I lifted this video from HotAir and thought it was rather fitting with Tax Day approaching and all.  For those of you racing to file your taxes last minute or for those of you who have already put that daunting task behind you, I think you will equally enjoy seeing how your hard earned tax dollars are being put to work.  The piece focuses solely on the hidden costs related to compliance.  The numbers are pretty staggering – and it doesn’t even begin to delved into the ridiculous costs related to the bureaucracy of the IRS.  Have a look.  Who knew there were conservatives – let alone attractive ones –  in the Ivy League?  I for one am very impressed.

Ed Morrissey reminds us that…

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates were out in full force this weekend hitting all three of the major networks programs.  Not surprisingly, they did not make it over to Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.  Afghanistan was the topic dejure and it appears that the adminstration is fully committed to selling this plan even if the plan may in fact not signify any recognizable level of actual commitment.  To fill the void of their absence, General David Petraeus appeared on the Fox program.  Copenhagen Global Climate Change was also discussed but there is rarely anything exciting to hear about on that front with the exception of the occasional story that a bunch of scientists made it all up for kicks.

FOX NEWS SUNDAY WITH CHRIS WALLACE

Since the White House still won’t send any of their people to the Fox Sunday morning show, they decided to allow General David Petraeus – Commander of US Central Command – to appear on the show.  He discusses the surge in Afghanistan and the challenges that face American troops as they hit ground in the region.  On the matter of a timeline for an exit, Petraeus gave a different answer than Obama or Gates, but he seems to get the administration message – clear as mud, clear as mud, clear as mud.  He calls the date a “beginning of a transition phase.”

Chris Wallace had the usual panel and the topic of the day was the Copenhagen Summit and Climate Gate.  Former White House Press Secretary Dana Perino gives her take on the Bush administration’s role in shedding light on the facts of Global Warming.

MEET THE PRESS

John McCain of course was hard at it on the Circuit as usual.  This week he faced a few more Sarah Palin questions that think he was anticipating, but he appears to have practiced those answers long enough that he didn’t cause too much of a stir.  He speaks very kindly of his former running mate and says that he book was “fair.”

THIS WEEK WITH GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates talks Bin Laden and what we are doing to bring him to justice. He tells George that there hasn’t been any real information on his whereabouts “in years.”

FACE THE NATION WITH BOB SCHEIFFER

Secretary of State Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates defend the President’s plan for Afghanistan.  Gates scrambles to get around the deadline question with the end result being just as unclear as it was with the president’s speech last week.

After waiting nearly 100 days for a decision on troop deployment in Afghanistan, the President addressed Americans last night to share with them his plan for future efforts in the Taliban hotbed.  In a speech that could only be characterized as an attempt to play to everyone in the room, the President drastically missed the mark in explaining exactly what said plan was – or why it took so long to decide on one.  After more than 50 minutes, I still had not the slightest clue as to what he could have been deliberating on for all that time.  Here is what I was able to take away from the speech.

1.  The time spent deliberating was not in vein and was not dithering because the “Commander in Chief” (as he referred to himself repeatedly as to remind us) was not set to make a decision until now based on the proposals presented to him.  If that were even remotely true, don’t you think that little piece of information would have been leaked with everything else we have known for months about said proposals?

2.  George W. Bush was an idiot and his plan to “invade” Iraq cost us valuable time and resources in our efforts in Afghanistan.

3.  The Anointed One will bring an end to that “needless” war (which he proudly opposed from the Senate) in short order and the United States will wash its hands of all Bush administration wrongdoings including but not limited to “torture”.

4.  The President will send 34,000 troops to Afghanistan BUT will have them home within a year of setting foot on the ground.

5.  Jihad, terrorism, radical, and fundamentalist are not words found in the President’s vast intellect and endless vocabulary.

6.  The decision to not send the full amount of troops requested by the generals on the ground will be offset by NATO forces – which they will not send  - and last time I checked crazy Libs like Obama criticized the Bush administration for characterizing (34,000 USA / 5,000 Rest of the World) as a “multilateral coalition”

7.  This President would hug a baby and slap its momma in the same swift motion.  On one hand he praises the military command and on the other he tells them that (A) their requests weren’t up to snuff and (B) they have a deadline to get the job done or he’s going to pull the plug.

