Stop Hagel!
As I reported yesterday, there is a real chance to still stop the nomination of former Senator Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense. Hagel is anti-Israel and soft on Iran, and he would make it easy to decimate the budget of the Department of Defense.
Hagel’s testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee was widely seen as inept and disingenuous. Nonetheless, the majority of Democrats on the committee voted to send Hagel’s nomination to the full Senate. As a result, many conservative Senators intend to engage in a protracted debate to prevent a final vote. They need your help right now because a vote may take place at any moment.
Go to the Christians United for Israel website at cufi.org and follow the directions to send messages to your senators to vote against ending the debate and against Hagel’s confirmation. The more messages we can send in the next 24 hours, the better our chances will be to stop Hagel and his dangerous policies.
The Media’s “Drinking Problem”
Just as I predicted, the mainstream media are continuing to obsess over Marco Rubio’s case of dry mouth during his State of the Union response on Tuesday night. According to a tally by The Daily Caller, MSNBC ran the clip of the Republican senator’s pause to take a drink of water 155 times in just one broadcast day. CNN replayed the incident 34 times on Wednesday, and CNN host Wolf Blitzer even suggested the swig of water could be a “career ender” for Rubio.
In politics, perception often becomes reality. If a talking point is repeated often enough, it can become "the truth." It doesn’t matter if it’s a complete lie. Sarah Palin never said “I can see Russia from my house.” It was Tina Fey playing Palin on Saturday Night Live who said it. But the line reinforced the idea that Palin was clueless on foreign policy and thus unfit for the vice presidency, so the Left repeated it again and again until it eventually became “reality.” Today even many conservatives believe Palin actually said it.
In Rubio’s case, many liberals in the media believe that if they continue to portray his sip of water as relevant, it will take him down a few notches and may damage him for any run for the presidency. It’s another example of how the media distorts the truth until it becomes, in a sense, the only truth that matters. This time they will fail but they will keep on trying.
Obama Abandoning Heroes
Earlier this week I told you the story of Kimberly Munley, the police sergeant who helped stop the Fort Hood shooting. During the 2010 State of the Union, Obama promised to take care of the victims of the attack. But Munley claimed last week on ABC News that she felt “betrayed” by the Obama administration and that “Not to the least little bit have the victims been taken care of…In fact, they’ve been neglected.”
Now Republican members of the House are furious and demanding action. Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) have sent a letter to their fellow members of Congress demanding that the Fort Hood attack be labeled a “terrorist attack” which is what it was and that all the heroes and victims of that attack be provided full combat healthcare benefits. “It is time for the administration to recognize the Fort Hood shooting for what it is – an act of terrorism,” the letter states.
As things stand now, the Fort Hood victims are getting lower priority access than other veterans to the healthcare they need, because the Obama administration labeled the attack “workplace violence” not a terrorist attack or “combat related” violence.
The accused gunman in the attack, Major Nidal Hasan, is awaiting trial on charges of premeditated murder and attempted murder. Hasan had been in regular contact with al Qaeda leaders and yelled “Allahu Akhbar” as he shot his victims.
I told you recently about neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who lashed out at political correctness during his National Day of Prayer speech. Well, political correctness explains why the Obama administration isn’t calling this clear act of terrorism what it is.
The mass shooting was bad enough. But because they aren’t getting the same medical treatment as their brothers and sisters in arms, the victims and heroes of the horrific Fort Hood killing have been victimized again, by their own government.
Fourteen people were killed in the attack, including a mother and her unborn child. Thirty-two others were injured. I’m glad House Republicans are trying to shame the Obama Administration into action but I see nothing to give me hope that the White House will do the right thing.