Goodbye, Farewell, and Thanks For All the Fish,....

What's Russian for "utter failure?"

Atlantis Makes Final Landing, Ending 30-Year Shuttle Program

After decades of inspiring millions around the globe, space shuttle Atlantis made a final, picture-perfect touchdown at Kennedy Space Center at 5:56 a.m. EDT -- ending the shuttle program.

"Job well done, America," mission control told pilot Doug Hurley and the thousands watching and listening to the landing in the pre-dawn dark.


There was a clear sense of nostalgia on the part of both crew and staff at Kennedy Space Center, as the ship made its final arrival safe and sound.

"Having fired the imaginations of a generation, a ship like no other, its place in history secured, the space shuttle pulls into port for the last time -- its voyage at an end," reported mission control.

"Mission complete, Houston," Hurley responded. "After serving the world for over 30 years, the space shuttle has earned its place in history. Atlantis has come to a final stop."

"It’s been 30 great years for the Space Shuttle program," said Bill Nye, executive director of the Planetary Society, in a statement on the landing. "With this venerable space vehicle retired, it’s on to the next adventure."

The shuttle signaled its approach with its signature dual sonic booms as Atlantis slowed to subsonic speeds at around 5:52 a.m. -- an incredible experience, said former shuttle astronaut Tom Jones.

"Everything seems to accelerate" when you're landing a shuttle, he told Fox News. "It's like going down a dirt road in a dump truck."

30 years advancing humanity into space and one administration driving America into near-bankruptcy and we have to take a backseat to Russia when it comes to psace exploration! Nice going, Barry!

Will the Only Government Leader Who HASN'T Been Offended by Obama Raise His Hand??

Obama: Differences Remain Between U.S., Israel Over Peace Process

DEVELOPING ...

President Obama said Friday that differences remain between the United States and Israel over the Middle East peace process, after he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the White House.

ORIGINAL STORY ...

The frosty relationship between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu endured another test Friday, as the two met in the Oval Office following a bombshell policy shift by the U.S. on terms for Mideast peace.

Obama, in a sweeping address tackling the uprisings in the Middle East and the stalled peace process, stunned Washington and Jerusalem Thursday by endorsing Palestinians' demand for their own state based on the pre-1967 borders. The break with U.S. policy appeared to immediately aggravate the Israelis, who want the borders of any future Palestinian state determined through negotiations.

In a statement released late Thursday, Netanyahu said such a withdrawal would put at risk Israel's security. He effectively called on Obama to recant his latest demand.

"Israel appreciates President Obama's commitment to peace," the statement said. "Israel believes that for peace to endure between Israelis and Palestinians, the viability of a Palestinian state cannot come at the expense of the viability of the one and only Jewish state. That is why Prime Minister Netanyahu expects to hear a reaffirmation from President Obama of U.S. commitments made to Israel in 2004. ... Among other things, those commitments relate to Israel not having to withdraw to the 1967 lines."

According to a report in the Israeli newspaper YNet, the prime minister was prepared for a confrontation with Obama Friday. Obama and Netanyahu have worked through a string of diplomatic challenges over the past two and a half years, but the president's Mideast speech presents a new hurdle. The U.S. had previously endorsed the concept of a Palestinian state, but not the demand for permanent pre-1967 borders, with mutually agreed land swaps.

The immediate concern among pro-Israel lawmakers and advocates was that Obama's speech will give Palestinians a new starting point in negotiations, rather than something to work toward over the course of talks.

Josh Block, former spokesman for The American Israel Public Affairs Committee, told FoxNews.com that Obama "repeats the error" made when his White House pressed the Israelis on settlement construction, granting the Palestinians more leverage in talks.

The talks have since stalled and Obama's Middle East envoy has resigned. Block said Obama's new position will not help matters.

"This strategic error is manifold, and undermines, not advances, the prospects for peace talks," he said in an email.

Obama is set to address the AIPAC conference on Sunday. Other Jewish advocacy groups, though, said Obama's position merely puts the U.S. on record in support of a plan that had a good chance of being the basis for a compromise anyway.

