(Politico)- White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Sunday that it was unfortunate that some terrorist suspects at Guantanamo Bay need to be held indefinitely without trial.

“Some would be tried in federal courts, as we’ve seen done in the past. Some would be tried in military commissions, likely spending the rest of their lives in a maximum security prison that nobody, including terrorists, have ever escaped from. Some, regrettably, will have to be indefinitely detained,” Gibbs said on CNN’s “State of the Union” as he described Obama’s beleaguered plan for closing Guantanamo.

Fail: Billionaire T. Boone Pickens Wind Power Plan Runs Out of Air

After wasting $2 billion on General Electric wind turbines, Mr. Pickens has given up on his wind farm plans. He is looking to sell the turbines to Canadians who are being forced to buy them because of their laws.

Unfortunately market forces were not favorable to Mr. Pickens, and in December 2010 he announced that he is getting out of the wind power business. What does he plan to do with his $2 billion worth of idle wind turbines? He is trying to sell them to Canada, because of Canadian law that mandates consumers to buy more renewable electricity regardless of cost."

T. Boone Pickens had such big plans. Here is his propaganda video.

Bangladesh asks for US help getting Somali pirate hostages released. State Department suggests they pay the ransom.

The US State Department has become an embarrassment under President Obama and Hillary Clinton. Bangladesh asked for help getting hostages released from Somali pirates. They were told to pay the ransom!

(bdnews.24) — The US government has suggested that the government should negotiate with the Somali pirates by paying ransom for the release of 26 Bangladeshis on board the hijacked ship MV Jahan Moni.

The state department also told Dhaka that the Somali pirates would be interested in releasing the captives with comparatively less amount of money as it’s a “lean season” for the captors.

Washington also revealed that “money was the sole objective” behind the hostage taking.
The state department made the suggestions as Bangladesh government sought US support for the release of the hostages.

Death Panels by Regulation Start Next Year

When Democrats can't get what they want through the Democratic process, they just change the rules. "Death Panels" were stripped from "Obamacare," but the Obama administration is moving to institute them through regulatory changes.

(NY Times)- When a proposal to encourage end-of-life planning touched off a political storm over “death panels,” Democrats dropped it from legislation to overhaul the health care system. But the Obama administration will achieve the same goal by regulation, starting Jan. 1.

Under the new policy, outlined in a Medicare regulation, the government will pay doctors who advise patients on options for end-of-life care, which may include advance directives to forgo aggressive life-sustaining treatment.

Congressional supporters of the new policy, though pleased, have kept quiet. They fear provoking another furor like the one in 2009...