A product of the 2010 elections.

Is Ayotte a Tea Party? Her newness to the Senate is very obvious. Being elected to federal office is far different than being AG of New Hampshire. The realities require backbone.

...Ayotte has the backing of former vice presidential candidate (click here) and tea party doyenne Sarah Palin, yet aides note that she has maintained a sense of moderate appeal in ways that other conservatives, such as Nevada’s Sharron Angle and Delaware’s Christine O’Donnell, have not.

A 42-year-old mother of two and wife of an Iraq War veteran, Ayotte’s personal background is attractive to Senate GOP leaders who want a fresh face to help boost their message strategy next year.

“The addition of a Republican woman from New England who’s young, who’s a mom,” one senior GOP aide said, “all of these things broaden the Republican party’s appeal and say to different segments of the population, ‘This party has folks in it that are just like you.’”...

Ayotte is a Sarah darling. Is there anything else anyone needs to understand here? She is good cover for the party screaming memes from South Carolina and Arizona. Their politicking is inappropriate and they are seeking a 'wedge issue.' I am sure the media enjoys the circus for their own purposes.

Ayotte can take credit for the budget cuts to the State Department, too. So, maybe the guilt is overwhelming.

By Walter Pincus, Published: October 1, 2011

The State Department (click here) is still reeling from deep cuts made by Senate and House appropriations panels to the Obama administration’s budget requests for next year, with some officials warning of national security risks.

Andrew Shapiro, assistant secretary of state in its Bureau of Political Military Affairs, told a meeting last week of the Center for New American Security that the hefty cuts will compromise national security. He noted that the 2012 funding bill for State Department and foreign operations was cut 8 percent by the full Senate Appropriations Committee and a whopping 18 percent by the House Appropriations State and Foreign Operations subcommittee....

I am sure this will enter the State Department investigation as well to understand if the Regional Security Officers were already measuring their expenses with impending 2012 budgets.

And for those who find anecdotal conclusive, that is what brought about the wrongful and immoral war in Iraq. It just isn't evidence that has any brevity without solid intelligence to determine the link to national security. It is why Ms. Ayotte is more dangerous to the USA national security than a UN Ambassador working with USA intelligence talking points.

Hello?

Kelly Ayotte releases an al Qaeda turd blossom.

The thing is this, the focus of Ms. Ayotte is the fact Ambassador Rice is a problem in stating al Qaeda has been decimated. Ambassador Rice was backed in her assertions by others, including the USA Defense Secretary. The only difference is that Secretary Panetta is not a potential candidate for Secretary of State. Who is inconsistent and irrelevant now, Ms. Ayotte? It is witch hunt only the Republicans are so invested in it they can't find the door out of the circus.

By KATE BRANNEN
11/21/12 9:12 AM EST

Leon Panetta: Al Qaeda’s leadership ‘decimated’ (click here)

Ever since United Nations Ambassador Susan Rice used “decimate” to describe Al Qaeda in September, Republicans have been crying foul: The terrorist organization cannot be decimated if it’s also behind the Sept. 11 attacks on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

Now, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is weighing in. Al Qaeda’s leadership has been decimated, if not the organization itself, he declared Tuesday night.

Speaking at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, Panetta qualified Rice’s statement that has come under fierce scrutiny from Republicans on Capitol Hill.

“Over the last few years, Al Qaeda’s leadership ranks have been decimated. This includes the loss of four of Al Qaeda’s five top leaders in the last two and a half years alone — Osama bin Laden, Sheikh Saeed al-Masri, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman and Abu Yahya al-Libi,” Panetta said.

The terrorist organization has not been eliminated and the administration knows this, Panetta said. “We have slowed the primary cancer — but we know that the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the global body.”...

Ms. Ayotte and her buddies are more of a national security issue than Ambassador Rice ever could be.

November 28, 2012
...Pakistan says 35,000 people have been killed (click here) as a result of terrorism since the 9/11 attacks and the 2001 US-led invasion of neighbouring Afghanistan....

...“The cabinet today approved the National Counter-Terrorism Authority Bill the need for which has been felt for a long time,” Kaira told reporters after a regular cabinet meeting.

To come into effect the bill needs to be approved by parliament and signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardari.

Kaira said the new authority would “devise policies and improve coordination among provincial governments and intelligence agencies” as well as “research and devise long-term policies to defeat” the terrorist mindset....

PaKistan has a long way to go and the Haqqani Network is one of the hurdles it faces. Haqqani is not al Qaeda, in case Ms. Ayotte didn't know that.

By Mehreen Zahra-Malik

ISLAMABAD | Tue Nov 6, 2012 8:20am EST

(Reuters) - Pakistan is already cracking down (click here) on the Haqqani network and does not need to impose extra measures following the group's addition to the U.N.'s blacklist, a government spokesman said on Tuesday.