8.  The plan is not about “nation building.” It is not about hunting terrorists.  It is not about finding Osama Bin Laden.  It is not about doing that which Afghanistan can do for itself.  It is not about colonizing Afghanistan.  Its not about establishing a permanent presence there.  WHAT THE HELL IS IT ABOUT?  Please tell me because I would love to know when we achieve success in this noble objective.

9.  That’s right – we have no definable objectives because then a pull out doesn’t appear as a defeat and a victory can be claimed at any moment.

10.  Cadets don’t like President Obama.  Perhaps a better choice of venues would have been appropriate.  Someone is definitely losing their job for thinking this was a good idea.  There were more dozing heads than an 8AM Western Civilization course.

Reuters

Check out the cadets.  Watch five minutes of this video.  I was flipping back and forth through all the networks.  Even a favorable media couldn’t find a single cadet not wanting to punch a wall.  Check out the second video below as well.  The always ridiculous Chris Matthews had the audacity to refer to the West Point cadets as the “Enemy Camp” referring to the less than favorable reception that the future officers gave the President.

You can read the full speech here.

“The Enemy Camp” = West Point?

UPDATE: The United States just drew England for its first match in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.  Our group consists of Algeria and Slovenia as well.  Let the chirping begin between the former colonial counterparts.  You can see the full draw here.

GROUP A

S. Africa, Mexico, Uraguay, France

GROUP B

England, United States, Algeria, Slovenia

GROUP C

Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon

GROUP D

Brazil, N. Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal

GROUP E

Argentina, Nigeria, S. Korea, Greece

GROUP F

Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana

GROUP G

Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia

GROUP H

Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

More Coverage here…

UPDATE: The Pool has been seeded and the US finds itself joined with the rest of CONCACAF, and teams from ASIA and OCEANIA.

You can see the full seeding here.

World Cup 2010: President Obama’s Next Global Initiative

With the US Men’s Soccer Team clinching a birth in next summer’s World Cup, the attention of American soccer enthusiasts now turns to South Africa and the quadrennial competition; and in similarly enthusiastic fashion, the eye of our nation’s President will undoubtedly be fixated on the global competition as well. Friday, December 4th, the “draw” will be announced. For those of you unfamiliar with the soccer world and/or soccer parlance, this is where each of the 32 teams will find out who they will play in the “group round” of the tournament. While this may seem like a relatively mundane and meaningless event for many of you, let’s put it this way. It’s the World Cup equivalent to Selection Sunday for the NCAA tournament only it will be watched by more people than the Super Bowl last year. It is the official beginning to the final round of the World Cup which has been in the qualifying stages since just after the completion of the 2006 Cup. Lets just agree it’s a big deal.

So you may be asking yourself, why would President Obama have an eye on a soccer competition in South Africa when most Americans could care less about a soccer tournament even if their children are playing in it over the weekend? Well, we will get to his motivations in a moment, but let’s begin by looking at what he has already said about the event and what it could mean to an administration that continues to appear hell-bent on gaining foreign favor even at the detriment of similar sentiment stateside.

Obama has already accepted an invitation to attend the festivities that was sent personally to the White House by the president of soccer’s world governing body FIFA (Federation of International Football Associations), who said “The

World Cup in South Africa… will go well…and the man who said, ‘Yes we can,’ will be there.” Clearly, World Cup organizers are extremely enthusiastic about the possibility of Obama’s participation. This could be due to the President’s close ties to the African continent but it may also be a result, at least in part, of FIFA’s continued and concerted efforts to bring the world’s game to the states.

President Clinton was in attendance when the World Cup ventured to the United States in 1994, but other than that “expected” appearance, American Presidents have been reluctant to embrace the world’s game even as the sport has seeped into the nation’s consciousness through youth participation and the increased popularity of the growing contingency that is the “Soccer Mom.”

As for the venue of the 2010 gathering; it undoubtedly increases the attractiveness of the opportunity for President Obama to attend. South Africa, was for generations the embodiment of racial oppression, but with the fall of Apartheid in 1991, the nation became a symbol of hope and opportunity. Its greatest leader, Nelson Mandela, has even likened Obama to himself on numerous occasions; and on our nation’s 44^th President’s Inauguration Day Mandela sent a private letter to him which read, “Your election to this high office has inspired people as few other events in recent times.” In a 90^th birthday message, Obama returned the favor saying Mandela’s Long Walk to Freedom was the inspiration behind his decision to become politically active.

