Another radical to oversee Medicare

Even so-called sacred trusts like Medicare aren't safe from Obama's radicals. The New York Times has reported that Obama will appoint Dr. Donald Berwick, a pediatrician and Cambridge academic, to head up the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Both have been without an agency leader since 2006.

Berwick is a self-styled health care "revolutionary" who wants to "blow up" the system. His plan is to tear the existing health care system down and rebuild something new in its place. In other words, he's a perfect fit with our current president.

And then there's this, uncovered by World Net Daily.

At a 2008 Families USA conference speech documented by Health Beat, a healthcare industry blog, Berwick slammed the U.S. health-care system as "bloated" and "broken."

The blog points out Berwick noted, "There's a myth that American healthcare is the best in the world."

"It's not," he continued. "It's not even close."

"It's thought to be the best because we have the most health care," Berwick stated. However, he said, "40 percent of the care that Americans actually need is not received. ... Cost is the barrier.

"Here is a question I often ask my students," added Berwick. "When you meet a new patient, what is the one test that you could do that would tell you how long that patient is likely to live?

"Typically, students answer: 'Ask them if they smoke,' or 'Test their blood sugar.'

"No," Berwick said. "Just look at the color of their skin."

African-Americans may indeed be at greater health risks, but this is not related in any way to the American health care system.

Berwick has no bureaucratic or governmental experience whatsoever. He's more of an Ivory Tower health philosopher, dispensing edicts from on high about how there's too much money in the health care system. But when push comes to shove, it's difficult to figure out what his concrete solutions are. If Berwick survives his Senate confirmation, he'll have direct control over the lives of one-third of Americans, who depend on Medicare and Medicaid. He'll also help to implement ObamaCare, including moving 16 million new people onto Medicaid and extracting hundreds of billions in waste from Medicare.

Craig Becker supports illegal alien workers

Over the weekend, President Obama announced 15 recess appointments. The most controversial of these is Craig Becker, a former SEIU lawyer. Becker was already in hot water because of his radical legal writings, including a 1993 piece arguing that workers should be forced to unionize. Now Naked Emperor News has dug up audio of Becker from a radio interview in 2001 voicing strong support for illegal alien workers.

BECKER: "SEIU, the largest union, and many of the other large unions now have a very, very progressive position on immigration and immigration reform, which, of course, unfortunately they didn't have 100 years ago. So it has a very great effect who we represent and who we're trying to represent on the politics of the labor movement."

HOST: "Can you be a little more specific about immigration? What do you mean a progressive policy on immigration"

BECKER "Well I think there's been a recognition that employer sanctions and the effort through punitive sanctions to prevent the hiring of aliens who do not have proper work papers has had a very deleterious effect. It's had a discriminatory effect. It's had a very harsh effect on a class of people who are here, who are going to remain here, who are going to keep coming here because of conditions which simply can't be affected through those kind of punitive sanctions. And then we have to have a different approach."

Becker's position seems to confirm what many have suspected for a long time: Unions are less representative of workers than progressive activists. Illegal aliens are horrible for American labor because they take blue-collar jobs and work for less. But instead of fighting for their members, unions are taking the standard progressive position. Obama has indicated that immigration reform will be his next project. It will be interesting to see which side the labor unions come down on.

Also interesting was Becker's contention that illegal immigration has changed who the unions are "trying to represent". Just how many criminal aliens are in the SEIU and AFL-CIO?

Becker's recess appointment places him on the National Labor Relations Board without a proper Senate vote. There he'll be one of five members who will shape labor relations for years to come.

Relations with America's two strongest allies in shambles

Barack Obama campaigned for president promising to "restore our standing in the world" after eight years of the war on terrorism under George W. Bush. Two years later, the fighting is still raging in Iraq and Afghanistan. But worst of all, Obama has continually snubbed Britain and Israel, our strongest allies in the world. Last week, Joe Biden scolded the Israeli government after they announced the construction of apartments in a contested area of East Jerusalem while he was there. Today Obama made the situation much worse.