The U.N. Security Council's Taliban sanctions committee on Monday added the Pakistan-based group, accused of high-profile attacks in Afghanistan, to its sanctions list.

The action obliges all U.N. members to implement an asset freeze, travel ban and arms embargo for the Haqqani network.

"The three elements of the ban -- arms embargo, asset freeze and travel ban -- are all already in place in Pakistan," Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira told Reuters....

There are many issues with violence coming from Pakistan into Afghanistan. But, the truth of the matter is al Qaeda has been decimated in the region. Not that they don't still strive to exist and carry power over governments and people, but, their ability is being and has been dismantled. The deaths of al Qaeda in the region is considerable. There is no disputing that. So, where Ayotte gets the nerve to actually try to start the Bush War on Terror all over again is beyond legitimacy.

Nov. 28, 2012, 8:42 AM

Geoffrey Ingersoll

The well-trained, well-equipped attackers (click here) that breached the wall of the biggest U.S.-U.K. base in Helmand Province several months ago may have been trained in Pakistan, according to a USA Today report....

Now, there is a problem in Yemen. But, for the most part Yemen is the last strong hold of al Qaeda. The Saudis are being targeted globally and their ambassador in Yemen was killed today. If one recalls the ambassador in the USA was a target not long ago.

'The Last Refuge': Yemen, Al-Qaida And The U.S. (click here)
November 27, 201211:00 AM
...According to Gregory Johnsen, a journalist who has covered Yemen and Islamic insurgency in the Middle East extensively, al-Qaida's presence has tripled in size within Yemen over the past three years. Johnsen charts this growing influence on the country in his new book, The Last Refuge: Yemen, al-Qaeda, and America's War in Arabia.
Al-Qaida's approach to gain support in Yemen has been to pit the country's interests against those of the West, particularly the United States....

Yemen was a focus of Former General Petraeus and he continued that focus as CIA Director. I believe it was he that first engaged drones in Yemen.

I don't know about Ayotte and her determination as to the potential of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, but, 200 dead in a year is not a bad record.

• BY NOAH SHACHTMAN
• 09.05.12
• 2:44 PM

...29 dead in a little over a week. (click here) Nearly 200 gone this year. The White House is stepping up its campaign of drone attacks in Yemen, with four strikes in eight days. And not even the slaying of 10 civilians over the weekend seems to have slowed the pace in the United States’ secretive, undeclared war.

• At this week’s Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, you’ll hear lots of talk about the Obama administration’s pursuit of al-Qaida and its allies — including, of course, the raid that ultimately took out Osama bin Laden. But the hottest battlefield in this worldwide conflict isn’t likely to receive much attention. It’s a shame, because the fight in Yemen is one that demands discussion. Not only does the White House consider al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula to be the extremist group most likely to strike in the United States. But the American response to that threat was been widely questioned by regional experts, who wonder whether U.S. drones and commandos aren’t being duped into fighting on one side of a civil war....

  
  

  One might recall there is a real legitimacy for the USA in Yemen as the underwear bomber came from this region. Right? So, there is a reason and not simply a whim why our drones are there.

  
  I think the Saudi death in Yemen is being blamed on al Qaeda, but, it is not confirmed at this point. Military official, not an ambassador.

  Saudi Military Official Killed by Armed Men in Yemen, SPA Says (click here)

  By Deema Almashabi & Mohammed Hatem 

  Nov 28, 2012 8:37 AM ET

  Gunmen killed a Saudi Arabian military official (click here) in Yemen after he left his house with a bodyguard, the Saudi Press Agency said, citing an unidentified official with the kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

  The Yemeni bodyguard of Saudi Sergeant Khalid al-Onizi was also killed in the attack by two gunmen in the capital Sana’a, the official SPA said.

  This was the second assault on a Saudi official in Yemen this year. In March, unidentified gunmen kidnapped Abdullah al- Khalidi, Saudi Arabia’s deputy consul in the Yemeni port city of Aden. In August, Al Jazeera television reported that he was released by suspected al-Qaeda militants.

  Last month, a U.S. embassy security official in Sana’a was shot and killed by an unidentified gunman. Yemen, which borders Saudi Arabia and Oman, has been battling militants from al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula with U.S. military support....

  US Embassies are not necessarily secured by Americans and that was the case here. If the USA is being aggressive in killing al Qaeda and extremists in Yemen, there will be a backlash. I suspect that is what this was.
  
  

  Thursday, 11 October 2012 09:07 EDT

  A masked gunman assassinated (click here) a Yemeni security official who worked for the US embassy in a drive-by shooting near his home in the capital Sana'a on Thursday, officials said.

  Yemeni officials said the killing bore the hallmarks of an attack by the al-Qaida offshoot in Yemen, but it was too early to determine whether the group was behind it....

  
  So, the focus of al Qaeda by Former CIA Director Petraeus as a potential with Libya was directly related to his understanding of the dynamics within Yemen. This presence of al Qaeda in Yemen is not new. As a matter of fact, I don't recall al Qaeda being among those involved with the USA Consulate in Benghazi.