The return to Africa will be a second homecoming of sorts for the son of a native Kenyan – turned American President (3rd if you count his trip there as a US Senator in 2006). He will be cheered as he was in Ghana on his last visit to the continent- as a vision of hope and an iconic symbol of “change.” The parallels and the symbolism will be on display for even the most novice of political and sports enthusiasts. It will be as captivating as Ali’s “Rumble in the Jungle” and as symbolic as the day “President Mandela” donned a Springboks Rugby Jersey and exclaimed “One Team One Country.” When South Africa was struggling to find the fortitude to survive as a nation united, President Nelson Mandela had the vision to see that sports could serve as a uniting force. He called upon the spirit of sport and its uniting influence, and proudly wore a Jersey of a team that for generations represented segregation and apartheid. In doing so, he told his nation that even after all he had been through and all the injustices that were done unto him, he was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and put the past in the past for the interest of moving his nation forward to a new and promising post-racial future.

Invictus Trailer

The market appeal of the World Cup is unmeasurable and the symbolism of his return to Africa is undeniable, but President Obama has truly embraced soccer even if his motivations for doing so are to this point indiscernible. He is a self-described “soccer dad” on weekends as Sasha and Malia play America’s most popular youth sport, and has adoringly said the Cup is about “inviting the world to gather in celebration of our common hopes and dreams.” He has joined forces with the World Cup USA 2018 and 2022 committees (GO USA BID) and has pledged to actively push for the world’s greatest tournament to return to the States.

As the summer of 2010 draws near, this president will prepare himself to take center stage at the world’s biggest gathering of sports enthusiasts. President Obama will embrace the “world’s game’” at the pinnacle of its spectacle, and will shine brightly as the biggest star at the world’s biggest game in its most unusual of settings. As the Cup ventures to Africa for the first time in the competition’s history, the first African-American President will take full advantage of the opportunity to share his message of a “changed America” with an audience of 700,000,000+ who will tune in for the Final and the more than 5 billion viewers who will watch the full slate of games. For a President committed to “restoring” America’s image in the global community, the World Cup will be his greatest moment. World-wide “apology tours” and UN speeches reach only a limited audience, but the pulpit that is the World Cup will be limitless.

So yes, he will go. He will go and the world will embrace him. He will take with him his message of hope, of change, and of a nation recast in the image of a new and refined face on the world’s stage. He will arrive in Johannesburg not as a conquering hero but as a returning son, and he will attempt to undue the atrocities envisioned in his own mind by bowing at the alter of the world’s greatest game. The only question is whether once the applause stop and the cheers go silent, will anyone truly listen to the Chosen One and his message? Africa embraced Ali because he was a smooth talker and promised big results, upon which he delivered.  South Africa rallied around Nelson Mandela because he personified much needed change and his very freedom generated hope, which has helped sustain the country’s march to actualized equality. Will President Obama finally find his moment of redemption where he will for the first time connect with citizens of the world and generate tangible results, or will this simply be another love, apology, and appeasement tour that will do little more than generate hype, big crowds, and adoring audiences but only succeed in diminishing further the nation’s position in the global community? Perhaps a more fitting question to be posed regarding our prognosticating Chief Executive would be – as he fills out his tournament bracket as he did with the NCAA Basketball tournament, will he bet on the United States when he picks a winner or will he think such a choice will represent exceptionalism and lead to yet another apology tour if we should win?

SNL takes on President Obama and his trip to the Asian continent.  In a mock-up of the joint press conference from last week, the two chief diplomats discuss the growing debt between the two nations, cash for clunkers, and government-run healthcare.  In one of the more funny skits they have had in a while, SNL shows that they too are cognizant of the fact that the President’s strategies are ludicrous at best.  Hu Jinto sarcastically scolds the President on his plans to spend money to save money.

Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) discussed the healthcare bill scheduled for debate after the Thanksgiving break and not to ruin the surprise here, but Schumer thinks it is the most important legislation in the history of the United States, will not cost a penny, and won’t increase taxes expect for on those who want Botox; and Senator Kyl thinks it is deplorable, unconscionable, expensive, and a step toward a “single-payer” system.  Ben Nelson showed why many consider him to be one of the most moderate of Democrats expressing genuine concern with the passage of the Senate’s bill due to the cost of the bill, the inclusion of abortion language, as well as the size of the public option.  His House of Representatives “teammate” Debbie Wasserman Schultz repeatedly attempted to keep the Senator on message and in line with the DNC mantra.  It was almost comical how she managed to command the stage with the assistance of her House rival Marsha Blackburn.  

