Over the weekend, Iran successfully test-fired short-range missiles. This news comes just days after we find out that Iran has an underground nuclear facility that was being secretly constructed. This also comes just days after the United Nations issued a firm warning that said, "We do not like this, but we will never do anything to stop it." What a joke. This also comes after our president, Barack Obama, stands up in front of the UN (including Mahmoud Ahmadinejad) and declares his dreams for a nuclear-free world. And ... this news comes just weeks after the United States decided to pull its plans to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe. One of the reasons cited was because Iran did not pose a serious threat.

You are following this, aren't you? Barack Obama cancels a project to install missile defense systems in Poland and The Czech Republic. Obama tells the world that he has determine that the Iranian threat is not quite so bad as was supposed. Days later we find that Iran has a second facility for the production of nuclear-grade plutonium soon to come on line. Then these maniacs start test firing missiles.

There ... do you feel safer now? Once again, and all together now ... elections have consequences. I know you're glad that the president looks like you. Big whoop. And you liked the word "change," especially when you added the "you can believe in" thing to the back. And Obama was so trim! So confident! So eloquent! Well, eloquent as long as he had a teleprompter in front of him. And he wrote such a wonderful book! Well, those parts that Bill Ayers didn't write, anyway.

Aren't you just so happy things have turned out so well?

Barack Obama did a fine job of appeasing and apologizing at the United Nations. While his speech was filled with empty phrases like, "the people of the world want change," the part that got him the most applause was when he mentioned Israel. Need I remind you that applause from a group of dictators and despots is not exactly a good thing. Also .. do I need to remind you that the UN is and has been very much anti-Israel. The applause was no surprise.

As former UN Ambassador John Bolton said, Obama essentially put Israel on the chopping block. Obama said, "We continue to call on Palestinians to end incitement against Israel, and we continue to emphasize that America does not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlements ... The United States does Israel no favors when we fail to couple an unwavering commitment to its security with an insistence that Israel respect the legitimate claims and rights of the Palestinians. And nations within this body do the Palestinians no favors when they choose vitriolic attacks over a constructive willingness to recognize Israel's legitimacy, and its right to exist in peace and security."

One of Obama's audience members was none other than Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. This is a man who denies the existence of the Holocaust and says that he wants to "wipe Israel off the map." I wonder if this statement by Barack Obama sent tingles up his leg? Can't you just see him sitting there grinning ear-to-ear as Obama carries his water to the UN delegates?

Now ... having brought up Obama's decidedly unfriendly stance toward Israel, there were some good parts of the speech. I particularly liked this:

"Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world's problems alone. Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges. Nothing is easier than blaming others for our troubles and absolving ourselves of responsibility for our choices and our actions,"

Well .. good for him on this one.

Still ... the three marquis speeches at the UN yesterday were Ahmadinejad, Qaddafi, and our president. Nice imaging.

President Obama has finally decided to take the reins and steer this healthcare debate. Next Wednesday he is going to address a joint session of Congress. This will be the first address to a joint session of Congress since President Bush gathered the clowns together after the 9/11 ISLAMIC terrorist attacks.

Clearly, Democrats in Congress haven't done all that great of a PR job when it comes to selling their healthcare plan. The hope is that PrezBO still has enough star power left to muster some support. Is he going to advocate a government option? Probably not. At this point, too much is riding on the success or failure of healthcare reform - the remainder of Obama's presidency, for example -- and a government option seems absolutely doomed for failure. That's a good thing because the government option was merely a not-so-suave way of getting to single-payer, and single payer means absolute government control.

There's that word again! CONTROL! My guess is that whatever you hear from Mr. Government next week, control of your health care will be hidden in the details. This, after all, is the goal. At the end this is all an exercise aimed to making sure that Democrats never lose control of the congress again. To get that sort of a grip on power they need an inseparable grip on you. Controlling your access to and paying for your health care would do it. So ... onward.

As soon as Obama plays his cards we'll get back into the game.

By the way ... did I mention that the 9/11 attackers were MUSLIMS?

Iran, we're told, now has perfected the technology to create and detonate a nuclear weapon. How many of you really believe that the present administration will stand up to a nuclear Iran? Yeah ... me too.

By the time you read this Barack Obama will have made his great speech from Cairo. I have to draw up these notes before the speech is over ... so some guesswork here.

Somehow I don't think he's going to repeat his nonsensical "America is the largest Muslim country in the world" bit ... and he might even refrain from bowing and scraping to the Islamic world. Literally, anyway; figuratively ... well, that's another story. Yesterday PrezBO he met with the King of Saudi Arabia where he got the chance to show off his stellar abs with all the bowing and leaning ... remember, Obama is taller than the King of Saudi Arabia so he has to "lean." Oh yeah .. that's it. He's leaning. OK, I got it.

This time around, everyone is wondering how Obama is going to represent America. Will it be a fawning apology tour? Will he present an image of America as apologetic and weak? These are some strong-willed people he's dealing with ... they can smell weakness miles away. It should be no surprise that there are some leftists out there who believe that Obama SHOULD apologize while in the Middle East. You'll get a kick out of this. This is from Dan Froomkin at the Washington Compost (that's what Oliver North calls it):

Disparaging President Obama's overseas trip as an "Apology Tour", some conservative critics are trying to make the argument that being a powerful champion of liberty and admitting mistakes are somehow mutually exclusive.

