Washington Post — Hasan e-mails to cleric didn’t result in inquiry

Writers Phillip Rucker, Carrie Johnson, and Ellen Nakashima and their colleagues at the Post have been all over the Ft. Hood shootings. Tremendous coverage.

As we learn more about Nidal Hasan it becomes harder to imagine how his behavior in the years leading up to the shooting did not trigger an investigation or discharge – a lecture to colleagues about the need to allow Muslim soldiers to be excused from service, the online glorification of suicide bombers, and now, email exchanges with his former Imam, Anwar al-Aulaqi, a radical cleric who would later praise Hasan’s rampage as the model for any Muslim soldier.

As Examiner colleague Julie Mason points out, labeling the attack as terrorism or even discussing the killer’s motives have been awkward issues for President Obama.

As he heads to Ft. Hood today, all eyes will be on how the president categorizes the attack.

“A terrorism expert with access to information about the case cautioned against drawing any conclusions from Hasan’s communications with Aulaqi. The expert said it appears that Hasan may have contacted the cleric for academic research he was conducting. The correspondence, he said, is ‘not a smoking gun, but communications that in hindsight raise some concern.’”

New York Times — At Fort Hood, Some Violence Is Too Familiar

The New York Times’ coverage of the Ft. Hood killings has been dreadful.

In today’s edition, the paper continues to turn an absolutely blind eye to the motivations of Nidal Hasan, even as the FBI and counterterrorism officials continue their probe into his connections with and sympathies toward radical Islam. His motives says the Times, “remain unknown.”

What makes today’s installment so bad, though, is that it draws a parallel to the suicides, murders, and domestic violence in the Ft. Hood community. Not only does the Times deny its readers an accurate picture of the attack and its perpetrator, but also tries to suggest that he is part of the mainstream of the U.S. military.

A really shameful performance.

Writers Michael Moss and Ray Rivera make no accounting for the different makeup of an Army base with a huge population of young males when comparing Ft. Hood’s crime rate to other communities in the country. Neither do they make any mention of the rise in domestic murders we’ve seen across the nation in non-military communities.

New York Times — Obama Seeks Revision of Plan’s Abortion Limits

The time and effort President Obama spends placating liberals in his party is time and effort not spent reaching out to uncertain moderates.

Liberals were stunned by the House amendment that might one day end the practice of insurance companies covering abortions – at least 100,000 of the more than 800,000 of the procedures in the country each year.

With liberal members of Congress feeling burned by Speaker Pelosi and the president, Obama hit the issue hard Monday, saying he would work to roll back the amendment. But without Rep. Bart Stupak’s addition, the bill would have failed the first time.

Talking about preserving abortion rights in a health care bill does not appeal to the Senate moderates on whose favor the next leg of this marathon relies.

Right now, centrists, like Sens. Susan Collins, Joe Lieberman, and Olympia Snowe, are heaping their fury on the Senate plan. Asking them accept abortion protections will not enhance chances for passage.

Writer Robert Pear looks at what has yet to be reconciled.

“The House and Senate bills differ in at least five ways: how to configure a new government insurance plan; whether to require employers to provide coverage to employees; whether to finance the legislation with a tax on high-income people or a tax on high-cost insurance plans; how strictly to limit coverage of abortion; and whether illegal immigrants should have access to new insurance marts, or exchanges.”

New York Times — Democrats Raise Alarms Over Costs of Health Bills

A debate in the Obama White House was whether to sell a health care overhaul as the fulfillment a moral obligation to provide care to all or an effort to control the cost of medical care, and by extension, insurance.

Because the president chose to push his plan during a recession/jobless recovery, the cost argument won out.

While that pleased his budget team and other unsentimental Democrats, what’s grinding forward in Congress is more about expanded coverage than controlling costs – Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden calls it “heavy on health and light on reform.”

Writer Sheryl Gay Stolberg looks at the conflict:

“Some experts would like to see such changes adopted more quickly, and senators of both parties say they will press for more aggressive cost-cutting measures when the bill comes up for debate. But drastic changes in the health care reimbursement system could cost the White House the support of doctors and hospital groups, who have signed onto the legislation and are lobbying hard to keep the current fee-for-service system from being phased out too quickly.”

New York Times — A Squeeze on Customers Ahead of New Rules

Writers Andrew Martin and Lowell Bergman examine the beating that credit card customers are taking these days as the industry prepares for new government regulations – huge spikes in interest rates and fees pump up short term profits and may also clear out bad credit risks before restrictive new rules take effect.

