Memo to Nolan Ryan: No way that you trade Derek Holland!

What do you do when you have a 22-year old lefty with so much upside potential?

You don't trade him. You certainly don't trade him after what we saw Thursday night: Holland nearly perfect in just his 10th career start

Remember John Danks, who is now a starter for the White Sox?

You don't trade lefties!

Remember Chris Young? You don't trade young righthanders either!

According to Richard Durrett, the Rangers are heavy into the Halladay negotiations.

Team President Nolan Ryan has confirmed that the Rangers are talking and willing to move some of their top prospects, such as Neftali Feliz or Justin Smoak.

We could send Julio Borbon or one of the young catchers, like Taylor Teagarden or young Max Ramirez.

I understand that Roy Halladay is a great pitcher. He has won 142 games with a 3.45 ERA.

He is also 32 and will demand a huge contract.

Do we make an effort to trade for Halladay?

Yes but don't blow up all the team's future!

What about the "Gates issue" and BO polls?

The bad news is that we have too many polls.

The good news is that you can learn something, specially when you can detect a trend.

David Paul Kuhn is the Chief Political Correspondent for RealClearPolitics and the author of The Neglected Voter.

Today, he posted Obama Drops Faster than Bush or Carter:

"In other words, Obama's got problems.

Health care reform has come up against the rocks and the cop and prof race debacle has also likely taken some toll.

Then there is the unemployment rate, almost assured to soon reach double digits."

The PEW poll was done after the police-Gates matter.

Without a doubt, Pres BO was hurt by attacking a policeman doing his job and supporting a friend:

"Three factors have likely contributed to more negative views of Obama.

First, criticisms of the government’s economic policies are mounting.....

Secondly....many of the health care proposals being debated in Congress are sparking negative reactions, especially from those following the debate most closely....

Thirdly, Obama’s comments on the arrest of Henry Louis Gates Jr. appear to have played some role in his ratings decline."

Americans love their police. They will always stand with the police, specially when the opponent is a college professor with a very high opinion of himself!

Be careful about voting for a bill that no one read: It may stimulate strange places in Pelosi's San Francisco!

BO's stimulus is now beyond comedy.

It is now a disgrace:

"The National Endowment for the Arts may be spending some of the money it received from the Recovery and Reinvestment Act to fund nude simulated-sex dances, Saturday night "pervert" revues and the airing of pornographic horror films at art houses in San Francisco." (FOX)

How is that for stimulating the US economy?

We did oppose the stimulus. We couldn't believe that Pelosi forced BO to pass it so quickly or without anyone debating its contents:

"When you spend so much money in a short amount of time ... you're going to have nonsense like this, and that's why the stimulus should never have been done in the first place," said David Williams, vice president for policy at Citizens Against Government Waste."

P.S. We are so proud of the House Republicans!

No Republican voted for this:

Thursday's show: Let's talk about abortion and health care!

Kyleen Wright, President of Texans for Life Coalition, joined us for a discussion of abortion and the health care debate in Washington!

Click here for the show!

A Dem admits the obvious: Nobody understands BO-Care!

Is this 1993 all over again?

Back in '93, a new Dem president came in with lots of flair, lots of promises, and lots of talk of change!

Did I tell you that a guy named Bush was flying back to Texas in 1993? (41 went to Houston and 43 lives in Dallas!)

Two years later, Pres Clinton lost the Congress and threw all of those campaign promises, and the liberals, out the window.

Pres Clinton's collapse began with health care.

Nobody understood the plan. It was too confusing and too expensive!

Everybody is in favor of universal care in the abstract. It gets a lot more confusing when you have to write a plan!

Ditto GITMO, taking troops out of Iraq, etc! It's easy to make campaign promises, specially to people who are madly in love with the speaker! It's also very easy to make promises to people who are looking at your eyes rather than listening to what you are saying!

Today, we heard this:

"A Democratic lawmaker, Rep. Collin Peterson of Minnesota, agrees.

“The members don’t even understand what’s in it,” he confessed of the legislation.

