Fwd: Energy & Environment Update: Heritage Responds to the Oil Spill

Energy & Environment Update Advancing freedom and prosperity by unleashing free enterprise, protecting America's energy interests, and advancing free global energy markets. Recent Updates Washington's Response Should Not Preclude Future Exploration Oil Spill Does Not Justify Wrecking the Economy Fix the Leak, Then We'll Talk Jones Act Complicates Messy Situation for Obama Our Government Slowed Down the Cleanup Moratorium One of Many Obama Oil Spill Mistakes Featured Research Stopping the Slick, Saving the Environment: A Framework for Response, Recovery, and Resiliency By The Heritage Foundation On April 20, 2010, the explosion at the Deepwater Horizon oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico resulted in a mas­sive, continuing release of underground oil. Washington must develop a comprehensive response to the crisis that mitigates damage, promotes economic and environmental recovery, and delivers solutions to ensure resiliency in the face of future catastrophes. Right now, Americans need answers that will ensure the protection of their environment, the freedom and productivity of their economy, and the security of their lives and property. While the federal government may lack the resources and expertise to stop the flowing oil at the site of the disas­ter, it has the authority and responsibility to play a more proactive and responsive role in mitigating and recovering from the effects of the disaster. After months of observing the federal response, however, it is clear that the response is inadequate. >> Click here to read the full report. For information on cap and trade, visit Heritage's Rapid Response page, which features research, commentary, blog posts, charts and additional policy resources. Shine Light on Energy Taxes Tap into your network on Facebook and invite your friends and family to join The Heritage Foundation as we educate more Americans about the dangers of a cap-and-trade system that will tax most forms of energy. Get started today at NoEnergyTax.com. About The Heritage Foundation Founded in 1973, The Heritage Foundation is a research and educational institute -- a think tank -- whose mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense. The Heritage Foundation | 214 Massachusetts Ave NE, Washington, DC 20002 | 202.546.4400

Fwd: MyHeritage.org: New Leader, Same Mission in Afghanistan

June 24, 2010 | By Amanda J. Reinecker New Leader, Same Mission in Afghanistan There's been a change of command in Afghanistan. After his critical remarks about the President and his staff were published in Rolling Stone magazine, Gen. Stanley McChrystal was summoned to The White House to face his boss, Commander in Chief Obama. The outcome from their meeting: McChrystal is no longer in charge. During his Rose Garden press conference, the President explained his decision to remove McChrystal from his post: The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general. It undermines the civilian control of the military that us at the core of our democratic system. And it erodes the trust that's necessary for our team to work together to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan. Shortly thereafter, Obama tapped Gen. David Petraeus to succeed McChrystal. Petraeus, who orchestrated the turnaround in Iraq, currently heads the U.S. Central Command, which includes all of South Asia and the Middle East. As the American commander in Iraq, Petraeus changed the course of the war by implementing the troop "surge." Though he faces confirmation by the Senate (the hearing is expected to take place no later than next Tuesday), there is no question that Gen. Petreaus is qualified for the job. "Naming the very able Gen. David Petraeus to replace Gen. McChrystal may help heal this sad state of affairs, and we hope it does," argues Heritage vice President Kim Holmes. "But the drama behind Gen. Stanley McChrystal's firing masks a far greater and troubling issue: Is the Obama administration fully committed to victory in Afghanistan?" President Obama insisted that McChrystal's dismissal "was a change in personnel, not in policy." But the President has also established an arbitrary deadline for removal of forces – a bad policy, especially considering the poor conditions on the ground in Afghanistan. "The timeline," Heritage President Ed Feulner explains, "appears to be putting tremendous unnecessary pressure on our armed forces to accomplish their task: victory on the ground. We don't need an artificial timeline for withdrawal. We need a strategy for victory." June has become the deadliest month for coalition forces over the almost nine-year conflict.  And U.S. and NATO casualties are expected to rise as we move deeper into the Kandahar offensive. The stakes are very high. Victory – not meeting arbitrary deadlines – should be our objective. As Holmes explains, "winning in Afghanistan is directly related to preventing another '9/11' and it truly is the central front in the war on terrorists." Victory can only be achieved once Afghanistan is a stable nation capable of governing itself and defending itself from the Taliban and other terrorists. If we pull out before this is achieved, than we face a danger far greater than anything we're seeing now. Gen. Patraeus is a good man for the job, and we have every shred of confidence in his ability to lead. But as Heritage national security expert James Carafano argues, this war isn't about the man. It's about the mission. And the mission has to be victory. However long that might take.  Heritage Foundation experts were able to refocus the debate from personnel to strategy and the need for victory through over 25 radio and television interviews in less than 24 hours. Join the National Town Hall Discussion on Deficits This Saturday! "Reducing spending is possible, necessary, and sufficient to put the nation's fiscal house back in order," writes Heritage's Kathryn Nix. And this is exactly the message that thousands of Americans across the country are prepared to deliver this Saturday, June 26, at AmericaSpeaks' National Town Meeting. AmericaSpeaks is a Washington, D.C.-based non-profit organization whose mission is to "engage citizens in the public decisions." Nineteen cities across the country will host these town hall meetings. The meetings are intended to open a discussion about the federal budget, the devastating effects that Washington's growing deficits will have on the U.S. economy, and the best ways to address the fiscal crisis — before it is too late. » Learn more about the upcoming National Town hall meeting and find out if there's a meeting near you! Heritage Foundation experts have been busy at work exposing the facts about excessive federal spending and taxation; debunking the myths that both practices help to balance the deficit; and outlining ways to truly boost the economy and individual prosperity, both of which call for reduced spending and taxation. » Check out The Heritage Foundation's one-page fact sheet on tax increases We encourage you to participate in this national discussion on Saturday, June 26. Join thousands of Americans in finding common ground on tough choices about our federal budget. Americans from across the country will come together to weigh in on strategies to ensure a sustainable fiscal future and a strong economic recovery. Many of these ideas, strategies and tough choices are encapsulated in the Spending, Deficit, and Debt Control Act authored by Representatives Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), policy analyst Brian Riedl discussed last fall. Many of the decisions our lawmakers are making are too costly: bailouts, "stimulus" spending, the health care takeover. We conservatives can't afford not to speak up! > Other Heritage Work of Note The House Rules Committee met this week to figure out how to push through the DISCLOSE Act, which would impose new regulations on political speech. "True to form," writes Heritage legal scholar Hans von Spakovsky, "the committee kept the public out of a hearing about a bill intended to promote 'transparency' in elections." Despite objections from conservatives, the liberals on the committee decided that one hour was sufficient time to debate the bill. "This bill is intended to silence those whose political views the liberals don't like," argues von Skapovsky, who cites several examples. The death tax, which does not exist at present, is currently set to come back from the dead on January 1, 2011. The tax on dying will increase from zero percent to 55 percent overnight. But Congress is intent on making a bad problem worse. Heritage tax expert Curtis Dubay explores a liberal bill that would drastically increase the death tax at the worst possible time. "Such a policy move would be a body blow to a weakly recovering economy and would clearly signal to everyone that this Congress has no intention of breathing new life into the American dream," he explains. Instead of raising taxes further still, Congress should kill the death tax once and for all. Watch our videos on the death tax! > In Other News European countries are making hard choices about runaway spending on social programs—choices the United States has failed to make. Britain's new government intends to raise the country's retirement age to 66, while a French proposal to raise it to 62 has provoked backlash from union members used to cushy benefits. The Denver Post reports: House Republicans failed in a push Wednesday to force the release of White House documents related to potential job offers made to two Democratic Senate primary challengers, Andrew Romanoff in Colorado and Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania. In the latest silliness from environmentalists, Japan's government is urging citizens to change their sleeping patterns to curb carbon emissions. Pakistan sentenced five American Muslim men from Northern Virginia to 10 years in prison for conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks. Officials believe they traveled to Pakistan to fight American forces in Afghanistan. A U.S. judge has denied a stay on his decision that blocked the Obama administration from enforcing a moratorium on oil drilling. This decision serves as a relief to coastal states that would have suffered severe economic repercussion had the ban continued. According to the Wall Street Journal, BP and other big oil companies based their oil-spill cleanup plans on faulty government projections.  Amanda Reinecker is a writer for MyHeritage.org—a website for members and supporters of The Heritage Foundation. Nathaniel Ward, the Editor of MyHeritage.org, and Stephen Congdon, a Heritage intern, contributed to this report.  Donate    |   Heritage on Facebook View as HTML  |   Update Your Profile   |   Unsubscribe

