"Crazy Nutjobs"

Just because critics of the president have started showing up at his speeches with fire arms strapped to their legs or wave signs saying "Death to Michelle Obama and her two stupid kids," doesn't mean we have anything to worry about.

Or does it?

Thomas Friedman has covered the mideast for years -- winning a couple of Pulitzer Prizes in the process. In his New York Times column today, he dwells on deja vu.

"[S]omething very dangerous is happening. Criticism from the far right has begun tipping over into delegitimation and creating the same kind of climate here that existed in Israel on the eve of the Rabin assassination...."

Mr. Friedman is addressing an angry movement that's become obsessed with cradle to grave crazy -- imagining the president forged his birth certificate and is plotting government death panels to kill grandma.

So it should be nice to hear RNC Chairman Michael Steele make his statement on CNN this morning:

"Where do these nut jobs come from? Come on, stop this."

Just one problem.

By "nut jobs" Mr. Steele was referring to Mr. Friedman. Not to the folks who showed up at the Capitol last month with a sign declaring "We came unarmed...this time." (CNN, NYT, Bloomberg, Washington Examiner, TimesOnline)

Presidential Product Placement

So much for socialism. President Obama's speech to students didn't live up the the "socialist indoctrination" his critics warned us about. In fact, the Wall Street Journal counted five intances of product placement:

"I've talked about your parents' responsibility for making sure you stay on track, and get your homework done, and don't spend every waking hour in front of the TV or with that Xbox. . . . Maybe you could be an innovator or an inventor – maybe even good enough to come up with the next iPhone or a new medicine or vaccine – but you might not know it until you do a project for your science class. . . . Students who sat where you sit 20 years ago who founded Google, Twitter and Facebook and changed the way we communicate with each other."

GOP's "Good Grief" Strategery

The GOP comeback strategy gets compared to Lucy holding the football for the Charlie Brown voters among us:

"It makes Charlie Brown, the football and Lucy look like the model of intelligent interaction. If you believe in fiscal conservatism, the last place on earth you should look for salvation is the GOP."

Andrew Sullivan paints an historical picture of Republican deficit spending pretty much leaving America in Snoopy's doghouse. (The Atlantic)

The Old New South and Town Hall Shouting Matches

If you listen closely over all the shouting, there are warnings that the town hall protests may be backfiring. Bush speechwriter turned conservative think-tank talking head David Frum raises the specter in The Reckless Right Courts Violence:

"It's not enough for conservatives to repudiate violence, as some are belatedly beginning to do. We have to tone down the militant and accusatory rhetoric. If Barack Obama really were a fascist, really were a Nazi, really did plan death panels to kill the old and infirm, really did contemplate overthrowing the American constitutional republic -- if he were those things, somebody should shoot him. But he is not. "

And WaPo columnist David Broder warns that "Republicans reveling in the rage at the town halls may have a price to pay." He cites the historical backlash a Republican led similar confrontation against Lyndon Johnson, accusing LBJ of "selling out to Yankee socialists." The scene at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas was said to have "outraged" Southerners.

Apparently, the "in your face" tactics upset the image Southerners had of themselves -- the genteel, glamorous and highly fictionalized version from Gone With the Wind.

But can you rely on an historic example from 1960 to predict a backlash today? Today, you might be able to argue that a good many Southerners -- the bastion of GOP support -- may prefer to romanticize the in-your-face lyrics of a Toby Keith song to Margaret Mitchell's prose.

Daschle's Nomination too Taxing

Former Sen Tom Daschle has withdrawn his nomination to head up the Health and Human Services Department.

That $130,000 dollars he saved in taxes sure wasn't worth the embarrassment later on.

Public opinion kicked him to the curb. Wonder if he still has his buddy's limo service to give him a ride back to the private sector. (MSNBC)

Plane Stupid: Bailout Bucks Buy Bank's Private Jet

Citigroup just took a $45 billion bailout from taxpayers -- and just bought a new Dassault Falcon 7X for $50 million.

The picture gives you an idea of what the innards of a Falcon 7X looks like.

From the New York Post:

The French-made luxury jet seats up to 12 in a plush interior with leather seats, sofas and a customizable entertainment center, according to Dassault's sales literature. It can cruise 5,950 miles before refueling and has a top speed of 559 mph.

Citigroup bought the French-built plane a couple of years ago when subprime mortgages had Citigroup flying high on financial instruments. The bank decided to go ahead and take delivery despite having to ask taxpayers for the bailout.

Cheney's Undisclosed Location Disclosed

"Could there be a better visual metaphor for the change of administration?" -- Gawker

The very day former Vice President Dick Cheney moved out of the official Veep Residence at the Naval Observatory, Google Maps posted an unobstructed view of the place. They'd kept the place all fuzzy for years -- depending on aerial and satellite pictures from the US Geological Survey.

