ObamaCare Subterfuge Explained

This is just a partial list of ObamaCare promises that have short expiration dates: “If you like your current health-care plan, you can keep it”,  “You will pay less”, “Quality will improve”, “Abortion will not be covered”, “Illegal immigrants will not be covered”, Our health care plan will not add one dime to the deficit, and the biggest lie of all…”The public option will not lead to government run health-care’.

The Democrats are lying to us. They know it, and they know many of us know it. And they don’t care as long as enough of the public doesn’t figure it out.

Yet, amazingly enough, the rare Dem will come right out and admit the truth:

Mr. Cassidy is more honest than the politicians whose dishonesty he supports. “The U.S. government is making a costly and open-ended commitment,” he writes. “Let’s not pretend that it isn’t a big deal, or that it will be self-financing, or that it will work out exactly as planned. It won’t. What is really unfolding, I suspect, is the scenario that many conservatives feared. The Obama Administration . . . is creating a new entitlement program, which, once established, will be virtually impossible to rescind.”

Why are they doing it? Because, according to Mr. Cassidy, ObamaCare serves the twin goals of “making the United States a more equitable country” and furthering the Democrats’ “political calculus.” In other words, the purpose is to further redistribute income by putting health care further under government control, and in the process making the middle class more dependent on government. As the party of government, Democrats will benefit over the long run.

In other words, they want to enslave as many of us as possible so we will be beholden to them for future “entitlements”, or as Obama calls them,  “positive liberties”. This is how they meet their ultimate goal of one party rule. Remember, the radical left is all about power. They look at everything within the framework of “power”; how to get it..how to keep it.

This explains why Nancy Pelosi is willing to risk the seats of so many Blue Dog Democrats by forcing such an unpopular bill through Congress on a narrow, partisan vote: You have to break a few eggs to make a permanent welfare state. As Mr. Cassidy concludes, “Putting on my amateur historian’s cap, I might even claim that some subterfuge is historically necessary to get great reforms enacted.”

Not sure why he felt the need to tell us that, but I appreciate  the rare expression of honesty from a Democrat.

RELATED:

“Not a principled fight”:

In another rare moment of truthiness, IL Rep Schakowsky (Obama’s campaign Co-chair and wife of convicted felon Robert Creamer) famously blurted out what we already suspected during this speech to supporters last Spring:

Hat tip: Hot Air Headlines

Flight 93 Memorial Blogburst #68

The desecration has begun. A ground-breaking ceremony was held at the Shanksville crash site on Saturday. Bulldozers will start reshaping the land this week. Never mind that the only rule for the Flight 93 memorial’s design competition was that the landscape had to be left as it was. In order to complete the full arc of the Crescent of Embrace (now called a broken circle, but still a giant Islamic-shaped crescent), an earthen causeway will have to be built across the wetlands that lie about 50 vertical feet below the crash site.

A contractor posted recently about his decision to turn down work on the memorial, despite economic hard times. Our friend Jeff just could not stomach the idea of helping to build a tribute to the enemy, a sentiment that is easy to understand and much appreciated. To anyone else who might find themselves in this situation, just be aware that there are other options. Someone is going to do the work, and if the pay is lucrative, it could be better for our cause to have that money go to someone who is on our side.

Blogburst author Alec Rawls has succeeded in driving driving quite a bit of Western Pennsylvania news coverage through the purchase of a half-dozen half-page full-color ads in the local Somerset paper. If anybody wants to fund another, Alec will gladly put the ad together. Call it anti-dhimmi jiu-jitsu. We can use the Park Service’s own money against them.

If we don’t succeed, then you have to live with knowing that you helped to build an abomination. There is no simple answer.

On the subject of worthy causes, long-time blogburst participant Curt at the excellent Flopping Aces blog is helping to orchestrate fundraising for Project Valour-IT, which helps provide voice-controlled computers and other technology to Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines recovering from hand wounds and other severe injuries.

Soldiers Angels, which hosts Valour-IT, is also fundraising for the victims of the jihad attack on Fort Hood.

To join our blogbursts, just send your blog’s url.

Quotes of the Day

Ace nails it right here:

Incidentally, if we did connect the dots and stopped the Islamically Correct bull**** and arrested Hassan earlier (for any number of violations of the military code) we would not even have to fear any “backlash,” because no heinous mass-slaughter would have occurred.

