Micheal Steele right on Afghanistan, from Dan Riehl, Riehl World View [1]:
It seems to me, Steele and his defenders on that issue understood the implications of Obama’s changes in Afghanistan, while many of the self-professed intelligent folks in DC did not. Bush didn’t pursue a high intensity ground war in Afghanistan as conditions were and are not conducive to it. Every scrap of available military history argues that case. Obama’s arguments were constucted to get him elected and little more, except for the increased cost in American lives, of course
Cain can, video:
Hat tip: Matt Schneider, Mediaiter [2].
Honey where is my Viagra, from Glenn Thrush and M.J. Lee, Politico [3]:
President Barack Obama on Tuesday called on congressional leaders – especially Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) – to act like “grown-ups” and avert a government shutdown after they made no apparent progress in reaching a budget agreement at a White House meeting earlier in the day.
Obama, in a surprise appearance at the daily White House press briefing, underscored his direct involvement in the process – after weeks of publicly staying on the sidelines — and promised round-the-clock talks to stave off the shutdown that could occur on Friday.
The budget in dispute, is the FY2011, which began 1 October of last year, budget. It is a budget that Dirty Harry Reid and Mrs. Pelosi should have passed last year, prior to the elections.
Yet for some strange reason, Obama sows up late for the party and immediately sets on to blame others. If now in April, Obama finds is crucial to pass a budget, which it is, why all the vacations, golf outings trips to Brazil and wars of choice on Libya? Mr President, if you not going to lead, you should just get out of the way.
More, Allahpundit, Hot Air [4]:
Conveniently omitted, natch: We’re only in this situation now because the Pelosi Congress failed to pass a budget when it had a chance. If they were truly worried about radically radical tea-party radicals pressuring a new Republican majority into playing hardball, they could have prevented this scenario last year. But they did nothing, chiefly in order to protect Blue Dogs from a tough vote before the midterms. And oddly enough, The One didn’t find that “inexcusable” or insist on people “acting like grown-ups” [3] at the time. So here he is, dashing into the briefing room this afternoon following a morning of saturation coverage of Paul Ryan’s budget to remind America that He Cares, that he and the left are gravely concerned about a shutdown, and that if it comes to that anyway, well, you know whom to blame. Be grateful, I guess, that he was willing to put in an appearance: On the long list of things Obama doesn’t want to take the lead on, budgetary matters are near the very top [5].
Later.