Chuck, Your Bus Is Here

This morning The World’s Most Dangerous Community Organizer stood at the podium in the White House State Dining Room to announce the departure resignation firing of his scapegoat third Secretary of Defense.

The president oozed phony platitudes:

“Last month, Chuck came to me to discuss the final quarter of my presidency and determined that having guided the department through this transition, it was an appropriate time for him to complete his service.” 

“Let me just say that Chuck is and has been a great friend of mine. I’ve known him, admired him and trusted him for nearly a decade since I was a green-behind-the-ears freshman senator and we were both on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.” 

“If there’s one thing I know about Chuck, it’s that he does not make this or any decision lightly. This decision does not come easily to him, but I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have had him by my side for two years.” 

“And I am grateful that Chuck has agreed to stay on until I nominate a successor and that successor is confirmed by the Senate, which means that he’ll continue to guide our troops at this challenging time.”

I never agreed with Hagel’s appointment to that post. During his confirmation hearing he was ripped for his inflammatory remarks about Israel and the “Jewish lobby”, his support for unilateral reductions of U.S. nuclear weapons and his opposition to the surge in Iraq.

Secretary Hagel’s undoing was when he contradicted the regime’s talking points on Islamist militants in Iraq and Syria and the leaked letter he sent to National Security Advisor Susan Rice in which he asserted that Syria’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, was “indirectly benefitting” from an impotent U.S. policy against ISIS.

Only difference between what WH aides are now saying about Hagel and what GOP said at his hearing is WH aides are talking anonymously.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) November 24, 2014

FROM: Every Republican TO: Every Democrat RE: Chuck Hagel We told you so. We told you so. We told you so. We told you so.
— Dan McLaughlin (@baseballcrank) November 24, 2014

As with OCare, the IRS, Benghazi, and Obama in general -- Hagel vindicates conservatives and proves the media subservient lapdogs.
— John Nolte (@NolteNC) November 24, 2014

Photoshop Of The Day: Fraidy Cat Community Organizer

A Learned Fool Is More A Fool Than An Ignorant Fool

I presume the reason there’s not more of a firestorm surrounding this little nugget is because a majority of pundits were focusing on the fractured fairy tales being told during the exclusive interview on “Meet The Press” Sunday with The World’s Most Dangerous Community Organizer.

Donna Brazile, adjunct professor at Georgetown University, political contributor to CNN, ABC and NPR and presidential campaign manager for former Vice President Al Gore, appeared on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos”.

As Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation at the Democratic National Committee, Brazile is mournfully unqualified to pontificate on foreign policy, but that didn’t stop her from weighing in on TWMDCO’s plans for fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

It was obvious that neither Stephanopoulos nor Brazile listened to the president state clearly that he does not expect to ask Congress for approval to act and yet…

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS:  And will he get support, though, from Democrats if he does that, Donna. I see the Democrats are asking for the president to call—to come to Congress, but are they prepared to give him full authorization? 

BRAZILE:   I think some are, but many are not. Look, everybody remembers Iraq. They remember the rush to go into Iraq without an exit strategy. The president has to spell out the mission. I think everyone understands the mission, but he has to spell out exactly what we hope to accomplish. 

The good news is that Secretary Kerry has spoken with the Arab League. They will now take action. And without the support of the Arab League—look, those Arab countries, they have skin in the game. This is a medieval war that we're looking at. The—to establish a caliphate.  I had to ask Bill [Kristol] exactly what that meant.  [Emphasis mine]

But the truth is that the president needs to have the country behind him. Whatever we decide to do, it's going to be tough, it's going to be long, it's going to involve American troops, but it's also going to involve the United States making sure that we can get an international coalition built so that we can solve this problem.

Who’s the “hillbilly” now?

Hey look what @donnabrazile retweeted. pic.twitter.com/O5lqKrsEus
— Cuffé (@CuffyMeh) September 1, 2014

Juxtaposition

The Left Has Gone Utterly Apoplectic Over GOP Campaign Ad

Photo courtesy:  Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal

The lefty websites are squealing in outrage over a campaign ad released yesterday by Republican senatorial candidate Allen Weh who is seeking to unseat New Mexico Democrat Tom Udall.  Political opponents are critical of the web-only ad implying it used a tragedy to promote his campaign.

Coverage of the ad by news outlets from the Washington Post to CNN quickly brought the New Mexico race to the national stage.

Weh is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve.  He began his service as an enlisted Marine before being selected for Officer Candidates School. He served two tours in Vietnam and with the British Royal Marines in Malaysia. Colonel Weh was recalled to active duty during the Persian Gulf War, for the U.S. expedition into Somalia, and to serve as Chief of Staff of Marine Forces Pacific prior to retiring in 1997.

Currently, Udall is leading Weh in the Senate race. The Real Clear Politics polling average shows Udall leading Weh 53 percent to 37 percent.  Perhaps that will change.

All the hub-bub is over a blistering attack by Weh’s campaign on the lack of leadership of both The World’s Most Dangerous Community Organizer and Udall.  An audio clip of Obama promising to be dedicated to his job is interspersed with images of violence abroad and our semi-retired president on vacation.  A cropped image of American journalist James Foley’s murderer is part of the montage.

OBAMA:  You, you give me this office and in turn my fears, doubts, insecurities, foibles, need for sleep, vacations, leisure is gone. 

UDALL:  I know as far as I feel, this diplomatic path that we're on right now is a good one.  

OBAMA:  I’m giving myself to you and the American people should have no patience for whatever is going through your head because you’ve got a job to do.  

UDALL:  I know as far as I feel, this diplomatic path that we're on right now is a good one. 

The ad concludes with these words flashed on the screen:  “To change Washington, you must change your Senator.”

Udall’s campaign was quick to criticize the ad saying, "James Foley’s death is a tragedy, and to use his killer’s horrific image for personal gain in a campaign ad is reprehensible and appalling." 

Udall's campaign manager, Daniel Sena, said in a statement, "If Allen Weh wants to talk about the issues with New Mexico voters he should find a way to do it that is respectful and substantive. Using James Foley’s horrific and tragic death for shock value is offensive to Mr. Foley's family, New Mexico voters and the rest of our country."

“Out of respect for the Foley family, no picture of James Foley was used,” Weh’s campaign manager, Diego Espinoza, said in an email to Politico’s Morning Score. “Tom Udall’s feigned outrage over the inclusion of a now familiar image of this Jihadi terrorist, who is clearly the face of the evil that threatens our nation. Senator Udall’s comments about our diplomacy being ‘good’ reflect his naiveté and inexperience in matters of national security.”

In a telephone interview with Albuquerque's KRQE News 13, Weh said he stood by the ad.  “I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it. In fact, I think it serves the greater good.  You’ll note that no picture of Mr. Foley was ever in that film. None, ever.”

Late Monday night, Foley’s brother Michael, gave KRQE a statement saying his family had “no reaction” to Weh’s ad.  “His decision [to use the image] doesn’t affect the family.”

The reason Foley’s brother reacted in that fashion is because he is angry and believes the United States let his murdered brother down.  He alluded to the much trumpeted 'flawless' July 4 rescue mission for the captive reporter which failed when it raided the wrong base.

If you would like to contribute to Weh’s campaign to help restore leadership go here.

The fight against terrorism is ugly. You can't be squeamish when the security of #America is on the line. http://t.co/pHhELclFdy
— Allen for US Senate (@AllenWeh) August 26, 2014

And here's his "Freedom" ad