Oh, and 15 people would still be alive today. If that matters any more. Apparently it doesn’t, because I keep being told by the media that only Muslim lives matter. Only future harassments and inconveniences to Muslims matter; thousands of non-Muslim lives may be sacrificed on the altar of jihadist freedom in order to spare a single innocent Muslim a moment’s worth of stink-eye.

I wish I could say that was hyperbole.

MORE:

Robert Spencer shared his insights with Jamie Glasov at FrontPageMagazine.

FP: Why does the media and liberal-Left so reflexively deny and ignore these conclusions? (that the Fort Hood massacre was a carefully planned Jihadist’s attack)

Spencer: They reflexively deny and ignore these conclusions because they are completely sold out to the idea that Muslims, as non-white, non-Christian, non-Westerners, cannot possibly be anything but victims. (The facts that there are white Muslims, and that the jihad doctrine and Islamic supremacism are not racial issues, but constitute an ideological and societal challenge, are completely lost on them. Likewise the non-white victims of the jihad matter nothing to them.) We can see from the avalanche of “backlash” stories in the mainstream media – even in the absence of any actual backlash – that it is simply impossible for these people to conceive of a paradigm in which Muslims can perpetrate any kind of evil at all. In the lenses through which they view the world, only white Judeo-Christian Westerners can do anything wrong.

RELATED:

Noah Pollock at Commentary gives us some background on the stooge spreading all the “secondary trauma” b.s. to the media:

Tim McGirk. He went to Afghanistan after 9/11, had Thanksgiving with the Taliban, and wrote a long piece for National Geographic about what a great time he had and how we’re all just human beings doing our thing on this big blue marble, so let’s not judge. Then he went to Iraq and singlehandedly created the Haditha Massacre hoax. Then he went to Jerusalem and spent a few years slandering Israel. Now he’s trafficking in pop psychology on behalf of a likely domestic jihadist. It’s been quite a career.

MORE RELATED:

Some of our trauma patient’s American friends out on the street talking smack about the Fort Hood massacre:

SADLY, MORE RELATED:

Matthews on Ft. Hood Suspect Warning Signal: ‘That’s Not a Crime to Call al-Qaida, Is It?’

ONE MORE:

From Ace, who’s on fire:

The lesson of 9/11, it turns out, is “take a wait and see attitude.” Once there are bodies on the ground, well, Detective, you’ve got your proof.

Obama To Visit Fort Hood Tomorrow

The Christian Science Monitor reports:

Under fire from conservatives for lighthearted comments made before his acknowledgment of the Fort Hood tragedy, President Obama will soon arrive at this grief-stricken Army base to assess the investigation, comfort the troops, and pray for the fallen.

Experts say the Tuesday memorial service for troops killed during a deadly one-man rampage last Thursday could be a landmark moment for a president in the middle of a major decision on a troop surge in Afghanistan. Only raising the stakes, Obama is also trying to reverse nearly 50 years of tension between Democrats and the military as US soldiers battle along two major foreign fronts. A large share of that fighting force has at some point walked through the gates of Fort Hood here in the Central Texas brush country.

“Obama doesn’t have a lot of experience with the military, so in a sense, I don’t think he’ll be on trial [at Fort Hood], but he does fight a natural suspicion of Democrats in the military,” says Richard Kohn, a University of North Carolina historian and expert on presidential wartime leadership.

If this advance copy of his speech is correct, those natural suspicions will not be abated:

“I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And very soon the individual whose out-of-character and inexplicable actions resulted in the unfortunate deaths of 13 Americans will be hearing from our finest defence attorneys, ACLU advisors and grievance counselors.”

Seriously, one does wonder if there will be an acknowledgment of what has now become obvious due to mounting evidence:

Nidal Hasan’s Imam Praises Fort Hood Massacre

ABC: FBI knew Hasan tried to contact Al-Qaeda

Report: Hasan attended same radical mosque as 9/11 hijackers; Update: “He was a typical fundamentalist Muslim”

18-year-old ‘mentored’ by Nidal Malik Hasan says Fort Hood Victims Got What They Deserved

Major Muslim’s Calling Card: “SoA”, “Soldier of Allah”

Intelligence agencies knew Hasan was a traitor

The Beltway snipers and the Fort Hood killer: Peas in a jihad-inspired pod

Project Valour-IT Monday Update And Links

The Marine Team has expanded its lead, but with less than 3 days left, we need to raise about $1500 a day to make our goal.