As for his constituents? They are “not exactly sure what this is about, and they’re not really sure whether they like it or not.”" (Politico)

Here is the headline of the day:

"The longer the Democrats' health care plan sits on the table, the less the American people seem to like it, several recent polls suggest." (FOX)

BO-Care is a political disaster! Didn't we go through this in 1993?

Your mother is on the phone: Sell those BO shares or you will end up like one of Bernie's clients!

"Hope and change" just had a terrible July and future prospects are not good:

"Overall, 48% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance.

That is the lowest level of total approval yet recorded for this President.

Fifty-one percent (51%) now disapprove." (RR)

It gets better: New poll is bad, bad news for Obama, Democrats By: Byron York

What's next?

Don't buy into this nonsense that an accord was reached yesterday in the HOuse.

There was no agreement: Agreement on cuts, not on floor vote

They just put this off until September because "Blue Dogs" are scared to death to go home and carry BO's water!

BO is in for a terrible August and September and October and so on.....the Dems won't be able to reconcile the differences between the left wing and the blue dogs!

We are watching the same movie that we saw in 1977 (Carter and a Dem Congress) and 1993-94 (Clinton and a Dem Congress).

By the way, did I tell you that we need to send more troops to Afghanistan?

Why? Because "hope and change" has not persuaded our allies to fulfill their NATO obligations.

It looks like the US, Canada and the UK will do the fighting for the time being.

What happened to all of those Euros who wept at the sight of BO?

They are not sending troops to Afghanistan but the US Mediterranean Fleet is still protecting Europe.

Let me scream it: BO is a fantasy!

Here is the bad news: We heard generalities and feel good talk from candidate BO!

Here is the good news: We've Figured Him Out By Ben Stein

Yes we did!

Fairy tales are for children. Adults should not subscribe to fairy tales!

Sell BO or reality will hit you very hard! Just ask one of Bernie Maddoff's clients!

P.S. Bill O'Reilly was outstanding last night about BO's dilemma:

Barone is right: BO looks like a guy who has never managed anything!

Michael Barone nailed it today:

"But it turns out that Obama is not so good at argument.

Inspiration is one thing, persuasion another.

He created the impression on the campaign trail that he was familiar with major issues and readily ticked off his positions on them.

But he has not proved so good at legislating.

One reason, perhaps, is that he has had little practice.

He served as a legislator for a dozen years before becoming president, but was only rarely an active one.

He spent one of his eight years as an Illinois state senator running unsuccessfully for Congress and two of them running successfully for U.S. senator.

He spent two of his years in the U.S. Senate running for president.

During all of his seven non-campaign years as a legislator, he was in the minority party.

In other words, he's never done much work putting legislation together -- especially legislation that channels vast flows of money and affects the workings of parts of the economy that deeply affect people's lives.

This lack of experience is starting to show."

He can talk but he can't persuade or govern! Did I tell you that his party has a majority in both houses of Congress?

I think that we are looking at a one term president, unless there is a radical change in BO's style!

"Hope and change" is in trouble so Bush-bashing is back in style!

This is a headline from today: Backlash: Democratic dangers mount

More headlines: GALLUP: OBAMA HITS NEW LOW...

More headlines: 'This is a president who needs a vacation'...

Why can't the Dems, our majority party, schedule a vote? Guess what they are thinking now: VOTE PUSHED BACK TO 'OCTOBER'

Remember my post about BO's October troubles? Remember that we have to raise US$ 2 trillion in October? It's not going well: Weak Treasury Auctions Raise Worries About Debt Burden...

"Hope and change" is playing defense, specially now that BO has to give us details rather than rhetoric about "healing the planet": Poll: Dissatisfaction growing with Obama, Democrats

Check out the latest from Jennifer Rubin:

"A new NPR poll delivers some interesting tidbits.

Obama’s approval ratings are down to 53 percent, and Republicans lead by one point in the generic congressional polls.

