“The 60 Votes Aren’t There Anymore”

That’s not my interpretation, that’s from the AP:
WASHINGTON – The 60 votes aren’t there any more.
With the Senate set to begin debate Monday on health care overhaul, the all-hands-on-deck Democratic coalition that allowed the bill to advance is fracturing already. Yet majority Democrats will need 60 votes again to finish.
Some Democratic senators say they’ll jump [...]

What We Have To Look Forward To If ObamaCare Passes

More problems with government-run health care from, where else, one of the pioneers, the United Kingdom:
Poor nursing care, filthy wards and lack of leadership at Basildon and Thurrock University NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust led to the deaths of up to 400 patients a year.
Figures compiled by a health watchdog showed death rates at the Essex [...]

Food For Thought This Thanksgiving

From one of the people who helps bring us this bountiful harvest: a farmer.
Nobody but we farmers celebrates a great crop like this one. The rest of America should celebrate, and be grateful for the abundance that agriculture provides.
When all the locals are combining grain here in northwest Missouri, there is so much dust in [...]

SEALs Face Assault Charges For Bringing In Terrorist!

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, interrogative, over.
Navy SEALs have secretly captured one of the most wanted terrorists in Iraq — the alleged mastermind of the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater USA security guards in Fallujah in 2004. And three of the SEALs who captured him are now facing criminal charges, sources told FoxNews.com.
The three, all members [...]

Now Reid’s Real Problems Begin

So, over the weekend, in another late-Saturday-night vote, the Senate approved a motion to open debate on their own version of the health care bill.
Lefties may think they’ve won, but in reality, the fight has barely begun.
The problem is simple… many Democratic Senators who voted to open debate may not vote later on to close [...]

Hmmm…

November 2009:
“There are core strengths to the American economy that will put us in good stead over the long term,” Obama said.
September 2008:
As we noted in a story yesterday evening, the Obama campaign quickly jumped on John McCain’s statement yesterday that “the fundamentals of our economy are strong.” McCain made the comment on the same [...]

Mary Landrieu’s 100 Million Pieces of Silver

ABC News:
On page 432 of the Reid bill, there is a section increasing federal Medicaid subsidies for “certain states recovering from a major disaster.”
The section spends two pages defining which “states” would qualify, saying, among other things, that it would be states that “during the preceding 7 fiscal years” have been declared a “major disaster [...]

2010 Isn’t Looking Good For Incumbents

Most non-political-wonks tend to “vote their pocketbooks,” which means this really doesn’t look good for the party in power right now (emphasis mine):
About 9.6 percent of borrowers were delinquent on their mortgage during the third quarter, according to the survey, and another 4.5 percent more were somewhere in the foreclosure process. Overall, about 14 percent [...]

Lieberman Stands Firm On Filibuster Of Public Option

Gotta admire a politician who says what he means and means what he says:
Sen. Joe Lieberman’s threat to filibuster any health care bill with a public option could kill health reform this year — and embolden Democratic challengers who’d like to send him packing in 2012.
But Lieberman doesn’t seem worried.
“I don’t think about that stuff,” [...]

Obama Calls Troops a “Pretty Good Photo-Op”

Washington Post:
Obama arrived on [Osan Air Base, South Korea] 3:19 p.m. local time (1 a.m. Eastern Standard Time) and received a rousing welcome from 1,500 troops in camouflage uniforms, many holding cameras or pointing cellphones to snap pictures.
“You guys make a pretty good photo op,” the president said.
Crass? Yep.
But it’s probably also accurate… Obama seems [...]

Barack Obama “Beyond Radioactive” For 2010 Candidates

How many sitting presidents are described as “beyond radioactive“?
Many watchers of House politics are tempted to downplay the potential for real races in these districts after taking one look at immediate past election history. How could Republicans possibly threaten the likes of Skelton or Spratt, both of whom won more than 62 percent of the [...]

Mincing No Words

That’s what Austin Bay is doing:
One word aptly describes Ft. Hood mass murderer Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan: traitor.
Traitor is a tough word. It doesn’t smudge and squish. “Traitor” draws a hard line, one that sharply divides essential life-determining values and marks a defining personal choice between the profound and the profane.
He’s got a point, too:
Hasan’s [...]

Now This Is A Veterans’ Day Celebration

And it’s an idea I wish I’d thought of. Video clips of dogs welcoming their humans home.
Nothing says “welcome home” quite like a wagging tail and/or loud purr.

Here Comes The Buck-Passing

AP:
Finger-pointing erupted between federal agencies Tuesday over Fort Hood shooting suspect Nidal Hasan. Government officials said a Defense Department terrorism investigator looked into Hasan’s contacts with a radical imam months ago, but a military official denied prior knowledge of the Army psychiatrist’s contacts with any Muslim extremists.
The two government officials, speaking on condition of anonymity [...]

Happy Birthday, United States Marine Corps!

The first two battalions of United States Marines were formed 10 November 1775, and they’ve been kicking butt and taking names ever since–Marines have served in every single armed conflict America’s been a part of.
If you know a Marine (and I do), thank them today.
Semper Fidelis!

Pelosi’s Big Blunder

A lot has been written about the aftermath of Saturday’s vote, including by my fellow blogger here and NRO-nik Yuval Levin, so I guess it’s time I added my own $0.02 worth.
I’d like to use Yuval’s post as a jumping-off point. He points out, I think correctly, that the House vote makes it even harder [...]

U.S. House Passes Health Care Reform Bill, Ignores Will Of American People

Health Care Reform Passes The U.S. House

Poignant Poem for Veterans’ Day

A Canadian cartoonist whose cartoon I read daily (if you’re a geek, you’ll probably enjoy it too) has come up with a great early memorial for Veterans’ Day (in Canada, Remembrance Day). Check it out.

Government Bureaucracy, Squared

Some of you may remember the chart that the GOP put together showing the mess of bureaucracy that HR 32oo would have created. That’s the chart that the Democrats wanted to prohibit Republican Members of Congress from sending to their constitutents.
That chart has now been updated for Her Speakerness Pelosi’s latest monstrosity, HR 3962 (link [...]

Support The Wounded Troops

Especially in the wake of today’s tragic Fort Hood shooting, it’s appropriate to think of ways we could support our troops, most importantly those wounded in battle.
So, let me suggest donating to Soldiers’ Angels Project Valour-IT. These folks provide technology to help wounded service members… their “flagship” item is a voice-controlled laptop for those with [...]