Category Archives: Government
Tale of Two Dicks
During an interview with Charlie Rose that aired Monday the president protested again that he’s not Dick Cheney. He has a point. I haven’t heard that Cheney tried to intimidate journalists and their sources, or use the IRS to intimidate political opponents.
James Taranto, in a column titled We’re all Dick Cheney Now, says Obama is trying to send a message to his base that they were right to distrust Cheney but not to distrust him for adopting and expanding the same program of spying on Americans.
Co-Conspirator
Eric Holder signed off on a warrant calling Fox News reporter James Rosen a co-conspirator even though he doesn’t think he is one and has no intention of prosecuting him. In an interview with NBC’s Pete Williams Holder bemoaned the fact that, despite his “great respect for the press”, it’s necessary to brand a reporter, “doing his very important job”, as a criminal in order to get a warrant against him. So, why did he want a warrant against such a swell guy?
Holder also says he has no intention of stepping down.
Taxing Success
No fuel saver will go unpunished. Some states want to tax hybrid cars because their success in reducing fuel consumption also reduces gasoline tax revenue.
Data Mine
Ever get creeped out when you’re researching patio chair slings and the next time you log on to your favorite site there is an ad for patio chair slings? We’re used to having our minds mined by the likes of Google and Facebook. So I guess we shouldn’t mind when the government does it to keep an eye on terrorists. The NSA would never abuse its power like the IRS or the DOJ, right? Trust us.
Red Line
Mostly liberal columnist Richard Cohen is fed up with Obama’s dithering on Syria. Mostly conservative columnist Charles Krauthammer is fed up with Obama’s dithering on Syria too. Common ground.
Cohen wants to intervene on humanitarian grounds. As for Krauthammer : “A superpower’s role in a regional conflict is deterrence.” He feels Putin has taken Obama’s measure and our president comes up short – to put it kindly.
President Obama has said Bashar Assad will have crossed a red line if he gasses his own people. France says that gas would be Sarin.
Seems we’ve been down this line before.