Fwd: MRC Alert: George Stephanopoulos Fawns Over Obama's Handling of McChrystal Controversy: A 'Political Masterstroke'

 

A daily compilation edited by Brent H. Baker, CyberAlert items are drawn from daily BiasAlert posts and distributed by the Media Research Center's News Analysis Division, the leader since 1987 in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.

 

Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996
Friday June 25, 2010 @ 08:58 AM EDT

1. George Stephanopoulos Fawns Over Obama's Handling of McChrystal Controversy: A 'Political Masterstroke'
Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos on Thursday hyped Barack Obama's handling of the decision to fire General Stanley McChrystal and replace him with David Petraeus, lauding the action as a "political masterstroke." His comments built on extensive media praise on Wednesday, including many reporters who called the move "brilliant." Stephanopoulos seemed particularly pleased. The former Democratic aide turned journalist extolled, "...That pick really seems to have been the political masterstroke that got President Obama out of the tight box he was in. It's being welcomed both by Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill."

2. NBC: Obama's 'Commander-in-Chief' Moment with McChrystal a Hidden Blessing
On Wednesday's Today show, NBC's Chuck Todd touted President Obama's "swiftness" in dealing with the controversy surrounding General Stanley McChrystal comments in Rolling Stone magazine as a "commander-in-chief moment," and hinted that it was a blessing in disguise, given the executive's tanking approval ratings. Todd led the 7 am Eastern hour with his report on the President appointing General David Petraeus to replace General McChrystal, who was relieved of command following the Rolling Stone interview. The NBC White House correspondent remarked that with the Petraeus appointment, "the President signaled to his team, no more firestorms like this one will be tolerated." After playing a clip of Mr. Obama stating that he "won't tolerate division," he continued that "the President's aides don't expect there will be much division in the Senate, either, where some are predicting Petraeus will have the fastest confirmation in history, and the praise is bipartisan."

3. No Palin Setback Too Small for Couric Who Skips How Palin 'Acted in Good Faith'
Demonstrating that no setback for Sarah Palin which can be portrayed as a rebuke is too insignificant or relevant for Katie Couric, she made time on Thursday's CBS Evening News to inform her viewers about a disputable technical violation of arcane law: "One little word will cost Sarah Palin a small fortune. Today, state investigators in Alaska said a legal defense fund she set up while she was Governor was illegal. They said the use of the word 'official' on the fund's Web site implied it was endorsed by the office of the Governor. Palin's lawyer says she will return the fund's nearly $400,000." Unmentioned by Couric? How Timothy Petumenos, the investigator/counsel for the Alaska Personnel Board which issued the ruling, absolved Palin of blame.

4. NY Times Celebrates D.C.'s 'Venerated Politics and Prose Bookstore,' Ignores Snubs of Conservatives
A New York Times reporter provides a roll call of D.C. liberal pundits in love with the Politics & Prose bookstore, but never notes the store's deep-blue-hue and previous snubbing of conservative authors. As Politico has reported: "The idea that Politics and Prose has a liberal bias has caused the store some consternation, but it's rooted in reality."

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George Stephanopoulos Fawns Over Obama's Handling of McChrystal Controversy: A 'Political Masterstroke'

 

Good Morning America's George Stephanopoulos on Thursday hyped Barack Obama's handling of the decision to fire General Stanley McChrystal and replace him with David Petraeus, lauding the action as a "political masterstroke."

His comments built on extensive media praise on Wednesday, including many reporters who called the move "brilliant." Stephanopoulos seemed particularly pleased.

The former Democratic aide turned journalist extolled, "...That pick really seems to have been the political masterstroke that got President Obama out of the tight box he was in. It's being welcomed both by Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill."

Reporter Martha Raddatz agreed with Stephanopoulos, enthusing, "Sending Petraeus to Afghanistan is, by all accounts, a great save, for exactly the reasons the President described."

A transcript of the June 24 segment, which aired at 7:04am, follows:

ROBIN ROBERTS: But, it, as you know, is a new day, under new leadership for U.S. troops in Afghanistan. After a high-stakes meeting with General Stanley McChrystal, President Obama announced his resignation, the general's resignation. And named his replacement, the architect of the surge in Iraq, General David Petraeus.

GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: And, Robin, that pick really seems to have been the political masterstroke that got President Obama out of the tight box he was in. It's being welcomed both by Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill. Petraeus is expected to be confirmed quickly by the Senate and to be on the ground in Afghanistan next week. The big question, now, can General Petraeus fix a war effort that has been proceeding in fits and starts? President Obama said he was changing personnel, not policy. But, many wondering if a change in strategy is needed. We have Senator John McCain standing by live to talk about that. But, we're going to begin with Martha Raddatz and the high drama in the high change of command. And, Martha, it was pretty stunning. 30 minutes with the President and a 30-year career is over.

