links for 2011-01-11

Nearly six in 10 Americans say the country's heated political rhetoric is not to blame for the Tucson shooting rampage that left six dead and critically wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, according to a CBS News poll.

In the wake of the shooting, much focus has been put on the harsh tone of politics in Washington and around the country, particularly after a contentious midterm election. Rhetoric and imagery from both Republicans and Democrats have included gun-related metaphors, but the majority of the country isn't connecting the shooting to politics.

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Well, the LEFT continues to exploit the situation for political gain. How shocking – not.

Barack Obama has declared that France is America’s greatest ally, undermining Britain’s Special Relationship with the U.S.

The President risked offending British troops in Afghanistan by saying that French president Nicolas Sarkozy is a ‘stronger friend’ than David Cameron.

The remarks, during a White House appearance with Mr Sarkozy, will reinforce the widely-held view in British diplomatic circles that Mr Obama has less interest in the Special Relationship than any other recent American leader.

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Say what?

France is NOT America's biggest ally.

Did Obama miss world History class?

The American Principles Project, Robert George's new-ish conservative group that kicked off the slow-burning "social con boycott" of CPAC, is attacking conference organizers for booking Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels as one of its banquet speakers. (There are two ticketed banquets during CPAC.) APP's executive director Andy Blom press-releases:
Unfortunately, while Governor Daniels is slated to speak at CPAC’s "Reagan Dinner," he has failed to understand how Ronald Reagan fused the three critical legs of the conservative movement into one coherent governing philosophy. Governor Daniels’ selection is an affront to the millions of conservatives who believe that social issues such as abortion and traditional marriage are non-negotiable.

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Boycott if they will but Daniels' comments were taken out of context anyway

A characteristic of many contemporary minds is susceptibility to the superstition that all behavior can be traced to some diagnosable frame of mind that is a product of promptings from the social environment. From which flows a political doctrine: Given clever social engineering, society and people can be perfected. This supposedly is the path to progress. It actually is the crux of progressivism. And it is why there is a reflex to blame conservatives first.

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Agreed

We should always refrain from engaging in personal verbal attacks against those with whom we differ on important questions of the day. But we must also resist the temptation to assign blame to those with whom we differ for the acts of others. No expressed opinion, liberal or conservative, was to blame for Saturday’s attack and we must resist efforts to suggest otherwise because to do so has the potential to inhibit freedom.
President Kennedy said, ‘A nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.’
We cannot fail to be moved by the tragic events in Arizona. We must not fail to pray for all those affected. And we will not fail to defend our freedom lest it be one more victim of the Arizona tragedy

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Mike Pence has it RIGHT on the Tucson tragedy