The net effect is that as the Obama administration needs Americans to go shopping in order to prevent a double dip recession, the plastic foundation for the nation’s consumerist dreams is getting much harder to come by.

“In the 12 months that ended in September, the number of Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover card accounts in the United States fell by 72 million, according to David Robertson, publisher of The Nilson Report, an industry newsletter. There are 555 million accounts still in the marketplace, he said.

In roughly the same time period, banks lowered credit limits by 26 percent, to $3.4 trillion, from $4.6 trillion, according to an analysis of government data by Foresight Analytics.

Interest on credit card accounts, meanwhile, has increased to an average of 13.71 percent, up from 11.94 percent a year ago, according to federal records.”

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All American Blogger » If PelosiCare is So Good, Why Do You Have to Force People Into It?.

From Tapscott’s Copy Desk

Tapscott’s Copy Desk

Fresh and insightful opinion from Tapscott’s Copy Desk, by the Washington Examiner’s Editorial Page Editor Mark Tapscott. Got a tip or an oped to place? Send an e-mail to mark.tapscott.

EXAMINER EDITORIAL HOT ZONE ALERT

Climate bills give Obama emergency strongman powers.

Examiner Editorial Hot Zone Alert

"Would the president be empowered to do things like nationalize whole sectors of industry, ban coal use, restrict private automobile use, or whatever else the ‘climate emergency’ requires?"

Washington Examiner Political Digest

Byron York – No matter what happens, the top issue is jobs

The only way to prevent unemployment from approaching 10 percent, Obama said, was to pass the stimulus, which in the end cost $787 billion. With the stimulus, the administration claimed, unemployment would stay below 8 percent. Without it, joblessness could climb to 9 percent.

Now, with the stimulus passed and unemployment at 10.2 percent, the White House is not only distracted by health care but divided on its own record. On one hand, Obama and Vice President Biden say the stimulus is working, and will work more in the future. On the other, top economic adviser Christina Romer suggests the stimulus has run its course and unemployment will likely “remain at severely elevated levels” through 2010.

Julie Mason – Calling Ft. Hood attacks terrorism not simple matter for White House

Bush showed up at Fort Hood for a private visit on Friday night, with former first lady Laura Bush. The timely arrival from their Dallas home provided an uncomfortable example to Obama about what’s expected of the consoler in chief, a role that does not come naturally to the emotionally reserved president.

Susan Ferrechio – Employer taxes may spook Senate on health care

With the jobless rate at 10.2 percent and expected to climb, penalties for employers who don’t offer insurance benefits will make it difficult for moderate Senate Democrats to support the plan.

While most big companies provide workers with health insurance, many smaller employers do not, and they would end up having to come up with the money to either buy coverage or pay a penalty.

David Freddoso – Support for tort reform among doctors hits 92 percent

Trial lawyers contend that medical malpractice just isn’t a big deal, but doctors on the ground aren’t buying it. A new survey of nearly 2,000 doctors, conducted by Jackson Healthcare Solutions, found that 92 percent of them want medical malpractice reform. Fully 85 percent of the doctors surveyed reported that the threat of malpractice litigation is hampering their ability to practice medicine properly.

Kimberly Kagan – Iraq ’surge’ should be tailored for Afghanistan

The “surge” not only transformed Iraq, but also taught the American military many important lessons about how to fight and win counterinsurgencies. As the administration debates what course to pursue in Afghanistan, this is also an appropriate moment to reflect on some of those lessons.

Many in Washington seem unable to form a simple sentence: The surge worked.

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Nate Beeler’s Editorial Cartoons Digest

Updated Editorial Cartoons by Nate Beeler, of The Washington Examiner.

Today’s Digest

Justice for the Beltway Sniper Victims

The Liberty Sphere: Second Amendment News Roundup for 11/9/09

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Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

The razor-thin margin on the House’s ObamaCare
vote speaks volumes about the deepening rift between
the American people and our Congress. Today I want
to THANK YOU for standing with me against this
outrageous government power grab! – Mat

By ramming their 2,000-page bureaucratic monstrosity of a
healthcare bill down the throats of the American people,
the Obama/Pelosi/Reid power axis may have made their
worst political mistake so far.

