House condemns Obama on Israel

Last week, Barack Obama kicked American-Israeli relations to their lowest point in decades by abandoning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House. An Israeli aide later said Netayahu had been treated in a way usually reserved for the president of Equatorial Guinea. Obama's actions were so offensive that a heavy majority in the House of Representatives condemned the president over the weekend.

Meanwhile, in Washington, 337 congressmen – three-quarters of the House of Representatives – signed a bipartisan letter to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton expressing solid support for Israel and the expectation that differences between Jerusalem and Washington will be smoothed over quickly and in private.

“We are writing to reaffirm our commitment to the unbreakable bond that exists between our country and the State of Israel and to express to you our deep concern over recent tension,” the letter read. “A strong Israel is an asset to the national security of the United States and brings stability to the Middle East.

“We are concerned that the highly publicized tensions in the relationship will not advance the interests the US and Israel share. Above all, we must remain focused on the threat posed by the Iranian nuclear weapons program to Middle East peace and stability.”

The letter stated that the US’s unswerving commitment to Israel’s security has been essential in forging previous Israeli-Arab peace agreements, “both because it convinced those who sought Israel’s destruction to abandon any such hope and because it gave successive Israeli governments the confidence to take calculated risks for peace.”

"Deep concern" is fighting words in Capitol Hill's hyper-polite culture. Condemnation of his policy on Israel might be Obama's first, real, bipartisan achievement. The highest signatories were House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer and House Minority Whip Eric Cantor. Blue Dog Democrats also signed en masse.

All this led to some spectacular backtracking by David Axelrod. The president's advisor had previously called Netanyahu's decision to build apartments in East Jerusalem "destructive" to peace and "an insult." Yesterday on CNN, he moderated his rhetoric, insisting that there had been "no snub intended" by the United States and that Israel is a "close, dear and valued friend of the United States, a great ally, and that is an unshakeable bond." All this should serve as a message to moderate Democrat congressmen: If you band together and stand firm, the president will be forced to listen.

Meanwhile, Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, has kept his lips sealed. He can't be happy about the administration's snub though. Emanuel is a former civilian volunteer with the Israeli Defense Forces and has strong connections to Israel. He's also a close friend of Axelrod's, with whom he's likely spoken since Netanyahu's visit.

Melt their phones

Here's a rundown of the 22 Democratic congressmen who remain undecided on ObamaCare. Their votes will determine the fate of our country. Melt their phones before the vote on Sunday.

Some quick tips:

-- Since the list was compiled, Betsy Markey became a yes. But she's in a very vulnerable district and might still listen to angry constituents.

-- Jason Altmire has said angry constituents in his western Pennsylvania district have affected his thinking and will probably influence his vote. He needs to hear from as many of them as possible.

-- John Adler comes from a rare conservative district in New Jersey and is extremely vulnerable right now.

-- The two most objectionable provisions of the bill for Blue Dogs are the individual mandate and the excise tax. Be sure to mention those in your call.

-- Address congressional staffers politely and professionally, but make it clear you're angry and will vote against their boss if a yes vote is recorded.

Obama's Democrats move to pass health care reform unconstitutionally

CongressDaily reports on congressional Democrats' latest scheme to push ObamaCare across the finish line.

House Rules Chairwoman Louise Slaughter is prepping to help usher the healthcare overhaul through the House and potentially avoid a direct vote on the Senate overhaul bill, the chairwoman said Tuesday.

Slaughter is weighing preparing a rule that would consider the Senate bill passed once the House approves a corrections bill that would make changes to the Senate version.

The plan has been appropriately named the "Slaughter Solution" by John Boehner. Different groups of House Democrats are resentful of the Senate bill because it lacks restrictive abortion language and a public option. The Senate bill also contains controversial deals like the Cornhusker Kickback that House Democrats don't want to vote for. The Slaughter Solution would change congressional rules, magically considering the bill passed after the House voted to approve a series of corrections, rather than the actual bill itself.

The Slaughter Solution is also unconstitutional. The Constitution mandates that all revenue bills originate in the House. If Slaughter gets her way, the House will merely amend the current Senate bill, which means that the finalized ObamaCare legislation will have originated in the Senate. Obama's first major piece of legislation would become law unconstitutionally.

Obama sneaks through Patriot Act

It's the BHO MO. Point over here, do something there.

With the press obsessed with the health care summit, Obama was bound to sneak a few things through. The most important stealth operation came Wednesday night when the House voted to renew the Patriot Act.

Yep, that Patriot Act. After a voice vote and absolutely no debate, the legislation passed 315 to 97. And Obama approves of the renewal. Well that's a turnaround -- or is it hust hypocritical. Obama opposed the legislation, in its current form, for his entire career. He's called for the Patriot Act to be rewritten. He's been particularly critical of a provision that allows the FBI to secretly demand business and personal documents, including library records. That provision is still in there, but now Obama supports it.

The bill also still permits "roving wiretaps," which allow law enforcement to track multiple phones at the same time. Roving wiretaps have outraged civil libertarians like Obama in the past, who think the FBI should get cleared for each individual eavesdrop.

Obama has previously said certain provisions in the Patriot Act amount to "Big Brother." I guess this makes him the new leader of Oceania.