But particularly as Obama addresses the Muslim world tomorrow morning in Cairo, he has plenty to apologize for. The entire neoconservative "war on terror" that was supposed to strike fear in the hearts of our enemies instead backfired spectacularly, turning into what some saw as a failed and contemptible war on Islam -- complete with torture chambers -- at enormous cost to our nation's security and moral standing.

For Obama to undo even some of that damage, which is a tall order, of course he needs to acknowledge what went wrong.

Yeah ... that's how to portray strength. Apologize for defending ourselves.

Now .. I will say this. While preparing my morning notes I have been able to eavesdrop on Obama's speech. What I've heard ... and I haven't heard it all ... is impressive. Analysis takes some time ... but my guess is that the media is generally going to give him stellar marks on this one. If you're curious, and you should be, here's a link to the text of Obama's speech released by the White House. Or view the video right here.

As if the United Nations itself isn't bad enough, when the United Nations decides to host a conference on racism .. you know that you are in for some brilliant international diplomacy. Congratulations in order for Barack Obama for his decision not to attend this year's conference on racism. The UN has hosted these forums before, and they've turned out to be nothing less than an occasion for various half-baked dictators and demagogues to rant against Israel and the United States. When you invite Iran's Ahmadininutjob to the party, you know that you are in for some trouble.

Ahmadinejad did not fail to disappoint. He took this racism conference as an opportunity to lash out against Israel and the United States. He said that the Holocaust was a "pretext" for aggression, Israel is a "racist" nation and the Western world is responsible for the current financial crisis. He added that "world Zionism personifies racism."

Folks, what else did you expect? This is nothing new. We know that this mad Muslim, Ahmadinejad, has about as many loose screws as Kim Jong-Il. And you expect this guy to engage in a lucid and constructive discussion on international race relations? If that doesn't make you lose faith in the United Nations, I just don't know what to tell you.

Some Western nations had the gonads to walk out on Ahmadinejad's speech. Good. If Obama had been there, I would hope to Hillary that he would have done the same.

Now we learn that the Congressional Black Caucus is upset that the United States wasn't at the conference. They sincerely believe that this UN summit is a legitimate avenue for addressing global racism. Just last week the CBC was down there in Cuba vying for the opportunity to plant their collective lips on Fidel's wrinkled old ass. These are your elected politicians, folks. These are people that you are putting into office. Not some Islamic goon. These are your representatives saying that they believe it was wrong for the United States to have boycotted this conference and that this is a legitimate way to address racism.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is over there in the Middle East pushing the Palestinian state idea again. This just isn't going to happen folks. The Arab Muslim world does not want one. The so-called "Palestinians" (Arafat was an Egyptian) are cannon fodder for the Arab world's hatred of and fight against Israel. They will never permit a solution that does not cripple Israel.

We hear now that there is a great deal of international effort to stop the violence in Gaza. Why? Why now? Where was all of this grand international pressure when Hamas was tossing rockets at Israeli civilians? Why was all of this international pressure delayed until Israel reacted in pure self defense? If the international community wasn't out there in loud condemnation of this Islamic terrorist group for firing missiles at innocent Israeli civilians. If the international community could not come up with condemnations and pressure then, perhaps it should sit back, shut up, and allow Israel to take care of this situation now.

BTW ... why is it that nobody seems to want the so-called Palestinians? Just wondering.

I just hope I can remember most of them......

• Israel fighting back against Hamas ... and the world's reaction.
• That idiot attorney who used to represent the PLO and her insane observations on the Middle East situation.
• What is in store for our country with leaders elected by the less-educated and poorly informed?
• Al Franken will probably be named the winner of that Senatorial race in Minnesota. How many of you really doubt that there was some funny business in the counting of the ballots. Franken, by the way, is a jerk.
• Obama is dead set against the idea of school choice ... for you. Today his spawn start school at an exclusive private institution in Washington DC. Choice for the Obamas. No choice for you.

Apparently she's trying to break the blockade of Gaza. I figured you guys would want this one over in it's own post and all so you could have some fun with it.

This is really so completely ridiculous. For days the Muslim Hamas goons in Gaza launch rockets at Israeli civilians. The "Arab world" is quiet. Then Israel retaliates and the "Arab World' suddenly goes nutso. How long do we tolerate this asinine double standard?

Where was the Arab world when those rockets were being fired at innocent Israelis? Sitting on their butts and shutting the hell up, that's where .. and the same goes for much of the oh-so-enlightened European Union. Then Israel retaliates and the world is coming to and. Everybody tells Israel to be careful about causing civilian casualties. Do any of you remember "the world" telling Hamas to be careful about where they aim those rockets? Did "the world" warn Israelis about civilian casualties among the so-called "Palestinians?"

Hamas tells Israel that if they don't stop their assault then Hamas is going to resort to suicide bombings. Are you believing this? Hamas feels free to fire rockets indiscriminately into the Israeli civilian population. They're telling Israel that if it tries to stop them from playing with their rockets, they'll move on to suicide bombs. In other words ... the message is that Israel just has to endure the rocket attacks and do nothing in return.

Israel is to be admired here. They have a civilian population to protect, and the hell with world opinion. When "the world" shows as much concern for innocent Israelis dying under Hamas rocket barrages as it does for Palestinians, then maybe Israel will listen.

Israeli troops are reportedly massing at the border. Send 'em in to clean out these Muslim Hamas goons once and for all.