"If George Bush reacted this way in an international catastrophe -- wholly irrelevant radio addresses, golf outings for the 61st time ... the left-wing media would require medically-induced sedation to keep them in check."

"In the Illinois legislature, state senator Barack Obama voted 'present' 129 times. Today, he seems to be voting present on two major issues — Libya and the budget...

"Voting 'present' may be a responsible move for a legislator genuinely undecided about which way to go. But an executive voting 'present' is choosing a course with consequences, whether he likes it or not. 

"'The buck stops here,' said the sign on the desk of the 33rd president, Harry Truman, who was quick to make decisions -- sometimes too quick. The 44th president’s tendency seems to be something like the opposite.

"It is amazing that the American people would continue to elect Democratic politicians to national office, considering Democrats' cynical disregard for the federal budget crisis. They aren't even slightly serious about becoming part of the solution. 

"Consider the Senate Democrats' most recent proposal for budget cuts to avert a government shutdown. Senate Republicans, following the House plan, proposed $61 billion in cuts for the current year, while Senate Democrats proposed a paltry $6.5 billion. (The Congressional Budget Office says it's actually only $4.7 billion.) Though Obama seems to be hiding in the bushes on this one, he is said to support the Democratic plan. 

"Did you hear that: $6.5/$4.7 billion? This is nothing. It's an outrage. This from the clowns who say the Republican cuts, which themselves wouldn't be enough, are 'Draconian.' No, it's their attitude that is Draconian -- to the republic."

"Taking on the status quo is no easy task. Each day, there are protesters in and around our state Capitol. They have every right to be heard. But their voices cannot drown out the voices of the countless taxpayers who want us to balance our budgets and, more importantly, to make government work for each of them." 

"Looks like we're finally going to get those hipsters at National Public Radio. Elmo should probably start thinking twice before going outside, as well. 

"Yes, I realize de-funding NPR and PBS won't even make a minor dent in Washington's colossal budgetary predicament. Yes, it's just a hobbyhorse of the far right. None of which negates any of the convincing reasons to do it."

"How will we know when Washington gets serious about curbing spending? When it starts talking about health care, retirement and defense programs, because that's both where the money is and where political risk lies. These programs dwarf any savings that could be wrenched from domestic discretionary spending, where the GOP cuts are concentrated."

"Many liberal Americans continue to scream about raising taxes to bring down the debt. But that crushes economic expansion. Corporations and rich folks will only take so much taxation before they leave the building, as Elvis once did. 

"Capitalism is a tough system. It's not touchy-feely like in Sweden, where cradle-to-grave entitlements rule. But there are fewer than 10 million Swedes, so they work it out. With more than 300 million Americans, we can't 'provide' for everyone.  

"The cold truth is that unions are on the way out. High tech means big changes in the workplace, and labor protections are not needed as much as they once were. What we are seeing in Wisconsin is the beginning of a new attitude toward the American worker. And there will be pain until we get things sorted out."

"President Obama hasn't abandoned his jobs-killing global-warming agenda, just wrapped it in the rhetoric of 'clean energy.' And that may be enough to get Republicans to sign on.

"That 'clean energy' is code for 'anti-warming' is obvious, given that even Environmental Protection Agency numbers show that virtually all emissions have dropped dramatically in recent decades -- except for greenhouse gases. ... 

"Global warming is a dying cause because the costs of the favored 'fixes' for the problem vastly outweigh the supposed benefits -- and China and India aren't going to stop industrializing, and stay poor, simply to please Western elites. Republicans should wake up and not let Obama use the guise of clean energy to keep the anti-warming crusade alive."

"Public-sector unions are a creature of government, and the Democrats are the party of government. The two of them have identical interests and worldviews, and both want to leverage government to swell their campaign coffers. How to characterize this? The word 'shame' comes to mind."

"Remember the ad Hillary Clinton ran against Barack Obama during the 2008 campaign?

'It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep,' it began. 'But there's a phone in the White House and it's ringing. Something's happening in the world.

'Your vote will decide who answers that call. Whether it's someone who already knows the world's leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead in a dangerous world . . . Who do you want answering the phone?'

"Now we know the answer: neither of the above."