VIDEO: Shepard Smith Rips Congress A New One For AIG "Show"

Good job, Shep!

Shep Smith goes off on Congress over AIG debacle!

Geithner Plan, Market Tumbles; Spening Crapulus "Stimulus" Bill, Market Tanks; Lowest Since November

When do we get to start calling it the Obama Recession?

Remember earlier this week when Timothy Geithner unveiled his $2 Trillion economic overhaul of the banks and credit insitutions?

And the market responded to the news by tanking, down nearly 400 points.

Well, today, in light of the CRAPulus Generational Theft Act of 2009:

Stocks ended lower Friday, pushing the Dow Jones industrial average to its lowest close since last November and leaving it with a weekly decline of 5.2 percent.

The Dow fell 82.35, or 1.04 percent, to 7,850.41. It was the lowest close since Nov. 20, when the blue-chip index settled at a five-and-a-half month low of 7,552.29.

So here's what we know:

The American people hate the CRAPulus.

The Stock Market hates the CRAPulus.

Every Republican and 7 Democrats in the House of Representatives hates the CRAPulus.

Every Senate Republican, except 3, hate the CRAPulus.

And none of the voters in Congress had time to read what they were voting on.

What do you think of "change" now, you fools.

President Meets GOP On Capitol Hill; President "Optimistic", Republican Say They Still Have No Input,

The Washington Post discussed the President's optimism:

President Obama declared himself optimistic after meeting with Republican House leaders Tuesday afternoon and called for a suspension of partisan politics as he and lawmakers try to craft a rescue of the nation's economy. Speaking to reporters before heading into a similar meeting with Senate Republicans, Obama called the House meeting "constructive."

"The American people expect action," he said. "They want us to put together a recovery package that puts people back to work, that creates investments that assure our long-term energy independence, an effective health care system, an education system that works; they want our infrastructure rebuilt, and they want it done wisely, so that we're not wasting taxpayer money."

Mr. President, allow us to respectfully differ... here and here.

"But let no one be mistaken that this bill is the result of bipartisan egotiations. While Republicans were courteously consulted at the member and staff level, we were never at the negotiating table. Speaker Pelosi best described the bottom line on the process. She said: “Yes, we wrote the bill. Yes, we won the election.” That quote comes right out of the front page of the Washington Post, dated Friday, January 23, 2009." Sen. Charles Grassley (R-IA) said in a statement earlier in the day.

Grassley called the legislation "a deal made between the Democratic Leadership and the Obama administration. No Republican ideas need apply."

A "behind-the-scenes look from ABC highlights the discussions and illustrates how the Republicans are standing up to Obama:

Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., asked the first question, pushing for tax cuts that he said would move money into the economy more quickly.

The president said that if there are new ideas that he hasn't seen, he would like to talk about them. But on the issue of offering tax cuts to people who pay payroll and other taxes but who don't pay income taxes -- refundability -- Obama said there is simply a philosophical difference between Republicans and Democrats, and he would not compromise on that issue. Tax relief for some working families must come from payroll so even families who don’t pay income taxes get relief and they will spend it.

"Feel free to whack me over the head because I probably will not compromise on that part," the president said.

Obama said that there will be time to beat him up and a time for politics.
"I understand that and I will watch you on FOX News and feel bad about myself," he joked.

Rep. Pete Roskam, R-Ill., told the president that he won the presidency by rising above "Republicans" and Democrats" but that House Democrats are not living up to the Obama standard , he said. They have written a bill that spends more on re-sodding the National Mall than small business tax relief.

"The National Mall is kind of important," the president said, somewhat jokingly, prompting laughs.

Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, received some applause after asking if the president could assure the room that this stimulus will not be an excuse to raise taxes and have wasteful spending.

Spending can sometimes be like closing the barn door after the horse has already left, President Obama said. This recession is different, he said. It's deeper and global. "Nobody is more worried about the deficit and the debt than me. I will be judged by the legacy I have left behind. I don’t want to leave our children with a legacy of debt. I am inheriting an annual yearly debt of over 1 trillion."

"At the pace we are going, we are doing irreparable damage to our economy," said the president. "We are going to have to make some very painful choices. We will present a budget with a realistic approach to eliminate debt, and bring down spending."