Forty-eight percent of voters agree with this statement:

“President Obama’s economic policies have run up a record federal deficit while failing to end the recession or slow the record pace of job losses,”

while only 45 percent agree with this:

“President Obama’s economic policies helped avert an even worse crisis, and are laying the foundation for our eventual economic recovery.”

Thirty-nine percent strongly oppose his health-care plan; 25 percent strongly favor it.

Overall, voters oppose ObamaCare by a 47-42 percent margin."

Can you recall a first term president at 53% or 48% or 49% in other polls?

Frankly, most first term presidents enjoy pretty good polls (high 50s) for a while.

So guess who is back in town? Bush bashing is alive and well!

Yes, bashing Bush is always the speech of last resort! What else do you do?

It worked in 2008. It's not working in 2009! BO is in deep trouble and it won't get any easier when we have to raise US$ 2 trillion this fall!

The Miller guy should provide "a teachable moment" to the White House!

In our prior post, we attacked BO's shameful "beer diplomacy"!

In this post, we bring you a wonderful cartoon: What would the Miller Guy say?

I think that we know the answer!

"Hope and change" was easy before BO gave us the details!

Have you noticed "all of the love" over at the Dems' headquarters lately?

Love? How about a cat fight?

Candidate BO was all about giving speeches. Pres BO is not doing so well.

Troy Senik has a great post today on the current mess over at the Dems' home.

His post is entitled Obama Threatens to Break the Democratic Coalition:

"During his campaign for the presidency, Obama looked prone to capitalize on these newfound majorities by fusing his undeniably liberal worldview with a spirit of outreach towards moderates of both parties.

But as his administration passes the six-month mark and his approval ratings slip below 55 percent for the first time, it is becoming obvious that the center is not holding.

And Obama is perilously close to breaking the coalition that was built for him."

Who would have believed this a few months ago?

In fact, Pres BO is turning out to be tone-deaf on political reality.

I can't believe that he let the Congress write the stimulus bill. He allowed a liberal Congress to load up a bill with payments to states rather than with anything that stimulates the economy.

I can't believe that he let the left wing run his GITMO policy. BO is now stuck between an angry left that wants GITMO closed and a country that likes GITMO just the way it is.

Wait until we get to October! Wait until reality, i.e. the $2 trillion deficit, ties his hands for much of his presidency.

As I posted before, BO is going to be the most frustrated president in recent memory. He can't do anything. He will be more and more unpopular. And the Euros are not sending troops to BO's war in Afghanistan!

When will Dems beg GW Bush to come back to the White House?

Bush was the only thing that held the Dem party together!

Happy birthday Beatriz! (From Mexico to Aggie-Mom)

We take a moment to wish Beatriz a very happy birthday. The first picture is undated. The second picture is with her sisters. The third picture is a month after # 1 was born. The fourth picture is from Christmas 1991. The fifth picture is at the Texas vs Texas A&M football game. We take that game very seriously in our home! The last picture is Christmas 2008!

Of course, we observe rule 101: no age disclosed!

Over the years, our three sons and I have been blessed with such a wonderful mother (and wife!)

So please take a minute and say happy birthday to Beatriz!

In the meantime, we think that The Temptations' "My Girl" is a perfect song:

These Dems are like watching an episode of The Twilight Zone!

Congressman Conyers makes $100,000 a year. We provide him with an office in DC and back home. We provide him with a staff.

Is it too much to ask him to read a bill?

I don't think so! I agree with Don't need leaders who just can't be bothered to read!

Unfortunately, Cong Conyers is in no mood to read a bill. I call that the ultimate arrogance!

This is Congressman John Conyers:

Men apologize! Wimps do "photo ops"!

Are you ready for the "photo-op" of the week? The police officer, the professor and Pres BO will get together for a beer this week.

What's wrong with that?

It won't be a teachable moment.

It will be another "photo-op" for "hope and change" to say nothing.

What should happen instead?

Prof Gates should apologize to the police officer.

We know now that the professor has a very high opinion of himself and a PhD in victim-hood!