For a head of government to visit the White House and not pose for photographers is rare. For a key ally to be left to his own devices while the President withdraws to have dinner in private was, until this week, unheard of. Yet that is how Benjamin Netanyahu was treated by President Obama on Tuesday night, according to Israeli reports on a trip viewed in Jerusalem as a humiliation.

After failing to extract a written promise of concessions on settlements, Obama walked out of his meeting with Netanyahu but invited him to stay at the White House, consult with advisers and “let me know if there is anything new”, a U.S. congressman, who spoke to the Prime Minister, said.

“It was awful,” the congressman said. One Israeli newspaper called the meeting “a hazing in stages”, poisoned by such mistrust that the Israeli delegation eventually left rather than risk being eavesdropped on a White House telephone line. Another said that the Prime Minister had received “the treatment reserved for the President of Equatorial Guinea”.

In the ultra-sensitive world of diplomatic relations, this is an absolute cataclysm. It will affect American-Israeli relations for a long time. Prior to Obama's presidency, Israel and America viewed themselves as natural partners in a fight against a common enemy. George W. Bush supported a Palestinian state and occasionally clashed with the Israelis, but never so arrogantly as this.

It also sheds some light onto why Rahm Emanuel has been dropping lines he might leave the administration. Rahm fought for the Israeli army and is widely known to be a firm supporter of Israel. He must be hopping mad over Obama's deplorable treatment of Israeli diplomats.

America's other closest ally is Great Britain, a country for which Obama has shown disdain from day one. The president insulted the British Prime Minister by giving him a collection of American DVDs, sent back a bust of Winston Churchill in the Oval Office, and sent Hillary Clinton to Argentina to support diplomacy over the Falkland Islands, among many other offenses. The Brits are atwitter over their "special relationship" with America being over.

Obama is a product of the same radical thinking that haunted the 1960s and produced men like Bill Ayers. Through this lens, western white nations like American and the U.K. are the true practitioners of evil in the world. True virtue lies in third-world peoples of color. This is why Obama gave a speech in Cairo sucking up to the Muslim world. It's why he stood alone among western nations in supporting a Marxist coup in Honduras. If this thinking persists, it could harm our diplomacy for a long time.

Wife of ex-con progressive Alinskyite to serve on Obama's debt commission

In order to pretend he cares about the national debt, Obama has appointed a bipartisan commission to tackle the problem. The president appointed several members (including SEIU President Andy Stern) as did congressional Republicans. Today, Nancy Pelosi announced her picks. One of them, Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Illinois, is married to a progressive ex-con who wrote an updated version of Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals.

His name is Robert Creamer. His book, Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, is a pseudo-Marxist handbook for remaking American society. The advice he dispenses draws heavily on the tactics of Alinsky, a communist community organizer who inspired Barack Obama. White House advisor David Axelrod has described Stand Up Straight as a "blueprint" for all progressives. Creamer's ties to Democrats run deep, probably because they're all reading from his book. Here's how Creamer suggested progressives should go about reforming health care.

Create a national consensus that health care is a right

Create a national consensus that the health care system is in crisis

Convince political leaders that they owe their elections to the groundswell of support for universal health care face peril if they fail to deliver on health care in 2009

Need not agree in advance on the components of the plan, but foster a process that can ultimately yield consensus

Focus especially on the mobilization of the labor movement and the faith community

Generate emotion: fear, revulsion, anger, disgust

Creamer's tactics were used part and parcel in the recent ObamaCare debate.

Creamer is also a convict. In 2004, he was indicted for writing fake checks to the tune of $2.3 million. Creamer immediately pleaded guilty to the charge and agreed to repay the money. He served five months in prison and another 11 months under house arrest for his crime.

Schakowsky's politics closely mirror those of her husband. She's essentially a socialist, supporting greater government intervention in the economy at virtually every turn. She openly supported the public option during the recent health care debate in the hopes that it would produce a single-payer system. She's mired in the same Chicago cesspool as Barack Obama; Rod Blagojevich even mulled over appointing her to the president's former Senate seat. She also tried to impeach Vice President Dick Cheney. What she brings to the table on debt reduction remains unclear. No doubt she'll stand firmly against cutting any social programs or government waste, taking the advice of her radical husband.