MARTHA RADDATZ: That's exactly right, George. General McChrystal and his top aide will not be returning to Afghanistan and say good-bye. Their personal effects are being packed up right now for shipping back to the U.S. As an official in Kabul told me this morning, it feels like a death in the family. It all happened so fast. And in retrospect, was so obvious. Cameras trained on a White House entrance, caught Stanley McChrystal leaving his tense and final meeting with President Obama. And a short time later, David Petraeus arrived. He had come for a scheduled national security council meeting about Afghanistan. But we now know that just 45 minutes after McChrystal was ousted, the President called Petraeus to the oval office and asked him to take McChrystal's job.

BARACK OBAMA: He has worked closely with our forces in Afghanistan. He has worked closely with Congress. He has my full confidence.

RADDATZ: Sending Petraeus to Afghanistan is, by all accounts, a great save, for exactly the reasons the President described. Petraeus is jokingly referred to by some in the military as a water walker, who seems to turn even the worst situations around. He received enormous credit for that in Iraq, where he served three, different tours, the last overseeing the surge. Ironically, he took over central command in 2008 because the man who was then holding the job, Admiral William Fallon, was ousted, after an Esquire magazine profile put him at odds with the Bush administration. The central command job, headquartered in Tampa, put Petraeus in charge of a swath of global hot spots, from Yemen, to Iran, to Pakistan.

A senior administration official joked that sending Petraeus from Tampa to Kabul, was not exactly on the Better Homes tour. But clearly, the President is hoping that the magic touch Petraeus has had in the past, will help him in one of the toughest wars ever. And this may well be the hardest challenge Petraeus has faced. We also don't know how long he will be in Afghanistan. He has already spent nearly half of the last ten years in a war zone. George?

— Scott Whitlock is a news analyst for the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.

NBC: Obama's 'Commander-in-Chief' Moment with McChrystal a Hidden Blessing

 

On Wednesday's Today show, NBC's Chuck Todd touted President Obama's "swiftness" in dealing with the controversy surrounding General Stanley McChrystal comments in Rolling Stone magazine as a "commander-in-chief moment," and hinted that it was a blessing in disguise, given the executive's tanking approval ratings.

Todd led the 7 am Eastern hour with his report on the President appointing General David Petraeus to replace General McChrystal, who was relieved of command following the Rolling Stone interview. The NBC White House correspondent remarked that with the Petraeus appointment, "the President signaled to his team, no more firestorms like this one will be tolerated." After playing a clip of Mr. Obama stating that he "won't tolerate division," he continued that "the President's aides don't expect there will be much division in the Senate, either, where some are predicting Petraeus will have the fastest confirmation in history, and the praise is bipartisan."

Later in the report, Todd used his "commander-in-chief moment" term as he emphasized the apparent good timing of the controversy and detailed the public's decreasing confidence in the President, according to NBC's own poll:

TODD: Still, the swiftness of the President's action is a commander-in-chief moment, at a time when the public is having doubts about his ability. According to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, just 45 percent approve of the job he's doing as president. Forty-four percent believe he's firm and decisive in his decision making. That's down from 63 percent 18 months ago. And just under half the country, 49 percent, believe he has strong leadership qualities. That's down a whopping 21 points from the month he took office. And as the list of domestic problems, like unemployment and the oil spill, pile up on the President's desk, some say it was vitally important the President buy time on Afghanistan.

An on-screen graphic further described that President Obama's disapproval rating was at 48%, though the correspondent didn't specifically mention this statistic.

Almost a day earlier, Todd lauded the chief executive just as the Petraeus appointment was being made: "Politically, in this town, it's going to be seen as a brilliant choice by the President."

The full transcript of Chuck Todd's report from Thursday's Today show:

MEREDITH VIEIRA: Let us begin with the change in command in Afghanistan. Chuck Todd is NBC's chief White House correspondent. Good morning, Chuck.

CHUCK TODD: Good morning, Meredith. Well, after a rare swift set of personnel moves by this White House, the President is now back focused on trying to make his complicated Afghanistan strategy work, rather than fixated on who's going to implement it.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: This is a change in personnel, but it is not a change in policy.

TODD (voice-over): With General Petraeus by his side, and General McChrystal headed out a side door, the President signaled to his team, no more firestorms like this one will be tolerated.

OBAMA: I've just told my national security team that now is the time for all of us to come together. I welcome debate among my team, but I won't tolerate division.

TODD: The President's aides don't expect there will be much division in the Senate, either, where some are predicting Petraeus will have the fastest confirmation in history, and the praise is bipartisan.

SENATOR CARL LEVIN: I admire him and others that respond to that kind of a call from the President. I don't think he even had a chance to talk to his wife.

SENATOR LINDSAY GRAHAM: Dave Petraeus is our best hope. If things don't change, nobody can pull it out in Afghanistan.

TODD: But the hearings are expected to re-ignite the very divisive debate among the two parties about the question of a timetable for withdrawing troops from Afghanistan, scheduled to begin next July.

SENATOR JOHN MCCAIN: Whether that is, quote- etched in stone, as the President's spokesperson, Mr. Gibbs, stated, or whether it will be conditions-based.

TODD: Still, the swiftness of the President's action is a commander-in-chief moment, at a time when the public is having doubts about his ability.

According to a new NBC/Wall Street Journal poll, just 45% approve of the job he's doing as president. Forty-four percent believe he's firm and decisive in his decision making. That's down from 63% 18 months ago. And just under half the country, 49%, believe he has strong leadership qualities. That's down a whopping 21 points from the month he took office. And as the list of domestic problems, like unemployment and the oil spill, pile up on the President's desk, some say it was vitally important the President buy time on Afghanistan.

RETIRED GENERAL BARRY MCCAFFREY: It does give the President cover and a strategy, and it does buy him time. He's putting a leader out there that will not be questioned.

TODD (live) Today, the focus stays on foreign affairs, as the President meets with the president of another country who's familiar with a quagmire-like situation in Afghanistan. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev visits the White House today. The two will hold a joint press conference, and Afghanistan is likely to come up, Matt.

MATT LAUER: All right. Chuck Todd at the White House this morning. Chuck, thank you very much.

—Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here.

No Palin Setback Too Small for Couric Who Skips How Palin 'Acted in Good Faith'

 

Demonstrating that no setback for Sarah Palin which can be portrayed as a rebuke is too insignificant or relevant for Katie Couric, she made time on Thursday's CBS Evening News to inform her viewers about a disputable technical violation of arcane law:

One little word will cost Sarah Palin a small fortune. Today, state investigators in Alaska said a legal defense fund she set up while she was Governor was illegal. They said the use of the word "official" on the fund's Web site implied it was endorsed by the office of the Governor. Palin's lawyer says she will return the fund's nearly $400,000.

