I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end.
Margaret Thatcher
US Senate Rejects ObamaCare Repeal 51 Democrats to 47 Republicans
I had predicted in an earlier post that a repeal vote would fail:
I don't see any of the Democrats admitting their original votes were wrong. If they did, it would still be a reelection issue (I can just saw the attack ads now: Ben Nelson flip-flopped on healthcare.)This may seem like an obvious insight: after all, the Democrats had decried the original House repeal bill as a gimmick, given the fact that President Obama would veto a repeal of his crown jewel legislation. But, in fact, repeal is probably the single greatest thing we could do in terms of long-term national debt containment, not to mention contributing to the unsustainable healthcare cost bubble. Using Medicare reform cost savings to bankroll other patients simply redirects attention away from the large unfunded liabilities of Medicare reserves themselves.
Here's the point: despite something like 800 exemptions being granted to McDonald's, unions, and other organizations, despite polls almost universally showing public support in favor of repeal, despite healthcare playing a major role in the mid-term elections, despite two federal judges already ruling at least part of the healthcare bill UNCONSTITUTIONAL, the Senate Democrats are digging in, only adopting a separate amendment lifting the business-despised $600-plus reporting mandate, as Obama himself has hinted on several occasions, including the recent State of the Union. The voters in 2012 now can judge their senators and President late next year.
Obama: Irresponsible on the Egypt Crisis
I'm really at a loss to explain Obama's heavy-handed attempt to pressure Egyptian President Mubarak, after Mubarak's national address explaining he would not run for reelection this September, to transition sooner rather than later. It was grossly incompetent.
I started an alternative critique of Obama's performance on the status of Egypt in yesterday's post:
Let me point out that a year and a half after Obama's worldwide address to Muslims, the Middle East has exploded in instability as a sort of contagion which has resulted just today in Jordan's King Abdullah II dismissing the prime minister and his cabinet. Just over the last few weeks: Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, even Syria. (And don't forget the risks of the crown jewel of the region: Saudi Arabia). Since Obama or Clinton were obviously caught flatfooted, why was that the case? How effective is our intelligence, and how proactive has been this President's foreign policy? Over 2 years in office and how has he transformed the region beyond high-sounding rhetoric? Talk is cheap...
First, if the attempt was to appease his left-wing flank or the malcontent Egyptian protesters, that ship has already sailed. The protesters felt that the Obama Administration was two-faced, trying to play both sides. A Johnny-come-lately, throw-Mubarak-under-the-bus act after the protest, without Obama's explicit, unconditional support, yielded a critical concession from Mubarak not to seek reelection, comes across as opportunistic and self-serving and is viewed with contempt by the true believers.
Second, it's not clear what the payoff is for hastening Mubarak's departure. (The only reason I can think the protesters are pushing for Mubarak's immediate departure is because they fear that once the heat is off of him, he will somehow renege on his promise to leave office. The fact of the matter is that Hosni Mubarak will turn 83 May 4, and he had already delivered on a long-deferred promise to name a Vice President; in addition, there are already talks between the Vice President and opposition groups on reform measures) But hastening elections only helps highly organized groups, like the Muslim Brotherhood, normally achieving only 20% or so of the electoral vote, which is virulently against the existing Egypt-Israel peace treaty, and the small Christian minority is already being persecuted by Islamic militants. More importantly, it fails to acknowledge that there are pro-Mubarak forces, both within the military and in the general society as today's nasty battles between pro- and anti-Mubarak forces. Have we forgotten the lessons of post-invasion Iraq? Many Iraqis preferred life under Saddam Hussein and feared change; they felt excluded from the future of Iraq.
In addition, Barack Obama's amateurish handling of the situation has undermined a bond of trust with our allies.
My Favorite Governor, NJ's Chris Christie:
Reality Check With Cop Complaining About Compensation
Political Humor
Chicago is expecting something like 20 inches of snow. In fact, today Rahm Emanuel said he's glad he doesn't really live there. - Jay Leno
[Well, Rahm did attempt to hire unemployed people to clear the snow away from his campaign headquarters, but they declined, saying they could make more in unemployment compensation than he was willing to pay them.]
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Likely GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney on David Letterman
Musical Interlude: One-Hit Wonders/Instrumentals
Love Theme from The Godfather