  
  I raise that doubt because the people involved with Benghazi were Salafists. That is my understanding. These are the folks that want to destroy the pyramids in Egypt. The idea of destroying icons of civilization and religion is not alien to al Qaeda. It has been noted before with Buddist statues. I think I have that right. Buddists. Regardless, we have witnessed this focus on destroying icons of faith, belief and basically social value as a precursor to aggression affiliated with al Qaeda.

  
  

  There was one other anecdotal reporting in Libya of an al Qaeda flag flying over a courthouse in Benghazi. But, the best this can be considered is anecdotal and not USA intelligence as to what was occurring inside the courthouse and the official Transition Council denied involvement.

  
  

  Ynet
  

  Published:  11.01.11, 14:10 / Israel News

  Flag seen flying alongside Libyan national flag (click here) but National Transitional Council denies any involvement. Interim rulers name US-educated engineering professor as Libya's new prime minister....

  
  

  I have absolutely no doubt al Qaeda was involved with the Libyan rebels. I am quite sure they armed the rebels. We have witnessed the al Qaeda military presence in a way that is more vicious than most of the regional rebels carry out. Al Qaeda intervention is easy to identify. They are far more virulent attacks.
  
  Was al Qaeda responsible for the September 11th attacks on the USA Consulate in Benghazi? My understanding is the jury is still out on that. I do believe Secretary Clinton has a classified investigation to these facts. Personally, I don't think there is anything al Qaeda about the attacks on the Consulate except the date of the attacks. Most of those involved in the attacks are identified and they are Libyans once involved in the revolution but a spin off group. No one has those answers, no one had the knowledge to the reason for the attacks that day they happened and how Ayotte can state she is concerned about the words of Ambassador Rice with so much unknown except talking points from USA intelligence is nothing more than tainted politics.
  
  If Ms. Ayotte wants to put herself forward as a superior knowledge to the evidence and events with Benghazi, then I have to ask where she is getting her focus except from sensational politics. There is no reason for the circus. There sincerely isn't. No one is happy about a dead Ambassador and three other American agents, but, to somehow spin this into an attack regarding Ambassador Rice is nonsense. Pure nonsense and sensationalism.

I hope Former Senator Dole is feeling better.

He was always regarded with respect as a US Senator and always regarded others in the same way.

Sorry to hear he isn't feeling well. Both he and his wife have given their lives to the USA in service of one kind or another.

I do believe his passion for "The Veteran" was expressed in the completion of The World War II Memorial. Of course, Senator Dole had paralysis in his right hand from a war injury. He frequently carried a pen in it to distract from his difficulty. The holidays are coming so I hope he returns home soon to enjoy them.

Same 'ole, same 'ole. No real solutions, just finger pointing.

Gov. Jeb Bush speaks during the A-Plus Plan rally April 5, 1999, (click here) at the Capitol in Tallahassee. The program - grading schools based on the results of standardized testing - and a statewide voucher plan.

Children are political soft targets. Everyone would like to hand the future of their children to a school system that churns out A+ students, but, that isn't realistic, now is it?

The fact of the matter is there is a lot wrong in the USA that impact children, including their school work, but teachers and teacher unions are not the problem, just a convenient scapegoat.

I really don't believe Jeb Bush has ever had anything to offer to children, certainly no solutions for their learning. The only thing he ever offered was a public 4 year old kindergarten which was a break for working parents. Other than that his theoretical educational reforms have become nothing but finger pointing and blame. Let's face it, when a politician hangs his hat on education and gets no real results, someone other than himself is to blame after all.

I have to laugh, when he started his 4 year old kindergarten he stated the learning curve for children is optimal long before the age of 5. Yet. He regards Headstart as menace rather than an opportunity to start a child's education young. If the idea doesn't come out of the Republican Play Book with the word "Privatization" written all over it then it is a bogus idea.

...“We need (click here) to have a teacher evaluation system that is based on teachers being professionals, not part of some collective trade union bargaining process,” said Bush, chairman of the Foundation....

None of the Florida teacher evaluation changes have proven to be fair. As a matter of fact a Florida judge has found them unethical and written and implemented outside the law. Bush has nothing to offer for 2016 except ideology. There is nothing here to debate. Children don't learn in a bubble.

The Giant Tortoises have started their annual migration.

They don't go very far by human standards, but, they do migrate around a volcano. They cause a little bit of worry when they do that. It is a guy thing.

NOV 28, 2012
...Although (click here) giant tortoises are able to survive for up to one year without nourishment, they nevertheless wander for large distances searching for food. But only the fully grown animals migrate- up to 10 kilometers, the researchers say – while the young tortoises stay year round in the lowlands. The reason for this and the question of why the animals don’t rest during the dry season are not known yet....

Is there something the world needs to know about the Israeli undeclared nuclear program?