Al, Gored Again,...

Summer of disaster 'not climate change': Rajendra Pachauri

SPECIFIC natural disasters such as Cyclone Yasi and the Brisbane floods could not be directly linked to man-made climate change, the world's leading climate change authority said yesterday.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change chairman Rajendra Pachauri said the general observation that climate change was bringing about an increase in extreme weather events was valid but scientists needed to provide much finer detail.

"Frankly, it is difficult to take a season or two and come up with any conclusions on those on a scientific basis," Dr Pachauri said.

"What we can say very clearly is the aggregate impact of climate change on all these events, which are taking place at much higher frequency and intensity all over the world.

"On that there is very little doubt; the scientific evidence is very, very strong. But what happens in Queensland or what happens in Russia or for that matter the floods in the Mississippi River right now, whether there is a link between those and climate change is very difficult to establish. So I don't think anyone can make a categorical statement on that."

Dr Pachauri's comments contradict assertions by Greens leader Bob Brown in the wake of the floods that the coal industry was to blame because the sector's contribution to global warming was responsible for the extreme weather conditions.

Scientists had concluded that the floods were caused by record high temperatures in the oceans around Australia, Senator Brown said at the time.

As experts from around the world meet on the Gold Coast this week to finalise a special report on global warming and extreme weather events, which is due out in November, Dr Pachauri admitted the IPCC had been damaged by recent controversies over leaked emails and its use of poor-quality research.

You Know You Stink As a President When,.....

Even the dead are against you!!!

Texas Man Uses Obituary to Campaign Against Obama

A Texas man is trying to tip the tables against President Obama in the 2012 election -- though he died last month from cancer.

Jim Harrison, who died Feb. 27 at the age of 68, used his obituary to call for Obama's defeat, MyFoxHouston reports.

"In lieu of flowers, at Jim's request, please make a donation to ANYONE running against Barack Hussein Obama or the American Cancer Society," the obituary reads.

Harrison's stepson John Rundlof said the obituary was "kind of a parting shot." Though the family has gotten positive and negative feedback, Rundlof said Harrison just wanted to see "change" in Washington.

His widow said she supported Harrison's message.

"We saw it. We said, 'Yes Jim. You've got to put it in.' It was awesome. He's a staunch Republican and everybody, they remember that obituary when they see it," Ginger Rundlof told MyFoxHouston.

Harrison's not the first to include a message for Obama in his obituary. A Georgia businessman made a nearly identical request in his obituary last fall. Last July, a Nevada woman's family used her obituary to campaign against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Click here to read the full story at MyFoxHouston.

This post has not been approved by Jordan Philips or any other Democratic Party Kool-Aid drinker,....

Another Job Lost to Obama,....

Ladies and gentlemen,
I started my secondary blog, Republican Spyglass, as a way to chronicle to foibles and outright anarchy that I thought would be Obama administration and, therefore, covered up by the MSM.

Instead, the actions of The Obamessiah have become so outrageous and egregious that, with the combined forces of the Blogosphere and social networking, his legacy as

  


is all but assured (this poster is NOT approved by Jordan Philips or any other Democratic lapdog).

I want to thank those who helped out since 2008 and rest assured: the fight isn't over - I'll continue to blog until the voice of the Democratic Party becomes nothing more than an annoying squeak!

Typically Obama-like, America Finds Itself Saying "Oops, Sorry" Again!

Egyptian Youth to Clinton: Where Was the US?

They complain of sluggish response in online chat

Egyptian protesters got a chance to speak directly to Hillary Clinton for the first time, and they weren't exactly overcome with gratitude. Sample questions she fielded online via an Egyptian site:

* "Does America really support democracy? If yes indeed, why the US was late in its support for the Egyptian revolution?"
* "The attitude of the US during the Egyptian revolution was to support the Egyptian regime first. Then, when the revolution turned successful, the US switched sides and supported the Egyptian youth. . . . Why?"

