Bono and David Letterman

On Monday's Late Show with David Letterman, U2's Bono gave President George W. Bush credit for helping to save millions of lives in Africa.

Poor Letterman.

That had to hurt, hearing Bono, the great humanitarian, praise President Bush.

Here's video of the full episode.

Transcript, from NewsBusters:

DAVID LETTERMAN: Now, listen, from time to time - not time to time, every darn day - you hear things about Africa, and, sadly, you don’t hear much good about Africa. And, recently, I heard that because of a 20-year drought, the Cape of Africa, like 10 or 15 million people, are gonna be without food here, like they don’t have enough problems in Africa. Tell me about your efforts and how they have affected that continent.

BONO: You know, actually, yes, there is tragedy in Africa, and you will always find it there, and we must take those tragedies seriously, but there is also extraordinary opportunity. And if you see this continent as the continent of the future, it sort of reframes it. I mean, this is, this is a continent that, by 2050, will be the largest continent, the youngest continent in the world. It’s very rich, you know. Under the ground, they have a lot of great minerals. They have some tough stuff to do, and, but they do, they get their fair share of difficulties to overcome, but I will say this: This week, we just hit the five million mark, the United States saving five million lives, people who are suffering from AIDS and now have anti-retroviral drugs because of the United States, because that’s who you are, and you’ve done an amazing thing. And so, when people get organized, get busy, things change, and that is an amazing - five million lives have been saved over the last, in eight years, in eight years.

(AUDIENCE APPLAUSE)

LETTERMAN: And would this have - and it’s impossible for you to acknowledge this one way or the other - but without your efforts, would this have been accomplished, do you think? Would somebody else have stepped up?

BONO: I’d like to believe that the American people have that sort of in them, and, but it was an interesting, it was an unusual combination of people on the left and the right got together, organization’s called One because it’s the one thing people on the left and the right can agree with. And President Bush, you know, whom, you know, you might have arguments with on various levels, he actually led this and he deserves some credit for this.

It wasn't all talk on Monday's show.

Here's Bono and The Edge discussing and performing a little bit of "Stuck In a Moment":

Common and Obama: Poetry Night

Tonight at the White House, the Obamas will be celebrating American poetry.

From the Washington Examiner:

[The Obamas will celebrate] American poetry and prose by hosting a gathering of poets, musicians and artists.

Those slated to attend include Elizabeth Alexander, Billy Collins, Common, Rita Dove, Kenneth Goldsmith, Alison Knowles, Aimee Mann and Jill Scott. The performers, using music and verse, will highlight poetry's influence on American culture, according to the Associated Press.

As per usual, Michelle Obama will use the event to teach young ones. The first lady will host an afternoon workshop connecting students from all across the country to the evening's performers.

"An Evening of Poetry" is part of White House's music series, which began in 2009 with a jazz studio. Since then, Michelle Obama has hosted a celebration of country music, classical music, Motown music, Latin music, a salute to Broadway, music of the civil rights movement and a dance tribute to Judith Jamison.

"An Evening of Poetry" doesn't sound very controversial, but it is.

The source of the controversy is the White House invitation for Common, aka Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr., a poet and rapper from Chicago, to participate in the event.

Common and the Obamas go way back.

They were all members of the very controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright's Trinity United Church of Christ.

Watch Common freestyle the sermon, and campaign for Obama, at the Church's 2008 New Year celebration.



Common defended his pastor when Wright came under fire back in 2008. Obama, of course, eventually threw Wright under the bus.

Here's another performance by Common, "Can a Black Man be a President."



Clearly, Common is politically active and a longtime Obama supporter. He's done plenty of campaigning for Obama. Watch "Vote Hope: Common for Barack Obama."



Given their history, it's no surprise that the Obamas would want Common to attend their celebration of American poetry.

The issue is some of Common's "poetry."

One of his "poems" speaks of killing police and burning President George W. Bush.

That violent imagery is a problem, especially since Michelle intends to use the event as a teaching moment for kids.

As per usual, Michelle Obama will use the event to teach young ones. The first lady will host an afternoon workshop connecting students from all across the country to the evening's performers.

I don't know that it's a good thing to connect American students with Common.

Common writes some rough, hateful stuff. I don't think that's a good message to send to kids.

Video of Common reciting "A Letter to the Law."



Transcript, from The Daily Caller.

A Letter to the Law

Dem boy wanna talk… [indistinguishable]

Whatcha gon do if ya got one gun?

I sing a song for the hero unsung

with faces on the mural of the revolution

No looking back cos’ in back is what’s done

Tell the preacher, God got more than one son

Tell the law, my Uzi weighs a ton

I walk like a warrior,

from them I won’t run

On the streets, they try to beat us like a drum

In Cincinnati, another brother hung

A guinea won’t see the sun

with his family stung

They want us to hold justice

but you handed me none

The same they did to Kobe and Michael Jackson

make them the main attraction

Turn around and attack them

Black gem in the rough

You’re rugged enough

Use your mind and nine-power, get the government touch

Them boys chat-chat on how him pop gun

I got the black strap to make the cops run

They watching me, I’m watching them

Them dick boys got a lock of cock in them

My people on the block got a lot of Pac in them

and when we roll together

we be rocking them to sleep

No time for that, because there’s things to be done

Stay true to what I do so the youth dream come

from project building

Seeing a fiend being hung

With that happening, why they messing with Saddam?

Burn a Bush cos’ for peace he no push no button

Killing over oil and grease

no weapons of destruction

How can we follow a leader when this a corrupt one

The government’s a g-unit and they might buck young black people

Black people In the urban area one

I hold up a peace sign, but I carry a gun.

Peace, ya’ll.

I have no problem whatsoever with Common expressing himself through his art.

However, because some of his work contains very violent imagery and inflammatory rhetoric like calling to "Burn a Bush," I don't think it's appropriate for the Obamas to highlight him at their poetry soiree.

Where's that new tone of civility?

Common's "A Letter to the Law" isn't vague. It's very specific about President Bush and police being the enemy, and dealing with them violently.

Would the Leftists mind if a Republican president invited a performer to the White House who called for Obama to be burned?

I think they'd completely flip out.

Condoleezza Rice and Lawrence O'Donnell

MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell is a horrible interviewer. HORRIBLE.

Watch former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice suffer the disrespect and stupidity of the crazed Leftist propagandist Lawrence O'Donnell.

Video.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Condoleezza Rice showed incredible restraint and patience with the disgraceful, classless O'Donnell.

Rice's brilliance overpowers O'Donnell, a rude and ill-informed hack.

Gutsycall.com

Daniel Halper, The Weekly Standard, writes about a new website, gutsycall.com.

