[Guest post by DRJ]

ARIZONA GOVERNOR JAN BREWER: “Washington is broken, Mr. President. Do your job. Secure our borders. Arizona and the nation are waiting.”

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

A massive oil-skimming ship is headed for the Gulf:

“The ship — the length of 3 1/2 football fields and 10 stories high — is designed to collect up to 500,000 barrels of oily water a day through 12 vents on either side of its bow. It docked in Norfolk en route to the Gulf from Portugal, where it was retrofitted to skim the seas. The ship and its crew of 32 were to leave Virginia waters Friday evening.

The owners of the “A Whale” said the ship features a new skimming approach that has never been attempted on such a large scale. They are anxious to put it to its first test in the Gulf.”

The ship will need a Jones Act waiver, EPA approval, and review by a “number of government agencies” before it could begin work. It will take 3 days for the ship to travel to the Gulf and they hope to have approvals by then.

Crazy optimists.

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

Sarah Palin is speaking tonight at the 50th Anniversary of California State University, Stanislaus. Here’s the first six paragraphs of the AP’s
“neutral” coverage [emphasis supplied]:

“Sarah Palin breezed into a gala dinner at a cash-strapped California university Friday, poised to speak before hundreds of well-heeled donors as a throng of students protested her appearance nearby.

The former Alaska governor’s headline speech at the 50th anniversary celebration at California State University, Stanislaus has generated intense intrigue and scrutiny since her visit was first announced and set off a pitched legal feud.

In preparation for her arrival, workers transformed the rural, public school’s humble cafeteria into a glitzy Gala Hall, draped with crimson tablecloths and surrounded by chain-link fences. Officials still refuse to divulge the terms of her contract, her speaking fee, or any additional details about the 2008 Republican vice-presidential candidate’s trip to California.

News of Palin’s requirements only came to light after students fished several pages of the contract from a trash bin, which prompted California Attorney General Jerry Brown to launch an investigation into the finances of the university’s foundation arm and allegations that the nonprofit violated public disclosure laws.

“We cannot believe the stuff that has gone on with our campus over Sarah Palin’s visit,” said Alicia Lewis, 26, who was one of the students who retrieved piles of paperwork, including pieces of the contract document, from a trash container in April. “And now they’re fencing the campus off? It’s outrageous.”

University spokeswoman Eve Hightower said the extensive fencing and extra security were standard procedure for large campus events, and said the university had remained open to students going to class.”

It’s not until the 7th, 8th and 9th paragraphs that the AP notes something positive about Palin’s appearance:

“Friday’s sold-out dinner will bring in more than $200,000, making the gala the most successful fundraiser in the university’s history, said university foundation board president Matt Swanson.

“We’re not here to make a political statement, we’re here to make money,” said Swanson. “This event has surpassed all of our expectations.”

Most of the money raised comes from new donors, Hightower said. The funds will help pay for a variety of pressing campus needs, which the foundation will determine after consulting with university officials, she said.”

Now imagine how that article would have been written if President Obama were the speaker.

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

The 17 Afghans who had gone AWOL from a Texas air force base have almost been located with help from Facebook. Rusty at the JAWA Report has good news and bad news:

“Heh. Some of them seemed to have skipped town to live the MTV version of the American dream … in Canada.

Others? Not so much.”

Read the rest.

— DRJ

[Posted by Karl]

WaPo blogger Dave Weigel resigned today, after a slew of his anti-conservative comments and emails from the newly-defunct JournoList were leaked to FishbowlDC and the Daily Caller. However, by focusing on his invective and profanity, most of his detractors and defenders are overlooking Weigel’s biggest offense.

(more…)

[Guest post by DRJ]

It’s Friday afternoon. Time for President Obama to further inflate the deficit by signing the Doc Fix and for Honest Joe Biden to tell the truth — the Obama Administration’s plans won’t save or create America’s jobs:

“Vice President Joe Biden gave a stark assessment of the economy today, telling an audience of supporters, “there’s no possibility to restore 8 million jobs lost in the Great Recession.”

Obama and Biden took hundreds of thousands of unemployed and turned it into 8 million jobs lost. And Biden should know whether or not these jobs are gone since President Obama put him in charge of overseeing implementation of the Recovery Act.

Guess that didn’t work out. It would be funny if it weren’t so sad.

MORE — Ron Blackwell, the AFL-CIO’s chief economist explains the problem to Neal Cavuto:

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

Michael Yon is pleased to see General Petraeus take command in Afghanistan:

“Yon often writes about his private email communications with the former Iraq commander, the most recent of which was to congratulate him on being nominated to command Nato forces in Afghanistan. Afterwards, he posted this on his Facebook page to his 35,182 fans, many of whom serve in the US military:

Just got a nice response from General Petraeus.