Unmentioned by Couric? How Timothy Petumenos, the investigator/counsel for the Alaska Personnel Board which issued the ruling, absolved Palin of blame. "Petumenos found the 2008 GOP vice presidential nominee acted in good faith and relied on the advice of lawyers when setting up the fund," the Anchorage Daily News reported in an afternoon posting.

PDF of the board's report, which noted: "Governor Palin complied fully with AS 39.52.210(a) by declining to take any proceeds from the Trust once the Complaint was filed pending resolution of this matter."

— Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.

NY Times Celebrates D.C.'s 'Venerated Politics and Prose Bookstore,' Ignores Snubs of Conservatives

 

News that "the venerated Politics and Prose bookstore" in Washington, D.C. was up for sale inspired a story by Yeganeh June Torbati Wednesday that resembled a scroll of the D.C. social register, so stuffed it was with names of liberal personalities and pundits: "Bookstore in Capital Seeks Its Next Chapter." But the only clues Torbati gave of the bookstore's dark-blue hue had to be inferred from the names on the bookstore's fan list.

First came shock -- the venerated Politics and Prose bookstore here was up for sale. Then, almost immediately, the fantasies started -- what would it be like to be the new owner, an influential tastemaker at the intersection of the nation's political and literary worlds?

In the weeks since the owners said the independent bookstore was on the market, a variety of potential buyers, including literary agents, authors and investors, have stepped forward to express interest.

The roll call of the bookstore's D.C. cult made clear that its fans share a left-wing urban sensibility (indeed, the store made news in 2007 for the disrespectful way it treats conservatives authors and books). Torbati apparently didn't notice.

Esther Newberg, a New York literary agent whose clients include the writers Thomas L. Friedman, Seymour Hersh, Maureen Dowd and Caroline Kennedy, said what makes Politics and Prose so attractive to authors is that Ms. Cohen and Ms. Meade manage to get large audiences for even relatively unknown writers.

....

Prospective buyers need not apply if they are only seeking to make a sure profit or would just relish the chance to hobnob with the likes of Christopher Hitchens and Hendrik Hertzberg, both fans of the store. All viable candidates will be subject to a "good long talk," [co-owner Barbara] Meade said, "about what they plan to do with the store."

If those "plans" include inviting right-of-center authors to read, those perspective owners might not make it far. Reporter Ryan Grimm of Politico noted the book store's "liberal bias" in a February 2007 article.

The idea that Politics and Prose has a liberal bias has caused the store some consternation, but it's rooted in reality. The bookstore draws a graying, turtleneck crowd in a neighborhood known for its liberal politics in a city that gave George W. Bush fewer than 22,000 votes in 2004. Would you expect the shelves to be buckling under the weight of Sean Hannity and Co.'s latest books?

The bookstore's most well-known snub went to Matt Drudge, a conservative and the creator of The Drudge Report. Cohen reportedly called him "a rumormonger and a troublemaker" in 2000 when the store rejected his request for a reading.

Two years later, neo-conservative Joshua Muravchik made some trouble by telling The Washington Post that the bookstore had refused him a reading in deference to members of a Trotskyite sect of the International Socialist Organization who shopped at the store. They apparently took umbrage at what they felt was a negative gloss on communism in his book "Heaven on Earth: The Rise and Fall of Socialism."

Clay Waters is editor of Times Watch. You can follow him on Twitter.

 

Fwd: Morning Bell: Halting the Explosive Growth of Welfare Entitlements

06/25/2010 Halting the Explosive Growth of Welfare Entitlements Despite its failure last week, Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) is continuing to push his tax-extenders bill. Bundled together with the many egregious pieces of this bill is a $2.5 billion Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) emergency fund. This provision ties right into the current administration's philosophy on government welfare: grow the number of Americans dependent on government by increasing spending. This is obviously the wrong approach. Instead of throwing more money at the ever-expanding and fiscally unsustainable welfare state, Congress should implement practices that work to move people out of poverty, versus those that do nothing but grow federal bureaucracies. When President Lyndon B. Johnson announced his famous "War on Poverty" in 1964, his intent was to win the war by eliminating the causes of poverty.  He actually promised to shrink, not enlarge, the welfare state. Just the opposite has occurred. Today, we spend 13 times more on welfare than in 1965 (even after adjusting for inflation), and the welfare state has made the problem of poverty worse by undermining the very fundamentals that decrease dependence: stable families and a strong work ethic. Out-of-wedlock childbirth is at an historic high of 40 percent and means-tested welfare has grown faster than any other sector of government.

Fwd: Taliban Extorting ?Protection Payments? From Taxpayer-Funded Private Security Contract