Donations accepted, here!

Remember, it’s a great cause…Project Valour IT provides laptops with voice activated software to wounded soldiers, sailors, Marines and airmen recovering at military medical centers all across America.

The winners of the Valour IT video contest are in, and the Marine team took first place!

1st place Project Valour-IT: Help for our heroes from No Sheeples Here

This winner will receive a voice-activated laptop given in their name and a $75 gift certificate to the Soldiers’Angels store.2nd place NEVER GOING TO BE ALONE from the Watch Cat

This Winner will receive a Wii donated in their name and $50 gift certificate for the Soldiers’ Angels store.

3rd place How to Donate Video from the Greyhawks at Mudville Gazette.

This winner will receive a handheld GPS donated in their name and a $25 gift certificate for the Soldiers’ Angels store.

Video of the Day: Corporal Bobby Warns. No Sheeples Here also has a new one up!  Go for the video… stay for the sheep!

Hope Radio interviewed Cassandra from Villainous Company.

Obama Calls ObamaCare Dissenters “Teabag, Anti-Government People, Extremists”

Once upon a time we had presidents who knew how to behave publicly; presidents who were careful not to demean the office; presidents who understood that they were  presidents to all the people……

In case you were wondering what Obama told the Democrats, Saturday morning, during his pep talk before the vote, The New York Times has the goods:

According to Representative Earl Blumenauer of Oregon, who supports the health care bill, the president asked,

“Does anybody think that the teabag, anti-government people are going to support them if they bring down health care? All it will do is confuse and dispirit” Democratic voters “and it will encourage the extremists.”

Yes. That is what passes for a Presidential “pep-talk” among Democrats in Obamerica. The President of the United States, sounding like a Kos kid, or MSNBC host, actually saying : “teabag, anti-government and extremists” about  people who happen to represent a majority of Americans.

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% of U.S. voters are at least somewhat in favor of the reform effort while 53% are at least somewhat oppose.

And now, even a few DU dummies have woken up from their euphoric haze in the wake of PelosiCare’s great triumph on Saturday to say:

“hey, wait a minute… this bill says I’m gonna HAVE to PAY $2000 minimum with a $2000 deductible. That’s MORE than I pay now!”

“You are REQUIRED to obtain this insurance (if you have no other) or else pay a federal additional incone tax of 2.5%. You make 50K and don’t wan’t to pay Blue Cross (or whoever)? Prepare to fork over a $1500 fine on your next tax return”.

“Employers will also drop employee health insurance and tell them to go on the government plan. This is going to be one big clusterf***”.

“I dont see much in this bill except a big handout to the insurance companies and another kick in the butt for the working poor.
Just where is a family barely making it now going to get another 4 thousand a year to pay for insurance and deductables?
If this is the best they can do..to hell with it”.

“my wife and i are on disability and she has just got her medicare , to show u what this bs bill will do , it will take from the poor and give to the rich , well wife was waiting to get her disability i was getting my part d plan paid for , as soon as she got her 550 buck check a month , the gov decided we make to much money and took my part d away from me and denied her for part d , we make 1200 to much a year , beware about this new health care , it may end up costing everybody more then it gives , i say vote it down and go after single payer and raise the limit on how much the min amount , we bring in 22,000 , and were turned down , they got allot of loop holes no body see’s tell you get into the nuts and bolts , this is just another part d plan , made over to look like a health care for all bill”.

etc, etc, etc….

DOH!

You know, these Democrat voters seem a little “confused and dispirited” even with those Democrat Reps voting for the “historic” bill.

Another great call by Obama, you go get ‘em, tiger!

Hat tip: Pirate’s Cove

Video:Planned Parenthood Director Who Turned Pro-Life Tells All On Huckabee

This is the story of Abby Johnson, 29, the (formerly), staunchly pro-choice Planned Parenthood Director who recently quit after eight years of working at a clinic in SE Texas.

Johnson said she became disillusioned with her job after her bosses pressured her for months to increase profits by performing more and more abortions, which cost patients between $505 and $695.

“Every meeting that we had was, ‘We don’t have enough money, we don’t have enough money — we’ve got to keep these abortions coming,’” Johnson told FoxNews.com. “It’s a very lucrative business and that’s why they want to increase numbers.”

After watching an abortion on ultrasound, something clicked inside her:

“I saw the probe going into the woman’s uterus. And at that moment, I saw the baby moving and trying to get away from the probe. … And I thought, “It’s fighting for its life.” And I thought, “It’s life, I mean, it’s alive.”