Obama's not one to "spike the football" after a victory (or after killing Osama bin Laden), but it seems his campaign team (or some of his ardent supporters) doesn't feel the same way. Check out www.gutsycall.com -- it redirects users to Obama's campaign website, www.barackobama.com. Could it be that his reelection campaign made this call? Or is it just a couple of his most steadfast supporters?

Good grief.

There was nothing remotely gutsy about what Obama did.

It was a no-brainer.

The SEALs were gutsy, not Obama.

The gutsy Obama was on the golf course on Sunday.

The gutsycall.com website was purchased on Wednesday. The owner of the domain remains anonymous. Mystery and guts - what a combination!

I think all this attention on Obama's alleged "gutsy call" is embarrassing. It's so ridiculous.

Remember when Leftists would refer to President Bush as a chicken hawk?

I don't hear them saying that about Obama.

Hypocrites.

Obama at Ground Zero (Video)

UPDATE: Raw Video: Obama Lays Wreath at Ground Zero



Obama is ready for his close-up.

And he spikes the football!

This moment, Obama visiting Ground Zero as president, should have happened years ago. Now, it comes off as campaigning. That context makes me cringe.

Here's video of Obama speaking to New York City firefighters.



It's a campaign speech.
_______________

UPDATE: In New York today for his Ground Zero photo op, Obama told those personally touched by the horror of 9/11 that "we will never forget."

Solemnly honoring victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, President Barack Obama hugged survivors, thanked the heroes of one of the nation's darkest days and declared Thursday that the killing of Osama bin Laden after all these years was an American message to the world: "When we say we will never forget, we mean what we say."

On a brilliant blue-sky day, one of reflection more than celebration, Obama offered New Yorkers a moment of their own. Standing at the gritty construction site of ground zero, where the towers fell and a memorial now rises, the president laid a wreath of red, white and blue flowers for the nearly 3,000 who died as he marked a turning point for the nation and this city of steely resilience.

For Obama, the day was about the importance of being in New York in the aftermath of the successful raid to find and kill bin Laden, the al-Qaida leader. Obama addressed families who have watched and wondered for nearly a decade whether the government would track down its most infamous enemy.

On this special ground, Obama never mentioned bin Laden's name.

"We will never forget"?

Obama "forgot" to go to Ground Zero since he became president.

I guess he was too busy playing golf, holding fundraisers, that sort of stuff.
_______________

Obama has been president since January 20, 2009.

As president, he has been to New York many times.

Obama went to New York at the end of May 2009, for his date night with Michelle.

He's gone to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly in 2009 and 2010.

And of course, Obama has held numerous political fundraisers in New York.

But for all the times he's been in New York City, he's never been to Ground Zero as president, never going there on September 11th to commemorate the anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Today, Obama will make his first trip to Ground Zero as president.

From the New York Times:

Mr. Obama, in his first visit as president to ground zero, plans to lay a wreath at a memorial to the nearly 3,000 victims of the 9/11 attacks. He will also meet privately with family members of the victims, firefighters and other rescue workers who died in the September 2001 attacks.

“He wants to meet with them and share with them this important and significant moment, a bittersweet moment,” the White House press secretary, Jay Carney, said on Wednesday.

It is a quiet coda to a week that began with a stunning announcement by Mr. Obama, just before midnight on Sunday, that a team of Navy Seals had stormed Bin Laden’s hiding place – a heavily-fortified compound in an affluent town not far from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

Mr. Obama invited former president George W. Bush to join him at ground zero, but Mr. Bush declined. A spokesman for the former president said he appreciated the invitation but wanted to stick to his policy of staying out of the public spotlight since he left office.

For Mr. Bush, ground zero was the site of one of the iconic moments of his presidency. Days after the World Trade Center towers collapsed, he traveled to the smoldering wreckage to thank the rescue workers, delivering his speech through a firefighter’s bullhorn.

The White House was quick to say it took no offense at Mr. Bush’s decision not to attend, saying that Mr. Bush was invited in the spirit of unity that Mr. Obama said he hoped would prevail in the wake of Bin Laden’s killing, just as it prevailed after the killings perpetrated by Bin Laden nearly a decade ago.

“We’ve made clear that this is a moment of unity for Americans and a moment to recall the unity that existed in this country in the wake of the attacks on 9/11,” Mr. Carney said.

Mr. Obama visited ground zero while a presidential candidate, but he has not been there since entering the White House. He does not plan a deliver a speech, a decision that White House officials said was calculated to avoid any appearance of exploiting the families of the victims for political gain.

With all due respect, what a load of crap!

When Obama shows up at Ground Zero for the first time as president, he won't deliver a speech "to avoid any appearance of exploiting the families of the victims for political gain."

No speech doesn't eliminate the appearance of exploitation of the 9/11 victims for his 2012 political gain.

There's no reason for Obama to go there today, especially since he hasn't bothered to go at any other time during his presidency.

Of course, it's a political move. It's always political with Obama.

Of course, it's exploitation. Obama should have joined the observance of 9/11 at Ground Zero during his first year in office.

This push that the death of bin Laden should be a moment of unity similar to what the nation experienced after the country was attacked in 2001 is nuts.

Yes, there's unity. There should be. But let's not compare bin Laden's death with the experience of the 9/11 attacks and the nation's reaction.

Bin Laden, one man, is dead. That's a tremendous victory and I'm not diminishing that.

But in September 2001, we were mourning the deaths of thousands of innocents. We had witnessed massive destruction within our borders. Our country was attacked. Acts of war were committed on our soil. The human toll was devastating. The grief was unbearable.

No doubt about it, al Qaeda's attacks united us.

So many political battles were fought after 9/11. President Bush was deemed a war criminal. He was brutally criticized for policies meant to protect Americans. There has been so much bad blood that it's impossible to forget.

The overwhelming majority of Americans believe killing bin Laden was the right thing to do. Mission accomplished.

However, the shared experience of bin Laden's death cannot be equated with our shared experience of the horror of September 11, 2001.

A dead bin Laden doesn't bring back the thousands killed on 9/11. The loss experienced by the loved ones of the victims is permanent. In this life, it's forever. Nothing can change that. Their loss was heartbreaking in 2001 and it's just as heartbreaking today.

Although I think it's an unseemly move by Obama, with the appearance of a sleazy photo op, I'm glad he's finally going to Ground Zero.

Maybe he'll have an awakening and discover it's time for him to behave like the president of the United States.

Holder and Investigation of CIA Interrogators

As Obama and his administration heap praise upon themselves for killing Osama bin Laden, Attorney General Eric Holder is busy with his criminal investigation of CIA interrogators.

Yeah, that's still going on.

Daniel Henninger, the Wall Street Journal writes:

As the whole of America takes a bin Laden victory lap, let us pause to remember some of this celebrated event's most forgotten men: the Central Intelligence Agency officers who sit under the cloud of a criminal investigation begun in 2009 by Attorney General Eric Holder into their interrogations of captured terrorists.

