Obama administration

All the stuff that keeps honest Americans awake at night

Appointments & nominations     Federal deficit     Foreign policy     Funny & stupid stuff     Paranoia trumping openness     Scandals     Politics trumping law     Simply wrong

Agenda

Bailout     Cash for clunkers     Climate legislation (cap 'n' trade)     Healthcare     Immigration     Military/Defense     Socialism     Stimulus     Tax increases

The Obamas

Background     Barack's corruption     Michelle's corruption     Lies

Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP)

U.S. to lose $400 billion on Fannie & Freddie - December 31, 2009

"Taxpayer losses from supporting Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will top $400 billion, according to Peter Wallison, a former general counsel at the Treasury..."

Banks with political ties got bailouts - December 21, 2009

"U.S. banks that spent more money on lobbying were more likely to get government bailout money, according to a study released on Monday."

U.S. gave up billions for Citigroup repayment - December 16, 2009

"The federal government quietly agreed to forgo billions of dollars in potential tax payments from Citigroup as part of the deal announced this week to wean the company from the massive taxpayer bailout that helped it survive the financial crisis."

GM uses bailout funds to report huge gain - December 4, 2009

"Have you heard about the $80.7 billion “reorganization gain” General Motors posted in its recent release of financial information? I’ll bet not."

Geithner sold us down the river - December 1, 2009

"Former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer says Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner sold us down the river — and started doing so years ago."

Hard lessons from auto bailouts - November/December 2009

"As a conservative estimate, the government has directed $65 billion of taxpayer money to GM and Chrysler since December 2008... But the likelihood that taxpayers will be made whole is dwarfed by the likelihood that the public outlay will grow larger."

TARP audit finds Geithner gave away the farm - November 16, 2009

"The Fed “refused to use its considerable leverage,” Neil M. Barofsky, the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, wrote in a report to be officially released on Tuesday, examining the much-criticized decision to make A.I.G.’s trading partners whole when people and businesses were taking painful losses in the financial markets." [SIGTARP report here.]

Geithner "burned billions" on CIT - November 2, 2009

"Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is directly to blame for taxpayers' loss of $2.3 billion in the CIT bailout, says professor William Black of the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Law and a former federal bank regulator."

Ex-AIG chief is back doing it again - October 26, 2009

"Maurice R. Greenberg, who built the American International Group into an insurance behemoth with an impenetrable maze of on- and offshore companies, is at it again."

The "bull" behind the bailout - October 23, 2009

"One year later... a little-noted report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office questions whether the bailout -- known officially as the Troubled Asset Relief Program -- saved anything other than the jobs of greedy Wall Street executives and the political hides of their protectors in government."

Taxpayers unlikely to recover GM/Chrysler money - September 9, 2009

"U.S. taxpayers are unlikely to recover their $81 billion investment in General Motors Co. and Chrysler Group LLC and were “left in the dark” on specifics of a decision to aid automakers, a congressional panel said."

Pay czar says he can "claw back" executive pay - August 17, 2009

"Kenneth Feinberg, the Obama administration's pay czar, said on Sunday he has broad and "binding" authority over executive compensation, including the ability to "claw back" money already paid, and he is weighing how and whether to use that power."

Fannie Mae needs $10.7 billion more - August 6, 2009

"Fannie Mae plans to tap $11 billion in new government aid after posting another massive quarterly loss as the taxpayer bill from the housing market bust keeps growing."

TARP banks award billions in bonuses - July 30, 2009

"Citigroup and Merrill Lynch, which lost $55bn in 2008, between them paid 1,400 employees bonuses of $1m or more each, according to a New York state report, released on Thursday, on banks propped up with taxpayer funds."

Bailouts could cost U.S. $23 trillion - July 20, 2009

"A series of bailouts, bank rescues and other economic lifelines could end up costing the federal government as much as $23 trillion, the U.S. government’s watchdog over the effort says – a staggering amount that is nearly double the nation’s entire economic output for a year."

Goldman Sachs earns $3.4 billion in latest quarter - July 14, 2009

"Just six months after reporting its first loss as a public company, the New York City-based firm delivered its second straight period of better-than-expected results, this time earning $3.44 billion, or $4.93 a share for the second quarter."

Bailout recipient giving out huge bonuses - July 2, 2009

"Having recently repaid its $10bn (£6bn) bail-out from the US Treasury, thus releasing it from government compensation legislation, the bank is on track to produce a total compensation pot of $20bn this year, according to analysis of analysts' estimates by the Wall Street Journal. If Goldman manages to deliver the figure, it would mean an average compensation of $700,000 per employee."

