The Obama Administration Moves Our Southern Border To Guatemala: So Says Alan Bersin Of DHS

Really, can't make this stuff up.

While we spend our energies obsessing about what Mitt blurted out while answering a question at what he thought was a private fund-raiser, we might wish to give a bit of our attention to what Alan Bersin says at a public and official function, a reception hosted by the United States-Mexico Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday evening.
 
Bersin is currently Assistant Secretary of International Affairs and Chief Diplomatic Officer for the Department of Homeland Security. He oversees the Department's international engagement and serves as the principal advisor to Secretary Janet Napolitano on all international affairs.

Says Assistant Secretary Bursin at Homeland Security:

“The Guatemalan border with Chiapas is now our southern border,” Bersin said. He cited a study by Pew Research which showed that last year more Mexicans left the United States than entered it. This, he said, ended six decades of illegal immigration from Mexico.

Bersin said the change in the flow of migration is not a “flash in the pan.” He said economic conditions have played a part in reducing illegal immigration. But so, too, has border security, he argued. 

“The economy contributes to it but the enforcement posture in the United States has increased since 1993 in a way that was absolutely unforeseen. One of the great bipartisan accomplishments of the last generation, some would say the greatest accomplishment, Republicans and Democrats alike, was restoring the rule of law to the U.S.-Mexican border,” Bersin said.

Whew--glad we got that cleared up! We've restored the Rule of Law to the US-Mexican border!

Which really doesn't exist anymore...

Presidential Press Secretary Jay Carney, Winner Of The Ron Zeigler Award

It's become completely a no-brainer, spike it in the end zone decision by OS's Awards Committee.

For those who don't remember Ron Zeigler, he was Richard Nixon's loyal-to-the-death press secretary. He would proclaim a lie one day, contradict the next day with another lie, and then finally admit that those first statements were lies, while assuring one and all that the country could believe today's pronouncements.

He did this with a completely straight face, day after day, never a moment's apology, as if the cognitive dissonance of replacing one lie with another and another never occurred to him. His only competitor in our time was Baghdad Bob, who claimed the Iraqi Army had crushed the invaders, as the US Marines were pulling up across the street behind him.

Some of Ron's most famous quotes--

"This is the operative statement. The others are inoperative." –April 17, 1973

"If my answers sound confusing, I think they are confusing because the questions are confusing and the situation is confusing."

"The president is aware of what is going on in Southeast Asia. That is not to say that there is anything going on in Southeast Asia." –1971, answering a question if the allied troops were preparing to invade Laos.

Jay Carney must be channeling Ron and Baghdad Bob this week--it's deja vu all over again.

It did not take a genius to see that the attack on the consulate in Benghazi was a planned and orchestrated affair. Ever seen a group of protesters show up will mortars, full-auto weapons, RPG's, and knowledge of the layout of the target?

Turns out, there were never any demonstrators at all...just attackers...

But the 'spontaneous demonstration that just got out of hand because of that terrible terrible awful disgusting YouTube video' story was the Administration's story, and Jay was sticking to it. Even after the Libyan Prime Minister stated flatly that it was a planned attack. And that they had warned the Administration days before. Even after attacks on British diplomats had occurred some days before. The Ambassador himself knew himself to be on an al-Queda hit list. Ni modo. It was all the fault of The Video! Couldn't possibly be al-Queda operation! We've killed 'em all, we've got them on the run!
Bin-Laden's dead and GM lives!

They sent Susan Rice, our UN Ambassador, to five Sunday talking heads shows to talk the White House line. They talked and talked, and ducked and ducked, and spun and spun, and lied and lied and lied. And lied.

Because to admit the truth is to admit that Obama and Hillary left their ambassador hung out to dry, and got him killed.

Here's the sequence.

Finally, today, Jay Carney does admit the obvious. But never an apology, never a moment's embarrassment, never a moment of consideration that this sort of behavior absolutely crushes what little sense of trust anyone may have in him or his boss. 

It was a Ziegler Moment. And Jay decided to 'fess up while in the air on Air Force One--with loud background noise, spoken sotto voce.

'This is the operative statement. The others are inoperative.'

'This is the operative statement. The others are inoperative.'

'This is the operative statement. The others are inoperative.'

It would be comic, except--this is how people get killed, wars get started, banks are allowed to blow up the economy, friends of the President are able to commit massive fraud and walk away scot-free, a thousand guns are put in the hands of drug cartels by the ATF and no one notices until the bodies pile up. Even then, no one can seem to locate anyone remotely responsible for the carnage.

The Politics of Golf, And The Golf Joke Of The Season

Mr. Obama does love his golf! One hundred rounds and counting since he took office.

George Bush loves his golf as well. From September 11, 2001 until he left office, President Bush gave up the game. He felt it would be unseemly to spend days on the course while he had troops in the field.

OS found this joke in the comments at the link above. Please feel free to share along.

It's an old joke, but like all great jokes, its power is rooted in truth.

Ye Can't Fool a Scottish Caddy

During his golfing vacation at Martha's Vineyard - President Obama had been slicing off the tee on every hole.

