George W. Bush on Uncommon Knowledge

Remembering a Patriotic and Courageous President

H/T: jpa1948

Compare and Contrast

Afterburner: What We Did Right

http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=mpg&mpid=56&load=6021

Krauthammer: " Insult Congress, weaken the presidency."

Charles Krauthammer, writing today at National Review Online, exposes Obama's duplicity in avoiding the 1973 War Powers Resolution. "He claimed exemption from the WPR on the grounds that America is not really engaged in 'hostilities' in Libya."

"To deploy an excuse so transparently ridiculous isn’t just a show of contempt for Congress and for the intelligence of the American people. It manages additionally to undermine the presidency’s own war-making prerogatives by implicitly conceding that if the Libya war really did involve hostilities, the president would indeed be subject to the WPR.

The worst of all possible worlds: Insult Congress, weaken the presidency. A neat trick."

Read the whole article by clicking on the below link.

Who Takes Us to War? - Charles Krauthammer - National Review Online

Klavan on the Culture: Obama's Beach Blanket Recovery

Nobody does compare and contrast better than Andrew Klavan, especially when the subject being compared and contrasted is the main stream media coverage of Bush and Obama.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JDT5vBQQr8


H/T: jpa1948

VDH: The First Person Presidency

Victor Davis Hanson, on National Review Online today, says what a lot of people have been thinking about this president but were unable to express so clearly.

President Obama takes credit for operations that would have been impossible had Senator Obama’s views prevailed.

Here are a few excerpts from President Obama’s speech on Sunday night about the killing of Osama bin Laden.

“Tonight, I can report . . . And so shortly after taking office, I directed Leon Panetta . . . I was briefed on a possible lead to bin Laden . . . I met repeatedly with my national security team . . . I determined that we had enough intelligence to take action. . . . Today, at my direction . . . I’ve made clear . . . Over the years, I’ve repeatedly made clear . . . Tonight, I called President Zardari . . . and my team has also spoken. . .These efforts weigh on me every time I, as Commander-in-Chief . . . Finally, let me say to the families . . . I know that it has, at times, frayed. . . .”

The problem of first-personalizing national security is twofold. One, it is not consistent. Good news is reported by Obama in terms of “I”; bad news is delivered as “reset,” “the previous administration,” “in the past”: All good things abroad are due to Obama himself; all bad things are still the blowback from George W. Bush.

Two, there is the small matter of hypocrisy. The protocols for taking out Osama bin Laden were all established by President Bush and all opposed by Senator and then candidate Obama.
In sum, Senator Obama opposed tribunals, renditions, Guantanamo, preventive detention, Predator-drone attacks, the Iraq War, wiretaps, and intercepts — before President Obama either continued or expanded nearly all of them, in addition to embracing targeted assassinations, new body scanning and patdowns at airports, and a third preemptive war against an oil-exporting Arab Muslim nation — this one including NATO efforts to kill the Qaddafi family. The only thing more surreal than Barack Obama’s radical transformation is the sudden approval of it by the once hysterical Left. In Animal Farm and 1984 fashion, the world we knew in 2006 has simply been airbrushed away.

Okay, the public perhaps understands all that hypocrisy as the stuff of presidential politics. But I think it will not quite accept the next step of taking full credit in hyperbolic first-person fashion for operations that would have been impossible had his own views prevailed.

You can read the entire article by clicking Here.

The Marine Band w/ Guest Conductor

This is from the White House Correspondents Association Dinner on April 26, 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=h1d4opG2s0o


H/T: rkwlsn

Condi Takes Katie to School

This is from MediaIte.Com.

At the Council of Foreign Relations, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice subjected herself to something not even Sarah Palin would be willing to endure: an interview with Katie Couric. While Couric came out swinging, Condi is one Republican woman who won’t go down without a fight, as she gave an unapologetic and passionate defense of the rationale behind invading Iraq.

If our former president had been able to articulate his positions to ignorant and biased television personalities as well as his former secretary of state does in the below video, he might have fared better in the public opinion polls.

http://videos.mediaite.com/embed/player/container/420/421/?layout=&playlist_cid=&media_type=video&content=8K1V2T2ZJWQH9P3W&read_more=1&widget_type_cid=svp&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mediaite.com%2Ftv%2Fcondi-rice-to-katie-couric-intelligence-was-not-cherry-picked-to-get-us-into-war%2F#


H/T: rm1navy

Yes, That Is Dick Cheney

He might not look like Dick Cheney, but he sure sounds like him. This was at the ground breaking for the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas yesterday.

The War With No Name

This was on a piece posted on the Foundry, the Blog of The Heritage Foundation, today. It's not just a criticism of the current administration: George W. Bush is the one who initially called it "The Global War on Terror." It's about time, though, to call it what it is. Someone needs to explain that to Eric Holder, who is not hard of hearing - just to much of a coward to speak the truth (isn't he the guy who called all of us cowards?).