This Week with George Stephanopoulos

Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) appeared in studio and the round table discussing was House of Representatives heavy as the senators didn’t appear to have much that they didn’t agree on even though they came down on very different sides of the vote Friday evening. Ben Nelson showed why many consider him to be one of the most moderate of Democrats expressing genuine concern with the passage of the Senate’s bill due to the cost of the bill, the inclusion of abortion language, as well as the size of the public option. His House of Representatives “teammate” Debbie Wasserman Schultz repeatedly attempted to keep the Senator on message and in line with the DNC mantra. It was almost comical how she managed to command the stage with the assistance of her House rival Marsha Blackburn. I have never been the biggest fan of Blackburn, but I have to say that she won the day today. She needed some assistance from Stephanopoulos to drive home her point, but when Schwartz accused Blackburn and Republicans of politicizing Breast Cancer, Blackburn was quick to cite language in the bill that proved that these “panels” would have the weight of authority under the proposed legislation and Stephanopoulos was even faster to support her with prepared slides negating Schwartz’s claims.  Senator Coburn did score a few points for his side when discussing his opposition to the public option and the healthcare bill citing a statistic that may have surprised many who believe that the government-run plan will cure all that ails the healthcare system.  Coburn pointed out that Medicare (the darling government program / scapegoat when necessary) has a denial rate twice as high as the private sector for coverage.  He also pointed out that more than 60% of Americans are currently on a government-run plan of some kind, yet democrats think more government can fix a “broken system” that they contribute 3/5 to.

Fox News Sunday With Chris Wallace

Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN), Senator Arlen Specter (D-PA), Senator Debbie Stebenow (D-MI), and Senator Kit Bond (R-MO) appeared on the main panel, but produced next to nothing worth watching.  I will post the clips but there’s not much there that you wouldn’t expect.  Kit Bond appeared tired from his performance Saturday evening and Lamar Alexander is about as boring as a Monday dinner at an old folk’s home.  The pundit/journalist round table was slightly more entertaining.  When the topic turned to the President and his Asian trip, Washington Post columnist, Anne Kornblut and Fox News contributor Brit Hume took the president to task for diminishing the stature of the United States through his foreign policy strategy.  Bill Kristol too laid into the President disdains our allies and emboldens our enemies and he demonstrated his weakness by agreeing to appear at a town hall stacked with communist youth leaguers and even had part of his message blocked while discussing the need for Internet freedom.  The panel also discussed the president’s engagement policy and debated potential changes in course of action as the end to year one approaches.  The President is going to have to do something differently as he can’t afford to spend the next three years getting drop kicked politically in foreign affairs and think he stands a chance at re-election.

Boring Senators….

Face the Nation with Bob Scheiffer

Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) and Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) discussed the healthcare bill scheduled for debate after the Thanksgiving break and not to ruin the surprise here, but Schumer thinks it is the most important legislation in the history of the United States, will not cost a penny, and won’t increase taxes expect for on those who want Botox; and Senator Kyl thinks it is deplorable, unconscionable, expensive, and a step toward a “single-payer” system.  Pretty much sums it up.  Schumer appeared particularly smug and slimy for some reason, but that is just a personal reflection.

Meet the Press with David Gregory

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Senator Feinstein (D-CA), Senator Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), and Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) discussed healthcare, Afghanistan, and the economy and the only thing I walked away from in watching this is that Senator Feinstein is the most contrarian, pompous, evil, and maniacal person I have ever had to listen to for more than 5 minutes.  I encourage you not to watch this video unless you feel like being angry, but I will post it all the same.

Part One

Part Two

Senatory Kay Bailey Hutchinson minus Feinstein video

(October 15, 2009 - Photo by Photo Agency)

America’s favorite Sarah Palin impersonator was back at it this week.  She isn’t in full Palin regalia but she brings out the accent and the catch phrases to talk about the new Palin book tour.

(February 26, 2008 - Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images North America)

Today is the big day.  The long awaited release of Sarah Palin’s Going Rogue: An American Life is finally here.  I know what you’re thinking, I thought you were camping out all night to get the first copy.  I had thought about it, but I was assured by the book store that there would be copies for everyone so there was no need to hobo it all night in the cold just to score a copy hot off the press.

