Disgrace: Obama Uses Memorial Day Speech To Campaign For Reelection, Honors Himself… Pandering for votes to families of fallen American troops on Memorial Day. No doubt a new low for Obama. WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama paid tribute Monday to the men and women who have died defending America, singling out Vietnam veterans as an under-appreciated and sometimes maligned group of war heroes, vowing that “it will not happen again.” “You were sometimes blamed for the misdeeds of a few,” Obama said. “You came home and were sometimes denigrated when you should have been celebrated. It was a national shame, a disgrace that should have never happened.” Marking Memorial Day at both the Vietnam War Memorial and earlier at Arlington National Cemetery across the Potomac River from the capital, Obama noted that for the first time in nine years, “Americans are not fighting and dying in Iraq,” and the nation was winding down its role in the conflict in Afghanistan. “After a decade under the dark cloud of war, we can see the light of the new day on the horizon,” Obama said to an audience gathered at the Arlington amphitheater lined with American flags under a warm, brilliant sun. In this election year, Obama said the nation must remain committed to providing for the families of fallen soldiers and help returning service members seeking a job, higher education or health care benefits. “As long as I’m president, we will make sure you and your loved ones will receive the benefits you’ve earned and the respect you deserve,” Obama said. “America will be there for you.”
Mitt Romney: “Thank You” <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SZcKIM2BylE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0"></iframe> Gallup Poll: Romney Holds Whopping 28-Point Lead Over Obama Among Male Veterans… It’s almost like the military isn’t fond of the Commander-in-Chief. Via The Hill: A new Gallup poll released on Memorial Day shows male veterans breaking strongly for Mitt Romney over President Obama. The presumptive GOP nominee receives support from 58 percent of veteran registered voters surveyed to Obama’s 34 percent. Among non-veterans though, Obama holds a four point edge, with 48 percent to Romney’s 44. Gallup says veterans make up 13 percent of the U.S. population. The breakdown of the veteran vote also mirrors the gender gap seen among all voters and male voters are seen giving Romney a solid block of support. Romney has the backing of 60 percent of male veterans to Obama’s 32.
The "First Gay President" was fund raising in Beverly Hills when he made gay jokes at the expense of his wife... - Does he even read these speeches before he delivers them? - Is his wife gay too? - His fund raising has fallen behind Romney...how bad does he need this money? <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/28Er5RnaL1I?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0"></iframe>
Pic of the Day: The First Gay President Inexplicably Shoots Pocket Pool While Greeting Girl Scout Gold Award Winners in Oval Office Dude had a busy day. First he declared the private-sector economy fine. Then he declared it “absolutely clear” that the economy is not fine. Then he managed a photo-op with the New York Giants, squeezed in some time with the Girl Scouts, and now he’s off to a fundraiser. What a self-absorbed disgrace.
Obama Bows To Demands of Turkey’s Islamist Government And Blocks Israel From Participating In Global Counterterrorism Forum… Siding with Islamists, throwing Israel under the bus, two hallmarks of Obama’s foreign policy. (INN) — The United States blocked Israel’s participation in the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s (GCTF) first meeting in Istanbul on Friday, despite Israel’s having one of the most extensive counterterrorism experiences in the world. Israel was excluded from the meeting due to fierce objections by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a Washington-based source told Globes news. According the State Department’s website, the GCTF, which was established in September 2011, aims at “strengthening the global counterterrorism (CT) architecture in a manner that complements and reinforces the CT work of existing multilateral bodies.” Twenty-nine countries are participating in the GCTF, ten of which are Arab and/or Muslim countries. “The GCTF sought from the outset to bridge old and deep divides in the international community between Western donor nations and Muslim majority nations. And it has, I think, done that quite effectively,” a top US official said at the press briefing prior to the opening session. Republican politicians claim that since one third of the GCTF’s members are Muslim countries, the Obama administration is trying to deepen ties with the Muslim world at Israel’s expense, Globes noted. “Our idea with the GCTF was to bring together a limited number of traditional donors, front line states, and emerging powers develop a more robust, yet representative, counterterrorism capacity-building platform. A number of our close partners with considerable experience countering and preventing terrorism are not included among the GCTF’s founding members,” a State Department spokesman said in response to questions about Israel’s exclusion from the GCTF. “We have discussed the GCTF and ways to involve Israel in its activities on a number of occasions, and are committed to making this happen,” he added. Pro-Israeli sources say that the Obama administration decided to ignore the fact that Turkey, which has a key role in the GCTF, opposes calling Hamas a terrorist organization, even though the State Department lists it as such.