Back in 2005, the New York Times' Maureen Dowd noted:

The vice president, who believes in unwarranted, unlimited snooping, is so pathologically secretive that if you use Google Earth's database to see his official residence, the view is scrambled and obscured. You can view satellite photos of the White House, the Pentagon and the Capitol - but not of the Lord of the Underworld's lair.

No undisclosed location for VP Joe Biden. (Gawker)

$100 for a $13 Million Mansion

The housing market collapse is offering up all kinds of bargains on cheap houses. Take the case of the woman who snared a $13.3 million mansion for just $100.

Of course, the house belonged to the former CEO of Lehman Brothers, and she just happened to be his wife.

The sale back in November showed up in Florida real estate records. Former CEO Richard Fuld has been blamed for Lehan Brothers' collapse on September 15th. (Reuters)

Senator Oprah

Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich (D) told ABC News he considered talk show host Oprah Winfrey to fill President Barack Obama's vacant Senate seat.

Her record of giveaways on her show make her ideal for earmarks. The Pontiac giveaway alone could save GM. But the idea of Tom Cruise bouncing off the walls of the Senate gallery are a bit frightening. (ABC)

Blago Works on that Insanity Defense

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D), facing impeachment trial in the Illinois Senate is trying to win in the court of public opinion with a media blitz.

Round One: On NBC's Today show Sunday, he compared himself to Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. (Chicago Sun-Times)

Obama's Big Start

Gallup reports President Barack Obama has an initial approval rating of 68% his first week in office. Only JFK had a higher initial approval rating in all the years Gallup has ranked approval.

Mr. Obama is the 9th newly inaugurated President for which Gallup has measured an approval rating. The numbers range from a low of 51% for Presidents Reagan and George H.W. Bush to 72% for President Kennedy.

And even people who don't approve of Mr. Obama, have kudos for the way he handled his transition to power. A seperate Gallup poll shows 83% of people give him high marks for the transition. (Gallup)

Yeah, But It's No Water Skiing Squirrel

President Barack Obama brought the White House out of the radio age today by launching his weekly video address -- available on YouTube as well as at WhiteHouse.gov.

The topic was economic stimulus and how his "American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan" will jump-start the economy.



(WhiteHouse.gov/YouTube)

Karzai Praises Obama Gitmo Order

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has welcomed President Barack Obama's executive order to close the detention center at US Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"This decision by the United States is a major step toward bringing more international support to the struggle against terrorism, and enlisting all nations in this war," President Hamid Karzai in a statement

Most of the 250 or so prisoners held at Gitmo were taken in Afghanistan.

One of the plans being considered could send some of the detainees to their home countries for trial. Mr. Karzai sees the opportunity to try suspects as adding further legitimacy to the young Afghan government. (AP)

Returning Raises in the Keystone State

A third of the Keystone State's lawmakers have returned their pay raises to the Pennsylvania treasury.

It comes the state's budget shortfall has worsened by $300 million in the last week alone. Gov James Rendell (D-PA) says that'll mean lay offs of state workers when the fiscal year begins July 1.

Pennsylvania lawmakers rushed to say they'd give up raises when things turned bad. Only 1-in-3 have returned their pay hikes for a grand total of $25,470.

The raise took effect on December 1.

PennLive.com has a list of those who've returned the extra pay so far. (PennLive.com)

Abortion Funding Football

President Reagan created it, President Clinton rescinded it, President George W. Bush reinstated it, President Obama re-rescinded it...

Getting dizzy?

It's something called "The Mexico City Policy" -- effectively a U.S. mandated gag rule on abortion. In short, if foreign outfits want U.S. aide for family planning services, they have to agree to not talk about abortion with clients or patients. It's been that way for the last 8 years.

President Obama has eliminated the requirement with an executive order -- on the anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision. (Reuters)

Obameter

Wanna see how President Obama is keeping (or not keeping) his promises?

Try the "Obameter."

It's the St Petersburg Times' tool for keeping up with the 510 promises they counted him making during his campaign.

As of today: 7 kept, 1 stalled, 14 in the works and 488 to go. (St Pete Times)

A Quarter Million Down the Toilet

Think $800 toilet seats from the 80s were a sign of government waste? You should check out the whole toilet at the Interior Department. Nearly a quarter million bucks spent on Secretary Dick Kempthorne's (pictured) powder room. From Al Kamen in the Washington Post:

"Seems Kempthorne spent about $235,000 in taxpayer funds renovating the bathroom a few months ago, which included installing a new shower, a refrigerator and a freezer and buying monogrammed towels...."

Not quite the primitive privies you find in the national parks under Interior's purview.