Confirmed -- Obama Threw Israel Under The Bus In Less Then 24 Hours

Amazingly, it has taken less than 24 hours before Barack Obama started backtracking on one key part of his speech to AIPAC Wednesday -- the part that brought the crowd to its feet cheering - that Jerusalem should remain the undivided capital of Israel.

Obama came to AIPAC Wednesday. Did he conquer? Certainly some in the audience seemed willing to forget everything that had caused them concern about the presumptive Democratic nominee, once he gave a well-delivered speech that backtracked from many of his prior positions on Iraq, Iran , the Israeli Palestinian conflict, and missile defense, to name but a few.

Now the Obama campaign is saying, never mind, we did not really mean that. Jerusalem is a final status issue subject to negotiation between the parties. This severely damages his credibility. Can anyone really believe at this point that Obama stands by everything else he said in the talk?

Why anyone would believe Obama will stick to anything he said longer then a few months is beyond me.
DKK
American Thinker Blog -- Obama and AIPAC: A Delicate Dance

ISS -- Crew Can Safely Pee, oh and, Kibo Lab Opened!

Crew members have fixed a toilet at the International Space Station with a pump delivered by the shuttle Discovery.

After three tests, the toilet appeared to be working, according to an update from US space agency Nasa.

The toilet's urine collection unit had been broken, meaning that astronauts had to operate a pump manually.

Astronauts also opened a Japanese laboratory Kibo, which will be used for the study of biomedicine and material sciences at the station.

Discovery arrived at the space station on Monday after a two-day voyage.

DKK

BBC

He Has Ambition, But Is Frighteningly Inexperienced

Surprisingly, discussing the Obama piece of the puzzle, he volunteered that it was Obama's ambition combined with his lack of experience that troubled him most about the man's candidacy. He basically repeated every concern I had been kicking around in my head while riding downtown. And I hadn't mentioned my thinking to Roger first.

For what it's worth, that coincidence tells me there's something to this whole "ambition combined with a lack of experience" thing as regards Obama. Given that his positions, the little we actually know of them, are stock in trade Democratic Party, though perhaps a bit more leftist, a great many mostly moderate voters might just end up asking themselves, "Why on earth does this man want to be President?" come November.

If they do and the only real answer they can come up with is ambition, Barack Obama is most likely going to fall short of the oval prize he seems to have fixed so prematurely in his relatively young and inexperienced eyes.

DKK

Riehl World View -- Obama: Is Ambition Enough?

Obama-Moses or Obama-God?

According to the Hebrew Bible, Moses enlisted divine assistance to part the Red Sea and allow the Jews to pass through it. King Canute is known to legend as the monarch whose courtiers persuaded him he could command the seas to go back. He is also known as the king who could not stop the sea but stemmed the Viking tide. And now Barack Obama claims the possession of powers that leave them in the dust.

At the end of his victory speech last night in St. Paul, Obama declared that we would be able to look back on his election to the presidency as "the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal." Lest you think this seems a bit presumptuos, he also noted that he makes this claim "with profound humility, and knowledge of my own limitations."

Powerline -- But Can He Walk On Water?

This Is what Obama promised:

I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.

But what does he really believe?

Barack Obama has made a number of questionable statements, including a recent pronouncement in which he seems to count moral values by how well they fit his personal choices. If that portrayal is accurate, then rarely have we seen so self-centered and self-serving a candidate who won his party's nomination to become President of the United States. The office is an exceptionally demanding one, and it often requires a selfless individual to do the job right, so whether Mr. Obama is the delusional narcissist he appears to be is an important question.

To address that question, I went looking for the whole interview from which the damning statement was taken. It turns out that in 2004, a reporter with the Chicago Sun-Times spoke at length with Mister Obama about his beliefs. Cathleen Falsani posted the interview in whole on her blog, "The Dude Abides".

Ahem. A conversation with 'God' in which Barack asks things from himself.

This is compounded by his money quote just a little later:

"GG: Do you believe in sin?
OBAMA: Yes.
GG: What is sin?
OBAMA: Being out of alignment with my values."

Once again, the same signal, that Obama serves as his own god. He reinforces that, when asked about when he thinks he is most spiritually aligned:

"It's when I'm being true to myself."

Himself. Not God, himself. And that is a clear warning to everyone who trusts the real God.

Wizbang -- The First 'I Am My Own God' President?

DKK

Obama Slips, Throws Israel Under The Bus Already!

"Israel's security is sacrosanct. It is nonnegotiable," he said. He backed a Palestinian state that is "contiguous and cohesive," but also said any agreement must "preserve Israel's identity as a Jewish state, with secure, recognized and defensible borders. Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided," he said.

Obama in his AIPAC speech.

How exactly can you have a contiguous Palestinian state? The only way I can think of is to give them part of Israel.
DKK
Detroit News

Obama Promises Unwaivering Support For Wright, um, Israel!

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama pledges support for Israel: “I can no more disown Israel than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown Israel than I can my white grandmother.”

1. Might want to work on that whole loyalty thing. Still, point for Obama.

Might want to see how much space is left under that bus!