GE benefits from bailout loophole - June 29, 2009

"General Electric, the world's largest industrial company, has quietly become the biggest beneficiary of one of the government's key rescue programs for banks. At the same time, GE has avoided many of the restrictions facing other financial giants getting help from the government."

AIG connection to Shariah - June 1, 2009

"Regardless of jihad, there is no dispute that, as U.S. District Judge Lawrence P. Zatkoff wrote on May 26, "AIG is the market leader in Sharia-compliant financing, which features financial products that comply with the dictates of Islamic law." It's undisputed that the government, as a result of last fall's bailout, now owns 77.9 percent of the "aggregate voting power of the common stock" of AIG. Furthermore, Judge Zatkoff wrote, "after the government acquired a majority interest in AIG ... the government co-sponsored a forum entitled 'Islamic Finance 101.'""

Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS)

Taxpayers paid $24,000 per car - October 29, 2009

"The average rebate was $4,000. But the overwhelming majority of sales would have taken place anyway at some time in the last half of 2009, according to Edmunds.com. That means the government ended up spending about $24,000 each for those 125,000 additional vehicle sales."

Clunkers clogging up auto yards - October 25, 2009

"Trade-ins from the federal "cash for clunkers" program are piling up and auto recyclers are seeking more time to meet the deadline for disposing of all those vehicles."

One of Washington's all-time dumb ideas - October 4, 2009

"Cash for clunkers had two objectives: help the environment by increasing fuel efficiency, and boost car sales to help Detroit and the economy. It achieved neither."

Cash for clunkers failed to create auto jobs - September 4, 2009

"Cash for Clunkers has done many things... But the new jobs report shows that Cash for Clunkers has not done the one thing Congress intended it to do: create jobs."

Dealers still waiting for their money - August 31, 2009

"During the month long program, Billion Automotive sold close to a thousand vehicles but has only been reimbursed for 272 of them. Vern Eide sold over 200 cars and has only been paid for 27 of them, and that's fueling lots of concerns in the auto industry."

Auto dealers not getting paid by government - August 16, 2009

"The federal government has only reimbursed auto dealers for 2 percent of the claims they've submitted through the popular "cash for clunkers" program, a Pennsylvania congressman said, calling on the Obama administration to help speed up the process."

Trucks win in Cash for Clunkers game - August 7, 2009

"What are people trading their clunkers in for? It depends on who you ask. The government's results showed small cars as the top choice for shoppers looking for Cash for Clunker deals. But an independent analysis by Edmunds.com disputed those results, and showed that two full-size trucks and a small crossover SUV were actually among the top-ten buys."

White House withholds data on program - August 4, 2009

"The Obama administration is refusing to release government records on its "cash-for-clunkers" rebate program that would substantiate—or undercut—White House claims of the program's success, even as the president presses the Senate for a quick vote for $2 billion to boost car sales."

Cash for clunkers program out of money after 1 week - July 31, 2009

"White House officials and lawmakers were studying late Thursday how to keep alive the government's cash-for-clunkers incentive program because of concerns the program's $1 billion budget may have been exhausted after just one week. Obama administration officials warned congressional leaders Thursday it planned to suspend the program at midnight."

Climate legislation (cap 'n' trade)

EPA officially calls carbon a dangerous pollutant - October 4, 2009

"Ms. Jackson is issuing a political ultimatum to business, as well as to Midwestern and rural Democrats: Support the Kerry-Obama climate tax agenda—or we'll punish your utilities and consumers without your vote."

Climate bill could cut GDP by 3.5% - September 18, 2009

"The climate change bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives would reduce the gross domestic product of the United States by as much as 3.5 percent in 2050, the Congressional Budget Office estimates."

Cap-and-trade creator says it won’t work - August 13, 2009

"Mr. Crocker and other pioneers of the concept are doubtful about its chances of success. They aren't abandoning efforts to curb emissions. But they are tiptoeing away from an idea they devised decades ago, doubting it can work on the grand scale now envisioned. "I'm skeptical that cap-and-trade is the most effective way to go about regulating carbon," says Mr. Crocker, 73 years old, a retired economist in Centennial, Wyo."

EPA denies senate request for analysis - August 6, 2009

"In a letter to Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.), Ranking Member of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson summarily denied the Senators’ request for economic analysis of the Waxman-Markey bill and how it would affect families, small businesses, and farmers."

Climate bill spells gloom for jobs - August 5, 2009

"Despite President Obama's prediction that it would create new jobs, the climate change bill passed by the House will mean fewer jobs by 2030 than if Congress did nothing at all, according to the first comprehensive study of the measure by the federal government."