Former CIA Counterterrorism Chief: Obama Has Taken Agency Out Of Interrogating Business… Via Bill Gertz: The Obama administration has taken the CIA “out of the business” of interrogating high-value terrorists and the lack of data is endangering the U.S. security, according to former CIA counterterrorism chief Jose A. Rodriguez. If U.S. intelligence or military personnel capture a senior terror leader today, no system is in place or facilities set up where he could be questioned, said the 31-year agency veteran who was awarded several medals for his intelligence work before retiring in 2007. “We are out of the business of doing that,” he said of terrorist leader interrogations in an interview with the Free Beacon. “We don’t have anywhere to take them. If you capture a high-value target outside the war zone, where [are] you going to take them? They are not taking prisoners in Guantanamo, [and] the black sites have been closed.” When U.S. special operations forces recently captured a terrorist in Sudan, the only place he could be questioned was aboard a Navy ship at sea, he said. “So we don’t have anywhere to take them, but even if we did, we are restricted by the Army field manual, so we are basically out of the interrogation business.” The manual restricts all interrogations to tactics outlined under international rules for questioning and treatment of prisoners of war in conventional conflicts. Rodriguez, author of the bestselling book Hard Measures, also said he and fellow CIA colleagues were disgusted by President Obama’s 2009 speech in Cairo asserting that U.S. officials were guilty of torture for harshly questioning terrorists.
Reminds me of Bill Clinton targeting the CIA and cutting their funding for 8 years and then....... 9.11 !
Obama Celebrates Anti-Police Riot Started at Mafia-Owned Bar For Transvestites… (CNSNews.com) – At a White House reception held Friday evening in honor of Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Pride month, President Barack Obama celebrated a 1969 anti-police riot that started in what the New York Times reports was an illegal Mafia-owned bar for transvestites. “Now, each June since I took office, we have gathered to pay tribute to the generations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans who devoted their lives to our most basic of ideals–equality not just for some, but for all,” Obama said. “Together we’ve marked major milestones like the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, when a group of brave citizens held their ground against brutal discrimination,” said Obama. “Together, we’ve honored courageous pioneers who, decades ago, came out and spoke out; who challenged unjust laws and destructive prejudices. Together, we’ve stood resolute; unwavering in our commitment to advance this movement and to build a more perfect union.” The “Stonewall Riot” that president Obama referred to started when police raided a New York City saloon called the “Stonewall Inn” that catered to transvestites. In a 2010 obituary for Seymour Pine, the police inspector who led the raid, the New York Times reported the basic facts of the incident, describing the inn as “an illegal club frequented by cross-dressers.”
Obama to Congress: US Military Forces Are Engaged in Direct Action Against Suspected Terrorists in Yemen and Somalia (Security Clearance) — For the first time, the Obama administration has publicly stated that U.S. military forces are engaged in direct action against suspected terrorists in Yemen and Somalia. In a letter to Congress on Friday, President Barack Obama informed lawmakers of U.S. military actions in the two nations that have seen significant terrorist activity and civil unrest. On Somalia, the president stated, “In a limited number of cases, the U.S. military has taken direct action in Somalia against members of al Qaeda, including those who are also members of al-Shabaab, who are engaged in efforts to carry out terrorist attacks against the United States and our interests.” Obama noted that U.S. forces have been working with Yemen to dismantle al Qaeda’s powerful affiliate there. “Our joint efforts have resulted in direct action against a limited number of AQAP (al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) operatives and senior leaders in that country who posed a terrorist threat to the United States and our interests,” Obama wrote. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the White House to periodically inform Congress about American military forces who are deployed overseas for possible combat. The disclosure comes at a time when the administration is fighting off accusations that it deliberately leaked classified information about its national security efforts for political gain. Recent reports revealed the administration’s decision-making process in targeting terrorists for missile strikes, a U.S. cyber attack against an Iranian nuclear facility, and a mole inside al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula who helped thwart a bomb plot intended to strike an airliner headed for the United States.
No Respect For POTUS: Putin Spent Two Hours “Lecturing” Obama During Tense G20 Meeting… <iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/CF5uq7MaeEA?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0"></iframe> Apparently the information was “transmitted to Vladimir” and he wasn’t happy with it. Putin had to lecture President Obama at the G-20 on some of the failed transitions around the world.
