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Valerie Plame Wilson must be involved in what I dub the “Unicorn Express,” borrowing from other sources.  A seemingly mystical and illogical quest for the complete elimination of nuclear weapons.  I first caught a glimpse of her on CNN.com and thought, “Was that Valerie Plame?”  Indeed.  Skip to 0:35 for her sound byte.

Then check out TED’s website about the session she opened where her name links to this group’s website.

I think my thoughts are pretty much in line with Bill Kristol’s back after Obama’s speech in Prague.

From Bill Kristol’s “A World Without Nukes — Just Like 1939″ April 7, 2009 Article  —-

Of course, we had a world without nuclear weapons not so long ago — say, in 1939. The war that began in that nuclear-free world led to a crash project to develop nuclear weapons. It ended with America’s use of them…

Yet to justify a world without nuclear weapons, what Obama would really have to envision is a world without war, or without threats of war.

As soon as we get rid of nuclear weapons though, we ought to get rid of unicorns.  They have a pointy horn.

Democrats seem to be ready to really show their true colors here, as always.  Instead of condemning racial impropriety, they once again fore go unbiased and equal treatment of their own.  Instead of harshly scolding Reid and threatening his position, they’ll do an about face when compared to their reaction to ambiguous (possibly racial) comments Trent Lott made several years ago.

First, Reid’s allies plan to distribute the NAACP vote ratings of Republican senators who have scolded him. The data will be made available to editorial boards, cable programs and the blogosphere — including votes on minimum wage, community-oriented policing, education funding and HIV/AIDS programs.

Separately, the Congressional Black Caucus plans to issue a new statement Monday, defending Reid and brushing back Republicans.

“Senator Reid’s record provides a stark contrast to actions of Republicans to block legislation that would benefit poor and minority communities — most recently reflected in Republican opposition to the health bill now under consideration,” CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said. “I look forward to Senator Reid continuing to serve as Majority Leader to guide this important agenda through the Senate.”

Classic.  Attack the messenger.

Ad Hominem:

–adjective :

attacking an opponent’s character rather than answering his argument.

If only Democrats could stay consistent on principle…

Great video about what $1.4 trillion can buy.

Sure,there were bailouts this year, but why is the deficit expected to remain the same next year?  Anyone realize how bizarre it is that Obama was championing a halving of the deficit by the end of his first term?

Hate tip: Ed Morrissey

A new organization started by Liz Cheney, someone I love seeing debate democrats on foreign policy and national defense.

Their “Rhetoric vs. Reality” video is excellent.

Hardly know what to say about this post on WhiteHouse.gov.

Scary chain emails and videos are starting to percolate on the internet, breathlessly claiming, for example, to “uncover” the truth about the President’s health insurance reform positions

There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care.  These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation.  Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.

My email response to flag@whitehouse.gov:

from    Ryan Farnes
to    flag@whitehouse.gov
date    Fri, Aug 7, 2009

subject    Really?

The White House is asking citizens to report on chain emails and word of mouth?

My opinion of fishy?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/Facts-Are-Stubborn-Things/

Ryan Farnes

Energy Czar Carole Browner, responsible for the Executive Branch’s “Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy,” has not read the bill that passed the House of Representatives in its entirety.

Hat tip: Townhall.com’s Greg Hengler

Iran:

“It is not productive, given the history of US and Iranian relations to be seen as meddling in Iranian elections,” he said.

“But when I see violence directed at peaceful protesters, when I see peaceful dissent being suppressed… it is of concern to me and it is of concern to the American people.”

 Honduras:

Leaders from across the Western Hemisphere and beyond called for return to power of Zelaya, who arrested on Sunday morning by soldiers who stormed his residence and forced him into exile. The country now has another president appointed by its Congress, Roberto Micheletti, who insisted that Zelaya was legally removed by the courts and Congress for violating Honduras’ constitution and attempting to extend his own rule.

“We are very clear about the fact that President Zelaya is the democratically elected president,” Obama said.

Hat tip: Townhall.com’s Carol Platt Liebau

Obama’s recent visit to Notre Dame certainly stirred up emotions on the issue of abortion.  I agree with many that it is fine to honor the office of the President of the United States and have Obama come speak at any university.  The bestowal of an honorary doctorate however, seems out of place.  I think ASU said it best when they opted to not award an honorary degree.

The university decided against awarding Obama the degree because it is customarily awarded for “lifetime achievement,” ASU spokeswoman Sharon Keeler told POLITICO.

“It’s normally awarded to someone who has been in their field for some time,” she said. “Considering that the president is at the beginning of his presidency, his body of work is just beginning.”

People will always disagree on different political issues, but abortion is something that steps beyond the plain old arguments of what the government ought to do with tax dollars.  Instead, it involves the most profound and fundamental actions we take with regard to the moral and ethical issue of life.  For Notre Dame to award a doctorate to someone that “talks out of both sides of his mouth” on the issue just doesn’t make sense.

Obama has been in office a short while (in the big picture) and I found this article by Robert Kaplan quite informative.  In it he outlines the large number of potential crises that Obama hasn’t had the luxury of months of preparation to make a decision about.

Yes, Obama has faced great crises and choices already: the meltdown of the economy, the bailout of the Detroit automobile companies, the release of the Bush-era memorandums on torture. But all of these crisis were entirely predictable. They are leftovers from the last administration. And the decisions Obama has made on them are the product of staff meetings going back to the days before he was even elected. In all of them he has had the advantage of advance planning. The piracy incident off the coast of Somalia and the swine flu epidemic (provided it doesn’t get worse) do not qualify as crises that define a presidency.

President Obama will challenge the cabinet to find ways to save $100 million dollars over the next 90 days.  Yeah, you may need to read that again to be sure you saw “$100 million” correctly.  At this rate, we’ll be saving $400 million a year, while we spend beyond our means in excess of 1,000 times that much every year through 2019 according to President Obama’s budget request in PDF.  That isn’t the money from taxes I’m talking about, that is money we don’t have that we’re spending.  And 1,000 times is actually a floor that Obama’s proposed budget never intends to reach, it is projected to always be higher.  So unless the savings he is going to challenge the cabinet for the other 275 days a years adds up to something way more substantial, this is as ridiculous as it sounds.

President Obama is proposing more deficit spending than President Bush ever did, yet the Obama administration is going to try to sell fiscal responsibility?

A senior administration official described the edict as part of Obama’s “commitment to go line by line through the budget to cut spending” and “reform the government.”

It seems a poor trick, a ploy.  But at least we get some humor, as sad as it is from this.  Wait until you read what some of the departments are proposing.

The Department of Homeland Security’s plan to save an estimated $52 million over five years by purchasing office supplies in bulk.

The Department of Agriculture’s effort to consolidate 1,500 employees from seven locations into a single facility in 2011. It’s estimated to save $62 million over a 15-year lease.

We have been holding the private sector’s feet to the fire as the robber barons of this recession, while those that run the federal government give us little faith that they have any idea what they’re doing with our money.  The Department of Homeland Security has been around for years, part of a federal government that has been around even longer, and they’re just discovering the wonders of bulk purchasing?