Another week, another list:

–President Obama decided against releasing photos of alleged detainee abuse in Iraq and Afghanistan after deciding they would “further inflame anti-American opinion” and endanger U.S. forces still in harm’s way. The American Left’s reaction? Hysteria, for one over-riding reason: nothing, and I repeat nothing, is more important than convincing Americans that the previous administration was comprised of “war criminals.” Thus, the greater endangerment of our troops becomes a “reasonable” tradeoff for the “greater good.”.

Remember this mindset the next time you hear a leftist say “we support the troops, etc.,etc.” Would that it were possible to put a few of these same folks on the front lines of the terror war–with some of the aforementioned photos taped to their helmets–for “perspective’s sake.” I can’t begin to imagine how much further along we’d be in the war on terror if the American Left despised Islamic terrorists with as much fervor as they reserve for Bush, et al. Fortunately, the current president has tossed their odious ambitions under the bus–at least temporarily. Kudos to him–at least temporarily.

–Nancy Pelosi had a tough week. As her ever-changing stories with regard to what she knew or didn’t know about waterboarding captured terrorists indicate, Madam “Double-Speaker” can’t decide whether being a liar or an incompetent looks better on her resume.’ Personally, I’d go with liar. In Washington D.C., being a liar makes it a cinch to “blend in with the crowd.” Come to think of it, so does being an incompetent. Your call, Ms. Pelosi.

–President Obama, once again sending the left into convulsions, has decided to re-start military tribunals. Memo to the convulsed: driving the car, as opposed to incessantly whining from the passenger seat, necessitates genuine responsibility–as opposed to cheap talk. But yak away, as far as I’m concerned. America needs a hearty reminder of why they inherently distrust the left when it comes to protecting the country.

–While I applaud Dick Cheney for defending the previous administration’s terror policies, a question: what the hell took you so long? One of the primary reasons Barack Obama is president today is because the Bush administration was willing to let its opponents castigate everything they did without response. If you’re willing to take the heat now, why not then?

As I said in a previous column, the defining moment for me was when Harry Reid declared the war in Iraq to be “lost,” and you guys let it pass. The day after Reid made that statement, the president should have demanded fifteen minutes of prime-time network coverage, and told the American people that Sen. Reid was an absolute disgrace for aiding and abetting our enemies and endangering our troops with such an irresponsible statement. The bet here is most Americans would have been snapped out of their lefty-induced torpor, much like they were when Ronald Reagan tossed Jimmy Carter’s “detente’” approach with the U.S.S.R. overboard, by telling us we were “shining city on a hill” and the Soviet Union was an “evil empire.”

–Joe Biden is the “gaffe that keeps on giving.” At the annual Gridiron Club dinner, Barack Obama’s “best insurance policy” divulged the location of a secret bunker designed to protect high-level government officials in the even of a serious attack. Biden did so to score political points, suggesting that when former V.P. Dick Cheney was taken there on 9/11, that such sheltering was responsible for the previous administration’s “off the wall policies,” according to Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift. Apparently Mr. Biden was feeling a bit neglected since his rant about staying off public transportation to avoid swine flu. Nice to see you back in the limelight, Mr. Vice President. Can’t imagine what you’ll say for an encore.

–For anyone wondering about the American left’s mindset regarding taxation, the NY Post reported that billionaire Tom Golisano, founder of Paychex and three-time gubernatorial candidate is moving to Florida as a result of NY’s recently enacted “millionaire’s tax.” If he stayed, his tax liability would have gone from $3.6 million to $4.7 million.

The reaction of Dan Cantor, Working Families Party Executive Director? Golsiano is “selfish.” “It’s a disgrace that this is how he pays back the state where he was presumably educated and that been so good to him,” said Cantor. “Taxes are the price you pay for civilization. He’s moving to a space where’s there’s a little bit less civilization.”

You know what’s genuinely selfish, Mr. Cantor? Expecting a guy who has created thousands of jobs and paid millions in taxes to keep right on doing it in order to satisfy your and your political party’s sense of “social justice.” It’s amazing how unselfish liberals are about spending money–as long as it’s other people’s money. As for “civilization,” you may have noticed thousands of other “selfish” New Yorkers abandoning your socialist quagmire for those “jungle states” where they can live without being taxed into the poorhouse.

–If you’re a fan of the “Twilight Zone, try this:” at a town hall meeting in New Mexico, President Obama declared that deficit spending in Washington, D.C. has reached “unsustainable levels.” This from the man whose budget proposals ratchet up deficit spending to an all-time high–by a factor of four, no less. Does the word “schizophrenic” come to mind? Does anyone have the slightest clue what the bedrock fiscal principles of this administration are?

–Lastly, a message for all the militant homosexuals out there who consider anyone unwilling to roll over on re-defining marriage to be a bigot or a homophobe: your credibility is seriously lacking. Picking on a beauty queen is easy. Go rattle the cage of our president who also believes marriage is between one man and one woman, or take your ugly protests into some of the black or Latino communities of California whose constituents voted overwhelmingly in favor of Proposition 8. Try calling them bigots and homophobes.

Good luck.

atahlert@comcast.net

Have PoliticalMavens.com delivered to your inbox in a daily digest by clicking here