From the Washington Times:

Palin to stump for conservative Democrats

Ralph Z. Hallow

Sunday, July 12, 2009

ANCHORAGE, Alaska | Brushing aside the criticisms of pundits and politicos, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin said she plans to jump immediately back into the national political fray — stumping for conservative issues and even Democrats — after she prematurely vacates her elected post at month’s end.

The former Republican vice-presidential nominee and heroine to much of the GOP’s base said in an interview she views the electorate as embattled and fatigued by nonstop partisanship, and she is eager to campaign for Republicans, independents and even Democrats who share her values on limited government, strong defense and "energy independence."

"I will go around the country on behalf of candidates who believe in the right things, regardless of their party label or affiliation," she said over lunch in her downtown office, 40 miles from her now-famous hometown of Wasilla — population 7,000 — where she began her political career.

"People are so tired of the partisan stuff — even my own son is not a Republican," said Mrs. Palin, who stunned the political world earlier this month with her decision to step down as governor July 26 with 18 months left in her term.

Both her son, Track, 20, an enlisted soldier serving in Iraq, and her husband, Todd, are registered as "nonpartisan" in Alaska…

But she shot down speculation among Republicans that she might challenge incumbent Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski for the party’s nomination to the Senate next year, and she blamed her resignation as governor on the nasty, hardball tactics that last year’s presidential campaign brought to her state.

"I’m not ruling out anything — it is the way I have lived my life from the youngest age," she said. "Let me peek out there and see if there’s an open door somewhere and if there’s even a little crack of light, I’ll hope to plow through it."

Mrs. Palin did not indicate which candidates she would be campaigning for. Indeed, whether the polarizing Alaskan would be welcome on the campaign circuit is an open question. Republicans running in statewide races in Virginia and New Jersey — the only states with gubernatorial races in November — have offered only lukewarm responses when asked whether Mrs. Palin is welcome to campaign there…

Mrs. Palin confirmed during the interview that she has signed a book contract, but would not discuss the amount — rumored to be worth $6 million or more. She also declined to discuss other employment prospects, including becoming a television commentator. "I can’t talk about any of those things while I’m still governor," she said…

Even dealing with the political maelstrom she unleashed, Mrs. Palin flashed the down-home, personal touch that even critics say helped her forge an extraordinary bond with supporters on the campaign trail.

When a photographer prepared to take pictures of the interview, Mrs. Palin, wearing open-toed shoes, said laughingly, "Don’t get my toes in the picture — they are green on the bottom."

Indeed they were. She said the marks were grass stains she had got from her mowing her lawn the previous day.

Of course she’ll have to find them first. As they say in Germany, ‘it would be easier to find a white rat with a black tail.’

There is Zell Miller… and who else?

Still, this is a great public relations point on several levels.

But she shot down speculation among Republicans that she might challenge incumbent Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski for the party’s nomination to the Senate next year…

"I’m not ruling out anything — it is the way I have lived my life from the youngest age," she said.

Non sequitur alert.

From an unquestioning Reuters:

Obama says stimulus plan to kick in later this year

By Tom Doggett

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Barack Obama said on Saturday more time was needed for his $787 billion (485 billion pound) stimulus package to work, predicting the spending would have a bigger impact on the economy later this year.

In an advanced text of his weekly radio speech, Obama said the stimulus plan approved by Congress and signed into law in mid-February "was not designed to work in four months – it was designed to work over two years." …

"We must let (the stimulus plan) work the way it’s supposed to, with the understanding that in any recession, unemployment tends to recover more slowly than other measures of economic activity," Obama said.

He said the benefits of the plan would "accelerate greatly throughout the summer and the fall." …

Obama said it takes time for the plan’s money "to get out the door" to pay for roads, bridges and other infrastructure projects that will create jobs "because we are committed to spending it in a way that is effective and transparent."

Funny, this isn’t what we were told when the ‘stimulus’ plan was rammed through Congress.

Back then it was so important that it get passed right away that our elected representatives didn’t even have time to read it.

Obama said… “we are committed to spending it in a way that is effective and transparent…”

And yet we have spending that is neither.

In fact, the stimulus bill itself broke at least seven Obama promises about transparency.

But what are words to Mr. Obama?

