The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin gets it right

Go read it before the rest of the media and the President start their spin cycle.

Boehner did have something going for him: a completely incompetent White House. The errors include never having an alternative short-term continuing resolution on the table (letting the GOP’s short-term CR be the only “stop the shutdown” document out there for two days); not stepping in to signal that the troops would be paid in some fashion; issuing an incomprehensible veto threat with no alternative; overestimating Boehner’s need to get the Planned Parenthood rider; and underestimating Boehner’s ability to make this about the most popular issue (cutting the deficit). These major White House errors compounded the error of never getting a 2011 budget done when there were large Democratic majorities in the House and the Senate.

By contrast, Boehner kept his caucus with him, beginning with a productive Monday meeting with his members. He didn’t flinch when the veto threat came. (Informed sources say that was not expected.) He kept both the rider and the cuts open to the very end and persuaded Reid to overvalue the Planned Parenthood rider.

Boehner is now the most powerful and effective leader in Congress, maybe in Washington. His power will increase immensely.

Congratulations Mr. Speaker!
A huge congratulations to Mr. Barry Jackson too!

A job well done. Now the complaints will roll in from both the left and the right. Just remember that they are required to complain so you know where they stand for the next round. In the end, you done good!

Good Luck Barry Jackson

Good luck Barry Jackson, or would you prefer “Good luck, my secret crush”?

The Washington Post today has a front page item on the negotiators behind the budget talks, Barry Jackson and David Krone.

While their principals fire rhetorical salvos, sometimes by the hour, Jackson and Krone have kept their channel clear of fiery politics. They’ve been negotiating for weeks, usually multiple times a day, in a tone associates described as respectful.

I always like to think that the heated rhetoric out there is mostly for the cameras but that behind the scenes once you get to the upper levels there really is a semblance of respect amongst politicians. Pelosi never could make me believe, but certainly John Boehner does. It’s nice to see that confirmed.
(the bold is mine)

“Barry just knows,” said Jackson confidant David Winston, a Republican pollster who advises Boehner. “He spends a lot of time understanding where individual members are and what they’re thinking. That’s just hard work. . . . The speaker isn’t just representing the speaker. He’s representing the House. And Barry knows it’s very important to make sure everybody feels that they’re heard.”

Oddly enough I’ve not been invited to a gourmet dinner party at Barry’s home. Hmmmm. (Maybe if I didn’t get all tongue tied around him?)

Jackson, who is single, lives on Capitol Hill and is a gourmet cook. He has small dinner parties at his home, once cooking up an Italian veal dish that Rove called “unbelievable.”

He shuns the spotlight, but friends cautioned that his soft-spokenness should not be misinterpreted.

“His intensity is inversely proportional to his volume,” said Republican strategist Chad Kolton, a former colleague.

Like Rove, Jackson can be as relentless in his preparation as he is ruthless in his execution, associates said.

“Barry thinks in three dimensions,” Kolton said. “He’s always working on multiple means by which to achieve his objective.”

He’s a good guy. Best of luck in the next few hours.

Donald Rumsfeld

Donald Rumsfeld is interviewed by Der Spiegel. Lots of fun little bits there.

Comment of the Day

This column, by JB’s Sanctuary entitled “It’s time to leave Afghanistan” (ht Jawareport) is a good read, but here’s the comment of the day that I mention because it relates to my post on war.

Casey Says:
April 2, 2011 at 4:58 pm
You, sir, have provided me with an epiphany when you said “To [properly do nation-building] you must over-take the nation completely and rebuild from scratch.”

I’m not sure about the “from scratch” part, but certainly deep surgery is required. While I was reading your post it occurred to me that Great Britain managed to civilize India quite nicely. But then, back then General Sir Charles Napier could say things like
“You say that it is your custom to burn widows. Very well. We also have a custom: when men burn a woman alive, we tie a rope around their necks and we hang them. Build your funeral pyre; beside it, my carpenters will build a gallows. You may follow your custom. And then we will follow ours.”

Jawa reports on the killings at the UN by civilians in Afghanistan also. I would not have burned Korans, and I don’t approve of it, BUT if I were Jones, and if these riotous murders were the result and if no one is going to get prosecuted, I would probably announce that for every person murdered due to my burning of a Koran, I’ll just replicate the behavior 10 fold. So if they really cared about the book, then there is only one solution.

In reality that would probably escalate the killings, not stop them. Why? Because it isn’t about the Koran. It’s about wanting an excuse to kill the infidel. We are that and we are hated. Whatever is going on over there has caused these folks in this town with the UN to go on a tear. I’m not ready to leave them to it, but maybe a new plan is needed.
Tera Dahl is suggesting screw the government over there. They are corrupt. Give it up. Go directly to the people. That sounds like some good reasoning to me.

VDH and the new World Order

Entertaining.

We have to pass the law to know what’s in it…..

And so it continues. Thank you Energy and Commerce for uncovering this little nuggett.

You, yes you you taxpaying citizen of the US of A….maybe you want to retire early? But you realize that would not be in your best interests because of the cost of insurance and that sort of thing.
Well – if and only if you get to be on the special Obama’s list of exceptions, he might actually help cover those costs with cash.
Sure, it’s your cash, but it’s gone through a wringer so you won’t recognize it as such. Instead it will be your cash plus other people’s cash that will help cover those costs so you can retire early.
But get your application in early because the 5 year plan with all that cash set aside is almost all spent so instead of applying through 2013, there is a cutoff now this May.

Well – maybe you can do all that. Are you on the list of exceptions? Examples would include unions. Big corporations who pay no tax. Government workers. of course. GM. of course again.

You. You there with the regular upper middle class job? Not you. You keep on working. And paying.

This link with the quote below also has the list of beneficiaries…..and the biggest one? UAW. Get back to work now.

People in the early retiree age group (i.e., ages 55 to 64) often face difficulties obtaining insurance in
the individual market because of age or chronic conditions that make coverage unaffordable or
inaccessible. The availability of group health insurance coverage for America’s retirees age 55 to 64
has declined significantly over the past 20 years, as the percentage of large firms providing workers
with retirement health coverage has dropped from 66 percent to 28 percent.1 The ERRP was designed
to stabilize this market by providing financial assistance to health plan sponsors that make coverage
available to millions of early retirees and their families – including for-profit companies, schools and
educational institutions, unions, State and local governments, religious organizations and other non-
profit plan sponsors. The ERRP assists both early retirees, and any active workers covered under the
same plan, by reimbursing participating plan sponsors that offer such benefits for a portion of the costs
of providing health coverage to retirees age 55 to 64 and their families. ERRP subsidizes 80 percent of
the actual cost of certain health expenses paid by the plan or by an early retiree or his/her enrolled
spouse, surviving spouse, or dependent between a cost threshold ($15,000) and cost limit ($90,000).
Costs reimbursed by ERRP include medical, surgical, hospital, behavioral health, prescription drug,
and other benefits similar to those covered by Medicare.

It Finally Happened!!!

Obama made a decision….