Obama nominates another radical judge with socialist ideas

Barack Obama's latest appellate court nominee, Professor Goodwin Liu, is an unabashed radical Berkeley leftist. Hot Air has dug up a number of radical quotes to Liu's name, and one, from his book Education, Equality, and National Citizenship, particularly stands out.

“The duty of government cannot be reduced to simply providing the basic necessities of life . . . the main pillars of the agenda would include . . . expanded health insurance, child care, transportation subsidies, job training, and a robust earned income tax credit.”

This is in sharp contrast to the Constitution, which provides for natural rights rather than material rights. You have the right to own a gun, but not the right to firearm funding from the government, for example. Everything granted in the Bill of Rights details something the government must not do, rather than something the government must do.

But for progressive legal scholars like Liu who don't view the government as a threat to liberty, the Bill of Rights is to be altered and expanded. Liu's views are reminiscent of regulation czar Cass Sunstein's call for a Second Bill of Rights. An idea that originated with FDR, such a canon would provide for certain material rights that must come from government. Roosevelt outlined them as follows:

"The right to a useful and remunerative job in the industries or shops or farms or mines of the nation;

The right to earn enough to provide adequate food and clothing and recreation;

The right of every farmer to raise and sell his products at a return, which will give him and his family a decent living;

The right of every businessman, large and small, to trade in an atmosphere of freedom from unfair competition and domination by monopolies at home or abroad;

The right of every family to a decent home;

The right to adequate medical care and the opportunity to achieve and enjoy good health."

In other words, the government would take responsibility for every aspect of the individual's life. This is called cradle-to-grave socialism, and it's supported by men as powerful as Sunstein and Liu. If a Second Bill of Rights can't be enacted through Congress, it can simply be enforced through court rulings.

Liu has been nominated for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, one of the most progressive and overruled courts in the land.

Gillibrand and Van Jones: Together at last

They'd make quite the couple, you have to admit. They're both young and attractive. Jones is a communist radical trying to convince normal people that he's more sane than he lets on. Gillibrand is a normal person trying to convince communist radicals that she's more insane than she actually is. Very complementary.

Flanked by forced-out former green jobs czar Van Jones, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said Monday that creating new jobs in green industries presents the "greatest market opportunity of our generation."

Comparing the call to create "green jobs" to former President John F. Kennedy's call for landing a man on the Moon, Gillibrand said at a forum that the nation needs to act in order to inspire the next generation of scientists.

...

While the U.S. dithers, other countries are aggressively moving ahead. Gillibrand noted that China invested $440 billion last year in green technology such as solar panels."

Harold Ford was right when he pointed out that Gillibrand is just parroting what progressives tell her to say. The former tobacco lawyer is the newest tool of the Obama-inspired radical left. If she'd done her research, she might have noticed that the Spanish tried to implement a massive green jobs program and lost three jobs for every one they created. That must not have been in the Working Families Party talking points memo.

Is Rahm playing CYA on health care?

For weeks, we've been wondering what Rahm Emanuel is up to. The fiery chief of staff has been leaking stories to the Washington Post arguing that he's the only one at the White House who has a clue. According to the articles, if Obama had listened to Emanuel's more moderate advice, he wouldn't be sinking in political quicksand today. In particular, Emanuel emphasized that he wants the administration to quietly abandon health care and start talking about job creation.

Previously, we've wondered if Emanuel is just trying to stave off the radical left, which hates Rahm right now for his pragmatism. Now, we have a different theory. Obama is mounting one last attempt to try to ram through his health care legislation, which the public overwhelmingly despises. He may as well lead congressional Blue Dog Democrats onto a plane and then fly them into the side of a mountain. Moderate Democrats, with their eyes on the election calendar, are starting to buck the president. A single ObamaCare bill needs another majority vote in both the House and the Senate to become law. It almost certainly won't happen.

