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President Obama says he is now "agnostic" about raising taxes on households making under $250,000 a year to help cut budget deficits, signaling a possible retreat from a campaign pledge. In an interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek on newsstands Friday, Obama said a presidential budget commission needs to look at all options for deficit reduction - including tax increases and cuts in spending on such programs as Social Security and Medicare. "The whole point of it is to make sure that all ideas are on the table," Obama said. "So what I want to do is to be completely agnostic, in...

The president is scheduled to give the State of the Union address at 9 PM eastern.

(snip) South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson, who became a conservative hero after he shouted "You lie!" at President Obama during a major speech last year, hails from Lexington County. He also defended Graham. “Lindsey Graham has been a great leader for our state and party," Wilson said in a statement to CNN. "I appreciate everything he has done for me and his tireless work in helping Republicans at all levels of government. He’s a team player. Ronald Reagan always said that people who agree with you 80 percent of the time should be considered a good friend. Reagan was a...

I never will forget meeting former North Carolina State Senator Hugh Webster my senior year of high school. He came to my school and had lunch with the seniors. As he sat down beside me, I asked him to tell me what he most loved and hated about being in Raleigh. I don't remember what he most loved, but I'll never forget what he most hated. In the words of Mr. Webster, "I don't deal well with incompetent people." At that point, I knew Mr. Webster and I were kindred spirits. I too don't deal well with incompetent people. As...

Rochester, N.Y. —After nearly 20 hours of deliberating, a jury has found Roderick Scott not guilty of manslaughter. Scott says he never meant to shoot and kill 16-year-old Christopher Cervini in April, when he caught the teenager and two others breaking into cars in his neighborhood. Scott faced a charge of first-degree manslaughter. His trial in state Supreme Court began Nov. 30. Scott says Cervini threatened him — and he fired his gun in self-defense.... Assistant District Attorney Julie Finnochio said she respects the verdict and recognizes that it was a difficult case. "I just hope it's not a message...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I apologize up front for this vanity, but this photo is very telling. In the photo, we see our military rendering honors to the Veterans (both deceased and still with us). Why is it that this punk stands there with his hands folded? He makes it really obvious that he could really care less about America and our great Soldiers, Airmen, Marines, Sailors, Coast Guardsmen and Merchant Marines. Why does he fail to salute our Veterans and our great society?

Obama declares swine flu emergency 9 mins ago WASHINGTON (AFP) – President Barack Obama has declared swine flu a "national emergency," the White House said Saturday, as the United States reels from millions of cases of infection and over 1,000 deaths.

Video if his punk anthem...

A New Jersey man with a lengthy rap sheet was indicted yesterday for preying on senior citizens in a months-long mugging spree through Greenwich Village and Chelsea. The oldest of Robert Stewart's victims was 91, prosecutors said. [snip] ...he accosted the 91-year-old man, whom he'd followed into a building on West 12th Street. He hit him in the head and took $400 from his wallet, investigators said.

(CNN) -- The guitarist stands in front of a mirror messing with his mohawk. The drummer strikes a wild tempo. The singer rips off his T-shirt and begins to scream the lyrics. Basim Usmani is bassist for The Kominas, a group that blends traditional sounds with punk rock beats. They're young. They're punk. And they're rocking both their Muslim and American worlds with their music, lyrics and style. "A lot of times people say, 'Oh wow, look, brown people playing music' [but] it's more than that," said 25-year-old Pakistani-American Shahjehan Khan, the lead singer for a Muslim punk band, The...

Chris Ann Cleland, a real estate agent from Prince William County, Virginia discusses her disappointment with President Obama. Chris Ann Cleland voted for Barack Hussein Obama because of his promise of hope and change but as reality catches up with the promise Ms. Cleland is forced to reconcile Obama’s words with his deeds. (see story) According to a Gallup poll last week, about 52 percent of Americans approved of Obama's job as president, the lowest number of his tenure. Somashekhar reports that Stephanie Slater, 44,has been disturbed by the large Wall Street bonuses that Obama doesn't seem to be able...