Is that suppose to change something? It isn't like Israel is stating they have genocidal intentions with Iran, is it? What exactly is the point of hacking into the IAEA site? News? For the sake of saying it can be done? Like, what is the purpose?

The ceasefire is still holding. Oh, could it be Palestine is seeking statehood at the UN this week? I suppose the autopsy of Mr. Arafat could move that along, too. 

Were any any of the hackers found and indicted on something? We can only hope there will actually be justice for the crime. I don't consider hacking into the IAEA a heroic act. That would not be my first thought.

BY Amrutha Gayathri
November 28 2012 6:15 AM

The U.N. nuclear watchdog (click here) Tuesday acknowledged that one of its servers had been hacked, after the hackers posted the stolen data online earlier this week.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said a previously unknown anti-Israeli group called Parastoo — meaning the swallow bird in Farsi and a common name for girls in Iran — had posted the contact details of more than 100 nuclear experts on the group's website three days ago.

A statement accompanying the contact details asked the experts, whose names were published, to sign a petition demanding an "open investigation" into Israel's undeclared nuclear weapons program. The U.N. agency is currently investigating Iran’s alleged nuclear program.

With any luck the Jersey Shore will be back to normal by summer.

Workers (click here) have closed a breach in the barrier island at the base of the Mantoloking Bridge where Barnegat Bay met the Atlantic Ocean here after Hurricane Sandy pummeled the Jersey Shore last week. 11/5/12 (Andrew Mills/The Star-Ledger)  

Doing Bi-partisanship well.

The last time the nation's well being hung in the balance there was an interesting outcome facilitated by the Political Right Wing media.

The Affordable Care Act was debated as the Democrats were plundered by the media despite their good work. The Right Wing media sought out a soldier for their cause and provided every opportunity for him to be a wedge issue all by himself. As a result his attitudes and statements became toxic in the next election. There was no sound reason for the high disapproval public rating of The Affordable Care Act. It was after the constitutionality of the law was resolved the public opinion finally saw the political circus rendered during the entire time.

The Huffington Post and Roll Call (click here) are both reporting that Joe Lieberman notified Harry Reid that he will filibuster health-care reform if the final bill includes an expansion of Medicare. Previously, Lieberman had been cool to the idea, saying he wanted to make sure it wouldn't increase the deficit or harm Medicare's solvency (and previously to that, he supported it as part of the Gore/Lieberman health-care plan)....

The President is absolutely correct in his methodology in resolving the fiscal problems of the nation. He is taking the lead. He is meeting with representatives of our economy, including Small Business folks. I think that meeting was today. Can you imagine meeting with President Obama as a Small Business Owner, the most important aspect of the Obama economy, in the White House? Enviable. The brevity of his comments were extremely important. Awesome responsibility.

But, President Obama, being the brilliant man he is, has taken a sincere path to understanding the impacts of the economy on all aspects of our economy, including inviting Wall Street CEOs, too. But, taking his resolve to the people is very important. It is an overt way of leading the nation in a discussion and focus to resolve the country's problems. It is not a campaign; it is a way of saying "I am on the job and the Buck stops with me."

It is very important the resolve by the Congress is done well. This is vitally important and the 'end of the road' strategy of the Republicans cannot be a viable answer to these issues. So, while I sincerely believe waiting for the next Congress to convene a far better opportunity for real talent to act in the interest of the country, it has to be done well. There is a lot at stake. I believe the meetings by the President also examined the possibility of waiting for the next Congress and asking everyone for patience with the process. At least I would expect President Obama to leave no stone unturned to that possibility. 

The Democrats have to talk to the nation through this effort by the party. I believe the leaders of the Democrats in the Senate and House can find real partners when working across the aisle. It is important that partnership is shared politically as well as 'just in the numbers.' I also believe anyone reaching across the aisle will find there is a real political uptick for conducting themselves exactly that way. All anyone has to look to as an example is Governor Christie.

It is important to the nation bi-partisanship is done well. They want thi8s. They want their government to work and they don't want to be angry about it. They want to be satisfied to the final outcome. I believe the Democrats are more than capable of the discussion necessary with the nation to close the door on these important resolutions. The tax reform, preserving our entitlements in meaningful ways and reducing the national debt.

I wish them all well. They should know they have the hope of a nation that wants a great leader in the White House and a Congress that can get the job done. I want the Dems to shine in their outreach and give the folks back home the show they are hoping for. 

We can do this. Oh, yes we can.

Kelly Ayotte is incorrect. She knows she is incorrect,

Focusing on Ambassador Rice as a person of interest in promoting incompetency in the Democratic administration is a witch hunt. The intelligence of the day was compromising everyone along the way.

If Ms. Ayotte was not getting answers to her questions in the meeting with the UN Ambassador and the CIA Director; it was because she had no right to have answers to questions that are unreasonable and unanswerable.

The investigative findings of Secretary Clinton will be more than interesting. 

