Obama vs. 'W' on the mound: Which one throws like a girl?

You be the judge. Which Prez can throw a strike to home plate and which one throws like a girl?

Good news, bad news and worse news from today's MSM

I've got some good news, so I'll share that first. From The Washington Post today:

BAGHDAD, Feb. 27 -- The American soldier stepped out of the Baghdad nightclub. In one hand, he clutched his weapon. In the other, a green can of Tuborg beer. He took a sip and walked over to two comrades, dressed as he was in camouflage and combat gear.

Inside the club Thursday night, U.S. soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division ogled young Iraqi women who appeared to be prostitutes gyrating to Arabic pop music. A singer crooned soulfully through scratchy speakers to the raucous, pulsating beat -- an action that Islamic extremists have deemed punishable by beheading.

Twenty minutes later, several drunk men coaxed an American soldier to dance. He awkwardly shuffled his feet, wearing night-vision equipment and a radio, joining the women and boisterous young men in an Arabic chain dance around tables covered with empty beer bottles.

Guess what? When American G.I.'s, Marines and sailors aren't fighting wars, they love to party. No big surprise. Been there, done that during the Vietnam War in Uncle Sam's Navy. But when G.I.'s in Baghdad can visit a local club and dance with the Iraqi women, something big has happened. No headlines have yet proclaimed it from the Obama News Media, but victory has broken out in Iraq. President Bush's "surge" worked and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat after six long years of blood, sweat and tears by our glorious fighting men and women.

Now the bad news. President Obama came down to my state to the biggest Marine base, Camp LeJeune, NC, yesterday and gave a big speech on the Iraq war. He declared it over and announced combat will officially end by his royal decree on a date he has set in stone.

"Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end," Obama said.

Of course, like everything Obama says, it depends on what the meaning of "is" is. And his "officials" explained the fine print of Obama's set-in-stone deadline for the Post reporter.

Obama pledged to "proceed cautiously" and to closely consult military commanders, but under his plan, roughly 100,000 troops would exit Iraq by mid-2010. Another 35,000 to 50,000 would remain to help provide security and training -- and, most importantly, counterterrorism operations and advisory missions, which military officials note may include combat.

So 100,000 will leave, but 50,000 will remain for duties that "may include combat." Got it?

Obama's "official end of combat in Iraq" date-setting reminds me a diary entry by a World War II veteran I interviewed in 2005 on the 60th anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima in the Pacific.

G.W. "Bill" Godwin, then 84, was a young Marine medic who went ashore with the Marine assault forces on Feb. 25, 1945, at the beginning of one of the worst battles of WWII. Some general announced three weeks later that the Battle of Iwo Jima was officially over. Never mind that Marines and soldiers continued to fight and die and kill Japanese defenders for weeks more. Godwin wrote in his diary about the day "victory" was officially declared on Iwo Jima:

March 17, 1945: "Today the island was secured (officially)."
March 20, 1945: "I wish to hell someone would tell the Nips that this island is secured. They don't seem to know it. Out of 13 of us who came ashore, only 5 are left."
(Two more of the original 13 were casualities before Goodwin's unit pulled out from Iwo Jima on March 27, leaving him one of only three escaping unhurt.)

But the saddest thing about Obama's speech to the Marines at LeJeune is the word he didn't use. He declared an official victory date in the future, but never used the word "victory." He also never mentioned the word "surge" which would have required him to also mention the name of President Bush, who approved the risky plan of General Petraeus, the military architect of the surge and the Iraq victory, when all the "experts" agreed it was time to cut and run from Iraq. And of course, Obama was the chief cheerleader of all the cut-and-run "experts" way back then.

The New York Times coverage of Obama's speech at LeJeune noted his choice of words.

Mr. Obama presented his plan at the same base where, in April 2003, with American forces nearing Baghdad, Mr. Bush declared that “we will accept nothing less than complete and final victory.”

Victory is now officially out of fashion. Welcome to Obama's world.