Wes Pruden has the rest of the rest of the story:

"A (white) neighbor called the police when she saw two men she thought might be breaking into the professor's house, a police sergeant arrived and got into an argument with the professor when he tried to find out what was going on and the argument grew to a public entertainment for a growing crowd of neighbors watching from the street.

The professor was black, the cop was white, and alas, that's all it takes to get something started in America, circa 2009.

But what seems to be about race isn't always about color.

Mr. Gates accused the cops of asking impertinent questions simply because he's black (or "African-American," in the current fashion).

President Obama agreed.

In the endless retelling of the tale, the white neighbor who called the cops told the police dispatcher that "two black guys" were trying to break into the Gates abode.

A review of the police 911 tape revealed Monday that the caller actually told the dispatcher that "two gentlemen" were trying to get into the door; she subsequently referred to one of them as a "gentleman" and to both of them as "individuals."

Nothing about color."

That's right!

No color here, unless your name is Prof Gates and you don't think that a police officer should ask you to identify yourself.

I agree with Ruben Navarrete:

"The professor needs to stop calling what happened to him a "teaching moment."

We're not his students.

More importantly, we're not the ones who let our ego get the best of us and went ballistic over a simple and harmless request to provide identification."

Secondly, Pres BO should apologize to the police officer, and every other police officer in the country.

Bernie Quigley has a good post:

"Purely from a marketing point of view, Obama’s knee-jerk identification with Professor Gates when he didn’t have all the facts was terrible strategy."

Yes, it was a bad move!

BO needs to lock up his "inner Rev Wright"!

What about that teachable moment? It won't teach anything!

I like what Harry Stein posted today:

"So when it comes to race, it’s facts be damned.

Indeed, while Obama is so famously cautious and deliberative it took him months to decide on the family dog, his now-infamous off-the-cuff comment on the stupidity of the Cambridge police made it clear that on this issue, the former community organizer wholeheartedly embraces the black victim/racist cop trope."

No teachable moment at all!

Finally, Pres BO is now the national CEO. He is responsible for protecting and defending the Constitution of the US.

What lesson did the police officers across the country learn from Pres BO?

The lesson is this: BO is not looking out for the police officers! He is too quick to line up with Harvard professors who have a very high opinion of themselves!

Doesn't that sound like the guy who said that "people cling to their guns and religion"?

Tuesday's show: A chat with Cassy Fiano!

Today, we spoke with Cassy Fiano, popular blogger.

Check her blog: Cassy Fiano

We discussed Sarah Palin and the Obama presidency. By the way, check out Adryana's post: Sarah Palin

Adryana Boyne, Lauro Garza and I discussed some current events in the round table.

Click here for the show!

The Rangers playing great and Michael Young headed to another 200 hit season!

We haven't had so much baseball fun around here since 2004. (Texas won 89 games that year and was eliminated in the 159th game of the season)

Time will tell about 2009.

However, the Rangers are proving all of the experts wrong.

They are 56-42 and only 2 and a half behind the Angels!

Why the success?

First, it's all of the young pitching. Give Mike Maddux a little credit here.

Second, the Rangers finally showed patience with their young pitchers, like Scott Feldman (26 yrs old and pitching great!) and closer C J Wilson who has been lights out in the 9th inning!

Third, Michael Young is off to another 200-hit season.

It will be fun in Texas! I can't wait for those games against LA and Seattle in September!

P.S. This is Ian Kinsler's beautiful triple from last night's game:

Good luck Sarah Palin: Nobody speaks about our "soldiers" or abortion like you do!

We wish Sarah Palin a lot of luck.

We did not understand her resignation. I didn't get that!

At the same, we found the attacks on her family totally wrong.

We can disagree with the candidate. At the same time, let's leave the finally alone, specially a 1-year old baby or teen daughter?

Shame on the critics! Shame on you for doing that!

Why did this woman generate so much hatred from the left?

The answer is simple: abortion, guns, a lady from the rural areas and a Reagan-esque love of country!

My guess is that Palin will take some time off, write a book and be a popular speaker for the 2010 elections.

