Governor Beshear's budget

Governor Beshear wrote a guest column in today's Herald-Leader:

Kentucky must begin breaking its reliance on one-time solutions to balance our budget. I admit that my proposed budget includes some of those one-time solutions, such as debt restructuring, alternative borrowing and fund transfers. Is this the best practice? No, but it's necessary at this, the worst economic time in our recent history, to keep from making damaging cuts to our core priorities.

Already we have cut almost $1 billion in spending and have shrunk the executive branch to the smallest it's been in two decades. Along with cuts we've been steadily and quietly remaking government — including a new round of efficiencies called the Smart Government Initiative that could save some $77 million over the biennium — to create a stronger, leaner and more sustainable operation. My budget also requires an array of initiatives to hold down increasing costs of prisons and Medicaid.

The new, recurring revenue my plan produces is actually revenue that already exists. Kentuckians are already gaming, but the taxes on those recreational dollars are traveling across our borders to fund roads, schools and health care in other states.

Editorial comic roundup

(Click for larger image)

President Obama's weekly address

The President praises the Senate for restoring the pay-as-you-go law, discusses his proposal for a freeze in discretionary spending, and calls for a bipartisan Fiscal Commission to hammer out further concrete deficit reduction proposals.

The President's Nuclear Vision

Vice President Joe Biden penned a column in today's Wall Street Journal. Here's an excerpt:

The United States faces no greater threat than the spread of nuclear weapons. That is why, last April in Prague, President Obama laid out a comprehensive agenda to reverse their spread, and to pursue the peace and security of a world without them.

He understands that this ultimate goal will not be reached quickly. But by acting on a number of fronts, we can ensure our security, strengthen the global nonproliferation regime, and keep vulnerable nuclear material out of terrorist hands.

For as long as nuclear weapons are required to defend our country and our allies, we will maintain a safe, secure and effective nuclear arsenal. The president's Prague vision is central to this administration's efforts to protect the American people — and that is why we are increasing investments in our nuclear arsenal and infrastructure in this year's budget and beyond.

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Click here for a version of this video with closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

The State of the Union

Did you miss President Obama's State of the Union speech last night? Here's the video:

Republicans: Another Year of No?

State of the Union Watch Party

NKY Organizing for America is hosting a State of the Union Watch Party tomorrow evening. Come on down to Chez Nora to watch President Obama's speech with like-minded folks!

Mitch's faulty talking points

Think Progress does a great job deconstructing Mitch McConnell's latest talking points:

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), on Meet the Press yesterday, said, “the message in Massachusetts was absolutely clear. The exit polls that I looked at said 48 percent of the people in Massachusetts said they voted for the new senator over health care.” McConnell added: “The people are telling us, ‘Please don’t pass this bill.’”

This “referendum” on health reform meme has become near-conventional wisom, with the media and even some Democrats echoing it. But a new Washington Post/Kaiser/Harvard poll undermines this assertion. The poll suggests that while the election was a “protest of the Washington process,” it was not a rejection of progressive policy. Only 11 percent of voters, including 19 percent of Brown voters, want Brown to “stop the Democratic agenda.”

Obama stimulus reduced our pain, experts say

USA Today has the story:

President Obama's stimulus package saved jobs — but the government still needs to do more to breathe life into the economy, according to USA TODAY's quarterly survey of 50 economists.

Unemployment would have hit 10.8% — higher than December's 10% rate — without Obama's $787 billion stimulus program, according to the economists' median estimate. The difference would translate into another 1.2 million lost jobs.

Editorial comic roundup

(Click for larger image)

President Obama's weekly address

The President talks about his first year fighting against special interests and barring lobbyists from his Administration, as well as the fight to come in the wake of a recent Supreme Court decision.

The Court’s Blow to Democracy

Today's New York Times includes this must-read editorial:

With a single, disastrous 5-to-4 ruling, the Supreme Court has thrust politics back to the robber-baron era of the 19th century. Disingenuously waving the flag of the First Amendment, the court’s conservative majority has paved the way for corporations to use their vast treasuries to overwhelm elections and intimidate elected officials into doing their bidding.

Congress must act immediately to limit the damage of this radical decision, which strikes at the heart of democracy.

As a result of Thursday’s ruling, corporations have been unleashed from the longstanding ban against their spending directly on political campaigns and will be free to spend as much money as they want to elect and defeat candidates. If a member of Congress tries to stand up to a wealthy special interest, its lobbyists can credibly threaten: We’ll spend whatever it takes to defeat you.

