UPDATES FOLLOW.

No, I’m not bashing B.O. for what happened at Ft. Hood yesterday.  Unlike the left who blamed everything under the sun on Bush, I am not saying, implying, or even thinking that this was B.O.’s fault.

Then what am I trashing him for?  This:

THE PRESIDENT: Please, everybody have a seat. Let me first of all just thank Ken and the entire Department of the Interior staff for organizing just an extraordinary conference. I want to thank my Cabinet members and senior administration officials who participated today. I hear that Dr. Joe Medicine Crow was around, and so I want to give a shout-out to that Congressional Medal of Honor* winner. It’s good to see you. (Applause.)

My understanding is, is that you had an extremely productive conference. I want to thank all of you for coming and for your efforts, and I want to give you my solemn guarantee that this is not the end of a process but a beginning of a process, and that we are going to follow up. (Applause.) We are going to follow up. Every single member of my team understands that this is a top priority for us. I want you to know that, as I said this morning, this is not something that we just give lip service to. And we are going to keep on working with you to make sure that the first Americans get the best possible chances in life in a way that’s consistent with your extraordinary traditions and culture and values.

Now, I have to say, though, that beyond that, I plan to make some broader remarks about the challenges that lay ahead for Native Americans, as well as collaboration with our administration, but as some of you might have heard, there has been a tragic shooting at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas.

Man’s got his priorities in order, huh?  Give a little “shout out” to his homies in the Interior before…”wait, what was I going to address?  Oh, right, now I remember”…honoring our soldiers.  You know, if I didn’t know any better, I’d swear that the left doesn’t really give a rat’s rear end about or soldiers.

By the way, despite the MSM’s attempts to make this look like a lone nutjob (with no religious or political motivation) fearful only of deployment who committed this horrific act, it looks like the camelhumping bloodthirsty jihadist has a soft spot for suicide bombers and the Muslim who shot up the Arkansas military recruitment center.

UPDATE (11/06/2009 – 2:10 PM EST): Apparently, I’m not the only one who feels like B.O. really dithered on this one.  Here’s a great column by Robert George entitled “Obama’s Frightening Insensitivity Following Shooting”.

Also, as tnjack points out in the comments, The Gilded Leader has implored us not to “jump to any conclusions” about the shooter.  Yeah, really!  I mean, if only we could all be as restrained as a man who didn’t have all the facts about a white cop who “acted stupidly” and a loudmouthed beligerent black professor…

Awesome analogy from Glenn Garvin at the Chicago Tribune:

Imagine this. At a time of political turmoil, a charismatic, telegenic new leader arrives virtually out of nowhere. He offers a message of hope and reconciliation based on compromise and promises to marshal technology for a better future that will include universal health care.

The news media swoons in admiration — one simpering anchorman even shouts at a reporter who asks a tough question: “Why don’t you show some respect?!” The public is likewise smitten, except for a few nut cases who circulate batty rumors on the Internet about the leader’s origins and intentions. The leader, undismayed, offers assurances that are soothing, if also just a tiny bit condescending: “Embracing change is never easy.”

So, does that sound like anyone you know? Oh, wait — did I mention the leader is secretly a totalitarian space lizard who’s come here to eat us?

Welcome to ABC’s “V,” the most fascinating and bound to be the most controversial new show of the fall television season. Nominally a rousing sci-fi space opera about alien invaders bent on the conquest (and digestion) of all humanity, it’s also a barbed commentary on Obamamania that will infuriate the president’s supporters and delight his detractors. …

Naturally, Obama’s presstitutes at the NYT are not amused.

Observes Ace:

It’s always amusing to me that liberals instruct conservatives that we should appreciate art for its own sake, even if — especially if — it “challenges our beliefs.”

Do liberals behave similarly? Um, no. Full-fledged freak out whenever the industry they own puts out a single movie or tv show which raps them.

Nope…no liberal media bias!

