Rasmussen:

Seventy-four percent (74%) of U.S. voters say it is unlikely there will be lasting peace between the Palestinians and Israel within the next decade Twenty-seven percent (27%) say it’s not at all likely.

Only four percent (4%) think a lasting peace between the two is Very Likely within the next 10 years, and another 17% say it’s somewhat likely in a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.

RCP:

We have two important anniversaries this week: tomorrow is the 20th of the massacre in Tiananmen Square. Saturday will be the 65th of D-Day. Both events retain “educational value,” and today I shall try to remember why.

I was not around for D-Day. Recently I buried a father who was, and at an age to make me realize that the Second World War will soon exist only as book knowledge. Include, in that book, what was incised in stone over the battlefields of France, where Western leaders will gather on the weekend for verbal tributes, and where a few surviving veterans will recall the comrades of their vanished youth.

RCP:

Yes, you read that correctly: If you doubt that there is a conservative inclination in the media, consider which arguments you hear regularly and which you don’t. When Rush Limbaugh sneezes or Newt Gingrich tweets, their views ricochet from the Internet to cable television and into the traditional media. It is remarkable how successful they are in setting what passes for the news agenda. (more…)

Poll:

Twenty-six percent (26%) of American adults believe it was a good idea for the federal government to take ownership of General Motors as the auto giant was on the verge of collapse. Nearly as many–17%–say that Americans should protest the bailout by boycotting GM and refusing to buy its cars. Most Americans are somewhere in between. (more…)

RCP:

Traditionalists vs. Reformers

For conservatives, the coming argument about core principles will pit “Traditionalists” against “Reformers,” according to David Brooks of the New York Times. Traditionalists, he says, “believe that conservatives have lost elections because they have strayed from the true creed. George W. Bush was a big-government type who betrayed conservatism. John McCain was a Republican moderate, and his defeat discredits the moderate wing.” The Traditionalists, Brooks says, include Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, and Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform. They’re convinced the cure for the problems of conservatism is more conservatism: “Cut government, cut taxes, restrict immigration. Rally behind Sarah Palin.” (more…)

RCW:

Spring always brings new blossoms, but 20 years ago, spring brought to China an unprecedented flowering. In hundreds of cities, citizens took to the streets in peaceful protests to demand freedom, government accountability and an end to corruption — and the government, once among the most repressive on earth, stood by and let them.

It was an intoxicating moment that didn’t last. By the morning of June 4, the government had reversed course, sending the army to crush the long-running student demonstration in the capital’s Tiananmen Square, leaving hundreds dead, and the Beijing Spring was over.

Rasmussen video here.

CQ Politics:

Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney plans to announce a primary challenge to Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand on her Web site Thursday morning, according to two sources including a member of New York’s congressional delegation.

Maloney disputed that characterization in a brief hallway interview.

“Where did you get that from?” she asked. “It’s not true.”

Regardless of the timing or venue, several of her New York colleagues, including Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Anthony D. Weiner, said Maloney has told them she will run. She has also indicated to political allies in her “silk stocking” district on Manhattan’s Upper East Side that she is preparing a bid.

New York Assemblyman Jonathan L. Bing, whose district overlaps with Maloney’s and who shares a close working relationship with the congresswoman, said an announcement on Maloney’s Senate intentions was pending, but could not confirm a specific date.

The decision to run sets up what could be an expensive primary.

Bloomberg:

June 3 (Bloomberg) — Some of the 17 Chinese Uighur Muslims being held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will likely be released in the U.S. in an effort to convince other countries to accept prisoners from the detention facility, according to current and former American officials.

The fate of the Chinese nationals, who were captured after the Sept. 11 attacks, has been a quandary for U.S. officials. While the Bush administration cleared the Uighurs for release or transfer between 2003 and 2008, the government hasn’t been able to find a country willing to accept them.

From K-State:

K-STATE EDUCATION INSTRUCTOR WHO DOUBLES AS BISON RANCHER OFFERS SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE SPECIES

MANHATTAN — For nearly 15 years, Kansas State University’s Susan Dillinger and her husband have been raising bison on a ranch in Pottawatomie County.
(more…)

Slate:

Last Friday the White House argued that Judge Sonia Sotomayor’s “word choice in 2001 was poor” when she said, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.” Today, it undermined its case.