But, in regard to Ms. Ayotte, the GOP once again is sacrificing their young in order to put forward some kind of political front engaged by a woman more qualified to be Secretary of State than Ambassador Rice. 

What sincerely concerned me was the small army of body guards surrounding Ambassador Rice as she left her meeting today which tells me she is receiving threats to her life. The circle around her was very small and it would have been difficult causing her harm. Given that as a potential reality, there were many reasons to seek peace with the GOP.

Byrd: The Filibuster is Not a Right Intended to be Abused

Uploaded by SenateDemocrats on May 19, 2010

Senator Robert Byrd spoke today before the Senate Rules Committee about the importance of Senate rules but the need to reign the abuses of them. "I share the profound frustration of my constituents and colleagues as we confront this situation. The challenges before our nation are far too grave, and too numerous, for the Senate to be rendered impotent to address them, and yet be derided for inaction by those causing the delay," said Byrd.

While Senate Minority Leader McConnell likes to call on the great Senator Byrd he does so in disrespect of his memory because it is taken out of context. The great Senator Byrd is rolling over in his grave along with the Founding Fathers of our Constitution for the abuses of the Republican Senate since his death. He would never consent to the abuse and would insist Senator Reid proceed with the return of the spoken filibuster.

Harry Reid is being blamed for the Wall Street Blues.

Evidently there was a drop in the DOW today and Harry Reid expressed a lack of CONFIDENCE in the willingness of USA Republicans to address the problems of the country. There are 'Harry Detractors' seeking to blame this drop on Harry's words. 

Freedom of Speech issue if you ask me, but, are there other underlying problems responsible for the changes in Wall Street.

Let's see, Warren Buffet wants higher taxes to pay the national debt. That might have a minor effect. Very minor. Can't imagine Harry Reid's words are any worse than Buffet. Warren wouldn't be saying these things if the Republicans weren't being stupidly difficult. So, Buffet is at least equally responsible as Harry.

Apple is still seeking control over some issues with maps or some darn thing. I think they are still mourning Steve Jobs. He isn't easily replaced in his dynamic and wonderful insight, faith and personality. The good news and there is good news for Apple. They are putting out Apple Minis or something and an iPhone IV. Right? No?

Today: Apple (AAPL) keeps cleaning house (click here) in the department in charge of its mapping app while announcing launch of new iMac. Also: San Mateo's SolarCity will be first solar installer to go public, Wall Street dips.

Apple dismisses another exec in charge of maps

Apparently, ridding itself of one executive who oversaw its Maps app wasn't enough for Apple: The Cupertino company reportedly fired the worker who directly oversaw the troubled mobile offering just a month after dismissing his boss....

Sorry, iPad Mini. I knew it was some kind of mini. If Apple could come out with an Apple Twinkie or an Apple Twinkie Mini they would have a real winner there, but, they are hoping they'll sell computers and not other goodies.

And Apple has some kind of groundbreaking IPO, too. So. that didn't cause any problems with Wall Street. It isn't an Apple IPO, it is a solar company. How about that, huh?

That is part of the Obama Economy and it is a failure I am sure.

Solar City. I hear Solyndra is jealous. They didn't make it all the way to an IPO as they were hoping for. Well done Solar City. I can tell there is Republican bias in this IPO though, the guy is wearing a cowboy hat.

Green energy (click here) company SolarCity has just announced share prices for its upcoming IPO; at between $13 and $15 per share, the initial public offering should raise approximately $151 million for the company.

In an SEC filing, SolarCity said it would release 10 million shares in the offering, and shareholders would sell around 65,000 shares total.

Shares will debut on the NASDAQ under the ticker symbol SCTY. Underwriters for the deal include Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, Bank of America, Merrill Lynch, Needham & Company, and Roth Capital Partners....

Considering it is probably a Republican company owned by cowboys an investigations should start immediately.

Now, this might be something. Warren Buffet is nominating Jamie Dimon for Treasury Secretary. Geithner is leaving? I just perfected his name and he is leaving?

Outlook Talking of Mr Carney, (click here) he must have shuddered just a little bit yesterday after no less than Warren Buffett suggested his old pal Jamie Dimon, the chief executive of JP Morgan, would be a great candidate for US Treasury Secretary....

Now, this might be a shock to Wall Street, but, in all honesty Jamie is not the man for the job. Seriously, Warren. Just because you are tired of getting phone calls from all the others begging for money doesn't mean Dimon is all that.

Jamie is a good guy, don't get me wrong, I think he has an admirable career, but, Morgan has a glide pattern on sheer size alone. So, while Dimon does well with all his responsibilities I do have a question he would have to answer before becoming a nominee for Secretary of the Treasury.

I want to know if he has mastered 'micro-managing' out of the London office yet?

I really think if there was a mood disorder today on Wall Street at the DOW it was over taxes and the idea American workers might be coming on strong for civil rights known as 'A Living Wage.' Now, that might be it.

