Quick Takes September 6

Quote of the Week:

"We're kicking ass."

President George Bush told Australian Deputy Prime Minister Mark Vaile about our efforts in Iraq on his arrival in Sydney.

Bush in Australia

Repeated Democrat complaints that the Bush Administration has isolated us from our allies and friends around the world are easily dispelled by a Bush visit. After visiting Iraq, President Bush boogied over to Australia to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.

President George W. Bush and Prime Minister John Howard of Australia, sit topside aboard the Age Quod Agis during a tour of Sydney Harbor Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007. White House photo by Eric Draper

Not all the meetings centered on economic cooperation. At his first press conference with President Bush, Australian Prime Minters John Howard said:

Statement of Australian Prime Minister John Howard
Sydney, Australia
White House transcript
September 4, 2007

It's always a great pleasure, George, to welcome you to Australia. The United States President is always welcome in our country. We have no closer alliance with any country in the world than we have with the United States. Both historically and contemporaneously, the importance of the alliance between the United States of America and Australia is deeply embedded in the minds of millions of Australians.

And you, Mr. President, and I have shared a number of very special experiences over the past few years. I remember our first personal meeting was on the 10th of September of 2001. And of course, as a consequence of that meeting and the events that horrifically followed the other day, the paths of our two countries have been parallel in so many ways, in the fight against terrorism and the promotion of democracy and freedom around the world.

The Australians have been and continue to be among our strongest allies. For a brief look at the concrete cooperation between our nations see this.

Bush and Howard sign Defense Cooperation Treaty (State Dept. Fact Sheet)

President George W. Bush and Australia's Prime Minister John Howard sign the Defense Cooperation Treaty following a meeting Wednesday, Sept. 5, 2007, at the Commonwealth Parliament Offices in Sydney. White House photo by Eric Draper

U.S. & German Cooperation Foil Terror Attack on U.S. Targets

Half a world away, the good news is that the German government has foiled a terrorist plot to target Americans in Germany on the anniversary of the September 11th attacks. It's further proof that our allies and friends are working closely with us to keep us safer.

Downplayed in the story is the news that U.S. monitoring of terror suspects in Pakistan may have been pivotal in foiling the plot.

An American intelligence official said that the United States helped German authorities track the location of two of the German suspects by eavesdropping on their cellphone conversations as they moved out of training camps in Pakistan.
...
[Jörg Ziercke, head of the German Federal Crime Office]said the United States aided German authorities. Another security official said the Americans tipped off the Germans to the existence of the Islamic Jihad Union.

No word on whether U.S. Intelligence first obtained a warrant to spy on the terrorists!

Senator Craig Still Resigning, Senator Clinton Still Hiding from Chinese Funny Money Scandal

Despite the idiotic suggestion from dimbulb Senator "stab in the back" Arlen Specter (RINO-PA) Senator Larry Craig is still planning to resign according to his chief spokesperson.

Meanwhile, Norman Hsu, the fugitive and chief culprit in the latest Clinton Chinese funny money scandal has disappeared after turning himself in and posting bond.

Will we find him in China along with agents of the Chinese government involved in previous Clinton money scandals?

President Bush met Thursday with Chinese President Hu JinTao. Not sure if Bush asked Hu if he knew where Hsu was.?

Graphics swiped from Wordsmith.

UPDATE: Norman Hsu found on Train in Colorado. Taken to Hospital "Delirious!"

This strange twist in the story, along with the ransacking of Kathleen Willey's house (see below) will no doubt revive memories of the Clinton Body Count. Isn't it odd that these things always seem to happen to people who have been associated with the Clintons? Does anyone other than a complete Democrat fool want to go back to those dark days

Clinton Fondling Victim Has House Burgled, Book Manuscript Stolen!

As a further reminder that Clinton habits die hard, Kathleen Willey, who was famously fondled by Bill Clinton just off the Oval Office, was writing a book entitled "“Target: In the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton.” Someone broke into her house over the Labor Day weekend and stole the manuscript.