Brady's fellow Texas Republican Jeb Hensarling then made a passionate appeal for the president to focus on reducing the national debt.

President Obama agreed, but said these are extraordinary circumstances. "We have to pass this bill," he said.

Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., challenged some of the economists' underlying assumptions about the merits of government spending stimulus effect versus tax cuts. He proposed capital gains tax cuts and tax cuts on dividends to give the people who create jobs the ability to invest in the economy and create jobs.

Obama disagreed, saying most economists say we really need government spending in this unique circumstance to fill the hole create by economic loss.

Said Rep. Roscoe Bartlett, R-Md.: "Mr. President, I probably come at this from a slightly different perspective. I remember when FDR beat Hoover in 1932. So I remember the Great Depression very well. I don't remember any of the many government programs affecting the course of the Depression. Government programs didn't work then, I don't know why we think they would work now. Mr. President, I think our obsessive borrowing has fully mortgaged my kids and my grandkids. Now we're working on mortgaging my two great-grandkids. Mr. President, I think it's more than a little bit selfish to try to solve our economic problems which we created by burdening future generations yet to be born."
This prompted applause.

"Thank you for your outreach and the spirit in which you came here," said Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., the House GOP Conference Chair. "You mentioned that this bill had been negotiated in the House. Let me make it clear that there has been no negotiating in the House."

Democrats have shut them out of the process, he said, to applause.

"I don't expect a hundred percent agreement from my Republican colleagues," Obama said, "but I do hope that we can all put politics aside and do the American people's business right now."

Seriously Mr. President, take your own advice. The mere illusion of appearing bipartisan by spending a couple hours on Capitol Hill does not qualify as putting aside politics.

It is obvious to us what you and your Pelosi/Reid friends are planning.

And soon, the American people will learn the truth behind your "transparency" -- it is merely a cleverly designed political hologram designed to confuse and deceive the American people.

Senate OKs Delay in Digital TV Changeover, Digital Converter Coupons: Government Waste At Its Finest. Where is the missing $780 Million?

Congress has officially wasted, lost or misused $780 Million of your tax payer money. Where is it? We need answers.

Town Hall reported yesterday:

The Senate on Monday voted unanimously to postpone the upcoming transition from analog to digital television broadcasting by four months to June 12 setting the stage for Congress to pass the proposal as early as Tuesday.

Monday's Senate vote is a big victory for the Obama administration and Democrats in Congress, who have been pushing for a delay amid growing concerns that too many Americans won't be ready for the currently scheduled Feb. 17 changeover.

Great! Looks like we don't need that $650 Million for "converter coupons" in that good ol' stimulus spending bill!

Who the hell are the 6.5 Million people still using rabbit ears anyway? Yup, that's what The Nielsen Co. estimates.

The Obama administration began pushing for a delay this month after the Commerce Department hit a $1.34 billion funding limit for coupons that help consumers pay for digital TV converter boxes. The boxes, which generally cost between $40 and $80 and can be purchased without a coupon, translate digital signals back into analog ones for older TVs.

*Sound of record scratching*

Wait, we've already spent $1,340,000,000 on these "coupons"? The Democrats want to add $650 million more bringing the total to nearly $2 billion?

That's about $300 per converter box. But the boxes only cost between $40 and $80 right?

Still with me? $300 per viewer for something on that even on the high end costs $80. So, even assuming no one will go out and purchase the boxes with their own money and assuming that there is an extra $120 per viewer that is "missing" or "misused"... where is the other $780 Million?

No, really? Where is it?

This is going to the inbox of my Republican Representative and my two Democratic Senators and I suggest everyone else do the same.

It's time for all of us to hold this "Transparent" government accountable to its words and its deeds.

President Obama Meets With GOP Leaders On Capitol Hill To Discuss Stimulus Pork

Tuesday: President Obama and Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood are escorted by House Sergeant of Arms Bill Livingood to a meeting with GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill (AP Photo).

• WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will visit Congress on Tuesday to try to persuade reluctant Republicans to support a $825 billion package he says is essential to resuscitate a plunging economy.
  




• White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said Obama's meetings with House of Representatives and Senate Republicans would be less a negotiating session than a chance to gather input.




