GEN. PETRAEUS, PART II: I posted on the initial announcement here. PowerLine has some thoughts I agree with:

I can't help wondering whether Obama himself feels any discomfort at turning to the hero of the Iraq surge to try to bail the administration out in Afghanistan. After all, Obama opposed the Iraq surge before it happened, and after the fact claimed that it had made only modest gains and was not responsible for the most significant improvements in Iraq.

This video from September 2007 reminds us that before Obama became a lousy President, he was a lousy Senator. Watch as he badgers Petraeus and ambassador Crocker and belittles their efforts in Iraq; almost eight minutes go by before either witness gets a word in.

You have to admire Gen. Petraeus for accepting an assignment from a Commander-in-Chief he cannot possibly respect, and I have to wonder if it’ll be “Bush’s fault” if Gen. Petraeus fails under Obama’s onerous restrictions.

HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER STENY HOYER: Yeah, we’re punting the budget this year.

The primary responsibility of Congress under the Constitution is to pass a budget for the federal government. The Democrats have a 77-seat majority in the House and an 18-seat majority in the Senate, where filibusters won’t apply anyway on budgetary matters. Barack Obama’s presidency gives them a clear path to passing whatever budget Democrats desire for FY2011.

So with significant majorities in both houses of Congress, why can’t the Democrats pass a budget? The Hill has answers:

[B]because [what will be passed] won't be a traditional budget resolution, it will be silent on future deficits, which are expected to average nearly $1 trillion for the next decade.

Democrats have expressed concern about voting for a document showing lots of red ink in an election year.

Aha!

GREEN JOBS turn brown.

T. CODDINGTON VAN VOORHEES VII rethinks his support for President Obama. Read it all.

I was particularly amused by the “git r dun” phrase, since I saw exactly that same phrase on a bumper sticker driving to work this morning.

TOO RICH: “The Labor Department is shoving money out the door for ‘green jobs,’ yet at the same time is admitting it doesn't know what a ‘green job’ is.”

IS OBAMA FAILING, OR LIBERALISM? Both.

"VERY SENIOR OFFICIAL": McChrystal’s out, and Petraeus is in as top war commander in Afghanistan.

BUMPED: Much more here. Follow the links.

AMID CRISES, Obama declares war -- on Arizona?

BUSINESS LEADERS SAY Obama's economic policies stifle growth. I listen to the Business Roundtable ‘public service’ advertisements on the radio almost every morning. When the Business Roundtable is unhappy with the president, you know something is seriously wrong.

WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH MICHIGAN?

Standard political analysis would suggest that Michigan should have moved even farther toward the Democrats since 2008. In the deep recession Michigan has consistently been the nation’s number one unemployment state. And the federal government under the Obama administration bailed out General Motors and Chrysler, two of Michigan’s largest employers—although one might more accurately say that the Obama administration bailed out the United Auto Workers, Michigan’s largest private sector union.

But Michigan voters have been moving right, not left. A recent poll taken for the Detroit Free Press poll showed that only 43% of Michiganians support the Obama Democrats’ health care bill and 53% are opposed. Most interestingly, 69% of those under 30 are opposed; they apparently have figured out that the bill would force them to pay more to subsidize insurance for their elders.

What’s the matter with Michigan? Nothing. They’ve learned.

ANOTHER REASON TO AVOID BIG GOVERNMENT: Nannies and Bootleggers.

PUT YOUR COFFEE DOWN FIRST (I didn’t) and follow the link: Waiter! There’s A Fly On My Dupe!

Via Instapundit.

OBAMA’S 'CHICAGO WAY' plunders the private sector: “The Chicago Way works locally because there is an America out there that ultimately pays for it. But who will pay for an America run the Chicago Way?”

Good question.

AT LAST: a cell phone for senior citizens.

YOU CAN THANK OBAMACARE: Demographics and economics have conspired to put a lot of doctors at the age where they are ready to cash out, and facing the specter of more paperwork and more regulations for less money under Obamacare, many will decide to get out while the getting is good.