The Water Cooler is written by Washington Times staffers.
By Kerry Picket — Published January 5, 2010 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Ben Nelson’s bogus infomercial, GOP’s Brown within nine points in Mass. Senate race, and Did Obama politicize the terror database? NetRight Nation: Ben Nelson’s bogus infomercial Move over Psychic Friends Network. Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson just became the latest contender for the infomercial throne. He’s pitching his own brand of healthcare snake oil. And, he’s sealing the sale in truest infomercial pitchman form, with the bogus guarantee: “Remember, folks, it’s not run by government.” Investor's Business Daily: GOP’s Brown within nine points in Mass. Senate race Coakley leads 50% to 41%, according to a new Rasmussen poll. Her lead falls to just two points among respondents who say they are sure to vote. American Thinker: Did Obama politicize the terror database? In his usual heroic fashion, Obama tossed that hot Christmas Bomber potato to Janet Napolitano, and when she dropped the potato, it ...
by Kerry Picket — Published January 4, 2010 Comments
MSNBC's Keth Olbermann went after Fox News Channel's Brit Hume for comments Mr. Hume made about Christianity this weekend. Olbermann's comparison was so outrageous even his guest, Dan Savage, who was critical of Mr. Hume had to moderate Mr. Olbermann's remarks. (VIDEO BELOW) OLBERMANN: (2:15 in) Isn't this the classic thing that your mother probably also pointed out to you about never discussing religion in public? You can discuss religion in public. Its like this that you're not supposed to do it. This crosses that principle. Keep religious advocacy out of public life since the worst examples of that are Jihadists---not to mention guys who don't know their own religions or someone else's religion like Brit Hume. TRANSCRIPT BELOW (h/t Brad Wilmouth at Newsbusters for transcription) KEITH OLBERMANN, IN OPENING TEASER: And Fox News drops the pretense: Tiger Woods can be forgiven, but only if he renounces his religion. BRIT HUME: ...
by Kerry Picket — Published January 4, 2010 Comments
Fox News senior analyst Brit Hume appeared on The O'Reilly Factor tonight and stood by the statements he made this weekend regarding his advice for Tiger Woods to turn to Christianity. In fact, Mr. Hume went even further this evening with his thoughts on redemption and Jesus Christ. (videos below) HUME: “Jesus Christ offers Tiger Woods something Tiger Woods desperately needs.” HUME: "Tiger Woods will recover as a golfer. Whether he can recover as a person I think is a very open question, and it's a tragic situation for him. I think he's lost his family, it's not clear to me if he'll be able to have a relationship with his children, but the Tiger Woods that emerges once the news value dies out of this scandal -- the extent to which he can recover -- seems to me to depend on his faith. He's said to be a Buddhist; ...
by Anath Hartmann — Published January 4, 2010 Comments
Matt Lauer must have been absent from J-school the day the rest of his class learned how to conduct an objective interview. On Monday's Today Show, the NBC anchor grilled Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) about DeMint's "hold-out" status (h/t Newsbusters)in regard to Senate confirmation of Transportation Security Administration nominee Erroll Southers. "You say we're all on the same page," Lauer said to DeMint on the show. "You are the single hold-out, Senator, in--in approving the President's choice for the director of the TSA, Errol Southers and I'm--I'm just curious, in--in light of Flight 253 are you still gonna hold out on that nomination or are you maybe gonna come around?" Lauer failed to mention that in this nomination, it has been the White House that has taken its sweet time. More than 240 days of Obama administration passed before the Southers nomination made it to the Senate. And Lauer's very journalistic use ...
by Kerry Picket — Published January 4, 2010 Comments
Leaders on the hill have decided that the health care reform bill should go into the business of personal relationship advice. According to the health care bill passed by the Senate before Christmas Eve, taxpayers will foot the bill for "personal responsibility education" programs. Personal responsibility programs are detailed in the Senate health care bill (p.602) to incorporate both contraception methods and abstinence teaching, as well as "adulthood preparation" programs. The adulthood preparation program topics described in the health care bill range from "positive self-esteem" to dating, friendships, romantic involvement, marriage, and family interactions. In fact, in a twist of irony coming from federal lawmakers, instructions in handling finances is included in this kind of tax payer funded program.: 9 ‘‘(C) ADULTHOOD PREPARATION SUB 10 JECTS.—The adulthood preparation subjects de 11 scribed in this subparagraph are the following: 12 ‘‘(i) Healthy relationships, such as 13 positive self-esteem and relationship dynam ...