By the fall of 2010, Palin's message of small government, energy independence and states' rights will be very popular between LA and NY City!

What about running for president?

I don't see it in 2012 but anything is possible after that.

P.S. Let me say this about Sarah Palin. I love the way that she talks about her son, and all of the other sons, in Iraq and Afghanistan. I love the way that she speaks about her baby and abortion. No one does it better than Palin:

Pelosi, Reid and BO: The majority that can't get anything done!

It happens every time.

We are now watching the most hilarious show since The Three Stooges made millions laugh years ago.

POLITICO got it right:

"With their health care plans in a holding pattern — and no George W. Bush to kick around anymore — Democrats are casting about for somebody to blame."

As the article points out, the Dems are coming to terms with a harsh reality.

They won The House in 2006 and 2008 by persuading a bunch of conservative Dems to run for office.

What happened?

They won.

What happens now?

These guys have to be reelected.

Guess what?

You don't get reelected between NY City and LA by making abortion a part of health care, for example! (Abortion Haunting Obama By David N. Bass)

You don't get reelected in conservative districts by promoting a tax on small businesses. And you don't score points by calling the police 'stupid"!

Enjoy the show. It won't last but it's fun to watch! And did you hear this: Two in Three Doubt Congress’ Grasp of Healthcare Issues!

Professor Sowell got it right about BO!

Let me let Professor Thomas Sowell say it:

"Those who were shocked at President Obama's cheap shot at the Cambridge police for being "stupid" in arresting Henry Louis Gates must have been among those who let their wishes prevail over the obvious implications of Obama's 20 years of association with the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.

Anyone who can believe that Obama did not understand what the racist rants of Jeremiah Wright meant can believe anything.

With race-- as with campaign finance, transparency and therest-- Barack Obama knows what the public wants to hear and that is what he has said.

But his policies as president have been the opposite of his rhetoric, with race as with other issues."

Now, here is Professor Sowell's clincher:

"To think that someone who has spent years promoting grievance and polarization was going to bring us all together as president is a triumph of wishful thinking over reality."

In 2008, BO told a lot of people what they wanted to hear.

Wonder how many of those people feel today?

Teachable moment? How about BO spending a night as a cop?

Like most of you, we support the police.

They protect us.

They have a horrible job.

They put their lives on the line every time that they answer the 9-11 call or show up in the middle of an altercation.

Frankly, they do a great job.

We do not have blind love for our police. Policemen make mistakes too.

However, they deserve the benefit of the doubt in the extremely dangerous situations that they operate in!

Pres BO wants to turn the Cambridge incident into a teachable moment?

I agree with Juan Williams, a black man who understands the plight of black America a lot better than Pres BO or Prof Gates do:

""But in this situation, the president spoke without the facts.

And so you can't have a teachable moment if it's based on a lie."

How about a teachable moment?

Pres BO should spend a night in a police car driving around an inner city, such as Chicago or Washington DC.

BO should see what our policemen have to put up with.

BO should speak to the police families.

P.S. Professor Victor Davis Hanson has a good post today:

"We once trusted our uniquely qualified president to help lead us out of our racial morass, but so far he has only pushed us far deeper into it."

And check out how the Cambridge Police supported the officer:

McCain knows Mexico; Obama knows how to pander to unions!

During the campaign, Sen McCain spoke often about the threats south of the border.

Like many of us, McCain understood the problem and outlined several solutions:

1) We need to secure the border;

2) We need to support Pres Calderon and the courageous men and women of the Mexican military;

3) We need to encourage more trade with Mexico; and,

4) We need a "work visa" program so that Mexicans can work legally in the US.

On the other hand, Sen Obama was all about "lecturing" Mexico about labor and environmental regulations.

By the way, when did BO become an expert on Mexico anyway? How can you be an expert about a country that you have never visited?

A few days, Sen McCain went to the US Senate floor and delivered another thoughtful speech about Mexico and the border violence.