The Banality of Victory

Here's what the Trifecta at PJTV thought about the president's speech the other night.

http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=mpg&mpid=105&load=4092

Caroline Glick: On US Aid to the Palestinian Authority

Caroline Glick an American born Israeli, now living in Jerusalem, is quite probably the most knowledgeable journalist writing today on the ongoing undeclared war in the Middle East. She posted the above video on her blog the other day, and it should make us wonder just why we are so free with our aid to people who have never been interested in peace, and since 1948 have been trying to drive their Israeli neighbors into the sea.

Here's her post:

US aid to the PA

Memorial Day 2010

George W. Bush
Forty-Third President (2001 to 2009)
Memorial Day Address
at Arlington National Cemetery
Virginia ... May 26, 2008

Thank you. Mr. Secretary, thank you for the kind introduction. Members of my Cabinet, members of the administration, Admiral Mullen, members of the United States Congress, Senator Warner and Congressman Skelton, members of the military, our veterans, honored guests, families of the fallen: Laura and I are honored to be with you on Memorial Day and thank you for coming.

A few moments ago, I placed a wreath upon the tomb of three brave Americans who gave their lives in service to our nation. The names of these honored are

known only to the Creator who delivered them home from the anguish of war -- but their valor is known to us all. It's the same valor that endured the stinging cold of Valley Forge. It is the same valor that planted the proud colors of a great nation on a mountaintop on Iwo Jima. It is the same valor that charged fearlessly through the assault of enemy fire from the mountains of Afghanistan to the deserts of Iraq. It is the valor that has defined the armed forces of the United States of America throughout our history.
Today, we gather to honor those who gave everything to preserve our way of life. The men and women we honor here served for liberty. They sacrificed for liberty. And in countless acts of courage, they died for liberty. From faraway lands, they were returned to cemeteries like this one, where broken hearts received their broken bodies -- they found peace beneath the white headstones in the land they fought to defend.

It is a solemn reminder of the cost of freedom that the number of headstones in a place such as this grows with every new Memorial Day. In a world where freedom is constantly under attack and in a world where our security is challenged, the joys of liberty are often purchased by the sacrifices of those who serve a cause greater than themselves. Today we mourn and remember all who have given their lives in the line of duty. Today we lift up our hearts especially those who've fallen in the past year.

We remember Army Specialist Ronald Tucker of Fountain, Colorado. As a young man, Ronnie was known for having an infectious smile and a prankster's sense of humor. And then he joined the United States Army, which brought out a more mature side in him. Ronnie transformed from a lighthearted teenager into a devoted soldier and a dutiful son who called his mother every day from his post in Iraq. In his final act of duty, less than a month ago, he worked with other members of his unit to build a soccer field for Iraqi children. As he drove back to his base, an enemy bomb robbed him of his life. And today our nation grieves for the loss of Ronnie Tucker.

We remember two Navy SEALS -- Nathan Hardy of Durham, New Hampshire, and Michael Koch of State College, Pennsylvania. Nate and Mike were partners in the field and they were close friends in the Barracks. Through several missions together, they had developed the unique bond of brotherhood that comes from trusting another with your life. They even shared a battlefield tradition: They would often head into battle with American flags clutched to their chests underneath their uniform. Nate and Mike performed this ritual for the last time on February the 4th -- they both laid down their lives in Iraq after being ambushed by terrorists. These two friends spent their last few moments on earth together, doing what they loved most -- defending the United States of America. Today, Nathan Hardy and Mike Koch lay at rest next to each other right here on the grounds of Arlington.

The men and women of American armed forces perform extraordinary acts of heroism every single day. Like the nation they serve, they do not glory in the devastation of war. They also do not flinch from combat when liberty and justice are embattled. Ronald Tucker, Nathan Hardy and Mike Koch make clear, they do not waver -- even in the face of danger.

And so today, here in Washington and across our country, we pay tribute to all who have fallen -- a tribute never equal to the debt they are owed. We will forever honor their memories. We will forever search for their comrades, the POWs and MIAs. And we pledge -- we offer a solemn pledge to persevere and to provide the security for our citizens and secure the peace for which they fought.

The soil of Arlington and other sites is filled with liberty's defenders. It is nourished by their heroism. It is watered by the silent tears of the mothers and fathers, and husbands and wives, and sons and daughters they left behind. Today we pray for God's blessing on all who grieve and ask the Almighty to strengthen and comfort them today and everyday.

On this Memorial Day, I stand before you as the Commander-in-Chief and try to tell you how proud I am at the sacrifice and service of the men and women who wear our uniform. They're an awesome bunch of people and the United States is blessed to have such citizens. (Applause.)

I am humbled by those who have made the ultimate sacrifice that allow a free civilization to endure and flourish. It only remains for us, the heirs of their legacy, to have the courage and the character to follow their lead -- and to preserve America as the greatest nation on earth and the last best hope for mankind.

May God bless you and may God bless America.



God Bless Our Troops (especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice) and their families.