by Anath Hartmann — Published January 4, 2010 Comments
As if the U.S. government weren't hemorrhaging enough money, the Obama administration is reportedly now doling out cash to liars. A Dec. 16 waiver of a requirement in the federally funded Home Affordable Modification Program is allowing borrowers who understate their income by 25 percent or more when trying to get mortgage modifications avoid penalties. The December 16 waiver allows such borrowers to continue a trial period instead of being rejected outright, says an Associated Press report. Before the November's White House crackdown on big, mean mortgage companies, applicants who were found to have conveniently forgotten how much they made had to restart the application process. Now, though, the government seems to be rewarding these people--the very group responsible for a large part of the housing market collapse. According to the Dec. 25 AP article: "More than a third, or 4.3 million, of the home loans issued from 2004 through 2007 were ...
by Kerry Picket — Published January 4, 2010 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: 58% favor waterboarding of plane terrorist to get information, staff walks out on party-switcher Griffith, and heroin for dummies. Rasmussen: 58% Favor waterboarding of plane terrorist to get information Fifty-eight percent (58%) of U.S. voters say waterboarding and other aggressive interrogation techniques should be used to gain information from the terrorist who attempted to bomb an airliner on Christmas Day The Hill: Staff walks out on party switcher Griffith Rep. Parker Griffith's (Ala.) staff has resigned en masse after his recent decision to switch parties and become a Republican. NY Post: Heroin for dummies The city spent $32,000 on 70,000 fliers that tell you how to shoot heroin, complete with detailed tips on prepping the dope and injecting it into your arm.
by Kerry Picket — Published January 1, 2010 Comments
The Washington Times Opinion section presented the New Years day page with predictions of 2010 headlines we considered both likely and unlikely. We would like to thank our readers for helping us compile a great list. Special thanks goes to those on the Water Cooler, Twitter, Red State, and Free Republic. Below are a few other 2010 "headlines" which did not make our print edition due to space but bear mentioning. Contributors of the 2010 headlines include the Washington Times Opinion staff, Ed Morrissey at Hot Air, staff at CEI, and staff at Newsbusters.: Welfare mortgage legislation repealed Local ACLU plants crosses in front of City Hall Gitmo remains open, larger facility built nearby Winter 2009 coldest on record SCOTUS: foreign terrorists not due same rights as Americans Israel strikes Iranian nuclear facilities Estate tax repealed Neutrality neutralized: Net bill dead in the water Climate scandal: More emails emerge, more records faked In "hard pivot," Obama fires Geithner, Summers; appoints Forbes to ...
by Kerry Picket — Published January 1, 2010 Comments
*Updated with press release link President Obama has appointed Amanda Simpson to the position of Senior Technical Advisor to the Department of Commerce. Ms. Simpson is likely to be the first transgender appointee of the Obama administration. In a National Center for Transgender Equality press release, Ms. Simpson is quoted as saying,: ''I'm truly honored to have received this appointment and am eager and excited about this opportunity that is before me. And at the same time, as one of the first transgender presidential appointees to the federal government, I hope that I will soon be one of hundreds, and that this appointment opens future opportunities for many others.'' Ms. Simpson has thirty years experience in the aerospace and defense industry. She most recently served as Deputy Director in Advanced Technology Development at Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Arizona. According to the Indiana Transgender Rights Advocacy Alliance, Ms. Simpson has an activist political background ...