After all, this is the rosy scenario we were told back in January we would get with the passage of Mr. Obama’s ‘Recovery Plan’:

(Click to enlarge)

Even by his administration’s own forecasts Mr. Obama’s ‘stimulus’ has made things far worse than what would have had without it.

This must be the ‘effectiveness.’

From an unfazed Associated Press:

[AP photo and caption:] Beach-goers walk on Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Thursday, July 9, 2009. June’s relentless rain sent thousands of visitors scrambling home and washed away millions of dollars of tourism dollars.

Rain washes away tourism dollars in Northeast

Jul 11

OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine (AP) — Relentless rain and cool weather since early June have sent visitors scrambling home and washed away millions of tourism dollars across the Northeast. But the first 80-degree readings this month gave a glimmer of hope Friday that summer can be salvaged.

June was the wettest on record in Atlantic City, N.J., and the second-wettest in New York City. In Portland, rain fell on 21 of the final 24 days of the month. And July hasn’t been much better. Rain continued and it was chilly, failing to hit 60 three times in Portland…

Businesses that cater to tourists already anticipated a slow season because of the recession. Then they got a double whammy with the raw weather…

The tourism season is young, so there are few statistics indicating how it’s going. In Maine, those that are available point to a rough start. In June, traffic was down 3 percent on the Maine Turnpike, and day use at state parks was down by nearly a third.

There’s no sugarcoating the bitter pill in a state where "Vacationland" is on the license plates and tourism is the biggest industry, pumping $10 billion into the economy.

Vaughn Stinson, chief executive officer of the Maine Tourism Association, put the damage at millions of dollars in Maine alone. "When you have just day after day after day of that, it just really dampens – no pun intended – everyone’s enthusiasm," Stinson said.

It’s certainly bad for businesses that had to close. Story Land in Conway, N.H., and Funtown Splashtown USA in Saco are among those that closed briefly.

Under sunny skies, Friday marked only the seventh day in two weeks that Aquabaggon, a water park in Saco, was able to open this summer.

"That’s depressing," said Lynn Hurst, general manager. "This park has been open for 30 years, and we’ve never had a start like this before."

In addition to being rainy, the summer could rank among the coolest in the Northeast, according to the Northeast Regional Climate Center at Cornell University…

It’s odd, but there is no mention of ‘global warming’ or even ‘climate change’ in this entire article.

Indeed, the AP scrupulously avoids mentioning that June and July have been among the coolest on record for most of the North East until near the bottom of the article.

And yet if such a downturn could have been pinned on carbon emissions, you know that would be worked into the headline and lead paragraph.

Why is that?

From Associated Press:

Report: Too few officials knew of surveillance

By Pamela Hess, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON – Not enough relevant officials were aware of the size and depth of an unprecedented surveillance program started under President George W. Bush, let alone signed off on it, a team of federal inspectors general found.

The Bush White House pulled in a great quantity of information far beyond the warrantless wiretapping previously acknowledged, the IGs reported. They questioned the legal basis for the effort but shielded almost all details on grounds they’re still too secret to reveal.

The report, mandated by Congress last year and delivered to lawmakers Friday, also says it’s unclear how much valuable intelligence the program has yielded.

On the subject of oversight, the report particularly criticizes John Yoo, a deputy assistant attorney general who wrote legal memos defending the policy…

The report, compiled by five inspectors general, refers to "unprecedented collection activities" by U.S. intelligence agencies under an executive order signed by Bush after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

Just what those activities involved remains classified, but the IGs pointedly say that any continued use of the secret programs must be "carefully monitored."

Most of the intelligence leads generated under what was known as the "President’s Surveillance Program" did not have any connection to terrorism, the report said. But FBI agents told the authors that the "mere possibility of the leads producing useful information made investigating the leads worthwhile." …

In the wake of the new report, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt, renewed his call Friday for a formal nonpartisan inquiry into the government’s information-gathering programs…

House Democrats are pressing for legislation that would expand congressional access to secret intelligence briefings, but the White House has threatened to veto it.

What a shock.

Hand-picked Obama ‘Inspectors General’ have found that Mr. Bush limited the information about a vital national security program to be who had a need to know.

That, in fact, is the essence of good security.

But of course these IGs would say what thought thought Mr. Obama wanted to hear.