That's right, the Americans whose interrogation of al Qaeda operatives may have put in motion the death of this mass murderer may themselves face prosecution by the country they were trying to protect.

It is time for the Holder CIA investigation to end. The death of bin Laden 10 years after 9/11 makes the Holder investigation of the CIA interrogators politically, emotionally and morally moot.

But it lives.

What a bizarre disconnect!

Unfortunately, this sort of weirdness is business as usual for the Obama administration.

In August 2009, Attorney General Holder announced that he was extending the mandate of Assistant U.S. Attorney John Durham into the CIA's so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques" of terrorist detainees. Former Bush Attorney General Michael Mukasey had appointed Mr. Durham in 2008 as a special prosecutor to look into the CIA's destruction of videotapes made during interrogations of two al Qaeda operatives. That investigation ended without charges last November.

Mr. Holder decided to push the Durham investigation into a second phase. "I have concluded," he said "that the information known to me warrants opening a preliminary review into whether federal laws were violated in connection with the interrogation of specific detainees at overseas locations." Mr. Holder wasn't free-lancing; both he and Barack Obama had called waterboarding "torture."

Obama and Holder continue forward with looking at our CIA interrogators as criminals.

Rather than considering them to have played an important role in protecting the American people, Obama and Holder and the Leftist gang persist in treating them like enemies.

This week the Associated Press reported that the name of bin Laden's courier may have come from CIA interrogations of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Abu Faraj al-Libi, who received "harsh" interrogation at CIA prisons in Poland and Romania. On Tuesday, Mr. Holder said the information came from a "mosaic of sources."

Incidentally, there will be no attempt here to establish whether CIA interrogations did or did not lead to the bin Laden courier, who led our commandos to a bedroom in Abbottabad. Just as there will be no attempt here to resolve the fastidious debate unfolding over whether the Navy Seals' shooting of an unarmed Osama bin Laden was "legal." We'll leave that to the endless grinding wheels of the law journals.

Awkward!

The CIA interrogators could be national heroes.

Obviously, the Obama administration doesn't want to know. Most specifically, they don't want us to know.

If Mr. Holder has evidence of an egregious crime, he should step forward and announce it. If not, he should use this moment to put an end to the Durham investigation. Mr. Durham is not an independent counsel, whose hallowed status makes attorneys general loath to interfere. He is a special prosecutor, appointed by the attorney general and under his authority.

On June 18 last year, Mr. Holder said in a Washington speech that Mr. Durham was "close to the end of the time that he needs and will be making recommendations to me." But nothing has happened. Asked this week about the status of this investigation, a Justice Department spokesman for Mr. Durham, whose office is in Connecticut, said the project is "still ongoing."

I agree.

If Holder has evidence of an egregious crime, tell us now. If not, stop this investigation.

It's wrong for Obama to commend the CIA piece of the "mosaic" in the nearly 10-year mission to get bin Laden while Holder is trying to pin interrogators with crimes.

Henninger concludes:

After 9/11, when the fraying started, George W. Bush passed through a seven-year political minefield of media leaks and lawsuits over the Patriot Act, surveillance, renditions, Guantanamo and CIA interrogations. Now bin Laden is dead, and Barack Obama's got the credit. We're all fine with that, just as we're fine with people chanting "USA" over the dead terrorist who tried to kill us. Now how about letting those CIA interrogators come in from the cold and join the celebration?

The Democrats, Leftists including Obama, before and after he became president, put President Bush and Vice President Cheney and the administration through hell as they waged war against bin Laden.

Thank God they had the character and the toughness to not be swayed by polls. Thank God they stood up to the attacks by the Dems and did what was necessary to protect us.

With bin Laden dead, and Leon Panetta admitting valuable intelligence was gained via the CIA, it's time to end the criminal investigation of the CIA interrogators.

Is it possible for Obama to put politics and his visions of reelection aside, just for a moment?

We'll see.

No Bin Laden Death Photo

Reuters "spikes the football" for Obama, sort of.

Still no verified image of Osama bin Laden dead.

Photographs acquired by Reuters and taken about an hour after the U.S. assault on Osama bin Laden's compound in Abbottabad in Pakistan show three dead men lying in pools of blood, but no weapons.

The photos, taken by a Pakistani security official who entered the compound after the early morning raid on Monday, show two men dressed in traditional Pakistani garb and one in a t-shirt, with blood streaming from their ears, noses and mouths.

The official, who wished to remain anonymous, sold the pictures to Reuters.

None of the men looked like bin Laden. U.S. President Barack Obama decided not to release photos of his body because it could have incited violence and used as an al Qaeda propaganda tool.

WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES
______________

Obama has spoken.

The American people will NOT see a photo of the dead Osama bin Laden.

Video.



WH won't release bin Laden death photo

President Barack Obama has decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden, he said in an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes," amid concerns that the gruesome image could prove inflammatory.

Obama's decision was reported on the CBS News Web site Wednesday after the president sat for an interview with the news magazine program.

Releasing graphic images of bin Laden's corpse after his shooting in a U.S. raid on his compound could have dispelled doubts that bin Laden is indeed dead. The worry, though, was that it would feed anti-U.S. sentiment.

More, from CBS News:

In an interview with Steve Kroft for this Sunday's "60 Minutes," President Obama says he won't release post-mortem images of Osama bin Laden taken to prove his death.

...Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said Wednesday that the Obama administration should not release the gruesome post-mortem images, saying it could complicate the job for American troops overseas. Rogers told CBS News he has seen a post-mortem photo.

"The risks of release outweigh the benefits," he said. "Conspiracy theorists around the world will just claim the photos are doctored anyway, and there is a real risk that releasing the photos will only serve to inflame public opinion in the Middle East."

"Imagine how the American people would react if Al Qaeda killed one of our troops or military leaders, and put photos of the body on the internet," he continued. "Osama bin Laden is not a trophy - he is dead and let's now focus on continuing the fight until Al Qaida has been eliminated."

What's Obama talking about?

We saw images of our troops being dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. We don't have to imagine what it would be like.

What's with these Leftists?

They whined about not having images of the flag-draped coffins of our war dead.

They obsessed over body counts.

They insist on publishing all the gruesome details and images they can when it serves their purposes.

They couldn't get enough of the Abu Ghraib photos. They lusted for more.

The military be damned. The Leftists don't care.

Recently, TIME magazine put an extremely graphic photo of a young Afghan woman disfigured at the hand of her husband on its cover.



To view a larger image of the cover, click here.

