Wolf Blitzer Interviews Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Leon Panetta

The full interview transcripts are available here: "Blitzer interviews Secretaries Clinton and Panetta."

The discussion of Syria policy is especially problematic --- the Democrats are deferring leadership to the international community. The presidential campaign could focus on this, and Romney has a chance to show a stark divergence in how Republican foreign policy can restore U.S. leadership and promote both increased security and more robust humanitarianism. Secretary Panetta especially sounds like he's overwhelmed.

'Check This Out, Bodyguard - You're Fired': Sarah Palin Speaks Out on Secret Service Prostitution Scandal (VIDEO)

At Fox News, "Palin to Secret Service agent: 'Check this out - you're fired ... the buck stops with the president'" (via Memeorandum):

Well, this agent who was kind of ridiculous there in posting pictures and comments about checking someone out. Well, check this out, bodyguard. You're fired. And I hope his wife kicks his ocoli and sends him to the doghouse, as long as he's not eating the dog, along with his former boss.

Greta, you know, a lot of people will just, I guess, say that this is boys being boys. And boys will be boys, but they shouldn't be in positions of authority. And yes, I think it's pretty embarrassing....

 It's a symptom of government run amok, though, Greta. And it's, like, you know, who's minding the store around here? And when it comes to this particular issue of Secret Service, again, playing with the taxpayer's dime and playing with prostitutes and checking out those whom they are guarding.

You know, the president, for one, he better be wary there of -- when Secret Service is accompanying his family on vacation. They may be checking out the first lady instead of guarding her.

And I say that not just tongue in cheek, but I say that seriously, that the president, the CEO of this operation called our federal government has got to start cracking down on these agencies! He is the head of the administrative branch and all these different departments in the administration that now people are seeing things that are so amiss within these departments.

The buck stops with the president. And he's really got to start cracking down and seeing some heads roll. You know, he's got to get rid of these people at the head of these agencies where so many things, obviously, are amiss.

More at Memeorandum.

Plus, at London's Daily Mail, "'I was really checking her out': Married Secret Service agent who quit over Colombia sex scandal joked about Sarah Palin on his Facebook page (and posted this picture to prove it)," and "First Pictures of the woman who shamed the Secret Service: 'Colombian hooker' who shook the White House after Obama's agent wouldn't pay for sex."

Barack Obama's Polygamist Roots

Well, here's another instance of messaging fail from the bright lights of the Democrat Party Obama cult.

From Ben Jacobs at The Daily Beast, "Montana Gov. Democrat Brian Schweitzer: Mitt Romney's ‘Family Came From a Polygamy Commune in Mexico’." (Via Memeorandum.)

Wow! Mitt Romney's really a freak!

Oh wait. Obama's family was an African polygamist commune, according to David Maraniss:

The line of polygamists in Obama’s family can be traced back generations in western Kenya, where it was an accepted practice within the Luo (pronounced LOO-oh) tribe. His great-grandfather, Obama Opiyo, had five wives, including two who were sisters. His grandfather, Hussein Onyango, had at least four wives, one of whom, Akumu, gave birth to the president’s father, Barack Obama, before fleeing her abusive husband. Obama Sr. was already married when he left Kenya to study at the University of Hawaii, where he married again. His American wife-to-be, Stanley Ann Dunham, was not yet 18 and unaware of his marital situation when she became pregnant with his namesake son in 1961.

So, Barack Obama, Sr., was a polygamist. Now that doesn't fit the left's Romney outsider meme too well, now does it? In fact, that Schweitzer dude just scored a ridiculous own-goal.

Also at Gateway Pundit, "Oops! Dem Governor Bashes Romney for Polygamist Roots – Forgets About Obama’s Polygamist DAD." (Via Memeorandum.)

BONUS: At The Other McCain, "Drip, Drip, Drip: ‘Mormon Mitt’ Meme Keeps Popping Up in Mainstream Media."

French President Nicolas Sarkozy Predicted to Lose Reelection to Socialist Francois Hollande

The Astute Bloggers has been reporting on the French election, scheduled for Sunday, "HOLLANDE MAY DEFEAT SARKOZY AND TAKE DOWN THE FRENCH ECONOMY."