This is going to be a long, long journey for the troops, for the General, and for me. Let’s turn this around!”

Will Yon be embedding now that McChrystal is out and Petraeus is in? It wounds sounds like it.

Speaking of changes, Petraeus may already be considering changes to the Afghanistan Rules of Engagement:

“Gen. David Petraeus is expected to modify the controversial rules of engagement aimed at preventing civilian casualties when he takes over as top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Fox News Channel reported Friday, citing a military source close to Petraeus.

Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who resigned this week after his disparaging comments about Obama administration officials were revealed in a Rolling Stone article, implemented strict guidelines that restricted the use of air power and heavy weaponry in populated areas.

Figures suggest civilian casualties have declined since the guidelines went into effect, but troops on the ground and some military commanders have said the rules have handicapped military efforts, according to Fox News Channel.”

This may be more wishful thinking than definite, but some tweaking is to be expected when a new commander takes charge. Nevertheless, there is more support for changes to the ROE among the American military than the Afghan leadership. So will Petraeus opt for a middle ground, more of the same, or a new way?

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

Allahpundit at Hot Air reports Arizona Senator Jon Kyl is backtracking on his “He said, He said” immigration dispute with President Obama:

“Kyl adds that President Obama is still “not doing enough” to secure the borders. Kyl, of course, had a small spat with the White House last week over comments he made at a town-hall meeting. Kyl, responding to a voter’s question, detailed a recent one-on-one conversation he had with the president. “They are holding [border security] hostage” over hopes for comprehensive immigration reform, Kyl said at the forum.

Kyl tells us that the comments were “taken a bit out of context,” and that the “they” he was referring to was the Left, “the president’s base,” and not the administration. “I did not try to start a fight. This meeting happened a month ago and we were talking in the context of his political problems. He was talking about how they think that if we secure the border, you guys [Republicans] won’t have the incentive to work on comprehensive immigration reform.”

Are we really supposed to believe President Obama wants to secure the border but his base won’t let him?

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

The White House has picked former Phoenix and Houston police chief Harold Hurtt, reportedly a supporter of sanctuary cities, to serve as liaison between ICE and local law enforcement:

“Harold Hurtt, a former police chief in Houston and Phoenix, has been hired as the director for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Office of State and Local Coordination. Starting July 6, Hurtt will supervise outreach and communication between ICE, local law enforcement agencies, tribal leaders and representatives from non-governmental organizations.

“Chief Hurtt is a respected member of the law enforcement community and understands the concerns of local law enforcement leaders,” said John Morton, the Homeland Security assistant secretary for ICE. “His experience and skills will be an invaluable asset to the ICEs outreach and coordination efforts.”

But as a police chief, Hurtt was a supporter of “sanctuary city” policies, by which illegal immigrants who don’t commit crimes can live without fear of exposure or detainment because police don’t check for immigration papers.

He also, during his tenure as Houston police chief, criticized ICE’s key program that draws on local law enforcement’s support.

“There’s no way you can head up an office if you don’t believe in what the office is supposed to do,” Curtis Collier of U.S. Border Watch, told the Houston Chronicle. “Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s primary mission is to protect the American people. If this guy believes any of these programs should not be enforced, he’s certainly going to be a very weak advocate for them.”

I agree with Collier but I bet Hurtt will get along fine with leaders of the 2005 Congressional Research Service sanctuary cities (footnote p. 30), assuming they are still on the list, as well as any new sanctuary cities:

Anchorage, AK, Fairbanks, AK, Chandler, AZ, Fresno, CA, Los Angeles, CA, San Diego, CA, San Francisco, CA, Sonoma County, CA, Evanston, IL, Cicero, IL, Cambridge, MA, Orleans, MA, Portland, ME, Baltimore, MD, Takoma Park, MD, Ann Arbor, MI, Detroit, MI, Minneapolis, MN, Durham, NC, Albuquerque, NM, Aztec, NM, Rio Arriba, County, NM, Sante Fe, NM, New York, NY, Ashland, OR, Gaston, OR, Marion County, OR, Austin, TX, Houston, TX, Katy, TX, Seattle, WA, and Madison, WI.

I’m especially curious about Arizona. Will Hurtt use his position and contacts to seek out whistleblowers useful to the Obama Administration’s proposed lawsuit against Arizona?

H/T Dana.

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

In a 5-4 vote, the Board of Regents at the University of Colorado voted to appeal a court decision allowing permit holders to carry concealed weapons on campus. Faculty members and students have also expressed support for the ban. Frankly, though, it sounds to me like the Regents should be unhappy with the Colorado legislature because it has not included college campuses in the list of places excluded from the Concealed Carry law.

And Ken Salazar isn’t having much luck in court these days.

— DRJ