Remember...one of the leaks that came from the White House claimed that Obama picks out all the victims of drone strikes personally using a deck of cards... Noted Bad Ass President Who Took Out Osama Bin Laden Plays Death Card on Red Cross Humanitarian — Kills Him by Drone Barack Obama — the one-man death panel. (Reuters) — A Yemeni man working for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was killed by an air strike in Abyan province on Wednesday while carrying out humanitarian work, the agency said. Yemeni troops last week retook several towns in the southern province of Abyan that Islamist militants allied to al Qaeda had seized last year. The troops are backed by the United States, which has also been using drones to kill suspected militants on what it sees as a front line in its own war against al Qaeda. “The International Committee of the Red Cross is deeply shocked and dismayed by the death of one of its staff members, Hussein Saleh, who was killed this morning while on duty in the north of Abyan governorate,” the ICRC said in a statement. “It was an air strike. We have no additional details whatsoever,” ICRC spokesman Hicham Hassan said in Geneva. On Tuesday, U.N. human rights investigator Christof Heyns called on the Obama administration to justify its policy of assassinating rather than capturing al Qaeda or Taliban suspects, increasingly with the use of unmanned drone aircraft that also kill civilians. Saleh, who was 35, and three other staff members had been assessing the humanitarian situation in Abyan, which has been severely affected by the recent fighting. Eric Marclay, head of the ICRC delegation in Yemen, said Saleh’s wife was expecting their fifth child. .
Oh My: UN Official Tells ACLU Conference Obama Has Committed “War Crimes” With Drone Airstrikes… Does this mean he has to give back his Nobel Peace Prize? (Guardian) — The US policy of using aerial drones to carry out targeted killings presents a major challenge to the system of international law that has endured since the second world war, a United Nations investigator has said. Christof Heyns, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings, summary or arbitrary executions, told a conference in Geneva that President Obama’s attacks in Pakistan, Yemen and elsewhere, carried out by the CIA, would encourage other states to flout long-established human rights standards. In his strongest critique so far of drone strikes, Heyns suggested some may even constitute “war crimes”. His comments come amid rising international unease over the surge in killings by remotely piloted unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Addressing the conference, which was organised by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), a second UN rapporteur, Ben Emmerson QC, who monitors counter-terrorism, announced he would be prioritising inquiries into drone strikes. The London-based barrister said the issue was moving rapidly up the international agenda after China and Russia this week jointly issued a statement at the UN Human Rights Council, backed by other countries, condemning drone attacks.
Obama Booed At Boston Fundraiser After Mocking The Red Sox For Trading Kevin Youkilis To Chicago White Sox… <iframe src="http://videos.mediaite.com/embed/player/?content=T1G8K01LDR3M5499&layout=&content_type=content_item&playlist_cid=&media_type=video&read_more=1&widget_type_cid=svp" width="420" height="421" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" allowtransparency="true"></iframe> Takes a lot to get booed at a fundraiser. I’d love to know why his speechwriters thought mocking Red Sox fans for losing one of their beloved players would be a wise move. BOSTON (CBS) – Being booed was probably the last thing President Barack Obama expected from the crowd at a Symphony Hall fundraiser Monday night, but that happened when the president “thanked” Boston for Kevin Youkilis, who was just traded to the Chicago White Sox. “I’m just saying, he’s going to have to change the color of his socks,” the president said laughing. Youkilis was traded from the Red Sox, to Obama’s favorite team on Sunday for infielder Brent Lillibridge and pitcher Zach Stewart. “I didn’t think I was going to get any boos out of here,” he said. “I should not have brought up baseball, I understand, my mistake, you got to know your crowd.”
The Washington Free Beacon RUSSIAN NUCLEAR BOMBERS TEST U.S. AIR DEFENSES IN ARCTIC WAR GAMES DURING CHILLY OBAMA-PUTIN SUMMIT Russian strategic nuclear bombers threatened U.S. airspace near Alaska earlier this month and F-15 jets responded by intercepting the aircraft taking part in large-scale arctic war games, according to defense officials. The Russian war games began the same day President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a frosty summit meeting in Mexico June 18. U.S. officials said the arctic exercises over the Russian Far East and Pacific appeared to be a further sign of Russia’s hardening posture toward the United States. The Obama administration made no protest of the bomber intrusions, according to the officials, in line with its conciliatory “reset” policy of seeking warmer ties with Moscow. About 30 strategic nuclear bombers and support aircraft took part in the war games that continued through June 25. The aircraft included Tu-95MS Bear H and Tu-160 Blackjack nuclear-capable bombers, along with Il-76 refueling tankers, A-50 airborne warning and control aircraft, and Su-27 and MiG-31 jet fighters. Some 200 troops also took part in the Russian Strategic Aviation forces exercise. A spokesman for the joint U.S. Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense command in Colorado Springs, which monitors air defense intrusions, had no immediate comment. A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment. U.S. and Canadian F-15 and F-16 jets were involved in the intercepts that took place near the Air Identification Zone surrounding Alaskan airspace over the northern Pacific. The exercises are part of increasingly aggressive Russian military activities in the arctic region in both the eastern and western hemispheres, which have created security worries among governments in northern Europe and Canada. One official said the failure to publicize the threatening bomber maneuvers might have been related to Obama’s overheard promise in March to Russian President Dmitri Medvedev of “more flexibility.”