The obligatory book tour began yesterday with an appearance on Oprah.  Yes I watched it.  My DVR’d episodes of Ghost Whisper and Project Runway were accidentally deleted so what else was I going to do with that extra hour in my day?  For those of you who expected drama and suspense, I hope you steered clear of all the clips and the previews leading up to the big day, because just like an over-hyped Hollywood blockbuster, this thing had little to offer that wasn’t already revealed in the preview.  They talked about the book; they discussed the McCain camp’s attempts to “stifle” her;  they even dove in to the Katie Couric interview debacle; and throughout the whole interview Oprah was a more than gracious host – especially for a woman who sold her apolitical soul during the last election to endorse Barack Obama.   She even asked Palin if she (Oprah) should be “worried” –  referring to the rumors that Palin may get into the talk show business and be a threat to the Big O’s empire.  Palin of course avoided the question, as she did when asked about running for president in 2012.   I sincerely hope that one of those rumors proves to be more than just a rumor.  I bet you can figure out which one…  Yeah its not that one.  I’m pulling for the Palin Show rather than the Palin campaign, and that’s putting it nicely.  I actually think I would love like Palin if she were nothing more than a talk show host.  In fact, I think she would be great at it, and I would love to see her, or anyone for that matter, chip away at the Oprah media stronghold.  That in and of itself would make me like her even if I am reminded of what a cheap-trick sideshow she is politically every time she opens her mouth.  I could probably even learn to like her accent….maybe!

Today the tour continues.  Palin sits down for the first leg of a four part interview with Barbara Walters that will air on Good Morning America.  The next three segments will air on PBS, Univision, and Telemundo.  I actually have no idea where the other three will air.  Frankly I’m a little irritated by the very concept of a four part interview let alone one that involves more than one show.  That is just far too much work for far too little reward.

In case you missed the interview, here are a few clips from it and a few videos discussing Palin and her new book or you can see a few more clips here

Reasons for writing the book / Tina Fey and SNL / Decision to run for VP

In this clip she describes her decision to resign as Governor of Alaska.  Its a really great answer.  She plays the I knew everyone would call me a selfish quitter so there is no way I resigned because I am a selfish quitter card.  It goes over really well.

On her daughter’s baby-daddy Levi and his Thanksgiving Invitation

CBS and Bob Scheiffer – “she’s not ever going to run for anything and if she did I don’t think she would get too far.”

In his weekly address, President Obama discusses the events of the last ten days and pledges to fully investigate the acts committed in Texas last Thursday.  He promised a thorough investigation and said that said investigation will focus on who knew what and when; and an accounting of what was conducted properly and what was not.   He then called upon the Congress to exercise restraint from rushing to launch its own investigation and said they should be cautious to bring this into the “political theater.”

The President is trying to take the high moral ground here and it is laughable for two reasons.  One – he is in Asia and clearly this is not at the top of his list.  Two – he is the Chief Executive and he is asking Congress not to engage in oversight?  I happen to remember Senator Obama and Democratic Nominee Obama being highly critical of an administration telling Congress to stay out and promising that it would investigate the investigators.  I love how this President still has a sense of righteous indignation even when he conducts business in precisely the same manner as he was so critical of just 12 months ago.

Weekly Address

(November 13, 2009 - Photo by Koichi Kamoshida/Getty Images AsiaPac)

President Obama and Prime Minister Hatoyama discuss their meetings from the Chief Diplomat’s first day in Japan.  They were both equally gracious and appeared very comfortable with one another.  Prime Minister Hatoyama said that they were “comfortable” calling each other by their first names.  He called President Obama “Barack” repeatedly.  This is a typical Obama speech, appeasing to all and threatening to none, yet still so wishy washy that no one will be moved by any of his promises, objectives, and expected results.  One interesting point that emerged from the speech was that the President concluded by saying that he was confident that the US will reach a resolution to further the efforts of the Climate Change Summit next month.  The president said that he looked forward to discussing it with the Prime Minister over dinner.  Somewhat funny was that the Prime Minister said he looked forward to discussing economic matters over dinner.  I guess we can see where both of their minds are at?

Even if you don’t feel like listening to the speeches, skip forward to the question and answer portion.  The first reporter asks about 35 questions, but one of them was whether the President thought the decision to drop the “A-Bomb” was a correct one?  His response comes around the 24th minute.