I just was thinking, “Oh, my gosh, make it stop.” And then, all of a sudden, I mean, it was just over, just, in the blink of an eye. And I just saw the, I just saw the baby just literally, just crumble, and it was over.

Mike Huckabee spoke with her about her near overnight switch from the pro-choice to pro-life camp:

You can read the entire transcript at Newsbusters.

American Jihadists Praise and Pray for Nidal Malik Hasan

This is just the sort of thing that makes liberals like Evan Thomas “cringe”, because it “Inflames” the right wing, but what can you do? Pretend it isn’t happening?

Facebook Jihad: Praising & Praying for Malik Hasan

Wingnut, Rusty Shackleford says:

Gloves are off people. These are some really sick bastards.

Major Nidal Malik Hasan – True American Hero!
Description: This group is dedicated to heroism of Brother Nidal Malik Hasan.

Admin: Ra’d Jundallah

Praying for Dr. Hasan’s recovery

Praying for the recovery of Dr. Nidal Malik Hasan
Description:Together we pray for the recovery of Dr. Nidal Malik Hasan, MD. May Allah see fit to return this loyal son of Islam back to perfect health. Sallalahu Alayhi Wa Sallam.
Admin: Khadeeja Nuur (Washington, DC)

Islam in Action has more.

Related:

More cringeworthy news for liberals:

Report: Hasan attended same radical mosque as 9/11 hijackers; Update: “He was a typical fundamentalist Muslim”

Hasan, the sole suspect in the massacre of 13 fellow US soldiers in Texas, attended the controversial Dar al-Hijrah mosque in Great Falls, Virginia, in 2001 at the same time as two of the September 11 terrorists, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt. His mother’s funeral was held there in May that year.

The preacher at the time was Anwar al-Awlaki, an American-born Yemeni scholar who was banned from addressing a meeting in London by video link in August because he is accused of supporting attacks on British troops and backing terrorist organisations.

Hasan’s eyes “lit up” when he mentioned his deep respect for al-Awlaki’s teachings, according to a fellow Muslim officer at the Fort Hood base in Texas, the scene of Thursday’s horrific shooting spree.

Allahpundit says:

There’s no question now that we need congressional hearings into how the army missed the warning signs on Hasan, especially given the suspicions as to why they might have looked the other way.

Which is exactly the sort of inflammatory rhetoric Evan Thomas was talking about when he said:

I cringe that he’s a Muslim. I mean, because it inflames all the fears. I think he’s probably just a nut case. But with that label attached to him, it will get the right wing going and it just — I mean these things are tragic, but that makes it much worse.

Shame on us for thinking this tragedy had anything to do with Islam.

Hasan’s motive is truly a mystery… we may never know the answer to it.

George And Laura Bush Visit Wounded Soldiers at Fort Hood

Quietly, and without fanfare, the former President and First Lady visited with wounded soldiers and their families near the site “of the worst mass shooting on an Army post in the United States”.

The Bushes made their private visit to Fort Hood’s Darnall Army Medical Center on Friday night. Bush spokesman David Sherzer said in an e-mail that the couple thanked Fort Hood’s military leaders and hospital staff for the “amazing care they are providing.”

Meanwhile,  Dan Riehl, has the Commander and Chief’s schedule for this weekend:

11:25AM THE PRESIDENT addresses the House Democratic Caucus – Cannon House Office Building

2:30PM THE PRESIDENT makes a statement to the press on Health Care – Rose Garden

2:45PM THE PRESIDENT and THE FIRST LADY depart The White House en route Camp David – South Lawn

Yep. Camp David.

He’s taking the weekend off.

Project Valour-IT Update And Links

The latest stats:

 

27945	Marines
20695	Army
9456	Air Force
11385	Navy

Wolff has a fantastic post on America’s fighting men:

The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired,
tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society
as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his
country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his
own car than wash his father’s, but he has never collected unemployment
either.

He’s a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student,
pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and
has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to
be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and
roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and a 155mm howitzer.

He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is
working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk.. He has trouble
spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him,
but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less
time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun
or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must.