by Kerry Picket — Published January 1, 2010 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Ben Nelson to Henry McMaster: 'Call off the dogs', How did Obama fare in 2009? Don't ask an Obamaniac!, and War? What war? Politico: Ben Nelson to Henry McMaster: 'Call off the dogs' Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) reached out Thursday evening to South Carolina GOP Attorney General Henry McMaster, the leader of a group of 13 Republican state attorneys general who are threatening to file suit against the Senate health care bill, and urged him to forgo any legal action, POLITICO has learned. Vocal Minority How did Obama fare in 2009? Don't ask an Obamaniac! I also pointed out that I was far from the only one severely disappointed with the current president and his administration. Obama’s approval rating teetered around 50% since mid-July and has stayed below that since mid-November. Townhall: War? What war? Now, in a sneaky move ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 31, 2009 Comments
The Associated Press is reporting today that the Montana Supreme Court has ruled that nothing in the state law can keep patients from seeking physician-assisted suicide.: A year ago, a state District Court judge ruled that the state's constitutional rights to privacy and dignity protect the right of terminally ill Montanans to get the drugs needed to die peacefully. But advocates have said a decision from the state Supreme Court was needed before physician-assisted suicide would be embraced by the medical community. Americans United for Life, a nonprofit, public-interest law and policy organization, weighed in on this case back in September. President of AUL, Dr. Charmaine Yoest, said in a press release,: “Suicide advocates disingenuously argue that no one is harmed in assisted suicide. Not only does this claim ignore the fact that physicians are put in a position of killing their patients, but it also ignores the immeasurable damage caused to ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 31, 2009 Comments
Today's Water Cooler lineup of off the beaten path online stories are: Diesels could outrun hybrids in 2010, Dems blame Bush admin for terror attempt, and the US releases ‘dangerous’ Iranian proxy behind the murder of US troops. Scripps: Diesels could outrun hybrids in 2010 Plug-in hybrids may generate more eco-buzz when the calendar flips, but diesels could prove more powerful in revving up the automotive economy. Hotline: Dems blame Bush admin for terror attempt As GOPers begin increasingly using the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound airliner to score political points, 2 Dems are blaming the Bush admin for events that led directly to the failed attack. Long War Journal: US releases ‘dangerous’ Iranian proxy behind the murder of US troops The US has released the leader of an Iranian-backed Shia terror group behind the kidnapping and murder of five US soldiers in Karbala in January 2007.
by Anath Hartmann — Published December 30, 2009 Comments
General Motors is using taxpayer money to get more taxpayer money, according to a Wednesday editorial in The Examiner. In an effort to receive government subsidies, tax breaks and other financial favors the troubled car manufacturer, which has not turned a profit since 2005 and on a monthly basis actually loses $400 million, has reportedly rehired two of the high-priced lobbying firms it fired last summer. K Street outfits Duberstein Group and Greenberg Traurig were quietly brought back on in recent months, and the firms Washington Tax Group and GrayLoeffler were added to GM payrolls. Perhaps now the whereabouts of that $52 million in bailout money to GM will be less of a mystery to taxpayers. According to The Examiner editorial, "Duberstein Group's average quarterly fee last quarter was $94,000, while Greenberg Traurig's was $40,000 and GrayLoeffler's was $28,000. In the third quarter, GM paid the Washington Tax Group $25,000." News of ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 30, 2009 Comments
New York Times Op-Ed columnist Maureen Dowd, a usual cheerleader for President Barack Obama, was particularly harsh on her favorite Whitehouse resident in her column today. While Ms. Dowd cannot help but take shots at the Bush administration while tearing up Mr. Obama.: W., Dick Cheney and Rummy kept ceaselessly dragging us back into the past. America seemed to have lost her ingenuity, her quickness, her man-on-the-moon bravura, her Bugs Bunny panache. Were we clever and inventive enough to protect ourselves from the new breed of Flintstones-hardy yet Facebook-savvy terrorists? W.’s favorite word was “resolute,” but despite gazillions spent and Cheney’s bluster, our efforts to shield ourselves seemed flaccid. After Ms. Dowd's tantrum over former President Bush, she tears into Mr. Obama.: If we can’t catch a Nigerian with a powerful explosive powder in his oddly feminine-looking underpants and a syringe full of acid, a man whose own father had ...
by Kerry Picket — Published December 30, 2009 Comments
We want your help with our New Year's Day editorial. We're looking for the headlines conservatives would like to see in 2010. The headlines can be serious, funny, or ironic. It is your choice, and we will credit your submission if it is used in Friday's paper. We'll post the best of the rest here. Simply place your suggestion in the Water Cooler comments below or go through Twitter and use the hash tag #2010headlineswehopefor. Here are a few to get the brain cells started: Gore plane frozen to tarmac in Rio Republicans take back House and Senate SpongeBob Squarepants wins peace prize Obama saved by pistol-packing hero Harry Reid loses re-election bid ACORN disbands under crush of political scandal
