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Name: Matthew Avitabile
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President Bush Put Principle Before Party or Popularity

Posted by Matthew Avitabile on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 3:41:25 PM

For all of the talk about President Bush overreaching his power and being such a terrible President, it appears that the haters were wrong. President Bush made the conscious decision to place integrity before his legacy. He decided to put ideals in front of winning elections.


Originally posted at Jumping in Pools.

He put his country first.


For example, an interview with Fox News where the President stated that it was more important to do the right thing than to do the right thing politically.

"During the darkest days of Iraq, people came to me and said, 'You're creating incredible political difficulties for us,'" the current president said as his term draws to a close. "And I said, 'Oh, really? What do you suggest I do?' And some suggested retreat, pull out of Iraq.

"But I had faith that freedom exists in people's souls and therefore, if given a chance, democracy and Iraqi-style democracy could survive and work," the president said. "I didn't compromise that principle for the sake of trying to, you know, bail out my political party."

An honest politician? That's change I can believe in.
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Dems Pushing Limits of Congressional Power

Posted by Matthew Avitabile on Friday, January 09, 2009 4:12:16 PM
Before the next President is even sworn in, the Democrats are already pushing the limits of their power. For example, they are rewriting House rules...

Originally posted at Jumping in Pools.

Gone are term limits for committee chairmen, a big comeback for seniority over merit. Cost containment measures on Medicare, one of the fastest growing programs, are simply suspended for this Congress.

Tax increases now will be easier to pass, because opponents will not be allowed to offer a simple motion to strike any increase without making up for the "lost revenue." In addition, tax cuts are made more difficult, because they cannot be offset with spending cuts. The new rules will mean that the only way to push for a tax cut will be to propose a tax increase elsewhere.

That didn't take long, did it? Not only that, but they are attempting to reduce the power of the already small Republican minority.
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Bush Environmental Contributions Ignored, Again

Posted by Matthew Avitabile on Thursday, January 08, 2009 4:54:03 PM
Know it or not, but George W. Bush may be the friendliest president to the environment we've ever had. Yes, he didn't sign the Kyoto Protocol, but my statement still stands.

Originally posted at Jumping in Pools.

Why? Well, Texas is the number one state in the Union as far as wind energy is concerned. This is because Governor Bush actively pushed for wind turbines throughout the state, even giving lucrative tax credits before it became en vogue.

Bush also has reversed an almost 30 year-old statute, so that homeowners can receive credit for installing solar panels on their houses. He has also asked Congress for billions of dollars to fund alternative energy.

President Bush has also signed into law the preservation of the largest wildlife preserve in United States history. And recently, he has established another large zone for ecological conservation.

“The monuments will prohibit resource destruction or extraction, waste dumping and commercial fishing,” President Bush said.
President Bush says the goal is to keep these delicate ecosystems intact, while gradually opening them up to scientific research and recreation.

“For sea birds and marine life, they will be sanctuaries to grow and thrive. For scientists, they will be places to expand the frontiers of discovery. And for the American people they will be places that honor our duty to be good stewards of the Almighty’s creation,” he said.

...

The three new marine monuments together equal an area roughly the size of Spain and are made up islands, reefs, atolls and underwater mountain ranges that are home to countless species.

Good for President Bush, credit or no.
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Obama Getting on the Job Training

Posted by Matthew Avitabile on Sunday, December 21, 2008 8:49:42 PM

I was reading an article on World Threats about President-Elect Barack Obama impressing the intelligence community due to him being a 'quick study' and interested in topics at hand. This got me interested in how the reports come out.

From: Langley, VA
To: Quantico, VA
DECLASSIFIED

Intelligence Briefing-- December 21, 2008
President-Elect Obama

The first briefing of the day was about the situation in the Middle East. After a two-hour lecture on the status of the Shi'ite-Sunni fracture points, Mr. Obama clearly stated: "I heard of Iraq-- that's where the Arabs live."

After this briefing was a slideshow on the status of oil exports in the near future. The intelligence presented was in clear opposition to the President-Elect's five-year-plan to run cars on "hope."

Originally posted on Jumping in Pools.
Check it out!

The final presentation on Iran's nuclear program was cut short as the President-Elect demanded chicken noodle soup and for his grilled cheese sandwich to be cut diagonally, not horizontally. "I, uh, want my soup to be, uh, Campbells!" he was reported to have shrieked.

Next week Mr. Obama will be administered a sixth-grade geography tests. Real progress has been made, as now he identifies Russia by its name and not as "the big purple place." In addition, he can now name three countries in Europe.

While these incidences may seem poor for a Senator-to-President, they lag compared to past events. For example, when President Bush ordered strikes on "Islamstan." Another example is when President Carter demanded that the United States not support the Shah of Iran because he was "ugly."

At least five more years of these briefings will be required before President Obama achieves high-school level competency in basic geography and recent world history. And, no, to answer his question, he doesn't get points for being popular.
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Hillary for State: A Smart and Wise Move

Posted by Matthew Avitabile on Sunday, November 30, 2008 8:10:41 PM


If the reports are true, President-Elect Obama has pulled off a very wise and shrewd move by placing Hillary Clinton in the State Department.