Our Marine of the Day is Sgt. John Eubanks

When Marine Sgt. John Eubanks first went to Iraq, he was an infantryman and a weapons specialist. In the middle of his second tour in 2005, he suffered back injuries and a traumatic brain injury when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device. Since then, Sgt. Eubanks has undergone numerous medical procedures, but perhaps none has been as therapeutic as his recent return to Iraq as a visitor. During his recovery, Sgt. Eubanks wrote about what such a journey would be like for him and other wounded warriors.

In October, when Sgt. Eubanks and six other wounded soldiers returned to Iraq as part of Operation Proper Exit, those written wishes became reality.

Jules Crittenden has a piece on those annoying “sounds of freedom”:

It’s a variation on the “Sound of Freedom” dispute, which is what happens when people move in next to military air bases. In this case, it’s the sound of two centuries of American freedom, twice a day. Next thing you know, some Barbary pirates pop up on the horizon, they can’t get enough of it. Hang on a sec … we do have Barbary pirates on the horizon. I guess this means we’re officially in the post post-9/11 era. Post-Barbary pirate era, whatever.

The rail of Constitution, by the way, is where the first United States Marine was killed in action. Lt. William Bush, Aug. 19, 1812, musket shot in the face while preparing to board HMS Guerriere in the action that earned Constitution the nickname “Old Ironsides.”

Two centuries later, United States Marines are still engaged, still taking fire, this time alongside our British cousins.

Miss Ladybug asks: What Is Freedom Worth to You?

The winners of the Military Demotivators contest, here.

Ercille mourns the fallen at Fort Hood

MaryAnn calls out the Army with a funny photo! It’s all in good fun MaryAnn is one of the Army’s biggest supporters. We’re lucky to have her on our side!

Pelosi Plan v.s. GOP Plan Side By Side

Michelle Malkin is liveblogging what she is characterizing, “the government health care takeover ram down”. GOP Rep. Virginia Fox just called it: “this exercise of tyranny by the majority.”

If you are away from a t.v., you can tune in and listen to it live on CSPAN.

For a reminder of how God-awful this bill is, see John Boehner’s: Mega-Bureaucracy: J.E.C. Chart Shows Speaker Pelosi’s New Bill Will Create Unprecedented Health Care Labyrinth
Boehner’s office has also put together a GREAT side by side analysis of Republican v.s. Democrat Health Care plan:

	Speaker Pelosi’s Gov’t Takeover of Health Care 2,032 pages, $1.3 trillion (and counting)	GOP’s Common-Sense Health Care Plan 219 pages, $61 billion
Does It Lower Premiums?	NO. Individuals and families would pay higher premiums under the government-run health care plan created by Speaker Pelosi’s bill, according to estimates by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO.)	YES. Families’ premiums under the GOP plan would be nearly $5,000 lower than under Speaker Pelosi’s bill, according to CBO estimates.
Does It Protect Jobs?	NO. Speaker Pelosi’s bill requires employers to either provide “government-approved” coverage or pay a steep tax.  According to a methodology developed by White House economists, these mandates – coupled with tax increases in the bill – would destroy as many as 5.5 million American jobs over the next decade.	YES. The GOP plan protects jobs by lowering premiums for small business owners and their employees by as much as 10%, according to CBO.
Is It Fiscally Responsible?	NO. Speaker Pelosi’s $1.3 trillion (and counting) bill fails to account for a number of hidden costs, including a $210 billion Medicare “doc fix.”  CBO estimates Speaker Pelosi’s bill will increase federal spending on health care by $598 billion over ten years, as well as increase federal spending on health care in the following decade.	YES. The GOP plan would cut the deficit by $68 billion over the next 10 years, according to CBO estimates.  The GOP plan is the only one that consistently reduces federal spending on health care over the next two decades.
Does It Protect Families and Small Businesses From Massive Tax Hikes?	NO. Speaker Pelosi’s bill imposes $752.6 billion in tax increases on working families, large employers, and small business owners.	YES. The GOP plan protects family budgets.
Does It Protect Medicare?	NO. CBO estimates Speaker Pelosi’s bill would cut Medicare by more than $500 billion over the next 10 years.	YES. The GOP plan protects Medicare.
Does It Provide Sustainable Coverage for Pre-Existing Conditions?	NO. Speaker Pelosi’s bill imposes an unworkable, one-size-fits-all fix through Washington mandates that will inevitably raise the cost of insurance.	YES. The GOP plan establishes Universal Access Programs to help guarantee access to affordable coverage, including for individuals with pre-existing conditions.
Does It Prevent Taxpayer-Funded Coverage of Illegal Immigrants?	NO. Speaker Pelosi’s bill would actually cover 2.5 million MORE illegal immigrants than House Democrats’ original proposal, according to CBO estimates.	YES. The GOP plan explicitly prevents illegal immigrants from receiving taxpayer subsidies.
Does It Prevent Taxpayer-Funded Abortions?	NO. Under Speaker Pelosi’s bill, the government-run health care plan is authorized to cover elective abortions by way of a “monthly abortion premium.”	YES. The GOP plan codifies the Hyde Amendment, which prohibits the use of federal funds to pay for elective abortions.
Does It Protect The Doctor-Patient Relationship and Prevent Rationed Care?	NO. Speaker Pelosi’s bill creates 118 offices, bureaus, commissions, programs, and bureaucracies charged with such obligations as “establishing waiting lists” and determining “categories of covered treatments.”	YES. The GOP plan strengthens the doctor-patient relationship and prevents rationed care by making care more affordable and accessible.
Does It Tackle Junk Lawsuits?	NO. Speaker Pelosi’s bill fails to meaningfully address the need to put an end to junk lawsuits that contribute to higher health care costs.	YES. The GOP plan implements reforms that will protect doctors from a feeding frenzy of trial lawyers.
Does It Protect State Budgets?	NO. Speaker Pelosi’s plan includes an expansion of Medicaid that will cost cash-strapped states $34 billion over the next ten years.	YES. The GOP plan rewards states for implementing innovative solutions to make health care more accessible and affordable.