After all, they want to hold onto their jobs.

Just what those activities involved remains classified…

Which they would not remain, if the Democrats have their way.

Most of the intelligence leads generated under what was known as the "President’s Surveillance Program" did not have any connection to terrorism, the report said. But FBI agents told the authors that the "mere possibility of the leads producing useful information made investigating the leads worthwhile."

Gee, that is a shock.

We would have thought that everything that was tried would have netted valuable intelligence information without fail.

Obviously these Inspectors General are real mavens in the field of intelligence gathering.

And they, like that famous keeper of secrets, Patrick Leahy, have only the nation’s national security at heart.

From the Politico:

Charles Rangel: Health bill will tax the rich

By: Chris Frates
July 10, 2009

Democrats on the influential House Ways and Means Committee seemed to be moving toward a funding plan for health-care reform that would cut Medicare and Medicaid spending by roughly $500 billion to $600 billion and levy a surtax on the wealthy — even as the bill’s introduction was put off as party moderates wrangled with leadership over how to proceed.

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel said Friday the plan would include three different surtax rates that would affect people making $350,000, $500,000 and $1 million a year, respectively. Rangel said the rates would be small, perhaps ranging between one and three percent, and would bring in about $540 billion.

"We have decided instead of putting pieces of different revenue raisers together that the best that we can do would have graduated surtaxes," Rangel said…

Of course this is the perfect solution for Mr. Rangel and his constituents.

None of them pay taxes – and neither does he.

By the way, remember how the original 1965 Ted Kennedy written immigration bill would not change the look of America?

Remember how ‘affirmative action’ was just going to be a temporary remedy?

That’s how the Obama health care is only going to cost the rich.

From an irony proof Associated Press:

Obama declares to Africa: End tyranny, corruption

By Mark S. Smith, Associated Press Writer

ACCRA, Ghana – An American president who has "the blood of Africa within me" praised and scolded the continent of his ancestors Saturday, asserting forces of tyranny and corruption must yield if Africa is to achieve its promise.

"Yes you can," Barack Obama declared, dusting off his campaign slogan and adapting it for his foreign audience. Speaking to the Ghanaian Parliament, he called upon African societies to seize opportunities for peace, democracy and prosperity.

"This is a new moment of great promise," he said. "To realize that promise, we must first recognize a fundamental truth that you have given life to in Ghana: Development depends upon good governance. That is the ingredient which has been missing in far too many places, for far too long. That is the change that can unlock Africa’s potential."

The son of a white woman from Kansas and a black goat herder-turned-academic from Kenya, Obama delivered an unsentimental account of squandered opportunities in postcolonial Africa.

America’s first black president spoke with a bluntness that perhaps could only come from a member of Africa’s extended family.

"No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or if police can be bought off by drug traffickers," he said

"No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of the Port Authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery.

"That is not democracy, that is tyranny, even if occasionally you sprinkle an election in there," he said, "and now is the time for that style of governance to end."

He added: "Africa doesn’t need strongmen, it needs strong institutions." …

The 33-minute address was in part a splash of cold water for Africans who blame colonialism for their problems.

Obama spoke of the indignities visited upon Africans from the era of European rule. He said his grandfather, a cook for the British in Kenya, was called "boy" by his employers for much of his life despite his being a respected village elder. He said it was a time of artificial borders and unfair trade.

But he said the West is not to blame "for the destruction of the Zimbabwean economy over the last decade, or wars in which children are enlisted as combatants." Nor for the corruption that is a daily fact of life for many, he said.

"Africa is not the crude caricature of a continent at perpetual war," he said. Yet for "far too many Africans, conflict is a part of life, as constant as the sun. There are wars over land and wars over resources. And it is still far too easy for those without conscience to manipulate whole communities into fighting among faiths and tribes.

"These conflicts are a millstone around Africa’s neck." …

The president pledged America’s partnership in Africa’s growth. Specifically, he said he would make sure U.S. aid gets to the people who need it most, such as farmers and entrepreneurs, not Western consultants and administrators…

If this isn’t the pot calling the kettle half-black, we don’t know what is.

The son of a white woman from Kansas and a black goat herder-turned-academic from Kenya, Obama delivered an unsentimental account of squandered opportunities in postcolonial Africa.