As the Washington Post notes, Clinton stuck to the company line: The US did the best it could in a complicated situation with an old ally. "I think that we were walking a balance, because we wanted to be sure our message did not push anyone into doing something that we disagreed with, namely violence, which we tried to, in every way possible, prevent," she responded, as recounted by Fox News. "This is a new world we're all in together," she added.

McChrystal and Obama - Two Men "Acting Stupidly"

One the one hand, we have General Stanley McChrystal; like all military officers, he was trained to comport himself in a gentlemanly manner: obey the chain of command and follow the orders of his civilian leaders. And when those orders raise questions, the conflict is best handled behind closed doors, among equals and in a manner that doesn't create dissent among the rank-and-file.

McChrystal broke from that training and stuck his boot in his mouth when he allowed Rolling Stone Magazine to interview him. General Stanley McChrystal is no longer in charge of operations in Afghanistan.

Was it a calculated move to change policy gone bad, or was it the final straw of a commander, cut off at the knees and saddled with a winnable war fought under unwinnable rules? Maybe we'll find out in his Playboy interview....

On the other hand, we have the root cause of all this military angst: one Barack Obama, President of the United States, Command-in-Chief of it's military, and presumptive "leader of the free world."

President and Commander Obama is currently engaged on a whirlwind, four-year apologia tour of the world. He bows and supplicates before our subordinates. He apologizes to our enemies and alienates and embarrasses our allies.

Like the last Democratic president, he has no military experience. That president bartered away our military might in favor of a "peace dividend" all while ignoring a growing worldwide threat.

This president? Well, let's just hope he treats Afghanistan the same way he should be treating the Gulf disaster: STAY OUT OF IT AND LET THE PEOPLE WITH THE EXPERIENCE MAKE THE DECISIONS!!!

** Hoo-ahh! THAT'S MY OPINION AND YOU'RE ENTITLED TO IT!! **

Those Who Forget History are Doomed to Repeat It,...

From Reuters:

BP's Gulf battle echoes monster '79 Mexico oil spill

BP Plc's race to cap its ruptured oil well in the Gulf of Mexico is eerily similar to a 1979 accident off the coast of Mexico that caused the world's worst oil spill.

In both cases natural gas flowed unnoticed into the well being drilled, causing an explosion. In both cases a critical piece of fail-safe equipment -- the blowout preventer -- failed. And in both cases the operators struggled to quickly staunch the flow of oil into the Gulf of Mexico.

BP's shares have been battered in the month since its Macondo well blew up, threatening tourism, fishing and wildlife along the Gulf Coast and landing the British oil giant with a multibillion dollar clean-up tab.

But while Mexico's Ixtoc well was only 150 feet below the sea surface, Macondo lies at the crushing depth of 5,000 feet, forcing the company to use robots to do all undersea work.

Wikipedia fills in the blanks:


Ixtoc I was an exploratory oil well being drilled by the semi-submersible platform Sedco 135-F in the Bay of Campeche of the Gulf of Mexico, about 100 km (62 mi) northwest of Ciudad del Carmen, Campeche in waters 50 m (160 ft) deep. On 3 June 1979, the well suffered a blowout resulting in the third largest oil spill and the second largest accidental spill in history.



As I said Monday, before the Obamessiah's meandering monologue of pedantic posturing: Make BP and its subcontractors pay for any PROVEN malfeasance, let the professionals figure out how to clean up the mess and le the president take his foot out of BP's ass and put it back in his mouth, where it belongs!

Obama: Talk is Cheap, Oil Isn't,....

