SARAH IS BACK, BARACK IS NOT

To The Point News - SARAH IS BACK, BARACK IS NOT


Written by Jack Kelly
Wednesday, 20 April 2011

The contrast between the speeches they gave last week suggests that when the 2012 presidential campaign begins in earnest, the news media will have difficulty maintaining the story lines they've been pushing about Barack Obama and Sarah Palin.

Mr. Obama is "a great leader in the mold of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt," we were told during the last presidential campaign.

The journalists who assured us of this based their assessment on Mr. Obama's oratorical skills rather than upon his actual accomplishments, which were meager.

His opponents agree Mr. Obama is a better speaker than he is a president. But the fiscal policy speech he made at George Washington University last Wednesday (4/13) -- during which Vice President Joe Biden nodded off -- indicates he's not that terrific an orator, either.

The speech "was not just weak, but pitiful,' a "waste of breath," said Clive Crook, editor of the Atlantic magazine.

Comedian Stephen Colbert thought the speech was "boring." Comedian Jon Stewart mocked the tortured manner in which Mr. Obama tried to avoid describing the tax increases he was proposing as tax increases.

And these are supporters of the president.

Mr. Obama went to GWU to make up for an earlier failure of leadership. In February, he submitted a proposed budget so frivolous no one paid attention to it. This permitted House Republicans to capture the initiative in the debate with the very substantial budget plan authored by Rep. Paul Ryan.

The president invited Rep. Ryan to attend the speech, which he did, expecting to hear a serious counterproposal. What he heard instead was "the sort of harangue one would expect from a rabidly devoted partisan hack, with no relation whatever to the thoughtful appeals to reason and common values that historically have characterized presidential leadership," said the Washington Examiner.

Mr. Obama grossly misrepresented Mr. Ryan's plan and called him names, but offered no real plan of his own to reduce our $14 trillion national debt.

The president's speech was "dishonest even by modern political standards," said the Wall Street Journal.

It was churlish of the president to invite Rep. Ryan to the speech, and then to attack him from the podium. It was also cowardly to attack a political opponent in a forum in which he could not respond.

Barack Obama these days speaks only before friendly audiences. On Saturday (4/16), Sarah Palin journeyed to Madison, Wisconsin where she braved snow, cold, and union protesters who tried to disrupt her Game On! speech by beating drums and blowing whistles.

"Sarah Palin rides to the sound of the guns," noted Reuters columnist James Pethokoukis.

After her surprise selection as John McCain's running mate and subsequently, many in the news media have described the former Alaska governor as an ignorant bumpkin with extreme views.

Ms. Palin sure didn't sound that way in Madison. In a 15-minute speech Mr. Pethokoukis described as "powerful, pugnacious and presidential," Ms. Palin vigorously defended Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker in his battle with public employee unions; slammed President Obama for his attack on Paul Ryan, and criticized Congressional Republicans for being too timid in opposing Mr. Obama's spending.

"She was feisty. She was bold. She was gutsy," said Jedediah Bila in the Daily Caller.

Ms. Palin was also concise and funny. Of President Obama's budget, she said: "We're flat broke and he thinks these solar shingles and really fast trains will save us. So now he's shouting ‘all aboard' his bullet train to bankruptcy. Win the Future? WTF is about right."

"If Sarah Palin's not running for president, what a terrible waste that would be of the best stump speech I've heard since, well, Palin's ‘08 convention speech," said John Nolte of Big Government.

Ms. Palin scores low in polls today, chiefly because of how thoroughly the news media have maligned her. But the Sarah Palin on display in Madison was nothing like the media caricature. As more Americans see that Sarah, her numbers will change.

Barack Obama also is nothing like the news media's description of him. As Americans see more of the detached, petulant, clueless and spiteful little man on display at George Washington University, his numbers will change, too.

Jack Kelly is a former Marine and Green Beret and a former deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force in the Reagan administration. He is national security writer for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

