TheDC Morning

TheDC Morning: A Tea Party protest 7 months too late

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
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1.) A Tea Party comes a little late — On Wednesday, the Tea Party is coming to Washington. TheDC’s Alex Pappas reports:

“Conservative activists are planning to storm Capitol Hill on Wednesday for what they are predicting will be ‘the largest Tea Party protest since 2010.’ The protest — drawing tea partiers like TV host Glenn Beck and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul — is in response to the Internal Revenue Service’s recent admission that it has been specifically targeting conservative groups for extra scrutiny. The gathering on the West Lawn of the Capitol is being called the ‘Audit the IRS’ Rally.”

Probably would have been more useful if “the largest Tea Party protest since 2010” took place 7 months ago on Nov. 6, 2012. Also, instead of it being a rally, it could have just been called “conservatives voting.”

2.) The Case for Obama — It can be summed up in one statement: Bill Ayers thinks he sucks as president. Gabe Finger reports for TheDC: 

“President Barack Obama deserves a ‘failing grade,’ former Weather Underground terrorist leader Bill Ayers told RealClearPolitics Tuesday.  Ayers, who has long been rumored to have helped Obama write his memoir ‘Dreams From My Father,’ was asked to assess the president strictly on his policies and politics. ‘I’d give him a failing grade,’ Ayers said, ‘But you have to compare that to the grades I gave all the other presidents of my lifetime,’ which are all Fs’ and some F-minuses.'”

When you lose Bill Ayers, you might just gain America. But TheDC Morning still has some doubts whether President Obama is doing a stand-up job, though we suspect that the criteria used by Ayers and us in judging presidents is probably quite different.

3.) Can you hear me now?  — Our national security officials say that if you can hear them now, it might be because the controversial recently revealed surveillance programs prevented an attack that would have killed you. The AP reports:

“The U.S. foiled a plot to bomb the New York Stock Exchange because of the sweeping surveillance programs at the heart of a debate over national security and personal privacy, officials said Tuesday at a rare open hearing on intelligence led by lawmakers sympathetic to the spying. …Army Gen. Keith Alexander, director of the National Security Agency, said the two recently disclosed programs — one that gathers U.S. phone records and another that is designed to track the use of U.S.-based Internet servers by foreigners with possible links to terrorism — are critical. …In the days after the leaks, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers cited one attack that he said was thwarted by the programs. In the comments of other intelligence officials, that number grew to two, then 10, then dozens. On Tuesday, Alexander said more than 50 attacks were averted because of the surveillance. These included plots against the New York subway system and a Danish newspaper office that had published cartoon depictions of Muhammad.”

If these instances of the government protecting Americans can be verified, it would provide a strong case that something like the surveillance programs we have are needed.

4.) Honoring the heroes — Our military warriors deserve America’s support. Naturally, the Pentagon is appropriately paying its top officers: its college football coaches. The Daily Caller News Foundation’s Robbie Soave reports:

“The three highest-compensated employees on the Pentagon payroll are the Army, Navy and Air Force football coaches, according to a recent report. Taking note of various statistics that paint a picture of a healthy, wealthy America for the summer edition of Chicago Life magazine, writer Allen Sanderson observed that Air Force football coach Troy Calhoun, Navy football coach Ken Niumatalolo and Army football coach Rich Ellerson made more money than any other Pentagon-employed government official. Calhoun makes $882,000 a year. Niumatalolo makes $1.6 million a year. And Ellerson makes $600,000 a year.”

5.) Tweet of Yesterday — Albert Brooks: U.S. to deal directly with Taliban. “WHAT?” Kim Jong-Un says. “I’ve got effing nukes, they just have camels.”

6.) Today in North Korean News — BREAKING: “Nepali Papers Term U.S. Provoker of Korean War”

VIDEO: Black lawmaker explains why he is leaving Democratic Party for the GOP

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