Facing the abyss

There's a good editorial in today's Courier-Journal:

Before joining the crowd that is piling onto Gov. Steve Beshear — for relying on $780 million in phantom gambling revenues to balance the 2010-12 state budget — voters might consider what his options were.

...One can quibble with how the Governor has proceeded. It might, for example, have been wise to release figures quickly that showed the legislators and public what 14 percent and 34 percent cuts would mean to specific agencies and services. It certainly would have been helpful if those who would be beneficiaries of additional gambling revenues, such as state university presidents, had been lined up to offer vocal support, instead of being allowed to form an uncommitted herd on the sidelines.

But the Governor is acting responsibly, and there is precedent for budget proposals from governors who assume a revenue source that has not yet been enacted. Mr. Beshear's offering is a gamble from a man who is not a noted risk-taker, but it is also leadership. It is long past time for the General Assembly, which confronts a severe fiscal crisis, to exhibit the same quality.

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Click here for a version of this video with closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

Little scrutiny, weak promise

Be sure to check out the editorial in today's Herald-Leader:

Robert Addington, a prominent figure in Kentucky's coal industry whose businesses have a history of serial bankruptcies, gave $35,000 to the campaign coffers of Sen. Jim Bunning and Rep. Geoff Davis in recent years.

One of Addington's companies, American Freedom Fuels, is working on a process known as HyMelt for producing liquid transportation fuels from coal. Bunning and Davis put a $3.92 million earmark for Addington's company in a defense appropriations bill signed into law last month.

...The proposal underwent none of the scrutiny or competition that honed the UK grant. It was graded by no standards other than the judgments of two politicians who had what almost anyone would say was a conflict of interest.

Obama: Why Haiti Matters

President Obama has penned a column about the devastation in Haiti for Newsweek. Here's an excerpt:

In response, I have ordered a swift, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives in Haiti. We have launched one of the largest relief efforts in recent history. I have instructed the leaders of all agencies to make our response a top priority across the federal government. We are mobilizing every element of our national capacity: the resources of development agencies, the strength of our armed forces, and most important, the compassion of the American people. And we are working closely with the Haitian government, the United Nations, and the many international partners who are also aiding in this extraordinary effort.

We act for the sake of the thousands of American citizens who are in Haiti, and for their families back home; for the sake of the Haitian people who have been stricken with a tragic history, even as they have shown great resilience; and we act because of the close ties that we have with a neighbor that is only a few hundred miles to the south.

But above all, we act for a very simple reason: in times of tragedy, the United States of America steps forward and helps. That is who we are. That is what we do. For decades, America's leadership has been founded in part on the fact that we do not use our power to subjugate others, we use it to lift them up—whether it was rebuilding our former adversaries after World War II, dropping food and water to the people of Berlin, or helping the people of Bosnia and Kosovo rebuild their lives and their nations.

The Great Tea Party Rip-Off

Today's Frank Rich column is great. Be sure to read the whole piece!

Both [Michael] Steele and [Sarah] Palin claim to be devotees of the tea party movement. “I’m a tea partier, I’m a town-haller, I’m a grass-roots-er” is how Steele put it in a recent radio interview, wet-kissing a market he hopes will buy his book. Palin has far more grandiose ambitions. She recently signed on as a speaker for the first Tea Party Convention, scheduled next month in Nashville — even though she had turned down a speaking invitation from the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, the traditional meet-and-greet for the right. The conservative conference doesn’t pay. The Tea Party Convention does. A blogger at Nashville Scene reported that Palin’s price for the event was $120,000.

The entire Tea Party Convention is a profit-seeking affair charging $560 a ticket — plus the cost of a room at the Opryland Hotel. Among the convention’s eight listed sponsors is Tea Party Emporium, which gives as its contact address 444 Madison Avenue in New York, also home to the high-fashion brand Burberry. This emporium’s Web site offers a bejeweled tea bag at $89.99 for those furious at “a government hell bent on the largest redistribution of wealth in history.” This is almost as shameless as Glenn Beck, whose own tea party profiteering has included hawking gold coins merchandised by a sponsor of his radio show.

