Black Marine talks to Glenn Beck in Harlem

Japan expert to ABC: Yes, Obama’s bow made him look like an idiot

posted at 7:45 pm on November 15, 2009 by Allahpundit

So much of an idiot, in fact, that according to Tapper’s source, at least one Japanese paper isn’t running the photo out of embarrassment. This tool actually groveled himself into a minor international incident.

The good news for O-bots? It wasn’t unprecedented. Nixon evidently made a modest bow to Hirohito in the early 70s. The bad news?

“Obama’s handshake/forward lurch was so jarring and inappropriate it recalls Bush’s back-rub of Merkel.

“Kyodo News is running his appropriate and reciprocated nod and shake with the Empress, certainly to show the president as dignified, and not in the form of a first year English teacher trying to impress with Karate Kid-level knowledge of Japanese customs.

“The bow as he performed did not just display weakness in Red State terms, but evoked weakness in Japanese terms….The last thing the Japanese want or need is a weak looking American president and, again, in all ways, he unintentionally played that part.

A senior White House official (read: Axelrod or Emanuel) assured Politico this morning that no Japanese observers “would say anything other than that he enhanced both the position and the status of the U.S., relative to Japan.” Consider that spin exploded, thanks to ABC.

Romney accuses Obama of not protecting troops

Posted: November 14th, 2009 02:12 PM ET
From CNN Associate Political Producer Emily Sherman

WASHINGTON (CNN)– Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney delivered a scathing criticism of President Obama's Afghanistan strategy Friday night, accusing the president of delivering rhetoric and not action in the war-torn country.

Quoting from a speech Obama delivered in March, Romney agreed with the president "that 'we are in Afghanistan to confront a common enemy that threatens the United States, our friends and allies."' Romney continued on seconding the president: "I believe 'that to succeed, we and our friends and allies must reverse the Taliban's gains, and promote a more capable and accountable Afghan government.'"

But Romney went on to criticize Obama for not holding enough meetings with top generals, and inadequately preparing for the elections in Afghanistan.

"The President has held his job for 10 months but does not yet have a strategy," Romney said during his speech before the Young America's Foundation in Santa Barbara, California. "What has he been doing that is more important than protecting the lives of the troops of which he is Commander-in-Chief? He has been campaigning- rallying at phony town meetings and making over 30 campaign stops for fellow Democrats. This President's inattention and dereliction remind me of those Northwest Airlines pilots who were so distracted from their jobs that they lost their way. But in this case, the consequences are far more severe."

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Why does he hate us?

By Paul Mirengoff | November 15, 2009

Obama grew up in a radically left-wing household, attended elite colleges where a jaundiced view of America is orthodox, and spent the remainder of his formative years as a community organizer alongside the likes of former domestic terrorist Bill Ayers and the "God d@mn America" ranting Jeremiah Wright.

No wonder Obama is serving up a "God d@mn
American lite" presidency.

What will be the consequences of that presidency? Domestically, we can expect the president to continue trying to remodel the American economy along radical lines. And given his mistrust of his countrymen's instincts, we can expect attempts to curb personal freedom.

read the whole thing

Venezuelan Government Blames Video Games For Violence, Implements Widespread Ban

November 5, 2009 | gamepolitics.com

Venezuela’s parliament has approved a law that lumps in toy weapons with videogames and bans the import, production or sale of both groups of items within the country.

The law was approved late last week and will go into effect within three months, reports Russian news agency Ria Novosti. The law features strict penalties of up to three to five years of incarceration for each offense. Previous reports also claimed that campaigns would be launched to warn about the dangers of videogames and that Venezuela’s consumer protection society would have full decision making abilities over what games to ban.

On BoingBoing, a 26-year old Venezuelan gamer named Guido Núñez-Mujica has penned an article detailing his distaste for the new law, even in the face of government harassment that could emerge from his public denouncement.

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Giuliani Calls 9/11 Trials Too Risky

AOL News | 2009-11-15 11:12:01 | posted: 1 HOUR 26 MINUTES AGO

WASHINGTON (Nov. 15) -- Putting suspected Sept. 11 terrorists on trial in New York City places residents there at unnecessary risk, former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani said Sunday.
Giuliani, who was mayor of New York during the terrorist attacks, told CNN's "State of the Union" that the suspects should face military tribunals rather than regular trials. You can watch an excerpt of the interview below.

Embedded video from CNN Video

What happens when a conservative crashes a pathetic pro-ObamaCare rally that nobody came to . . .

What If ObamaCare Had a Rally and Nobody Showed Up? St. Louis Edition
by Publius | November 14, 2009

There isn’t anything dramatic like SEIU thugs beating up people in the video [above]. What’s dramatic is what isn’t there–like the famous dogs who didn’t bark in the Sherlock Holmes story. Health Care for America Now (HCAN), the principal organization pushing for ObamaCare, and Organizing for America, Obama’s campaign arm at the Democrat National Committee, recently opened major offices in St. Louis. Their goal is to build a grassroots movement supporting ObamaCare. As this video shows, this national effort was able to muster around 30 people.

Castro's crush on Obama

By PAUL HAVEN, Associated Press Writer Paul Haven, Associated Press Writer – Fri Nov 13, 3:47 am ET

HAVANA – Think you're obsessed with President Barack Obama and the many challenges he faces at home and abroad?

Well, you're not alone.

Fidel Castro appears to have a fascination with the American leader that would make Obama Girl jealous, writing obsessively not only about his politics, but of his youth and vigor.

And unlike with past American heads-of-state — he slammed President George W. Bush as a genocidal drunk — Castro seems to genuinely like the fresh face in Washington.

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Trying KSM: Why?

Powerline | November 14, 2009 Posted by John at 9:44 AM

. . . This illustrates the perversity of mindlessly applying the criminal law template to terrorist attacks. What is the implication of Holder's criteria? Put yourself in the place of a would-be terrorist: If you want to garner maximum publicity; if you want to make yourself into a world-famous martyr; if you want an endless platform for disseminating jihadist propaganda; if you want to be treated with kid gloves at all times; what should you do? That's right: you should organize an attack on American soil that kills thousands. You'll be rewarded with top-flight legal representation at taxpayer expense and a forum in which to advance the cause of jihad.

Like so many things the Obama administration does, this creates exactly the wrong incentives and needlessly puts American lives in danger.

It depends on what the meaning of the word "bow" is

How low will he go? Obama gives Japan's Emperor Akihito a wow bow
November 14, 2009, 3:38 am | Los Angeles Times

How low will the new American president go for the world's royalty?

This photo will get Democrat President Obama a lot of approving nods in Japan this weekend, especially among the older generation of Japanese who still pay attention to the royal family living in its downtown castle. Very low bows like this are a sign of great respect and deference for a superior.


To some in the United States, however, an upright handshake might have looked better. Remember Michelle Obama casually patting Britain's Queen Elizabeth on the back during their Buckingham Palace visit? America's royalty tends to make movies and get bad reviews and lots of money as a sign of respect.

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