An administration aide pointed out that in addition to the 2001 speech, in a 1994 speech Sotomayor used nearly identical language: “I would hope that a wise woman with the richness of her experience would, more often than not, reach a better conclusion. What is better? I … hope that better will mean a more compassionate and caring conclusion.”

Source:

But Corzine cannot be counted out of the game just yet. The incumbent has yet to flex his political muscles in the race. Corzine, a former CEO of Goldman Sachs, invested more than $60 million in personal funds into his successful 2000 bid for U.S. Senate and is expected to be able to outspend Christie this fall. Corzine also has strong support from the national party- Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. appeared at Corzine’s kickoff rally Tuesday.

And the state overall leans Democratic despite the high number of unaffiliated voters, who made up 47 percent of registered voters according to the latest figures. A Republican last won the New Jersey governorship in 1997 and state voters have supported a Democrat for president in the past five presidential elections. Democrats currently control the state legislature, both U.S. Senate seats, and eight out of 13 U.S. House seats.

WSJ:

Enter Mr. Christie, who made his reputation putting away the state’s many political crooks. But to win in November he’ll need a reform agenda that sharpens the economic contrast with Mr. Corzine and gives him leverage to clean up the tax robbers in Trenton if he does win. He’ll need a reform mandate, or the legislature will tie him down like Gulliver. Mr. Christie shrugged off primary opponent Steve Lonegan’s proposal to replace the state’s progressive income tax with a flat tax, but he’ll need something nearly as bold. He can also differentiate himself on education, where state spending per pupil is among the highest in the country, but achievement is dismal and unions run the show.

RCP:

HANNITY: But it is interesting because that term racist, racial is radioactive, but - and Chuck Schumer said, he made the comment that, you do so at your own peril if you go after Judge Sotomayor, and I found that comment pretty interesting because I’m thinking well, that didn’t stop you and your fellow Democrats from going after Miguel Estrada, remember, the - he’s a Latino memo or Clarence Thomas or even Alberto Gonzales. (more…)

Times Online:

President Obama’s journey to Saudi Arabia and Egypt could be an opportunity. It reflects both the need for an historic change in the Middle East and a unique chance of achieving it.

Various ideas are being discussed. One significant concept is King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia’s peace initiative which was adopted by the Arab League in Beirut. Much wisdom lies also in King Abdullah of Jordan’s proposal of a “57-state solution” to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

The kings are right in seeing both the proper destination and the surest path for its realisation. With the support of the leadership in Egypt, it seems the time is ripe to end the Israeli-Arab conflict once and for all.

Club for Growth:

From Bloomberg:

Microsoft Corp. Chief Executive Officer Steven Ballmer said the world’s largest software company would move some employees offshore if Congress enacts President Barack Obama’s plans to impose higher taxes on U.S. companies’ foreign profits.

“It makes U.S. jobs more expensive,” Ballmer said in an interview. “We’re better off taking lots of people and moving them out of the U.S. as opposed to keeping them inside the U.S.”

I wonder how many other Ballmers have the same plan. I suspect many.

RCP:

Two men, two murderers — two lost boys trying to recover dreams of manhood in two violent and disturblingly similar acts.

Is God sending us a message? (more…)

VDH at RCP:

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has scolded Americans for being “cowards” and not talking more about race. Now, Holder is getting that “dialogue” with the recent controversy surrounding President Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor.

Most of the furor surrounds statements on race by Sotomayor herself: “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”

From K-State:

K-STATE INSTRUCTOR USES BISON FARM TO EDUCATE PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD

MANHATTAN — Susan Dillinger’s entire life is about education. She’s spent 36 years as a public school teacher, married a fellow educator and now, as an instructor of special education, counseling and student affairs at Kansas State University, she’s passing on her knowledge to the teachers of tomorrow.

So, it should come as no surprise that when she and her husband, Ed, decided to take on ranching, they ended up making an educational enterprise out of it.
(more…)

Roth at Club for Growth.

AP:

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford vetoed a bill Tuesday meant to place restrictions on the payday lending industry.

The bill would have capped the amount of each loan at $550. It required a one-day wait between loans for a borrower’s first seven consecutive loans, and two days between additional borrowing. It also gave borrowers one day to change their minds and undo a loan.