Last week a prominent right-wing blogger, Erick Erickson of RedState.com, finally figured out that the Tea Party Convention “smells scammy,” likening it to one of those Nigerian e-mails promising untold millions. Such rumbling about the movement’s being co-opted by hucksters may explain why Palin used her first paid appearance at Fox last Tuesday to tell Bill O’Reilly that she would recycle her own tea party profits in political contributions. But Erickson had it right: the tea party movement is being exploited — and not just by marketers, lobbyists, political consultants and corporate interests but by the Republican Party, as exemplified by Palin and Steele, its most prominent leaders.

President Obama's weekly address

As the President continues to work on immediate job creation, he discusses his proposal for a new fee on the largest financial institutions to ensure that every cent of taxpayer assistance gets paid back.

Governor's State of the Commonwealth Address

Governor Beshear's State of the Commonwealth Address from last Wednesday is now available for online viewing at KET's website. Click here to watch the video.

What Karl Rove got wrong on the U.S. deficit

Today's Washington Post has a great column by David Axelrod (senior adviser to President Obama). Here's an excerpt:

The day the Bush administration took over from President Bill Clinton in 2001, America enjoyed a $236 billion budget surplus -- with a projected 10-year surplus of $5.6 trillion. When the Bush administration left office, it handed President Obama a $1.3 trillion deficit -- and projected shortfalls of $8 trillion for the next decade. During eight years in office, the Bush administration passed two major tax cuts skewed to the wealthiest Americans, enacted a costly Medicare prescription-drug benefit and waged two wars, without paying for any of it.

...This fiscal irresponsibility -- and a laissez-faire attitude toward the excesses of the financial industry -- helped create the conditions for the deepest economic catastrophe since the Great Depression. Economists across the political spectrum agreed that to deal with this crisis and avoid a second Great Depression, the government had to make significant investments to keep our economy going and shore up our financial system.

That is why President Obama and Congress crafted the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Despite [Karl] Rove's assertion, it is widely accepted that the difficult but necessary steps Obama took have helped save our economy from an even deeper disaster. And while Rove conveniently ignores that it was President Bush -- not Obama -- who signed into law the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program bailout for banks, the Obama administration's rigorous stewardship added transparency and accountability that have cut the expected cost of that program by two-thirds.

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Click here for a version of this video with closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

Limbaugh playing politics with Haiti aid

Here's a great clip from Countdown with Keith Olbermann:

Obama needs to cut his Wall Street tag

Today's column by EJ Dionne makes some excellent points:

Some keep pushing the tired notion that the deficits can be cured if we just reduce "entitlements," which I put in quotation marks because I'm weary of people using this highfalutin word to dodge saying directly that they want deep cuts in Medicare and Social Security.

Actually, health-care reform is designed in part to contain the long-term growth of Medicare costs. And the savings that can be wrung out of Social Security are limited. In the end, if you care about fiscal responsibility, you have to favor raising taxes.

But whose taxes? The truth is that we've had a large income and wealth shift in the United States, in favor of not just the rich in general but the financial sector in particular. We are overtaxing wage and salary income relative to investment income, and overtaxing the manufacturing and service sectors relative to the financial industry. It's why Warren Buffett has said that he's taxed at a lower rate than his receptionist.

Governor's new 'Smart Government' initiative

Today Governor Beshear issued this press release:

FRANKFORT, Ky. — Pledging to continue good stewardship of scarce tax dollars, Gov. Steve Beshear today introduced additional efficiency efforts to broad sectors of government to save money and state resources. This new initiative, Beshear’s “Smart Government” policy, extends and expands the efficiency measures the Governor instituted during the first two years of his administration. In addition, for the first time, Cabinet secretaries will take a 10 percent salary reduction in 2010. Gov. Beshear, Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo and senior staff voluntarily took 10 percent pay cuts beginning in 2009 – cuts that will continue this year.

“In addition to making $900 million in budget cuts over the last two years, my administration has continued to aggressively look for ways to save money within state government and continue to deliver quality services to the citizens,” said Gov. Beshear. “This smart government initiative will require cooperation among a number of critical agencies to achieve government-wide savings.”

“Although the U.S. economy shows promise of recovery in 2010, Kentuckians still face difficult days ahead,” said Lt. Gov. Mongiardo. “Just like last year, hard working families across the Commonwealth continue to cut back their expenses in order to survive an economic recession as bad as many of us have seen in our lifetimes. As we continue to cut and reduce state government, it is of utmost importance that we share in that sacrifice to ensure that the state we love emerges from this crisis stronger than ever.”