There’s just one teensy, slight, insignificant problem, Senator: the word “health” does not appear one time in the Constitution.  Details (with video clip):

Sen. Roland Burris (D-Ill.) pointed to the part of the Constitution that he says authorizes the federal government “to provide for the health, welfare and the defense of the country” when asked by CNSNews.com what specific part of the Constitution authorizes Congress to mandate that individuals must purchase health insurance. The word “health” appears nowhere in the Constitution.

“Well, that’s under certainly the laws of the–protect the health, welfare of the country,” said Burris. “That’s under the Constitution. We’re not even dealing with any constitutionality here. Should we move in that direction? What does the Constitution say? To provide for the health, welfare and the defense of the country.”

When asked if he should be aware of the Constitution to which he was sworn to uphold, Burris quoted Vincent Gambini in My Cousin Vinny: “You were serious about that?”

It’s possible I made up the last sentence in the Burris quote.  But I’m giving Burris the Rush treatment: he has to prove to me that he didn’t say it.  Until he does, I’m saying the quote is legit.  That’s how I roll.

Not content with his current track record of economic ignorance, B.O. wants to proverbially open his mouth and remove all doubt.  From the AP:

President Barack Obama’s economic recovery program saved 935 jobs at the Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, an impressive success story for the stimulus plan. Trouble is, only 508 people work there.
…
About two-thirds of the 14,506 jobs claimed to be saved under one federal office, the Administration for Children and Families at Health and Human Services, actually weren’t saved at all, according to a review of the latest data by The Associated Press. Instead, that figure includes more than 9,300 existing employees in hundreds of local agencies who received pay raises and benefits and whose jobs weren’t saved.
…
But officials defended the practice of counting raises as saved jobs.

“If I give you a raise, it is going to save a portion of your job,” HHS spokesman Luis Rosero said.

Just in case you’re actually ignorant enough to believe the “saved or created” jobs nonsense, let’s try a little analogy:

Let’s say you have a job.  If you’re a liberal, that may be hard to fathom, but work with me here, m’kay?  Now, let’s say someone gave me, a man on the street, a $100 bill.  I walk into your place of employment and give you the $100.  According to the federal government, I just “saved” your job.  You weren’t in danger of losing your job at the time I gave you the $100 raise.  But hey, I just gave you money for a small raise, so I must have “saved” your job, right?

I do wonder, though, how many of the great unwashed are buying this “saved or created” nonsense.

When B.O. spokestool Robert Gibbs told the press corps that Uhhhhh-bama wasn’t watching the results of his party crashing and burning in Tuesdays elections, many thought that Gibbsy was being disingenuous.

Turns out, Gibbsy was correct.  B.O. was too busy watching a fawning HBO documentary on his favorite subject: himself.  From Newsbusters:

During the 10AM ET hour of America’s Newsroom on Fox News Channel, fill-in co-host Martha Maccallum told viewers what President Obama watched on election night while Democrats suffered big losses in New Jersey and Virginia: “Robert Gibbs said, well, he was actually watching, you know, the HBO special about his year-long campaign and how it all went.”

On Tuesday night the White House had worked to downplay the Democratic gubernatorial defeats by claiming the President did not watch the election returns. Apparently Gibbs thought it would look better if the commander in chief was watching a self-indulgent fawning documentary about himself. Interestingly, Obama apparently previewed the HBO special a few days earlier, as Gibbs himself explained to the blog Talking Points Memo: “White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs says Obama has already seen ‘By the People’…Gibbs told TPMDC Obama’s review: ‘Thumbs up!’”

As Newsbusters commenter vrwc13 points out, dude meets all of the symptoms of Narcissistic Personality Disorder.  Friggin’ wonderful.

Seriously…why do they even pretend anymore?

Nope…no liberal media bias!

I was 2-of-3 in my predictions yesterday.  I got VA and NY-23 correct, but I got NJ wrong.  I’m thrilled that the people of NJ decided to stop their insanity (continuously electing Democrats while their economy tanked and taxes skyrocketed) and try something different.