Harvard study says carbon capture will double electicity costs - July 2009

"The costs of carbon abatement on a 2008 basis for FOAK IGCC plants are expected to be approximately $150/tCO2 avoided (with a range $120-180/tCO2 avoided), excluding transport and storage costs and revenue from EOR."

Democrats twist economics to pass climate change bill - June 26, 2009

"Despite House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman's many payoffs to Members, rural and Blue Dog Democrats remain wary of voting for a bill that will impose crushing costs on their home-district businesses and consumers. The leadership's solution to this problem is to simply claim the bill defies the laws of economics."

Commerce Secretary says U.S. should pay for Chinese pollution - June 17, 2009

"“It’s important that those who consume the products being made all around the world to the benefit of America — and it’s our own consumption activity that’s causing the emission of greenhouse gases, then quite frankly Americans need to pay for that,” Commerce Secretary Gary Locke told the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai."

NBCC CEO Harry Alford rips Boxer for racially insulting remarks - June 16, 2009

"That's racial! It's condescending to me! You're trying to put up other black organizations against me because I'm black! Why don't you quote some other Asian or something?" [Summary of confrontation here. Subsequent interview with Harry Alford here.]

EPA admits cap 'n' trade will do nothing for climate - July 7, 2009

"When Jackson got her turn to comment on the chart, she essentially agreed that the chart was correct and unilateral US action would accomplish little."

A garden of piggish delights - July 2, 2009

"Waxman-Markey is part power-grab, part enviro-fantasy. Here are 50 reasons to stop it."

Cap and (don't) trade - July, 2009

"The legislation now pending in Congress has evolved into a vehicle for trade protectionism that could cause real harm to the Canadian economy."

Study shows high cost of California low-carbon law - June, 2009

"On average, the annual costs resulting from the implementation of AB 32 to small businesses are likely to result in loss of more than $182.6 billion in gross state output, the equivalent of more than 1.1 million jobs, nearly $76.8 billion in labor income, and nearly $5.8 billion in indirect business taxes… The total AB 32 cost of $182.649 billion in lost output is one and a half times the total budget for the state of California." [Analysis here.]

The Gore/Enron tie-in with cap and trade - May 30, 2009

"Enron Chairman Kenneth Lay, ...saw opportunity when Bill Clinton & Al Gore were inaugurated president & vice-president in 1993. To capitalize on Al Gore's interest in global warming, Enron immediately embarked on a massive lobbying effort to develop a trading system in carbon dioxide, working with both the Clinton administration and Congress."

White House admits cap 'n' trade costs triple their own estimates - March 17, 2009

"...amazingly, the White House is telling something closer to the truth about this tax hike, admitting that the official budget estimate of $646 billion over 8 years—already a mighty steep price to pay—is far, far lower than the real cost."

Immigration

New curbs on arrests of illegals - July 11, 2009

"The new guidelines sharply reduce the ability of local law enforcement to arrest and screen suspected illegal immigrants."

Military downsizing

Obama administration cancels F-22 - July 21, 2009

"In a vote sure to be read as a sign of the Obama administration’s power on defense matters, the Senate voted by a lopsided 40-58 in favor of an amendment stripping $1.75 billion for the F-22 from the defense authorization bill. You could almost hear the whoops in Defense Secretary Robert Gates’ offices as he and his team scored a decisive victory."

Lawmakers question missile defense cuts - June 16, 2009

"Lawmakers are demanding to know why the president's proposed 2010 defense budget cuts missile defense by $1.2 billion and does not provide any funds for the European missile defense shield as Iran and North Korea defy the international community with missile testing."

Obama budget cuts target military funding - May 8, 2009

"President Obama has targeted the Department of Defense to absorb more than 80 percent of the cuts he has proposed in next year's budget for discretionary programs."

Socialism

Obama's socialist connections & appointees - September 22, 2009

"Next I list seven menbers of the Obama administration who have had some ties to DSA/Socialist international- ranging from paid up DSA membership, to signing a DSA petiton, to addressing one DSA sponsored event, to being related to a DSA member."

Obama's secret dinner with leftist historians - July 17, 2009

"Is it any surprise that the historians that attended a secret White House dinner with President Obama last month are nearly all well known for a leftist outlook on history? Is Obama programming his “historical” coverage already?"

Obama's flawed auto logic - May 7, 2009

"President Barack Obama insists he doesn't want to run the domestic auto industry -- and we should all be thankful for that. But his actions speak differently -- and we should all be worried."

Hidden audio of Obama talking about his energy policy - November 3, 2008

"Energy prices will skyrocket under my cap and trade plan."