Today's Headlines Friday, June 25, 2010

Taliban Extorting 'Protection Payments' From Taxpayer-Funded Private Security Contract (CNSNews.com) - U.S. taxpayer money spent on a Defense Department contract for the private security of "vital" U.S. military supplies in Afghanistan may be making its way to the Taliban as "protection payments for safe passage," a House investigative report found. Jewish Clergy Group: Elena Kagan Isn't 'Kosher' to Serve on Supreme Court (CNSNews.com) - The Rabbinical Alliance of America says the Supreme Court nominee will function "as a flame-throwing radical, hastening society's already steep decline into Sodom and Gommorah," if approved by the Senate. Kagan's 'Judicial Hero': An Israeli Justice Who Said Judges 'Create New Understanding of Law' (CNSNews.com) – Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan in 2006 named as her 'judicial hero' an Israeli Supreme Court Justice, Aharon Barak, who said the role of a judge is to 'create [a] new understanding of law.'Former federal judge and Supreme Court nominee Robert Bork called Kagan's admiration of Barak "disqualifying in and of itself," in a conference call with reporters on Wednesday. Six-Month 'Doc Fix' Slows Medicare Meltdown -- for Now, Doctors Warn (CNSNews.com) - The House on Thursday joined the Senate in passing a six-month Medicare "fix," giving a temporary reprieve to senior citizens who rely on government-run health care coverage. The fix is good as far as it goes, but it doesn't go far enough, said critics, including the American Medical Association. As Lawmakers Pass 'Powerful' Iran Sanctions Bill, Some Worry Presidential Waivers Will Weaken It (CNSNews.com) – The U.S. House and Senate gave final, overwhelming approval Thursday to what some lawmakers described as the toughest Iran sanctions legislation ever, although others regretted the inclusion of waivers that could allow the president to water down the punitive measures. They predicted that, in particular, Russian and Chinese energy companies doing business with Iran may benefit as a result." North Korea Threatens Harsher Punishment Against Jailed American Unless U.S. Drops Ship-Sinking Issue (CNSNews.com) – A threat by North Korea to apply "wartime law" in the case of an imprisoned American citizen is the latest attempt by the communist regime to use a captured foreigner as a political pawn in its recurrent disputes with the outside world. Pyongyang is fending off a U.S.-backed bid to get the U.N. Security Council to condemn it for the sinking last March of a South Korean warship. Congressmen Seek to Halt Deportation Hamas Founder's Son Washington (CNSNews.com) – Eight members of the House of Representatives are urging Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano not to deport the son of the founder of the terrorist group Hamas. Mosab Hassan Yousef became a spy for the Israeli government in the late 1990s and reportedly stopped several terrorist attacks. In 2009, the United States rejected Yousef's petition for asylum. CNSNEWS.COM VIDEO Pelosi: Climate Change Legislation is a 'Moral Issue'--'We Have a Moral Responsibility' to Preserve 'God's Beautiful Creation' (CNSNews.com) – House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said last week that passing energy and climate change legislation is a "moral issue" -- although, at the same time, she indicated that she is "agnostic" about what means should be used in legislation to reduce dependence on foreign oil and consumption of fossil fuels. OTHER CNSNEWS.COM HEADLINES Government Lowers Its Growth Estimate for First Quarter Porn Sites Closer to .xxx Web Address Pakistan Watches Google, Other Web Sites for Blasphemy Obama Stresses 'Unity of Purpose' With Petraeus in Charge House, Senate Negotiators Finalize Deal on Bank Bill Democrats Settle for Medicare Fix As Jobs Bill Falters 'Devastated' Congresswoman Balances Son's Troubles, Her Own Campaign Human Rights Group (Finally) Criticizes Hamas' Treatment of Israeli Group Will Sue McDonald's Over Happy Meal Toys Donate Today! Please help CNSNews.com keep bringing you 'The Right News - Right Now!' Make a contribution to CNSNews.com today. It's fast, simple and secure. Help CNSNews.com and Donate Today!  NEWSPAPER ROUNDUP White House picks 'sanctuary city' supporter for key job at ICE Federal agencies joining boycott of Arizona by canceling conferences there Employee killed during robbery attempt at medical marijuana dispensary Florida closes its first beach as oil washes in Germans question their involvement in Afghanistan Gates: Petraeus will have 'flexibility' to recommend changes in Afghanistan strategy Airline passenger arrested after fight over carry-on bag 10-year-old grand marshal at gay rights parade sparks controversy across U.S. Democrat called on carpet for racially insensitive remarks Witness: Blagojevich given list of Obama favorites for Senate seat L.A.'s red-light camera program exempted from Arizona boycott Legal immigrants in Mass. could lose out on health care Virgin Atlantic blames Customs officials for tarmac delay COMMENTARY The U.S. Department of Illegal Alien Labor By Michelle Malkin President Obama's Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, the woman in charge of enforcing our employment laws, doesn't give a hoot about our immigration laws. Solis, a longtime open-borders sympathizer, has caused a Capitol Hill firestorm over her new taxpayer-funded advertising and outreach campaign to illegal aliens regarding fair wages. Another Failed President? By Patrick J. Buchanan A new Wall Street Journal/NBC Poll confirms that the nation that entertained such high hopes for Barack Obama has lost confidence in his capacity to lead. Sixty-two percent of all Americans believe the nation is headed in the wrong direction. For the first time, more Americans disapprove of Obama than approve. Fifty-seven percent would prefer someone else, rather than the member of Congress they now have. Americans have been through periods of malaise before. But where FDR raised spirits after Herbert Hoover, and Reagan did after Jimmy Carter, the optimism about an Age of Obama is vanishing like the morning mist. Bigotry Central By L. Brent Bozell III It's been two months since Comedy Central censored Mohammed out of their cartoon "South Park." Even the utterance of the name was bleeped. But there has been no ceasefire in Comedy Central's war on Christianity. The attacks on Catholic Americans just keep coming. Trouble Among the Allies By Rich Galen The firing of Gen. Stanley McChrystal shone the global spotlight on Afghanistan when most of the world was pretty happy ignoring what has, or has not, been going on there. The nations contributing to the Afghanistan war effort are having severe budget issues, and there is no single bigger expense than keeping a soldier in a war zone. Look for the team of David Petraeus and Hillary Clinton to start an international road show to major capitals to try to shore up our allies' wilting support for what has become Obama's war.

Fwd: MRC Alert: ABC Warns G-20's Rejection of Obama-Spendanomics 'Could Plunge World Into a Second Recession'

 

A daily compilation edited by Brent H. Baker, CyberAlert items are drawn from daily BiasAlert posts and distributed by the Media Research Center's News Analysis Division, the leader since 1987 in documenting, exposing and neutralizing liberal media bias.

 

Tracking Liberal Media Bias Since 1996
Monday June 28, 2010 @ 09:04 AM EDT

1. ABC Warns G-20's Rejection of Obama-Spendanomics 'Could Plunge World Into a Second Recession'
Based on the view of a single economist, ABC portrayed the agreement by world powers, at the G-20 summit in Toronto, to pursue fiscal sanity over the accelerated government spending urged by President Barack Obama, as a threat the well-being of the American people. "President Obama lost an argument today with other world leaders, and some economists say that could plunge the world into a second recession," Dan Harris intoned at the top of Sunday's World News. From Toronto, reporter David Kerley agreed: "The President lost the argument and there could be serious consequences. Some economists are saying what was decided in Toronto today could actually lead to a double-dip recession."

2. CBS's Logan Zings Hastings: He's 'Never Served His Country the Way McChrystal Has'
Lara Logan, CBS's chief foreign affairs correspondent, took to CNN's Reliable Sources on Sunday to accuse Michael Hastings, who was interviewed by Howard Kurtz in the preceding segment, of using subterfuge and Rolling Stone of pushing an agenda in their hit piece on General Stanley McChrystal, both of which unfairly tarnished McCrystal and will lead to more military wariness toward the journalists. Logan castigated Hastings: "The question is, really, is what General McChrystal and his aides are doing so egregious, that they deserved to end a career like McChrystal's? Michael Hastings has never served his country the way McChrystal has." As for Hastings' insistence he didn't break any "off the record" ground rules, Logan declared: "Something doesn't add up here. I just - I don't believe it." The subterfuge really infuriated Logan...

3. NBC's Todd Defends Obama 'Twitters' Gaffe: 'Written Incorrectly in His Prepared Remarks'
On NBC's Today on Friday, White House correspondent Chuck Todd preemptively dismissed any criticism of President Obama referring to "Twitters" during a joint press conference with Russian President Dimitri Medvedev on Thursday: "It turns out he didn't misstate it. It was written incorrectly in his prepared remarks." Despite Obama's inability to correct the remarks off the cuff, Todd solely blamed a White House staffer for the mistake: "A speechwriter falling on his sword on that one."