Isn’t it nice to see the Associated Press repeating this long debunked lie sentimental fantasy about Mr. Obama senior being a ‘goat herder.’

In fact, he was no such thing. What he was, however, was a fervent communist who wanted to impose the communist system upon Kenya.

The apple did not fall far from the tree.

"No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of the Port Authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery.”

Just ask Mayor Daley, Mr. Blagojevich or Mr. Burriss.

Indeed, just ask any Democrat in any position of power at any level of this country.

Obama spoke of the indignities visited upon Africans from the era of European rule. He said his grandfather, a cook for the British in Kenya, was called "boy" by his employers for much of his life despite his being a respected village elder.

Speaking of fantasies, this race-baiting detail is somehow never mentioned in Mr. Obama’s first autobiography, Dreams Of My Father.

We strongly suspect it was made up on the spot, as Mr. Obama is wont to do.

And continuing the fantasy theme:

The president pledged America’s partnership in Africa’s growth. Specifically, he said he would make sure U.S. aid gets to the people who need it most, such as farmers and entrepreneurs, not Western consultants and administrators.

That’s right, Mr. Obama. It’s those damn Western consultants and administrators who have made Africa so corrupt.

“White man’s greed runs a world in need.”

This thread is for the busy bees of S&L to post news items we might otherwise miss.

To make the articles as readable as possible, please stick to the format described here.

• Only post ‘hard news’ from established media outlets.
• Avoid editorials and ‘thought pieces,’ unless they are truly newsworthy.
• Avoid ‘major news’ items that most people will likely have seen elsewhere.
• Articles that fit under the topic of a recent thread should be posted as a comment there.

• Always post less than a third of the original article.

Posts of articles that do not follow these guidelines are susceptible to being edited or deleted.

From a consistently lazy Associated Press:

Pa. to investigate pool discrimination allegations

By Ron Todt, Associated Press Writer

HUNTINGDON VALLEY, Pa. – State officials will investigate accusations of racial discrimination against a suburban Philadelphia swim club that allegedly reacted to a visiting group of minority children by asking them not to return.

The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission will immediately open an investigation into the actions of The Valley Club in the leafy suburb of Huntingdon Valley, chairman Stephen A. Glassman said.

"The rule of law in Pennsylvania is equal opportunity for all, regardless of race," Glassman said Thursday in a written statement released by his office.

"Allegedly, this group was denied the use of a pool based on their race," Glassman said. "If the allegations prove to be true, this is illegal discrimination in Pennsylvania."

The club maintains that accusations of racial discrimination are false and claims overcrowding from more than one outside camp was the problem…

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People requested the Human Relations Commission’s investigation…

Who knew that Pennsylvania had a Human Rights Commission?

And who knew that the activities, for well or ill, would be under their purview?

Indeed, according to the PHRC’s own website, they are not:

What doesn’t the Commission have responsibility over?

• Employees of the Court system
• Federal government employees
• Agricultural and domestic workers
• Most independent contractors not regulated by Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs
• Elected officials
• Age in public accommodations or education
• Religion in religious and sectarian organizations
• Sexual orientation
• Enforcement activities by the police (such as arrests)
• Current use of illegal drugs
• Private clubs
• Housing for older persons (55 and over) are exempt from age and familial status restrictions

But obviously their own rules won’t stop them from doing the NAACP’s bidding.

Still, this is precisely why such commissions are uniformly a bad thing.

They always overstep their authority.

From Iran’s ever dependable Press TV:

Anti-G8 protests in Italy

Iran summons Italian envoy over G8 protests

Fri, 10 Jul 2009

Iran summons the Italian Ambassador to Tehran Alberto Bradanini in protest against the violent suppression of anti-G8 protesters.

Bradanini was summoned to the Iranian Foreign Ministry on Friday to hear Tehran’s concerns about the "violent suppression of justice-seeking protesters by the Italian police."

A Foreign Ministry statement included Iran’s "strong condemnation" of the "suppressive actions…which are clear breaches of civil freedoms and fundamentals of democracy."

The Foreign Ministry’s Director for West European Relations ‘condemned the use of violence by Italian police against protesters and opponents of the Group of Eight industrialized nations (G8) Summit in the city of L’Aquila, and demanded the compliance of the Italian government with its international obligations’. …

How do you say chutzpah in Farsi?

