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Here we have the President of the United States, in his State of the Union address, hectoring the Supreme Court over a decision with which he disagrees, and urging Congress to help him circumvent the effect of that decision. This may be unprecedented.

You can see Justice Samuel Alito shaking his head and mouthing the words, “Not true,” in response to the president.

Thanks to Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit, we have this from Georgetown law professor Professor Randy Barnett:

In the history of the State of the Union has any President ever called out the Supreme Court by name, and egged on the Congress to jeer a Supreme Court decision, while the Justices were seated politely before him surrounded by hundreds [of] Congressmen? To call upon the Congress to countermand (somehow) by statute a constitutional decision, indeed a decision applying the First Amendment? What can this possibly accomplish besides alienating Justice Kennedy who wrote the opinion being attacked. Contrary to what we heard during the last administration, the Court may certainly be the object of presidential criticism without posing any threat to its independence. But this was a truly shocking lack of decorum and disrespect towards the Supreme Court for which an apology is in order. A new tone indeed.

Instapundit has a collection of additional comments on this latest episode.

One of the criticisms we hear about President Obama is that he is arrogant. This episode certainly seems to support that claim. And that attitude of arrogance may pervade his administration. In the video, you can see Eric Holder, the Attorney General of the United States, at the Court members’ right. He is sitting right next to them. At least, he was, until he leapt to his feet and, with a grin, began applauding the president’s statement. If nothing else, this whole episode is appallingly impolite.

And to think the president is a lawyer.

Barbara Boxer has kept a seat warm in the United States Senate for 18 years.  EIGHTEEN YEARS.  In that time she has sponsored exactly three pieces of legislation.  Remarkable, but true.  In an election year when Democratic candidates throughout the U.S. will be desperately trying to whitewash the targets on their backs drawn from the health care debate, Barbara Boxer is in the most trouble.  Boxer is facing the first real political contest she has ever had in the challenge of former Hewlett Packard chief Carly Fiorina.

Carly Fiorina Surging

Carly Fiorina is a conservative and principled woman who has the know-how and the support to win in a head-to-head battle with the legendary and rough campaign tactics of Boxer.

Early polling numbers reveal that Boxer is already having trouble getting out of the gates with her own constituents.  This week Instapundit reports:

“ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST: Beau Biden won’t run for Senate after all. What’s next? Bye, bye Bayh? Or a Boxer past her prime? “The fact that Boxer’s support is frozen at 46 percent against all GOP challengers suggests that the race, for now, is about her rather than those running against her. Boxer is viewed very favorably by 25 percent of California voters but very unfavorably by 34 percent.”

Barbara Boxer is not alone in her vulnerability this year, but she is a favorite conservatives would like to retire.  Long-entrenched Democrats like Chris Dodd also see the writing on the wall and are looking to run from defeat and await a likely payback position in the Obama Administration.   Harry Reid too.  His re-election bid in Nevada seems doomed. The Senate Majority Leader doesn’t seem too concerned though, because assurances by the White House have probably already been given about his future.   But Barbara Boxer has no such cover.  She has always somehow been shielded by the shadow of the more relevant, real, and reasonable Diane Feinstein.

Where To Pass The Torch?

The more one looks at Martha Coakley, the more you have to wonder where were all the Massachusetts aspirants to the Kennedy Senate seat?  Did the Democrats fall into the awful hole of delivering a favor to Coakley because it was her turn?

Obvious by their absence in the race were all of Ted Kennedy’s children, nieces and nephews.  Not one of the multitude of Kennedy children or grandchildren was either scandal-free or desirous of carrying on the family dynasty, not even in their own home state.   Patrick Kennedy stumped for Martha Coakley at the end of the campaign, but wasn’t invested in her candidacy enough to know her name!  He called her Marsha not once, but three times at the same campaign rally.  Joseph Kennedy II joined Teddy Kennedy’s wife in an endorsement, but he himself left politics because  of uncomfortable public scrutiny.  So how helpful was his support?   Even with the presence of Kennedy’s widow and the endorsement of the Kennedy clan, Coakley couldn’t pull it out.  You might want to measure for yourself the energy level the Kennedy’s brought to a Coakley endorsement in this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kL2pnNNm8M

Of course…who could blame them?

If it isn’t a complete blow-out, with voters flocking away from Martha Coakley as her gaffes mount hour by hour, the “experts” are calling it this way:

Brown Could Trounce Martha Coakley Today

/themoderatevoice.com/59806/massachusetts-poll-review-brown-leads-but-still-too-close-to-call/

Suddenly, Americans have a card to play in the health care debate in Washington.  We have a little over 24 hours to encourage Massachusetts voters to support Republican Scott Brown instead of place-holder candidate Martha Coakley.  The people actually, and accidentally, have the opportunity

Dial For Scott

to erect a big, fat stop sign in front of Obama’s economy-exploding national health care plan.  Let’s do it!

Click on our Kitchen Cabinet logo (top right) or go directly to our companion site,  www.thekitchencabinet.us and see how you can help Scott Brown from the comfort of your own home today.  The Kitchen Cabinet is designed JUST for moments like this in politics, and helps to organize conservative women and their families quickly and effectively.  The Kitchen Cabinet also makes donations to valuable candidates like Scott Brown, and you can pitch in that way as well if you choose.

This is one of the easiest, most rewarding kinds of volunteering there is, and you can do it from your own home computer and cell phone….even blocking your number for privacy.  Give it a try!  Line up and help  break down the doors of the Capitol cloakrooms where all of the health care deals are being made. 

The world’s number one golfer has enjoyed almost unlimited access to GM’s Buick automobiles as a perk in his multi-million dollar endorsement contract with the company.  GM, stepping away from the embarrassed golfer,  has announced that Tiger is now going to have to buy his own new cars.

No one really cares what kind of personal life Tiger Woods wants to have.  The advertising world certainly doesn’t demand exceptionally high standards of celebrities today.  The problem with Tiger is that he pretended.  The oldest trick in the book:  joint rooms with his manager who then disappeared, making room for rotating companions.  His wife deserves to be swinging a club at him, considering that his flings were probably putting her personal health in jeopardy when he came home.

A High Price

The golf world has its own rules.  Tiger succeeded in breaking down barriers with grace in the upper-crust, convertible and country club world of Golf.  However, the concept of marriage and family life is apparently still “expected” in that circle of professional golf shirts.  Especially among professional golf sponsors.  Tiger Woods took that image to the max while living a double life.  America had developed a romance with the “idea” of Tiger Woods, almost the same way we hoped for the “idea” of Barack Obama.  Tiger really betrayed that dream and he’s paying dearly for it.