See also RedState: CBO: New House Health Bill Spending Estimate, $3 Trillion over 10 Years

The totals below, I am told by the Heritage Foundation, do NOT include the $250 billion extra spending on Medicare to buy off the American Medical Association for their support of the U.S. House bill.

The Democratic House Leadership has completely lost touch with fiscal reality.

The Republican Health Care alternative is here.

All The Blogs are buzzing about, “Dr. No”, Tom Coburn, and his bid to force the bill to be read in its entirety on the Senate floor:

Hot Air: Coburn plans to read the bill …

Riehl World View: Sen. Tom Coburn Yells STOP!

Pundette and Pundette: Why We Love Sen. Coburn, Reason #325: Dr. No Threatening to Have Bill Read on Senate Floor

 

Obama’s Weird “Shout Out”

You’ve all seen this by now, Obama went before the media with some prepared remarks after attending a  Tribal Conference on November 5th. Everyone understandably expected him to start off by saying some appropriate words about the Fort Hood Massacre that had just occurred, as that was the much more pressing issue at the moment. Instead he bantered light-heartedly for two minutes about the conference:

Eventually he made some obligatory remarks about the Fort Hood tragedy, (13 dead, and 30 wounded), but if compared to his reactions to other shootings, this year, his response seemed understated. The Media Research Center’s Dan Gainor noticed:

In the Tiller case, the president was “shocked and outraged by the murder of Dr. George Tiller as he attended church services this morning.” In the case of the museum attack, Obama was “shocked and saddened by today’s shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.”

But when it came to the horrendous Ft. Hood shootings, the term “shocked” was nowhere to be found. Instead, the initial response was shoehorned into comments he made opening the White House Tribal Nations Conference. First there were a couple applause lines to Native Americans and Obama’s “shout out to that Congressional Medal of Honor winner,” who appears not to have won the medal. (Joe Medicine Crow won the Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor.)

Then the president addressed the shooting. While he called the incident “horrible” and a “tragedy” and urged “prayers,” the response seemed understated compared to the other incidents. Then, in true Obama fashion, he did manage to make the shootings at least in part about him. “I want all of you to know that as commander in chief, that there’s no greater honor but also no greater responsibility for me than to make sure that the extraordinary men and women in uniform are properly cared for and that their safety and security when they are at home is provided for us.”

Two minutes and 39 seconds later he was done and without even taking a breath back to talking about the Native American event. Nowhere in his speech or his remarks the next day did he even acknowledge that the attacker was a Muslim. In his statement after the museum attack, he correctly criticized “anti-Semitism and prejudice” but made no mention of religion in the latest incident.

Robert A. George, writing for Chicago.com was taken aback by Obama’s “Frightening Insensitivity”:

After news broke out of the shooting at the Fort Hood Army post in Texas, the nation watched in horror as the toll of dead and injured climbed. The White House was notified immediately and by late afternoon, word went out that the president would speak about the incident prior to a previously scheduled appearance. At about 5 p.m., cable stations went to the president. The situation called for not only his trademark eloquence, but also grace and perspective.

