4 links

1. Oily dollars: I know, I know - I brag too much - but I HAVE been saying the real war in the Middle East is between China and the U.S. over oil (so i want some credit for predicting WW3!!! Darnit!!) ....We seized Iraq so China couldn't...Sounds wicked simple minded. But check out where China is making deals for oil - with our dear friends in Iran, Venezuela, and Sudan (you think that genocide was just people being ghastly to other people? Look closer. It's about oil) - and read this in the Telegraph about the demise of the dollar:

this sounds like a dangerous prediction of a future economic war between the US and China over Middle East oil-yet again turning the region's conflicts into a battle for great power supremacy. China uses more oil incrementally than the US because its growth is less energy efficient. The transitional currency...read the rest

Most major wars have pretty simple causes: Give me more stuff. OR Give me your stuff.

2. So sick of hearing "Obama is a Marxist/Socialist/Commie" clap trap I feel the need to link to a real commie/socialist/Marxist site to point out that, in fact, they exist, and a man who hires Larry Summers, and bails out huge banks with our money in his first few months in office is NOT a socialist. Read a review of the new Micheal Moore film by a real Marxist here. The odd thing about real Communists is just how out of touch they are with real workers....It's weird. They have this "fantasy football" stance toward working people. They're 'into them', excitable about them, and always game planning for them - but, in reality, have no connection to them at all.

3. CNN marks the "end of the Honeymoon" for Obama...according to them the SNL skit last weekend did the trick. CNN in general is a little overly concerned with that skit...why?...They know it was harshly effective. Only in the "I touch myself when I see Obama" world of CNN does that SNL skit signal trouble for POTUS. The SNL skit confirms trouble. At the latest - the end of the "honeymoon" was that idiotic beer summit.

4. Okay- I admit it - the number of large earthquakes in the South Pacific is freaking me out. From the NYT:

SERIES OF QUAKES, ALARMING
Mike Sandiford, at the School of Earth Sciences, University of Melbourne, said the series of large quakes in the region was unusual and that aftershocks could be expected for a few weeks. "We only get about a dozen earthquakes of that magnitude or larger around the globe in a year, so it is very unusual," Sandiford told Australian media.



Bonus link:

American Wimp

Obama is shoving the Dalai Lama under the bus. He will not meet with the Dalai Lama when he comes to D.C., though Bush, Clinton and Bush all did. From the WSJ:

President Obama has been in office nearly eight months; that's twice as long as it took for Messrs. Bush or Clinton to meet the Dalai Lama. The Tibetans certainly understand what's going on: Prime Minister Samdhong Rinpoche said Tuesday that "a lot of nations are adopting a policy of appeasement" toward China "even the U.S. government." This is change we can believe in?

This news came just before Obama ditched Bush's missile defense plan in Europe - a topic I do not have a strong opinion on. Yet, it's worth pointing out that in April Obama said this in Prague:

So let me be clear: Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile activity poses a real threat, not just to the United States, but to Iran's neighbors and our allies. The Czech Republic and Poland have been courageous in agreeing to host a defense against these missiles...Check out the clip here.

"So let me be clear" is Obama's signal that duplicity is on horizon. In Wilsonian terms: He's about to lie - directly or by misleading his audience. In classic BHO form he actually didn't promise he'd go forward with the missile defense program Poland and the Czech Republic wanted. He compliments the host countries - leading them to believe he's on their team. Then, months later....well...you know the drill: The public option was never essential...Congress must take the lead on DOMA... He never explicitly promised to stop mountain top removal....and so on and so forth...The Czech Prime Minster was awakened in the middle of the night with the call from Obama that his country had been ditched. Nice touch.

I'm sure there were high fives all around with the Chinese and the Russians this week. Obama boned both the Dalai Lama and 2 small European countries that fear Russia. Good week, Barack.

The Chinese and Russians must be over the moon. They have in Obama a President they can push around.

Obama imposes stiff tariff on China.

I wonder what the reaction to this will be.

Lunch Break

Harkin Comes 'Round: I would like to say that Harkin's conversion on Gay Marriage proved that not everyone becomes conservative as they age. But being for gay marriage rights is the conservative stance. Marriage is inherently a stabilizing institution. Therefore allowing 10% of the population participate will stabilize the culture further.
Peas in the bigot Pod: Obama spokesman Gibbs and Miss California - separated at birth? If Gibbs was wearing a swimsuit or a sparkly gown, you could say he looked like Miss California. Okay that's a stretch...But LORD OBAMA and Miss C are in agreement on Gay Marriage.
BCS Bullshit: BCS lobbyist J.C. Watts gets 630,000 bucks to promote the pathetic college bowl system. Fans and players get a big, fat F**k You!
Obviously, the only reason the BCS is willing to spend a whole lot of money to protect the current system of crowning a college football champion is that the people who run the BCS are making a whole lot of money under the current system.
LA Foto: A snap of downtown.
Hall of Fame Tweet o the Day:

A good way to end Mother's Day is by parading around
in your apartment in your underwear,
listening to Sade, and drinking whiskey...

Uh...good to know for next year...
Email from China: I got this lovely email from an American reader in China after my "facebook/twitter" post:

There was a time, not long ago, when vinyl record covers were considered works of art.There was a time, not long ago, when friends would sit around and listen to music together. There was a time, not long ago, when people would play stupid board games. There was a time, not long ago, when families would share the joys of laughter at the dinner table. Some memories can never be downloaded. Perhaps some ideas should never change. No matter where the next road takes me, I'll always remember that along the way, It's not the place, but the people who make us who we are...
Music: The email above prompted me to post two versions of the song below. The first being a cover by Madonna... before you dismiss it out of hand, watch it, it is one of my favorite videos. Then, of course, the original is posted below that...

So bye bye Miss American pie, drove my Chevy to the levee....

They are sacrificing so we can indulge

Conjured money is one of my "go to" snarks. I claim nothing beyond my gut and some real confusion when it comes to economics. Still, from my far window the economic policies of the Obama/Bush team (those who created the problem are still in charge.) appear dangerous to say the least. Does Obama have a plan b? is a legitimate question.

A close friend recently spent the day with a major economist - I am not at liberty to disclose this person's identity - but she revealed that he thinks Obama is doing some the the right things though "It is not enough." and he went on the say that the real problem is China. The Chinese own most of our debt - they have financed us for the last decade. The relationship has been beneficial to them. There will come a time - some say soon - when they will balk at being our credit card. What then?

"they are sacrificing so we can indulge"


My perception that Obama's prime directive is to manage America's wane with a minimum of disruption was strengthened this week by his actions and statements in Europe. He is an errand boy, sent by grocery clerks...The errand he was on in Europe was to let the world know that we will behave. The "grocery clerks" are hail from Goldman Sacks...

Going along to get along is how WAPO put it.
What's striking about Obama's diplomacy, however, has been his willingness to embrace the priorities of European governments, Russia and China while playing down - or setting aside altogether - principal American concerns.
Is the new president shrewd and pragmatic about using his power at home and abroad - or too passive, even weak?

The era of lowers expectations has arrived. How quickly the bar is lowered is the only pertinent question now.