And now on to the worse news, the economy. The Washington Post reports today:

The prospects for an economic recovery by year's end dimmed yesterday, as government data showed that the economy contracted at the end of 2008 by the fastest pace in a quarter-century. The worse-than-expected data fueled doubts about whether the Obama administration had adequately sized up the challenges it faces in trying to pull the country out of recession.

Gross domestic product, a measure of the goods and services produced across the nation, shrank at an annualized rate of 6.2 percent in the last quarter of 2008, according to the Commerce Department, far worse than the initial estimate of 3.8 percent and the 5 percent most analysts were expecting. The downward revision means the economy began the year from an even weaker position than previously thought.

...The revised GDP figure helped stoke skepticism among economists who say the White House's projections for the nation's recovery are too rosy. Based on those projections, Obama said he would slash the deficit in half by the end of his term. In its budget outline, the administration predicted that the economy would shrink 1.2 percent this year and grow 3.2 percent next year. By contrast, the consensus among private forecasters is that the economy will shrink 1.9 percent this year and grow 2.1 percent next year.

There's an old saw that says if all the economists in the world were laid end to end, they still wouldn't reach a conclusion. So when The Post says the economists are in agreement that Obama's rosy projections about his so-called stimulus plan are too rosy, that means they stink.

Hunker down folks. It's gonna get worse before it gets better. Maybe a whole lot worse.

Evidence of Obama's Changing Position on Tax Cuts: $50K in 2003

Matt Lewis at Townhall.com has the latest figures on "how low can Obama go for tax hikes..."

CBS-4 has posted a 2003 TV interview where Barack Obama says tax cuts should only go to “working families … that are making 50, 60, 70 thousand dollars a year”. This comes on the heels of Bill Richardson saying Obama’s tax relief would define middle class as “$120,000 and under” -- and just days after Joe Biden defined “middle class” as $150,000. Remember, Obama’s original promise was not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000.

So, $50K for an Obama tax hike. We're almost down to the $42K level which will hit us when Obama follows through on his promise to repeal the Bush tax cuts. I predict if voters put Obama in office, before long they'll be talking about the "good ol' days under President George W. Bush."

SNL's Skit: Washington approves the bailout package

Sarah vs. Charlie: Round 2, Guns, abortion, homos, sexism

My score: Sarah 2, Gibson 0.

From Round 1, the supposed big "Gotcha" was Gibson's question of Palin about whether she supports the Bush Doctrine? He then mangled its meaning as a followup question.

Charles Krauthammer is the journalist who named the Bush Doctrine after President George W. Bush outlined his response to the terror attacks of 9/11, so perhaps he's a better expert on what it means than Charlie Gibson. Krauthammer writes Charlie Gibson's Gaffe:

The New York Times got it wrong. And Charlie Gibson got it wrong.

Now who's "got" who, Charlie? Even this old country boy from the sticks appears to know more about the Bush Doctrine that Big Time Charlie Gibson. I wrote about it on Oct. 27, 2001 in Bush doctrine foreshadowed by Ryan doctrine?

W, Anne & me: Big Al vs. Osama?

Friends, neighbors, countrymen, we are gathered here today not to bury George Bush, but to praise him. On this 7^th anniversary of 9/11, the score is Bush 7, Osama 0. It’s a lonely job, praising President George W. Bush, but somebody’s got to do it. The “W” Fan Club could meet in a phone booth, as they say about us Republicans in my county of North Carolina. Let’s see, there’s me, there’s Anne Coulter, there’s… Oh, what the hey, I wouldn’t mind being alone in a phone booth with Anne. Where was I? Oh yeah, praising W. I live and work surrounded by Democrats, though to their credit they tend toward the Blue Dog conservative side of the party, not the leftwing nutroots, thank God for that small favor.

But I have discovered by trial and error, mostly error, that’s there’s one argument with my Democratic brethren that almost always works when they start running W down. After listening to the rants a while, I calmly ask, “Can you imagine what would have happened if Al Gore had been President when 9/11 happened?” I’m sure the leftwing-nutroot response to that is sputtering madness, but here in the conservative, Bible-belt South, it always brings a thoughtful pause to the conversation. And no Democrat I’ve asked that yet has replied with any defense of Big Al.

