Hostages? I Want Pizza!

While Americans are being held captive at sea President Obama decided to hold a pizza party at the White House,
And Dear Leader doesn't eat just any pizza. He's gotta have his pizza from St. Louis.
So much for the hostages. They can wait. So, Obama flew in his own personal pizza guy from the Gateway City just so he could have his pizza.
Meanwhile, America continues to signal to the world that we are all too happy to capitulate.

Here's more from Abe Greenwald at Commentary:

Four Americans are now being held captive by foreign governments or non-state actors: two journalists in North Korea, one journalist in Iran, and one ship captain off the coast of Somalia.
Has anyone heard from the president about these incidents?
In regard to North Korea and Iran, Barack Obama is too dug-in to a capitulationist stance to make a peep. While free and safe journalists praise Obama for “listening” to autocrats and fanatics, their less fortunate colleagues have been listening in vain for a word from the American president. Tragic as that is, it does at least free up Obama to speak forcefully about the Somali pirates now holding the brave and selfless Capt. Richard Phillips. After all, we can’t possibly have an interest in engaging these stateless thugs. So what message has Obama sent?

“So far President Barack Obama’s role in the U.S. response to an American sea captain’s kidnapping by Somali pirates has been careful - and quiet,” writes the Associated Press’ Liz Sidoti. “The new commander in chief has been kept abreast of negotiations over the captain’s release, but advisers say Obama has delegated the heavy lifting to high-level administration officials and his military commanders. The president himself has yet to speak publicly about the incident near the Horn of Africa. He brushed off a reporter’s question Thursday. Instead he has let his top surrogates do the talking, although their comments have been brief, perhaps mindful that their words could influence the sensitive negotiations with the hostage-taking pirates.”

It is far too easy to criticize the president for failing to do or say the right thing in regard to these fragile situations. Missteps could prove fatal. But to do and say nothing about Americans being held captive in foreign lands is a scandal in itself and another global advertisement for America’s new and pervasive sense of trepidation.

Vote: Favorite First Lady!

Seven living First Ladies of the United States now grace our land.
In alphabetical order, they are: Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton, Betty Ford, Michelle Obama and Nancy Reagan.
Though this represents an impressive complement of First Ladies alive at the same time it is not an historical record.
During two periods in United States history, there have been eleven women alive to have been First Lady. They occurred in the late 1880s, the first for 448 days between June 2, 1886 and August 23, 1887, the second for 114 days between March 4 and June 25, 1889.
Here's another interesting fact: There has been only one presidency when three women acted as First Lady, that of John Tyler 1841–1845. The first First Lady was his first wife Letitia Christian Tyler who died on September 19, 1842. Tyler's daughter-in-law Priscilla Cooper Tyler then served as First Lady until June 26, 1844 when Tyler married his second wife Julia Gardiner Tyler.
Anyway, we want to know: Who's your very favorite living First Lady? And yes, you can vote for the current First Lady. Michelle Obama. But you can only vote for one.
Vote in our poll at the top right of this page!

Carter: He's baaaaaack!

Former US President Jimmy Carter departs following a visit to the West Wing of the White House in Washington March 18, 2009. Reuters/Jonathan Ernst

Gallup Shows Obama Slide

The President's first month is barely over and already the polls are showing a steady slide in support.

In fact, Obama's ratings are now lower than Jimmy Carter's were at the same point in his presidency.

The new Gallup poll shows President Obama at 59% -- a drop of 17% in approval just in the first few weeks. Meanwhile his disapproval numbers have climbed.

Why the slide?

The President seems to have abandoned any pretense of bi-partisanship, has stressed negativity and an air of crisis, has bungled key administration appointments and has sent mixed messages on foreign and domestic policy thus sowing the seeds of uncertainty at home and abroad.

It's not an impressive start.

Obama will try to regain momentum in his address to Congress tonight.

But having to regain your footing only a few weeks into the job -- well, it doesn't look good. Not good at all.

Obama Leads Cabinet Goofs

From Brian Faughnan at Red State:
Just as the dust was settling last week from the exits of Tom Daschle and Nancy Killefer, Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., whipped up the tumult again. By pulling out of consideration for Commerce secretary, a post previously abandoned by New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson (D), Gregg became the Obama administration’s fourth high-level dropout so far.
But while this administration has set a turnover record for an incoming Cabinet, it’s hardly the first to run into problems with its nominees. Bill Clinton leads among recent presidents with a total of six major nominee dropouts over the course of his presidency, followed by George W. Bush and his Cabinet’s two withdrawals. Three previous presidents — George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter — each slipped once. All but Reagan had at least one kink in their first-term Cabinet selection process, with Clinton accepting three withdrawals.