The return of "1984"

Team Obama's take on Hillary back in '08.


True then. True today.

Every Republican running in this next election should thank President Obama...

...for this pre-election soundbite/gift:



From the Washington Post: "A couple weeks ago, President Obama declared that, while he wasn't on the Nov. 4 ballot, his policies were. And just about every GOP candidate in a red or swing state soon launched an ad using that comment to tie his or her Democratic opponent to Obama...While it's the second time Obama has gone down this road, this comment probably stings more than the last one for Democrats running in key Senate races -- almost all of which are in red or swing states where Obama is quite unpopular...While Obama's previous comment suggested the election was indeed something of a referendum on him, these comments suggest not only that, but that Democratic candidates are actually on-board with him -- something most of them have made pains to argue is not the case...Obama's comments are the kind of thing Democrats might privately say to assure donors, but wouldn't really say in public."

Just a few more weeks...

"This isn't about him -- it's about us."

Ouch.


"He's great ... at promises."

On high alert

Here's the latest from friend and radio colleague Larry Johnson, who is posting from Europe. (As previously noted, Larry was formerly employed by the CIA and the State Department; today he's consultant and frequently quoted on counterterrorism, intel and international matters.) This appeared on his blog, No Quarter. A seasoned and reasonable observer/commentator, Larry discovered something -- unreported elsewhere -- while in Paris.

Paris on High Alert, But Baghdad the Target

By Larry Johnson on September 6, 2014 at 6:55 PM 

Something is going on in Paris, at least last night. Police were out in massive numbers surrounding the U.S. Embassy and the British Embassy. No public warning was issued, however.

I happened to be walking with the wife along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées on the Champs Elysee last night heading towards Place de La Concorde. Couple of blocks west of Place de la Concorde we ran into a gauntlet of police. Vehicles parked bumper to bumper. Officers kitted out, some with body armor and automatic weapons.

But the real concern is with the Americans still in Baghdad. The first tell was Obama finally authorizing the deployment last week of an additional 350 troops to the Green Zone. The threat from ISIS is not abating. Chatter is hot and heavy about something happening on the anniversary of 11 September.

I am not enjoying the delicious irony of Mr. Nobel Peace Prize Obama (granted that prize for simply being a nice looking black man with no accomplishments) conducting more drone strikes than George W. Bush and reversing course on carrying out military operations in Iraq. It is just the reality. Unfortunately, Obama is worried more about managing the domestic political consequences of taking action against ISIS than he is in crafting a genuine strategy to deal with the menace.

On leadership...

A lot has been said during these last few weeks about our president...and his feckless foreign policy.

A lot.

The "back story":

• Across the Pacific, the Chinese are "projecting power" with their growing blue water navy, harassing neighboring nations and threatening expansion. The ChiComms are being so aggressive that Vietnam is turning to its old nemesis, Japan, for aid; and Japan, no friend of nuclear weapons, is giving serious thought to changing its constitution to allow its military to have nukes. (The wild North Koreans also figure into the equation.)
• In Eastern Europe, Vlad Putin is doing his best to restore some bizarro version of old Imperial Russia. First, it was Crimea (now a wholly owned subsidiary of Moscow); and now, Ukraine is seeing its sovereign territory nibbled away...daily. Next up: Lithuania? Can we get a Estonia? Latvia? How about Poland? (And you thought the Cold War had ended.)
• The worst appears in the guise of a rogue bunch of "non-state actors," who are tearing-up the Middle East and threatening everyone else. Known as ISIL, ISIS or "those bat-sh** crazy bastards," the group (once called the "jayvee" team by President Barack Obama), has now swelled to more than 20,000 strong. Nerves were further rattled when, last week, Obama said he had "no strategy" in place to deal with ISIL/ISIS...a group that has been steadily menacing for close to a year. (Even The Washington Post's editorial board took notice!)

Which brings us to the following. Below is a perfect dissection of the problems at hand...chief among them: a lack of leadership -- on the part of our president.

This piece is by Kevin Elliott, a Bay Area public relations professional who knows a thing or two about leadership, strategy and communication. The White House would be smart to follow his lead(s) here. But then, that's probably expecting waaaaay to much.

The Bliss Index gives you Kevin Elliott:

I've been trolling the news this morning and it is interesting to see how ideology colors pronouncements by various news outlets. Various outlets that are either balanced or conservative in their editorial policy point to the British Prime Minister -- the man with a plan -- as the example of leadership. 

The same outlets reflect the frustration of the nation at the President's announcement that he doesn't have a plan to deal with the growing threat that his defense secretary has called, "unlike anything we've ever seen." 

Enter the other side... The Huffington Post is beside itself that American conservatives are praising David Cameron's no-nonsense tough talk. HuffPo points out that at least we are bombing the terrorists. And then they go on to lament the daily cost of the military action on the Islamic State. 

In Britain, the left opposition is answering Cameron with a call for (wait for it) mandatory programs for deradicalization for young jihadi wanna-bees. Okay, so if some nut wants to run off and fight for the terrorists, the Labor Party wants to send them to a mandatory government program. 