Minority Leader Pelosi needs to assess the potential for function of the next Congress.

It may be the next Congress will be more functional than the current Lame Duck Congress.

The current House of Representatives and Senate have had their chance. They didn't address the nation's problems. It is because Republicans have been unwilling to move forward with any agenda item on the sincere list of problems of the USA.

Minority Leader Pelosi needs to be able to assess the possibility of the next Congress actually solving the problems of the nation. It may be there are enough returning and new Democrats in the House to have some Republicans join them to bring about the forward movement the country needs on the nation's debt, deficit, tax reform and protecting Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid and the needs of our children.

It may be the nation has to allow the new Congress to take their seats before there can be resolution of their problems.

It would be nice if the Lame Duck Congress could actually solve these problems but it isn't going to happen, so why bother.

Why compromise what can happen with the next Congress? No reason to put the country at risk when there is potential otherwise.

I want one. Yum-yum. No, I want two. Better make sure it is purchased from local merchant, too.

Completely inevitable.

Internet sales does not necessarily help USA economy.

If an online sales front is out of the USA it does not necessarily enhance the USA economy.

These shopping days have an effect for Wall Street regardless of what sells. It does not necessarily reflect a measure of the "Made in America" brand and could easily move monies outside the country.

"Shopping Local Always" needs to replace "Wall Street Sales Days" of merchandise manufactured outside the USA.

By Salvador Rodriguez

November 27, 2012, 9:27 a.m.

And if Cyber Monday's online sales (click here) weren't impressive enough, Adobe says that mobile shopping doubled from last year and accounted for 22% of Cyber Monday sales.

On the opposite end of that spectrum was social, which referred only a dismal 2% of total site visits on Cyber Monday. Even worse for Facebook and Twitter is the fact their number of referrals stayed the same as last year's, while Pinterest's referrals for the holiday grew 105%, accounting for 15% of social referrals.

As for what people were buying, Adobe said that toys and sporting goods led the way, followed by health and beauty. Home and auto was the third most selling category....

Japan reported children having seizures while in front of computers.

Hollywood needs to remember if there is a bad incident with 'the brand name' it will destroy it forever. This is especially true when children are involved.

The human mind has limits to its exposure to technology. Knock it off!

The federal government needs to be sure these movies are meeting a safe threshold. Once a child has a seizure it is a forever diagnosis. Enough already. Hollywood is taking digital too far!

By Richard Verrier, Los Angeles Times

November 27, 2012, 6:00 a.m.

Wendy Aylsworth fixed her eyes on a screen (click here) at the Landmark theater in West Los Angeles, carefully studying a scene of hobbits preparing a lavish feast.

"We're seeing good detail and a richness in the characters," Aylsworth said. "It's right on."

The Warner Bros. senior vice president of technology was reviewing a test reel for the "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," and a new projection technique that will show the highly anticipated Peter Jackson movie at 48 frames a second.

The controversial new technology could revolutionize traditional movies, which have been projected at a standard 24 frames per second for almost 90 years. Warner Bros. will become the first studio to release a major Hollywood movie in 48 frames a second when its "Hobbit" premieres in the U.S. on Dec. 14....

The Senate Filibuster is causing economic hardship.

The filibuster is being use for political outcomes in elections. When it is used as a means to a political outcome it has lost its meaning. 

The American Jobs Act would have passed along with many other initiatives to effectively improve our economy.

It is easily stated, the GOP is single-handedly causing the unemployment rate the USA currently faces. It is easily said that will continue without a functional Senate.

Posted at 05:04 PM ET, 11/26/2012

Full speed ahead on filibuster reform? (click here)

By Greg Sargent

On the Senate floor today, Harry Reid offered the clearest confirmation yet that he will move forward with filibuster reform at the start of the new Congress. He confirmed he is proposing to “do away with filibusters on the motion to proceed,” which was already known. He added that under proposed reforms, Senators who want to filibuster will have to “stand up and talk about it.” That means Reid supports the “talking filibuster,” the proposal to force filibustering out into the open — on the theory that this will make it politically more difficult....

Senator Reid is exactly correct in gradually walking back the filibuster to a talking filibuster. Those calling for it should be far less lazy about being on the Senate floor to take responsibility for their actions.

The GOP continues their witch hunt after meeting with Ambassador Rice. It accomplished nothing.

Ambassador Rice made statements that were not inflammatory to the circumstances in the Middle East at the time of the Benghazi attacks resulting in the deaths of four Americans. The only presence in the Benghazi area at the time of the attacks was the CIA. The assessments of the day provided for low balling the security to Ambassador Stevens while providing a security detail by the State Department that was basically body guards. The consulate was established in Benghazi where it was believed it was a safe place in a safer neighborhood.

...Petraeus testified (click here) that the CIA report he approved was apparently altered to downplay the terrorist angle....

