Washingtonosis (n): A disease most often found in people working within three miles of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, although pockets also are found in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

It tends to infect elected officials, government bureaucrats, those working in the media, "government relations specialists," association executives and even top corporate executives.

Symptoms include an overwhelming desire to associate and be seen with those in power or those perceived to have power and/or fame. Those infected tend to lose judgment, values, principles and sense of honesty as well as common sense.

Last week, officials of the American Medical Association (AMA) revealed that they had caught the disease. They endorsed the House version of the health care bill even though it would reduce the incomes of many of their members, restrict their freedom to practice medicine as they think best and limit choices for their patients.

Last year, in an attempt to block Obama's plan to nationalize healthcare, Massachusetts voters elected Republican Scott Brown to the Senate. Brown was elected because he pledged to block Obamacare in the US Senate.

Rather than heed the voters' message and abandon his plans, Obama abandoned the voters. Instead of accepting his defeat, Obama changed the rules of the game and bypassed the Senate.

So it is safe to assume that for the next two years, Obama will do everything he can to bypass the Congress and govern by executive orders and regulations. Although much can be done in this fashion, Congress's control of the purse strings will check his domestic agenda.

In matters of foreign policy however, Obama will be less burdened by - but not immune - to Congressional oversight. We can therefore expect him to devote far more energy to foreign affairs in the next two years than he devoted in the last two years.

This bodes ill for Israel.

Happy Valentine's Day!  I am far away from my Valentine of almost three decades, as this Sunday the 14^th I'll be in Bahrain, but we'll celebrate the love we've shared for all these years as soon as I get back home.

For those of you lucky to be home with a loved one, taking the time to celebrate that love is certainly worth devoting this coming Sunday to.  It's also worth devoting a bit of time today reflecting on a common love all us TTPers share - our love of our country, the United States of America.

Being outside the US always gives you a special appreciation of our country.  America has put itself through troubling and dangerous times recently, but I am becoming more confident by the day that these times are coming to an end...

Now for a personal note of appreciation to all of you who sent me condolences for the passing of my friend, Charlie Wilson.  As many of you know, Charlie was my best man at my wedding with Rebel, and we worked closely together on Reagan Doctrine strategies to terminate the existence of the Soviet Union.

For the story regarding this, see Charlie Wilson and Ronald Reagan's War from December 2007.  It will give you insights on what really happened - and what the book and movie Charley Wilson's War got right and what it got very wrong.  Plus there are some great pictures of Charlie.

Las Vegas, Nevada.  How old were you before you realized your actions could result in unintended consequences?

Men create democratic governments to protect life, liberty and property. Yet much of what modern government does daily has the largely unintended consequence of endangering and/or reducing all three.

Taxes reduce liberty and often erode the value of property. Most regulations reduce liberty and some erode property values and even endanger life. We now spend much of our lives trying to figure out how to reduce our tax burdens and to comply with never-ending government regulations and forms.

Most of those who enter government, either as elected politicians or bureaucrats, do not start out to deliberately erode basic freedoms and property rights, but all too many in the political class act like children -- irresponsibly and thoughtlessly.

While Remember The Alamo tried to be a good synopsis of our memorable Rendezvous in San Antone, I saved the best line of the event for the HFR.

After all the dystopian discussion of how the Dems are driving us into financial ruin, Jack Kelly announced in his presentation:  "There's a lot of talk nowadays about America becoming a banana republic.  Here's the reality, folks - the whole world is becoming a banana republic."

Kelly's prophecy came quickly into sharper focus this week.  Big time.

After a 853-point drop since Jan. 19, the Dow is plunging over the 10,000-point precipice.  Greece, as the HFR has been predicting, is dragging the Euro into a deep hole.  Next to fall in are Spain and Portugal.

And now comes China.

Olmert's and Livni's assaults on Netanyahu made clear that like most of their colleagues on the Left, they believe that relations between countries and relations between governments are the same thing.  Leaders of the Israeli left believe the major determinant in the quality of the U.S.-Israeli relationship is the view of the U.S. president.

Luckily for Israel, Livni, Olmert and the Left they represent have no idea what they are talking about.
As a poll released last week makes clear, Americans are far more likely to ditch leaders they believe are harming the US-Israel alliance than they are to ditch the alliance.

Amidst all the catcalls and raspberries directed at Zero's SOTU speech this week - Fred Barnes called it the "least fresh" and most cliché-ridden such speech in over 30 years - I must admit I thought it was great.  Perfect, in fact.  We couldn't have asked for anything better.

As Forrest Gump observed, "Stupid is as stupid does."  It doesn't get much stupider than to ignore the First Rule of Holes - when you're in a hole, stop digging - except to insist that the way to get out of the hole is to keep digging ever more feverishly, and to blame everyone but yourself for the hole you're in.

The SOTU speech confirmed that we have a narcissistic fool for a president - all ego and no brains.   He is, with stupidly obdurate stubbornness, going to keep doing exactly what has caused his agenda to fail and his approval ratings to sink ever lower.

This almost guarantees that he will keep his party on the path to electoral disaster in November.  How could we ask for more?  Well, here's how.

Why did a bare majority (219-212) of the members of the U.S. Congress vote for the largest tax increase in American history this past Friday, under the claim it was a vote to save the climate?

There is no consensus in the scientific community about how much climate change, other than the normal cycles, is taking place, nor how severe it will be, and how much man-made CO2 is responsible.

It is known that the legislation will have a negligible effect on global CO2 emissions, particularly since the big polluters, such as China and India, are not playing ball. It is also known that the "cap and trade" system that the legislation calls for has been a failure in Europe.

In sum, serious people understand the legislation will hurt the U.S. economy, reduce the standard of living and yet not accomplish its claimed intent; therefore, why were so many members of Congress willing to vote for it?

Are they idiots, or do they have another agenda?

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Political Action Committee has endorsed "Senator Ma'am for re-election.  Scott Swett finds this odd.  So do the leaders of the VFW, who have asked the VFW PAC to rescind that and other endorsements of anti-military Democrats, and who are contemplating abolition of the PAC, which is run separately from the VFW.