Great. 

Where is Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill? Okay, at least the British have their clear leader... But why is it wrong for us to ask -- no, demand -- clear and unambiguous leadership? 

President Obama has made his position clear repeatedly. The threats against our country are of our own making, he believes. They are the result of generations of exploitation at home and abroad. He was elected, he believes, to get us out of foreign conflicts and he has declared those wars in the Levant and Afghanistan to be over. 

We will not get a firm, clear word from the White House that we are committed to defeating or destroying the Islamic State. It's not his style and doesn't fit his narrative. So, instead, we will have an election this year...and another in 2016. 

And if anyone doesn't believe that elections have consequences, you need look no further than this week...either here in the US or over in the UK.

Spot-on.

Bonus add: Dilbert gets it.

That crazy Kim Jong Un!

North Korea is mad! Dance video features Kim Jong Un

From NPR:

He grins, he fumes, he fights — and through it all, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un dances his way in and out of preposterous situations. That's the premise of a video that has become popular in China and reportedly sparked a protest from North Korea.

Citing "a source in China," the reports that "the North feels the clip, which shows Kim dancing and Kung-Fu fighting, 'seriously compromises Kim's dignity and authority.'"

The newspaper says that after North Korea asked China to stop the video from spreading, "Beijing was unable to oblige."

In the video, Kim's face is superimposed onto a kitchen sink's worth of videos, in scenes taken from everything from viral dance videos and TV shows to the vaudevillian action film Kung Fu Hustle. In one segment, Kim pirouettes in a dance studio — before being hit with a kick delivered by President Obama. Other world leaders also make appearances, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

And while a couple of sequences make fun of Kim's fascination with weaponry, we'll note that the video doesn't accuse the North Korean leader of not having rhythm.

Every Obama speech. Ever.

It's like he's scripted or something...


...or something.

A long list of everything going wrong with Obama's foreign policy

Wait...he's got a "foreign policy?"

That was then, this is now...

Remember when Mr. Obama promised that his "Affordable Care Act" would drive down health insurance premiums?




My, how times change...

According to a piece (with video) at The Hill, "Premiums will rise in 2015 under ObamaCare, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Wednesday.'I think premiums are likely to go up, but go up at a smaller pace than what we’ve seen since 2010,' Sebelius said in response to a question from Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Minn.). 'The increases are far less significant than what they were prior to the Affordable Care Act,' she said during testimony to the House Ways and Means Committee."

 Another broken Obamacare promise...

My, how times change...

About those "Executive Orders," Mr. President...


Remember: He's got "a pen and a phone!"

 

Leno mocks Obamacare lies...

Someone has to...

Disconnected, dishonest and distancing...

If Obamacare was your "great legacy," would you have paid so little attention to it?



Of course not.

SNL: Obama and the Mandela funeral

Give us a sign.



One for the archives...

"I thought Obamacare was supposed to be free"...

Good luck with that!



Not one: Michelle Fields of PJTV cannot find one student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., who has signed up for Obamacare. These are the people Obama is relying on to carry the whole program.

Uh, oh...


(h/t: PJTV/Next Generation)

‘All Hell Is Going to Break Loose’

...When employers dump plans due to Obamacare (so says George Will).



He's absolutely correct.

"Presidential depression"...

Saturday Night Live skewers Barack Obama...again.



Ouch.

Nancy Pelosi taken apart by David Gregory on false Obamacare promises

On this morning's edition of "Meet The Press," Obamacare cheerleader/co-architect Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was once again shown to be what she is: A liar.



"We have to pass the bill so you can find out what's in it." -- Pelosi in the run-up to the vote on the Affordable Care Act (aka: Obamacare).

O', what a tangled web she weaves...

"Pobody's Nerfect!"

Jon Stewart's latest smackdown of Barack Obama and his namesake law/policies...

The Daily Show

Nerfect!

Radio tonight: What else? Obamacare! (11-10-13)

I'll be on The John Batchelor Show tonight, joining Francis Rose (of "In Depth with Francis Rose," on Federal News Radio 1500AM; weekdays, 3 p.m. - 7 p.m. ET), who is substitute hosting for John.

Francis Rose.

Francis and I will be discussing updates and news connected to, what else?, Obamacare!

Check local or satellite listings for details, or listen online here.

See you on the radio! 

Is Kathleen Sebelius about to "go under the bus?"

It sure sounds like it.



In an interview with NBC's Chuck Todd (video above), the president was asked -- more than once -- if he still had confidence in HHS Sec. Kathleen Sebelius (whose department was responsible for the ill-fated Obamacare enrollment roll-out). To no one's surprise, Mr. Obama dodged the questions.

Kathleen Sebelius and Barack Obama. (Not pictured: Bus.)

Anyone want to venture a guess why Sebelius didn't get a rousing vote of confidence from her boss?

Anyone want to venture a guess what fate probably awaits Sebelius?