links for 2009-04-10

President Barack Obama plans to request new funding from Congress for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he risks a backlash from antiwar lawmakers.

Mr. Obama is expected to seek congressional approval of $75.5 billion for the wars, perhaps as soon as Thursday. The issue is already raising tensions on Capitol Hill, especially among liberals who are sympathetic to the president's broader agenda but voice concerns about his timeline for withdrawal of troops from Iraq and his plans to beef up forces in Afghanistan.

"I can't imagine any way I'd vote for it," said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, a California Democrat and leader in the 77-member congressional Progressive Caucus. It would be her first major break with this White House.

U.S. President Barack Obama declined to answer reporters' questions on Thursday on a hostage crisis off the coast of Somalia, where a U.S. ship captain is being held captive by pirates.

Obama was asked to comment on the situation several times by reporters at a White House event on refinancing for homeowners. Obama, however, stuck closely to the script and replied that he wanted to remain focused on housing.

Iran's atomic chief Gholam Reza Aghazadeh on Thursday declared the Islamic republic has installed around 7,000 centrifuges at its Natanz uranium enrichment facility.

Over the last few days, there have been a couple of posts that, in my humble opinion, influential and deep pocketed conservatives/Republicans would be wise to heed.
Meanwhile, the Left has poured tens of millions of dollars into their web presence and Air Americ –, while the mainstream media, the netroots, and the Obama administration are collaborating about how they're going to shape the news.

I appreciate independence and self-reliance, but at some point, conservatives need to think back to what Ben Franklin said,

"We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately."

A year ago, my co-blogger John Hawkins asked me to write at Right Wing News. I’m an independent person. I have my own blog. I like the freedom to write what I want to write. Still, John has a bigger audience and I believe the future is going to be consolidation. United, conservative writers and thinkers have greater power.

But there’s not much money in the game. In fact, for most conservative bloggers, there’s next to no money in the game. Some very good writers, thinkers, strategists and experts who blog get nothing but a good reputation for their efforts. A good reputation doesn’t pay the bills.