Before I start getting inundated with lib pushback that the right wingers are the violent ones, let me remind you all of two things that have come from this modern era leftist movement in America. Back during the campaign, Obama encouraged his supporters to be very much in the face of those who worked against him: "I want you to argue with them and get in their face..." Now, Obama is telling his drones that it is time to "get fired up again." But there is another rule issued down from on high. This time, you are not only to...

It’s looking more and more like the forged “Kenyan birth certificate” released by Orly Taitz on Sunday was a prank by a supporter of President Obama. Politijab points to an anonymous blogger at FearlessBlogging, who has uploaded four photos of the original forgery and a mocking declaration: Fine cotton business paper: $11 Inkjet printer: $35 1940 Royal Model KMM manual typewriter: $10 2 Shilling coin: $1 Pilot Varsity fountain pen: $3 Punkin’ the Birthers: Priceless

Running with the least money and fewest ties to vote-rich Northern Virginia, State Sen. R. Creigh Deeds has won the three-way Democratic primary for governor, paving the way for a rematch with Republican Bob McDonnell in the fall. Deeds, 51, a country lawyer from Bath County in the western part of the state, was viewed as an unlikely winner against two Northern Virginians with entrenched political ties. Known for his moderate views on such issues as gun rights, but also appreciated for his folksy style and attention to the Washington suburbs' cry for road improvements, Deeds was leading in Fairfax,...

Lonewolf Diaries: Barack Obama is “Not My President” by Steven Crowder I know, I know. It’s cliche and trust me, I hated the punks/celebrities who wore those slogan t-shirts throughout the Bush administration as much as the rest of you. The day Obama was elected, like many of you I told myself “Well, I didn’t vote for him, but he’s my President and I’ll support him.” A few months later, times have changed and I feel the need to officially declare that Barack Obama is “Not My President.” If you disagree, feel free to smack me around a little. If...

Every time I read about Daniel Hood, I feel worse for Xavier Ramos. Hood is an offensive lineman from Knoxville (Tenn.) Catholic High who signed a letter of intent earlier this week to play football at Tennessee. He will be on scholarship in the fall. Five years ago, Hood was convicted of kidnapping and aggravated rape. According to court documents published by the Knoxville News-Sentinel, as a 13-year-old Hood helped a 17-year-old boy bind Hood's 14-year-old cousin to a bed with duct tape and then watched as the older boy sexually assaulted her with a household object. -snip- That player...

There is a single name that comes up in every attempt to get the Obama Eligibility issue before the Supreme Court, Court Clerk Danny Bickle. The disturbing thing is that I can find no reference to him anywhere other than as a blocking or impeding party in this issue. Does anyone know who this public servant is, what his education and qualifications are to be a Court Clerk with the Supreme Court of the United States? We need to know who paid for his education, what his current income and assets are, and if they are commensurate with his position....

INDIANAPOLIS — Police say an 18-year-old Indianapolis man severely beat his girlfriend's 14-month-old daughter because the girl failed to show respect. Tayaun Chism was arrested on preliminary charges of neglect of a dependent and child abuse in the beating of Lilliana Goodman. Police Sgt. Paul Thompson says Chism is accused of beating the girl with a belt for more than an hour for being disrespectful and not eating her food.

Here’s how I greeted the news of Barack Obama’s victory on election night last November: “Say hello to the punk presidency.” I was hardly out of line, basing the president-elect’s moniker on his poor behavior during the primary and general election campaigns, best exemplified in May and November YouTube videos. In each case — the first in reference to Hillary Clinton, the second to John McCain — Obama scratched his face with his middle finger and seemed, along with part of each crowd, to smile at the “cuteness” of what he had just done. As I said on election eve,...

Clips of Barack Obama using the kind of language not normally associated with a US President are spreading like wildfire online. The clips are from the audiobook version of Barack Obama's autobiography, Dreams from my Father, which is read by the president himself. They include quotes attributed to a schoolfriend of Obama's who had a rich vocabulary which is reproduced in graphic detail in the book. US actress April Winchell has posted audio clips of President Obama reading some of Ray's fruitier expressions on her website, www.aprilwinchell.com. She writes: "You're about to hear the President of United States using language...