Author: Dave

Obama’s unilateral capitulation on missile defense is being met with alarm in countries that remember the Iron Curtain. One is reminded of when Jimmy Carter cancelled the B-2 bomber, and sent his ambassador to ask the Russians what they would do in exchange. The Russian ambassador chortled and told our envoy “Sir, I am neither…

The Obama healthcare speech transcript for those, like me, to impatient to sit and be read to (come on, the bandwidth is terrible). Well, 47 million uninsured has now become 30 million. So he’s getting closer to intellectual honesty. One is tempted to ask where those 17 million disappeared to (FEMA camps? lol) but one…

In the wake of news that current health care deform proposals would fine people up to $3800 for not carrying insurance, James Taranto asks: Why not apply this principle to other areas of social policy as well? For example, we could deal with the problem of homelessness by passing a law requiring everyone to have…

So it appears Human Rights Watch is hiring Nazi paraphernalia collecting enthusiasts. Yep, you read that right. Ace on this wee problem: If the same dude is the Human Rights Watch Israel critic and the gonzo Nazi memorabilia collector… well, if you’re constantly going to dog Israel, you probably should find a different hobby. Kinda…

This article about lawmakers worried about 2010 repeats a meme whose popularity has really started to bother me: Their political fortunes next year are likely to hinge on whether the U.S. economy, in its longest and deepest recession since the Great Depression, improves and if Congress passes a significant healthcare reform bill. People keep talking…

I would like to apologize to the citizens and constitutional government of the Republic of Honduras for the actions of the Obama administration. Apparently the open hand will only be extended to those who clench their fists in rage at America. I would also like to take this opportunity to extend the middle finger of…

The notion Republicans need to tone down their rhetoric to retake power took a beating today with the revelation Obama “green jobs” czar Van Jones not only signed a Truther petition, but organized Truther marches. Just think, today’s Birthers are tomorrow’s czars!

Over at Reason, Matt Welch spots Justin Raimondo geting huffy about ths guy: Quoth Raimondo: This was widely interpreted as a not-so-subtle threat to the President, personally. And I fail to see how it could be understood in any other way. To carry that sign in one hand, and a gun in the other, is…

As companion to this brilliant must-read piece from Megan McArdle that lays out the libertarian philosophy on health care beautifully… But even after you get beyond that, the more “practical” considerations remain. If the government crowds out private health insurance for many people–a result that a number of analysts on both right and left think…

I blog, you decide! Remember that entire day ABC News turned over to Obama to sell his health care plan? Apparently they don’t. Suddenly they’ve discovered they can’t take sides, at least when it comes to selling time for an ad opposing ObamaCare. “The ABC Television Network has a long-standing policy that we do not…

Various people seem very worried Iraq is falling apart, but these concerns are probably overblown and to some extent their premises are likely baseless. At least half of Ignatius’ piece sounds like typical Iraqi political conspiracies, which as a rule run the gamut from improbably contradictory to downright bizarre. Anonymous sources are extremely unreliable (remember…

Do your part for global warming by supporting Tim Blair at the Green Awards: Blair continues to drive fast and furious and cackle publicly about leaving as big a carbon footprint as possible. Tim offers a rousing self-endorsement: Napkins? Ha! No napkin is more disappointing than me. Vote now! Tim’s got a good lead at…

The “public option” is dead. We did it. We killed the worst part of this bill, the part that probably meant government would eventually end up taking over 15% of the economy. Ed urges we not be complacent, and he’s right, but nonetheless this is a moment to savor. Congratulations to everyone who spoke out…

A little advice to the right-wing crazies enthusiasts who are using Hitler and other Nazi iconography to protest health care reform government takeover: 1) Bush protesters already beat this meme to death. Don’t bother. 2) Anyways, there’s a much more effective icon you can employ: Che! The murdering socialist has long been a favorite of…

This article goes a long way toward explaining why I abandoned left-liberalism after college. One protester even brandished a sign that seemed to advocate Bush’s assassination. The man held a large photo of Bush that had been doctored to show a gun barrel pressed against his temple. “BUSH: WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE,” read the placard,…

The scary Obama-Joker face seems a perfect fit for this truly awful AFP article shilling for the President. But Obama, hoping to offer healthcare to the 46 million Americans who currently have no insurance, attempted to cool the boiling rhetoric being blasted across cable news channels and conservative talks radio every day. “For all the…

When success is defined as “we were able to give away WAY more taxpayer money than we thought we would” you should be worried. Very, very worried. And these people want to run 15% of the economy.

These have been floating around a while, and seem apropos. This first batch are regional/philosophical forms of capitalism. U.S./TRADITIONAL CAPITALISM You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies, and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income. FRENCH CAPITALISM You have two cows. You go on…

Megan McArdle’s piece on why she opposes national health care got deservedly wide coverage, and provoked some generally limp objections, such as this offering from Ezra Klein: For all its waste, elevating the U.S. government to sole purchaser seems to ensure a much-higher rate of military technology innovation than if we left it to the…

Remember Iraq? You’re not seeing it in the headlines nearly as much these days, and the reasons are all good. Most auspiciously, the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the major cities has not precipitated a return to the violence of 2005-2007, as many feared. At 200-400 a month, Iraqi deaths (civilian and security forces) are…