I wondered if this was accurate. I asked my closest friend if he knew about this. He told me his son told him about this yesterday. He would know, he's temporarily the commanding officer of the F 15s in Alaska that responded to this "exercise."
Report: Gays Donated to Obama Hand Over Fisting After Same-Sex Endorsement $9 million in three days. Via NPR: That statement by the president resulted in a dramatic fundraising spike for him. Over the 72 hours following the announcement, donations to his campaign committees nearly tripled. He took in nearly $9 million over three days, compared with $3.4 million in the three previous days, according to an NPR analysis of campaign filings with the Federal Election Commission. The numbers include contributions from people who gave at least $200. “People who may have sat on the sidelines are now coming in in full force as a result of the president’s and the administration’s support for marriage equality,” says gay philanthropist and Democratic political activist David Bohnett. “There’s no question about that.”
Obama parade parody causes controversy Home - by Cardigan - July 9, 2012 - 14:45 America/New_York - 22 Comments FOX13 SLC HUNTSVILLE, Utah — A parade entry portraying President Barack Obama and using the term “Obamanation” has made some angry, and others upset at the negative attention. It happened in the city’s annual Fourth of July parade. The float showed a person dressed as President Obama with one sign that read “Huntsville Welcomes Obama’s Farewell Tour?” On the back, another sign said, “Ask about our assault gun plan. Call Eric Holder.” On one side of the issue, people are saying the float was disrespectful and had no place in a patriotic parade. The other side says it was all in good fun. Huntsville Mayor Jim Truett and City Council member Laurie Allen say the entry doesn’t reflect the views of the city. They say it was entered at the last minute, not through usual protocol and they would not have approved it if they had seen it. “I don’t think we would have allowed it, in fact I know we wouldn’t,” said Allen. “We just don’t want that. It’s a family-oriented celebration.” Weber County Sheriff Lt. Mark Lowther told Fox 13 News his department contacted the Secret Service after some residents expressed concern the float was a threat to the President. “We don’t decide what’s appropriate. That’s up to the town, the parade organizers and the people who design the float,” said Chief Deputy Klint Anderson, Weber County Sheriff’s Office, in a statement.
Yesterday: Obama Proposes Raising Taxes. Today: New Obama Ad Claims Romney Is A Tax-Raiser… Via WaPo: President Obama’s campaign is up with a new ad contrasting his tax plan with Mitt Romney’s and accusing Romney of wanting to raise taxes on 18 million Americans. The ad accuses Romney of supporting tax breaks for the wealthy, for oil companies and for those who ship jobs overseas, along with a tax increase for 18 million “working families.” The ad represents the Obama campaign’s decision to double down on its message of raising taxes on the wealthy by letting the Bush tax cuts expire. But it also shows a desire to open up a new front by attacking Romney as a potential tax-raiser too. The tax increase for 18 million families is a claim that Obama has made before, and the fact-checking Web site PolitiFact has rated it “mostly true.” The tax increases come as a result of allowing tax cuts from the stimulus package to expire.
Obama Goes Golfing Again Six days on the stump deserve one day on the green. And back to the stump tomorrow. Uh...when does he do any work for the people? (The Hill) — After a week spent campaigning in Iowa and Virginia, President Obama took a break from the trail by hitting the links. Obama headed to Fort Belvoir in Northern Virginia on Sunday for a round of golf. He was accompanied by White House personal aide Marvin Nicholson, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk and senior adviser David Plouffe, according to a pool report. Obama last hit the links on June 25, his 101st round of golf since being sworn in. . . . Obama will be back on the campaign trail tomorrow, with an event in Columbus, Ohio. On Tuesday, he is scheduled to attend fundraisers in San Antonio and Austin, Texas.