Senator Schumer Admits Surge is Working

Floor of the U.S. Senate

September 5, 2007

"Let me be clear. The violence in Anbar has gone down despite the surge, not because of the surge. The inability of American soldiers to protect these tribes from al-Qaeda said to these tribes, "We have to fight al-Qaeda ourselves."-- Senator Charles Schumer

How many times have you heard President Bush say that our goal is that "As Iraqis Stand Up, We Will Stand Down?"

Seems to me we have done just that in Anbar and many other places in Iraq where violence has dramatically decreased. Schumer should be ashamed of himself. But as we learned long ago, these Democrats have no shame. Their focus is on political power, even at the price of seeing their country defeated in war.

Chinese Use Panda Poop for Olympic Souvenirs

On a lighter note, The Chinese are using Panda poop to make souvenirs for the upcoming Beijing 2008 Olympic games! One wonders if they will coat the crap with leaded paint so it doesn't reek.

French Government Study: No More Arrogance!

As proof that changes in the relationship between France and the United States (Bush/Sarkozy visit) extend beyond the superficial, French President Sarkozy commissioned a study by former Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine who urged a new "modesty" in the country's economic and foreign policy, saying that France somehow had acquired an international reputation for arrogance. I'm waiting for pigs to fly! Who would have thought such a thing were possible?

Major Network Morning Programs Favor Democrats!

As the 2008 presidential campaign season gets underway, wide-open primary races in both the Republican and Democratic parties are competing for the media’s attention. So are the broadcast networks covering both sides equally, or are they tilting the campaign playing field in favor of liberal Democratic candidates?

Their conclusion:

The networks offered nearly twice as much coverage of the Democrats. More than half of all campaign segments (284, or 55%) focused on the Democratic contest, compared with just 152 (29%) devoted to the Republicans. The remaining stories either offered roughly equal discussion of both parties or did not focus on the major parties.

All three Democratic frontrunners received more attention than any of the top Republican candidates, with New York Senator Hillary Clinton receiving the most coverage of all.

Undeclared liberal candidates such as former Vice President Al Gore and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg received more network TV attention than many of the declared Republican candidates.

The network morning shows doled out nearly three times as much airtime (4 hours, 35 minutes) to interviews with the various Democratic campaigns. In contrast, the Republicans received just 1 hour and 44 minutes of interview airtime.

In their interviews with the candidates, the network hosts emphasized a liberal agenda. Of the substantive questions that could be categorized as reflecting a political agenda, more than two-thirds (69%) of the questions to Democrats reflected a liberal premise, and more than four-fifths (82%) of the questions to Republicans came from the same perspective.

The top Democratic candidates received much more favorable coverage than their GOP counterparts, with Senator Clinton cast as "unbeatable" and Illinois Senator Barack Obama tagged as a "rock star." The most prominent Republican, Arizona Senator John McCain, was portrayed as a loser because of his support for staying the course in Iraq.

Not once did network reporters describe Senator Clinton and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards as "liberal," while ABC only once labeled Obama as "liberal." Yet the networks showed no hesitation in attaching the "liberal" label to Republican frontrunner Rudy Giuliani, who was so branded 12 times.

The media is biased? Who Knew?

Poor in U.S. Live Better than Average Socialist in Europe!

But if they keep voting for Democrats, that might change!

Dem presidential candidate John Edwards "Poverty Tour" was a huge flop. While few if any of the people he contacted live in a monster mansion like Edwards, most of them don't think of themselves are poor. Or maybe they were just afraid that if that Edwards would try and run them off their property for being slobs like his new neighbor.

But perhaps there's another explanation:

Robert Rector at the Heritage Foundation has a landmark study which documents how the "poor" in this country have more material goods and live better than most AVERAGE Europeans in countries governed by a socialist model.

Full size image here.

You mean we're better off living in a capitalist/corporate economic culture than we would enjoying the meager benefits of a socialist society? Again, who knew?

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