And see the New York Times, "With Vote Days Away, Outlook for Sarkozy Dims," and the Wall Street Journal, "Sarkozy in Hot Seat as Election Nears" (via Google):

PARIS — After a sometimes testy campaign that laid bare the poor state of France's public finances and the ugly choices facing its next president, voters on Sunday will start the process of choosing who that person will be—with incumbent Nicolas Sarkozy on the ropes.

The 57-year-old center-right president has been trailing Socialist Party candidate François Hollande for months, despite some gains in popularity after a string of shootings in Toulouse last month that terrorized France. If he loses, Mr. Sarkozy would be the 11th euro-zone leader swept away since the sovereign-debt crisis began.

A victory for Mr. Hollande, meanwhile, could portend strains with Germany and might rattle financial markets.

Mr. Sarkozy has been campaigning fiercely in the election's final days, toughening his rhetoric as he promises to cut immigration and overhaul unemployment benefits.

Mr. Hollande has largely stuck to his lower-key approach, though he has spoken of raising France's minimum wage in a bid to tip voters on Sunday.

Though both men are polling roughly even in the first round, surveys show Mr. Hollande potentially securing a landslide victory in the second round.

The backdrop for Mr. Sarkozy's struggles has been the ever-deepening euro crisis, which has left deep scars in the French economy. Unemployment is at a 13-year high of nearly 10% and public debt is nearly 90% of the country's annual output, up from 64% when Mr. Sarkozy took office in 2007.

The deterioration of France's public finances led U.S. ratings firm Standard & Poor's to strip the country of its triple-A rating in January. Many indicators point to a progressive loss of competitiveness by the French economy. The trade balance, which showed a surplus until 2001, booked its largest annual deficit last year, with the gap between what the country exports and imports hitting €70.4 billion ($92.4 billion).

The gloomy picture has enforced a certain austerity compared to the expansive campaign promises of past elections. Both candidates have pledged, without many specifics, to trim the country's budget deficit to avoid stoking the euro-zone sovereign-debt crisis. And both have vowed to seek outside help from the European Central Bank as growth-stimulating measures run short—something Germany is likely to resist.

"Mr. Sarkozy knows there's no room for more spending, and Mr. Hollande has put the little money available on a few highly symbolic proposals," says Gérard Grunberg, a professor at Sciences Po University in Paris.

Mr. Sarkozy is also suffering from the French public's deep fatigue with his hyperkinetic ways, despite his efforts to convince voters he is no longer the "bling-bling" president they elected in 2007. "I've changed," Mr. Sarkozy said in a recent interview with French magazine Paris Match.

And see Toronto's Globe and Mail, "French polls show socialist Hollande pulling away from Sarkozy."

BONUS: One more from The Astute Bloggers, "FRANCOISE HOLLANDE MAY BECOME THE FIRST MUSLIM ELECTED PRESIDENT OF A EUROPEAN NATION --- SO TO SPEAK. IOW: HE MIGHT AS WELL BE --- ALONG WITH THE REST OF THE EURO-LEFT."

George Zimmerman Apologizes to Trayvon Martin's Parents, Will Be Released on Bail

CNN reports, "Zimmerman 'sorry' for loss of Martins' son; bond set at $150,000." (Via Memeorandum.)

And see JustOneMinute, "ABC Has New Photo of Bloodied Zimmerman." (Via Memeorandum.)

U.S. Economic Recovery Dims Amid Weaker Employment Outlook and Sluggish Home Sales

The Wall Street Journal reports, "Economic Reports Fan Fears" (via Google):

Rising layoffs, falling home sales and slowing manufacturing activity are sparking fears that the economic recovery is headed for a springtime stall for the third year in a row.

New data Thursday provided fresh evidence that the job market is losing the momentum it built earlier this year, which could pressure fragile housing markets that have been showing signs of life. Separate reports this week suggested that the factory sector, a source of strength in the recovery, now is being hurt by weak growth overseas.

