David Axelrod, aide to Barack Obama, appeared on Meet the Press on Sunday and was asked about President Bush’s tax cuts. Mr. Axelrod answered “And whether it, it, it expires or whether we repeal it a little bit early we’ll determine later, but it’s going to go.  It has to go.”

In the video above Stephen Moore from the Wall Street Journal argues that tax receipts went up after President Bush lowered taxes (and also John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan) because the tax cuts spurred economic expansion.

President Bush’s tax cuts lowered taxes for every taxpayer, not just the rich. So when Barack Obama allows the Bush tax cuts to expire he will be raising taxes on every tax payer. That’s not a wise thing to do during a recessession. As Mr. Moore said, we need tax policies that make poor people rich, not rich people poor.

You would think the US media would get over their Bush Derangement Syndrome. The man will be out of office in just over a month. But no, anything anti-Bush is worth dwelling on without shame for these folks.

Thanks to NewsBusters for keeping track. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that an Iraqi journalist threw two size 10 shoes at the President. President Bush handled the situation well. He waved off the secret service (not that they should have listened to him) and joked about it. I thought he showed a lot of class.

That’s not the aspect of the story the main stream media has decided to focus on. They’ve been reporting that the rude shoe thrower is now a folk hero to Iraqi’s. (The Iraqi’s who are embarrassed by the event receive scant coverage.) The worst offending media outlets are ABC and CBS. No surprise there. Read the rest of this entry »

Barack Obama’s first exercise in diplomacy as President-elect was not a stellar success. As the leader of the party whose rhetoric turned President Bush into public enemy number one, Barack Obama went to visit his self proclaimed political enemy.

Always gracious, President Bush welcomed the President-elect to the White House, in the hope of ensuring a smooth transition for the sake of our country. The two men sat down for a private meeting. No aides were present, the conversation was meant to be confidential.

Within hours of their meeting Obama’s aides leaked details of the meeting to the press. This smacks of playground politics and reveals a stunning lack of maturity and disrespect for the office to which he was just elected. Lord help us all if this is a sign of things to come.

Now that the long campaign is over, perhaps Mr. Obama can take the time to meet with Miss Manners for a few pointers. Impudence may be a good way to win an election, but it will not serve him well as leader of the free world.

President Bush has taken a beating lately. From the press, the Democrats and the Republicans. But many seem to forget that the first priority of our government is our safety.

As individuals we should be free to succeed or fail as our abilities and work ethic allow. But as individuals we cannot, on our own, protect ourselves from foreign attack. That is the job of our government. For many conservatives, that is one of the few roles of the government for which we are happy to pay taxes. Our safety as a nation is the government’s responsibility.

People have been hollering about Bush violating our rights with the Patriot Act. They think he’s an evil war monger for holding enemy combatants (who wear the uniform of no country) in Guantanomo. Yet they fail to give him credit for keeping us safe. The 9/11 attacks were planned under President Clinton, yet I am not blaming President Clinton for those attacks, I blame the attackers.

Since 9/11/01 there has been no terrorist attack on American soil. And President Bush, as he leaves office, despite the trashing he’s taken from his predecessor, will do everything he can to ensure a smooth transition for the next administration. He is putting country before party or politics. That is all he cares about. Yet he will surely receive no recognition from the media or the Democrats. That makes me sad.

I have my disputes with some of President Bush’s policies. But he is a good and decent man who has the best interests of our country at heart. The way he’s been treated is a disgrace.

I noticed Barack Obama’s tone seemed to change a bit at his first press conference as president-elect. Could it be that he after seeing classified intelligence he finally understands what we are up against? I hope and pray that he does.

Like the rest of us, politicians are human. The Republicans lost their way on domestic issues. They promised smaller government and gave us bigger government. We have ourselves a big economic hole to dig out of. But when it comes to our security, the Republicans have not lost their way, even when it makes them unpopular. For that I am grateful.

The Washington Post admits their Obama bias. But, hey, it’s okay. Read story.

All you Bush bashing liberals should read this piece by Randall Hoven. Bush gave you all more than you could have dreamed but you were all too blinded by your hatred to recognize it. Moderate Republicans should read it too, lurching left has never helped the party. Maybe we’ll learn our lesson.

Conservatives wondering what to say to their gloating liberal friends should read this. The best one is “I’ll make sure to afford the same respect to Obama as you did to Pres. Bush” but there’s plenty more.

Obama picked a peach of an economic advisor in Jennifer Granholm. Read about her dismal record here. Let’s hope this isn’t an omen.

Mr. Obama was late for his first press conference as President elect. After mocking Nancy Reagan, he was asked about whether he still plans to raise taxes on the rich. Naturally, he skirted the question and talked about trickle up economics, more stimulus packages and tax cuts for 95% of Americans.

When asked about National Security and foreign policy he went into his “Er, Ah” mode. Surprisingly, he seemed to show a hint of respect for President Bush. Gee, maybe the job isn’t quite as easy as he thought it would be.

Mr. Obama proclaimed there is only one President at a time in the US, which made me wonder why he immediately put up his Change.gov website, “Office of the President-Elect.” Check it out. You’ll see that he wants gas prices to go back up, but that’s okay because he’ll send us all a $1,000 welfare check.  In fact, if he does all the things promised it won’t matter, our government will go completely belly up in the first one hundred days.

