Has His Majesty officially become Hugo Chavez's agent?

Follow me through the timeline:

4/18/09: His Majesty visits the Caribbean for the Summit of the Americas and is pictured (as above) glad-handing and yucking it up with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.

6/28/09: The Honduran Supreme Court has the military kick Chavez-backed Honduran President Manuel Zelaya out of the country and a provisional president was sworn in. Zelaya was given the boot because of Chavez-like (and inspired) violations of the Honduran constitution.

6/29/09: The very next day, His Majesty calls for the return of Zelaya to power.

7/9/09: With Zelaya still out of power, Chavez makes a personal phone call to His Majesty's state department in order to ask for further help in restoring Zelaya to power.

Thereafter, the U.S. continues exerting "enormous pressure" for Zelaya's return, culminating with today's statements from His Majesty's state department threatening cuts in economic aid to Honduras if Zelaya is not returned to power (the state department phrases it in terms of the provisional government reaching a "resolution" of the current crisis with Zelaya, but a return to power is the only "resolution" that Zelaya and Chavez would ever accept).

Now, if His Majesty is not truly Chavez's new agent (although you could have fooled me), then at the very least Majesty is doing his best impersonation of George W. Bush, who began this policy of appeasement towards Chavez during the Bush years. I'm not advocating that we go around sticking our noses or the CIA into the affairs of Venezuela and Honduras, or that some ill-conceived Neo-Con approach be followed in any way. But I do favor restraint in this situation (although the train's already left the station there), and I also know that the U.S. has no business doing the affirmative bidding of authoritarian dictators like Chavez or of apparent Chavez-clones and puppets like Zelaya. This is ugly stuff, folks.

http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed1/idUSN20129879
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124804541071763577.html#mod=djemEditorialPage

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124683595220397927.html

Obama-Loo?

Today His Majesty rejected Sen. Jim DeMint's (R-S.C.) recent comment that the defeat of the health care reform legislation being pushed by Majesty and congressional dems would be akin to Napoleon's famous Waterloo defeat. Two points here: First, I think that this kind of over-the-top rhetoric from a senator is fairly inappropriate. You should stick with the substance of your opposition to the legislation, senator. While bloggers like me might like to have a little fun with such comparisons (see above), we're also not elected officials.

Second, and much more significantly, if Majesty's health care reform legislation does fail to pass, my worry is that such defeat won't be Majesty's Waterloo in that other pieces of costly, massive legislation (or potential legislation) still loom on the horizon for Majesty and the dems to try to ram through Congress (e.g., cap-and-trade and a second stimulus bill). It appears now that there is a very distinct possibility that Majesty's desired health care reform legislation is either going to face outright defeat or else will not get through Congress before the absurd August 7 deadline that Majesty has purported to set for it. But do repubs like DeMint really think that's going to be the end of this stuff?

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/20/obama-administration-sets-health-care-reform-blitz/

Hey Majesty: Instead of taking out ads against members of your own party who disagree on health care reform, why not actually try to talk to them?

Change we can believe in? Nope, just more of the same.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/18/obama-political-team-turns-its-sights-on-house-dems/

Very disappointing that Watson came up short after coming so close. But what a ride!

My hat's off to him.

http://www.cbssports.com/golf/story/11969455

Look at the old fart from Kansas City!

59-year-old Tom Watson leads the British Open after three rounds.

He would be the oldest major champion by eleven years. But even if he doesn't win tomorrow, what a great story. I don't care who you are or where you live in the U.S. -- tomorrow's final round is must-see TV.

http://www.cbssports.com/golf/story/11966806

http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/britishopen09/columns/story?columnist=harig_bob&id=4338112

Oba-ttoming Out, redux; Current polls show substantial disapproval of His Majesty's policies.

Majesty's personal approval rating continues to tread water around 50% (today it's 52% according to Rasmussen), but his policies are taking a real beating in the polling numbers this week. A Rasmussen poll on Wednesday reported that 62% of voters say the country is moving down the wrong track -- the highest level since February.

Turning to the health care reform issue, Rasmussen's new poll today reports that 50% of voters oppose (and only 35% of voters support) the creation of a government health insurance company, as is now being proposed in the health care reform plan of His Majesty and congressional dems. A Rasmussen poll on Monday similarly reported that 49% of voters oppose the health care reform plan in general, while only 46% favor it.

On the cap-and-trade bill, we'll hopefully see a new poll in the upcoming days. On June 30, Rasmussen reported that 41% of Americans oppose the cap-and-trade bill, with only 37% of Americans saying they support it. I think there's a very good chance that such disapproval figure will be up even higher once some new numbers come out (sorry Jeeves for ending a sentence on a preposition).