• "He wants to hear their ideas. If there are good ideas, and I think he assumes there will be, that we will look at those ideas," Gibbs told reporters.
  

Stay tuned. We all saw how the last "bipartisan" meeting turned out.

"I won, I will trump you on that," the President told Republicans on Friday.

Fox News has more on Republican skepticism.

• Given the gravity of the economic situation, the stimulus measure is widely expected to pass Congress with bipartisan support. Still, Republicans insist they need changes before they can support it, and they aren't getting the sense of cooperation from Democrats.
  




• "We have yet to see one Republican proposal included in this plan," said Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington.
  




• "Calls of bipartisanship is hollow with House Democrats," said House GOP Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana.

The Conservative Stimulus Plan That Actually Makes Sense

At least some Republicans still believe in Conservatism and fiscals responsibility.

Here is a proposal from The Republican Study Committee (RSC) not being reported in the media.

The Republican Study Committee is a group of over 100 House Republicans organized for the purpose of advancing a conservative social and economic agenda in the House of Representatives.

The Republican Study Committee is dedicated to: -- a limited and Constitutional role for the federal government, -- a strong national defense, -- the protection of individual and property rights, -- and the preservation of traditional family values. The group has played a major role in key policy areas including budget, appropriations, taxes, education, Social Security reform, defense, deregulation, and general government reform. The Republican Study Committee is an independent research arm for Republicans.


The Republican Study Committee (RSC) is introducing the Economic Recovery and Middle-Class Tax Relief Act of 2009—to provide some much-needed, incentive-based relief to job creators and to reduce the cost that government imposes on middle-class families.


The RSC’s Economic Recovery and Middle-Class Tax Relief Act is designed to provide broad,growth-oriented, permanent incentives for economic activity across all sectors and industries, with immediate application and sustained, long-term implications. This will ensure that Washington takes a back seat to Main Street and job creators are empowered to do what they do best—create jobs.

Highlights: The RSC’s Economic Recovery and Middle-Class Tax Relief Act is based on three main themes: 1) Support Families through Tax Relief; 2) Provide Economic Relief or American Businesses and Entrepreneurs; and 3) Save Future Generations from a Crushing Debt Burden.

Support Families through Tax Relief:

• Five Percent Across the Board Income Tax Cut.
• Increase the Child Tax Credit from $1,000 to $5,000.
• Make the Lower 15% Rate on Capital Gains and Dividends Permanent.
• Repeal the Alternative Minimum Tax on Individuals.
• Permanently Repeal Required Distributions on Retirement Accounts.
• Make All Withdrawals from IRAs Tax- and Penalty-Free During 2009.
• Increase by 50% the Tax Deduction on Student Loans and the Tax Deduction on Qualified Higher Education Expenses.

Provide Economic Relief or American Businesses and Entrepreneurs


Full, Immediate Expensing. By uncapping and accelerating the expensing, this provision would encourage the purchase of assets with which to grow a business.


Significant Reduction in the Top Corporate Income Tax Rate. The bill would immediately cut the top corporate income tax rate from 35% to 25%, aligning it with the average rate in the European Union. By allowing businesses to keep more of the money they earn, this provision would encourage the expansion of businesses, the hiring of more workers, and an acceleration of investment, while making American companies more competitive internationally.

End the Capital Gains Tax on Inflation. By effectively reducing the amount of a gain that is taxable, this provision would encourage the movement of capital in 2009 and spur voluminous economic investment.


Simplify the Capital Gains Rate Structure. By encouraging corporations to sell unwanted assets, this provision would unleash funds and materials with which to create jobs and grow the economy.


Make the R and D Tax Credit Permanent: The purpose of this tax provision is to spur research and development in the private sector.


Extend the Carryback Period for Net Operating Losses to Seven Years. This legislation would extend this period from two years to seven years, which will smooth out changes in business income, and incentivize private sector investment and job creation.

And finally, The Crushing Debt Burden, the best part!

1) NO Trillion Dollar Spending Spree. Even before Congress enacts one penny of spending from a “stimulus” bill currently being put together by Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Harry Reid, this year’s deficit is projected to be, by far, the highest peacetime deficit in the history of the country— 8.3% of GDP. And this is because federal spending is projected to be 24.9% of GDP (also the highest figure in American history, excepting World War II), even before any new spending is enacted. This legislation does not contain one penny of new spending, and rejects the idea that massive new government spending will lead to an economic recovery. Borrowing from one part of the economy and redistributing it to others will not grow the economy.