From an unquestioning Associated Press:

World has avoided economic disaster, Obama says

By Charles Babington, Associated Press Writer

L’AQUILA, Italy – Lasting worldwide recovery "is still a ways off," President Barack Obama declared Friday, but he also said at the conclusion of a global summit that a disastrous economic collapse apparently has been averted.

Obama said world leaders had taken significant measures to address economic, environmental and global security issues.

"Reckless actions by a few have fueled a recession that spans the globe," Obama said of the meltdown that began in the United States with a tumble in housing prices and drastic slowing of business lending. The downturn now threatens superpowers and emerging nations alike.

Obama urged national leaders to unite behind a global recovery plan that includes stricter financial regulation and sustained stimulus spending.

"The only way forward is through shared and persistent effort to combat threats to our peace, our peace, our prosperity and our common humanity wherever they may exist. None of this will be easy," Obama told a news conference at the end of the Group of Eight summit of major economic powers…

On the world economy, Obama said that rising food prices mean millions more are falling into desperate poverty "and right now, at this defining moment, we face a choice. We can either shape our future or let events shape it for us."

"While our markets are improving and we appear to have averted global collapse, we know that too many people are still struggling. So we agree that full recovery is still a ways off." He said the world leaders felt "it would be premature to begin winding down our stimulus plans." …

What a typical collection of meaningless verbiage, self-aggrandizement – disinformation.

"Reckless actions by a few have fueled a recession that spans the globe," Obama said of the meltdown that began in the United States with a tumble in housing prices and drastic slowing of business lending.

By a few Democrats.

Including, of course Mr. Obama himself. Who among other things, sued to end ‘red-lining” so that more people could get loans that they could not afford.

Obama urged national leaders to unite behind a global recovery plan that includes stricter financial regulation and sustained stimulus spending.

If the disaster has been averted (with less than 10% of US stimulus money even spent), why do we need more regulation and more stimulus spending?

This is double-talk.

Which seems to be Mr. Obama’s native tongue.

"The only way forward is through shared and persistent effort to combat threats to our peace, our peace, our prosperity and our common humanity wherever they may exist. None of this will be easy," Obama [said]…

Oddly enough, none of the real threats to the world’s peace were even slightly combated.

What tangible things has the G8 actually done about Iran or North Korea?

Hint: absolutely none.

They have not even increased sanctions.

On the world economy, Obama said that rising food prices mean millions more are falling into desperate poverty "and right now, at this defining moment, we face a choice. We can either shape our future or let events shape it for us."

If Mr. Obama and the rest of the G8 were truly concerned about global poverty or world hunger, they would not be pushing for their ‘global warming’ measures which, being a tax on energy, will raise the price of food along with everything else.

They would also be in favor of global warming, since it would extend the world’s growing season and make food more abundant.

But they care even less about the world’s poor and starving than they do their own citizens.

They simply want more power over our lives.

From an overjoyed Reuters:

Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe, seen here in February 2009, said some white farmers would be spared under his controversial land reforms.

G8 pledges $20 billion in farm aid to poor nations

By Phil Stewart And Paolo Biondi

L’AQUILA, Italy (Reuters) – G8 leaders pledged $20 billion in farm aid to help poor nations feed themselves, surpassing expectations on the final day of a summit that has yielded little progress on climate change and trade…

Obama said Africa had enough arable land but lacked seeds, irrigation and mechanisms for farmers to get a fair price for their produce — issues that the Group of Eight richest nations, emerging powers and African countries promised to tackle.

But Africa told the wealthy powers they needed to honor past commitments, mindful that some G8 countries had fallen short of their 2005 promise to hike annual aid by $50 billion by 2010, half of which was meant for Africa.

The United Nations says the number of malnourished people has risen in the past two years and is expected to top 1.02 billion this year, reversing decades of declines. The global recession is expected to make 103 million more go hungry.