Richard Stengel, TIME's Managing Editor, gives justification for publishing the cover photo:

Our cover image this week is powerful, shocking and disturbing. It is a portrait of Aisha, a shy 18-year-old Afghan woman who was sentenced by a Taliban commander to have her nose and ears cut off for fleeing her abusive in-laws. Aisha posed for the picture and says she wants the world to see the effect a Taliban resurgence would have on the women of Afghanistan, many of whom have flourished in the past few years. Her picture is accompanied by a powerful story by our own Aryn Baker on how Afghan women have embraced the freedoms that have come from the defeat of the Taliban — and how they fear a Taliban revival.

I thought long and hard about whether to put this image on the cover of TIME. First, I wanted to make sure of Aisha's safety and that she understood what it would mean to be on the cover. She knows that she will become a symbol of the price Afghan women have had to pay for the repressive ideology of the Taliban. We also confirmed that she is in a secret location protected by armed guards and sponsored by the NGO Women for Afghan Women. Aisha will head to the U.S. for reconstructive surgery sponsored by the Grossman Burn Foundation, a humanitarian organization in California. We are supporting that effort.

I'm acutely aware that this image will be seen by children, who will undoubtedly find it distressing. We have consulted with a number of child psychologists about its potential impact. Some think children are so used to seeing violence in the media that the image will have little effect, but others believe that children will find it very scary and distressing — that they will see it, as Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center on Media and Child Health at Children's Hospital Boston, said, as "a symbol of bad things that can happen to people." I showed it to my two young sons, 9 and 12, who both immediately felt sorry for Aisha and asked why anyone would have done such harm to her. I apologize to readers who find the image too strong, and I invite you to comment on the image's impact.

Without question, the Leftists are willing to use gruesome images.

On the other hand, these same people freak out over the images of an aborted baby. They demand that such photos never be shown. They refuse to allow people to see the reality of abortion, the dismembered, tiny bodies. No, we can't see those either.

It's all political.

I think a photo should be released. Give people the choice whether to view it or not.

I want to see a photo of bin Laden dead.

Give the American people, and history, something to go with these images:





Too gruesome?

Too inflammatory?

This from Obama, the man who undermined George W. Bush and his administration at every turn, showing no concern for how it would impact the American troops on the battlefield. This from Obama and his Democrat comrades, wanting to slash funding for our military.

Give me a break!

Obama's assertion of this notion that conspiracy theorists will just say a photo is doctored anyway is a ridiculous excuse.

Conspiracy nuts will never EVER be satisfied.

Moreover, all the fake images of the dead bin Laden floating around right now can just as easily be used as recruiting tools for terrorists and to inflame the Muslim world.

It's not as if withholding an image will prevent a backlash against the U.S., if there's going to be one.

Obama went on national TV and declared that a U.S. military operation KILLED bin Laden. I think the news of bin Laden's death is enough to inflame.

The argument that nothing good can come from releasing the photo is offset by the fact that nothing will change if it is released.

The slaughter of innocents on 9/11 and all the previous acts of war against the U.S. preceded bin Laden's death. No photo of a dead al Qaeda leader prompted these attacks.

Hopefully, Obama has the facts wrong about the photo, too. Hopefully, the White House will realize it's a mistake to fail to release a death photo of bin Laden.

Maybe this whole thing is just a dance to make it appear that Obama was forced to release a photo, even though he really didn't want to do it.

Someone will leak it and then Obama won't have to bear responsibility for making the decision to show the world.

The allegedly gutsy Obama should show some guts.

Osama: Obama, Democrats - Hypocrites

I've had enough of the Democrats and the Leftists strutting around praising Obama for HIS success in achieving the death of Osama bin Laden.

For years, they attacked and attempted to undermine President George W. Bush and the Bush administration. They vehemently objected to the methods utilized to deal with the terrorist threat and protect us.

Their assault was relentless, accusing President Bush and Vice President Cheney of being war criminals.

WATERBOARDING.

ENHANCED INTERROGATION.

SECRET PRISONS.

WARRANTLESS WIRETAPPING.

Obama was adamant about closing Guantanamo Bay.

He and the Democrats opposed the very methods that allowed for bin Laden to be killed.

Here's a sampling of video, via Mark Levin:

FORMER Sen. Russ Feingold lies and rails against collecting intelligence.



David Gregory lectures President Bush on the interrogation bill.



Matt Lauer accuses President Bush of using illegal methods to obtain information.



Obama signs his first executive order - to close Gitmo.

OBAMA: Guantanamo will be closed no later than one year from now.

Of course, that didn't happen.



Dick Cheney defends President Bush and the interrogation methods used to protect the country. This is must-see.



Obama chastises Dick Cheney for objecting to Obama's plan to close Gitmo.



Obama says he "fundamentally disagrees with Dick Cheney."

So, Obama and his Democrat comrades mercilessly attacked the Bush administration, while now they're hoping to take sole credit for getting bin Laden, and wallowing in the news of his death.

It's absurd.

It's a disgrace.

Democrat Gwen Moore wanted President Bush impeached.

Yesterday, she touted the mission, military action within the borders of a sovereign nation. She didn't call for Obama's impeachment because he gave the kill order to get bin Laden in Pakistan.

Moore's statement:

"I applaud our military, our President, and his national security team for ridding the world of the dark presence of Osama bin Laden. He has held the world captive, and his death ends a tragic chapter in a horror story where extremists target innocent civilians with murder, mayhem and fear.

"Bin Laden’s death brings a sense of relief to the families who lost loved ones on 9/11 and indeed every American. Our global partners and allies and peoples all over the world – regardless of race, creed, color, country, or religion – stand vigilant and unified with us today to rebuke this extremism and break free from the bondage of fear."

Personally, I don't feel a sense of relief. I'm glad bin Laden has been brought to justice, but I don't feel safer at all. This war, and it is a war, is not over.

In sum, Obama and the Democrats are shameless in their hypocrisy.

President Bush and Vice President Cheney have been vindicated.

Without their efforts and their tireless battle against Obama and the Democrats, bin Laden would be alive today; and Obama wouldn't be planning a 2012 election photo-op at Ground Zero on Thursday.
_________________

UPDATE: During the afternoon White House press briefing, Jay Carney insists that Obama hasn't changed his mind about the Bush policy interrogation methods.

Of course, Obama kept the vast majority of those policies in place, reneging on his promises.

Bin Laden's Death: Reaction

NBC News/MSNBC provides reaction to Osama bin Laden's death.

President George W. Bush

President Barack Obama called Bush in Dallas at 9:04 p.m. central time to inform him that bin Laden was dead and they spoke for four minutes, a Bush spokesman said.

The Sept. 11 attacks were a defining moment of Bush's presidency. He launched the war in Afghanistan and the hunt for bin Laden spanned the rest of his presidency. His statement:

"Earlier this evening, President Obama called to inform me that American forces killed Osama bin Laden, the leader of the al Qaeda network that attacked America on September 11, 2001. I congratulated him and the men and women of our military and intelligence communities who devoted their lives to this mission. They have our everlasting gratitude. This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done."

