2010 a GOP Year?

A new Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll shows President Obama's approval rating sinking to a new low of 46% with an equal number now disapproving of the job Obama is doing as President.

In the generic congressional ballot, Republicans lead Democrats, 42% to 39% with 15% undecided.

What Congressional District?

KMS Trial

Newsweek: "Attorney General Eric Holder acknowledged a previously unspoken proviso to the controversial decision to try alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-conspirators in a federal court in New York: even if the defendants are somehow acquitted, they will still stay behind bars."

Then why exactly are we bothering to try them? Don't get me wrong, I certainly don't want anyone acquitted here, but what is the benefit of a show trial? What if they want to act as their own attorney? What hate speech will we have to listen to throughout the trial process?

Obama Slips

President Barack Obama's job approval rating is 48 - 42 percent, the first time he has slipped below the 50 percent threshold nationally, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Support for the war in Afghanistan and approval of President Obama's handling of the war also is down in the last month, and Republican support for the war is more than twice as strong as Democratic support.

Secular Europe Strikes Again

Italian schools are told crucifixes are exclusionary and Italians of all political persuasions react against the secularization of the country's Roman Catholic identity. Whether public schools should have crosses is certainly debatable, however, the idea that a European court can tell Italy how it should run its schools is distressing. For a summary of the issue see my new article at Suite101.
European Court Rules Against Crucifixes

Stay Classy McCain

NBC News reports that Sen. John McCain "has specifically asked his former aides not to do interviews rebutting Palin's charges in her book -- to avoid escalating the feud between her and the campaign staff. Most are complying with his wishes, hoping it will die down."

Chris Dodd Continues to Fall

I have been saying for months that Sen. Chris Dodd (D) could be on his way out. More evidence from Quinnipiac:

Former Connecticut Congressman Rob Simmons has an early lead in the Republican primary race for the 2010 U.S. Senate contest and runs better than any other challenger against Sen. Christopher Dodd, topping the Democratic incumbent 49 – 38 percent, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.

Former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon gets 43 percent to Sen. Dodd’s 41 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University poll finds.

Even potential Republican contenders with almost no name recognition and almost no Republican primary voter support give Dodd a run for his money.

Massachusetts & The Stimulus

As I stated last week, the number of jobs saved by the stimulus bill is a highly suspect figure. A new study by the Boston Globe (a PR arm of the Democratic Party-wink-wink) agrees. Some highlights:

While Massachusetts recipients of federal stimulus money collectively report 12,374 jobs saved or created, a Globe review shows that number is wildly exaggerated. Organizations that received stimulus money miscounted jobs, filed erroneous figures, or claimed jobs for work that has not yet started...

But in interviews with recipients, the Globe found that several openly acknowledged creating far fewer jobs than they have been credited for.

One of the largest reported jobs figures comes from Bridgewater State College, which is listed as using $77,181 in stimulus money for 160 full-time work-study jobs for students. But Bridgewater State spokesman Bryan Baldwin said the college made a mistake and the actual number of new jobs was “almost nothing.’’ Bridgewater has submitted a correction, but it is not yet reflected in the report....

“There were no jobs created. It was just shuffling around of the funds,’’ said Susan Kelly, director of property management for Boston Land Co., which reported retaining 26 jobs with $2.7 million in rental subsidies for its affordable housing developments in Waltham. “It’s hard to figure out if you did the paperwork right. We never asked for this.’’...

Robert Ercolini manages a 201-unit affordable housing development in Plymouth. After being notified his annual rental subsidies were classified as stimulus spending, Ercolini renewed a request to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development for more than $1 million to fix up the property, reasoning he would be creating jobs by hiring contractors. He was refused.

“After HUD denied me money to make needed improvements and actually create jobs,’’ Ercolini said, “it’s really funny to find out in September that I’ve been receiving stimulus funds all along and they want to know how many jobs we’ve saved or created.’’

By his count, the answer is: “No jobs.’’

Pessimism Grows

AP-Gfk poll finds 56% of Americans believe the country is headed in the wrong direction. This is a significant change from April when 48% thought the country was going in the right direction and 44% it was on the wrong track.

Is this due to the increased anxiety over the economy or the governement's continued focus on health care?

Political Correctness VS. Treason

I am posting this short editorial from The New Hampshire Union Leader. It broaches a topic that may be uncomfortableto talk about, but one that needs to be investigated with open eyes. I am interested in readers thoughts on this one.

Did 13 American soldiers die at Fort Hood because officers were afraid of appearing insensitive to Muslims?

In 2001, the alleged shooter, Nidal Hasan, apparently attended a Virginia mosque led by a radical cleric -- the same mosque attended by two of the 9/11 hijackers. He openly opposed the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan because the United States was fighting Muslims. A doctor who studied with Hasan recalled him justifying suicide bombings and accusing the United States of waging war against Islam.

"His fellow students complained to the faculty about Hasan's 'anti-American propaganda,' but said a fear of appearing discriminatory against a Muslim student kept officers from filing a formal written complaint," The Associated Press reported over the weekend.

U.S. intelligence officials knew that Hasan had tried to contact al-Qaida, ABC News reported on Monday.

Patriotic Muslims have given and continue to give valuable service to this country. That is not the question the Fort Hood shooting raises. The question is whether kowtowing to political correctness prevented the Army from expelling a known enemy within its ranks. At the moment, that appears to be the case.