Obama's Victory Speech 

Yesterday President Obama strutted into the Rose Garden and gave a victory speech celebrating Obamacare. His rhetoric was so over-the-top, for a moment I thought he might actually do a victory dance. 

The president claimed: "7.1 million Americans have now signed up for private insurance plans through these marketplaces -- 7.1." That is an intentionally misleading statement. 

To reach that figure, the president is counting people who merely selected a plan. They haven't actually paid yet. That's like Walmart counting sales based on the number of shoppers still wandering around the store. 

The New York Times recently reported that at least 20% of enrollees are not paying their first month's premiums. The actual number of paying enrollees is probably closer to 5.5 million. 

Moreover, Obama is implying that none of those 7.1 million people had health insurance before and have it now thanks to Obamacare. To underscore that claim, he rhetorically asked of Obamacare's critics, "Why are folks working so hard for people not to have health insurance?"

But we know that nearly 5 million Americans had insurance before and Obamacare took it away from them! Claiming that as "progress" is like the guy who kills his parents and asks the judge for mercy because he's an orphan. 

As we reported yesterday, there are serious questions about the number of previously uninsured Americans now covered because of Obamacare. 

Obama claimed that his health care reform law was holding costs down. But premiums are skyrocketing more now than they did before Obamacare was passed, and some experts predict rates may double or triple next year. 

Obama also said this: "The debate over repealing this law is over. The Affordable Care Act is here to stay." For all the reasons I just outlined and many more, this debate is far from over. 

Finally, and I mention this in the context of Obama's repeated lectures about empathy: There was not one word yesterday of apology or solace for the millions of Americans whose lives were disrupted by taking away coverage they already had and doctors they liked just so he could force through a big government takeover of major segments of our economy. 

The Face Of Radical Islam 

The persecution of Christians overseas continues with barely a mention in the mainstream media. In Nigeria, Muslim youths attacked a Christian school and burned a nearby church after local imams accused one of the teachers of blasphemy against Islam. Why does the "religion of peace" so often produce an instinctive reaction for violence? 

In Egypt, a young Christian woman was dragged from her car and brutally murdered by radical Islamists. Reports indicate she was stabbed "at least a dozen times" and her throat was slit. Witnesses say she was targeted because she had a cross hanging from her rear-view mirror. 

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister David Cameron has ordered intelligence agencies to launch an investigation of the Muslim Brotherhood in Great Britain. What could this "charity" from the "religion of peace" be up to that has so worried the prime minister? 

After all, the Obama Administration essentially allied itself with the Muslim Brotherhood after it took power in Egypt, even welcoming a Brotherhood delegation to the White House. This wasn't just a matter of "dealing with reality." 

Obama was reaching out to the Muslim Brotherhood well before the Arab Spring toppled the Mubarak government: Obama demanded that its representatives be permitted to attend his 2009 Cairo speech. 

But despite Mr. Obama's apparent comfort level with the Brotherhood, Prime Minister Cameron is clearly concerned. At a press conference Monday, he said:
 

"What I think is important about the Muslim Brotherhood is that we understand what this organization is, what it stands for, what its beliefs are in terms of the path of extremism and violent extremism, what its connections are with other groups, what its presence is here in the United Kingdom. Our policies should be informed by a complete picture of that knowledge."

Kudos To Joe Manchin 

West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin (D) told reporters yesterday that he intended to vote for a bill banning abortions performed after the 20th week of pregnancy. Good for him. But it really shouldn't be a tough call. 

Polls show broad public support for protecting unborn children in the second and third trimesters. 

While I applaud Manchin's willingness to take a stand for the sanctity of life, his support came with a big caveat: Manchin said he would vote for the bill "if it comes to the floor." 

Media Whitewashing Ukrainian History, Again 

For decades, liberal American journalists were soft on the Soviet Union. They are doing it again when it comes to the conflict in Ukraine. You can read more in my latest opinion piece at The Weekly Standard's website.