However, recent signals have been mixed, with worrisome indicators following positive ones—such as consumer confidence and auto sales—that suggest the recovery remains on track. Economists generally believe total economic output in the first three months of the year grew at a rate a bit above 2%—slower than at the end of 2011 but significantly stronger than the same period a year ago.

"It's been the weakest recovery in the post-World War II period, and that hasn't changed," said David Rosenberg, chief economist for investment firm Gluskin Sheff.

New claims for unemployment benefits ticked down last week to 386,000 from 388,000 the week before, the Labor Department said Thursday. But those figures have been repeatedly raised in recent weeks, suggesting that the final number could be higher—and well above the 361,000 notched in mid-February. The less-volatile four-week average rose for the fifth time in seven weeks, a sign that layoffs are increasing again after approaching a four-year low earlier this year.

Economists cautioned that a range of factors, from a historically warm winter to an early Easter, have muddied the weekly figures and made it difficult to identify clear trends.

Nonetheless, the recent figures, combined with an unexpectedly weak March jobs report, suggest the job market is cooling. "It adds to concern about backsliding in job creation after faster employment gains earlier in the year," Credit Suisse economist Jonathan Basile wrote in a note to clients.

The New York Times also reports, "Rising Fears That Recovery May Once More Be Faltering" (via Memeorandum).

Recall that Obama's most vulnerable on the economy, so watch for more left-wing political diversions in the weeks ahead.

PREVIOUSLY: "New York Times/CBS News Poll Shows Doubts on Economy Helping Romney."

Lamestream Media, Team Obama Not Keen on Obama Dog Eating Story

Glenn Reynolds has been having a blast with the Obama dog-eater story.

The big newspapers are ignoring it, but CBS has this, "GOP hits Obama for eating dog as a child."

And the White House has no comment: "Question for Jay Carney: Does Obama know that people are talking about him eating dogs?"

And here's your double-standard: "'Dogs Against Romney' Defends Obama Over Dog Consumption Revelations."

IMAGE CREDIT: "Dogs Against Obama."

BONUS: From Spengler, "Dog-Eating and Obama’s Identity."

'Up on Cripple Creek'

This is a memorial video for Levon Helm.

See the obituary at the New York Times, "Levon Helm, Drummer and Rough-Throated Singer for the Band, Is Dead at 71."

Team Obama Keeps Trying to Change the Subject — to 'Fairness', a 'War on Women', Even Romney's Dog Seamus

Ed Morrissey has more on the new Mitt Romney ad, "New Romney ad: What you won’t hear at the Democratic convention."

And following the links, at The Hill, "Voters prefer Mitt Romney on economic issues but Obama leads in likability":

:

Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, is confident that the economy will produce the winner, not perceptions of likability.

“Everybody cites ‘I like Ike,’ but that’s not why Eisenhower won,” he notes. “Does anybody think Nixon was more likable than Hubert Humphrey? Does anybody think Jimmy Carter was a better drinking buddy than Gerald Ford?”

Personal attributes, he argues, only become critical when the economy isn’t the major issue, but 2012 looks very much like an economy year.

“If people believe things are getting better and the next four years will be more prosperous than the last four, then Obama will be reelected. But if the storm clouds start gathering again, voters will switch horses — even a horse that will never be ‘My Friend Flicka.’ ”

PREVIOUSLY: "New York Times/CBS News Poll Shows Doubts on Economy Helping Romney."

Bar Refaeli Gets Felt Up by Pervy 'Lesbian' Airport Security Guard

Well, I hardly needed an excuse to post on this...

At London's Daily Mail, "'It left me no doubt about her sexual preference': Bar Refaeli felt violated after airport pat down by female security guard." And TMZ, "BAR REFAELI UNLOADS on Handsy Airport Screener - You MUST Be a Lesbian."

More at The Other McCain, "What I Needed Today …"

And from King Shamus, "Security Getting a Little Too Friendly With Bar Refaeli."

PREVIOUSLY: "Bar Refaeli Smokin' Hot Bikini Photo-Shoot for Agua Bendita Swimwear."