RegularFolksUnited has these comments from supporters of the Republican plan.

"The RSC's tax cuts are sorely needed in this environment. Currently, businesses are burdened by an above average corporate tax rate and investors have little reason to go near the stock market...If you want to encourage economic growth, you need legislation that will change incentives and give people a reason to invest, produce, and hire more workers." - Pat Toomey, President, Club for Growth

"By stepping forward with a limited government economic stimulus package, the RSC is helping to keep the torch of freedom burning bright. While it is likely the Democrats will ram through their own, bloated, big - government stimulus, people will see as we begin to slip deeper into recession that the bold ideas of the RSC, centered on freedom and empowering the individual, are the only true way towards economic recovery." - Dick Armey, Chairman, FreedomWorks


"Unlike other so-called 'stimulus' ideas supported by the Pelosi-Obama-Reid troika, the ideas contained in your bill set the stage for strong growth in 2009 and permanently after that...Your bill should be the conservative alternative to trillion-dollar bailouts and massive spreading of wealth." - Grover Norquist, Chairman, Americans for Tax Reform.

'Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council' and 'American Conservative Union' Give Support, according to an RSC press release 1/23/2009.

See if your Representative is a member here. Spread this information around, get your friends talking about this pro-growth, tax cut plan vs. the Democrats wasteful, pork-laden plan.

Hope at Last! NY Governor Paterson Taps Conservative "Blue Dog" Democrat to Replace Hillary Clinton In US Senate

We proudly salute New York Governor David Paterson who announced today that Rep. Kirsten Gillibrand will replace Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the US Senate.

Gillibrand, whose family and politics have strong Republican ties, is friendly to the NRA and voted against the TARP bailout in September, The Village Voice reported.

The irony is that Paterson may be swinging from the nation's most prominent Democratic family to one with strong Republican ties. Gillibrand's father, Doug Rutnik, is an Albany insider and lobbyist whose ties to former GOP powerhouses Joe Bruno, George Pataki and Al D'Amato are legendary.



Ironically, Chuck Schumer, who defeated D'Amato in 1998, is said to be Gillibrand's top Democratic champion. What's even more ironic is that Gillibrand has a one hundred percent rating from the National Rifle Association, and Schumer made his own national reputation as a sponsor of the assault weapons ban and a fierce proponent of Brady bill and other gun control legislation. Gillibrand even opposes any limitations on the sale of semiautomatic weapons or "cop-killer" bullets that can pierce armored vests.

Schumer's other signature issue is the care and feeding of Wall Street, and Gillibrand voted against both of the Schumer-supported financial service bailout bills last fall, which have delivered billions to New York, salvaging institutions like Citigroup. An editorial in Crain's, the city's premier business news magazine, said recently that Gillibrand "should be disqualified" from seeking the senate seat "by her politically expedient vote" against the bailout.

Despite voting with House Democrats 93% of the time, she does validate her "Blue Dog" status in some instances.

Gillibrand has described her own voting record as "one of the most conservative in the state." She opposes any path to citizenship for illegal immigrants, supports renewing the Bush tax cuts for individuals earning up to $1 million annually, and voted for the Bush backed FISA bill that permits wiretapping of international calls. She was one of four Democratic freshmen in the country, and the only Democrat in the New York delegation, to vote for the Bush administration's bill to extend funding for the Iraq war shortly after she entered congress in 2007. While she now contends that she's always opposed the war and has voted for bills to end it, one upstate paper reported when she first ran for the seat: "She said she supports the war in Iraq." In addition to her vote to extend funding, she also missed a key vote to override a Bush veto of a Democratic bill with Iraq timetables.

That being said, Town Hall reports The American Conservative Union rates Gillibrand to be just as Liberal as Sec. Clinton:

Cong. Kirsten Gillibrand from Columbia County, NY. Her ACU rating in her only year rated year in Congress -- 8. Exactly the same as Clinton in 2007.

***Related

Liberal Bloggers Are Outraged!

Will MSM Label Incoming NY Senator as 'Maverick Democrat?'