Rahm, who wants to shift the focus to jobs, no doubt realizes how incredibly stupid this is. When ObamaCare fails again and Republicans clean up this November, Democrats are going to start looking for a scapegoat. Rahm's message? "It sure as hell wasn't my fault. I tried to stop this crazy thing."

It almost makes you pity Emanuel. We've noted before how the president's three other closest advisors -- Robert Gibbs, Valerie Jarrett, and David Axelrod -- all see Obama's election as manifest destiny for radical progressives. Poor Rahm is a realist surrounded by left-wing whackjobs who think Obama is a secular Christ figure. He's also a moderate check on their extreme views, which means we should hope he keeps his job for as long as possible.

As national debt skyrockets, safe schools czar awash in funding

However bad the economy gets, we can all rest assured that safe schools czar Kevin Jennings will always have plenty of money. Jennings is the radical gay activist whose group GLSEN sponsored an event that taught young students the art of "fisting", a sex act that can't be explained on our family-safe blog. The invaluable Citizen Link Blog has the latest on Obama's alliance with Jennings.

"President Obama’s proposed 2011 budget would allocate $410 million for programs overseen by Jennings. That’s an increase of $45 million.

So want does Jennings intend to do with this money?

For starters, he says he’s going to make 'school climate' measurement a top priority—and, in fact, he’d love for 'school climate' to eventually be made part of the 'Common Core' national standards movement! He plans to begin with 'a new grant program coming out of this department where we’ll be providing possibly as much as $70 million for investments in school climate projects.'"

So what does "school climate" mean exactly?

"Under Jennings’ leadership, GLSEN has provided students with a “school climate” continuum measurement tool. This tool reveals a lot about Jennings’ true goals: A positively rated 'inclusive school,' for instance, is defined as one where 'LGBT themes are fully integrated into curricula across a variety of subject areas and grade levels.'

I.e., Jennings and GLSEN want homosexual, bisexual and transgender themes taught in every subject at every grade, all the way down to the kindergarten level, maybe even preschool."

So what would happen to a school that wasn't "inclusive"? Catholic schools, for example, don't always teach directly that homosexuality is sinful, but they must at least present the idea. Would Catholic schools, which regularly outperform public schools in every way, be denied funding? Or sued? And how far would a school have to go to be called inclusive? The great indoctrinator Jennings hasn't made any of this clear yet.

Rahm the only thing standing between Obama and total lunacy

Last week, ObamaWatchNews reported on some drama surrounding Rahm Emanuel. After Leslie Gelb wrote a piece calling for Rahm's resignation, a column appeared later in the Washington Post defending Emanuel. Gelb said he believed the report had been written thanks to a leak from Rahm, who wanted to defend himself.

Today the Post ran another pro-Rahm puff piece headlined "Hotheaded Emanuel may be White House voice of reason." The piece confirmed many of our worst fears: Rahm Emanuel is the only levelheaded person at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Sourced by many of Rahm's closest henchmen, the article describes a pragmatic Emanuel surrounded by crazed ideologues. Early on in the administration, for example, Rahm warned the president that trying Khalid Sheik Mohammed in a civilian court would be a disaster. The president instead listened to his attorney general, Eric Holder, who was clamoring for a show trial in New York City. Emanuel also grew discouraged with the president's obsession with health care, wishing that he would shift focus to actually helping create jobs for people.

This is the situation in which America now finds itself: Rahm Emanuel, who once sent a dead fish to a political enemy, is the most sane person in the executive branch of government. What will become of Rahm? He's under attack by leftists to the point that he feels the need to stage newspaper articles defending himself. If he resigns, God only knows what will happen.

More on Rahm

Here's an update on our last post on Rahm Emanuel. Dana Milbank's piece, which defended Emanuel and attacked his critics like Leslie Gelb, got its information from a leak in the administration somewhere. Where else but from Emanuel himself? It looks like the famously combative Rahm is doing a little self defense.

ObamaWatchNews has previously reported that the president's brain trust consists of four people: David Axelrod, Robert Gibbs, Valerie Jarrett, and Emanuel. Interestingly, Milbank attacks all of them, except Rahm, as being "in love with the president" -- information that could have only come from the inside. It almost makes you wonder if Emanuel wrote the whole piece himself.