Bonnie McEneaney, 57, wife of Eamon McEneaney, who died in the 9/11 attacks

"It doesn't bring back all the wonderful people who were killed 10 years ago. It's long overdue."

"I'm completely numb. I'm stunned," she told msnbc.com.

Jack Lynch, 75, who lost his son, New York City firefighter Michael Francis Lynch

"The first thought I had in my mind was that it didn't bring my son back. You cut the head off a snake, you'd think it would kill the snake. But someone will take his place. People like him still exist. The fact that he's gone is not going to stop terrorism."

"I understand that bin Laden was an evil person. He may have believed in what he was doing. I'm not going to judge him. I'm sure some people will look at this and they'll be gratified that he's dead, but me personally, I'm going to leave his fate in God's hands."

Lee Hanson, 78, of Easton, Conn., who lost his son, Peter, daughter-in-law, Sue, and 2 1/2 year-old granddaughter, Christine — the youngest victim of the 9/11 attacks.

They were aboard the second plane that hit the World Trade Center
"It's taken a while to do it, but we've done it. It's a really good thing to get out there — if you fool around with the U.S., you will be caught."

"Many segments wil try to avenge this ... There's still a great danger there."

Still, he said: "There's no such thing as closure."

New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg

"After September 11, 2001, we gave our word as Americans that we would stop at nothing to capture or kill Osama bin Laden. After the contribution of millions, including so many who made the ultimate sacrifice for our nation, we have kept that word.

"The killing of Osama bin Laden does not lessen the suffering that New Yorkers and Americans experienced at his hands, but it is a critically important victory for our nation - and a tribute to the millions of men and women in our armed forces and elsewhere who have fought so hard for our nation.

"New Yorkers have waited nearly ten years for this news. It is my hope that it will bring some closure and comfort to all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001."

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo

"The death of Osama Bin Laden is a historic moment that represents a major step in our country's efforts to defeat terrorism around the world and should bring a sense of justice to the victims of 9/11 and his other attacks.

"We will never forget those who were lost, their families and those who risked their lives to save others.

"New Yorkers endured Bin Laden's most devastating and destructive attack, and his death brings back the horrific images and emotions of that terrible day. However, his death also reminds us of our strength, courage, and unity as a people in our response to his actions.

"The Administration's vigilance and dedication to hunt down Osama Bin Laden has never wavered and I applaud their commitment to this cause. I also applaud our men and women in uniform who have fought tirelessly against terrorism and to defend freedom.

"The threat to our state and our nation unfortunately does not die with Osama Bin Laden. We must remain vigilant in preventing terror acts and continue to do everything to keep our state and nation safe and secure."

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio

"This is great news for the security of the American people and a victory in our continued fight against al Qaeda and radical extremism around the world. We continue to face a complex and evolving terrorist threat, and it is important that we remain vigilant in our efforts to confront and defeat the terrorist enemy and protect the American people. I want to congratulate — and thank — the hard-working men and women of our Armed Forces and intelligence community for their tireless efforts and perseverance that led to this success. I also want to commend President Obama and his team, as well as President Bush, for all of their efforts to bring Osama bin Laden to justice."

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor

"Nearly a decade ago, in the days after 9/11, President Bush said, 'Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.' Tonight, we've learned that justice has been done. The man with the blood of more than 3,000 Americans on his hands, the man who forced us to begin to think the unthinkable - is now dead.

"Families who lost loved ones at the hands of Bin Laden and his terrorist organization have grieved for far too long and this sends a signal that America will not tolerate terrorism in any form. The men and women of our armed forces and intelligence community have fought valiantly for the last decade and this is a major victory and testament to their dedication. I commend President Obama who has followed the vigilance of President Bush in bringing Bin Laden to justice. While this is no doubt a major event in our battle against terrorism, we will not relent in our fight against terror and our efforts to keep America safe and secure."

Rep. Peter T. King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security

"I commend President Obama on the announcement of the killing of Osama bin Laden.

"Today, the American people have seen justice. The leader of the United States' top enemy has gotten what he deserves for orchestrating the deaths of nearly 3,000 innocent Americans on September 11, 2001.

"In 2001, President Bush said 'we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.' President Bush deserves great credit for putting action behind those words. President Obama deserves equal credit for his resolve in this long war against al-Qaeda.

"This great success would not have been possible without the tireless work of countless brave men and women who have served around the world in this War on Terror."

Sen.Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y.

"This is a thunderous strike for justice for the thousands of my fellow New Yorkers — and citizens from all over the world — who were murdered on 9/11. It took close to ten years, but the world's most wanted terrorist has finally met his deserved fate. New York's heart is still broken from the tragedy of 9/11, but this at least brings some measure of closure and consolation to the victims and their families.

"This is a massive accomplishment for the countless military and intelligence personnel who have been urgently dedicated to this task for the past decade. Because Bin Laden's evil dogma has poisoned the minds of so many others, we cannot let up in the war on terror. This successful mission sends a definitive message to those who would test the resolve of the people of the United States of America: do not doubt our resolve; if you do us harm, we will find you, we will mete out justice, and we will prevail."

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

"I am overjoyed that we finally got the world's top terrorist. The world is a better and more just place now that Osama bin Laden is no longer in it. I hope the families of the victims of the September 11th attacks will sleep easier tonight and every night hence knowing that justice has been done. I commend the President and his team, as well as our men and women in uniform and our intelligence professionals, for this superb achievement.

"But while we take heart in the news that Osama bin Laden is dead, we must be mindful that al-Qaeda and its terrorist allies are still lethal and determined enemies, and we must remain vigilant to defeat them."

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice (she was national security adviser on 9/11)

"Absolutely thrilling. I am overwhelmed with gratitude and continue to be amazed at what our military has achieved."

British Prime Minister David Cameron

"Osama bin Laden was responsible for the worst terrorist atrocities the world has seen — for 9/11 and for so many attacks, which have cost thousands of lives, many of them British. It is a great success that he has been found and will no longer be able to pursue his campaign of global terror.

"The news that Osama bin Laden is dead will bring great relief to people across the world.

"But above all today, we should think of the victims of the poisonous extremism that this man has been responsible for. Of course, nothing will bring back those loved ones that families have lost to terror. But at least they know the man who was responsible for these appalling acts is no more."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

"This is a resounding triumph for justice, freedom and the values shared by all democratic nations fighting shoulder to shoulder in determination against terrorism."

Osama Bin Laden: DEAD

"Whether we bring our enemies to justice, or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done."

--George W. Bush, Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People, September 20, 2001

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Obama announced tonight that Osama bin Laden was killed by a U.S. military operation.

It took ten years, but U.S. Special Forces got him.