But instead of a somber chief executive offering reassuring words and expressions of sympathy and compassion, viewers saw a wildly disconnected and inappropriately light president making introductory remarks. At the event, a Tribal Nations Conference hosted by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian affairs, the president thanked various staffers and offered a “shout-out” to “Dr. Joe Medicine Crow — that Congressional Medal of Honor winner.”  Three minutes in, the president spoke about the shooting, in measured and appropriate terms. Who is advising him?

Anyone at home aware of the major news story of the previous hours had to have been stunned. An incident like this requires a scrapping of the early light banter. The president should apologize for the tone of his remarks, explain what has happened, express sympathy for those slain and appeal for calm and patience until all the facts are in. That’s the least that should occur.

People are comparing this to President Bush’s ” Pet Goat” moment after the 9/11 attacks, and while I’ve never fully understood Bush’s momentary paralysis at that time, I do know that it was not due to insensitivity. If anything, it was an over abundance of sensitivity to the children in the room, whom he didn’t want to frighten.

I also suspect that President Bush knows the difference between the Congressional Medal of Honor, and The Medal of Freedom, which is what Obama actually awarded Joe Medicine Crow back in August.

The indispensable  Newsbusters:

Ah, the dangers of giving shout outs without a teleprompter.  Crow is not a Medal of Honor recipient.  As noted by the Congressional Medal of Honor Society:

The Medal of Honor is the highest award for valor in action against an enemy force which can be bestowed upon an individual serving in the Armed Services of the United States. Generally presented to its recipient by the President of the United States of America in the name of Congress, it is often called the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Crow’s name is not included on the Society’s Medal of Honor recipient list.  He was, however, awarded the Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, in August.

Where-o-where was TOTUS?

MORE:

Doug Ross calls this lapse a “faux pas”. There have been a bunch of faux pas by this President. I’m starting to wonder if  maybe he needs to appoint a Protocol Czar.

Breaking: Another Shooting In Orlando Update-6 people shot

There has been another shooting, this one at a downtown Orlando, 17 story office building.

Fox reports that at least ten people have been shot, eight wounded, two dead. Fox also reports that the shooter may have been a former employee that worked in the building. No word on what the motive could be.

A neighborhood school is in lockdown.

MORE:

From the NBC-affiliate in Orlando:

Orlando Fire Department spokeswoman Vicky Robles said a shooter has not been taken into custody.

“We don’t know who they are,” Robles said.

WESH 2 News reporter Greg Fox said gurneys are being wheeled toward the building. However, some rescue personnel may be waiting for clearance from authorities that the scene has been secured.

WPTV reports:

The gunman, who may be wearing a light blue polo shirt and jeans, was not in custody as of 1:00 p.m. (EST) Officers are involved in a floor-by-floor evacuation. The Orlando SWAT team is on scene.

Ambulances and dozens of police cars and fire engines have arrived at the scene according to the news station.

The suspect is still on the loose.

UPDATE:

The suspect has been identified as a 40 year old former employee of a business located in the building,  Jason Rodriguez.

The AP reports:

People streamed out of the high-rise building around lunchtime and some told local television stations they had barricaded themselves inside their offices.

Orlando Fire Department District Chief Michael Droege said an unknown number of people were still in the building and could be injured. He said the SWAT team was still trying to pull people out.

“The building is not secure now,” he said. “It’s still unfolding.”

Orlando police spokeswoman Barbara Jones identified the gunman as Jason Rodriguez, 40, and said he might be in a 2002 silver Nissan SUV with license plate D119UX. She said he used to work at the building.

“I would consider him armed and dangerous,” Jones said. She said multiple people were hurt but she could not say how many. She said five people were taken to the hospital and another had chest pains but did not go to the hospital.

Barbara Jones told Fox that she can confirm that six people were shot, she won’t confirm any deaths. Fox has been reporting one death, after initially reporting two.

Rodriguez is said to be a former employee in the building and was terminated two years ago.

1:20 CST: Fox reports that  the shooter has been arrested.

How Did The Army Miss All The Red Flags?

People are starting to ask out loud,  why Hasan was still in the Army, in light of  numerous red flags that should have alerted Army officials throughout the years that they were dealing with an unstable  individual. Why was he still in position to get deployed into a war zone?