So for this solemn day of remembrance, I prepared my Osama targets last night for a trip to the range this weekend, where I shall shoot some .45, .44 and .357 Sig holes in my favorite terrorist. And when I put the first one between Osama’s eyes, I’ll say, “This one’s for you, George!”

Back to Anne Coulter, the Sarah Palin of the media; with me in the W phone booth. Good-looking, blue-eyed blonde, a bit skinny though. Where was I? Oh yeah, Anne’s 9-11 column compares George W. to my second-favorite Western movie star (the Duke is 1^st), Gary Cooper.

George Bush is Gary Cooper in the classic western "High Noon." The sheriff is about to leave office when a marauding gang is coming to town. He could leave, but he waits to face the killers as all his friends and all the townspeople, who supported him during his years of keeping them safe, slowly abandon him. In the end, he walks alone to meet the killers, because someone has to.

That's Bush. Name one other person in Washington who would be willing to stand alone if he had to, because someone had to.

OK, there is one, but she's not in Washington yet. Appropriately, at the end of "High Noon," Cooper is surrounded by the last two highwaymen when, suddenly, his wife (Grace Kelly) appears out of nowhere and blows away one of the killers! The aging sheriff is saved by a beautiful, gun-toting woman.

I love a happy ending, don’t you? And with Big John and Sarah Barracuda riding into town, I’m starting to feel better about the ending to 2008.

Any voter who can envision Sheriff Obama and Deputy Little Joe standing up to face the bad guys has seen too many modern Hollywood movies.

Ace penned a really good rant about 9/11. He’s pretty good at explaining the sputtering madness of the leftwing nutroots on 9/11.

On a lighter note, let me share my personal favorite 9/11-Osama story. In the summer of 2002, my middle grandson, Nicholas, was a very bright 4 years old and well on his way to becoming a news junkie, like his grandpa. My daughter Layla was shopping with Nicholas riding in the cart when they passed a military man in uniform walking up an aisle. “Are you in the Army?” Nicholas asked the soldier as he passed by.

The soldier stopped, smiled and answered in the affirmative. It probably also didn’t escape his notice that my daughter is a beautiful blonde.

Nicholas carried on his military interview with a second question, “Are you hunting Osama?” The soldier smiled again and said “I guess so.”

Nicholas replied with perfect logic, “Then what are you doing in here?” While the soldier was pondering his response to that question, Nicholas decided it was time to share some military intelligence with him, volunteering, “I know where Osama is.” The soldier smiled again and asked “Where is he?” Nicholas replied, “In ‘Ghanistan in a cave!” with a shrug of his shoulders as if everybody knew that. From the mouths of babes…

Vote Nicholas-Piper for 2048!

Bush belays bikini-bottom bump

Hot Air had a caption contest with this photo of President Bush chatting on the court with the the two defending Gold Medalists on the U.S. Women's Beach Volleyball at the Olympics in China.

The photo inspired some jokes, but Robert Stacy McCain at The American Spectator blog learned the truth is far stranger than fiction. Here's the real story from the Los Angeles Times:

Bush knuckled off a couple of lobs, but defending gold medalists Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh gave the chief executive some pointers. Then after a good play, in the tradition of female volleyballers, May-Treanor turned, bent over slightly and offered her bikinied rear-end for the 43rd president to slap.

"Mr. President," she said, "want to?"

Want to has nothing to do with it in public life.

As the son of a president, a husband of nearly 37 years, the father of two daughters, the subject of some attempted tabloid exposes and a seasoned political veteran, who is not a female athlete but knows that every camera for a half-mile is trained on him, Bush wisely chose instead to brush his hand across the small of May-Treanor's back.

Robert Stacy McCain at TAS commented:

Holy kamoley! I'd seen the photo and thought there must be some explanation, but didn't realize the girl was actually offering her Olympian butt for a presidential slap!President Bush deserves a gold medal for restraint. If she'd have posed like that for any other man and said, "Want to?" . . . I mean, never mind what I might have done, can you imagine what Bill Clinton would have done? You'd have needed a crowbar to pry him off that poor girl.