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

Feds claim jobs in districts that don't exist - November 16, 2009

"Here's a stimulus success story: In Arizona's 15th congressional district, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. At least that's what the Web site set up by the Obama administration to track the $787 billion stimulus says. There's one problem, though: There is no 15th congressional district in Arizona; the state has only eight districts."

Obama claims 1 million jobs created or saved - November 12, 2009

"With the US unemployment at a record 10.2% President Obama now claims that his failed policies have actually "saved or created one million jobs.""

Massachusetts stimulus jobs exxagerated - November 11, 2009

"While Massachusetts recipients of federal stimulus money collectively report 12,374 jobs saved or created, a Globe review shows that number is wildly exaggerated."

Stimulus jobs count in Colorado overinflated - November 10, 2009

"Click on the computerized map of the state of Colorado on the federal government's stimulus-spending Web page, and it displays 8,094 full-time jobs created or saved in the state. It's a number that is inflated by at least 1,000 jobs, the result of confusing reporting requirements, inaccurate reporting and, perhaps, overreaching at some reporting agencies."

California stimulus numbers don't make sense - November 7, 2009

"CSU reported late last week that federal stimulus dollars let them retain about 26,000 full-time-equivalent positions. That's more than half of CSU's work force, and it's more jobs than the state of Texas and 44 other states reported saving with stimulus money."

Salary raise counted as saved job - November 4, 2009

"President Barack Obama's economic recovery program saved 935 jobs at the Southwest Georgia Community Action Council, an impressive success story for the stimulus plan. Trouble is, only 508 people work there."

Questionable stimulus projects pile up - November 3, 2009

"The $787 billion stimulus bill was passed in February and was promised as a job saver and economy booster. Here is where some of the money went:"

Lies, damned lies, and... - November 3, 2009

"Statistics are useful things. But too often, they give a false sense of precision. "Counting" the jobs "created or saved" by the stimulus is one of our more ludicrous governmental activities of the moment. For one thing, the administration has made no attempt to net out the jobs that were not created, or destroyed, because the government had diverted the money from other uses. For another, as Bruce Bartlett points out, your count is only as good as your counters. And some of them aren't very good:"

Fewer Washington jobs saved than reported - October 31, 2009

"New numbers released by the federal government Friday estimate that the federal stimulus package has helped create or save 34,500 total jobs in Washington... But there’s a caveat on those job creation numbers: 24,000 of them probably weren’t in danger in the first place."

$160,000 per stimulus job? - October 30, 2009

"So let's see. Assuming their number is right -- 160 billion divided by 1 million. Does that mean the stimulus costs taxpayers $160,000 per job? Jared Bernstein, chief economist and senior economic advisor to the vice president, called that "calculator abuse.""

Stimulus jobs overstated by thousands - October 29, 2009

"An early progress report on President Barack Obama's economic recovery plan overstates by thousands the number of jobs created or saved through the stimulus program, a mistake that White House officials promise will be corrected in future reports."

Stimulus money going to accused contractors - October 29, 2009

"So far, 33 federal departments and agencies have awarded more than $1.2 billion in stimulus contracts to at least 30 companies that are ranked by one watchdog group as among the most egregious offenders of state and federal laws."

Stimulus money for golf carts - October 17, 2009

"Thanks to the federal tax credit to buy high-mileage cars that was part of President Obama's stimulus plan, Uncle Sam is now paying Americans to buy that great necessity of modern life, the golf cart."

Stimulus money for beauty school tuition - October 17, 2009

"More than $2.3 million in federal economic stimulus grants have gone to eight Tampa Bay area cosmetology and massage schools to pay tuition for the hairdressers, masseuses and nail technicians of tomorrow."

Stimulus funds create federal jobs - September 23, 2009

"Fourteen of the top federal agencies responsible for spending under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act say they've hired about 3,000 workers with stimulus money. That's helped fuel the continued growth of the federal government, which increased by more than 25,000 employees, or 1.3%, since December 2008, according to the latest quarterly report. During that time, the ranks of the nation's unemployed increased by nearly 4 million, Labor Department statistics show."

Big firms, little competition mark stimulus deals - September 12, 2009

"The biggest recipients so far of the federal contracts awarded with stimulus money are large companies that faced little competition for the funds."

Obama 5 million jobs short of promises - September 4, 2009

"There is a reason the White House is very eager to establish anything other than jobs as the metric for success that Obama’s economic policies should be measured by: they aren’t creating any."

Gov't watchdog questions airport stimulus projects - August 10, 2009

"The Obama administration used economic stimulus money to pay for 50 airport projects that didn't meet the grant criteria and approved projects at four airports with a history of mismanaging federal grants, a government watchdog said Monday."