4. NYT Movie Critic: Dictator Hugo Chavez a 'Good-Hearted Man of the People'
New York Times movie critic Stephen Holden on Oliver Stone's new documentary on left-wing leaders in Latin America, including dictator Hugo Chavez of Venezuela: "Mr. Chávez comes across as a rough-hewn but good-hearted man of the people whose bullheaded determination is softened by a sense of humor. At a corn-processing factory, he jokes: 'This is where we build the Iranian atomic bomb. A corn bomb.'" Holden had room for the strongman's corny jokes, but none to discuss Venezuela's political prisoners.


Advertisement - Mark Levin wants you to "Show the liberals in the media what you think of them!"
Tell the world how you feel about the liberal media with your free "I Don't Believe the Liberal Media" bumper sticker from NewsBusters and the Media Research Center - America's Media Watchdog! To get your sticker: http://www.mrcsticker.org

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ABC Warns G-20's Rejection of Obama-Spendanomics 'Could Plunge World Into a Second Recession'

 

Based on the view of a single economist, ABC portrayed the agreement by world powers, at the G-20 summit in Toronto, to pursue fiscal sanity over the accelerated government spending urged by President Barack Obama, as a threat the well-being of the American people. "President Obama lost an argument today with other world leaders, and some economists say that could plunge the world into a second recession," Dan Harris intoned at the top of Sunday's World News.

From Toronto, reporter David Kerley agreed: "The President lost the argument and there could be serious consequences. Some economists are saying what was decided in Toronto today could actually lead to a double-dip recession." A dire Kerley elaborated: "The worry is that by turning off the stimulus spigot the fragile economic recovery could disappear and turn into a double-dip recession."

ABC's "some economists" turned out to be a single one, Professor Peter Morici of the University of Maryland, who ominously warned: "It will be very difficult to recover from that. Then we start to get into depression-like conditions."

Kerley forecast not following Obama's policies will mean "an unemployment rate that could rise again, this time above ten percent, no recovery in the housing market and an even tighter credit market. And all of this could last another two to three years." From the Sunday, June 27 World News on ABC:

DAN HARRIS: Good evening. President Obama lost an argument today with other world leaders, and some economists say that could plunge the world into a second recession. The President went to this weekend's summit meeting in Canada to convince other wealthy nations to keep spending still stimulate their economies. But they said no, arguing now is the time to start cutting deficits. So, who is right here and what does that mean for your wallet? We're going to start tonight with David Kerley, who is at the G-20 summit in Toronto. David, good evening.

DAVID KERLEY: Good evening, Dan. You're right. The President lost the argument and there could be serious consequences. Some economists are saying what was decided in Toronto today could actually lead to a double-dip recession.

Screams and cheers for President Oobama during a photo shoot. But his G-20 colleagues didn't buy his argument that they need to keep spending to stimulate their economies, rather than turning to cutting deficits.

STEPHEN HARPER, CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER: Advanced countries must send a clear message that as our stimulus plans expire, we will focus can on getting our fiscal houses in order. Specifically, we should agree that deficits will be halved by 2013.

KERLEY: It is a major split for the major economies, which have been on the same page for a year and a half. The President gave in, signaling as much when he met with the new British Prime Minister.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: There are going to be differentiated responses between the two countries because of our different positions, but we are aiming at the same direction which is long-term sustainable growth that puts people to work.

KERLEY: The worry is that by turning off the stimulus spigot the fragile economic recovery could disappear and turn into a double-dip recession.

PROFESSOR PETER MORICI, ECONOMIST, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: It will be very difficult to recover from that. Then we start to get into depression-like conditions.

KERLEY: What does that mean? An unemployment rate that could rise again, this time above ten percent, no recovery in the housing market and an even tighter credit market. And all of this could last another two to three years.

MORICI: What Europe did today would be like taking up smoking. You don't know when it's going to make you sick, but it will make you sick.

KERLEY: The weekend meetings here in Toronto were targeted by protesters who took to the streets, burning cars and breaking windows. Canada spent nearly a billion dollars on security. That's $12 million per hour that the world leaders were here in town. More than 500 protesters were arrested. Dan?

— Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.

CBS's Logan Zings Hastings: He's 'Never Served His Country the Way McChrystal Has'

 

Lara Logan, CBS's chief foreign affairs correspondent, took to CNN's Reliable Sources on Sunday to accuse Michael Hastings, who was interviewed by Howard Kurtz in the preceding segment, of using subterfuge and Rolling Stone of pushing an agenda in their hit piece on General Stanley McChrystal, both of which unfairly tarnished McCrystal and will lead to more military wariness toward the journalists. Logan castigated Hastings:

The question is, really, is what General McChrystal and his aides are doing so egregious, that they deserved to end a career like McChrystal's? Michael Hastings has never served his country the way McChrystal has.

As for Hastings' insistence he didn't break any "off the record" ground rules, Logan declared: "Something doesn't add up here. I just -- I don't believe it."

The subterfuge really infuriated Logan: "What I find is the most telling thing about what Michael Hastings said in your interview is that he talked about his manner as pretending to build an illusion of trust and, you know, he's laid out there what his game is. That is exactly the kind of damaging type of attitude that makes it difficult for reporters who are genuine about what they do....Clearly, you've got someone who is making friends with you, pretending to be sympathetic, pretending to be something that they're not..."

Taking on Rolling Stone, Logan charged the "magazine put their own spin on this. They said that the greatest enemy for McChrystal is the wimps in Washington. Nowhere in the article does McChrystal refer to 'the wimps in Washington.' That's Rolling Stone magazine, how they chose to cast this, to make it as sensational as possible. And that was with intent." (Logan echoed Newsweek's Evan Thomas, who asserted on this weekend's Inside Washington: "When they go to bars they...blow a lot of steam off. I don't think the reporter should have printed that stuff.")

In the pevious segment, Hastings insisted to Kurtz that he doesn't have a political agenda: "If Bill O'Reilly is calling you a far-left critic, in my book, no matter what your political persuasion is, that probably means you're doing a good job."

(A couple of tweets I sent a few days ago about the political persuasions of McChrystal and Petraeus, starting with banning the wrong outlet:

> Marc Ambinder on McChrystal: A liberal, voted for Obama, "he banned Fox News from the TV sets in his headquarters." http://bit.ly/cx1t8i

> Petraeus has home in NH where "his personal vehicle sports 'Live Free or Die' license plates." Union Leader story: http://shar.es/mIeUw )

From the Sunday, June 27 Reliable Sources on CNN:

HOWARD KURTZ: If you had been traveling with General McChrystal and heard these comments about Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Jim Jones, Richard Holbrooke, would you have reported them?