RCP:

The point of “utopian environmentalism” was to reduce guilt. During the green bubble, many Americans became “captivated by the twin thoughts that human civilization could soon come crashing down — and that we are on the cusp of a sudden leap forward in consciousness, one that will allow us to heal ourselves, our society, and our planet. Apocalyptic fears meld seamlessly into utopian hopes.” Suddenly, commonplace acts — e.g., buying light bulbs — infused pedestrian lives with cosmic importance. But:

“Greens often note that the changing global climate will have the greatest impact on the world’s poor; they neglect to mention that the poor also have the most to gain from development fueled by cheap fossil fuels like coal. For the poor, the climate is already dangerous.”

Now, say Nordhaus and Shellenberger, “the green bubble” has burst, pricked by Americans’ intensified reluctance to pursue greenness at a cost to economic growth. The dark side of utopianism is “escapism and a disengagement from reality that marks all bubbles, green or financial.” Re-engagement with reality is among the recession’s benefits.

Source:

Handicapper Corner’s Top 10, Plus One Longshot:

1. Mitt Romney. Republicans like orderly succession, and he’s got the $$.

2. Tim Pawlenty. Reformer, populist elected in a blue state. (more…)

From K-State:

K-STATE STUDENTS EARN HONORS FOR FURNITURE DESIGN IN REGIONAL COMPETITION

MANHATTAN — Seven students majoring in interior architecture and product design at Kansas State University recently placed in a competition sponsored by Kansas City Architects, Designers, Dealers and Representatives.

This year’s competition had 38 entries, all of which were made in furniture design and construction studio classes at K-State in the 2008-2009 school year. (more…)

From Chris Chocola:

I know these are trying times for fiscal conservatives, but we’ve got a couple of inspiring videos to show you that prove there are still some people in Washington fighting for pro-growth principles.

First, Rep. Dana Rohrbacher (R-CA) was on Hardball with Chris Matthews earlier this week. Matthews, along with liberal Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), ganged up on Rohrbacher over the climate change issue, but as you’ll see, it’s clear that Rohrbacher easily won. Even Matthews looked like he was accepting defeat after he mistakeningly asked the “poison pill” question. Watch it here.

Second, Rep. John Campbell (R-CA) - elected with Club member support in 2005 - went to the House floor on Thursday to offer a proposal that would block funding for the “Airport to Nowhere”, a boondoggle in Pennsylvania that is funded by earmarks sponsored by (more…)

CNN:

(CNN) - It appears President Obama has to step up his reading pace if he wants to beat his predecessor in one particular measure: how many books a president can polish off a year.

In an interview with the BBC Tuesday, Obama said he is currently reading Joseph O’Neill’s 270-page novel “Netherland,” a book Obama first said he began back in April.

From K-State:

K-STATE’S COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE HONORS MAY 2009 GRADUATES

MANHATTAN — Kansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has recognized several graduating students for excellence in academics and animal care and for their compassion.

The awards were presented at the college’s recent Honors Banquet.

Students earning awards, all May 2009 doctor of veterinary medicine graduates, include:

Jerilynn Weisshaar, Alma, Dr. Wayne and Drucecillia Burch Memorial Award; Cameon Childers, De Soto, Merck Veterinary Manual Award, Pet Tribute Award and the Schering-Plough Animal Health Large Animal Medicine Award; Nicolette Jackson, Douglass, Hill’s Buddy Award, Dr. Jody Johnson Veterinary Medical Leadership Award and the Donald and Marilyn Trotter Award; Jacqueline Allen, Ellsworth, Nestle Purina Excellence in Companion Animal Nutrition Award; Alicia Foley, Goddard, Dr. and Mrs. Nelson S. Mayo Memorial Equine Award. (more…)

Jim Geraghty at NRO looks at the Minnesota Senate race.

Poll:

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in the state shows Christie with 51% of the vote while Corzine is supported by 38%. Last month, before the primary, it was Christie with 47% of the vote and Corzine with 38%. The slight increase in support for Christie may reflect a temporary bounce from his primary victory.

