Well, I'll give him that.

Well, that didn't take long.

"The sale 'constitutes a gross intervention into China's internal affairs, seriously endangers China's national security and harms China's peaceful reunification efforts,' spokesman Wang Baodong quoted the demarche as saying." - AP Article, via Yahoo! News

He's asking for it

Obama's pushing China's most sensitive buttons. I don't like where this is headed.

He started with ill-advised, counterproductive and protectionist trade measures, went on to threaten China if it didn't help threaten Iran, and then finished off by selling $6 billion dollars worth of weapons to Taiwan.*

This is like driving through a mobster's yard, running over his dog, and then pooping on his porch for good measure...when you owe him more money than you've earned in the last 10 years.

"[President Barack Obama's national security adviser, Jim Jones] told an audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank the U.S. is 'bent toward a new relationship with China as a rising power in the world.'"

I don't think we're "bent toward" a new relationship with China so much as we're bent over by the one we have.

* "China vehemently opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. It has threatened to invade Taiwan should the island ever formalize its de facto independence." -AP Article, via Yahoo! News

They're asking the wrong people

"WASHINGTON – New home sales unexpectedly fell 7.6 percent last month, capping the industry's weakest year on record." - AP article, via Yahoo!

Every month, when the new housing and unemployment statistics are released, these types of articles always say that the numbers "unexpectedly" suck.

This is like a news article every day saying the sun "unexpectedly" rose this morning, despite widespread consensus among economists that it would not.

"Obama quietly continues to defend Bush's terror policies" -McClatchey

"WASHINGTON — Although the FBI has acknowledged it improperly obtained thousands of Americans' phone records for years, the Obama administration continues to assert that the bureau can obtain them without any formal legal process or court oversight." McClatchey Newspapers, via Yahoo! News



I knew McCain had terrible ideas for US Foreign Policy, but when he and Obama both lined up behind the TARP, I gave up any hope that I could support him. At least, I thought, Obama might not be as aggressive militarily, and might support individual rights. At least that would be something.

Oh well.

How does anyone takes Krugman seriously?

See here.

It's like satire, except not. I could go line by line about how ridiculous these statements are, but I think the previous sentence does a pretty good job of summarizing it.

The reader comments are the crazy part. I'm not going to read all 800+ of them, but I read ten before I found one that agreed with Krugman. That's far from a scientific survey, but if 90% of Krugman's own readers on the NY Times website disagree with him, you know he has a problem.

Geithner's days are numbered

Not that he doesn't deserve it, but I've been suspicious for some time that Geithner will take the fall to shield some of the more high profile people involved in our current mess. While focusing on an entirely different story, there's a quote in this article from Politico which seems to indicate things are headed that way.

Here's the key quote:

"And press secretary Robert Gibbs said a key theme of 2010 will be asking voters 'whether the people they have in Washington are on the side of protecting the big banks, whether they’re on the side of protecting the big oil companies, whether they’re on the side of protecting insurance companies or whether they’re on the people’s side.'"

Those kinds of statements don't bode well for a guy with Tim Geithner's history.

EDIT: I just noticed that Obama's State of the Union address was just scheduled for January 27th. This is the same day that Geithner was asked to testify in front of Congress regarding his role in the AIG/Goldman Sachs debacle. It's also the day of a press-event by Apple, which is expected to announce a brand new tablet device, the new iPhone OS and who knows what else. Lots of news that day.

Microsoft's Bach says 'there are other places where Zune logically could go'

The trash, for example. Or the dust bin of history, perhaps.

http://www.engadget.com/2010/01/11/microsofts-bach-says-there-are-other-places-where-zune-logical/

Wherever it ends up, I bet it gets there via the path to irrelevance.


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"Pakistan seen becoming more Islamist, anti-U.S"

According to Reuters, via Yahoo! News.

Any guesses as to why? I suspect escalation of our bombing campaign has something to do with it.

Contrary to popular neo-conservative belief, I doubt it's because of our freedom -- American freedoms have been declining concurrently with America's reputation in Pakistan.

Oh, it gets better...

"[Democratic National Chairman Tim] Kaine pointed out that while Reid should not have chosen that term, he was using it to say 'positive things about [Obama's] candidacy and why his candidacy was strong.'" - POLITICO article, via Yahoo! News

Let me get this straight: The DNC Chairman says that everything's OK because Harry Reid's statements about Obama being a "light-skinned" African-American without a "with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one" were emphasizing the positive aspects of his campaign.

AND:

"Kaine also said that after securing a 60th vote for the president's health care bill, Reid has more than enough political capital with the White House.

'I don’t think this will affect Senator Reid’s leadership at all,' Kaine said. 'He’s done some very heavy lifting for us.'" - POLITICO article, via Yahoo! News

This is closer to the truth. They don't care what he does, as long as he rams through the legislation they want.

If bombing civilians doesn't disqualify you from the Nobel Peace Prize...

...surely having Rudy Giuliani endorse your military strategy should.

WASHINGTON – Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Friday he believes President Barack Obama "turned the corner" on understanding the nature of terrorism when he publicly declared the U.S. at war. - AP, via Yahoo!

Too bad neither of them understand the War Powers Clause. President's can't declare war. At least not under the Constitution.

If you need a computer...

...I'd suggest a Mac.

If you have to use a Windows PC, DO NOT BUT IT FROM BEST BUY!

Don't buy a warranty, either.

Real shady stuff.