Stimulus money going to foreign companies - August 6, 2009

"Nearly half of the $2.4 billion in federal grant money awarded Wednesday to stimulate the U.S. economy and boost the production of hybrid and electric vehicles went to six companies with ties to places as far away as Russia, China, South Korea and France."

What green jobs? - July 28, 2009

"President Obama devoted nearly $60 billion of his stimulus package to building a new green-based economy rich in renewable energy and strategies to cut carbon. But despite the price tag, not one green job yet exists."

Hardest hit states getting the least stimulus money - July 19, 2009

"The stimulus bill "includes help for those hardest hit by our economic crisis," President Obama promised when he signed the bill into law on Feb. 17. "As a whole, this plan will help poor and working Americans." But FOXNews.com has analyzed data tracking how the stimulus money is being given out across the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and it has found a perverse pattern: the states hardest hit by the recession received the least money."

Stimulus money going mostly to Democrat consituents - July 8, 2009

"Billions of dollars in federal aid delivered directly to the local level to help revive the economy have gone overwhelmingly to places that supported President Obama in last year's presidential election."

State firms cry foul over stimulus projects - June 9, 2009

"Across the nation, local firms can expect to lose billions of economic stimulus dollars to large multinational corporations, thanks to a government contracting scheme that puts paperwork speed ahead of community recovery. In Montana, that means qualified building firms are out of the loop, while many millions in federal construction funding will go to a California company that recently earned a stern rebuke for its failures in Iraq - a war-profits scandal that cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars."

Details thin on stimulus contracts - May 6, 2009

"Although President Obama has vowed that citizens will be able to track "every dime" of the $787 billion stimulus bill, a government website dedicated to the spending won't have details on contracts and grants until October and may not be complete until next spring — halfway through the program, administration officials said."

Tax increases

Microsoft: Obama tax increases will send jobs overseas - June 3, 2009

" Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steven Ballmer said the world’s largest software company would move some employees offshore if Congress enacts President Barack Obama’s plans to impose higher taxes on U.S. companies’ foreign profits."

Federal deficit

Budget deficit sets record in February - March 10, 2010

"The government ran up the largest monthly deficit in history in February, keeping the flood of red ink on track to top last year's record for the full year."

Debt to be higher than White House forecast - March 6, 2010

"President Obama's proposed budget would add more than $9.7 trillion to the national debt over the next decade, congressional budget analysts said Friday."

Foreigners cut Treasury stakes - February 16, 2010

"A record drop in foreign holdings of U.S. Treasury bills in December sent a reminder that the government might have to pay higher interest rates on its debt to continue to attract investors."

U.S. debt threatens to be overwhelming - February 14, 2010

"For the U.S., the crushing weight of its debt threatens to overwhelm everything the federal government does, even in the short-term, best-case financial scenario -- a full recovery and a return to prerecession employment levels."

Obama signs bill raising debt limit - February 12, 2010

"Behind closed doors and with no cameras present, President Obama signed into law Friday afternoon the bill raising the public debt limit from $12.394 trillion to $14.294 trillion."

Moody’s warns US about credit rating - February 3, 2010

"Moody’s Investors Service fired off a warning on Wednesday that the triple A sovereign credit rating of the US would come under pressure unless economic growth was more robust than expected or tougher actions were taken to tackle the country’s budget deficit."

Obama’s 1st two years = two biggest deficits - January 26, 2010

"President Barack Obama’s first two years in office will boast the two biggest annual federal budget deficits since World War II, when measured as a share of GDP, says the Congressional Budget Office."

U.S. faces 'Armageddon' if Asia won't buy debt - September 24, 2009

"The US is too dependent on Japan and China buying up the country's debt and could face severe economic problems if that stops, Tiger Management founder and chairman Julian Robertson told CNBC."

China alarmed by U.S. money printing - September 6, 2009

"The US Federal Reserve's policy of printing money to buy Treasury debt threatens to set off a serious decline of the dollar and compel China to redesign its foreign reserve policy, according to a top member of the Communist hierarchy."

U.S. deficit climbs to 1.3 trillion dollars - August 6, 2009

"The deficit for the first 10 months of fiscal year 2009, which began October 1, reached 1.3 trillion dollars, close to 880 billion dollars greater than the deficit recorded through July 2008, said the US Congressional Budget Office (CBO)."