Aid bodies like the World Food Program said a last-minute surge of generosity at the summit in Italy’s L’Aquila resulting in the $20 billion pledge was "greeted with great happiness." …

The $20 billion over three years may compare unfavorably with the $13.4 billion the G8 says it has already disbursed between January 2008 and July 2009, but aid groups said the funds pledged on Friday were more clearly focused…

The L’Aquila summit has produced chequered results on other issues, making only limited progress in crucial climate talks following the refusal by major developing nations to sign up to the goal of halving world greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

The 17 biggest emitters in the Major Economies Forum chaired by Obama failed to get emerging powerhouses like China and India to agree to these targets, though they did all agree temperature rises should be limited to 2 Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit)…

G8 leaders said the global financial crisis still posed serious risks to the world economy. Further stimulus packages for growth might still be required and it was dangerous to implement "exit strategies" from emergency measures too early…

Did you know our Constitution gave our king President the power to give away your money to other countries like this?

Did you even realize that our Constitution gave our king President the power to regulate the world’s temperature?

The United Nations says the number of malnourished people has risen in the past two years and is expected to top 1.02 billion this year, reversing decades of declines.

This is the same United Nations that is sitting on top of a record sized ‘food bank.’

The L’Aquila summit has produced chequered results on other issues, making only limited progress in crucial climate talks following the refusal by major developing nations to sign up to the goal of halving world greenhouse gas emissions by 2050…

Who says the climate talks are ‘crucial’?

Besides, would not a warmer globe mean a longer growing season and more food?

Why are we trying to stop that? (Not that we could even if it was happening.)

From an unfazed Associated Press:

Supermax prison: Obama’s books objectionable

By MATTHEW BARAKAT, Associated Press Writer – Friday, July 10

McLEAN, Va. – The federal government’s most secure prison has determined that two books written by President Barack Obama contain material "potentially detrimental to national security" and rejected an inmate’s request to read them.

Ahmed Omar Abu Ali is serving a 30-year sentence at the federal supermax prison in Florence, Colo., for joining al-Qaida and plotting to assassinate then-President George W. Bush. Last year, Abu Ali requested two books written by Obama: "Dreams from My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope."

But prison officials, citing guidance from the FBI, determined that passages in both books contain information that could damage national security…

The documents detailing the prison’s rejection of Obama’s books are included in court papers for a resentencing hearing scheduled later this month for Abu Ali, a U.S. citizen…

Abu Ali requested the books in August, before Obama was elected. In a short, handwritten note on a prison complaint form, Abu Ali argues that the two rejections "violate my 1st amend. rights." …

Prison officials cite specific pages — but not specific passages — in the books that they deem objectionable. They include one page in Obama’s 1995 book, "Dreams from My Father," and 22 separate pages in his policy-oriented 2006 book, "The Audacity of Hope." It was not immediately obvious what passages might have been deemed problematic, though nearly half of the pages cited are in a chapter devoted to foreign affairs…

Mind you, this isn’t a case like when Soviet Union prohibited inmates from reading Angela Davis’ screed.

That was because they were concerned her description of her (lavish) US prison cell would make their own look terrible by comparison.

No, the prison authorities deemed Mr. Obama’s foreign policies ideas to be too dangerous to be read by anyone who might be crazy enough to actually act upon them.

It was not immediately obvious what passages might have been deemed problematic, though nearly half of the pages cited are in a chapter devoted to foreign affairs.

This should tell us all we need to know about Mr. Obama.

From an outraged (at AIG) Washington Post:

AIG Seeks Clearance For More Bonuses

$2.4 Million in Executive Payments Due Next Week

By Brady Dennis and David Cho
Friday, July 10, 2009

American International Group is preparing to pay millions of dollars more in bonuses to several dozen top corporate executives after an earlier round of payments four months ago set off a national furor.

The troubled insurance giant has been pressing the federal government to bless the payments in hopes of shielding itself from renewed public outrage.

The request puts the administration’s new compensation czar on the spot by seeking his opinion about bonuses that were promised long before he took his post.

AIG doesn’t actually need the permission of Kenneth R. Feinberg, who President Obama appointed last month to oversee the compensation of top executives at seven firms that have received large federal bailouts. But officials at AIG, whose federal rescue package stands at $180 billion, have been reluctant to move forward without political cover from the government…

The payments coming due next week include $2.4 million in bonuses for about 40 high-ranking executives at AIG, according to administration documents from earlier this year. Though the actual sum may have changed since then, the payments are much smaller than those that caused the upheaval in March…

Feinberg, who previously managed the government’s efforts to compensate the families of those killed in the Sept. 11 attacks, has the power to determine salaries, bonuses and retirement packages for all executive officers and the 100 most highly paid employees at firms such as Citigroup, Bank of America, General Motors and AIG.