The left and right will spin these results to their liking, but here’s my takeaway for the evening:

VA:  This is still a center-right state.  Dems win in VA by pretending not to be liberal.  All Creigh Deeds had to run with last night was “Don’t vote for McDonnell, because he wrote something I find objectionable when he was in college!”  Oddly enough, no one in the MSM seemed that concerned about what Barry or Shelly O wrote in college, but I digress.  The fact is that B.O. just isn’t that popular in VA these days.  That may explain why he stayed away from the campaign trail there.

NJ:  This is still a deep blue state.  Granted, the governor-elect Chris Christie didn’t have to pretend to be a moderate or a RINO to win, as he ran on conservative principles.  But with taxes so ludicrously high and the economy there in dire straits, the people of NJ didn’t trust or like Jon Corzine.  Corzine even called in B.O. to run his campaign, and it didn’t work.  (Sidebar: Some on the left say that Deeds lost VA because, in part, he didn’t embrace Uhhhhh-bama.  That dog won’t hunt, because Corzine did embrace B.O., and he still lost by about 4%…in a dark blue state.)  Christie will have to contend with a predominantly Democrat legislature, but let them go on record opposing tax cuts and tax reform.

NY-23:  Michelle Malkin has a great summary at her blog that best reflects my view.  Sure, it would have been awesome for Hoffman to win.  And it looks like Scuzzieblahblah’s defection tilted the election to the Democrat Bill Owens.  However, hopefully the GOP learned a valuable lesson here: instead of allowing a bunch of senile old dudes to pick the party’s nominee in a pizzeria and then pumping a cool mill into the leftist’s campaign, how’s about allowing a primary and then stay the heck out while the people of that district pick their winner (see FL in Senate 2010 race)!  It is highly unlikely that Scuzzie would have gotten a second look in the district were she on a primary ballot, and her endorsement would have instead had two effects: jack and squat.  We accept RINOs where we know that we absolutely MUST (see the Maine sisters in the Senate), but we won’t accept pro-abortion, pro-ACORN, pro-gay marriage, pro-union ”Republicans” in cherry red districts.

Anywho, does this 2-of-3 Republican evening spell doom for the Dems next year?  Hard to say, since 12 months is a political eternity.  However, it certainly means that taking a snapshot of today, things are not looking good for them at all.

Three races are happening today: NJ gov, VA gov, special NY-23 House.  Predictions follow.

VA gov: Republican Bob McDonnell will destroy Democrat Creigh Deeds.  Every poll has McD up by double digits.  Prediction: Unless every single poll is wrong, this one is a done deal, and McD cruises.

NJ gov: Every major poll lately has Republican Chris Christie leading unpopular incumbent Democrat Jon Corzine, although nearly all of them are within the margin of error.  There is an independent running in the race, although experts disagree from whom Daggett is siphoning votes.  Predicition: Corzine will eke out a victory for two reasons: (1) NJ is so hopelessly blue (and stupid) that they’ll even vote for a man they detest because he’s not Republican; and (2) ACORN has been on the ground in NJ.  Nuff said.  Don’t be surprised to see an Al Franken kind of theft victory.

NY-23: The RINO suspended her campaign, though her name remains on the ballot.  She has endorsed the Democrat, Bill Owens.  Most polls have the Conservative Party nominee, Doug Hoffman, ahead, though most have that lead within the margin of error.  As with NJ, “experts” disagree on the extent of damage done by a split ticket.  Keep in mind that whomever wins this race will have to defend his seat next year in the midterms.  Prediction: I think Owens squeaks out a win, making the Dems 2-of-3 on the night, and subjecting us to massive spin of how the Dems really aren’t unpopular at all.

