Fun times in Washington

First -- from the Washington Examiner:

White House scrambles to defeat bill to defund NSA program
The White House took the rare step of releasing a statement opposing an amendment to a House bill Tuesday night, taking aim at a measure that would shut down significant parts of the National Security Agency�s surveillance activities.

In the statement, White House spokesman Jay Carney accused Republican lawmakers of trying to �hastily dismantle one of our Intelligence Community�s counterterrorism tools� and said the �blunt approach is not the product of an informed, open or deliberative process.�

The House is preparing to vote on an amendment, written by Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., that would cut off funds to the NSA if it collects data on individuals who are not under investigation � a move that would effectively shut down the sweeping Internet and phone data collection programs that have been revealed in news reports.

After hearing that the amendment would be given a vote as part of the Defense Appropriations bill Tuesday afternoon, the White House scrambled to try to defeat it. NSA Director Gen. Keith Alexander headed up to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a question and answer session with lawmakers in a classified, members-only briefing.

�We urge the House to reject the Amash Amendment and instead move forward with an approach that appropriately takes into account the need for a seasoned review of what tools can best secure the nation,� Carney said.

I love it -- the House of Representatives holds the purse strings for the Federal Government. Time for them to get to work... Second -- from The Washington Times:

Lights, camera, economy: Obama uses rhetoric of class warfare in jobs speech
Deploying the rhetoric of class warfare against congressional Republicans, President Obama warned Wednesday that �social tensions will rise� if Washington doesn�t take steps to reverse the growing gap between wealthy Americans and the middle class.

In a campaign-style speech at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., the president proclaimed that America during his presidency has �fought its way back� from the recession and called on voters to �pressure Congress to invest in our future� on priorities such as education, clean energy and infrastructure.

Our president is a divisive demagogue.

A demagogue or rabble-rouser is a political leader in a democracy who appeals to the emotions, prejudices, and ignorance of the less-educated citizens in order to gain power and promote political motives. Demagogues usually oppose deliberation and advocate immediate, violent action to address a national crisis; they accuse moderate and thoughtful opponents of weakness. Demagogues have appeared in democracies since ancient Athens. They exploit a fundamental weakness in democracy: because ultimate power is held by the people, nothing stops the people from giving that power to someone who appeals to the lowest common denominator of a large segment of the population.

Obama's speech clocked in at a bit more than one hour. Is he setting himself up to be the next president for life? Fidel Castro was famous for his long-winded speechifying...