Obama Approval Rating Free Falls Since Release of Budget

Data from Rasmussen Reports:

President Obama's Approval Rating Index is down to a +8, his lowest rating ever. (The Presidential Approval Index is calculated by subtracting the number who Strongly Disapprove from the number who Strongly Approve. )

Obama was as high as +30 two days after his historic inauguration.

Since release of the President’s budget, the number of Republicans who Strongly Disapprove has grown to 57%. That’s up fourteen percentage points since Thursday morning. Only 8% of Democrats share such a negative assessment.

Voters believe cutting the Federal deficit to be the most important goal, but also view this as the least likely to be achieved (so does the ConservativeXpress).

Only 51% of American think it's a good idea to raise taxes on individuals making over $250,000.

73% of Americans trust their own fiscal judgement over the governments. Why any of these people would ever vote for a Socialist Spend-ocrat escapes me right now.

Gallup Polls show a similar trend for Obama's approval.

It's becoming clear that Obama's spending problem is not popular with Americans.

Hopefully they keep this in mind when they go the polls in 2010.

Obama's "Urban Czar": Are Alfonso Carrion's Campaign Donations Pay to Play In The Bronx?

I know. I know. This is just how New York works. Call it pay-to-play, call is bribery or call it politics as usual, but it's oddly reminiscent of the way Chicago politics works.

And despite all the BS Team Obama rhetoric, my prediction is Washington will be full of examples like this as all the CRAPulus, Bailout, Omnibus, etc cash is handed out to "infrastructure", "shovel-ready" projects and other useless non-stimulating earmarks.

From The Daily News:

The man who is President Obama's newly minted urban czar pocketed thousands of dollars in campaign cash from city developers whose projects he approved or funded with taxpayers' money, a Daily News probe found.

Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion often received contributions just before or after he sponsored money for projects or approved important zoning changes, records show.

Most donations were organized and well-timed.

In one case, a developer became a Carrion fund-raiser two months before the borough president signed off on his project, raising more than $6,000 in campaign cash.

In another, eight Boricua College officials came up with $8,000 on the same day for Carrion three weeks before the school filed plans to build a new tower. Carrion ultimately approved the project and sponsored millions in taxpayer funds for it.

Carrion resigned as borough president effective Sunday and begins his new job as director of the White House Office on Urban Policy Monday.

Saturday Carrion declined to answer written questions about his receipt of timely campaign contributions. Instead, he issued a terse statement:

"Thousands of people who share the Borough President's vision for building a stronger Bronx and a stronger city have contributed to Carrion NYC. Teachers, parents, police officers, firefighters, members of the business community and concerned citizens have all contributed to the borough president's efforts to strengthen the Bronx and stimulate the local economy and he is proud to have such wide-ranging support."

The Daily News goes on to list the specifics.

I'll let you decide.

Screw It! While We're At It; Let's Bailout The World!

Haggis: Scottish Stuffed Pig Stomach

Haggis: British For Crap

I guess it's time for us to save Europe's collective ass yet again! British Prime Minister Gordon Brown wants to use FDR's failed policy and persuade Obama to join the Brits in a "global new deal"!

What's the British word for "pork"? Haggis?

The Times Online reports:

GORDON BROWN hopes to forge a partnership with President Barack Obama in Washington this week, to call for a “global new deal” to lift the world out of recession.

As he prepares for his first White House visit since the president’s inauguration, the prime minister has hinted that he is ready to make further tax cuts to boost the UK economy.

Brown will meet Obama on Tuesday and address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday. Aides say he has both to demonstrate to a sceptical British public that he commands the respect of the president, and to persuade the American political establishment that global action is needed to rescue the US economy. Brown is under pressure to persuade American political leaders to sign up to bold aims for the G20 summit of industrial and leading developing nations, which is to be held in London next month.

Many US politicians believe economic policy should put America first, and have shown little interest in concerted global action. Brown will argue for a renewal of the transatlantic relationship, with the two powers working together to solve global economic problems.

The prime minister will borrow from the rhetoric of Franklin Roosevelt, who introduced the government-financed New Deal to tackle the US Depression of the 1930s. He will argue that his 21st century “global new deal” will also require public spending on a huge world-wide scale.

Oh brother. Maybe the Brits need another swift kick in the arse!

Marine One Security Breached; Sensitive Details About Obama Chopper Found On Computer In Iran!

Call me a cynic, but can't say I'm surprised by this at all!

WPXI via Fox News:

A Pennsylvania company that monitors peer-to-peer file-sharing networks discovered a potentially serious security breach involving President Obama's helicopter, Marine One, NBC affiliate WPXI in Pittsburgh reported.

Sensitive information about Marine One was reportedly found by Tiversa employees at an IP address in Tehran.

Tiversa CEO Bob Boback said a defense contractor in Bethesda, Md., had a file sharing program on one of their systems that contained highly sensitive blueprints for Marine One and financial information about the cost of the helicopter.

"We found a file containing entire blueprints and avionics package for Marine One," Boback said.

Boback said the issue most likely stemmed from someone downloading the file-sharing program without realizing the problems that could result.

"When downloading one of these file-sharing programs, you are effectively allowing others around the world to access your hard drive," Boback told WPXI. "We found where this information came from. We know exactly what computer it came from. I'm sure that person is embarrassed and may even lose their job, but we know where it came from and we know where it went," Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, an adviser to Tiversa, told WPXI.

US Journalist In Iran Missing For A Month; Roxana Saberi Arrested For Buying Wine

And this is the tiny country our President wants to meet "without preconditions".

Fox News reports:

The father of American journalist Roxana Saberi said he has not heard from his daughter since she was arrested and detained in Iran almost a month ago.


“Roxana called on February 10 to say that she had been arrested on January 31,” Reza Saberi told FOX News. “She did not say why she had been arrested or what for. She could not even say where she was when she was calling.”


Saberi said his daughter, who moved to Iran six years ago and had previously reported for NPR, the BBC and FOX News, had her press credentials revoked, and was not working as a journalist.


"She said that she had bought a bottle of wine and the person that sold it had reported it and then they came and arrested her," he told NPR.


Saberi said he believes his daughter was writing a book about Iran at the time of her arrest.


Roxana, 31, told her parents not to tell anyone about what had occurred in her phone call to them 18 days ago. She said she would be released within two to three days, Saberi said.


Roxana — a former Miss North Dakota — is an American citizen who also holds an Iranian passport because her father is Iranian.


Saberi told FOX News that he had spoken with some of his daughter's friends in Tehran, but that no one has any information about what happened to her.

Obama To Lift Sanctions Against Iran

Iranian TV Requests Obama Interview; State-Run News Agency Says Request Is Response To Obama's Call For Opportunities To Engage

Iran Celebrates Anniversary of Islamic Revolution: Stick-Wielding Mob Attacks Former President, Obama Burned In Effigy, A-Jad Wants "Mutual Respect"

Iran Launches Omid Satellite: Welcome To The Future, A Nuclear Iran. "Omid" Is Farsi for "Hope". This Is "Hope" and "Change" You Can Believe In.

Obama Team Has Been In Secret Talks With Iran and Syria Since Before The Election

Dear President Obama, Maybe That Whole "Meeting With Iran Without Precondition" Thing Was A Mistake? It's Time to Change Your Policy