BONUS: At the Wall Street Journal, "Why Airport Security Is Broken — And How To Fix It."

India Launches Long-Range Missile Capable of Reaching China

Well, so much for nuclear non-proliferation during the Obama administration.

At the Wall Street Journal, "India Tests Nuclear-Capable Missile":

India tested its most advanced long-range nuclear-capable missile to date on Thursday, a launch experts say will serve as a deterrent against Pakistan and China.

Agni V, an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, was launched from Wheeler Island, off the coast of the eastern state of Orissa, said Sitanshu Kar, a spokesman for India's defense ministry.

"It was a perfect launch which took place at 0807 hours," said Mr. Kar. "It has achieved all the parameters and goals set for it." He didn't elaborate, but Indian media is saying it reached its intended target 5,000 kilometers (3,100 miles) out in the Indian Ocean, and was visually tracked along its whole path.

Avinash Chander, chief controller (Missiles and Strategic Systems) of the Ministry of Defence's Defence Research and Development Organisation, described the launch as a "marvelous achievement" in an interview on news channel NDTV. "We achieved exactly what we wanted to achieve." He said the team has "full confidence in the missile capability" and the missile landed "exactly where it was supposed to land. "

The launch of the locally built Agni V is part of India's broader missile-development program, a key aspect of the country's nuclear strategy. Its range of over 5,000 kilometers means it could reach as far as Beijing, Tehran or Pyongyang.

Experts say this makes it the most advanced missile in India's missile inventory. But though a successful test fire is a positive sign, it could take a few more years of tests to make the ballistic missile operationally ready.

Poornima Subramaniam, an Asia-Pacific armed-forces analyst with IHS Jane's, a global think tank specializing in security issues, said by email that Agni V would boost India's strategic position against China while improving its deterrence system against its other regional rival, Pakistan.

"The Agni V can strike targets across the depth of China, potentially freeing up other short- and intermediate-range missiles for use against Pakistan and much of west and south-central China," she added. "While India maintains a no-first-use policy, it views this road-mobile ICBM capability as technologically narrowing the missile gap between India and China."

New York Times/CBS News Poll Shows Doubts on Economy Helping Romney

At the New York Times, "Doubts on Economy May Give Romney Opening, Poll Finds":

A rising number of Americans see improvement in the economy, but a persistent wariness about their own financial circumstances is allowing Mitt Romney to persuade voters that he could improve their economic prospects more than President Obama, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll.

Even as the nation rebounds from the recession, its lingering effects are reflected in the adversities facing families. Nearly two-thirds of people are concerned about paying for their housing, the poll found, and one in five people with mortgages say they are underwater. Four in 10 parents say they have had to alter expectations for the type of college they can afford to send their children. More than one-third of respondents said high gas prices had created serious financial hardships.

The general election match between Mr. Obama and Mr. Romney is opening with evidence that economic conditions are providing ammunition for both candidates. For Mr. Obama, there is a gradually growing perception that the general outlook is turning brighter, and for Mr. Romney, there are those individuals who are still not feeling substantial improvement in their own lives.

The poll found that the two men are locked in a tight race, with each gathering 46 percent of the support. Nearly an equal number of voters say they are as confident in Mr. Romney’s ability to make the right decisions on the economy and to be commander-in-chief as express confidence in Mr. Obama.

With less than seven months before Election Day, a furious scramble is under way by Democrats to define their opponent. Mr. Romney’s bruises in the Republican primary fight are evident — only 29 percent of voters have a favorable view of him — but more than one-third say they have yet to form an opinion, creating a chance for him to introduce himself as a fix-it man who can improve the personal economic circumstances of Americans.

“We need a president who has a business background, and Mitt Romney’s business background is tremendous,” Michael Larson, 55, a salesman and independent voter from Minneapolis, said Wednesday in a follow-up interview. “He has a vision that will bring the country back to economic strength.”

Continue reading.