The liberal media spin is predictable.

The man behind the suicide hijack attacks of September 11, 2001, and who U.S. officials said late on Sunday was dead, was the nemesis of former President George W. Bush, who pledged to take him "dead or alive" and whose two terms were dominated by a "war on terror" against his al Qaeda network.

Bush failed. Obama succeeded.

Lame.

We know Obama didn't want bin Laden alive.

He wanted him dead. Obama wouldn't know what to do with him if he were taken alive.

Obama's speech announcing the successful mission to kill bin Laden was rather self-serving. HE gave the order and don't forget it.

Watch video of Obama's announcement.



He definitely wants the nation to give him credit. Obama does deserve credit for basically keeping up the pressure on bin Laden by continuing President Bush's policies.

I'm so grateful to the brave men and women fighting the War on Terror, protecting us.

What bothers me is that some Leftist pundits are suggesting bin Laden's death will change American policy, as if the threat from RADICAL Islam is no more.

That's incredibly naive. I would think the threat of retaliation is greater now. I don't feel safer. We can't let our guard down.

Bin Laden's death is a great accomplishment. It's a milestone.

I hope it brings some peace to the loved ones of the victims of 9/11. I hope they feel a sense that justice has been done.

Bin Laden is dead but the war he declared against the U.S. isn't over.

LISTEN

Victim, office worker Melissa Doi talks to an operator. (MP3, 31:19 min., 12.8 MB)

Fire chief requests help as cell phone networks failed. (MP3, 2:58 min., 1.7 MB)

"One of the towers just collapsed." (MP3, 26 sec., 264 K)

EMS dispatchers take calls from workers. (MP3, 2:08 min., 1.2 MB)

WATCH

Plane hits the North Tower

Plane hits the South Tower

NBC Today Show live coverage of 2nd plane hitting the WTC

South Tower collapses

North Tower collapses

God bless America.

White House: No Easter Proclamation

Another screw-up by the Obama administration:

President Obama failed to release a statement or a proclamation recognizing the national observance of Easter Sunday, Christianity's most sacred holiday.

By comparison, the White House has released statements recognizing the observance of major Muslim holidays and released statements in 2010 on Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj, and Eid-ul-Adha.

The White House also failed to release a statement marking Good Friday. However, they did release an eight-paragraph statement heralding Earth Day. Likewise, the president's weekend address mentioned neither Good Friday or Easter.

...In 2010, Obama was criticized for releasing an all-inclusive Easter greeting. He reached out to Jews, Muslims, Hindus, and people of no faith at all in a statement about a holiday that is uniquely Christian.

"All of us are striving to make a way in this world; to build a purposeful and fulfilling life in the fleeting time we have here," Obama said in his 2010 "Easter" message. "A dignified life. A healthy life. A life, true to its potential. And a life that serves other." "These are aspirations that stretch back through the ages – aspirations at the heart of Judaism, at the heart of Christianity, at the heart of all the world’s great religions," the president added.

When the White House released statements about Muslim holidays, no attempts were made to include Christianity or to mention a spirit of inclusivity. For example, in his 2010 statement on Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha, Obama made no references to Christianity or any other religion.

By contrast, former President Bush traditionally included Scripture passages in his Easter messages and made a point to explain what Easter is about. Like Obama, though, he did not release statements marking Good Friday.

In 2007, he said, “The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the most important event of the Christian faith.” “On this powerful day, let us join together and give thanks to the Almighty for the glory of His grace,” he added.

In his 2008 Easter message, President Bush said: “The Resurrection of Jesus Christ reminds people around the world of the presence of a faithful God who offers a love more powerful than death. Easter commemorates our Savior's triumph over sin, and we take joy in spending this special time with family and friends and reflecting on the many blessings that fill our lives. During this season of renewal, let us come together and give thanks to the Almighty who made us in His image and redeemed us in His love.”

Why didn't Obama notice the failure to issue an Easter statement or proclamation?

Wouldn't you think Team Obama would be falling all over themselves to assert his Christianity?

On a related note:

Statement by the President on the Occasion of Ramadan

Statement by the President on Hajj and Eid-ul-Adha

Statement by the President on the Occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr

Here's video, from Weasel Zippers, of White House press secretary Jay Carney addressing the issue:



Transcript, White House:

Q: Thanks, Jay. Just a quick question. You guys traditionally put out statements or proclamations on various religious holidays and I don’t think I saw one from the President on Easter yesterday and was just wondering if there’s any reason one didn’t go out.

MR. CARNEY: You know, the President went to the church yesterday; it was well covered. I’m not sure if we put out a statement or not, but he obviously personally celebrated Easter with his family and went to church to celebrate that. And -- *

Q: Wait a minute. The highest Christian holiday and you don’t know if he put out a statement?

Q: Jay, come on. (Laughter.)

MR. CARNEY: I’m glad you’re asking these key important questions, guys. The fact is, the President took his family to church in a very high-profile way to celebrate Easter. I think it was highly visible to most Americans. And he -- as a devoted Christian, he believes it’s a very important holiday for him personally, for his family and for Christians around the country.

Carney's answer was such a disaster that the White House amended the transcript. It needed an asterisk.

This is at the top of the transcript:

See below for an answer to a question (marked with an asterisk) posed in the briefing that required follow up.

*Last Tuesday, the President delivered remarks about Easter at an Easter breakfast he hosted in the East Room. The transcript of the President’s remarks can be found HERE.

What's funny about this is there's no link to "HERE," nothing to click as of 7:45 PM CDT.

Come on, White House. Get your act together.
_________________

UPDATE, April 26, 2011: Transcript asterisk link now works. "HERE."

Good job, White House crack staff. Terrific work.

Donald Trump and Paul Ryan

I watch Celebrity Apprentice.

I don't always agree with Donald Trump's decisions on the show.

There was no question that he should have fired Gary Busey instead of Mark McGrath. It was a move that Trump did purely for ratings. He wanted to keep the loony Busey around as long as he could.

Of course, it's only entertainment. It's a show. I don't have a problem with Trump trying to deliver a product that's as entertaining as possible. From a ratings standpoint, I suppose Trump exercised good judgment by keeping Busey another week. Trump is a showman.

In addition to being a showman, Trump is skilled at business. He has managed to amass a fortune. There's no question he's successful.

When it comes to diving into presidential politics, Trump is being a great showman. The fact that he's getting the media and some citizens to take him even remotely seriously as a candidate is testament to his skills as a performer.

However, when it comes to Trump's ability to be the voice and face of the conservative movement, the performance completely falls apart.

Savannah Guthrie interviewed Trump for the Today Show.

Guthrie didn't give Trump a chance to answer her questions, but putting that aside, Trump doesn't sound like someone with defined, solid principles.