LARA LOGAN, CBS CHIEF FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it really depends on the circumstances. It's hard to know -- Michael Hastings, if you believe him, says that there were no ground rules laid out. And, I mean, that just doesn't really make a lot of sense to me, because if you look at the people around General McChrystal, if you look at his history, he was the Joint Special Operations commander. He has a history of not interacting with the media at all.

And his chief of intelligence, Mike Flynn, is the same. I mean, I know these people. They never let their guard down like that. To me, something doesn't add up here. I just -- I don't believe it.

KURTZ: When you are out with the troops and you're living together and sleeping together, is there an unspoken agreement-

LOGAN: Absolutely.

KURTZ: -that you're not going to embarrass them by reporting insults and banter?

LOGAN: Yes.

KURTZ: Tell me about that.

LOGAN: Yes, absolutely. There is an element of trust. And what I find is the most telling thing about what Michael Hastings said in your interview is that he talked about his manner as pretending to build an illusion of trust and, you know, he's laid out there what his game is. That is exactly the kind of damaging type of attitude that makes it difficult for reporters who are genuine about what they do, who don't -- I don't go around in my personal life pretending to be one thing and then being something else. I mean, I find it egregious that anyone would do that in their professional life.

And, I mean, I take that to the point of, even when I apply to interview someone about something difficult, and they want to know the areas of the interview, I might not say, well, we're going to spend the whole interview on this, but I will list that. I will list that controversial issue.

KURTZ: Because you don't want to blindside them.

LOGAN: Because I don't believe in that.

KURTZ: But don't beat reporters -- aren't they nice to people to gain their confidence, and sometimes they have to write things that are not flattering?

LOGAN: Of course. I mean, the military is a good example. I have never been -- they never know what to do with me because I've never been accused of being right wing. And they want to paint me as left wing because they expect the media to be that way. But, if you look at my body of work, it's been always been accurate and fair.

Now, Michael Hastings might look at my body of work and say, well, there's an example of another one of those reporters, unlike me, that didn't go and tell the truth because they wanted to come back. That's not the case at all.

KURTZ: He says that all of the things that have been written about Stanley McChrystal have been these glowing profiles. He's suggesting that he did a job that the regular beat journalists have not done.

LOGAN: I think that's insulting and arrogant, myself. I really do, because there are very good beat reporters who have been covering these wars for years, year after year. Michael Hastings appeared in Baghdad fairly late on the scene, and he was there for a significant period of time. He has his credentials, but he's not the only one.

There are a lot of very good reporters out there. And to be fair to the military, if they believe that a piece is balanced, they will let you back. They may not have loved it. They didn't love the piece I did about hand grenades being thrown in Iraq that were killing troops. They didn't love that piece, it made a lot of people very angry. They didn't block me from coming back.

KURTZ: The Washington Post quoted an unnamed senior military official as saying that Michael Hastings broke the off-the-record ground rules. But the person who said this was on background and wouldn't allow his name to be used. Is that fair?

LOGAN: Well, it's Kryptonite right now. I mean, do you blame them? The commanding general in Afghanistan just lost his job. Who else is going to lose his job? Believe me, all the senior leadership in Afghanistan are waiting for the ax to fall. I've been speaking to some of them. They don't know who's going to stay and who's going to go.

I mean, the question is, really, is what General McChrystal and his aides are doing so egregious, that they deserved to end a career like McChrystal's? Michael Hastings has never served his country the way McChrystal has.

KURTZ: Is this going to prompt the military, in general, the commanders in Afghanistan in particular, to be more wary of journalists?

LOGAN: Of course, because what you see is not what you get. Clearly, you've got someone who is making friends with you, pretending to be sympathetic, pretending to be something that they're not, and then they're taking what you say -- when you start an article with General McChrystal making obscene gestures, you're not even using something that he said.

And Rolling Stone magazine put their own spin on this. They said that the greatest enemy for McChrystal is the wimps in Washington. Nowhere in the article does McChrystal refer to "the wimps in Washington." That's Rolling Stone magazine, how they chose to cast this, to make it as sensational as possible. And that was with intent.

— Brent Baker is Vice President for Research and Publications at the Media Research Center. Click here to follow him on Twitter.

NBC's Todd Defends Obama 'Twitters' Gaffe: 'Written Incorrectly in His Prepared Remarks'

 

On NBC's Today on Friday, White House correspondent Chuck Todd preemptively dismissed any criticism of President Obama referring to "Twitters" during a joint press conference with Russian President Dimitri Medvedev on Thursday: "It turns out he didn't misstate it. It was written incorrectly in his prepared remarks."

During Todd's report, a clip was played of Obama noting how in a visit to California's Silicon Valley, Medvedev went to "visit the headquarter of Twitters." Obama simply placed an 's' after the wrong word. Rather than let the minor gaffe stand, at the conclusion of the report, Todd made to sure to explain the typographical error to viewers: "You did not mishear. The President did say the word 'Twitters,' plural." Despite Obama's inability to correct the remarks off the cuff, Todd solely blamed a White House staffer for the mistake: "A speechwriter falling on his sword on that one."   
                        
Todd quickly changed the subject to a similar gaffe made by President Bush: "...it did bring back memories of President Bush one time referring to those 'internets.'" The media was certainly never quick to come to Bush's defense after a verbal misstep.  

In his report, Todd observed how Obama got a "diplomatic head-start" on the upcoming G-20 economic summit in Canada by meeting with Medvedev and how "...the President treated Medvedev to cheeseburgers at one of the President's favorite burger spots in northern Virginia."

Here is a full transcript of Todd's June 25 report:

7:07AM

MATT LAUER: President Obama will be keeping an eye on what's happening in the Gulf today from Toronto. He's heading there this morning to join a host of world leaders at the G-20 summit. NBC's chief White House correspondent Chuck Todd is there as well. Chuck, good morning to you.

CHUCK TODD: Well, good morning, Matt. The President is scheduled to arrive here later this morning. He's going to have a new Wall Street reform deal in his back pocket. It's something he's going to try to use to convince these other nations from around the world to do similar action. On Thursday he met with an important G-20 ally, the Russian president. Believe it or not, it's the seventh time these two have met face-to-face. Security here at the G-20 meeting is tight. The Canadian government has spent more than any other host country ever to try to make sure world leaders are safe. Heading into the important economic summit, the President got a diplomatic head-start by meeting with one of America's most touchy allies, Russia, and its president, Dimitri Medvedev.

BARACK OBAMA: America's most significant national security interests and priorities could be advanced most effectively through cooperation, not an adversarial relationship, with Russia.

TODD: And yet, despite the global economic concerns and the presence of the Russian president-

UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN: Does the change in command in Afghanistan-

TODD: A reporter's first question brought the President back to the issue that's dogged him all week, Afghanistan.