While efforts have been underway by state agencies to identify cost savings, the next phase of measures involves an extensive review of three major government-wide areas: owned and leased state properties; delivery of business solutions, including information technology, transportation and postal services; and state procurement, including a review of all state contracts.

A detailed review of the following areas will be conducted under the “Smart Government” initiative:

Property management:

• Sale of non-essential assets: Gov. Beshear has directed a comprehensive review of all assets to determine those no longer essential to meet the state’s vital needs. The state has started selling state assets through live auctions, Internet-based auctions and other competitive procedures. Surplus items include real property owned by state agencies; non-essential vehicles and planes; state-owned surplus personal property and equipment; and surplus federal property. For example, on Dec. 18, 2009, the state held a public auction resulting in the sale of a state-owned parking garage in Covington for $1.5 million.


• Comprehensive leased property review: Gov. Beshear has directed a government-wide review of leased properties to identify opportunities to downsize and consolidate when possible to achieve cost savings.

Delivery of business solutions:

• Review of information technology: Gov. Beshear has directed a review of information technology processes and encourages leveraging technical expertise across agency lines. Specific elements of the review will include: statewide IT and communications services; desktop support; asset management; printing and help desk functions; and expanding opportunities to leverage buying power for IT purchases.


• Review of state cars and trucks: Gov. Beshear has directed a review of the state fleet, including: evaluating the cost effectiveness of take-home vehicles; expanding a pilot program that installed GPS on dozens of state vehicles, which demonstrated 10 percent reduction in miles driven, an 83 percent reduction in speeding and 14 percent increase in fuel efficiency; exploring self-insurance for vehicles; and outsourcing the state’s fleet partially or in total.


• Review of postal services: Gov. Beshear has directed a review of postal service processes utilized by state government and its agencies to identify potential savings and efficiencies.

Procurement:
State agencies procure hundreds of millions of dollars worth of goods and services through contracting and procurement practices. The Governor has directed a review of both specific types of contracts, as well as a general review to identify opportunities for savings and efficiencies.

• Cell phone and data wireless services: Agencies will review opportunities to consolidate cell phone and data wireless services, sharing unused wireless minutes and expanding bulk user savings.


• Contract review: Agencies continue to save money by eliminating, reducing or renegotiating contracts with vendors. Greater savings could be achieved by a coordinated, government-wide procurement efficiency effort.

A decision-making body with representation from many agencies of the executive branch will be named to implement this comprehensive efficiency initiative. The committee will oversee the review of opportunities for enterprise cost savings and service efficiencies and implement new procedures and processes to achieve them. This committee will be chaired by the Secretary of the Executive Cabinet Mary Lassiter and staffed by the Finance and Administration Cabinet, whose Secretary, Jonathan Miller, will be executive director.

“Under Gov. Beshear’s leadership, state government is more efficient, transparent and sustainable than ever before,” said Jonathan Miller, Finance and Administration Cabinet Secretary. “With his current initiative we will create a smarter, leaner and stronger government in the long run, capable of dramatic progress when the economy turns around.”

Continuing a Commitment to Good Stewardship
Shortly after taking office in December 2007, Gov. Beshear began an effort to identify cost-savings and efficiencies across state government. In the first two years of his administration Gov. Beshear has directed a number of broad efficiency measures, including:

• Personnel: Under the Beshear Administration, the executive branch is the smallest it has been in almost 20 years, with some 3,800 fewer employees than just five years ago, and nearly 1,600 fewer than December 2007.


• State bonds: The Finance and Administration Cabinet has refinanced and restructured outstanding bonds to take advantage of lower interest rates, creating significant savings in debt service. In the last two years, the cabinet has refinanced $55 million in bond issues at lower interest rates, which resulted in $2.7 million in debt service savings. The Cabinet also has restructured $205 million of principal amount of debt for budgetary relief in FY 2009 and FY 2010.


• Travel: The Governor implemented strict policies limiting travel and establishing cost-saving restrictions such as requiring overnight stays at state parks when practical. Travel expenses dropped 12 percent between FY 08 to FY 09.


• Administrative costs: State agencies have reduced administrative costs in a wide range of service areas, including reducing laundry and cleaning services; reducing uniform purchases; and reducing mailing costs by increasing use of online documents and e-mail.


