Obama Helicopter Security Breached: Report
<p>A company that monitors peer-to-peer file-sharing networks has discovered a potentially serious security breach involving President Barack Obama’s helicopter, NBC affiliate WPXI in Pittsburgh reported Saturday.</p>
Taylor Marsh: Rush’s Ramblings at CPAC
by Taylor Marsh
I moved to the D.C. area just in time for CPAC. Saturday didn’t disappoint, in that watching the circus go by sort of way. (Tweets here)
I got there in time for Ann Coulter who delivered a performance of one liners with little in between. That’s not my review, but what I heard around me: “No substance, but she’s comical.” But she delivers it effortlessly. Talking about the names Lincoln was called back in his day, Ann brought it up to date: “If only Al Sharpton was around (Lincoln) would have known he was a victim of racism.” When talking about President Johnson, Coulter stopped in mid-sentence, remembering the youth of the crowd, telling the “whippersnappers” they’d have to look him up, but it was a doozy. Stating that most in the crowd don’t even remember Bill Clinton. Then it was back to Obama: They keep comparing him to Reagan. Evidently they don’t have a Democratic president to compare.
Coulter was followed by David Horowitz and company ranting about Hollywood, including Robert Davi, who was introduced as an actor whose career was in jeopardy because he’s a right-wing conservative. No one told the CPAC crowd that Davi’s career ended a long time ago. But who knows, maybe he can do for himself what turning full wingnut did for Dennis Miller.
The hilarity began early, especially when David Bosse paid insulting tribute to Michael Moore, then credited Moore with giving him a career. That’s when the “recovering European” duo of Ann McElhinny and Phelim McAleer went into a diatribe against Al Gore trying to hawk the film they’d completed, which amounted to showing clips of pure fiction where global warming is concerned. I thought their segment would never end, especially once they started using English school children to sell their celluloid.
But it was when Niger Innes took the stage that the big ring circus lights came on. Not only was he prepared with lots of juicy Dem hating red meat, but he paved the way for the main attraction, Rush Limbaugh.
If anyone was wondering who is the Republican beacon of the Republicans, watching the CPAC crowd react put all doubts to rest.
For the first ten minutes Rush was on fire. He posted the script, but it hardly gives the atmospherics, which tilted towards the bizarre almost immediately. Whatever polish Ann Coulter provided, Rush delivered none of it. Maybe she can give him some pointers if he does this again, which he seemed to hint at at one point in the speech. But it sure helps when the crowd adores you so that whatever faults you have are ignored.
Like almost immediately something manifested that looked horribly wrong. Rush was sweating profusely and fidgeting like he was about to come out of his skin. The room was very cold, with people around me shivering, putting on their coats, while Rush proclaimed how hot it was. It’s doubtful the lights on Rush made the difference. It had to be nerves. Well, why not? He sits in his EIB studio bubble every day. Now he’s in front of everyone, including being televised on cable, as he mentioned continually until not even his audience was laughing at the joke anymore. He was actually face to face with real, live people. But whatever he delivered it wasn’t a speech. More like a steam of conscious babble, just like he does on radio, though there were no commercials to mercifully break the blather. Honestly, I expected much more.
But one moment was utterly stunning. It was when Rush and the entire CPAC audience took the time and effort to malign John Kerry’s service to this country, even laughing at the mention of Vietnam. Rush’s disrespect for the military dripped off the very mention of Kerry’s name. It was disgraceful. For a crew who professes to respect the military, at every turn Republicans reveal their disdain for our troops, especially if they’re Democrats. It’s the same with Republican military policy, which has strung our forces out and depleted our reserves.
But I’m really at a loss of what to make of Rush’s performance on the whole. It was a rambling, sometimes incoherent, self-indulgent mess. There was something pathetically insecure about the lack of structure to the speech, but also Rush’s herky jerky, sweat wiping, water drinking, fist bumping, awkward pauses, note looking, never ending regurgitation of what Rush thought everyone had to hear. Because he was addressing the nation, you know, which he repeated so many times he even got sick of it.
Still, make no mistake about it. Being on the outs fires people up and the CPAC crowd, most of them college students, were definitely fired up.
But who’s going to lead them? Rush, who won the media straw poll? Mitt Romney, who won the candidate poll?
The only loser was Sean Hannity. Glenn Beck beat him out for media favorite, placing behind Rush. Glenn Beck. Ouch.
Arianna Huffington: Sunday Roundup
<p>When given the choice between having Barack Obama reach across the aisle to work with the GOP or pursue the policies he advanced during his campaign, a significant majority of Americans want him to stick to his guns (<a rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank” href=”http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/president-obama/poll-majority-doesnt-want-obama-to-be-bipartisan/”>56 percent to 39 percent)</a>. And 79 percent of the public wants Republicans to drop the partisanship and work with Obama. No wonder Obama seems to be driving Republicans over the edge, with Tom DeLay <a rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank” href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaaKCY-ZR8g”>calling</a> the president’s address to Congress “insane,” John Bolton <a rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank” href=”http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2009/02/john-bolton-cpac-benefits-nuking-chicago”>cracking jokes</a> about the nuclear annihilation of Chicago, and Bobby Jindal using his time in the spotlight <a rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank” href=”http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-02-25/jindals-eruption-of-hot-gas/”>to rave</a> — inaccurately — about wasteful “volcano monitoring” programs. You know times are tough for Republicans when the highlight of CPAC is a <a rel=”nofollow” target=”_blank” href=”http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/27/jonathan-krohn-13-year-ol_n_170642.html”>two-minute speech</a> delivered by a 13-year old.</p>
Obama Reaches Outside The Bubble
<p>Obama has learned during his first 40 days in the White House that he must fight to preserve such direct connections to the citizens he leads. Obama’s life as president is outsourced to about 25 assistants, 25 deputy assistants and 50 special assistants who act as a massive siphon to control the information that reaches his desk and schedule the meetings and public appearances that shape his days. A correspondence staff sorts through his mail and selects the 10 letters that he reads. Three calligraphers write his invitations and thank-you notes. Two “body men” follow him in lockstep to carry his jacket, supply his ChapStick and place his telephone calls. </p>
Lee Stranahan: Why Limbaugh Is Right to Oppose Obama’s Economic Policies
<p>Radio talk show host Rush Limbaugh wants Barack Obama’s econimic policies to fail. He said it, he said it again, and he said it again at CPAC. Limbaugh was quickly accused of treason, more or less, and now he says he doesn’t understand what all the outrage is about. All he said was that he hopes the economic recovery plan fails.</p> <p>Why is this suprising? I’m not stunned that conservatives oppose President Obama’s economic policies. Actually, I wouldn’t have it any other way.</p> <p>El Rushbo didn’t stop there, of course. Limbaugh went on at CPAC to suggest that liberals opposed to the war in Iraq wanted the war to <b>fail</b>. Oh, shock and outrage!!!</p> <p>Well, guess what? You’re damn right I wanted the Iraq war to fail. </p> <p>Yeah, I said it.</p> <p>I think I’m not supposed to say that out loud because then I’m supposed to be afraid that I’ll be accused of hating America and wanting troops to die. So maybe I should rephrase that tenderly and with great care….</p> <p><i>”I wanted the Bush policy on Iraq to fail because the war and the ideas it was based were in complete opposition to my basic principals about how The United States should use its wealth and power. However, I was hoping that a magic genie would be found in Baghad that would create a situation where Bush’s policies didn’t work but with no loss of life, damage to property, expense or harm to our nation’s reputation.”</i></p> <p>The problem is – I’m not Bobby Jindal so I don’t believe in magic.</p> <p>So I repeat – damn right I wanted the Iraq war to fail. </p> <p>Not because I hate our country or hate the troops but for the exact opposite reason – because I love my country and I value the lives of the people sworn to protect it. If you opposed the war, I bet you feel the same way. Now, fasten your seatbelt while I go a step further.</p> <p>I believe that Limbaugh wants the President to fail because he loves the country, too. </p> <p>Let me explain with a specific example from the war: torture. I didn’t want torture to succeed. That’s not because I pray for a world populated by terrorists devoid of fear or the ability to feel pain.</p> <p>No, I wanted torture to fail because I can’t bear the idea of a world where America tortures people because ‘it works.’ That’s not America to me.</p> <p>I assume Rush Limbaugh feels the same way, more or less, about the President’s economic plan. I bet he simply can’t bear the idea of a world where massive government spending is effective and therefore popular because ‘it works.’</p> <p>The trick here is not to jump to conclusions. This is where so many fail, both liberal and conservative. They can’t just accept a person’s statement as it stands. They need to embellish it with accusations of treason. It’s wrong to leap from “I oppose policies that I’m opposed to” to “I want people to suffer and die.”</p> <p>Of course, this very thing was done to Candidate Obama during the election. It’s been done to all Democratic candidates for years and by people like Limbaugh. Well, not just people like Limbaugh but by Limbaugh himself, obviously.</p> <p>The real crime Rush Limbaugh should be called out on isn’t for his opposition to liberal policies – because, duh – but for being such total hypocrite. His bread and butter for years has been forming ridiculous conclusions based on purposely distorting his opponent’s statements. He could give it but he can’t take it. </p> <p>But just because accusing our political opponents of treason is a tactic that Republicans have used with glee for years doesn’t mean it’s something that Democrats should adopt. It’s wrong and it’s counterproductive.</p> <p>I have no problem stating the simple truth -conservatives like Limbaugh love America just as much as liberals do. That’s not the issue. The real problem gets lost in all the sound and fury – we just have different ideas of what America means.</p> <p>Since I’ll be accused by conservatives of being part of the ‘blame America’ crowd, let me be clear – there’s a deep ideological split in this country and I blame America.</p> <p>We’re a complex nation; big, sprawling and full of contradictions. Just looking at the personalities of our forefathers from the pious prudish Pilgrams to libertines like self-help guru / orgy attendee Ben Franklin explains a lot about why the country that we love is such a messy mass of mixed messages to this very day. We had founders like Jefferson who simultaneously wrote stirring words of freedom and owned slaves. Small wonder part of our manifest destiny was the two party system and CNN’s <i>Crossfire</i>. Don’t blame Michael Moore and Ann Coulter. It’s America’s fault. The whole country and our rich jambalaya of history.</p> <p>We’re complicated. Deal with it. The thing we can do to get along better isn’t to expect to agree on things. Forget that. But we can agree to disagree without the pointless added bullshit playacting of pretending disagreement is treason. The healthy conflict of views on our homeland is as American as Christian TV preachers involved in gay sex scandals.</p> <p>It’s a war of ideas. Bring it on, Rush,. We’ll keep the light on for you.</p>
Iraqi leaders welcome U.S. withdrawal plan
Iraqi leaders are applauding President Obama’s plan to withdraw most U.S. troops from the country by August 2010.
Obama’s Backing Raises New Hopes For Global Pact On Climate Change
<p>But within weeks of taking office, President Obama has radically shifted the global equation, placing the United States at the forefront of the international climate effort and raising hopes that an effective international accord might be possible. Mr. Obama’s chief climate negotiator, Todd Stern, said last week that the United States would be involved in the negotiation of a new treaty — to be signed in Copenhagen in December — “in a robust way.”</p>
Iraqi Leaders Applaud US Troop Withdrawal Plan
<p>Iraqi leaders are applauding President Obama’s plan to withdraw most U.S. troops from the country by August 2010.</p>
Somali leader accedes to demand for sharia law
Somali President Sharif Sheikh Hassan said Saturday he will give in to a rebel demand that he impose Islamic law, or sharia, in an effort to halt fighting between Somali forces and Islamic insurgents.
Paul Harvey Dies Aged 90
CHICAGO — Paul Harvey, the news commentator and talk-radio pioneer whose staccato style made him one of the nation’s most familiar voices, died Saturday in Arizona, according to ABC Radio Networks. He was 90.
Harvey died surrounded by family at a hospital in Phoenix, where he had a winter home, said Louis Adams, a spokesman for ABC Radio Networks, where Harvey worked for more than 50 years. No cause of death was immediately available.
Harvey had been forced off the air for several months in 2001 because of a virus that weakened a vocal cord. But he returned to work in Chicago and was still active as he passed his 90th birthday. His death comes less than a year after that of his wife and longtime producer, Lynne.
“My father and mother created from thin air what one day became radio and television news,” Paul Harvey Jr. said in a statement. “So in the past year, an industry has lost its godparents and today millions have lost a friend.”
Known for his resonant voice and trademark delivery of “The Rest of the Story,” Harvey had been heard nationally since 1951, when he began his “News and Comment” for ABC Radio Networks.
He became a heartland icon, delivering news and commentary with a distinctive Midwestern flavor. “Stand by for news!” he told his listeners. He was credited with inventing or popularizing terms such as “skyjacker,” “Reaganomics” and “guesstimate.”
“Paul Harvey was one of the most gifted and beloved broadcasters in our nation’s history,” ABC Radio Networks President Jim Robinson said in a statement. “We will miss our dear friend tremendously and are grateful for the many years we were so fortunate to have known him.”
In 2005, Harvey was one of 14 notables chosen as recipients of the presidential Medal of Freedom. He also was an inductee in the Radio Hall of Fame, as was Lynne.
Former President George W. Bush remembered Harvey as a “friendly and familiar voice in the lives of millions of Americans.”
“His commentary entertained, enlightened, and informed,” Bush said in a statement. “Laura and I are pleased to have known this fine man, and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Harvey composed his twice-daily news commentaries from a downtown Chicago office near Lake Michigan.
Rising at 3:30 each morning, he ate a bowl of oatmeal, then combed the news wires and spoke with editors across the country in search of succinct tales of American life for his program.
At the peak of his career, Harvey reached more than 24 million listeners on more than 1,200 radio stations and charged $30,000 to give a speech. His syndicated column was carried by 300 newspapers.
His fans identified with his plainspoken political commentary, but critics called him an out-of-touch conservative. He was an early supporter of the late Sen. Joseph McCarthy and a longtime backer of the Vietnam War.
Perhaps Harvey’s most famous broadcast came in 1970, when he abandoned that stance, announcing his opposition to President Nixon’s expansion of the war and urging him to get out completely.
“Mr. President, I love you … but you’re wrong,” Harvey said, shocking his faithful listeners and drawing a barrage of letters and phone calls, including one from the White House.
In 1976, Harvey began broadcasting his anecdotal descriptions of the lives of famous people. “The Rest of the Story” started chronologically, with the person’s identity revealed at the end. The stories were an attempt to capture “the heartbeats behind the headlines.” Much of the research and writing was done by his son, Paul Jr.
Harvey also blended news with advertising, a line he said he crossed only for products he trusted.
In 2000, at age 82, he signed a new 10-year contract with ABC Radio Networks.
Harvey was born Paul Harvey Aurandt in Tulsa, Okla. His father, a police officer, was killed when he was a toddler. A high school teacher took note of his distinctive voice and launched him on a broadcast career.
While working at St. Louis radio station KXOK, he met Washington University graduate student Lynne Cooper. He proposed on their first date (she said “no”) and always called her “Angel.” They were married in 1940 and had a son, Paul Jr.
They worked closely together on his shows, and he often credited his success to her influence. She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1997, seven years after her husband was. She died in May 2008.
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On the Net:
http://www.radiohof.org/news/paulharvey.html