US red ink rising to $1.8 trillion - May 11, 2009

"The government will have to borrow nearly 50 cents for every dollar it spends this year, exploding the record federal deficit past $1.8 trillion under new White House estimates... The unprecedented deficit figures flow from the deep recession, the Wall Street bailout and the cost of President Barack Obama's economic stimulus bill."

Foreign policy gaffes

Obama bows to Japan's emperor - November 14, 2009

"A brief news video has been added below, showing the greeting in this photograph. Contrary to some claims, the video shows no reciprocal bow by the emperor..."

Clinton goes off-script, 'clarifications' follow - August 3, 2009

"Compared with Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., the former first lady and senator from New York has committed only minor diplomatic gaffes. Still, twice during her trip to Asia last month, Mrs. Clinton made comments in which the accuracy was questioned by specialists and later had to be "clarified" by the State Department."

Obama says victory not the goal in Afghanistan - July 23, 2009

""I'm always worried about using the word 'victory,' because, you know, it invokes this notion of Emperor Hirohito coming down and signing a surrender to MacArthur," Obama told ABC News. [Note to readers: Hirohito didn't come down and sign a surrender to MacArthur.]"

Netanyahu tells Obama ‘Jerusalem is not a settlement’ - July 20, 2009

"An already uneasy relationship between the U.S. and Israeli governments looks set to become significantly more chilly with the Obama administration’s decision to challenge Israel’s freedom of actions in its own capital."

Obama tries to explain Honduran position - July 7, 2009

"MOSCOW – Facing criticism for having backed the “wrong” side in the recent coup in Honduras, President Obama Tuesday tried to explain his advocacy on behalf of ousted President Manuel Zelaya."

Obama family night miffs Russians - July 7, 2009

"After passing on dinner with the French president to go on a date in the City of Light with his wife last month, President Obama took leave of his Russian hosts on Tuesday night to seclude himself in his Moscow hotel with his wife, Michelle, and their daughters. The decision to brush off the Russians on one of his two nights here miffed some in the Moscow government who did not understand why he would not devote the scarce time to his hosts."

Obama calls Putin by wrong title - July 6, 2009

"In a slip of the tongue, U.S. President Barack Obama described Prime Minister Vladimir Putin on Monday as president, echoing the widely held view that he remains Russia's most powerful man."

British angry at White House for prisoner transfer - June 12, 2009

"A high-level transatlantic row has broken out over the Obama administration's failure to consult Britain over the transfer of four Guantánamo Bay inmates to Bermuda."

Obamas decline dinner invitation from Sarkozys - June 5, 2009

"The Obamas turn up in Paris this evening, but have declined a dinner invitation from the couple next door: the Sarkozys. President Obama’s reluctance to spend more than minimum time with the French leader on his visit for the D-Day anniversary has come as an embarrassment to the Elysée Palace."

Administration inviting Iranians to July 4th parties - June 2, 2009

"In a new overture to Iran, the Obama administration has authorized U.S. embassies around the world to invite Iranian officials to Independence Day parties they host on or around July 4th."

Obama bows to Saudi king - April 3, 2009

Watch YouTube video of the President of the United States of America bowing to the foreign king of backward Muslim nation.

Funny & stupid stuff

White House makes visitors pay for their own lunch - July 30, 2009

"Four of the most powerful business leaders in America arrived at the White House one day last month for lunch with President Barack Obama, sitting down in his private dining room just steps from the Oval Office. But even for powerful CEOs, there’s no such thing as a free lunch: White House staffers collected credit card numbers for each executive and carefully billed them for the cost of the meal with the president."

Obama throws like a sissy at All Star Game - July 15, 2009

Watch video of ceremonial first pitch/lob.

Joe Biden says we need to spend money to avoid bankruptcy - June 16, 2009

"Vice President Joe Biden told people attending an AARP town hall meeting that unless the Democrat-supported health care plan becomes law the nation will go bankrupt and that the only way to avoid that fate is for the government to spend more money."

Obama calls U.S. "one of largest Muslim countries in the world" - June 3, 2009

"It is important to note that “if you actually took the number of Muslim Americans, we’d be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world”. So says President Barack Obama. Or I should say: Barack Hussein Obama."

Obama learns about intelligence agency at burger joint - May 29, 2009

"On his trip to get a burger with Brian Williams at Five Guys this afternoon, the president appears to have learned of the existence of a Defense Department intelligence arm, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, from an agency employee also at the burger restaurant. "So explain to me exactly what this National Geospatial..." Obama said, after the worker mentioned his employer, according to a video of the event."

Barack Obama - Narcissist or Merely Narcissistic? - undated

"Pathological narcissism is a reaction to prolonged abuse and trauma in early childhood or early adolescence. The source of the abuse or trauma is immaterial: the perpetrators could be dysfunctional or absent parents, teachers, other adults, or peers."