SEMPER FI!

Thank you, Rush!

Rush Limbaugh responds to President Obama's condescending comment about the American people who attended Tea Parties on Tax Day.

Since the 2003 invasion of Iraq, "Bush lied;people died," has been the continual chant of the Left, despite the overwhelming evidence of the falsity of that statement. Noting said by Rush in the above video can be disputed factually.

God bless America and the Tea Party Patriots.

Marc Thiessen on Enhanced Interrogation

Former Bush speechwriter, Marc Thiessen, speaks out about how the CIA's Enhanced Interrogation Program, discontinued by the Obama administration, kept America (and much of the world) safe after 911.

We stopped attacks on our consulate in Karachi, they were planning to blow up our Marine camp in Djibouti, they were planning on repeating 9/11 in Europe by flying airplanes into Heathrow airport in downtown London they were planning on flying a plane into Library Tower in Los Angeles and other planned attacks that were foiled as a result of this program. If you think about it … under the Bush Administration we went 2,688 days without another terrorist attack. So there’s only two possibilities as to why that’s the case: either the terrorists lost interest in attacking our country or we found out what their plans were and stopped them. Now clearly the latter is the case.

In the Green Room: Former Bush Speechwriter Marc Thiessen Defends “Enhanced Interrogation” | The Foundry: Conservative Policy News.

Oops! Maybe It Wasn't A Big Success.

When Mullah Baradar, the Taliban military commander, was captured last month in Pakistan, it was hailed as a great success in the Global War on Terror. One problem I had at the time was that every newspaper headline I saw stated something like this: "Taliban military commander ARRESTED in Pakistan." (Emphasis added). When will we get it straight? We ARREST bank robbers, burglars, rapists and other reprobates; we CAPTURE or KILL Taliban military commanders or other similar enemy combatants. Got it? This all started, sorry to say, when George W. Bush declared his intentions re Osama bin laden were to "bring him to justice." That language seemed to indicate that Bush was thinking of bin laden as a common criminal - big mistake. Now, the Obama administration, which some months ago declared that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (911 mastermind) would be tried in U. S. District Court in Manhattan, might be responding to the will of the people and rethinking that ludicrous decision. It's definitely time that our government understand the difference between domestic criminals (who, as citizens, enjoy constitutional rights) and crazy Islamic terrorists hell bent on destroying our way of life.

Anyway, back to the "arrest" of Mullah Baradar: turns out it might not have been such a big success after all. In fact, something very troubling about the below linked piece from Marc Thiessen at The EnterpriseBlog, is the statement that Pakistani Interrogators have learned nothing from Baradar. Sorry, but if Pakistani Interrogators have learned nothing from Baradar (and he is still alive) then Pakistani Interrogators didn't want to learn anything from Baradar. That's troubling.

Here's the Thiessen piece:

Bungling Baradar’s Interrogation?

Expert Advice Should Not Be Ignored

That's Andrew McCathy (top) and former Attorney General Michael Mukasey, the two men who know more about the proper handling of captured terrorists than anyone else on the planet. McCarthy was the prosecutor who convicted the Blind Sheik for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. The case was tried before Judge Michael Mukasey, who later became Attorney General in the George W Bush administration. These two experts have been warning ever since that trying terrorists, who commit acts of war against the United States, in our civilian courts is a major mistake. They both agree that such terrorists should be tried before military tribunals (preferably in a secure location such as Guantanamo Bay, Cuba). The current attorney general, though, without consulting with these experts, apparently decided on his own (although no thinking person believes that) to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 911 attacks, in U. S. District Court in Manhattan, blocks from the location of destruction of the Twin Towers. It appears just lately that that ludicrous decision might be rescinded and any trial of KSM will be held before a military tribunal - something always considered by the vast majority of Americans to be a no-brainer.

Yesterday on The Corner on National Review Online, McCarthy discussed a piece from the Washington Post written by General Mukasey on the topic, and includes several informative links. Please take time to read all the linked material to acquaint yourself with the incompetence of Eric Holder and the Obama Justice Department. Without trying to sound partisan, Eric Holder has not made one correct decision since assuming his current post, and it's really time for him to go.

Mukasey Shreds Obama Administration's Legal Claims on Christmas Bomber - Andy McCarthy - The Corner on National Review Online

Do You Feel Safer Today?

H/T: Smck

Daniel J. Mitchell on Karl Rove

Daniel J. Mitchell, Senior Fellow at the CATO Institute, fired a broadside at Karl Rove on the Institute's Blog today. I always look forward to reading Rove's columns, and listening to him when he appears on various TV shows - and always trust him - but Mitchell's piece is hard to disparage. When Rove defends the profligate spending of George W. Bush, he will always risk being attacked by fiscal conservatives such as Daniel Mitchell.

The below link to the Mitchell post contains a link to the column by Rove in today's Wall Street Journal

Karl Rove’s Hypocritical Call for Fiscal Rectitude