AIG’s upcoming payments do not fall under Feinberg’s official purview, as they involve bonuses delayed from 2008. Feinberg is charged with shaping only current and future compensation. As a result, some Treasury Department officials believe they are under no obligation to offer an advisory opinion in this case, which could leave AIG officials to decide the matter on their own, according to a person familiar with the talks…

Our descent into a banana republic (or Obanana republic) continues apace.

From the often surprising ABC News:

A new ad from the RNC mocking the Obama administration’s decision to allocate additional funds to the redesign of the Recovery.gov web site.

$18M Being Spent to Redesign Recovery.gov Web Site

ABC News’ Rick Klein reports: For those concerned about stimulus spending, the General Services Administration sends word tonight that $18 million in additional funds are being spent to redesign the Recovery.gov Web site.

The new Web site promises to give taxpayers more information about where their money is going than the current version of the site.

“Recovery.gov 2.0 will use innovative and interactive technologies to help taxpayers see where their dollars are being spent,” James A. Williams, commissioner of GSA’s Federal Acquisition Service, says in a press release announcing the contract awarded to Maryland-based Smartronix Inc. “Armed with easy access to this information, taxpayers can make government more accountable for its decisions.” 

The contract calls for spending $9.5 million through January, and as much as $18 million through 2014, according to the GSA press release.

“We are pleased that another major milestone has been achieved," Earl E. Devaney, chairman of the Recovery Accountability and Transparency Board, says in the press release. “We thank the GSA for its assistance and look forward to working with Smartronix."

This is preposterous.

How much could it possibly cost to redesign a web site?

And mind you, this is the site that is supposed to keep the stimulus money from being wasted.

Isn’t irony ironic?

The latest fashion trends from our rulers, via the New York Daily News:

White House denies manufacturer’s boast that First Lady carried their $5,950 bag

July 9th 2009

… Earlier this week (while strolling the wooded landscape outside of Moscow), she carried a sexy black clutch, which Italian luxury house VBH boasts is their shiny black alligator manila bag – with a retail sticker price of $5,950.

The White House says she was carrying the $875 VBH patent leather clutch…

Told that Obama’s office denied the bag was the high-end VBH clutch, Kelly Vitko, a rep for the company replied, "It’s definitely ours [manila bag]."

The $5,950 shiny black manila alligator clutch, a smaller version is shown above, is part of VBH’s Spring 2009 collection.

We suspect the White House is simply lying.

(Obama lied, alligators died.)

But either way, it’s a shameless display of wretched excess in these recessionary times.

From an annoyed (at the protesters) Agence France -Presse:

Iran police fire tear-gas as 1000s mark 1999 unrest

by Jay Deshmukh

TEHRAN (AFP) – Iranian police fired tear-gas on Thursday as thousands of demonstrators defied government warnings and staged a march to commemorate the anniversary of bloody student unrest in 1999, witnesses said.

Protesters chanted "Death to the dictator" as they gathered in the streets around Tehran University, the epicentre of the violence 10 years ago.

Police deployed reinforcements after a first volley of tear-gas failed to disperse the demonstrators, who continued to grow in number, the witnesses said. Police then fired a second volley.

Officers in riot gear had been out in force to try to stifle any gathering as the authorities remained on tenterhooks following the wave of protests over last month’s hotly disputed re-election of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad that saw hundreds of thousands take to the streets.

The authorities had warned of a harsh response to any commemoration of the 1999 violence in which at least one student was killed and dozens wounded when hardline vigilantes stormed student dormitories, according to an official toll…

Groups of students have held small commemorative gatherings in previous years, but Tehran governor Morteza Tamadon issued a blunt warning for this year’s anniversary.

"If some people make moves that are contrary to security initiatives under the influence of anti-revolutionary networks, they will be trampled under the feet of our alert people," he told the official IRNA news agency…

Democracy is still on the march all around the globe.

And Mr. Obama is doing his best to stop it.