Overall this was a very controlled game and circus, but one where Obama, I think, came out ahead.

It was filled with talking points and more than a few inaccurate facts (with no forum to dispute them of course).

Obama struck the wrong tone with me by taking the attitude early on that  Democrats were trying to help, and the Republican’s disagreement was simply unthinkable.  That is not how you generate respect for disagreement.

One thing I will say at the beginning of this is that Obama was very comfortable in the environment, very prepared for the questions, and handled his answers well.  No blindsides, or if they were, he handled them well.  He is quick on his feet, he had facts and examples at hand, and he is personable, even when irritated.

He also lost me on some issue, like his deflections on some criticisms.

Will this spur bipartisanship?  To his credit he did call out both sides for this, but his focus was on the Republicans more than not for being disingenuous.  He is correct to a degree, the Republicans do take a confrontational knee jerk stance.  But to even insinuate that it is not politics as usual for both sides is purely misleading.   He himself has stooped to this as well.

I love when this happens.  When the most vilified man in the Bush administration, Darth Cheney actually says something they agree with, the liberals actually have to dial back their hatred and accept that maybe not all republicans and conservatives are howling homophobes, as they try to make them appear to be.

It’s hard to marginalize someone who is being honest and reasonable, isn’t it?  And I totally agree with him on the federalism issue.

Cheney Hints He Supports Gay Marriage

Former Vice President Dick Cheney told the National Press Club he thinks “people ought to be free to enter into any kind of union they wish.” Cheney said the decision to legalize gay marriage should be up to the states and not the federal government.

Michelle Malkin has a terrific commentary up comparing the media’s reactions to Obama’s rippling physique and rigorous gym routines with comments made about Bush recently, which were hardly as glowing.

Tale of two presidential workout fanatics

Chris Matthews won the Media Research Center’s quote of the year with his Obamedia-topping Leg O’ Thrill and Tingle remark. But Matthews only took first honors because Washington Post reporter Eli Saslow waited until Christmas to file his tribute to Obama’s sun-kissed pectorals. Have they no shame? No, they do not.

The gushing reminded me of a blog post I did three years ago on how Bush-deranged journalist Jonathan Chait reacted to President Bush’s workout regimen. It’s the subject of my syndicated column today. More liberal double standards: It’s just how they roll.

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Ah, the perks of media affection. On Christmas Day, the Washington Post delivered a front-page paean to Barack Obama’s workout habits. The 1,233-word ode to O’s physical fitness read more like a Harlequin romance novel than an A-1 news article.

I have a large pile of issues where I disagree with our President, and I make no secret of those. 

But when it comes to him performing the (in my opinion) most important aspect of his office, that of Commander in Chief, he has never let me down in my expectations, and this Washington Times article demonstrates clearly why I feel that way.

Bush, Cheney comforted troops privately

For much of the past seven years, President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney have waged a clandestine operation inside the White House. It has involved thousands of military personnel, private presidential letters and meetings that were kept off their public calendars or sometimes left the news media in the dark.

Their mission: to comfort the families of soldiers who died fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and to lift the spirits of those wounded in the service of their country.

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Sometimes it is the simple and obvious truth that is the most persuasive.

This video leaves no doubts that the Senate Republicans favor a balanced approach to our energy needs, and that they want to begin the quest for solutions immediately. (Hat Tip Sean)

Finally.  A no brainer, no nonsense and common sense approach. 

Find more:  Meaning find more energy, not just find more oil.  Yes that means getting more domestic petroleum, but it also means researching and developing new technology.  This is such an obvious answer to the problem.  New oil reserves and new alternative energy are both solutions that benefit us years ahead, so why favor one over the other when neither has an immediate impact? 

Let both run their course, and see what our options are in 10 years.

Use less:  Again, a no brainer.  No answer in the short term has a better chance of any impact then conservation.  Using less lowers demand, which increases existing supplies and lowers prices.  Any free market advocate knows that.

Yes, I admit, it is a stunt.  But it is a brilliant one.  Here is the situation:

Last week the House adjourned for the 5 week summer break.  Republicans were trying to force a vote on the oil drilling issue and on energy in general.  The Democrats, lead by Speaker Pelosi would have none of it, and they voted to adjourn anyway.

So the Republicans didn’t.  They refused to leave and ended up essentially performing a sit in protest.

Pelosi not to be deterred, ordered the lights turned out, and when that didn’t deter them, she ordered the capital police to clear the House.

As Hot Air noted:

A transparent stunt but an awfully shrewd one. The cameras are off so we’re forced to rely on Politico for running updates. What a scene:

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democrats adjourned the House and turned off the lights and killed the microphones, but Republicans are still on the floor talking gas prices.

While many will not agree, to me this is a great example of the Republican’s playing by the other side’s rules. 

The Democrats have proven themselves to be masters of all things obstinate and obstructionist in the past, particular regarding confirmation hearings.

Regardless, they, the Republicans have taken the bull by the horns and are forcing the Senate Democrats to put up or shut up.

At issue is Oil.

Senate GOP hands Dems oil ultimatum

Senate Republicans have threatened to block nearly all other bills pending before the August recess if Democrats refuse to vote with them on expanding offshore drilling.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said bills that do not pertain to energy can wait until after the August recess, with gas prices now surpassing $4 per gallon. McConnell and top Republicans indicated Wednesday they would oppose any procedural votes to take up other legislation, which require 60 votes to succeed.

The Republican’s have a winning strategy, with 75% of Voters demanding more domestic oil production.

Douglas J. Feith recaps the reasons we went to war in Iraq.

It won’t be popular as he avoids rhetoric and accusations, and instead lays out the real timeline and thoughts behind the decision to go to war from an insider’s perspective.

Agree or disagree with the reasons all you want, but it is important to stop the BDS and the Bush lied accusations and see the big picture.

A lot of poor commentary has framed the Iraq war as a conflict of “choice” rather than of “necessity.” In fact, President George W. Bush chose to remove Saddam Hussein from power because he concluded that doing so was necessary.

President Bush inherited a worrisome Iraq problem from Bill Clinton and from his own father. Saddam had systematically undermined the measures the U.N. Security Council put in place after the Gulf War to contain his regime. In the first months of the Bush presidency, officials debated what to do next.

As a participant in the confidential, top-level administration meetings about Iraq, it was clear to me at the time that, had there been a realistic alternative to war to counter the threat from Saddam, Mr. Bush would have chosen it.

Once again, Bush shows he has a good sense of humor.

Must read by Michelle Malkin:

Snob-ama Is Not Alone

Beltway contempt for the common man is a bipartisan acheivement.

The odor of elitism is like onion breath: It’s quick to acquire, hard to mask. Try as he might, Barack Obama cannot camouflage the political stink he exhaled when he dissed small-town Americans as “bitter” Neanderthals “clinging” to their guns, faith, and belief in strict immigration enforcement. It wasn’t the first time the effete Snob-ama revealed himself.

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But Republicans are just as susceptible to the Democrats’ do-as-I-say virus.

Take Obama’s GOP presidential rival, John McCain. The New York Times–endorsed media darling got a standing ovation from the nation’s newspaper editors at a big journalism powwow in Washington this week. Some maverick. While McCain eagerly criticized Obama as an “elitist” for his derisive comments about small-town Pennsylvanians, Obama’s got nothing on McCain when it comes to insulting average Americans who oppose illegal immigration.

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