• Energy savings: Gov. Beshear issued a policy requiring all new construction and major renovations of state-owned buildings to adhere to energy-efficiency standards that are among the toughest in the nation, and launched an initiative to reduce energy use in existing government buildings. Strategies include increasing the use of motion-sensitive office lighting and automatic thermostats to save money on heating and cooling; using energy management software to monitor use and reduce energy consumption and energy efficient bulbs for all new and replacement lighting; and replacing aged heating systems when appropriate with energy-efficient HVAC systems. The Capitol campus, which includes the Capitol, Capitol Annex, Governor’s Mansion, and parking garage, is currently undergoing an energy efficiency makeover through an Energy Savings Performance Contract that will be completed by the end of this summer. This will result in a more than $281,000 annual savings from the reduction in utilities and maintenance.


• Maximizing federal grants: Agencies are utilizing every available resource to gain additional federal grants, as well as maximizing and leveraging the federal funds currently appropriated.


• Salary reductions: In December 2008, Gov. Steve Beshear, Lt. Gov. Daniel Mongiardo and members of the Governor’s senior staff took 10 percent salary reductions for 2009.

Loose Cannon

Here's a funny new ad from the DNC:

Memo to GOP: Even Reagan Raised Taxes

Be sure to check out the latest column from Cynthia Tucker:

The cult of Ronald Reagan is alive and well in Republican precincts across the land, from the nation's capital to outposts in Georgia, Montana and Missouri. But the faith of the followers has distorted Reagan's legacy. The Reagan whom his acolytes worship is a shallow hardliner who doesn't bear much resemblance to the pragmatic and flexible man who occupied the White House for most of the '80s.

If you asked the legions of Reagan standard-bearers about his opposition to taxes, for example, they'd reply that he never sanctioned a tax increase. That idea has taken such hold in the GOP that no Republican politician dares mutter "tax hike" except as an expletive.

Over the coming months, as President Obama takes up the task of deficit reduction, you'll hear that conservative article of faith preached from the Senate floor, on the airwaves favored by conservative talk show hosts, in the policy papers cranked out by conservative think tanks. There's just a tiny problem of fact: Reagan did, too, raise taxes.

President Obama's weekly address

The President discusses the benefits of health reform that Americans will receive in the first year, and how reform will help build a new foundation for American families.

Geoff Davis donor gets $3.9 million earmark

The Lexington Herald-Leader has the story:

U.S. Sen. Jim Bunning and U.S. Rep. Geoff Davis earmarked $3.92 million in the defense spending bill signed into law Dec. 19 for American Freedom Fuels, a Lexington company owned by Robert Addington, who is also a major campaign donor.

Addington, who with his brothers founded and ran several large coal companies, has given about $35,000 in combined political donations since 2005 to Bunning and Davis, both Kentucky Republicans.

..."If he can't get enough money in the private sector for his companies, it shouldn't be up to the members of Congress to step in and pick winners and losers using money that isn't theirs," [spokeswoman for Citizens Against Government Waste Leslie] Paige said. "That's why we have a free market, to decide which ideas will get capital."

Governor Beshear's weekly address

Click here for a version of this video with closed captioning for the hearing impaired.

Republicans: Not Ready to Lead

Governor Touts Job Creation, Education

Governor Steve Beshear just issued this press release:

FRANKFORT, Ky. – In his third State of the Commonwealth address, Gov. Steve Beshear reminded legislators of their bipartisan successes in job creation, education and budget balancing -- despite a plodding economy and dismal budget outlook. He asked legislators to come together again to solve the state’s worst budget forecast in generations.

“With a mindset of cooperation, we’ve made government work again for the people,” said Gov. Beshear. “I pledge to Kentuckians from west to east that I will continue to operate with this spirit of cooperation.”

Gov. Beshear pointed to the successful overhaul of the economic incentives program, changes to the pension system, and the protection of the main K-12 education funding formula (SEEK) as examples of what state government can accomplish when leaders set aside political differences.

“In these troubled times, Kentuckians need hope, and they need help,” Gov. Beshear said. “I refuse to use this recession as an excuse not to move forward.”

The governor outlined four goals to help the state survive the recession and position it for future success: creating and maintaining jobs, supporting families through the recession, attacking systemic problems hindering state progress, and making state government more efficient and transparent.

• Create and maintain jobs
  Gov. Beshear touted the success of the bipartisan overhaul of the state’s tax incentive programs, which streamlined and modernized business development incentives. The new program, Incentives for a New Kentucky, allows existing businesses to take advantage of tax incentives to reinvest and create new jobs. In November alone, businesses applied for incentives that would create 1,100 jobs and maintain another 1,400. Strategic application of federal stimulus dollars saved another 4,200 jobs in the state.