Politics: Strange Bedfellows

Liberal Dems Howl

$1 Trillion Stimulus Bill Can't Promise 1 Job

Well this is good to know! (Hat Tip: Drudge)

Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) presses staffer from the Joint Committee on Taxation about job creation in the Democrats' proposed stimulus bill. He could not confirm that this bill could produce one job.

OPENING STATEMENT OF RANKING MEMBER DAVE CAMP

MARKUP OF H.R. 598 – ECONOMIC STIMULUS BILL

From republicans.waysandmeans.house.gov

I understand the Speaker has put enormous pressure on the varying committees of jurisdiction to bring her bill to the floor as quickly as possible. However, the President has directly challenged us “to end the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.” You have echoed that call for bipartisanship on this Committee.

Given the events of the past few weeks—not the least of which are the release of the bill at 5 p.m. on a Friday of a holiday weekend with no input from the Minority—we are not optimistic about our Amendments being thoughtfully considered let alone accepted. To that end, we will not be offering a substitute. Instead, we will take our proposals directly to the President who has agreed to sit down with us and to hear our case.

Now this is Conservatism in Action!

The "Stimulus" Is A Joke, Will Never Work And Here Is Why -- Dick Morris, Michelle Malkin and Even The Washington Post Agree America Is Being Duped

Excerpts from Dick Morris's column. He truly nails it folks! This is exactly what we have been talking about for months! Get on board the ConservativeXpress!

In implementing his agenda, Obama will emulate the example of Franklin D. Roosevelt (not the liberal mythology of the New Deal, but the actuality of what it accomplished).

Obama's record will be similar, although less wise and more destructive. He will begin by passing every program for which liberals have lusted for decades, from alternative energy sources to school renovations to infrastructure repairs to technology enhancements.

These are all good programs, but they normally would be stretched out for years. Freed of any constraint on the deficit -- indeed empowered by a mandate to raise it as high as possible -- Obama will do them all rather quickly.

Obama will follow the opposite of the Reagan strategy. Reagan cut taxes and increased the deficit so that liberals could not increase spending. Obama will raise spending and increase the deficit so that conservatives cannot cut taxes. And when the economy is restored, he will raise taxes with impunity since the only people who would have to pay them would be rich Republicans.

In the name of stabilizing the banking system, Obama will nationalize it. Using TARP funds to write generous checks to needy financial institutions, his administration will demand preferred stock in exchange. Preferred stock gets dividends before common stockholders do. With the massive debt these companies will owe to the government, they will only be able to afford dividends for preferred stockholders -- the government, not private investors. So who will buy common stock? And the government will demand that its bills be paid before any profits that might materialize are reinvested in the financial institution. So how will the value of the stocks ever grow? Devoid of private investors, these institutions will fall ever more under government control.

And Obama will move to change permanently the partisan balance in America. He will move quickly to legalize all those who have been in America for five years, albeit illegally, and to smooth their paths to citizenship and voting.

And he will enact the check-off card system for determining labor union representation, repealing the secret ballot in union elections.

Finally, he will use the expansive powers of the Federal Communications Commission to impose "local" control and ownership of radio stations and to impose the "fairness doctrine" on talk radio. The effect will be to drive talk radio to the Internet, fundamentally change its economics and retard its growth for years hence.

But none of these changes will cure the depression. It will end when the private sector works through the high debt levels that triggered the collapse in the first place. And then, the large stimulus package deficits will likely lead to rapid inflation, probably necessitating a second recession to cure it.

So Obama's name will be mud by 2012 and probably by 2010, as well. And the Republican Party will make big gains and regain much of its lost power. But it will be too late to reverse the socialism of much of the economy, the demographic change in the electorate, the rationing of health care by the government, the surge of unionization and the crippling of talk radio.

Do not let this happen, America! Write your Senator andCongressmen! Write
President Obama! His socialist agend will not work, yet his efforts will cost us
trillions of dollars in debt to our kids and grandkids!

Wake up! It is a horrible plan! Wake up from the Obamamania haze and see
what is truly going on!