The opening for Obama is to play the class warfare card, as "A majority of voters say upper-income Americans pay less than their fair share of taxes, while half say capital gains and dividends should be taxed at the same rate as income from work — a disparity highlighted by Mr. Romney’s own effective tax rate of about 15 percent." But then again, not so fast, "Americans are showing gradual signs of optimism: 33 percent say the economy is getting better now, compared with 14 percent who said the same last October. But only 27 percent of voters said Mr. Obama had changed the country for the better, compared with 20 percent who said he had changed it for the worse and 47 percent who said he had not changed it at all."

Either way, it's going to an extremely close election, and perhaps one of the nastiest in history.

Obama Ate Dog Meat as a Boy

In normal times, this wouldn't be a big deal. But I'm glad it is at this point, since it's now considered a disqualification for high office that the Romneys put their dog on the roof of the car during vacation, or something.

Let it rip, I say...

See James Taranto, "Bam Bites Dog: The Political Perils of Personal Attacks" (via Memeorandum).

And see Jim Treacher's post at The Daily Caller. It turns out Obama adviser David Axelrod may end up regretting this tweet.

U.S. Troops Posed With Bodies of Suicide Bombers in Afghanistan

At this morning's Los Angeles Times, "U.S. troops posed with body parts of Afghan bombers" (at Memeorandum):

The photos have emerged at a particularly sensitive moment for U.S.-Afghan relations. In January, a video appeared on the Internet showing four U.S. Marines urinating on Afghan corpses. In February, the inadvertent burning of copies of the Koran at a U.S. base triggered riots that left 30 dead and led to the deaths of six Americans. In March, a U.S. Army sergeant went on a nighttime shooting rampage in two Afghan villages, killing 17.

And differing opinions, at Jawa Report, "Sandcrawler PSA: Don't Try Suicide Bombing," and Jihad Watch, "U.S. condemns photos of soldiers posing with body parts of Afghan jihadists."

Ted Nugent on The Dana Show

Dana Loesch has an interview:

And check all the batsh*t reactions at Memeorandum.

PREVIOUSLY: "'Stranglehold'." (Linked at The Other McCain, "LIVE AT FIVE – 04.18.12."

Sweden's Minister of Culture Participates in Racist Black Cake Cutting Said to Depict Genital Mutilation in Africa

This reminds me of racist Tom Boggiani of Firedoglake.

Progs think racism is just hilarious.

Glenn Reynolds has the story: "OH, GOOD GRIEF: Swedish minister denies claims of racism over black woman cake stunt."

The cake was designed to simulate female genital mutilation --- and the artist screams as guests cut into the cake.

Only on the left, seriously. View it here.

And at London's Daily Mail, "'A tasteless, racist spectacle': Swedish minister in race row after being pictured cutting cake designed like naked, black, African tribal woman."

'Stranglehold'

The progs are going batsh*t crazy over Ted Nugent's remarks on President Obama and the Democrats: "We need to ride into that battlefield and chop their heads off in November..." (at CNN and Memeorandum).

It'll be interesting to see if this faux controversy has as much staying power as Hilary Rosen's attack on Ann Romney. And should Mitt renounce Nugent's endorsement? Who knows? But in this era of prickly partisanship and progressives' suppression of speech (stranglehold), I'm not going to be surprised if he does.

Democrat Bob Beckel Drops F-Bomb on Live TV, Attacks Tea Party Activist Jennifer Stefano: 'You Don't Know What the F—k You're Talking About'

The dude's the biggest asshole, seriously.

At Pamela's, "VIDEO: Bob Beckel Abuses Female Guest, “You Don't Know What the F*ck You're Talking About!,” Refuses to Apologize..."

Beckel was Walter Mondale's campaign manager in the 1984 presidential race.

Stay classy progs.

BONUS: Check out this comment thread at No More Mr. Nice Blog. Freakin' progs are actually threatening me for calling out their bullsh-t "chicken hawk" meme --- and Steve M. loves hims some anti-Ann Romney misogyny!

The Rise and Fall of Japanese Industrial Power

With all the predictions of American decline this last few years, it's almost amazing to see this article, at the New York Times, "Declining as a Manufacturer, Japan Weighs Reinvention":

AMAGASAKI, Japan — A few years ago, the densely built-up coastal region around this port was called Panel Bay because of its concentration of factories making the sophisticated flat-panel screens that were symbols of Japan’s manufacturing prowess. But now the area has become a grim symbol of its industrial decline.

