Lucid Links (041409)

Noteworthy Net-Worthies:

As noted at the time, I thought Obama did the right thing with the Richard Phillips situation on Sunday. The overreaction to all of this from both sides has been pathetic. On the left and in the press, with White House help (but I repeat myself, twice), they’re trying to claim that it’s some kind of defining moment. Example: the ever reliable Jennifer Loven at the Associated Press (HT Tim Graham at NewsBusters). That’s really weak. But those on the right, and they are legion, who are saying “big bleeping deal,” are forgetting that Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter would probably have intervened to prevent the Navy from doing its job. So please, lefties, step away from the Mt. Rushmore chisels. Righties, recognize that Sunday was a small step that was at least, and at last, in the right direction. I do agree that whether or not it ultimately does anything to clean up the Somalia problem in general should be a benchmark in evaluating the administration’s success or failure in the region.

Sadly related — The administration’s apparent two week-old halt on using the term “War on Terror” in favor of crap like “overseas contingency operations” is a reality-denying, terrorist-encouraging sign that it isn’t serious about our safety. They apparently denied the bureaucratic revisionism for a bit, but Hillary Clinton confirmed it a few days later.

Speaking of Hillary, in light of this gem captured by Ken Shepherd at NewsBusters, Mrs. Clinton is probably wondering where Katie Couric was when she was making her “experience” arguments during last year’s primaries — “Sticking up against those ol’ playground bullies on the Right, CBS’s Katie Couric tells conservatives in a recent blog post to ” give the new kids on the block” in the Obama administration “a chance to get their learner’s permits first.” More currently relevant: Katie, when do we get to ask if the training wheels have come off yet?

Meant to note this (HT Michelle Malkin) a while ago, and it needs to get on the record here — “One of those allegedly asleep-at-the-switch board members (at Freddie Mac) was Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel—now chief of staff to President Barack Obama—who made at least $320,000 for a 14-month stint at Freddie Mac that required little effort.” Board seats at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, which have cost US taxpayers almost $60 billion so far, according to the latest Monthly Treasury Statement (see the line item called “Housing and Economic Recovery Programs” on Page 15), were merely Democratic Party payoffs for other politically-related jobs well done. The Chicago Trib article notes that the negligent boards let accounting scandals fester and permitted aggressive and illegal electioneering.

AP writer Bruce Schreiner, in an early Monday story, failed to identify the party affiliation of officials indicted in March in Clay County, Kentucky. They are accused of rigging elections in Clay County. It appears to be a bipartisan, though leaning Democrat, effort. What was really weird is that it took Schreiner 14 paragraphs to even get around to naming anyone indicted. Even in a background piece, that’s ridiculous.

God Bless Texas, and Rick Perry.