Emanuel must be very isolated in the administration right now. If he's going so far as to leak inside information to reporters in order to defend himself, resignation seems like the next logical step. Once he goes, there will be nothing standing between the president and his administration's radical leftists.

Van Jones: I'm baaaaaaack part 2

It must be nice to be a progressive. You can spout the most radical claptrap and do the most horrible things, and still be taken care of. Take Obama's former green jobs czar Van Jones. Jones resigned from his position last year after it was revealed he started a group dedicated to overthrowing the government, called himself a Marxist and a rowdy black nationalist, spewed communist rhetoric on a regular basis, went to prison, called Republicans "ass----s," and signed a petition that accused George W. Bush of planning the 9/11 attacks. Someone like that should be out on the street corner panhandling for change, right?

Not Jones. He's headed back to his old job at the Center for American Progress, a George Soros-funded liberal think tank. CAP is basically a revolving door for the Obama administration. Dozens of Obama's appointees and talking points have come from CAP. Time magazine reported, "[N]ot since the Heritage Foundation helped guide Ronald Reagan's transition in 1981 has a single outside group held so much sway. Just as candidate Obama depended on CAP during the campaign for opposition research and talking points, [then-] President-elect Obama has effectively contracted out the management of his own government's formation to [CAP President John] Podesta." So Jones will still be influencing the Obama Administration, just from the outside rather than the inside.

In fact, Jones' future is looking very bright. He'll start teaching at Princeton in June and will be awarded the NAACP's President's Award this Friday. In fact, Benjamin Todd Jealous, the white NAACP president, goes as far as to call Jones "An American treasure" and "the most misunderstood man in America". Yep, it's great to be a progressive.

Gillibrand calls in a favor from Obama

ObamaWatchNews has been carefully following Kirsten Gillibrand, Democratic senator from New York. As we've reported, she's transformed from a moderate Democrat to a progressive liberal in the mold of Obama. Gillibrand recently spoke on a panel with Van Jones, was one of a few votes against defunding ACORN, and sought out the endorsement of New York City's radical ACORN affiliate the Working Families Party. She's worked out a pretty sweet deal for herself. She defends the interests of the radical left to the hilt, and the radical left supports her with money and endorsements. This includes the ultimate radical ACORN leftist, Barack Obama.

Gillibrand is facing a potential primary threat from moderate Democrat Harold Ford this year. Enter Obama's political hack David Plouffe.

"Asked if there is a danger of a primary, especially with Ford, David Plouffe told NY1's Josh Robin, 'Well, we'll see. He'll let us know what he's gonna do. What we need to focus on is Sen. Gillibrand's, I think, record of accomplishment and her vision.'

Reverting back to elements of her political pedigree that were cited last year in why Paterson chose her, Plouffe added, 'I also happen to think she's a very, very strong candidate. She's run, and won, in a very very tough part of New York for Democrats.'

'I think she'd be a terrific candidate for us in the fall. So for two reasons. I think she is the best person to represent New York and help us build the strong economy we need for the future, and secondly, I think she'll be our strongest candidate.'"

Presidents usually stand above primary elections. But with an ACORN ally and Van Jones defender on the line, it looks like Obama has made his first political endorsement for 2010.

Van Jones: I'm baaaaaaack

You would think that Barack Obama's buddy and former green jobs czar Van Jones would know when to retire in disgrace. But despite Jones' insanity, he keeps popping up at left-wing organizations who are happy to host him. (It must be nice to be a liberal.) He also works at a popular environmental group called the Apollo Alliance.

Jones' most recent invitation comes from the Harvard Club for an event in New York City to discuss job creation. Sen. Kristin Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) will also be speaking on the panel. Gillibrand is what passes in New York for a "moderate Democrat," meaning she was a sponsor of Card Check legislation and was one of seven senators to vote against defunding ACORN. She defended herself by saying, "Irrespective of what Glenn Beck says, Van Jones is a national expert on creating good-paying jobs in emerging renewable energy markets."