In 2001, Hasan received his medical degree from the military’s Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md., where he took “a lot of extra classes in weapons training”.

There were apparently concerns early on:

Hasan was put on probation early in his postgraduate work at the Uniformed Service University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Md. He was disciplined for proselytizing about his Muslim faith with patients and colleagues, according to the source, who worked with him at the time.

MSNBC reported:

While an intern at Walter Reed, Hasan had some “difficulties” that required counseling and extra supervision, said Dr. Thomas Grieger, who was the training director at the time.

He received a poor performance evaluation while a Walter Reed.

During that period, Hasan attended prayers regularly at a mosque  in Silver Spring, Md.

On a form filled out by those seeking spouses through a program at the mosque, Hasan listed his birthplace as Arlington, Va., but his nationality as Palestinian, Khan said.

He was conspicuously vocal in his opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,  and had actually praised Muslims who attacked US troops in the US, according to Colonel Terry Lee (Retired), a former coworker who served with Hasan at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC.

“‘We shouldn’t be over there,’” Hasan told other officers, Lee said during an interview with FOX News. “‘Muslims should stand up and fight against the aggressors,’” Hasan would continue, according to Lee, referring to US forces.

Hasan also praised the murder of two US soldiers who were killed outside of a recruitment center in Little Rock, Arkansas.

“‘This is what Muslims should do, stand up to the aggressors,’” Hasan said, according to Lee. “‘Maybe we should have more of these, people should strap bombs on themselves and go into Times Square.’”

Worst of all, he had been on the FBI’s radar for at least six months prior to the shooting:

…for statements purportedly made by him on the Scribd website that equated suicide bombers with a US soldier who sacrificed himself to save his fellow soldiers:

“He inentionally [sic] took his life (suicide) for a noble cause i.e. saving the lives of his soldier. To say that this soldier committed suicide is inappropriate. Its [sic] more appropriate to say he is a brave hero that sacrificed his life for a more noble cause. Scholars have paralled [sic] this to suicide bombers whose intention, by sacrificing their lives, is to help save Muslims by killing enemy soldiers. If one suicide bomber can kill 100 enemy soldiers because they were caught off guard that would be considered a strategic victory. Their intention is not to die because of some despair. The same can be said for the Kamikazees [sic] in Japan. They died (via crashing their planes into ships) to kill the enemies for the homeland. You can call them crazy i [sic] you want but their act was not one of suicide that is despised by Islam.

It’s now been reported that Hasan shouted “Allahu Akbar!” during the attack.

He didn’t believe in the mission, was sympathetic to the enemy, and was telling people that he was not happy about being transferred to Afghanistan or Iraq.

Why didn’t anyone listen?

Video: O’Reilly Factor – Nidal Malik Hasan Profiled

From everything I’ve been hearing, I have to wonder why this dirtbag hadn’t been discharged. The feds had been tracking his posts online for six months?…How could the FBI say this was definitely not terrorism knowing this background?

Now they are saying Hasan acted alone, he’s alive, and being treated at a hospital. The officer who shot him has also survived her wounds.

MORE:

Michelle Malkin reminds us of past Muslim soldiers with attitude problems.

Here’s Greta discussing Hasan’s poor performance evaluation at Walter Reed with retired General Robert H. Scales, and his free education courtesy of the federal government:

And oh, according to Hasan’s cousin,  he wasn’t a Muslim convert, but a lifelong Muslim, and “good American”.

RELATED:

Newsbusters: CBS & NBC Fail to ID Hasan as Muslim; ABC’s Raddatz Relays: ‘I Wish His Name was Smith’

And Cassie Fiano goes above and beyond the call of duty, going where few conservatives dare can stomach:

The DailyKos reaction to the Fort Hood shooting is typical. Rather than sympathizing with the families of the killed or the soldiers who were wounded, or waiting to find out all the facts, they’re showing an awful lot of sympathy to the shooter, and they’re making up their own facts and motives. And of course, what Daily Kos diary would be complete without the resident Free Republic outrage? A few commenters tried to examine the facts and offer condolences. Most simply blamed the Army, George Bush, or conservatives, and plenty expressed sympathy for the murderer. One person even said that violence is caused by… Texas? Classy.

Check out the comments at Cassie’s, if your stomach can take it.

Or you can offer prayers and condolences to the families and friends of the slain soldiers.