Openness vs. paranoia

White House tried to weaken law protecting whistleblowers - August 7, 2009

"Despite its pledge to better protect federal employees who expose wrongdoing, the Obama administration privately sought to weaken protections for national security whistleblowers under legislation making its way through Congress..."

White House withholds data on program - August 4, 2009

"The Obama administration is refusing to release government records on its "cash-for-clunkers" rebate program that would substantiate—or undercut—White House claims of the program's success, even as the president presses the Senate for a quick vote for $2 billion to boost car sales."

GITMO review delayed six months - July 21, 2009

"President Obama on Monday extended by six months a task force charged with determining how terrorism suspects should be interrogated, held in custody or handed over to other countries, putting in jeopardy his promise to close the military detention facility at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, by January."

Administration delaying mandated report on economy - July 20, 2009

"The Obama administration is delaying release of a congressionally mandated report on the nation's economic conditions, spawning speculation that it is trying to tamp down bad economic news to avoid further complicating the already fraught legislative debate over health care reform."

White House blocks access to visitors list - June 16, 2009

"Despite President Barack Obama's pledge to introduce a new era of transparency to Washington, and despite two rulings by a federal judge that the records are public, the Secret Service has denied msnbc.com's request for the names of all White House visitors from Jan. 20 to the present."

Obama's enemies list - June 8, 2009

"A de facto Obama enemies list and dirty political machine have been expanding since last year. Obama has established several embarrassing presidential firsts including targeting private individuals by names, assigning a well-known "partisan dirt-digger" and non-lawyer to the White House Counsel's Office to likely gain access to Bush Administration documents protected under attorney-client privilege, and moving the senior political advisor into the West Wing. These are heretofore unseen partisan practices."

Robert Gibbs should apologize to British press - May 29, 2009

"Robert Gibbs' completely unwarranted rant against the British press is an absolute disgrace, and the President should disown his views. An unreserved apology by Gibbs is also in order."

Obama ducks promise to delay bill signings - May 26, 2009

"It seemed among the easiest of his transparency pledges and is entirely under his control, but President Obama is finagling his promise to post bills on the White House Web site for comment for five days before he signs them."

Details thin on stimulus contracts - May 6, 2009

"Although President Obama has vowed that citizens will be able to track "every dime" of the $787 billion stimulus bill, a government website dedicated to the spending won't have details on contracts and grants until October and may not be complete until next spring — halfway through the program, administration officials said."

Obama's certificate of birth is a forgery - July 20, 2008

"Techdude delivers a final report that exceeds my wildest expectations. It is irrefutable, empirical evidence - Obama's birth certificate is a forgery."

Politics trumping law

White House move to collect info is illegal - August 7, 2009

"The White House strategy of turning supporters into snitches when they see "fishy" information about the health care debate may run afoul of the law, legal experts say."

Fired AmeriCorps IG sues government - July 18, 2009

"Gerald Walpin, the AmeriCorps inspector general who was summarily fired in June amid controversy over his investigation of a politically-connected supporter of President Obama, has filed suit alleging that the firing was "unlawful,"..."

Fired Inspector General angered board with accusations - July 7, 2009

"According to the notes, Walpin said at the start of the meeting that he was feeling "discomfort" about the "anything goes" attitude of the management, and was concerned that things had gone downhill since former CEO David Eisner was succeeded by Nicola Goren. And he threatened to escalate his call for a deeper probe into a politically touchy case..."

IGs say new bill threatens their independence - July 6, 2009

"Inspectors general at five financial regulatory agencies are objecting to legislation that would elevate their positions to the presidential-appointment level, arguing that the move would compromise their ability to conduct independent investigations."

Battle lines drawn in AmeriCorps IG scandal - July 3, 2009

"Key Republicans in both the House and the Senate are accusing the White House of giving “incomplete and misleading” information to investigators probing the president’s abrupt firing of AmeriCorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin. In return, the White House is hinting that documents concerning its actions in the Walpin affair may be protected by executive privilege."

AmeriCorps feared IG’s push for further probe - June 24, 2009

"Former Inspector General Gerald Walpin's determination to investigate further the alleged misuse of AmeriCorps funds may have led President Obama to fire him, a Republican member of the board overseeing the volunteer agency alleged to a Washington newspaper."

Controversy now includes a third Inspector General - June 18, 2009

"He was appointed with fanfare as the public watchdog over the government's multi-billion dollar bailout of the nation's financial system. But now Neil Barofsky is embroiled in a dispute with the Obama administration that delayed one recent inquiry and sparked questions about his ability to freely investigate."