Now, let’s say I’m wrong about NJ and/or NY-23, and the right claims those wins.  Will the MSM read anything into Republican wins?  Um…no.  They’re already sandbagging the results ahead of time in case it happens.  Excerpt:

For Republicans, an election win of any size Tuesday would be a blessing. But victories in Virginia, New Jersey or elsewhere won’t erase enormous obstacles the party faces heading into a 2010 midterm election year when control of Congress and statehouses from coast to coast will be up for grabs.

See?  The right has “enormous obstacles” heading into the midterms next year.  Nothing to see here tonight, right?  Wonders Ace:

Imagine if the Democrats were clearly ahead in these races. Try to imagine the AP’s “analysis” reading: Victories in these races do not prove Obama’s popularity or ability to swing races, and do nothing to erase the enormous obstacles he faces in passing health care reform or cap and trade legislation.

You would never see that. If that were the case, it would, in fact, be a referendum on Obama, about how wicked-awesome he is.

More:

So even if political winds start blowing harder behind them and even if they can capitalize on Democratic missteps, Republicans still will have a long way to go over the next year because of their party’s own fundamental problems — divisions over the path forward, the lack of a national leader and a shrinking base in a changing nation.

Ace notes that you don’t see this commentary on the current state of the Democrat Party:

The Democrats, which control both Houses of Congress by large, unbreakable majorities, are unable to agree among themselves on cap and trade, card check, and Pelsoi care.

And they have a national leader. Or Presenter, maybe.

Do they have no divisions over the path forward?

There’s more at Ace’s site, but you get the drift: Dems are not divided, Republicans are, the Dems don’t need to unify to get actual legislation passed that The One wants passed, yet the GOP is the dysfunctional party, etc.

Nope…no liberal media bias!

And by “innocent and most vulnerable”, I’m naturally referring to…Gitmo detainees.  No, I’m not lying.  Excerpt:

“As long as Americans must wait to receive the vaccine, the detainees in Guantanamo Bay should not be given preferential treatment to receive the H1N1 vaccination,” Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) wrote in a letter to Secretary of the Army John McHugh on Friday.Pence, too, shared Stupak’s concerns, but he also used his interview Friday to take a shot at Democrats — and their handling of other healthcare crises — in particular.

“I think this is exactly the kind of misadministration of healthcare, this and other aspects of the way this government is responding to the H1N1 virus, that ought to give the American people great pause about this massive government-run insurance plan that’s been unveiled this week by House Democrats,” Pence said.

Nice to see that B.O. has his priorities straight.  I mean, in light of a vaccine shortage that has resulted in rationing (but that would never happen under nationalized medicine, right?), why should a snot-nosed little kindergartener in America get preferential treatment over a misunderstood bloodthirsty camelhumping jihadist, right?

Hey, I’ve got an awesome idea!  Since the feds are doing such a bang-up job with swine flu vaccine shortages, how about we let them run 1/6th of our nation’s economy?  What could go wrong?

Details here.

Well, well, well.  You know, those “crazy conservatives” may have been onto something when they said she was a RINO, huh?  I wonder if the former Carpetbagger Speaker of the House from GA who told us that “local leaders know better” is eating a plate of crow right now?  Yeah, Newt, those local leaders know so much about their local politics that they picked a candidate who is left of most Democrats and wound up endorsing the Democrat.  But what do we “outsiders” know, right?

By the way, her campaign manager is supporting the conservative, Doug Hoffman.

Details here.  It seems that the national GOP, in a rare display of common sense, backed away from Scozzablahblah as the deluge of angry calls, e-mails, and returned empty donation envelopes poured in.  Recent polls continued to show her losing badly to both the Democrat and the Conservative, and I’m sure that had as much to do with the GOP jumping ship as anything, considering the national GOP doesn’t exactly have a track record of responsiveness to the base.

Hey, Newt: How does RINO hiney taste, champ?

Geez, where to begin?

Stimulus jobs numbers off by several thousand.

CBS Evening News says the administrations numbers are “hard to believe”…and they didn’t mean it in the “Wow, this guy is more awesomely McAwesome than we originally thought!”  Dude, when the Dan Rather network doubts B.O., then something is definitely off!