When you compare what Trump has been trying to sell the American people in this round of media appearances with what he's said previously about issues and President George W. Bush and Obama, it makes Charlie Sheen appear more mentally stable than Trump.

Here's video of Guthrie's interview with The Donald:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Just before the 3:00 mark, Guthrie asks Trump about the Paul Ryan budget.

Transcript

SAVANNAH GUTHRIE: Do you support the Ryan plan to bring the deficit down by $4 trillion?

DONALD TRUMP: I'm very concerned about doing anything that's going to tinker too much with Medicare. I protect the senior citizens. Senior citizens are protected. They are lifeblood, as far as I'm concerned. I think Paul Ryan is too far out front with this issue. I think he ought to sit back and relax.

Excuse me. Savannah...

GUTHRIE: So how do you attack the deficit if you don't touch Medicare, the entitlements, as you well know, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security? That's where the debt problem is. How do you address it if you're not going to touch Medicare?

TRUMP: Do you know how you do it? By stopping what's going on in the world. The world is just destroying our country. These other countries are sapping our strength. OPEC is sapping our strength. We can't pay $108 a barrel oil. It's sapping our country. And by the way, they are going to raise it higher because now Saudi Arabia said, 'There's plenty of oil. We're going to cut back.' Excuse me...

GUTHRIE: How does that go to the debt crisis?

TRUMP: Well, I'm saying what we want to do is create a strong country again and you can solve the deficit problem the easiest way.

GUTHRIE: But would you raise taxes to attack the deficit?

TRUMP: I don't think you have to. And let me just tell you, if we get this economy going again and we can do it by getting jobs, by bringing our jobs back, bringing them back. Let the other countries worry about themselves.

GUTHRIE: Should the U.S. cut defense spending to attack the deficit?

TRUMP: No. No, not in my opinion. We need great defense. I guarantee you of all of the Republicans, I'm the strongest on defense.

It's possible that NBC did an awful job of editing the interview, but as aired, Trump is dissing Paul Ryan.

I don't think a serious Republican presidential candidate would say that a powerhouse like Ryan should "sit back and relax."

Trump complains about other countries sapping our strength. I think he's serving to sap the strength from potential Republican candidates at the moment.

I look forward to June when Trump announces that he is NOT running for president, but there will be another season of Celebrity Apprentice.

Terri Schiavo: Terri's Day 2011 - Life and Hope

Theresa Marie Schindler Schiavo
December 3, 1963 - March 31, 2005


Today marks the sixth anniversary of Terri Schiavo's death.

She died after her family lost a prolonged, contentious battle for her right to live. Terri's parents, Mary and Bob Schindler, lost their precious daughter, and her siblings, Suzanne and Bobby, lost their beloved sister.

What haunts me about Terri's death is that she was not terminally ill. She was not dying. Michael Schiavo successfully fought in court to have his wife starved and dehydrated to death. She was sentenced to die.

On Nightline, March 15, 2005, while Michael Schiavo was on his media blitz to win over public opinion, he said:

"Terri will not be starved to death. Her nutrition and hydration will be taken away."

Unbelievable.

For me, that statement sums up the twisted lies of the Culture of Death proponents and the brutality of Terri's court-sanctioned murder.

There was so much disinformation disseminated about Terri's condition, before and after her death.

The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation, a group dedicated to "Helping Families Fight for Those Who Cannot Fight for Themselves," provides straightforward answers to frequently asked questions about Terri, her life and death.

These facts are important in understanding the wider social ramifications of Terri's death:

Was Terri dying?

No. Terri suffered from no terminal disease or condition and her cognitive disability did not jeopardize her life in any way. She was simply a physically healthy woman with a brain injury.

Was Terri brain dead or in a coma?

No. Brain death is not a catch phrase used to describe a persons condition but rather an authentic medical diagnosis determined when respiration and other reflexes are absent. Coma is a profound or deep state of unconsciousness. An individual in a state of coma is alive but unable to move or respond to his or her environment. Terri was neither brain dead, nor was she in a coma.

Were there any machines keeping Terri alive?

Absolutely not. Contrary to media reports, Terri did not require life sustaining equipment such as a ventilator. The only thing keeping Terri alive was the same thing that keeps every one of us alive – food and water.

Was this an “end-of-life” issue?

No. Terri’s case should not be confused with legitimate end-of-life cases in which patients are terminally ill and imminently dying. As already stated, Terri was neither ill nor dying.

Was Terri in a Persistent Vegetative State?

No. Despite Judge Greer’s ruling, and in keeping with the 40 medical affidavits submitted to the court, all evidence proves that Terri was not in a PVS. Terri’s behavior and ability to interact with her surroundings did not meet the medical or statutory definition of persistent vegetative state.

Did the autopsy prove that Terri was in a Persistent Vegetative State?

No. The autopsy was unable to determine whether or not Terri was actually in a persistent vegetative state. In fact, on three separate occasions, the report stated that an autopsy is unable to determine if a person is in a persistent vegetative state because the person must be alive in order to make such a diagnosis. The autopsy did prove that that, prior to Terri's death, she was physically healthy and would have lived a long life had she not been dehydrated over a period of two weeks.

Were Terri’s parents able to make any decisions regarding her medical care or well being?

No. From 1993 until her death, Terri’s parents were not allowed to participate in her care. As guardian, Michael Schiavo had 100% control over Terri. He refused to allow her parents to help their daughter in any way. In fact, during the final weeks of her life, Terri’s parents were informed that if they so much as tried to give her a drop of water, or provide comfort care in any way, they would be arrested by the armed police officers who guarded her room 24 hours a day.

Was Terri receiving any rehabilitation in the years prior to her death?

No. Terri was essentially warehoused and abandoned from 1992, when Michael Schiavo ordered all rehabilitation and therapy stopped, until her dehydration death in March of 2005. This was in spite of the fact that countless doctors said Terri’s condition could have improved with continued rehabilitation and therapy – and that her condition had been improving while she was receiving therapy.

Why did the court allow Terri to be killed?

Permission to starve and dehydrate Terri to death was granted based on hearsay evidence that surfaced almost eight years after her collapse, alleging that she wanted to die.

Did Terri have an advance directive?

No. Terri had no written advance directive that indicated her wishes. The court allowed her to be killed based only upon hearsay evidence provided by Michael Schiavo, his brother and his sister-in-law – ignoring testimony by Terri’s biological family and lifelong friends to the contrary.

Was there money involved?

Yes. A trust fund of nearly $800,000 was established and earmarked for Terri’s rehabilitation and therapy, with Michael as the inheritor in the case of Terri’s death. Tragically, the bulk of this money was instead used to pay Michael Schiavo’s attorney fees in his quest to end her life.

Did the court recognize the money Michael Schiavo stood to inherit as a conflict of interest?

