57 days later, a spill of a speech Obama to nation: Let's all enjoy a piece of pie in the sky!

WASHINGTON, DC—My fellow conservatives and voter’s remorse liberals won’t like my initial reaction to President Obama’s speech last night: It was a good speech. The language was unambiguous but I do have one criticism of it, when I woke up this morning and tuned into the news, the spill was still gushing!

In spite of the Professor-in-Chief’s wonderful someday, everybody will surf to work in space-age vehicles that use no fuel speech, the damn hole hasn’t been plugged. Disappointing to say the least—this is quintessential Obama—talk about the situation, ruminate over all of the advances and strides we’ll make in the future and let’s call it a day.

I also found the speech to reflect another glaring characteristic of Mr. Obama—a disconnect from reality. He said the government has been there in the Gulf of Mexico from day one and he takes full responsibility for the actions of the federal government, but then asserts the government will bring all of its resources to bear to combat the crisis. He stated that the Minerals and Mining Service, a government agency, was plagued with corruption and problems. His solution? Have another bureaucracy oversee that bureaucracy while a government official cleans up the bureaucracy that let BP get away with murder.

Of course, the problem with the MMS bureaucracy was there before he even took the oath of office (psst, I didn’t want to say anything, but the last president let the MMS get “too cozy” with the companies they’re supposed to regulate). My solution is to regulate the most heavily regulated industry in the country and the federal government is just the entity to do it, never mind the fact I just bashed it.

What was conspicuous by its absence was any solution to the current problem—the gush of oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. Speaking about what new technologies will be available in the future and how the administration is going to push for alternative energy sources, along with cleaning up oil that hasn’t yet come up and punishing BP monetarily doesn’t show leadership.

I suspect the president will get a bump in the polls for his speech, and it was a good speech. But the words will disappear into thin air while the oil bubbles up for weeks to come. Good speech, now let’s do something about it.

-- Owen E. Richason

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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Amid job approval slide, Obama gives public address Polls both show a majority of people disapprove of the president’s handling of the country

WASHINGTON, DC—Tonight, President Obama will speak directly to the nation he has been ignoring since orchestrating a massive and disproportionately unpopular health care reform bill. After fifty-plus days of dithering, giving lip service, and a few token appearances to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, Obama will tell the American people he’s not letting this crisis go to waste—and comprehensive energy reform or cap-and-trade will be levied on the United States whether its citizenry wants it or not.

After all, he’s done all he can, he will no doubt explain. He stood outside, in the rain talking to folks as Mark Steyn pointed out so now he’ll do what all visionary, take-charge leaders do and propose legislation that raises taxes, stifles competition, and weakens the US’s growth so China and India can march right by.

Plug the damn hole you say? Why you simple-minded miscreant—how will that help the Commander-in-Legislator to move this country further toward a European style socialist democracy? Mr. Obama simply doesn’t have time for action like capping the well and stopping the flow of oil into the gulf; no, he’s forging past his sliding approval ratings and has already dispatched Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate and legally scapegoat BP, Deepwater Horizon, and probably members of the Bush administration. Sure, the spill is BP’s fault, but Obama isn’t interested in taking charge so much as he is in blaming them for making him look incompetent.

So tonight we’ll be transported back to the Carter Administration vis-à-vis Obama’s way-back blame game machine; where words are enough to free hostages or bring OPEC to its knees—after all, didn’t it work then?

-- Owen E. Richason

Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick

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Trying KSM in a civilian court sets a dangerous precedent

Attorney General Eric announced in a Friday afternoon media dump that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would be tried in civilian federal criminal court rather than by military tribunal, a decision that is wrought with enumerable severe consequences.

Even before KSM and his murderous cohorts are put on trial, both Mr. Holder and his boss, President Obama have declared in advance of any discovery, motions, evidence presentation and jury deliberation, the defendants will be found guilty and executed accordingly. Being a former law professor, the Commander and Chief should understand jury pool poisoning and convicting defendants without having stood trial by a jury of their peers – which raises another interesting question, where in this venue will such a jury be found?

There are an abundance of problems created from such a decision – security is chief among them. KSM and the other defendant’s are prime targets for vigilantism, not to mention the cost to the citizens of New York City and the logistical nightmare of transportation. And, should KSM go pro-se, his self-defense will surely include more threats to the people of New York and Americans at-large.

The decision is not only a nightmare of legal precedents to be set, as Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) so pointed out to Mr. Holder in a recent hearing, there has never been an illegal foreign combatant tried on US soil in a civilian court. Mr. Holder has experience in terrorist cases, though not particularly a bright one: during the Clinton administration, Holder repeatedly pressured Justice Department subordinates not to oppose a highly controversial clemency grant for 16 FALN (Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional) members.

Critics of the decision to try KSM in federal civilian court are pointing to legitimate concerns about the coming aftermath. Indeed, there is genuine concern for what this pronouncement will set-off in domino chaos – there is a precedent, a dangerous one, which is being set. Not to mention the world stage on which jihad extraordinaire will play to the Islamic world, putting the Bush Doctrine and his administration, along with the CIA on trial.

While all of these concerns are indisputable and likely to transpire in one form or another, what seems to be missing from the debate is the reason why this decision has been reached. It may be a bit over simplistic to assign a political meat throwing to the far left, as well as the new life being given to the fringe kook birthers and Muslim in the White House conspiratorialists – neither of which will garner the administration any political good will or capital.

So why has this decision been reached? It might be no more complicated then everything else the administration is pushing, from cap-and-trade to health care reform to the slow bleed strategy in Afghanistan, the administration is trying to remake the country and once done, it will be near impossible to undo.

-- Owen E. Richason IV
Chief Editor, Killswitch Politick


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