In frustration, he turns to his Scottish caddy to inquire what might be going wrong.

Sez the caddy: 'Aye, there's a piece of shyt on the end of yer driver."

The President picks up his driver and cleans the club face, at which point the caddy says:

"No, the other end."

Why I Love Mormonism--Simon Critchley NYT

OS is up to his ears in projects--lots of good things happening, but not much time to write this week.

However, he did run across this essay, and sends it in the direction of his hordes of loyal readers.

Critchley is an English academic resident upon our shores, and he provides a kind and gentle account of his views on the subject of the Mormon religion.

Mormonism is heretical, no doubt about that. At the same time, its errors tend to push its adherents in the direction of striving for virtue and productivity. Think the Mormon Tabernacle Choir as one public face of that approach.

By contrast, the heresy of Liberation Theology, in which the Beloved Leader was steeped, encourages resentment and class warfare. It's Marxism with a Christian patina, very popular amongst all those seminarians of the 1960's who 'heard the call to the ministry' and maintained their military draft exemptions while in seminary--in looong doctoral programs. Rev. Wright's famous (or infamous) pronouncements from his Chicago pulpit are not untypical of the theology he and his espouse.

So, this year, we have Heretic A vs. Heretic B at the top of the ballot.

Oh joy.

Yew payz yer munney, yew takes yer choice.

Fire, Meet Gasoline: Peter van Buren Explains The Libya Tragedy

My, oh my...

Our leadership really is that feckless. They left the ambassador hung out to dry in an incredibly dangerous situation, had ample warning, and did nothing to protect him.

These people must be sent home, before they get us killed. If they'll do that to a career foreign officer, they'll do it to us.

OS Answers Your Questions: Hillary Really Is That Naive, Obama Really Is That Clueless, The Muslim Brotherhood Are Not Our Friends, And The Press Is Spending Its Energies Vilifying Romney

One question at a time, ya'll, cuz we have entered the Twilight Zone...

Hillary's statement after she found out that she had gotten her friend killed because she hung him out to drly in an unprotected building in Benghazi on September 11:

This is not easy. Today, many Americans are asking – indeed, I asked myself – how could this happen? How could this happen in a country we helped liberate, in a city we helped save from destruction? This question reflects just how complicated and, at times, how confounding the world can be.

Huh? Complicated and confounding? How'z-about incredibly dangerous, with vast swathes of it occupied by really bad people who will take innocent life without a second thought?

This is the woman who would have been President, and is in charge of representing our interests to the rest of the world, which she finds 'complicated and confounding'.


#2: Obama Really Is That Clueless

This guy skips intelligence briefings--many many of them. Won't meet with Bebe Netanyahu about the NUKES in IRAN, but will certainly be on time to meet with Letterman. All campaign appearances going ahead on schedule. First things first, after all.

#3: Mubarak Was A Bad Dude, But Obama Kicked Him Under The Bus In Favor Of The Muslim Brotherhood

Holy Jimmy Carter, Batman! We've seen this all before...and are still living with the fallout of Jimmy Carter kicking the Shah under the bus. The thugs who deposed the Shah run the place, and are busily building nukes to aim at Israel, whose leader Obama won't meet with, 'cuz he's got a show with Letterman.

By the way, in 2009-2010 Obama could have thrown his support behind all those kids who so desperately tried to turn Iran toward sanity. Instead, he stood by silently while the Iranian regime crushed their hopes. Those kids were pro-Western, by all appearances. They hate the mullahs. Why would Obama do that, and then turn around and support the Muslim Brotherhood takeover of Egypt?

It makes no sense. His behavior makes no sense.

#4: See #3 and #1  

#5: Yep, you got it. The real outrage is aimed at Romney for suggesting that Obama is clueless and our foreign service is feckless.

You gotta love Obama's response--how did he have time to do that interview with the world burning down around him, btw?

Mr. Obama fired back later in the day, accusing his opponent of politicizing a national tragedy. “Governor Romney seems to have a tendency to shoot first and aim later,” he told CBS News for its “60 Minutes” program. “And as president, one of the things I’ve learned is you can’t do that — that, you know, it’s important for you to make sure that the statements that you make are backed up by the facts, and that you’ve thought through the ramifications.” 

OK, let's go over this again--numbers 1 through 4--and compare that record of behaviour with Himself's critique of Romney....hmm....and the press's microscopic coverage of Romney vs their blind acceptance of anything Himself might utter.

And then, we have his 'encouraging words' to campaign volunteers in Las Vegas yesterday--no cancellations of campaign appearances--

Obama, during his talk with the volunteers, described his visit to the State Department today. “I had a chance to go to the State Dept. to comfort some of the friends and co-workers of the the folks who had fallen and I reminded them that as hard as things are sometimes, as difficult as change is that if we’re resolute, if we don’t give up, if we don’t give in, if we don’t become cynical, if we continue to be realistic about how hard change is but also keep in our hearts that sense of idealism and sense of purpose then over time good things happen,” he said.