From Michelle Malkin:

The CBO analysis showed that "less than half of the $30 billion in highway construction funds detailed by House Democrats would be released into the economy over the next four years" and "less than $4 billion in highway construction money would reach the economy by September 2010," according to the Associated Press. And those are generous time estimates given the reality of molasses-slow bidding and contracting processes -- bogged down by the usual weight of political wrangling, racial bean-counting and assorted union grievance-mongering.

Just $26 billion out of the $274 billion set aside in the package would reach the economy by the end of the year, the CBO found. That's a mere 7 percent. Moreover, the AP summed up: "Just one in seven dollars of a huge $18.5 billion investment in energy efficiency and renewable energy programs would be spent within a year and a half."

Even The Compost agreed:

A report by the Congressional Budget Office found that only about $136 billion of the $355 billion that House leaders want to allocate to infrastructure and other so-called discretionary programs would be spent by Oct. 1, 2010.

The honeymoon is over, now let's get real. Suck it up, folks! Bail yourself out! Government never has been and never will be The Answer!

The Chosen One is a fraud!

Eric Holder Is Pro-Terrorism, Anti-American, Pro-Iran, Pro-Bill Ayers Yet Senator Herb Kohl Asks Him If He Could Challenge Obama In Basketball?

“One last question, and this relates to your ability to exercise your responsibilities independently of what the president may or may not like. Uh, he is reported to have considerable skills as a basketball player, and you have indicated to me when we met in my office that you also are a person of considerable skill. In the event, Mr. Holder, that he invites you to the gym for a little one on one, will you promise us and the American people that you will do everything in your power to defeat him as badly as you can?”

--Senator Herb Kohl, owner of the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks at Senate confirmation hearings of controversial Attorney General Nominee Eric Holder



From USA Today:

Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., ends his questions by asking Holder if he'll do everything he can to defeat Obama on the basketball court (the president-elect is a regular player).

Holder, who played high school ball in New York City, says of Obama that "he's 10 years younger than me. He plays a lot more frequently than I do. Having said that, I've got a New York City game. ..."If you give me a little time and a little space to get back in shape, I think I could hang with him."

But beating Obama might not be a great idea, Holder jokes.

Nice, hard hitting question from the Senate Judiciary Committee. Seriously, way to take Holder's controversial record seriously.



What a joke....



For more on Holder's hearings....

NY Congressman Wants to Repeal the 22nd Amendment Which Limits Number of Terms Obama May Serve

Rep. Jose Serrano thinks Barack Obama will be such a great President, that we'll never need another one. Anyone tell Bill Clinton about this? On the positive side, he also wants to make it easier to Cubans to play Major League Baseball...

Here is the text of his House Resolution he

111th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. J. RES. 5

Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 6, 2009

Mr. SERRANO introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

JOINT RESOLUTION
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to repeal the twenty-second article of amendment, thereby removing the limitation on the number of terms an individual may serve as President.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which shall be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the Constitution when ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years after the date of its submission for ratification:

‘Article–

'The twenty-second article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.’

A fun fact about Rep. Serrano, his top campaign donor is Service Employees International Union.... wait, didn't we hear about them before.... with Blago Scandal?!?!?

For more interesting bills proposed so far by the new 111th Congress, click here.

Hillary's Confirmation Hearing: Intervened in Government to Help Bill Make Money, Says Global Warming Will Lead to War, Will Make it Through With Ease

Whispering sweet nothings or just smelling his shampoo....Image from Reuters.

Anyway....

From The Associated Press:

WASHINGTON – Secretary of State nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton intervened at least six times in government issues directly affecting companies and others that later contributed to her husband's foundation, an Associated Press review of her official correspondence found.


The overlap of names on former President Bill Clinton's foundation donor list and business interests whose issues she championed raise new questions about potential ethics conflicts between her official actions and her husband's fundraising. The AP obtained three of the senator's government letters under the Freedom of Information Act.

And this:

WASHINGTON – Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday that she intends to revitalize the mission of diplomacy in American foreign policy, calling for a "smart power" strategy in the Middle East and implicitly criticizing the Bush administration for having downgraded the role of arms control.


At a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, President-elect Barack Obama's choice for secretary of state sailed smoothly through an array of non-contentious questions, signaling the likelihood that she will be confirmed swiftly. By the end of a morning session that lasted a little over three hours, Clinton appeared to have made no stumbles and encountered no challenges to her basic vision for foreign policy.