DKK

Don Surber -- Daily Scoreboard

Obama Throws Palestinians Under Bus

Palestinian activist, Ali Abunimah, discussed Barack Obama's overnight switch from Pro-Palestinian activist to supporter of Israel.

ALI ABUNIMAH: I don’t know if they’ve been asked in a debate, but whenever they have been asked, they have all gone out of their way to express full support for what Israel is doing. Barack Obama is not distinguished from the rest of the pack, except by for how far he has moved to try to appease AIPAC and pro-Israel movements.

I remember, Amy—I knew Barack Obama for many years as my state senator—when he used to attend events in the Palestinian community in Chicago all the time.

I remember personally introducing him onstage in 1999, when we had a major community fundraiser for the community center in Deheisha refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. And that’s just one example of how Barack Obama used to be very comfortable speaking up for and being associated with Palestinian rights and opposing the Israeli occupation. And just yesterday, he apparently sent a letter to Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador at the UN, to urge the US not to allow any resolution to pass criticizing Israel and saying how Israel was forced to impose this barbaric medieval siege on Israel.
Video At Link

It looks like Obama's Fabled Judgment™ * strikes again!
(* ™ -- Obama's Judgment is so famous, accurate, and prescient it is clear it has to be trademarked!)
DKK
Gateway Pundit -- BREAKING: Devastating Video Discovery-- Obama Associate Talks About His Pro-Palestinian Background

Obama Is Not A New Politician, He's The Same Old, Same Old.

From The Chicago Trib a year ago:

“My philosophy was that, if money was being distributed, then it would be inappropriate for me to not get my share for my district,”

Meanwhile Senator McCain has $0 in earmarks.

Who is the real Change™.
DKK
Say Anything Blog -- Change™ = Politics As Usual!

Iraq On The Frontline Of TheTerror War

Gulf News: “New agreement lets US strike any country from inside Iraq.”

The past 5 years in Iraq have shortened the war against jihadists immeasurably.

The Clintonian ignore-it-and-it-will-go-away response to the bombing of the USS Cole has given way to taking the war to the enemy.

We kept Iraq from being a safe haven for terrorists.

Soon, Iraq will be a safe haven for those who go after the terrorists.

Basil Adas of Gulf News reported:

Under the agreement, Iraqi security institutions such as Defence, Interior and National Security ministries, as well as armament contracts, will be under American supervision for ten years.

The agreement is also likely to give American forces permanent military bases in the country, as well as the right to move against any country considered to be a threat against world stability or acting against Iraqi or American interests.

To answer the limp question from the left as to what Iraq has to do with the War on Terror: Everything.

DKK
Don Surber -- Why Iraq

Rockford Bloggers Update June 5, 2008

Here is an update on the Rockford Area Bloggers. If you are a Rockford area blogger or know of one let me know so I can add them to these updates. I would encourage you to visit them all!

The List:

• Drunken Wisdon -- A blogger from Stillman Valley (my old stompin grounds).
• Back to The Batcave
• Veritas Vos Liberat A Catholic blog blogging from and about the Rockford Diocese.
• One For The Road appears to be a lady from nearby in Wisconsin.
  
• Bad Example
• The Splatter Zone aka, Raging Mom.
• Smiling Dynamite, last updated December 29, 2007.
• Phil Pash still blogging.
• Notes In The Key Of Life is the blog of Cindy Swanson. She updates most days.
• Miasmatic Review
• X-Ray Spex is a cartoonist, I think (Catwoman).
• SisterTalk liberal lesbian from S. Wisconsin.
• Power and Control is strongly supporting Democracy in Iraq and has a banner you can add to your blog here.
• The Rock River Chapter of the American Red Cross has a blog.
• Lutheranlady has some inspiring sermons.
• The Bob Files Belvidere, loves dem Bucs!
• Angry Republican Mom
• Snug Harbor
• Purple Medical Blog - Medical Info, some good stuff.
• T1Rex - Telecom Tech - some really great tech stuff.

I dropped the following due to inactivity: Rockford Area Affordable Housing Coalition, Mrs. Blue, Ryan Packer, Phil's Observations, The Speed Shop - The Bodyshop Blog, Tammi's World, Thermidor Rising, In The Mind of Malar , Brainspinning, and The Rockford Rascal .

The list is mainly from searches but it is really hard to find them so if you are a Rockford area blogger or know of one let me know so I can add them to these updates. There have to be more of us out there!
DKK

Senate Democrats Break Their Promise -- Republicans Keep Theirs

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell used the element of surprise today to follow through on a promise he's made to fellow conservatives for quite some time. Either the Democrats were going to give President Bush's judicial nominees, especially ones for the Appellate Court level, the same treatment given to previous administrations, or things were going to start moving very slowly in the Senate. Harry Reid's most recent broken deal with McConnell was to confirm three of Bush's nominees by the Memorial Day recess. It didn't happen.

Today, just before 1PM in the East, Harry Reid took to the floor for the purpose of substituting a 491-page amendment by Barbara Boxer on the Climate Change bill currently being discussed. The clerk read the title of the bill, which is customary. Senator Reid asked that the reading of the bill be ended so time could be divvied out and the matter discussed on the floor, which is again very customary. Mitch McConnell then objected to the suspension of the reading of the bill, much to Reid's surprise and amazement. (Video at link)

All day the Democrats tried to get the reading of the bill waived and all day the Republicans objected. Later in the day Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) asked Harry Reid about the promise and why he had been given word the deal was off.

The Democrats treatment of Republican judicial nominees has been disgraceful.
DKK
Hugh Hewitt -- Judicial Nominations Day Of Reckoning Comes To The Senate

Winning Iraq -- Fingers Crossed!

A spokesman for U.S. forces in Iraq on Wednesday said that a further withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq is on the cards, reiterating his country's assertions that negotiations with Iraq on the long-term security agreement are moving forward.

"Four of the five brigades, which were added to the Multi-National Force (MNF) in Iraq in June 2007, have pulled out. In July 2008, the remaining brigade, along with two Marine battalions, will follow suit," General Kevin Bergner said during a Baghdad-based press conference today.

Bergner said that a further troop withdrawal will be possible after commanders submit their reports about the progress of the security situation to the top commander.

A loss in Iraq is not an acceptable option in the War On Terror, the left doesn't understand that and never will.
DKK
Gateway Pundit -- US Spokesman Announces Further Troop Cuts From Iraq

Running From Judgment -- Rezko -- Obama Got Another One Wrong

Barack Obama has known Tony Rezko for 18 years, worked with him for quite a few years and has accepted at least $200,000 in campaign contributions from him.

Yesterday following the conviction of Tony Rezko on 16 of the 24 corruption charges against him Obama said:

I�m saddened by today�s verdict. This isn�t the Tony Rezko I knew, but now he has been convicted by a jury on multiple charges that once again shine a spotlight on the need for reform. I encourage the General Assembly to take whatever steps are necessary to prevent these kinds of abuses in the future.�

This guy, Obama, is the guy who got a negative score on his famous, "Dumb War," speech.

The same guy who who said this about Reverend Writht:

"I've known Rev. Wright for almost 20 years. The person that I saw yesterday was not the person I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive, but I believe that they end up giving comfort to those who prey on hate, and I believe that they do not portray accurately the perspective of the black church."

After sitting in this man's church and having a personal relationship with him for those 20 years.

Why is it that any person alive believes that Barack Obama has the judgment necessary to set the proper priorities, put the proper people in position, and take the actions necessary to run this country?
DKK
Quotes thanks to Gabriel Malor blogging at Ace -- Obama Is a Freakin' Idiot and His Followers Are Even Dumber

Manufacturing Increases Thanks To Exports

Orders to U.S. factories unexpectedly jumped in April, led by demand for petroleum and chemicals, signaling purchases from abroad are helping sustain manufacturing.

The 1.1 percent increase followed a 1.5 percent gain in March that was higher than previously estimated, the Commerce Department said today in Washington. Bookings excluding cars and airplanes climbed 2.6 percent for a second month.

Increases in categories such as machinery and electrical equipment indicate a weaker dollar is making American-made goods more attractive to overseas buyers, helping to keep some factories running. Still, soaring costs for raw materials and a cooling in consumer and business spending will prevent manufacturing from strengthening in coming months.

DKK
Bloomberg

Rezko Guilty

A prominent fundraiser for Sen. Barack Obama and Gov. Rod Blagojevich was convicted Wednesday of fraud and money laundering after a high-profile federal trial provided an unusually detailed glimpse of the pay-to-play politics that has made Illinois infamous.

Antoin "Tony" Rezko, 52, showed no emotion as the jury delivered a mixed verdict that found him guilty of scheming with the government's star witness to get kickbacks out of money management firms wanting state business, but acquitted him of charges that included attempted extortion.

U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald told reporters the verdict represented "an antidote to the poison of corruption" that trial testimony alleged included the fixing of state boards that controlled a $40 billion pension fund and made major decisions about hospital construction.

DKK
CBS 2 Chicago

As The Earth Cools Eco-Wacko's Heads Explode

Confirming what many of us have already noted from the anecdotal evidence coming in of a much cooler than normal May, such as late spring snows as far south as Arizona, extended skiing in Colorado, and delays in snow cover melting in many parts of the northern hemisphere, the University of Alabama, Huntsville (UAH) published their satellite derived Advanced Microwave Sounder Unit data set of the Lower Troposphere for May 2008.

It is significantly colder globally, colder even than the significant drop to -0.046°C seen in January 2008.

The global ∆T from April to May 2008 was -.195°C

UAH
2008 1 -0.046
2008 2 0.020
2008 3 0.094
2008 4 0.015
2008 5 -0.180

Compared to the May 2007 value of 0.199°C we find a 12 month ∆T is -.379°C.

But even more impressive is the change since the last big peak in global temperature in January 2007 at 0.594°C, giving a 16 month ∆T of -0.774°C which is equal in magnitude to the generally agreed upon “global warming signal” of the last 100 years.

(Temperature Chart 1979 to current at link)

DKK

Watts Up With That -- UAH: Global Temperature Dives in May