Why This Matters

A few more news items that haven't been covered extensively enough for my tastes, so here we go...

- A recent CNN poll shows more people polled disagree with President Obama on important issues by a 51-48 margin. The poll has a 3 point margin of error.

Why This Matters: Although the margin of error is the same as the margin of difference, the real issue at hand is that the President is failing to impress people anymore with his hopeity-change talk. With almost a full year under his belt as President, voters are taking a hard look at the man and not liking what they're seeing. Obama may be a great campaigner, but he's sucking as a leader.

- Former Vice President Dick Cheney took the Obama Administration to task for its policy regarding the war in Afghanistan. Cheney admonished the Administration, accusing it of "dithering" while soldiers die in the field waiting for the President to make a decision on how to proceed.

Why This Matters: Put aside the partisanship for a moment and take a hard look at what Obama's done on this front. If you're being honest, you'll see that he hasn't done much, if anything. With our military in Afghanistan fighting a war that Obama has called "the right war," indecision or even apparent indecision is harmful on so many levels. Cheney may have pulled out a word that hasn't been used much recently, but it perfectly describes the Obama Administration's ineptitude on Afghanistan.

- At a Democratic fundraiser, President Obama took a swipe at Republicans, saying "sometimes they do what they're told." As far as Democrats are concerned, Obama said they were "an opinionated bunch" that are "thinking for yourselves." Naturally, Republicans and conservatives shot back, rejecting Obama's claims.

Why This Matters: The easy thing to do in this case is take it at face value and attack it, but there may be a another reason Obama made the statement that has nothing to do with Republicans. Quite possibly, he was sending a signal to his own party to unite. During an earlier section of his speech, Obama said Democrats "were their own worst enemy" due to their diversity because it undercuts party unity. Right now there are a number of people on the Left who want to punish the "blue dog Democrats" for standing up to the President on his health care reform idea. As badly as Obama needs health care reform to pass, he needs his party's Congressional contingency to come together to save it. And the fundraiser gave Obama the perfect opportunity to ask for it to happen.

- Meghan McCain got in some hot water recently after a photograph of herself in a low-cut tank top was posted on her Twitter account. Critics called her a "slut" while supporters of all political stripes gave her praise for being proud of the way she looks.

Why This Matters: First off, Ms. McCain is attractive and has some nice...assets. Having said that, she wants to be taken as a serious commentator and future shaper of the GOP, but she's doing all the wrong things to get to that point. Sex may sell, but it will only take you so far. She needs to focus and hone her writing skills to find her voice. Otherwise, she'll be disregarded as a vapid Maureen Dowd wannabe. You know, like Maureen Dowd is today?

- Congress is starting work on a "net neutrality" bill that will force internet providers to treat all material coming across its bandwidth equally. Democrats cheer the measure, citing that artists will get more of an audience for their work, while Republicans worry about this being the first step towards controlling the Internet.

Why This Matters: Both sides are being a little too simplistic here and a lot too inaccurate. Forcing internet providers to treat all content the same may elevate some, at least in the short term. However, some sites will see traffic reduced to the point where it may no longer be worth their time to use their bandwidth, and they'll fade away. Others will see their services scaled back, thus inviting loss of customers. And what happens to the artists who get elevated, but then have to fall back in line with the rest of the traffic who will have the same amount of usage they do? You're inviting the death of the Internet as we know it if you support the "net neutrality" proposal.

As for those who think "net neutrality" will signal government control of the Internet, think again. Remember, these are the same group of morons who can't get their figures straight when it comes to the economy. Controlling anything more than a MySpace page will be beyond their capabilities. Even if Congress passes "net neutrality" the government isn't smart enough to enforce it across the board. The Internet is too vast for any government bureaucracy to effectively manage. Heck, the Obama White House had trouble getting hooked up to the Internet! You think they have the savvy to be Internet Czars?

That's all for now.