This is the equivalent of declaring, "Irrespective of what Keith Olbermann says, David Duke is a national expert on the history of the American South." Jones is an avowed Marxist who served in an organization seeking to overthrow the government and who believes George W. Bush caused 9/11. He isn't an expert in anything because there's no such thing as "green jobs". No one knows how to create them or even what the hell they are exactly. Jones is nothing more than a radical friend of Obama's who likes to talk, and Gillibrand ought to be ashamed to share the stage with him.

Ex-ACORN criminal coming to a university near you!

Brown University has long benefited from Barack Obama. He gave a key campaign speech there back in 2006. Brown's researchers received more than $31 million under the stimulus. And Barack Obama's half-brother, Craig Robinson, coaches basketball at Brown.

Radical leftist Obama worship is the norm at the Ivy League Brown. Now the university has announced that they're inviting Wade Rathke, co-founder of the Obama-associated criminal organization ACORN, to give a speech. Rathke is a die-hard left-wing nutcase who was a member of Students for a Democratic Society during college, the radical group that produced the violent Weathermen terrorists. He was ultimately too corrupt even for the slimy community organizers at ACORN and stepped down after it was revealed he helped his brother cover up $5 million he'd embezzled.

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, who has strong ties to both Brown and Obama, was one of the few senators to vote against cutting off taxpayer funds to ACORN.

Obama disowns another radical with a wink and a nudge

Barack Obama has become the master of a political two-step. Disown radical friends and business partners to the public while soothing their nerves in private.

Last week, SEIU union boss Andy Stern said that opponents of health care reform and card check like Joe Lieberman and Ben Nelson were "terrorists". Obviously Stern has been feeling the pressure as majorities of the American people turn against his radical liberal agenda. Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs firmly repudiated Stern's comments and said they "make no sense."

It's a pattern with this president. When his friendship with Bill Ayers surfaced during the campaign, he condemned Ayers. When his relationship with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright came to light, he gave an entire speech distancing himself. Then several months into his presidency, the White House guest list came out. Ayers and Wright were both on there. The newest offender, Stern, was the most frequent guest.

So the president may pretend to regret Stern's radical comments through his press flack. But no doubt the two of them will remain attached at the hip going forward.

Obama sneaks through another environmental scheme -- designed to hurt businesses

First the "hockey stick". Then Climategate. Now Lisa Jackson, head the Environmental Protection Agency, is harpooning American industry with more shady "science."

Yesterday the EPA announced that it will implement tough new standards on nitrogen dioxide.To most of us, nitrogen dioxide is just another component of the earth's atmosphere. But to Obama's EPA it's a toxic gas wreaking havoc on the planet. Up until now, the EPA just prohibited long-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide. Now they'll regulate any exposure to this natural substance, even though there's no evidence that short-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide is harmful.

To do this, the EPA will be sending government goons to major roadways and urban areas to make sure nitrogen dioxide levels are low enough. That's Obama's Administration -- always on the lookout for one more way to take American industry to the woodshed.

Why are they called czars?

Todd Stern is the climate czar. John Holdren is the science czar. Ron Bloom and Ed Montgomery are both car czars. The term "czar" is familiar to almost everyone thanks to Barack Obama. Most of these people have actual titles, and yet they're called czars.

Czars are Obama appointees, most of whom have not faced Senate confirmation. It is the Senate's constitutional responsibility to advise and consent on the president's nominees. But as has been previously reported on Obama Watch News, these nominees have often faced stiff resistance in the Senate because of their radicalism. For example, Obama's nominee to head up the TSA, Errol Southers, is stuck in limbo because he has previously said that climate change is a greater threat to the United States than terrorism, among other radical statements. Obama's nominee for the OLC, Dawn Johnsen, still faces resistance because she has equated pregnancy to bondage.

The solution? Give policymaking power to staff who haven't been confirmed by the Senate. Like the czars of old, these bureaucrats wield great power. Barack Obama's pay czar Kenneth Feinberg has the authority to determine the salaries of American executives -- and even "claw back" money that's already been paid. And like the czars of old, these bureaucrats are completely unaccountable.