The entire danger to the USA Ambassador was based in faulty intelligence. It was faulty from every estimation and the evidence to date continues to reflect the fact the threats to Ambassador Stevens was on his person. In the reality 'after the fact' even Former CIA Director Petraeus is inconsistent in his recollection of the facts as presented to Congress.

...Another lawmaker, Republican Representative Peter King, (click here) said Petraeus' account in the closed-door session differed from the assessment the CIA chief gave to Congress two months ago, just days after the September 11 attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.

"He also stated that he thought all along he made it clear that there were significant terrorist involvement, and that is not my recollection of what he told us on September 14," King said....

The GOP is engaged in a witch hunt backed by 'the turd blossom gardeners' at FOX News. It is nonsense and the entire meeting today was a result of the  political exploitation of the GOP of the death of a US Ambassador.

The Senate GOP is attempting to put their stamp on the new Obama Administration by inhibiting nominees to the cabinet. Who knows why except it appears as though a Republican has the power to dictate the outcome of the election of a Democratic President.

As usual it is all politics all the time by the GOP without sincere governance. 

The talking point of Ambassador Rice was more than correct for the violence spilling over to US Consulates post film. It was her responsibility to speak to a global incident that was growing. Silence was not an option and acting against intelligence was not an option either. To start to change the focus of the incidents to specifically speak as if Benghazi was not in reaction to the film was incorrect to the intelligence of the day.

I don't believe anyone really knows, even today, what happened that day in regard to the 'decision to attack' the consulate in Benghazi. It happened after Cairo erupted. There is no way of knowing if a well armed militias decided to act due to the reaction in Cairo. Where is the evidence otherwise?

What mattered more than anything else to everyone in our State Department and our UN Ambassador was ensuring the safety of our consulates and their staff. The State Department State was completely innocent of what occurred to them. It was necessary to secure our interests abroad. 

The issue with Benghazi was being handled exceptionally well by Secretary Clinton. No one else needed to do anything in regard to the loss of four Americans. Secretary Clinton was taking the incident with complete brevity. If she wasn't, the communications with the public by others would have been paramount, but, that was not the case. 

The GOP was not in control of the Executive Branch and are not now and that is the point. The State Department and our UN Ambassador carried out their duties based on what they knew at the time. It was a failure in intelligence. They acted to protect their staff and our consulates.

The one question the GOP can't seem to find to ask is, "Why was the CIA report Former CIA Director Petraeus approved apparently altered to downplay the terrorist angle/reality (which ever applies to reality)? 

Either there was 'an angle' averted to stop inflammation of post Libya Civil War to a greater involvement of the USA by screaming 'al Qaede' by war mongers such as Lindsey Graham and John McCain or there was a reality of a terrorist danger to Ambassador Stevens. 

I also don't believe that question is a yes or no answer. I don't believe it was a simple answer at all. There were many dynamics of which I am not going to repeat here (which appears on this blog), but, the paradigm shift in the Middle East has created different power balances and power vacuums. I also believe it was very difficult for the CIA to assess the sincere danger as opposed to any traditional understanding of the danger.

One can play arm chair quarterback all one wants after the fact, but, the USA had an interest in maintaining diplomatic relations with the new government of Libya for the national security of the USA. The inflammatory nature of iconic events such as September 11th anniversaries and a You Tube film is not measurable. If it were measurable the loss of four American lives would not have occurred. It is why people in foreign service die.

If anything, the GOP never takes responsibility for the muscle bound USA capacity due to their wrongful involvement in Iraq. They never stop to realize their wrongful invasion of a country has caused its own national security backlash which will probably last for at least another decade or two until the USA is more predictable, again. The "Axis of Evil" speech caused greater dangers to the nation and not less. The GOP never accept responsibility for that fact but simply exaggerate it for political purposes. It is very safe to say we face dangers to our country due to lack of trust by the international community we never faced before. 

It could be safety stated the USA CIA estimates are less robust for the real reason it would allow for political grandstanding that would actually increase the country's danger to national security. All factors play into the CIA estimates. They have to. There is a limit to the ability to put a tank deployment on every corner in the world.

There are no obligations to answer any of the Turd Blossoms by FOX News either. One might ask why that is done at all. The Republican majority in the House is by gerrymandering and a naive public.

LIberty University has no other 'good works' to pursue with the monies it wastes on health care reform?

The Supreme Court has not endorsed the objection to the Affordable Care Act. It has provided a reason to offer a procedural issue to go forward. Liberty University knows it has a legitimate request as a very weak challenge to the law, but, basically view this as 'what the heck, why not.' Liberty is hoping corruption of the judiciary rules rather than the USA Constitution.

The Wall Street Journal: Court Orders New Review Of Health Law (click here)
The Supreme Court told a federal-appeals court Monday to consider several lesser-known legal arguments against the national health-care law, in an order backed by the White House. The move came in a case brought by Liberty University, a Lynchburg, Va., college founded by the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, and observers said the challenge was unlikely to succeed (Bravin, 11/26).