That's an interesting word, 'Change'. 'Change' from what, to what? Never ever defined, but there has to be a goal in mind. One does not become President without having a goal in mind...

Isn't It Wonderful To Know All Those Arab Spring Rebels Are Grateful For Allll That Support From The U.S. of A.?

US State Department Official Murdered By Libyan Rioters.

Perhaps we should apologize to them more sincerely.

Yep, that'll make it all better.

The Riddle Circulated In 1980 That Ended The Iranian Embassy Stalemate

The story is told that the incoming Reagan administration, during the transition of 1980 after the election, circulated a riddle aimed at certain sets of ears in Tehran.

It went something like this:

Q: What's flat, dusty, hot, and glows in the dark?

A: Tehran, the day after Ronald Reagan is inaugurated.

Evidently, the riddle circulated sufficiently. Much more went on behind the scenes than just that, of course, but the riddle appears to have played a significant part.

As soon as Reagan was sworn in, the hostages were put on the plane, and flown home. 

'Nuff said? 

The Embassy's Apology For Our Tradition Of Free Speech--An Administration In Complete Disarray

So--the rabble decides to attack the US Embassy in Cairo over some indy film-maker's obscure film critical of the prophet Muhammed, and the Embassy girds up its loins in response to the outrage...and issues an apology....from which the White House (which undoubtedly had earlier blessed the statement) begins back-pedaling furiously away.

This administration is in complete, hopeless disarray. This is Jimmy Carter helping to depose the Shah only to have the US Embassy held hostage by Muslim nut-jobs all over again.  OS is old enough to remember this debacle clearly. It was completely humiliating, and completely needless. That self-righteous old fart never has explained himself, continues to pontificate from Atlanta, and the press continues to lap up every word of his nonsense.

So, here we go again...

From Politico:

The Obama administration is disavowing a statement from its own Cairo embassy that apologized for anti-Muslim activity in the United States.

"The statement by Embassy Cairo was not cleared by Washington and does not reflect the views of the United States government," an administration official told POLITICO.

The U.S. embassy in Cairo put out a statement early Tuesday that apologized for an anti-Muslim film being circulated by an Israeli-American real estate developer.

"The Embassy of the United States in Cairo condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims – as we condemn efforts to offend believers of all religions," the embassy said in a statement published online. According to the Wall Street Journal, the film depicts the Muslim prophet Muhammed as a "womanizer, pedophile and fraud" — a depiction bound to offend many Muslims.

The embassy came under widespread criticism for failing to defend free speech in the face of threats of violence. Egyptian protesters rioted anyway, breaching the embassy walls and tearing down the American flag.

"Some have sought to justify this vicious behavior as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet.  The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others.  Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation.  But let me be clear:  There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a Tuesday statement.

The Romney campaign accused the Obama administration of sympathizing with the protests in a statement released after the administration statement. “I'm outraged by the attacks on American diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt and by the death of an American consulate worker in Benghazi.  It's disgraceful that the Obama administration's first response was not to condemn attacks on our diplomatic missions, but to sympathize with those who waged the attacks,” Romney said.

OS Has A Few Questions For Dr. Brad DeLong

This morning's post from Dr. Brad DeLong is worth a read, as are his daily musings.

DeLong is a brilliant gent, as one can see in his short bio:

J. Bradford DeLong is a professor of economics at the University of California at Berkeley, chair of its political economy major, a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research, and was in the Clinton administration a deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Treasury. 

OS has never had the privilege of having his very occasional questions published under Dr. DeLong's posts. Which is perfectly ok--it's his house, he gets to do as he pleases.

OS did send some questions along this morning, and as of this moment, they haven't been acknowledged. It's the academic year now, with all those pesky students stalking the halls, so patience is a virtue.

In the meantime, OS will post his questions here, to see if anyone else may have the same thoughts in mind.

Dear Professor DeLong:

At what degree of downward slope, for how long a period of time, will you perhaps consider the notion that the Obama Administration, with its parade of economic advisors, stimulus packages, 'Summer(s) of Recovery', etc. has not been an effective steward of the privilege of governance granted to it by the electorate? Their task was to reverse the direction of those lines.

Bin Laden is dead, thank heavens. GM is operating, but still significantly underwater if we look at its share price. It's better that it be operating than not, granted, but it's not quite as resuscitated as JoeB would have us believe.

What we were told last week was that all those promises made in 2008 simply were unattainable. Bill Clinton himself said that. Many of us knew that in 2008, just not a majority of us. Then, in his acceptance speech, the President seemed to reiterate those promises. I'm genuinely concerned by that.

What course of action do you see the Obama Administration taking that truly would turn those lines significantly in the other direction? We are 16 trillion in debt, which does limit our room to maneuver a bit.

You are a brilliant gent, and this is said with not a hint of irony. No one occupies your position in academia without that quality of brilliance and true achievement.

So, what do we do next? It appears to me that Obama will retain his office, as will most of the GOP House.

What should HE do next, the day after he is re-elected? Much of what he had done to date has not been effective.

Many thanks and good wishes--your blog is a favorite read.