OBAMA: I am confident we've got a team in place that can execute it.

TODD: The President promised no more personnel changes after Wednesday's dramatic firing of General Stanley McChrystal and the President made sure to leave himself wiggle room on the question of whether the U.S. will actually go through with its plans to draw down troops in July, 2011.

OBAMA: We didn't say we'd be switching off the lights and closing the door behind us. We said as we begin a transition phase in which the Afghan government is taking on more and more responsibility.

TODD: Medvedev was asked if he had any advice for the President, given Russia's long and costly war in Afghanistan.

DIMITRI MEDVEDEV: But I try not to give pieces of advice that can't be fulfilled.

TODD: But Defense Secretary Robert Gates did have words of advice.

ROBERT GATES: No one, be they adversaries or friends, or especially our troops, should misinterpret these personnel changes as a slackening of this government's commitment to the mission in Afghanistan.

OBAMA: Visit the headquarter of Twitters.

TODD: On a lighter note, President Obama noted President Medvedev opened a Twitter account and joked it was a 21st sentry substitute for the old Cold War hotline.

OBAMA: I have one as well, so we may be able to finally throw away those red phones that have been sitting around for so long.

TODD: Earlier in the day, the President treated Medvedev to cheeseburgers at one of the President's favorite burger spots in northern Virginia.

MEDVEDEV: Probably it's not quite healthy but it's very tasty and you can feel the spirit of America.

TODD: Alright. You did not mishear. The President did say the word 'Twitters,' plural. It turns out he didn't misstate it. It was written incorrectly in his prepared remarks. A speechwriter falling on his sword on that one. But it did bring back memories of President Bush one time referring to those 'internets.' Matt.

LAUER: Alright, Chuck Todd, thank you very much. He's in Toronto this morning.

—Kyle Drennen is a news analyst at the Media Research Center. You can follow him on Twitter here.

NYT Movie Critic: Dictator Hugo Chavez a 'Good-Hearted Man of the People'

 

Stephen Holden, the New York Times' most left-wing movie critic (and that's saying something) admires Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez almost as much as left-wing conspiracist/movie director Oliver Stone does.

Stone's new documentary, "South of the Border," features informal interview sessions with several left-wing Latin American leaders, but the screen-time is dominated by Chavez, who Holden holds up as a humorous, "good-hearted man of the people."

Political documentaries shadowed by paranoia and apocalyptic foreboding are so commonplace nowadays that "South of the Border," Oliver Stone's celebration of the leftward tilt of South American politics, comes as a cheerful surprise. As anyone who remembers "JFK," his 1991 film about the Kennedy assassination, can attest, Mr. Stone has his own paranoid tendencies, but they are muted in this provocative, if shallow, exaltation of Latin American socialism.

During "South of the Border" Mr. Stone schmoozes with several left-wing political leaders, including his good buddy the Venezuelan president, Hugo Chávez; he takes Mr. Stone to his childhood home, where Mr. Chávez mounts a children's bike that collapses under him. Mr. Chávez comes across as a rough-hewn but good-hearted man of the people whose bullheaded determination is softened by a sense of humor. At a corn-processing factory, he jokes: "This is where we build the Iranian atomic bomb. A corn bomb." Ho, ho, ho.

Such "humor" is especially hilarious given that, as Forbes reports, Venezuela under Chavez harbors terrorists and weapons from the anti-Israel groups Hezbollah and Hamas via Tehran.

Mr. Stone's visit with Mr. Chávez is the movie's longest interview with a Latin American statesman during what feels like a whirlwind tour of South American capitals. Instead of the saber-rattling, America-hating tyrants often depicted on American television (especially Fox News, several of whose extreme fulminations are excerpted for comic effect), Mr. Stone finds sensible, plain-spoken men (and one woman, Argentina's president, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner). They are well aware of how power works in the global arena. Those who have it use it for their own advantage; it's the way of the world.

The two demonic influences named in the movie are the American-controlled International Monetary Fund and the "private media." Mrs. Kirchner recalls resisting pressure to keep borrowing from the fund rather than pay back what was owed. Mr. Chávez repeatedly triumphs despite the almost unanimous hostility of Venezuela's privately owned media.

Holden brought up the anti-Chavez hostility of the "private" media without reporting that earlier this year Chavez arrested the owner of the independent TV network Globovision for "comments offensive" to Chavez.

Holden left Chavez criticism to a single sentence:

There are no serious interviews with the poor to determine how everyday lives have changed under these socialist governments, and there is no mention of the human rights abuses in Venezuela reported by Amnesty International.

Holden left out plenty. Chavez arrested Judge María Lourdes Afiuni for a ruling that displeased him (she had freed a businessman who had supported opposition politicians), as the Times itself reported on April 4, "Criticism of Chavez Stifled by Arrests." Reporter Simon Romero added:

Twenty to 30 Venezuelans, including Judge Afiuni, are now imprisoned here because of their political activity or for reasons connected to publicly contradicting Mr. Chávez's wishes, said Rocío San Miguel, a legal scholar here who leads a nongovernmental group that monitors Venezuelan security.

Holden argued that "South of the Border" "is a valuable, if naïvely idealistic, introductory tutorial on a significant international trend."  Ever the socialist idealist, Holden concluded: "It ultimately proffers the vision of a pan-South American union that is economically and politically strong enough to realize the Bolivarian dream."

Clay Waters is director of Times Watch. You can follow him on Twitter.

 

 

Fwd: Morning Bell: Will Elena Kagan Defend the Rule of Law?

06/28/2010 Will Elena Kagan Defend the Rule of Law? The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin its hearing today on the nomination of Elena Kagan to be the next Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Kagan is no stranger to the confirmation process; in fact, she devoted one of her few academic writings entirely to the subject, writing: The Senate's consideration of a nominee, and particularly the Senate's confirmation hearings, ought to focus on substantive issues; the Senate ought to view the hearings as an opportunity to gain knowledge and promote public understanding of what the nominee believes the Court should do and how she would affect its conduct. Kagan's law review article specifically criticized recent confirmation hearings as "a vapid and hollow charade, in which repetition of platitudes has replaced discussion of viewpoints and personal anecdotes have supplanted legal analysis." Instead, Kagan advocated that senators insist "on seeing how theory works in practice by evoking a nominee's comments on particular issues - involving privacy rights, free speech, race and gender discrimination, and so forth - that the Court regularly faces." Kagan even suggested that nominees with thin records (and Kagan's record can definitely be considered "thin," since she has no judicial experience, few academic writings, and virtually no litigation experience prior to her current post as Solicitor General), should face a heavier burden when answering senators' questions. So what "substantive issues" should senators press Kagan on to see how her "theory works in practice"?