• Support families through recession
  Gov. Beshear worked to secure expanded unemployment insurance benefits for those out of work, used federal stimulus funds to fully fund healthcare benefits for the most vulnerable in the Medicaid program and began a $2.9 million overhaul of the food stamp program to get aid to families more quickly. An initiative to register more children for health insurance led to health coverage for 36,000 children through the Kentucky’s Children Health Insurance Program (KCHIP). And he helped needy Kentuckians secure $17 million worth of prescription drugs by improving access to low-cost or free drug programs.


• Attack systemic problems hindering state progress
  The Governor said that protecting the SEEK formula, the main funding mechanism for K-12 education, has been one of his proudest achievements to date. Gov. Beshear said he plans to do “everything humanly possible” to protect education funding. He also outlined several legislative priorities to attack systemic long-term problems facing Kentucky, including:
  
  • raising the allowable high school dropout age;
  • simplifying the transfer of credits among community colleges and four-year institutions;
  • increasing funds for smoking cessation; and
  • increasing accessibility to KCHIP, the health insurance program for children.


• Make government lean, efficient and open
  Gov. Beshear thanked legislators for their assistance in continuing to balance the state budget while preserving key areas of education, health care and public safety. Since taking office, Gov. Beshear has cut the budget six times, reducing spending by approximately $900 million and shrinking the executive branch to its smallest size in two decades. Next week, the Governor will unveil a new series of efficiency measures designed to continue ensuring every tax dollar is wisely spent.

“We are living in historic times, and this recession has shaken the confidence of many,” Gov. Beshear said. “But out of adversity can come opportunity, and that opportunity is ours to seize.”

Steele Suggests GOP Isn't Ready to Take Over

RNC chairman Michael Steele continues his streak of gaffes. The Wall Street Journal has more:

An interview with Michael Steele on a conservative program seemed like the perfect venue for the Republican National Committee chairman to hawk his new book. But Steele also offered up new ammunition to Democratic opponents when he questioned whether the GOP was ready to lead on the chance Republicans win a House majority in the 2010 midterm elections.

...[Conservative pundit Sean] Hannity urged the chairman to “answer your own question” on the GOP’s ability to lead. Steele’s response? “I don’t know, and that’s what I’m assessing and evaluating right now.”

...“Admitting that Republicans aren’t ready to lead is the most honest thing Michael Steele has said in his life,” tooted Democratic National Committee spokesman Hari Sevugan.

Rush's 'Dandy' Health Care from Union Nurses

Think Progress makes a great catch:

Last week, Rush Limbaugh was rushed to a hospital while vacationing in Hawaii after complaining of chest pains. Shortly after being released from Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu, Limbaugh said his doctors didn’t know what caused his symptoms, and he praised the U.S. health care system based on his experience at the hospital.

...Queen’s Medical Center’s nursing staff are represented by the Hawaii Nurses’ Association union and that “Hawaii has one of the greatest percentages of organized workers of any state and also had the highest percentage of organized RNs.”

...While Limbaugh has repeatedly attacked Democrats’ efforts at health care reform, he also regularly vilifies unions, calling them “thugs.” “Find a business in trouble,” Limbaugh has said, “and you will find a union involved.” Apparently, this isn’t so for Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu.

Cheney claim on Obama earns Pants on Fire

The nonpartisan fact-checking website PolitiFact has looked into Dick Cheney's claim that "President Obama is trying to pretend we are not at war":

In his latest attack on President Barack Obama, former Vice President Dick Cheney seized on the attempted bombing of a Detroit-bound jetliner to suggest that Obama is weak on terrorism.

"As I’ve watched the events of the last few days it is clear once again that President Obama is trying to pretend we are not at war," Cheney said.

...even a cursory examination of Obama's statements shows this one is preposterous. Obama has often said the United States is at war against terrorist organizations -- and has ordered a massive increase in U.S. troops in Afghanistan to fight that war. So Cheney's comment isn't just False, it's ridiculously so. Pants on Fire!

President Obama's weekly address

The President discusses the recent attempted act of terrorism on the Christmas day flight to Detroit, and his broader strategy to fight Al Qaeda.

We're on the verge of historic reform

Here's a great new ad from Health Care For America Now: