"It is certainly true that Obama inherited many of his foreign-policy challenges. Iran was pursuing nukes back when he was in the Illinois state Senate, and North Korea has been crazy since before he was born. But Obama insisted that his would be the better way. Engagement, dialogue, and Kumbaya would all win the day. 

"And yet they keep losing. A month after his inauguration, the North Koreans tested a ballistic missile. Since then, they’ve revealed yet another nuclear program and attacked South Korea just weeks after Obama’s embarrassing failure to win a trade deal from Seoul during an official visit. Meanwhile, according to WikiLeaks and other sources, the North Koreans have been selling ballistic missiles to the Iranians. 

"And what are Obama’s global priorities? The START treaty, Israeli settlements, and climate change."

"The biggest battle in the lame duck session of Congress may well be over whether or not to extend the Bush administration's tax cuts, which are scheduled to expire in January. The fact that this decision has been left until late in the eleventh hour, even though the expiration date has been known for years, tells us a lot about the utter irresponsibility of Congress. 

"Neither businesses nor individuals nor the Internal Revenue Service will know what to do until this issue is resolved. In a stalled economy, we do not need this prolonged uncertainty that can paralyze both consumer spending and investment spending."

"In 2005, leaders in Portland, Oregon, angry at the Bush administration's conduct of the war on terror, voted not to allow city law enforcement officers to participate in a key anti-terror initiative, the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force.  On Friday, that task force helped prevent what could have been a horrific terrorist attack in Portland.  Now city officials say they might re-think their participation in the task force -- because Barack Obama is in the White House."

Happy Thanksgiving!

"If anything good comes out of the 'airport-security' outrages, it may be in opening the eyes of more people to the utter contempt that this administration has for the American people. 

Those who made excuses for Barack Obama — for the candidate’s long years of alliances with, and for the president’s appointment of people with a record of antipathy to American interests and values — may finally get it when they feel some stranger’s hand in their crotch. 

"As for the excuse of 'security,' this is one of the least security-minded administrations in American history. When hundreds of illegal immigrants from terrorist-sponsoring countries are captured crossing the border from Mexico — and then released on their own recognizance within the United States, that tells you all you need to know about this administration’s concern for security."

"Slumped in her wheelchair, Amelia looked my way and shrugged. It was happening. Again.  

"In the Transportation Security Administration checkpoint at the Reno-Tahoe International Airport recently, my 14-year-old was once more being patted down by uniformed strangers wearing rubber gloves.

"She's an amazing young person, my kid. Amelia has survived brain and spinal cancer, debilitating nerve pain, and the challenging transition into life with a wheelchair.

"She's my hero, and it makes my heart ache to see her humiliated by TSA workers who I am sure are only following orders."

"This time you have gone too far, Big Bro'. The sleeping giant awakes. Take my shoes, remove my belt, waste my time and try my patience. But don't touch my junk."

"Note to terrorists: Next time, wear a hijab. The Department of Homeland Security reportedly is giving special exemptions to their 'enhanced pat-down' policy to Muslim women wearing the hijab or other form-concealing garments. 

"Last week, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a 'travel advisory' noting that women who are patted down 'should remind the TSA officer that they are only supposed to pat down the area in question, in this scenario, your head and neck. They SHOULD NOT subject you to a full-body or partial-body pat-down.' It's unclear why CAIR believes TSA frisking must be Shariah-compliant. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano refused to deny that such exemptions existed when CNS News asked her about them on Monday, saying instead that 'adjustments will be made where they need to be made' and that 'there will be more to come' on this issue."

"More than one million Americans have escaped the clutches of the Democrats' destructive federal health care law. Lucky them. Their employers and labor representatives wisely applied for Obamacare waivers earlier this fall and got out while the getting was good. Now, it's time for Congress to create a permanent escape hatch for the rest of us. Repeal is the ultimate waiver."

"Let’s review the state of play, shall we?

"Throughout the 2008 presidential campaign, candidate Barack Obama blasted the Bush administration’s decision to treat al-Qaeda terrorists as enemy combatants and detain them without trial at Guantanamo Bay. Now, two years into his presidency, Obama has decided to treat al-Qaeda terrorists as enemy combatants and detain them without trial at Guantanamo Bay. 

"The media is reporting that the administration will hold Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other 9/11 plotter indefinitely, granting them neither a civilian nor a military trial. This determination, leaked over the weekend, appears to be a rebuff of Attorney General Eric Holder, who had intimated a few days earlier that a civilian prosecution was imminent."