White House excuse for firing an IG falls flat - June 18, 2009

"The White House claims Inspector General Gerald Walpin was effectively away without leave from his Washington office and that he was so "disoriented" and "confused" at a May 20 meeting that it made officials "question his capacity to serve." An exclusive witness told The Washington Times both charges are baseless."

Fired IG calls White House explanation baseless - June 17, 2009

"Gerald Walpin, who until last week was the inspector general for the Corporation for National and Community Service, told FOXNews.com that part of Obama's explanation was a "total lie" and that he feels he's got a target on his back for political reasons."

The inside story of the AmeriCorps firing - June 15, 2009

"Top executives at the Corporation, Walpin explained in an hour-long interview Saturday, were unhappy with his investigation into the misuse of AmeriCorps funds by Kevin Johnson, the former NBA star who is now mayor of Sacramento, California and a prominent supporter of President Obama."

Obama DOJ spikes voter citizenship checks - June 1, 2009

"The Justice Department has rejected Georgia's system of using Social Security numbers and driver's license data to check whether prospective voters are citizens..."

Obama political appointees overruled DOJ lawyers - May 29, 2009

"Justice Department political appointees overruled career lawyers and ended a civil complaint accusing three members of the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense of wielding a nightstick and intimidating voters at a Philadelphia polling place last Election Day, according to documents and interviews."

Obama DOJ dismisses charges against New Black Panthers - May 27, 2009

"These actions raise a number of troubling questions. For example, why did the Civil Rights Division voluntarily dismiss a lawsuit that they had effectively already won, against defendants who were physically threatening voters?"

Simply wrong

Obama funds oil-drilling in Brazil - August 18, 2009

"Already this year democrats banned offshore drilling, scrapped oil and gas leases in Utah and opened the 111th Congress by introducing a bill to permanently prohibit drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). But, Team Obama is going to lend billions of dollars to Brazil to finance exploration of its huge offshore oil field discovery. Unreal."

Obama honors America hater - August 4, 2009

"THE Medal of Freedom is the nation's highest civilian honor. Past recipients include John Wayne, Norman Rockwell and Vaclav Havel. This year, one of the 16 recipients President Obama selected (along with such worthies as Sen. Edward Kennedy and the late Jack Kemp) is former Irish President and UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson. Bad choice."

Obama can't be trusted with numbers - July 9, 2009

"We are at the cusp of a crucial political debate, and Mr. Obama's words on fiscal matters are untrustworthy. His promised savings are a mirage. His proposals to reshape the economy are alarming. And his unwillingness to be forthright with his numbers reveals that he knows his plans would terrify many Americans."

Return of the Black Panther - July 7, 2009

"Rarely does the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights vote unanimously on anything. A partisan divide has made the commission contentious in recent years. Yet the Department of Justice's decision to forfeit its voter-intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party and three individual defendants drew a 6-0 vote with one abstention by the commission. What unified the commission was outrage at the Justice Department for letting the Black Panthers off the hook."

Proof of ACORN involvement with 2010 census - May 28, 2009

"Judicial Watch... announced today that it has obtained documents from the U.S. Census Bureau detailing the substantial involvement of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in the 2010 Census."

White House closing Republican car dealerships - May 27, 2009

"Evidence appears to be mounting that the Obama administration has systematically targeted for closing Chrysler dealers who contributed to Repubicans."

Plan to ax dealers not Chrysler's decision - May 26, 2009

"A lawyer for Chrysler dealers facing closure as part of the automaker's bankruptcy reorganization said on Tuesday he believes Chrysler executives do not support a plan to eliminate a quarter of its retail outlets."

Letter from a Texas Dodge dealer - May 16, 2009

"Though technically a question of law, many of these closings are politically motivated. Thus, anyone with any interest in retaining the US economic system in its current form must contact their political representatives immediately. Small businesses will have no legal protections if these closings are allowed to occur. Rome is burning, America - please wake up."

Hedge fund leader accuses Obama of abuse of power - May 6, 2009

"Cliff Asness, whose firm manages some $20 billion of assets, has written an open letter blasting President Obama for his attack on the hedge fund industry in the wake of the Chrysler bankruptcy."

Obama skips National Day of Prayer - May 6, 2009

"President Obama is distancing himself from the National Day of Prayer by nixing a formal early morning service and not attending a large Catholic prayer breakfast the next morning."

Obama opens door for Hamas terrorists - January 27, 2009

Just one week after his inauguration, one of Obama's first acts as president was to open the door to Palestinian immigration.