The Vice-Plagiarist himself: “We know this is not 100 percent accurate,” he said. “Further updates and corrections are going to be needed.”  As Palin once said: Thanks for the warning, Joe.

Caroline Baum: Jobs “saved or created” is a “fantasy.”

Although, there are some jobs that benefit from Porkulus dollars: contractors with spotty performance histories with our government.  Heckuva job, Barry.

When it comes to the administration and their employment numbers, I quote the great Vincent Gambini from My Cousin Vinny: “Everything that guy said is bull$h!t.”

Nuff said:

I am a conservative, NOT a Republican.  Olympia Snowe is a Republican, NOT a conservative.  One is not necessarily the other.

One of the many reasons that the GOP lost control of Congress and the White House was that the GOP alienated its conservative base.  Years of expanding the size of the federal government, Hispandering by way of catering to criminal immigrants, backing an old RINO for president, piling on pork, etc., have kept conservatives at home during the last two election cycles.

Has the national GOP learned a lesson?  Hardly.

One needs look no further than the special House election next Tuesday in NY-23.  The race is to fill a seat vacated by Republican John McHugh, tapped to be the Secretary of the Army.  The Dems picked a guy named Bill Owens.  The local GOP, in a closed-door behind-the-scenes decision, picked Dede Scozzafava over Doug Hoffman.  Hoffman decided to run as a member of the Conservative Party, since he never got a chance to fight in a Republican primary.

There’s a lot to the race, but here’s all you need to know about Scozzafava:

She’s no conservative.  She’s a RINO.  A pro-abortion, pro-ACORN, pro-union, pro-card check, pro-tax (before she was shamed into claiming to be anti-tax), pro-stimulus, pro-”cap-and-trade”, pro-gay marriage ”Republican”.

Here’s what is sad, though: Scozzafava has the support (including heavy financial support) of Newt Gingrich and the national Republican Party.

It’s not like the district is a liberal district and you need a RINO to compete in it, a la Maine with Snowe and Collins.  No, the district was represented by a conservative Republican who won in a brutal year for Republicans by a comfortable margin!  It’s a red district that has been so since 1871, so there is NO need to nominate a RINO!

Newt and the national GOP fear that with Hoffman on the ticket, votes will be split and the Democrat Owens will win.  A recent poll (read into it what you will) suggests the race is actually down to two people: Owens and Hoffman, with Scozzafava fading badly.  The votes may indeed be split to where Owens will win.  If that happens, the GOP will have no one to blame but themselves for handing over a district they’ve held for 138 years, and they would be well suited to dump Scozzafava and tap Hoffman to run against Owens next year in the regular election.

However, if Hoffman wins, despite the powerful backing of Newt and the national GOP, the message will be loud and clear to the ol’ boys of the Republican Party: “Know your role, and shut your hole!”

By the way, Hoffman has earned a ton of endorsements from national Republicans who are bucking the party: Sarah Palin, Fred Thompson, Tim Pawlenty, Jim DeMint, and former NRCC chair Tom Cole.  Rush has endorsed Hoffman, too, and has his own unflattering assessment for the national GOP.  More national endorsements come in for Hoffman every day.  Romney and Huck, two names mentioned for 2012, are silent.

Exit money quote #1 from Newt:

Gingrich called Scozzafava a “liberal Republican” for her support of gay marriage and abortion rights. But he defended those positions as in-step with her district and her predecessor, former Rep. John McHugh (R-N.Y.), who was tapped to be President Barack Obama’s Army Secretary.

Is it too much to ask that before you make such ridiculous comments such as “It takes a liberal to win this district” and “Her views are just like her predecessor’s”, maybe you should know a little something of the electoral history of the district and of McHugh?

I mean, if I said “I endorse Cindy Sheehan for governor of MS, because anti-troop barking moonbats are the only ones who can get elected to statewide office in this cherry red state”, you’d think I fell on my head or something.