No. In fact the court failed to acknowledge that not only was Schiavo’s monetary interest a conflict, but that he had moved on with his life, was engaged to be married to another woman, and already had children with the other woman. In short, his role as guardian was rife with conflicts of interest.

Did Terri have her own attorney?

No, she did not. In fact, the judge in this case defaulted as her guardian/attorney.

Was it appropriate for Congress to step in to assist in Terri’s case?

Absolutely. Congress has every right to pass laws that prevent the deaths of innocent persons.

Was this a private family matter?

No. Michael Schiavo chose to take the matter out of the realm of privacy by introducing it to the courts in 1998. It was Terri’s family who reached out to Congress for help in saving her life. Michael had essentially already started a new family with his fiancé and children.

What did the law passed by Congress actually do?

It gave Terri the right to a federal review – for a federal judge to make sure that her due process rights had not been denied. This is the same right given to all prisoners on death row.

After Terri died of dehydration on March 31, 2005, President George W. Bush remarked:

I urge all those who honor Terri Schiavo to continue to work to build a culture of life, where all Americans are welcomed and valued and protected, especially those who live at the mercy of others. The essence of civilization is that the strong have a duty to protect the weak. In cases where there are serious doubts and questions, the presumption should be in the favor of life.

In Terri's case, there were serious doubts and questions. Nonetheless, she was sentenced to death, an agonizingly slow-motion execution. That atrocity happened even though we had a pro-life president in the White House.

Now, of course, we have Obama in the White House, the most radical anti-life president to ever occupy the Oval Office.

On February 26, 2008, in Cleveland during a Democrat primary debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, candidate Obama invoked Terri Schiavo.

Nat Hentoff wrote a piece about that for Jewish World Review.

In none of the endless presidential candidates' debates has there been a meaningful discussion of the rights of disabled Americans. However, in the Feb. 26 debate in Cleveland, Barack Obama casually and ignorantly revealed his misunderstanding of the basic issue in the highly visible and still-resonating official death sentence of a disabled woman, Terri Schiavo. I have repeatedly called her death the result of "the longest public execution in American history."

When moderator Tim Russert asked Hillary Clinton and Obama if "there are any words or votes that you'd like to take back ... in your careers in public service," Obama answered that in his first year in the Senate, he joined an agreement "that allowed Congress to interject itself (in the Schiavo case) into the decision-making process of the families."

Obama added: 'I think that was a mistake, and I think the American people understood that was a mistake. And as a constitutional law professor, I knew better."

When he was a professor of constitutional law, Obama probably instructed his students to research and know all the facts of a case. The reason Congress asked the federal courts to review the Schiavo case was that the 41-year-old woman about to be dehydrated and starved to death was breathing normally on her own, was not terminal, and there was medical evidence that she was responsive, not in a persistent vegetative state.

So if Obama had the opportunity to take back a vote he cast in his years in public service, it would be the one he cast to offer a disabled woman the right to a federal review – for a federal judge to make sure that her due process rights had not been denied, the same right given to all prisoners on death row.

Obama said, "I think that was a mistake, and I think the American people understood that was a mistake. And as a constitutional law professor, I knew better."

Clearly, Obama is on the wrong side when it comes to promoting a Culture of Life and safeguarding the civil liberties of the weak and vulnerable.

Obama actually regrets voting to grant Terri the right to a federal review before being sentenced to death. He regrets having voted to support Terri's right to due process. I find that extremely troubling.

Obama's regrets about granting Terri Schiavo due process and his attitude about the value of her life are even more disturbing given the passage of government-run health care.

Ezekiel Emanuel, one of Obama's top advisers on health care and brother of Rahm Emanuel, takes this stance:

[Health services should not be guaranteed to] individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens. An obvious example is not guaranteeing health services to patients with dementia.

People like Terri won't stand a chance of receiving treatment or being treated with dignity when health care becomes rationed by the government. They will be denied services because funds are limited. The disabled and the elderly lose under ObamaCare.

Terri's dramatic experience deeply touched so many people, even though nearly all of us were witnesses from afar. For me, her story helped clarify the value of life and what I consider to be our moral obligation to protect the weak and disabled. Her devoted family's desire to care for her and their efforts to save her life were truly inspiring.

Terri's story is a lesson in love.

The struggle for life to prevail, when engulfed in a Culture of Death, is a challenging but morally imperative endeavor.

When speaking of his sister's plight, Bobby Schindler recalls the words of Thomas Jefferson: "The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government."

Obviously, Obama is no Thomas Jefferson. We've already seen the energy Obama puts into his assault on the dignity of human life. Our work to counter his extremist agenda will be more difficult but more important now than ever.

Although today is a sad day, we can honor Terri's memory by continuing to work to build a lasting Culture of Life; keeping in mind the words of Cardinal Jose Saraiva Martins, that "an attack against life is an attack against God."

On this sixth anniversary of Terri's death, I pray that her parents, her siblings, her other family members and her friends find comfort and peace.
_________________

Prayer in Remembrance of Terri Schiavo

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,
And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.

I know that life is always a good,
and that it never loses its value
when it is beset by weakness or injury.

Lord, thank you for the life of Terri Schindler-Schiavo.
Even in her suffering and death
She revealed Your glory
and truth that life is always sacred.

As I remember Terri, I also commit myself
to be active in the pro-life movement,
And never to stop defending life
Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,

And our nation once again becomes
A nation with liberty and justice
Not just for some, but for all,
Through Christ our Lord. Amen!

_________________

Observe Terri's Day, March 31, 2011.

Terri Schiavo Life & Hope Network, in collaboration with Priests for Life, announces the, "International Day of Prayer and Remembrance for Terri Schindler Schiavo, and All of Our Vulnerable Brothers and Sisters," (Terri's Day!), which will be observed each year on March 31, the anniversary of her death.

Activities for Terri's Day:
Suggested Activities for Individuals, Parishes and Schools For Terri's Day 2011!

---Say the Prayer in Remembrance of Terri daily, the week before and after Terri's Day.

---Hold a Memorial Service and/or Mass on Terri's Day.

---Conduct or participate in a parish or school essay contest about what happened to Terri, and the issues surrounding care for the disabled and their right to life.
Create and publicize a website in honor of Terri.

---Invite a speaker to your school, parish, or community organization to address issues surrounding the care of the disabled.

---Organize a letter writing campaign in remembrance of Terri by one or more individuals to local papers or blogs.

---Spend time volunteering at a nursing home or hospital.

---Spend time with a disabled friend or relative.

---Write to or visit elected officials regarding legislation that would increase protection for people facing circumstances like Terri did.

---Fill out, and make others aware of the "Will to Live".

---Register to vote and participate in elections. Challenge candidates on their views regarding Terri and those who face the same challenges and dangers she did.

_________________