Their arrogant disregard of the will of the people was
clearly evident as shocked Americans woke up to the bad
news on Sunday morning. It is as though all of the
demonstrations, Town Hall meetings and millions of
personal contacts meant nothing at all to these demagogues!

Although she is now crowing her so-called “victory,” Speaker
Nancy Pelosi had to resort to every imaginable trick in order
to deliver this “prize” to the Obama administration. Here’s
just a short list of her over-the-top schemes:

* Pelosi forced the vote in the shortest possible time,
using a rare weekend session and a “midnight vote” to
make sure pesky citizens were kept in the dark.

* Pelosi brought forth a 400,000-word bill that NO ONE
could comprehend – we still don’t have a full grasp of
what dangers lurk deep in the bowels of H.R. 3962.

* Pelosi promised at least 36 hours of the full bill being
posted on the Internet before calling for a vote, but
major changes were made right up to the last minute.

+ + This travesty is no victory for Pelosi or President Obama!

Given the huge Democrat majority in the House, getting a
220-215 margin can hardly be called a mandate for ObamaCare.

And considering what Pelosi had to do to get this narrowest of
margins – including begrudgingly allowing a last-minute amendment
to limit the use of taxpayer funds for abortion – I’d say we
were the winners!

And here was the Senate’s immediate reaction:

“The House bill is dead on arrival,” said Senator Lindsey
Graham of South Carolina.

“Rarely has the disconnect between Congress and the
American people been clearer,” said Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell of Kentucky.

Even Senator Joe Lieberman, who caucuses with the Democrats,
loudly threatened to filibuster if the Senate dares to consider
the “public option” contained in Pelosi’s monstrosity.

Of course, Majority Leader Harry Reid has been frantically
backpedaling on a Senate “delivery date” while nervously awaiting
the Budget Office’s verdict on his bill’s price tag. All the
while, President Obama and his team are constantly behind the
scenes yelling, “Push, push, push!”

+ + Be assured, we have made a huge difference in this struggle!

Kevin, this battle is far from over, but you can
be VERY proud of what we have accomplished together!

In the last week alone, we delivered well over 50,000 highly
targeted faxes to key Members of Congress! The fact is, we
have coordinated a massive number of calls and faxes since
this battle began in the summer. Together, we have had a
major impact on the ObamaCare debate!

+ + THANK YOU for your principled resistance to H.R. 3962

The purpose of this message is to humbly convey my deep
appreciation for all you do with Liberty Counsel, and for
answering the call to stop the anti-family, anti-life ObamaCare
“reform” bill.

This battle is far from over. Now we will turn our attention
to the Senate where the passage of government-run healthcare
will run into a lot of resistance.

Kevin, I have recorded a special message to better
express my gratitude for your partnership in this great struggle
for the soul of our Nation. You can hear it by going here:

http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=22851&CID=297&RID=20967065

So please remain steadfast in your commitment to resisting
ObamaCare as it moves into the Senate, and never, never grow
weary of doing what is right!

Thank you and God bless you!

Mathew Staver, Founder and Chairman
Liberty Counsel

P.S. On a recent tour of our Capitol Building in Washington,
DC, Christian historian David Barton pointed out the very
spot upon which President John Quincy Adams’ desk sat when
he served in Congress after leaving the presidency. As
you may know, Adams chose to run for Congress as an older
man because of his life-long commitment to end slavery in
our Nation.

After many years of apparently unsuccessful resistance to
the greatest evil of his day, this became Adams’ motto, “Duty
is ours, results are the Lord’s.” By the way, his political
disciples in Congress had the honor of voting slavery down
in Lincoln’s day.

Again, THANK YOU for your perseverance in standing with me
against the anti-faith, anti-life ObamaCare healthcare bill!

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
Note: Please do not “reply” directly to this e-mail message. This e-mail
address is not designed to receive your personal messages. To contact
Liberty Counsel with comments, questions or to change your status,
see the link at the end of this e-mail.)
+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

+ + Comments? Questions?

http://www.libertyaction.org/r.asp?U=22852&CID=297&RID=20967065

Liberty Counsel, with offices in Florida, Virginia and Washington, D.C.,
is a nonprofit litigation, education and policy organization dedicated to
advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of human life and the
traditional
family. Liberty Counsel . PO Box 540774 . Orlando, FL 32854 .
800-671-1776

Then buy it on , with all proceed going to Armed Forces Relief Trust.

GovTrack: House Vote On Passage: H.R. 3962: Affordable Health Care for America Act

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