Obama's Homeland Security Assessment Avoids the Dreaded I-Word

If there's a silver lining, I see no mention of the absurd term "man-caused disaster" in this report and they do actually mention terrorism a number of times. But there's not a single mention of "Islam," "Islamic" or "Islamist" anywhere to be found.

Two new documents laying out the Obama administration's defense and homeland security strategy over the next four years describe the nation's terrorist enemies in a number of ways but fail to mention the words Islam, Islamic or Islamist.

The 108-page Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, made public last week by the Department of Homeland Security, uses the term "terrorist" a total of 66 times, "al Qaeda" five times and "violent extremism" or "extremist" 14 times. It calls on the U.S. government to "actively engage communities across the United States" to "stop the spread of violent extremism."

Yet in describing terrorist threats against the United States and the ideology that motivates terrorists, the review - like its sister document from the Pentagon, the Quadrennial Defense Review - does not use the words "Islam," "Islamic" or "Islamist" a single time.

Although the homeland security official in charge of developing the review insists it was a not a deliberate decision, the document is likely to reignite a debate over terminology in the U.S.-led war against al Qaeda that has been simmering through two administrations.

"There was not an active choice" to avoid using terms derivative of Islam, Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Policy David Heyman told reporters on a conference call. President Obama had "made it clear as we are looking at counterterrorism that our principal focus is al Qaeda and global violent extremism, and that is the terminology and language that has been articulated" by Mr. Obama and his advisers, Mr. Heyman added. He declined to use the I-word.

Even squishy RINO's find this ridiculous.

Sen. Susan Collins, Maine Republican, said in a statement that she was "struck" by what she called the "glaring omission."

Other kinds of extremism - for instance, white supremacism - are also seen as threats by many analysts, but they generally are acknowledged to pose a much less significant danger.

"To understand a threat and counter it, we must know our enemy," said Ms. Collins, the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee. "While there are other threats to our national security from other types of violent extremism, the gravest threat comes from Islamist extremists. ... In a review such as this, it is critical that we identify and address the specific threat posed by Islamist extremism."

Ms. Collins noted that the publicly available portions of the recent Pentagon report on the attack at Fort Hood also did not use terms related to Islam. "We shouldn't be reluctant to identify our enemy," she said.

Don't let it be said the Obama administration is reluctant to identify their enemies. Just look at their failed wars against Rush Limbaugh and Fox News.

Spendulus: An Impending Democrat Disaster?

At this point in time, it's difficult to say whether the Democrat spending orgy will be a disaster for Democrats or whether Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe is simply engaging in wishful thinking while whistling past the graveyard. After all, some of these billions are sure to find their way into groups that will be campaigning against Republicans (hello, ACORN!).

IT'S too late to fix any thing. It's over.

There is little hope to repair the multibillion-dollar stimulus plan now - but that could actually mean good news for Republicans. This could be the bill that puts the GOP back in power.

Once Americans realize that this is the largest spending authorization in the history of the country and that the bill is stuffed with waste and less than 7 percent real economic stimulation, they will surely wake up.

Americans will see that there are two parties - the tax-and-spend party and a party of fiscal responsibility.

The bad news is that my kids are going to have to pay for it.

The $780 billion deal that emerged from backroom talks among Democrats and Republicans is bloated with millions of dollars for stupid projects like habitat restoration, trail improvements, and coupons for digital TV transition.

It is clear that infrastructure investment, along with defense spending and tax cuts, has a greater stimulative impact on the economy than anything else the government can do. But the bill contains very little in the way of this.

I pushed for measures to increase highway investment by $5.5 billion, and to increase defense procurement spending by $5.3 billion to manufacture or acquire vehicles, equipment, ammunition, and materials required to reconstitute military units. And I sought to slash proposed wasteful, frivolous projects. Democrats fought these efforts.

All the speeches and amendments on Capitol Hill were for show and cover, because everyone knew we would have a couple of Republicans - Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) - who would cave in the bipartisan negotiations this week.

I just was hoping we as a party would have the discipline and the courage to stop this from happening, and we failed.

The stimulus bill won't change by the time the full Senate votes on it tomorrow afternoon. And when it later goes to a bipartisan conference committee sure to be stacked with Democrats, the plan will likely become a victim of more greed.

Only then will the GOP have a chance to convince Specter and Collins to come to their senses - to come back to a moderate-to-conservative position.

Good luck with that, Senator.

By the time the midterms come around in 21 months, this spendulus scam may be long forgotten, buried in a coming avalanche of far left legislation that will simply add many more billions to the public tab. If by some miracle the economy rebounds even slightly, you can be sure Obama's PR team from the networks will be gushing how The One rescued us from fiscal oblivion. Bank on it.

Protecting John Doe Update

The Washington Times reports today that Rep. Bennie Thompson has come to his senses and gotten on board with the legislation that would protect tipsters from lawsuits brought forth by terrorist sympathizers like CAIR. Still, there's sure to be some meddling from high ranking Democrats, but if they're insane enough to oppose this, they will certainly suffer at the polls.

This is great and important news. This measure ensures that ordinary citizens can continue to act upon the government's "REPORT SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY" urgings without risking legal trouble. And since Mr. Thompson was the last top-ranking lawmaker in the House and Senate homeland-security committees to oppose it, that leaves Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer without significant committee support if they somehow try to pressure conferees against the idea. A majority of the House supports it -- Rep. Peter King's measure passed by a 302-121 margin in March.

Read the rest.