As we prepare for a rare, pedantic lecture from the TelePrompter-in-Chief (who's doing a heck of a job, Brownie), we all need to remind ourselves of a few things regarding the BP oil crisis:

• Yes, as some point, BP and/or its subcontractors, cut corners and put production ahead of safety. It cost the lives of 11 employees and is ruining the ecenomy of a vast swath of our nation's Gulf Coast.
• BP and its numerous subcontractors clearly had the techonology and engineering wherewithall to build a drilling rig out there and proceed to drill several miles into the Earth's crust ( a record depth, IIRC) to get at a large pocket of oil, so I would think they just MIGHT have the solution to this mess. This type of situation has never happened before and the learning curve (yes, that's EXACTLY what these failed attempts have been) has been terribly steep and everyone in the oil industry is watching and learning from it.
• Visiting the Gulf four times, walking the beaches and looking to "kick someone's ass" isn't going to clean up the mess. Face it, President Obama: you don't have a clue how to do it and your cabinet is equally clueless to available options. You waited for weeks to address the issue and now you want to address us with your failures? Please, Mister Obama, do us all a favor and simply SHUT THE F**K UP and let BP handle this, OK?

**THAT'S MY OPINION AND YOU'RE ENTITLED TO IT!!**

A "Silent Mouth" Indeed,...

And the Obama "Insult Our Allies" Tour comes home,...

Biden Slips, Honors Memory of Irish PM's Mother -- While She's Alive

FOXNews.com

Vice President Biden added to his lengthy list of gaffes Wednesday when he took a moment to honor the memory of the Irish prime minister's mother -- a woman who's very much alive.

"God rest her soul," Biden said as he introduced Brian Cowen and President Obama at a St. Patrick's Day celebration at the White House Wednesday.

The vice president was quick to correct the mistake, noting that it's Cowen's father who is no longer living.

"Wait ... your mom’s still, your mom is still alive. It was your Dad (who) passed. God bless her soul. I gotta get this straight," Biden said.

After citing the Irish proverb that "a silent mouth is sweet to hear," he then yielded the podium to Obama.

And a few more reasons to remain silent, Slow Joe (courtesy of last night's laugh riot in front of the TV and Radio Correspondents Dinner):


Biden on his trip to Israel:
• It's great to be back at a place where a boom in housing construction is actually a good thing.

• Trying to negotiate a lasting peace between the Palestinians and Israelis is tough, but it's a hell of a nice break from health care.

Biden on Liz Cheney & the "Al-Qaida 7":
• I understand Liz Cheney is in the house... Liz has been on a tear lately. Now, she's questioning if Tom Brady is a real Patriot.

Biden on Fox News:
• You all know Saint Patrick was credited with banishing snakes from Ireland. But you guys all know the truth -- sometimes -- there were never any snakes in Ireland. Saint Patrick just made that up. Which for the first time explains, I realized, why he's the patron saint of Fox News.

Biden on GOP complaints that the health care bill is too long:
• Put yourself in their spot. Just ask Sarah, that's a hell of a lot to write on the palm of your hand.

Biden on the Recovery Act:
• Republicans say it hasn't created one job. Well, tell that to Scott Brown.

More of the Obama Cult Dissapointed?

Obama bin Lyin'??

Holder: Bin Laden Never To Be Caught Alive

Usama bin Laden will never be captured alive, Attorney General Eric Holder told lawmakers on Tuesday.

"The possibility of capturing him alive is infinitesimal," Holder said. "He will be killed by us, or he will be killed by his own people so that he is not captured by us. We know that. ... The possibility simply does not exist."

That assessment, which Holder said was based on "all the intelligence I have had to review," came during an often-heated hearing of a House Appropriations subcommittee.

Republicans pressed Holder over recent decisions to prosecute terrorism suspects in civilian courts, and they suggested he intends to treat terrorism suspects as "common criminals."

Holder said such suggestions tend to "get my blood boiling," calling them "anything but the truth."

He said the "apt" comparison is to mass murderers like Charles Manson, who is currently serving a life sentence for orchestrating a killing spree in the 1960s.

Trying to explain the analogy, Holder said mass murderers like Manson still reserve the right to go before a jury and have the charges against them proved beyond a reasonable doubt.

Holder was asked whether that means Usama bin Laden, if captured, would be tried in a civilian court and afforded the same rights as Charles Manson.

"In some ways I think they're comparable people, in some ways," Holder said.

Rep. John Culberson, R-Tex., called that response "incredible."

Obama Administration Steps on Israel's Neck Again!

Joe Biden steps up pressure on Israel over E Jerusalem

US Vice-President Joe Biden has again condemned Israel over a controversial building project, saying approval had undermined trust in the peace process.

Mr Biden was speaking after meeting the Palestinian Authority President, Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramallah.

Mr Abbas also said the approval of 1,600 more Jewish homes in East Jerusalem threatened the peace process and called for it to be cancelled.

(snip)

In November, Israel announced a 10-month suspension of new building in the West Bank, under heavy US pressure. But it considers areas within the Jerusalem municipality as its territory and the restrictions do not apply.

Israel, deliberately or not, inflicted something close to a humiliation on the Obama administration and the words they chose in reaction reflected that, our correspondent says.

Feigning! **

** Its Norwegian for "coward!"


HT to Conservatives for Change:

Al Gore Appears : Note to Warmers; No More Do-Overs!

Al Gore made an appearance on a Norwegian television program last night. A more impressive move would have been to have accepted the invitation to appear before the US Senate, which could conceivably lead to criminal charges.

Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. The great and powerful wizard Gore says he isn't finished yet. Despite appearances apparently – which one might think would be important to a man who has nothing else in his arsenal. His appearance in a protected studio in Oslo, confronted by a small mild-mannered green-conscious Scandinavian audience, is a far cry from facing the angry mods back home. It seems to be the story of his life. Recalling that his own home state of Tennessee voted against him in the presidential race, it seems that the more people get to know him, the less they like him.

It IS Easy, When Your Boss Steals the Limelight

Way to go, Slow Joe!

February 26, 2010 1:13 PM ET
Biden - "It's Easy Being Vice President"Does Vice President Joe Biden think he has it easy?

It depends on who you ask.

Biden was heard at Thursday's health care summit telling one lawmaker, "It's easy being vice president. You don't have to do anything."

The comment was made shortly before the summit resumed for the afternoon. Biden was off-camera but the comment was caught on one of the network microphones in the room.

The lawmaker played along with Biden's remark saying, "It's like being the grandpa and not the parent," to which the VP responded, "Yeah, that's it!"

Biden spokesman Jay Carney tells Row 2, Seat 4 that the VP was "obviously joking, as any review of his schedule and responsibilities would make abundantly clear."

OMG, It's Osama bin Algore!

And this is coming from a multi-millionaire forced to hide from us in a damp, cold cave,...??

Bin Laden Blames U.S. for Global Warming in New Tape

CAIRO — Usama bin Laden sought to draw a wider public into his fight against the United States in a new message Friday, dropping his usual talk of religion and holy war and focusing instead on an unexpected topic: global warming.

The Al Qaeda leader blamed the United States and other industrialized nations for climate change and said the only way to prevent disaster was to break the American economy, calling on the world to boycott U.S. goods and stop using the dollar.

"The effects of global warming have touched every continent. Drought and deserts are spreading, while from the other floods and hurricanes unseen before the previous decades have now become frequent," bin Laden said in the audiotape, aired on the Arab TV network Al-Jazeera.

The terror leader noted Washington's rejection of the Kyoto Protocol aimed at reducing greenhouse gases and painted the United States as in the thrall of major corporations that he said "are the true criminals against the global climate" and are to blame for the global economic crisis, driving "tens of millions into poverty and unemployment."

The Obessesions of Obama

As Year 1 of the Obama administration comes to a close, it is becoming increasingly apparent (at least to people who actually THINK about our country) that this administration will be characterized by two things:

1 - Obama's singled-minded pursuit of a domestic agenda, at all costs, to transform America into a European-style pseudo-socialist state (at best) or a wholly-socialist state (at worst).

2 - The administration's obsession with avoiding ANYTHING that remotely resembles actions taken by the GW Bush administration, even if it may HELP a situation.

On article 1 - you know you have a problem when your military heads all but shame you into approving a troop increase as we shift our attention away from Iraq to Afghanistan. You know you have a problem when, on the cusp of receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Obama stood idly by while young Iranians continue to speak out and struggle against a regime that threatens to destabilize not only the Middle East, but the nuclear world as we know it. And, you know you have a problem when a terrorist nearly succeeds in taking down a plane and destroying nearly 250 lives, and you stay and play in Hawai'i and your Homeland Security Advisor goes off for s CHRISTmas ski trip!

On article 2 - Two words from Obamaville: "Blame Bush." Two words back from the populace: "Grow a set!" Ignoring anything and everything "W" did right for this country, including the complete halt of terrorist attacks on US soil, weakens us and our standing in the world. Sure, "W" entered the White House with a Republican majority in both houses. So did Obama. The big difference? Bush was previously the governor of a large state and learned the art of the deal. Obama is a self-centered snob and former community organizer, surrounded by sycophants who either follow his lie of "hope and change" or live in fear of Rahm Emmanuel's dirty tricks. He's using his veto-proof majority not to help America grow, but to ram his ideology down our throats. No deals, no art, just ugly divisiveness.

Gentle readers, November is closer than we know! Tea Partyists, Conservatives, and Republicans of every stripe have the chance to stop the insanity and right this ship we call "America" before it carreens off course for good. Our Founding Fathers put aside differences against a British tyrant, we must also do the same!!

**THAT'S MY OPINION AND YOU'RE ENTITLED TO IT!**

When the Sears Tower Gets Attacked, He'll Travel to Dubai

White House: Counterterror Chief Responded Immediately After Failed Attack

FOXNews.com

The White House on Thursday disputed a published report that National Counterterrorism Center director Michael Leiter was on a ski trip when he learned of the failed attempt to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day, and that he didn't cut short his vacation to return to work.

The White House on Thursday disputed a published report that National Counterterrorism Center director Michael Leiter was on a ski trip when he learned of the failed attempt to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day, and that he didn't cut short his vacation to return to work.

The Biggest Argument AGAINST Healthcare Reform!

Celibacy in the face of a pro-abortion healthcare bill?? Only in the land of Obamamania!



And besides,..the lead blonde is Eva Amurri - daughter of uber-socialist Susan Sarandon. I wouldn't f**k you, either!

Copenhagen Undone by a Simply Inconvenient Truth

Big freeze brings misery and death to Europe

Much of Europe continues to face transport problems because of freezing weather but some services have resumed.

More than 90 people have died across the Continent, 10 of them in a single day in Poland, where the winter death toll now stands at 79.

Air, rail and road transport has been severely disrupted.

But Eurostar resumed a limited service and flights restarted from Frankfurt airport - Europe's third-biggest - after it was closed overnight.

The disruption has come during the busy Christmas holiday season, affecting many people's travel plans.

(snip)

Road traffic in the UK was severely disrupted, including the south-east where roads were gridlocked late on Monday after numerous crashes in heavy snowfall.

Major roads elsewhere in Europe were blocked after some regions had snowfall of up to 50cm (20in).

I'll say it again: Snow and cold? In December?? I'm SHOCKED!! I guess Algore isn't the green messiah Copenhagen thinks he is?

I Guess He'll Blame Bush for This, Too??

Iraq's Government Orders Iranian Troops to Withdraw From Iraqi Oilfield

Iraq's government has ordered Iranian troops to withdraw from the oilfield which they have taken control of in southern Iraq, Reuters reported.

"Iraq demands the immediate withdrawal from well No. 4 and the Fakka oilfield, which belongs to Iraq. Iraq is looking for a peaceful and diplomatic settlement to this issue," said government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh, according to Reuters.

Iranian troops crossed into Iraqi territory Thursday and seized an oil well that lies in a disputed area along the two countries' southern border, Iraq's deputy foreign minister said Friday.

Iran denied these claims, Reuters reported.

The Iraqi official, Mohammed Haj Mahmoud, said Iranian troops seized oil well No. 4 Thursday night in the al-Fakkah oil field, located about 200 miles southeast of Baghdad. The oil field is one of Iraq's largest.

The deputy foreign minister said he did not know whether the Iranians were still in control of the oil well.

In Washington, a U.S. official said that although Iranians had crossed the border before, they had not previously ventured this far.