Also, McHugh earned a 100% rating from the National Right to Life Committee (a list that Scozzafava won’t be appearing on anytime soon), and a 0% rating from the pro-infanticide group NARAL.  You’d think Newt might have looked into that before saying that McHugh and Scozzafava were carbon copies of each other.

Exit money quote #2 from Newt:

Gingrich also attacked Hoffman for not having proper knowledge of local issues and living outside the 23rd district.

“So I say to my many conservative friends who suddenly decided whether they’re from Minnesota, or Alaska, or Texas, they know more than the upstate New York Republicans? I don’t think so,” he added.

Good point.  After all, outsiders from AK, TN, SC, TX, MO, MN, etc., certainly don’t know as much about NY-23 as…um…an outsider from GA.

Besides, I don’t think Newt needs to point out anyone’s carpetbagger credentials.  His own are pretty impressive.

In an election cycle where people are absolutely fed up with the Communist in Chief and his Marxist enablers in Congress, leave it to the GOP to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

Video clip here, in case you think I’m taking it out of context.  Quote:

We trying on every front to increase the role of government in the regulatory area.

We all knew this, but at least the guy responsible for destroying the mortgage industry is being open about it.  Now, can the incompetent GOP parlay this into electoral gains?

Details here.

Exit question: Is the irony lost on this chick that while she tsk-tsks B.O. for fraternizing with only one gender while golfing, her organization is comprised of a group of people…aimed at only one gender?  I guess single-gender shindigs are A-OK, so long as there are no Y chromosomes present.

The left is really trying to shove this government-run health care plan down our collective throats.  Since the public has soured on the “public option”, despite B.O.’s best (and most repetitive) efforts to sell us on it, the left has settled on a different tactic: call it something else.  Details:

In an appearance at a Florida senior center, the Democratic leader referred to the so-called public option as “the consumer option.” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., appeared by Pelosi’s side and used the term “competitive option.”

Both suggested new terminology might get them past any lingering doubts among the public – or consumers or competitors.

“You’ll hear everyone say, ‘There’s got to be a better name for this,’” Pelosi said. “When people think of the public option, public is being misrepresented, that this is being paid for with their public dollars.”

Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot?

Not “being paid for with their public dollars”?  OK, I’ll bite: just how does the government plan on paying for this thing if not with “public dollars”??  Recalls Allah:

Wasn’t this the same woman who, not three weeks ago, went on Charlie Rose to mumble about maybe passing a VAT to address health-care costs and giant deficits more generally? Hello?

Then again, let’s remember what kind of intellect we’re dealing with here.

Elections have consequences, people.  Fortunately, we will rectify that little problem next year.

It seems that fact-checking SNL skits didn’t translate to viewers or ratings. Go figure.  Meanwhile, Fox has spiked 10% since B.O. declared war on them and lost.

Exit question: Does this mean that CNN is no loner a “legitimate news organization”? 

Details:

Authorities say a 37-year-old Los Angeles man has been arrested on suspicion of murder for the death of an unborn child believed to be his.

Police said in a press release that Joshua Woodward was arrested Sunday in Los Angeles and is being held on $2 million bail in a county jail.

Police say the arrest came after an investigation on Monday revealed “suspicious circumstances of a miscarriage.” Investigators estimate the fetus was in its 13th week.

Police released no information on the mother or the circumstances of the child’s death.

The release says Woodward is believed to have ties to Miami and Chicago and detectives are also seeking information in those cities.

Investigators are set to present the case to prosecutors on Tuesday.

A deputy at the jail had no information on an attorney for Woodward.

Just to recap:

When a mother wants to be rid of her unborn child, it’s not muder…it’s a “health care procedure”, and one that Pelosi and Co. want to federally fund.

When a man wants to be rid of his unborn child, it’s murder…and a heinous one, too.

When a woman kills her unborn child, it’s not a “child”, but a fetus.

When a man kills his unborn child, it’s not a fetus, but a “child”.

God help us.