Originally posted on Jumping in Pools.

Smart because:
* Hillary has a fairly good knowledge of world affairs and has traveled extensively.
* Hillary was a part of her husband's presidency and was there when important foreign policy decisions were made.
* Hillary has served on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and has built knowledge on American forces deployed overseas.
* Hillary is hawkish on foreign affairs.

Shrewd because:
* Hillary is removed as the de facto leader of the Democrats in the Senate.
* Hillary is no longer an elected official.
* When Hillary will be mentioned, she will be a subordinate to Obama.
* If Obama fires Hillary for any reason, he can blame it on "incompetence" and ruin her reputation.
* Hillary will not have a hand in ground-breaking legislation.
* Hillary will not be able to push her signature issue, health care.
* Obama will appear to be reaching out.

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George W. Bush: Bipartisan to the End

Posted by Matthew Avitabile on Saturday, November 29, 2008 10:58:36 PM
George W. Bush has been called a lot of things. But one of the things that he hasn't been called often is bipartisan. Funny, you think? But if you look at his record, he actually has been very good on this point.

If you enjoy this article, please check out my blog.

* Bush worked with Democrats to push through Texas education reform.
* Bush worked with Democrats on a Democratic plan to push through U.S. educational reform.
* Bush partnered with Democrats to fight the Taliban and al Qaeda.
* Bush partnered with Democrats to pass the Iraq War resolution. The Senate version of the bill was introduced by a Democrat and in both Chambers of Congress, Democrats flocked to the bill.
* The military under the Bush Administration exposed the abuses at Abu Gharaib.
* Bush has been one of the most pro-environmental Presidents in our history. He has set aside massive acreage for conservation, including the largest tract in American history. ANWR was not drilled in (unfortunately) and Bush was willing to work with Dems to help our environment.
* Bush attempted to work with Dems for Social Security reform.
* Bush helped in the process of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission.
* Bush established a bipartisan foreign policy regarding Iran and Syria.
* Bush has worked overtime to ensure a good transition to Obama's administration. This despite the talk of Bush remaining in power through an emergency declaration.

George W. Bush is treated like a clown and a charlatan today. When history looks back on what he's done and the things that he has had to put up with, he will be given a kinder review.
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John McCain's Legacy

Posted by Matthew Avitabile on Saturday, November 29, 2008 9:49:05 PM
Originally posted at Jumping in Pools.


It may be a bit early to write about what we're all going to think of John McCain, but I think that I have a bit of the picture.

McCain will be remembered as the one Republican that many Democrats said that they'd vote for. Some did (Joe C.) and far more decided that party actually did matter more than policy or character.

McCain was remembered as the guy sunk by Karl Rove's tactics. However, for some reason folks in the media decried his attacks on Barack Obama as the same as Rove's, even though McCain's were factually based.

McCain not only believed in the righteousness of the Iraq War, but was willing to allow two of his sons to join the military. This, and McCain himself visited eight times, building a solid relationship with Nouri al-Maliki and the Iraqi government. Many times McCain said that he would rather win a war than a political campaign. By touting the successful surge strategy, the Iraq war is won. If the war was on the front pages, foreign policy would have been a bigger issue, and Obama's inexperience and naiveté would have shown even brighter. Instead, McCain put the country first, and pioneered the strategy that is saving lives.

McCain was everything people said they wanted in a President. He was affable, grouchy when he needed to be, bipartisan, a war hero, and experienced. He stood up to his own party when he needed to and foreign tyrants when others wouldn't.

John McCain is a hero that comes along once a generation. He will be remembered as such.

But we wanted Change at any cost.

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The United States Stands with India

Posted by Matthew Avitabile on Saturday, November 29, 2008 9:47:00 PM
Originally posted at Jumping in Pools.

Disgusting acts of terror shook the great city of Mumbai, known once as Bombay. At least 78 are dead in the carnage and more deaths may come. In this time of national tragedy, we cannot look at political borders or boundaries; there should be little distinction between the United States and our ally India. We are all members of the same international community, and we must stand together for justice.

Seven years ago, India was one of the first nations on Earth to offer support and assistance to the United States after September 11th. The United States should do the same. Although I cannot speak for the higher-ups in my country, I offer my condolences to India. But no matter what, terrorists will never be able to take away from India's greatness, terrorists will never shake India's morals, and India will never back down from terrorists.

God bless you, India. We stand with you.



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RIP, Franken's Election Hopes

Posted by Matthew Avitabile on Saturday, November 29, 2008 9:41:44 PM
It appears that Al Franken's hopes of becoming the next Senator from Minnesota are falling dramatically. Despite the fact that the vote count was moving his way, Franken's deficit has grown as the recount continues.

Originally posted at Jumping in Pools.

And now it appears that Franken's last ditch efforts to add votes into the wider pool has failed. Without more ballots to count, and the recount at 88%, the chances of a legitimate Franken comeback appear slim.

Still, the Democrats are calling foul, even though it appeared that earlier, votes were just "appearing" for Franken:

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., termed the Canvassing Board's decision "cause for great concern" and called on Minnesota officials to "ensure that no voter is disenfranchised."

So hopefully Norm Coleman can sleep a little easier.
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