So, to circle back to a point I made earlier in the week: This huge rush to ram the massive health care reform and cap-and-trade bills through Congress appears to this observer to be purely a reaction to the declining poll numbers of both Majesty and his policies. They want to get this stuff passed before most Americans ever know what hit them.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics

Party Time! On YOUR Dime.

Yeah, I've been critical of ABC News from time to time, but a good journalistic get on their part this week with the story about the Federal Government spending $700,000 of OUR money so that federal employees can go get all liquored up and party & dance it up in a big way in Arizona (check out the video on the below link -- the pic above does not do this outrageousness justice)! All on OUR tab, all in the name of a so-called "stress reduction conference." I mean jeezal peezal, folks, that's the worst false pretense I've heard since Weapons of Mass Destruction. And the dems want to turn over the health care industry to this Federal Government? That makes about as much sense as a potpourri burner in an Alabama $hithouse.

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=8084663&page=1

D'OH!

Congressional Budget Office director Douglas Elmendorf testified today that the dems' health care reform bill "would increase, not reduce, the burgeoning long-term health care costs facing the government." Methinks Elmendorf better watch out he doesn't get sent to the Tower.

http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?parm1=5&docID=news-000003168293

State of Missouri does its best impersonation of the deranged mayor from Jaws.

Missouri DNR officials for 4 weeks put the kibosh on releasing a report showing unsafe E. coli levels in the Lake of the Ozarks around Memorial Day. They did so "because they were concerned about the impact it would have on tourism and the public." As for the impact on tourists' better health and welfare? Not so important, apparently.

http://www.kansascity.com/105/story/1327618.html

Our favorite flunkie sidekick mascot speaks! "Iran will bring down the West!"

Ooooh, Mama, me so scared over here. Now settle down and go get me another beer, lackey.

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSDAH65258120090716?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true

Only a leftist could make the wealthy appear somewhat sympathetic.

"Terrifying 57% tax looms for biggest earners" if Majesty's health care reform legislation becomes law.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07162009/news/regionalnews/dem_health_rx_a_poion_pill_in_ny_179525.htm

And just for good measure, let's slam small business owners and entrepreneurs too -- we need to take what you've earned and let it trickle down (errrr!, restribute it), through massive spending and ultra liberal legislation, to us poor feeble-minded white men from towns of 9000 who listen to country music.

Health care reform bill: Hey Majesty, what's the rush?

His Majesty has purported to set an August 7, 2009 deadline for Congress to pass a health care reform bill (House dems unveiled their version of the bill yesterday). And dems are talking about the possibility, if necessary, of a strictly 60-40 party line vote on a health care reform bill in the Senate.

So what's the big rush? Actually, many of us know precisely what the rush is. His Majesty wants to ram-rod right down our throats every piece of massive ultra left-wing legislation that he possibly can before his poll numbers drop much further (low polls = high public pressure on dems in Congress not to vote for Majesty's bills). Cap-and-trade is another one that Majesty desperately wants to force through the Senate in the very near future. A second stimulus bill will probably be the next monster to creep out of the swamp.

And be sure to look for Majesty and the dems to choreograph as many distractions as they can over the next month to try to keep your attention off of these bills. You can expect, for example, more of the Pelosi/CIA soap opera, more talk about investigating Bush administration officials, and more efforts to keep fringe right-wingers like Palin and Slimebaugh at the top of the headlines. People, the world view of liberals is basically to think that you are an idiot. So don't be one -- recognize what's going on in Washington right now, and recognize the dangerous state of affairs that's been created as a result of one-party control of the entire federal government.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a4.kYDWV9erc

Goodbye My Darlin', Hello Socialism.

Today comes word that His Majesty is considering a plan for the federal government to make mortgage payments for homeowners who can't afford their payments (or, alternatively, a possible "rental option" under which some such homeowners would turn over ownership -- presumably to the federal government -- and start paying rent). "As a part of this plan, jobless borrowers would cannot keep up with their home loans might receive a housing stipend along with regular unemployment benefits."

Meantime, the proposed health care reform bill unveiled by House dems today will include a surtax on millionaires of 5.4%, which is 3% higher than the surtax previously discussed by the dems. And apparently only members of the upper class (those making more than $350,000 annually) will be paying any surtaxes under the dems' bill.

I will give Majesty credit for one thing: When he says "redistribution of wealth," by God he means it. And to think that I used to scoff at all the right-wingers who called Majesty a socialist. Them days be over.

http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN1429265720090714?rpc=77

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/14/house-democrats-unveil-health-care-obama-prods-senate-quicker-action/

Can You Take Me Higher???

Today the federal budget deficit tops $1 Trillion for the first time.

High Enough.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/07/13/federal-budget-deficit-tops-trillion-time/

CNN.com today: "Anderson Cooper interviews Obama in castle".

...which cries out for a very simple response: Where else?

M-a-j-e-s-t-y! M-a-j-e-s-t-y!

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/13/interviewing-president-obama-in-ghana/

GO **** YOURSELF! Gosh, now I feel a lot better.

A new UK study (link below) finds that getting angry, cursing up a storm, and ranting and raving actually have positive effects upon the swearer, such as reducing pain, increasing pain tolerance and "self-regulating the emotions" (whatever that means). So from now on, I'm not even going to give it a second thought; rather, I'm just going to let the expletives fly!

http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/13/bleep-that-hurts/

What's the plan, man? Four more American troops dead today in Afghanistan.

And all we get from His Majesty today is just more of the same in the form of vague, superficial references to "our mission" in Afghanistan -- a "mission" that has never been clearly articulated or explained to the American people. Meantime, we just continue to ratchet up troop levels over in that absolute hellhole and continue to lose American troops seemingly on a daily basis. "Change we can believe in"? No, just more of the same.

And unlike the hypocritical American left -- which by and large refuses to say a word about Afghanistan since wars without objectives are O.K. to the left as long as a democrat is in the white house -- you won't hear me shutting up about this stuff.

http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE56A2Q420090712?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews&rpc=22&sp=true

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hvWEqwq3CrRvaQCmt21MfoYhjZJQD99CUNLG0

Mixed Messages: Confusing, contradictory statements regarding the economy, courtesy of His Majesty.

Follow me through the progression of contradictory and confusing statements from Majesty & His Court:

1. February 2009: We are told by the White House that the first stimulus bill was absolutely necessary in order to remedy an economy (of course "inherited" by His Majesty -- they always throw that word in) that was the "worst since the Great Depression."

2. 7/1/09: His Majesty, in his best Bush "Mission Accomplished" impersonation, declares and ordains that the first stimulus bill has "done it's job."

3. 7/2/09: But the next day, the 9.5% unemployment figure comes out -- so much for Mission Accomplished.

4. 7/5/09: Biden goes on Sunday morning TV and says that the White House "misread" how bad the recession and economy were back in February when the first stimulus bill was enacted. Gee, that's funny, since you seemed to have a firm handle on that issue in February when you said this was the worst economy since the Great Depression.

5. 7/7/09: One of His Majesty's advisors says that the first stimulus bill was a "bit too small" and that the U.S. should consider drafting a second stimulus bill. The statements of the advisor, Biden the day before, and other dems last week were basically their attempt at an initial trial balloon on the notion of a second stimulus bill.

6. Today, 7/11/09: His Majesty is back to the Mission Accomplished rhetoric, proclaiming that the first stimulus bill "has worked as intended" (link below).

Now, is it too much to ask for just an ounce of honesty and consistency from Majesty and his handlers? I'm frankly sick of the morass of seemingly contradictory statements and mixed messages. Is this "transparency"? Is this "change we can believe in"? Seems like just a lot more of the same to me, with the only difference being that this time it's coming out of the far left instead of the Neo-Cons. Same difference, as far as I'm concerned.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a0StZd9y2rCY

Hey Newsweek: I'm Catholic. And an Independent. And Barack Obama does not represent me at all.

And it has little to do with the Pope, as explained and detailed nearly every day in this space. (Newsweek article: "Without a Doubt: Why Barack Obama represents American catholics better than the pope does").

http://www.newsweek.com/id/205961

The New Jacko!

The endless coverage of Sarah Palin this week by both the right-slanted and left-slanted mainstream media has been deplorable. I'm actually now more sick of hearing about her than I am of hearing about Jacko. As far as I am concerned, this woman is DONE (stick a fork in her) in terms of any ability to credibly run for president or a national office given her performance any time she's asked to think and speak on her feet and given that she quit on her gubernatorial term in Alaska. So enough already! I realize how much you HATE her, far left, and I realize how much FoxNews LOVES her for both her right-wing ideology and her celebrity, but ENOUGH! Most of us no longer care, and/or certainly don't care enough to watch this kind of wall-to-wall Jacko-type B.S. coverage. Act like journalists, and not jackasses, maybe just perhaps for once in your lives, mainstream media.

Postscript: I watched some loon named Sally Quinn (Washington Post -- a very credible source these days) tonight on O'Reilly delivering the same tired far left talking points about how Bristol Palin "is fair game for everything under the sun" since she dared to express a viewpoint on the merits of abstinence with respect to a teenage female. Tell me something, Quinn, you ultra-liberal freak, did Bristol "open herself up" and "just invite" widely disseminated comments (defended by your ilk) about her being knocked up by some greedy womanizing steroid freak, as well as all the other vile, evil, hateful, wholly mean-spirited comments (having nothing to do with the merits of the abstinence issue) that I read coming out of the far left blogosphere towards Bristol? Hey Sally, why don't you go **** yourself.

One toke over the line, sweet Jesus.

A new CNN poll today reports that most Americans say His Majesty's cigarette smoking does not change their view of him. I'm in the majority on this one too. I really don't give a rat's behind about Majesty's smoking, although I would like to see him quit just for his own better health. And kids: Never chew tobacco either.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/10/cnn-poll-do-american-care-if-obama-smokes/

Oba-ttoming out; Independents not happy with His Majesty.

Reports Politico's Ben Smith: "In a potentially alarming trend for the White House, independent voters are deserting President Barack Obama nationally and especially in key swing states, recent polls suggest."

That's correct -- it seems that plummeting support from Independents has been a key factor (or perhaps the key factor) in Majesty's rapidly diminishing approval ratings, as reported by Gallup and Rasmussen in the last 18 hours. Gallup late yesterday had Majesty's overall approval rating at a new low of 56%, while Majesty's Rasmussen numbers were even lower. Rasmussen this morning has Majesty's disapproval rating up to 48%, with only 51% of voters saying they somewhat approve or strongly approve of Majesty's job performance. Further, Rasmussen has Majesty's Presidential Approval Index rating at a new low of minus 8, meaning that only 30% of voters strongly approve of his job performance while 38% strongly disapprove of it.

I look at these trends, and they tend only to mirror the sentiments that this Independent has himself held in recent weeks. I did not vote for His Majesty (nor for McCain), and I knew what we were dealing with when he came into office, i.e. likely the most liberal American president in history. And to be sure, that's precisely how Majesty has governed -- absolutely nothing "moderate" or "centrist" about it. Given that I am not a liberal, I've disagreed with many of Majesty's words, positions and policies from day one, but it's truly been only recently that Majesty, in combination with his agents in Congress, has really sparked some genuine anger from me. The final straw for me was the cap-and-trade fiasco in the House. Ram-rodding that massive 1300 page bill right down our throats, with 300 pages thrown in at the last minute, and with no one reading the bill before voting on it (they didn't have time!!!) -- that was it for me. These dems in Washington, His Majesty included, are completely out of control right now and are not representing me nor the majority of the people of this country in any appreciable fashion. The people who did vote for Majesty last fall were trying to vote for change, but they were not voting for this.

A final thought: His Majesty's White House still seems remarkably oblivious to the ongoing shift in Independent approval. As Politico reported, "the White House denies there's any real shift [in Independents]." Of course, that could just be B.S., but I'm not so sure: I've not seen anything from the White House indicating any recognizion whatsoever of the current Independent unrest. Instead, it's just full steam ahead trying to force every possible huge government and huge spending measure through the Congress like there was no tomorrow. And if it continues, I'm frankly not sure what kind of tomorrow we're really going to have to look forward to (sorry Jeeves for ending a sentence on a preposition).

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/0709/Independents_on_the_move.html
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll

This looks like Hell.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,530801,00.html

...That, or some long lost Apocalypse Now outtake. The current numbers in Afghanistan? 57,000 American troops on the ground. 68,000 to be there by year's end. More troops dying seemingly every day. And still no explanation from His Majesty as to the plan we're purportedly trying to follow over there or why we need to continue to ratchet up troop levels. And, Majesty, why is one of your Generals saying today that we "don't necessarily need more [U.S.] troops" in Afghanistan (yet we keep sending more), but rather that we need to have more Afghan forces involved? (A statement, by the way, which makes no sense to me on its face, but I digress.) So what's the plan, Majesty? I think you owe us an explanation (as I've been stating for at least a few months). The American left has largely run for the hills on this issue, but I won't.

Hey libs: Trigger, Trigger, Trigger!

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2009/07/08/emanuel-faces-liberal-pressure-over-trigger-comments/

Trigger, Trigger, Trigger!