Obama's radical OLC nominee will clear the Senate

A serious and very unfortunate victory for Barack Obama was announced today. Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Penn.) indicated that after meeting with Dawn Johnsen, Obama's radical nominee to head up the Office of Legal Council, he will support her confirmation. With Republican senator Richard Lugar also in Johnsen's camp, this should clear her path through the Senate entirely.

The left-wing blogosphere is thrilled with this development, and they should be. Dawn Johnsen is a bona fide left-wing radical. She is vehemently pro-abortion and has argued that forcing a woman to carry a fetus to term is the equivalent of slavery. The Office of Legal Counsel is a crucial branch that essentially determines the law for the entire executive branch. With Specter giving in, that power will shortly be in Johnsen's hands.

Notes:

1. The Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) assists the Attorney General of the United States in his function as legal adviser to the President and all the executive branch agencies. The OLC drafts legal opinions of the Attorney General and also provides its own written opinions and oral advice in response to requests from the Counsel to the President, the agencies of the executive branch, and offices within the Department of Justice. Such requests typically deal with legal issues of particular complexity and importance or about which two or more agencies are in disagreement. The Office is also responsible for providing legal advice to the executive branch on all constitutional questions and reviewing pending legislation for constitutionality. The decisions of the Office are binding on all executive agencies.

2. Dawn Johnsen worked for the American Civil Liberties Union as a staff counsel fellow on a one-year fellowship from 1987 until 1988, and then worked for the National Abortion & Reproductive Rights Action League (currently NARAL Pro-Choice America) from 1988 until 1993. From 1993 to 1998, Johnsen worked in the Office of Legal Counsel in the Clinton Administration. She was a Deputy Assistant Attorney General from 1993 until 1996, and served as Acting Assistant Attorney General heading the OLC from 1997 until 1998.

Obama nominees to become even more unaccountable

A new study by the Partnership for Public Service is out which analyzes why Obama still has a large number of vacancies in his government. Of course the real reason for the empty slots are that many of his nominees are left-wing radicals and have been stalled by the Senate. Buried deep in the New York Times article on the PPS study is this alarming solution:

"The report recommends major fixes before the next election, such as reducing the number of political appointees that need Senate confirmation."

Obama is reportedly frustrated about his nominees being held up, so he's likely to take this advice. The Senate has the constitutional responsibility to "advise and consent" on a president's nominees. It's a check on the executive branch in case the president tries to, say, fill his offices with radicals. Given how many unconfirmed czars are already infesting the executive branch, how long will it be until Obama just dispenses with advise and consent completely?

Barack Obama's Sotomayor Justice

Remember the New Haven firefighters? They studied hard and passed an exam qualifying them to be firefighters in the city of New Haven, Connecticut. But their results were thrown out after New Haven determined that the test was invalid because not enough African-Americans had scored highly. The firemen sued the city and Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, ruled against them.

This toxic racism has spread from Sotomayor's office to Barack Obama's Justice Department. Today, Justice announced that it is suing the state of New Jersey. Why? New Jersey requires candidates seeking to become police sergeants to take an exam, and not enough African-Americans and Hispanics are passing.

According to the press release, Justice wasn't going to allow any employment practices that resulted in something called "disparate impact." Disparate impact, also known as adverse impact, is a legal theory loved by liberals that forbids any employment practice "that does not appear to be discriminatory on its face; rather it is one that is discriminatory in its application or effect." It's affirmative action gone wild -- if enough minorities can't pass the test, then the test itself is illegal, even if the intent was never to discriminate.

This travesty of a lawsuit is the result of Thomas Perez, the head of the Justice Department Civil Rights Division. Perez has pledged to increase hate crime prosecutions, among other racially discriminatory practices. He has promised to use his position to make sure any alleged victims of discrimination "are made whole." Thanks to disparate impact, Obama's Justice Department will practice Sotomayor Justice -- judging by skin color rather than the law.