You can read the whole speech at MexicoData.Info:

"The United States must keep its focus on securing our southern border and do all it can to assist President Calderon in his efforts against these violent drug cartels.

The prosperity and success of Mexico is essential to the prosperity and success of our own country.

We share a border, our economies are intertwined and we are major trading partners with each other.

The US must show its support for our neighbor to the South and support the Mexican people and the Calderon administration in this fundamental struggle against lawlessness and corruption."

Pres BO and Sec Clinton made a loud visit to Mexico. (Hillary asked "who painted your virgin"?)

Unfortunately, little has been done to follow up on key areas, such as The Merida Plan and living up to NAFTA.

Incredibly, Pres BO has not found the time to take an interest in Mexico.

We are not one of those who think that Mexico is a failed state. However, there is a huge war going on south of the border.

Last, but not least, we should be thankful that the Mexican Army is taking these cartels head on. Otherwise, our sons will have to do it!

Meet your new doctor in BO's massive expansion of government!

Professor Samuelson posted another hit: Obama's Misleading Medicine

"Evaluations of proposals reflect this reality.

The Congressional Budget Office judges that the legislation in the House would, through expanded Medicaid and subsidies for private insurance, cut the uninsured to 17 million in 2019 from 46 million in 2007.

But the cost would be $1 trillion over a decade; of that, $239 billion would add to the budget deficit.

Worse, the costs would rise faster than the sources of financing, including a tax on the wealthy.

In 2019, the projection's last year, the deficit would be $65 billion. Assuming that deficit rises 4 percent a year, the cumulative shortfall in the second decade would total about $800 billion."

Reform or a massive tax increase?

James C. Capretta & Yuval Levin put it this way: Obamacare: It's Even Worse Than You Think

"As these facts have become clear, Obama's standing has fallen and public opinion has grown decidedly less enthusiastic for the administration's approach.

The trend is likely to continue, because the details of the plan reveal that its two most serious drawbacks--its cost and the prospect of government rationing--are worse than even most of their critics have grasped."

Wonder why they don't want you to read the bill?

This is not reform. We don't think that reform means turning the US into a failed Euro welfare state!

Who was really stupid? A policeman doing his job or BO sticking his nose in a local matter?

First, you take a president who can't speak without a teleprompter.

Second, you take a college professor who can't control his anger.

What do you have? A mess!

Stephanie Gutmann was a journalist in Manhattan for about 16 years. This is what she wrote about Professor Gates' show:

"His rant attracted such a crowd that the officer was finally forced to put him in handcuffs for disorderly conduct.

This is what police officers must do.

They cannot simply walk away from a disruptive situation.

Their business is to maintain public order.

That the charges were later dropped only proves the point.

An arrest in this circumstance is only meant to pacify the situation."

Again, put me down as someone who thinks that Prof Gates needs to understand the role of the police.

In other words, the policeman is the authority figure in the middle of a melee.

Michael Mechanic has a little advise for the liberal professor: Why you never, ever get righteous on a street cop

Of course, we are talking about this because some one forgot to program Pres BO's teleprompter.

BO should have said zero about this! Someone should have programmed the words "NO COMMENT" into the teleprompter!

Why? First, BO admitted that he did not have the complete information.

Second, presidents don't comment on local police matters. We have mayors, police chiefs, city governments and even governors to do that job!

The NH Union Leader got it right:

"He criticized the behavior of police officers without knowing the facts, then he compounded the error by seeming to suggest that the arrest was part of a larger narrative of racial profiling by white police officers in the United States."

That's right! It is not always about racism!

By the way, wasn't there a black officer in the picture? And wasn't there another officer named Figueroa on the scene?

Of course, Pres BO turned this into a racial matter.

Now, he should apologize to the police and get back to the economy and explaining what the health care plan is going to cost!

Or maybe he should spend more time with Democrats scared to death about his proposal: "North Dakota Sen. Conrad says votes not there among Democrats to pass health care reform...."

P.S. See Michael Goodwin's Barack should just say those 2 words: I'm sorry!