Politico: SCOTUS Orders Appeals Court To Hear Liberty University Health Care Lawsuit
The Justice Department declined to comment on the Supreme Court order Monday, but it told the court last month that it wouldn’t object to the 4th Circuit taking up the case. In that brief, Solicitor General Donald Verrilli wrote that Liberty University’s arguments “lack merit” but that the Obama administration wouldn’t oppose a hearing because the issues weren’t fully aired the first time around. Some legal experts are skeptical that Liberty would get anywhere with its arguments against the employer mandate if the case does get to the Supreme Court (Haberkorn and Smith, 11/27).

The Hill: Supreme Court Revives Challenge To President Obama's Health Care Law
The court's decision Monday is purely procedural and does not indicate that the justices believe Liberty is likely to win on the merits. The lower court will still be bound by the Supreme Court's decision upholding the healthcare law as constitutional (Baker, 11/26).

There is no negotiations on The Bush Tax Cuts. They have to go and will expire. End of discussion.

As of midnight New Years Eve there will be a return to a previous tax structure. What about this does the President not understand? The reason this is going to happen is because the Republicans are unable to save the Middle Class and the USA economy. What does the President not understand about that?

The Bush Tax Cuts expiring on New Years Eve at midnight is going to happen. There needs to be tax reform. There has needed to be tax reform for years now. I do believe President Obama convened a tax review lead by Simpson-Bowles. It was rejected and that was a mistake. It was a huge mistake and as of midnight on New Year's Eve the Bush Tax Cuts will expire.

We have a National Debt. Maybe the Republicans haven't noticed. That is possible. The Republicans live in a parallel universe. They sincerely do and the fact there are issues with a dysfunctional House of Representatives is the direct fault of the American people. They had a chance to address this problem and haven't. I suppose the question arises whether they can adequately address the problem in their own ability to discern the truth, but, it is the problem of the people. 

The Bush Tax Cuts will expire and if the President plays with that reality it would be huge mistake. The tax structure of the USA needs to be reworked. Until now the leadership on this issue sucks! The elected in DC have viewed this issue as a 'toy of politics.' Hello? When the Bush Tax Cuts expire and the sequester begins reducing the National Debt, the country will begin to understand the impact of a Dysfunctional House of Representatives that continue to return to settled law, including the sequester, as a plan for political fodder.

No more. That is the lesson of the 2012 elections. The Middle Class is no longer the hostage to the Plutocrats and their supporters, namely the Republican Party. We are not hostages. The President forgets how the Republicans view the Middle Class as the 'beast of burden' to their political outcomes. The Middle Class is not a priority of the GOP. The GOP deceive and lie and gerrymander to manipulate the will of the people.

The Nation is more than government. We have lives. We need to demand change in our society. We need to demand higher wages, paid benefits and vacation time. We need to demand the forty hour work week mean something again. It means nothing today. There is a lot that has to happen in the USA and it is not all about government and government control.

Now when the Bush Tax Cuts expire the national debt will finally begin to be addressed. What has to occur is for Americans to be Americans. They have to demand better products manufactured in the USA. They have to demand better wages to counter the higher tax rates. They have to return to being the people their parents and grandparents used to be. They need to demand huge profits to stockholders be converted to 'a living wage.'

The Bush Tax Cuts are going to expire on New Years Eve and the sequester is going to begin. It is up to Americans to handle their social structure in a way that empowers them. Is there something about that the President doesn't understand? He needs to be the leader of the Executive Branch that will empower the Middle Class to achieve their status again. 

What's so hard about this? 

We have bills to pay.

We need a new tax structure to empower the Middle Class. 

Warren is correct. It is time the people get on with their agenda to empower their lives and pay down the national debt. The Republicans have been unable to govern the country for years now. Decades even. It is the job of the Democrats to point to the reality of this folly and continue to push the nation in the right direction. What else is there to do? More bartering with the future of our children? No. The time has come for the country to stop the manipulation of the GOP and begin a government that facilitates their lives and the promise of their country. 

The USA is a representative democracy by majority. It should mean something. The problem is the elected Republicans don't care about the majority of this country once they are 'over the hump' of being elected. That is a reality and it has to change. If the American people are unable to solve their problems because the House is unable to govern it is their responsibility to change that. Americans can do this, it is time they did.

Warren Buffet (click here) could well be the most fascinating American of this or any generation. Combining common sense and shrewd calculation, his rock-star status in the financial markets is earned. Lately, the second-richest man in the United States has been surprisingly vocal on the subject of taxes, and when Buffett speaks, it’s wise to listen.'

Wall Street and Washington were both abuzz Monday after Buffett published a national column that essentially mocked the idea that higher tax rates on capital gains discourage investment. According to Buffett, legislators should increase taxes on those earning more than $500,000, including minimum rates of at least 30 percent on all income above $1 million....