And from Reuters:

"The core of the problem is that foreign governments and entities may perceive the Clinton Foundation as a means to gain favor with the secretary of state," said Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana, the panel's respected and centrist senior Republican.

"The only certain way to eliminate this risk going forward is for the Clinton Foundation to forswear new foreign contributions when Senator Clinton becomes secretary of state," Lugar said, although he also proposed a series of compromise steps that stopped short of a full cutoff of foreign funding.

And from AFP:

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Incoming President Barack Obama will lead "a global and coordinated response" toward combating climate change, secretary of state designate Hillary Clinton told a Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday.

Clinton told Senator John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, that he was among "the very first in a growing chorus from both parties to recognize that climate change is an unambiguous security threat.

"At the extreme it threatens our very existence but well before that point it could well incite new wars of an old kind over basic resources like food, water and arable land," Clinton said.

"President-elect Obama has said America must be a leader in developing and implementing a global and coordinated response to climate change," Clinton said.

"We will participate in the upcoming UN Copenhagen Climate Conference and a global energy forum," the 61-year-old senator told
the committee a week before Obama assumes office.

"And we will pursue an energy policy that reduces our carbon emissions while reducing our dependence on foreign oil and gas, fighting climate change and enhancing our economic and energy security," she said.

ConservativeXpress proudly endorses Ms. Clinton as the most qualified, least dangerous Obama appointee...



...and that's not saying much at all!

Congress, Welcome to You Tube!

Leaders from both parties announced that they are bringing the Capitol to YouTube!

Replacing Sen. Clinton: Kennedy-Cuomo-Paterson and NY State Family Fueds

Governor Paterson has his work cut out for him with respect to replacing Hillary Clinton. The top candidates are inter-woven in a web of marriage, betrayal and power sharing that would make Shakespeare proud!

Politico has a great article on New York nepotism, highlighting the family tiff between the Kennedys, the Cuomos and the Patersons.

It's no secret that New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo was once married to Kerry Kennedy, the cousin of Caroline, and sister of Robert Kennedy Jr. Their bitter divorce left the Cuomos and Kennedys at odds with each other.

Gov. Paterson has that to contend with, not to mention his father's connections to state politics.

"As we always say, politics in New York is a different ballgame," said pollster Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute of Public Opinion, adding, "Illinois may be making headlines, but it's still the Second City."

Indeed politics throughout the US are mired by nepotism, pay-to-play and behind the scenes wheeling and dealing.

Still, Gov. Paterson is in a most unenviable position; he cannot please everyone and is sure to have at least one New York Power Family against him.

And he thought answering Elliot Spitzer questions would be tough!

Obama's Pork: Government at Its (Un)Finest

Minnesota Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R) wrote a recent column for TheHill.com which highlights some disturbing information about Obama's economic stimulus plan.

The estimated $850 Billion package has special interest groups salivating. Bachman cites a Washington Post story, saying the this plan “would include at least $100 billion for cash-strapped state governments and more than $350 billion for investments in infrastructure, alternative energy and other priorities…”

Rep. Bachman, like many conservatives, worries where the money will go:

You’ve got to wonder if the infrastructure investments that Obama is going to include in his package might come from the list of 11,391 projects that the U.S. Conference of Mayors recently submitted to Congress. The list includes things like a $4.8 million polar bear exhibit at the Providence, RI zoo and a $1.5 million water ride in Miami, FL.

According to a recent CNN article, other abuses of taxpayer dollars found within the report include: “a proposed $20 million minor league baseball museum in Durham, North Carolina; $6.1 million for corporate jet hangars at the Fayetteville, Arkansas, airport; $20 million for renovations at the Philadelphia Zoo; and a $1.5 million program to reduce prostitution in Dayton, Ohio.”

According the CNN story, the 800-plus page Mayor's document is titled "Main Street Economic Recovery: 'Ready To Go' Jobs and Infrastructure Projects."

The requests represent what these mayors and Obama perceive as stimulating the economy and growing jobs through infrastructure rebuilding and maintenance. This type of plan has been tried several times throughout American history as has never worked!

If throwing $4.5 Million to fund polar bears in Providence, RI is Obama's idea of economic recovery, then we're in more trouble than we thought!