In recent months, many of those plants have been closed or partially sold off, as the once seemingly invincible electronics industry has lost out to Chinese and South Korean challengers. Panasonic alone shut down two of its three factories here in March while Sharp, desperate to cover losses from its $10 billion flat-panel plant in nearby Sakai, accepted a bailout from a Taiwanese technology company — a stunning reversal in a nation that once prided itself on being Asia’s economic leader.

The demise of Panel Bay is the latest sign of what many Japanese fear is the hollowing out of their heavily industrialized economy, which has been in a gradual but relentless decline since the bursting of its twin real estate and stock bubbles in the early 1990s. The decline is largely a result of growing competition from Asian rivals, an aging work force and merciless gains by the yen. But many officials and business leaders now fear that this trend has accelerated since last year’s nuclear accident in Fukushima, which has raised the prospect of higher energy prices and even power failures.

“We already had a sense of crisis about the loss of manufacturing and manufacturing jobs,” said Tetsuya Tanaka, a director of manufacturing promotion at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, or METI. “Now we are afraid the concerns about electricity could give manufacturers the excuse they need to move offshore.”

The increased price pressures have wounded many of Japan’s corporate giants. Last week, Sony — the Apple-like innovator of the 1980s — forecast a $6.4 billion loss amid reports it may cut 10,000 workers, a drastic step in a nation where layoffs are still seen as socially unacceptable. Even Japanese carmakers like Toyota, which last year handed back the title of world’s largest auto company to General Motors after the supply disruptions from the tsunami, fear that they are becoming vulnerable to game-changing competition in electric cars or just lower-cost producers in South Korea and elsewhere.

The reversals have gripped Japan with a sense of national angst over its future, though economists are divided over how much the nation will actually deindustrialize — and whether a shift away from factories is really such a bad thing. Most economists agree that Japan, which rose to economic superpower status in the 1980s by building compact sedans and color televisions, has outgrown the “Asian Miracle” template and needs a new economic strategy. What that approach should be, though, is the subject of intense and growing debate.

IMAGE CREDIT: That's the cover art from Paul Kennedy's, The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (1987). The United States was was supposed to go the way of previous great powers, like Great Britain. Hasn't worked out that way, apparently.

Feminists at Camden School For Girls 'Blast' Tesco Market for Sale of Nuts Magazine at 'Eye-Level'

Well, we wouldn't want any young fellas seeing anything improper, now would we?

At the Camden New Journal, "Camden School For Girls’ Feminist Group blasts Tesco for displaying ‘degrading’ lads’ mags at child’s eye level":

SIXTH-FORM pupils have formed their own campaigning feminist group and are taking on a shop selling “degrading lads’ mags” near their school.

They argue magazines such as Nuts and Zoo – with pictures of women posing in their underwear and showing off their cleavages – should be positioned away from the eyeline of children and teenagers.

The Camden School For Girls’ Feminist Group say they have asked staff at the Tesco, opposite their school in Camden Road, Camden Town, to move the magazines – but have so far been ignored.

The rack of magazines is next to where many children buy their sandwiches and drinks  at lunchtime.

Isabella Woolford Diaz, 17, one of the founders of the group, said: “If you walk in here, you can see where people go to get food, and the magazines are clearly on the eyesight level of us all.

“The magazine covers are not the image we should see – it is very submissive for women. In other shops, they have already moved magazines or put covers over the picture bit of the front cover. Marks & Spencer has been good at this.”

The feminist group is concerned that the racy front covers have two negative impacts: leading boys to see women only as sexual objects; and pushing girls into worrying about weight and appearance, possibly triggering eating disorders.

Asked what the group would say to models like Lucy Pinder – this week’s Nuts cover girl – if they met her, Ms Woolford Diaz added: “We are not about being aggressive or judgmental. I’d want to know the background, how she got into doing this.”

Hmm, Lucy Pinder at eye-level?

That would be horrible, just horrible!