The most interesting plan proposed in Change.gov is a carry over from his campaign platform. The one forcing our children into involuntary servitude. The last time I checked, volunteerism was voluntary. I guess that’s going to change.

Update!!! The “service” page this post links to has been changed, from requiring community service of children from middle school on up, to “calling for” service. There’s a big difference. Unfortunately, I didn’t save a screen shot. Radarsite has a direct quote and you can read it here.

Update 2: To see the original version of the Change.gov web page click here. For more on this topic, click here.

Barack Obama’s choice for Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, is not only a partisan hack, but he also was on the Board of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from 2000 and 2002. He was handsomely compensated. In case you haven’t heard, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are at the heart of the current economic crisis.

Contrary to popular belief, the economic crisis we face has nothing to do with “the failed policies of George W. Bush”. It has everything to do with the CRA and the two GSE’s whose oversight President Bush attempted to reform. Read the rest of this entry »

I am very pro capitalist and when I first heard about Paulson’s plan I was angry, shocked and dismayed. I’m still angry about how we got into this mess. Please, don’t waste your time leaving me a comment blaming Bush or free markets. That’s not what caused this mess and anyone who’s done any research knows it. Read the rest of this entry »

John McCain stopped campaigning to return to Washington to try to work out a deal to help the crisis in the financial industry.  McCain seemed to remember that he is a sitting senator and belongs in Washington to do his job.

Barack Obama replied with a political statement, saying he can multi-task. He’s able to campaign around the country which to him is more important than the financial crisis. After being summoned by President Bush, he grudgingly returned to Washington to do his job. Is that leadership? Read the rest of this entry »

As I write this President Bush is meeting with John McCain, Barack Obama and other congressional leaders trying to work out a deal for the economic bailout recommended by Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson.

This whole thing has left many of us feeling unsettled. What a risk with taxpayer dollars! What is Congress going to do? Are they going to tack on economic stimulus packages or more homeowner bailouts? I certainly hope not. Read the rest of this entry »

In Politico’s Arena, Leon Panetta called George Bush AWOL on the economy. These Democrats have such short memories.

Who was AWOL in 2003 when President Bush called on Congress to pass legislation to better oversee the dealings of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac? Who was AWOL in 2006 when Senator McCain gave a speech on the same subject?

Where was Senator Clinton? Senator Obama? Nancy Pelosi? Harry Reid? Barney Frank? I’ll tell you where, they were in Fannie and Freddie’s pockets, in the name of “housing for the poor”. That’s where they were!

I wouldn’t blame President Bush if he pulls a John Galt and just walks away. Why shouldn’t he? He’s gotten nothing but grief and partisan games from Democrats since the day he took office. It’s only gotten worse since 2006.

America-you wanted change. You got it in 2006 when you turned the House and the Senate over to the Democrats. How is that working out? You want more of that kind of change? If that’s the case Atlas has already shrugged.

Democrats charge that the policies of George Bush in particular and Republicans in general are the direct cause of our current economic problems. They are flat out lying through their teeth! Thanks to the Mark Levin Show, I found out about this NY Times article dated September 11, 2003.

The Bush administration today recommended the most significant regulatory overhaul in the housing finance industry since the savings and loan crisis a decade ago.

Under the plan, disclosed at a Congressional hearing today, a new agency would be created within the Treasury Department to assume supervision of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored companies that are the two largest players in the mortgage lending industry.

The new agency would have the authority, which now rests with Congress, to set one of the two capital-reserve requirements for the companies. It would exercise authority over any new lines of business. And it would determine whether the two are adequately managing the risks of their ballooning portfolios.

The article goes on the detail how Republicans wanted to pass a reform bill after outside investigators found that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were cooking the books and misleading investors. Who would have been against such a bill? Home Builders and Democrats, that’s who. The same ones who pretend to be the champions of the poor and middle class.

”These two entities — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — are not facing any kind of financial crisis,” said Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on the Financial Services Committee. ”The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.”

Representative Melvin L. Watt, Democrat of North Carolina, agreed.

”I don’t see much other than a shell game going on here, moving something from one agency to another and in the process weakening the bargaining power of poorer families and their ability to get affordable housing,” Mr. Watt said.

The Democrats wanted these insitutions to lend money to uncreditworthy borrowers. In this instance the Democrats may want to be careful. Personally, I’d prefer to be tied to President Bush, who tried to prevent the mess from taking place, than the Democrats who caused it.

Update: Speaking of those Democrats, Nancy Pelosi is ordering a “broad, swift investigtion of Wall Street.” Further, “House Democrats plan to aggressively look at the administration’s role in the meltdown.” Talk about audacity. Curiously, Rep. Barney Frank “plans a forward-looking hearing with economists.”  Talk about audacity!

President Bush adressed the Russian aggression against Georgia this morning. He said he is sending Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to France and then on to Tbilisi to meet with Georgian President Saakashvili.

He has directed Defense Secretary Bob Gates to dispatch U.S. aircraft and naval forces to deliver humanitarian and medical supplies, and called for Russia to allow passage of humanitarian assistance.

He also delivered a warning to Russia that their standing in the eyes of the world has been diminished, and that Russia must cease military operations in Georgia in order to “restore it’s place in the world.”

The problem is that Russia doesn’t really care what the rest of the world thinks of them. While their propaganda machine claims they have ended the assault, in reality they are continuing the aggression and dividing the country. They are bullies looking to see what they can get away with. If the world let’s them get away with this where will they stop?