Still, voters recognize that it’s tough for a Republican to win statewide races in the Garden State. Just 43% say that Christie is likely to end up as the next governor while 41% say Corzine will be re-elected. New Jersey polls often show Republican candidates doing well in the spring with Democrats gaining ground in the fall. Corzine is expected to heavily outspend Christie which could add to that trend. (more…)

From K-State:

K-STATE ENCOURAGES CAMPUS COMMUNITY TO TAKE STEPS TO PREVENT FLU SYMPTOMS

MANHATTAN — With more cases of H1N1 flu reported in Kansas, Kansas State University pandemic flu committee members are making recommendations to faculty, staff and students to prevent the spread of flu.
(more…)

WSJ:

Tomorrow will likely bring more bad news for President Barack Obama on the number one issue for voters — the economy. The Labor Department’s monthly job report will almost certainly show unemployment topping 9%, with a couple hundred thousand more jobs lost in May.

It will get worse before jobs get better. Congressional Budget Director Douglas W. Elmendorf recently predicted that unemployment will continue rising into the second half of next year and peak above 10%.

Mr. Obama has an ingenious approach to job losses: He describes them as job gains. For example, last week the president claimed that 150,000 jobs had been created or saved because of his stimulus package. He boasted, “And that’s just the beginning.”

However, at the beginning of January, 134.3 million people were employed. At the start of May, 132.4 million Americans were working. How was Mr. Obama magically able to conjure this loss of 1.9 million jobs into an increase of 150,000 jobs?

Brian Doherty:

California is famously considered a bellwether state for social and political trends, from the positive (hot rod and surf culture, the human potential movement, tax revolts, digital culture) to the regrettable (murderous cults, carbon reduction mandates). With that in mind, a simple-yet terribly difficult for our political class-contemplation of the state’s current cash crisis is both instructive and scary for the future of our nation as a whole. (more…)

RCP:

WASHINGTON — By traveling to the heart of the Arab world Thursday, President Obama is putting himself at a crossroads: He is raising expectations that America can coax Israel and the Arabs toward a comprehensive peace that has eluded them for more than 40 years. But can Obama deliver?

Obama has chosen a very tough issue — Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank — as a test of his seriousness: He has demanded that Israel freeze these settlements, including a loophole for “natural growth,” as it’s called. “Settlements have to be stopped in order for us to move forward,” he said last month at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

Podcast at Club for Growth’s site.

Bloomberg:

It doesn’t really matter. As much as he loves money, Buffett loves his reputation a whole lot more. He never risks going on the record unless he is pretty sure he won’t be found wrong later.

What makes him so certain? He has explained his ebullient view of the economy using historical analogies instead of economic data. He has said that trying to call the bottom of the market is futile; buy into fear. The U.S. has surmounted worse troubles before, and it will survive this, too: “Your children and grandchildren will live better and better” than you.

NRO:

I’m going to give Virginia gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe a heads-up on a potential run-in with the law. Via Twitter, he said a few minutes ago:

Back at my spot, the Shell off exit 118. Don’t tell Dorothy but I got Peter a box of fireworks.

McAuliffe is in Maryland.

He’s a resident of McLean, Va., which is in Fairfax County. Their applicable law:

Many fireworks are not available in Northern Virginia because they are illegal. (more…)

National Review:

From the perspective of Steve Lonegan supporters, New Jersey voters just offered a clear verdict that will doom their state to another miserable four years of Gov. Jon Corzine. They rejected a full-spectrum conservative for a lightweight political neophyte, a wannabe white knight with mud on his boots, who will be hoist with his own petard and painted as a laughable hypocrite.

From the perspective of Chris Christie supporters, Republican voters offered a clear verdict: They rejected a fire-breathing ideologue who would repel independents as few other statewide candidates ever had before, and nominated a tough guy who has the street cred to clean up Trenton and who is already well ahead of a strikingly unpopular incumbent.

Over the next five months, we will see who is right.

The Fix:

Although Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has yet to make a final decision on whether to run for reelection in 2010, there is a strong argument to be made that if she wants to be a serious contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 her best bet would be to take a pass on a second term.

That line of argument is sure to get more attention in the wake of Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s (Minn.) decision yesterday to abandon a bid for a third term to allow him more time to focus on a potential national bid in 2012.

And, with current Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney (Mass.) already in full-time campaign mode, a Palin retirement in 2010 doesn’t seem like such a far-fetched idea.

RCP:

Patience. That was the magic word invoked by the five conservatives participating in the 2009 Bradley Symposium, hosted yesterday by the Hudson Institute at the St. Regis Hotel in downtown Washington. (more…)