ASK WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY

AN EMAIL FROM BG JIM CASH< USAF-Ret, MOH ASK WHAT CAN YOU DO FOR YOUR COUNTRY Remember the words, "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what can you do for your country?" Remember those words uttered by a young President in the early 60s. Remember how you felt when you heard them, or first read them. I do, and they made me proud. Back in those days I think we were all proud of our country, what it stood for, and for most part had trust in the people who were running it. President Kennedy made his share of mistakes, but I always felt his heart was right, and his interest was in preserving the values of the greatest country on earth. Well, as another famous American said in song, "How do you like me now"? Let's daydream a bit by applying a little Fighter Pilot thinking to address some of the problems our nation faces. Visualize how you might feel if a candidate for President said to heck with Political Correctness. I will lead this great nation as the World Super Power that it is, as opposed to bowing and apologizing to every third world dictator who invites me to tea. Would it not be refreshing if it went something like this: If elected, I will insist that our Constitution will be followed as written. The US military will be used only when our National Interest is threatened or at issue, and then only as a last resort. Unless a verified emergency exists, Congress will be notified and their concurrence required prior to committing the nation's armed forces. I will pull every American troop out of the Middle-East NLT six months from the day of my election, and provide little justification for the move. Our military will totally change their strategy and embrace the "Lilly Pad Philosophy" as developed by Paul Vallely, M/G, USAR, Ret. After all, what is our only National Interest in that region---OIL, and we possess more of that than they do. This nation will no longer be held captive. We will drill baby, drill!!! I will begin a world class effort to begin drilling off-shore, in Alaska, the northwest reserves, and anywhere else that would produce a quart of oil. With that tip of the hat to our oil producers, I will advise US oil companies that they have twelve months to implement plans to provide the nation with a fixed flat rate gas price of two dollars per gallon, and if they fail, the entire industry will be nationalized for the next decade. Along with reducing the stifling effect that an oversized government has on small business, this would basically solve the domestic problems created by the current administration over the past two years. Ladies and gentlemen, this is not rocket science; it is common sense which seems to be in short supply these days. Then, instead of worthless give-away social programs for those who will never work, I will put big bucks toward developing viable alternative fuels which would include hydrogen fuel cells, nuclear power, wind, solar, and anything else that could eventually become cost effective. Fossil fuels will be the bridge between the two until technology can totally replace the need. There is no reason for the country to suffer the economic swings brought on by ineffective leadership in Washington. I will restrict immigration to what is currently allowed legally, deport Muslims who even hint at imposing Sharia Law in this country, close all Mosques who support radicalism, and make singing of a religious nature over amplified PA systems illegal. I will send a strong signal to Iran that if they pop a test nuke anywhere in world, I would regard that as an attack on the US, and begin planning retribution in alliance with my best friend, Israel. I will provide equipment for Israel to kick butt on multiple fronts, and pledge boots on the ground in their defense. Once and for all, I will put to rest the torture this small country has endured and its prosecution by the United Nations. Should the leaders of Iran continue to strive for a major war to cause an early return of the 12th Imam, I will offer abundant air support in that effort. In addition to this brazen change in strategic thinking, I will rebuild our military to the point that no nation in their right mind would even consider challenging the US militarily in the future. A strong offense is the best defense, and it creates great friendships. The stimulus to our economy from the military spending would have the same effect it did during WWII, and add another aid to turning around a stagnant economy. The United Nations will quietly be asked to shape up or get out, and funding will be immediately reduced to zero at the first negative head nod. A second negative would result in their being asked to leave New York. Should China and Russia disagree and desire a trade war, I would simply say, "Bring it on". Over and over we have proven that the American People are capable of out-thinking and out-producing any country on earth. It is time we stand up and take pride in what we are and what we do. No leader of the free world has the right to apologize for the United States of America. Well, now back to reality. Is it possible that a leader (and a Congress that will support him) could be found with the fortitude to stand before the far-left, socialist-progressives and take such a stand? Even though it is refreshing to think such things possible, the truth is we have made it so lucrative to be elected to public office that these officials will lie, cheat and steal to maintain their position. Look at the level of corruption seen among senior officials in Washington in recent years. Is it any wonder that honorable service is no longer a motivation to be elected? Full and elaborate pensions, elitist medical care for life, celebrity status, thrust for power, and plain old fashion greed have become the reason for going to Washington, and in many cases we just keep on electing them. This must change. The answer may lie simply in strict and short term limits. Is it no wonder that the average American realizes that the nation is in trouble, but has great difficulty in determining what they, as individuals, can do to help? I have thought long and hard on this issue, and I can offer two suggestions. First, the solution is in electing a President and Congress who love this country, will serve in a manner respectful to our Constitution, and are strong enough to take the slings and arrows that will be thrown by the far-left who are hell-bent on changing our form of government. It will require a bit of research on each individual's part in determining who those individuals are, and then get out the vote in their support. The answer is at the voting booth in 2012. Every Conservative in this country must vote and bring friends. Second, the single most effective way to influence the direction our nation is taking will require money. The far-left already boasts of over a billion dollars in funding to re-elect President Obama, and elections can be bought. Although the majority of thinking Americas understand that four more years of the downward spiral we have witnessed in the President's first term will take our nation to the point of no return, there are segments of the population that will support him regardless of his past record. Therefore, I believe the single most important thing that all of us can do is provide financial support in the election process. We all need to dig deep this election, as the consequences are the most severe the nation has ever faced, and the results will have a lasting impact on our children and their children. If you are not already a member of a common sensed and patriotic informational website, might I suggest STANDUP AMERICA? Early on in this article I mentioned M/G Paul Vallely, USAR, Ret. Paul is a true patriot, and is devoting his life to the preservation of our country, Constitution, and our way of life. General Vallely founded Standup America; a multimedia research organization focusing on national defense. It is growing by leaps and bounds and provides information not available from any other single source. He is THE Middle-East expert in this country. I spoke to General Vallely recently, and he and his staff are gearing up for a major campaign to help unseat Barrack Obama as President of the United States in 2012. To a large extent his effectiveness will be determined by the size of his membership which brings with it funding for effective communication. I would like to invite all to go to http://standupamericaus.com, check out the website, become a member, and pledge as much as possible in support his efforts to persuade the undecided voters of this great nation. We have reached that square corner so often talked about in the recent past. To stop this unchecked crushing of American liberty, all Americans are going to be required to sacrifice a little bit. This one is a very good cause, and it will work. Jim Cash B/G, USAF, Ret.