Romney? Really? . . . The White House has contempt for lots of people, but one can certainly excuse its contempt for Romney, who lost to Obama in 2012 even though the sitting president was presiding over a lousy economy, had jammed through Congress an unpopular signature policy – Obamacare – and was losing his grip on an increasingly disordered and violent world.

Romney, who lacks a seriousness about conservatism, can only claim that he’d somehow run the country better than anyone else, which makes little sense since he ran his general election campaign worse than anyone else. White House Dossier

Video: Palin pans Romney.

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Did Obama's inaction in Yemen lead to Paris? . . . While the Obama administration was fighting ISIL, Al Qaeda was regrouping in Yemen. Politico

Kerry to give France "a big hug" . . . U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Thursday his visit to France was to give a "big hug" to Paris after the deadly attack by Islamist gunmen on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo. Reuters

Ew. Get away!

Obama's gas drilling dance . . . The White House celebrates the natural-gas boom, so why is it hitting industry with new regulations? National Journal

Obama mocked drilling, now claims credit . . . This video provides a great look at the contrast between candidate Obama, who mocked Republicans for chanting “Drill baby, drill,” and Obama Oil Opinion Version 2.0, in which he claims credit for the very $2 gas he said we wouldn’t achieve. White House Dossier

Poll: Americans back Keystone bill . . . Most Americans of all political stripes support construction of the long-delayed Keystone XL oil pipeline, and want President Obama to sign legislation approving it, according to a new Fox News poll. Fox News

Obama often cites the need to pass "popular, bipartisan legislation." Uhh, what about this?

Obama's failed Turkish friendship . . . Obama’s ambitions were gradually abandoned as Erdogan became increasingly dictatorial, Islamic, corrupt and anti-Semitic, and as he aided jihadi attacks on Israel, brokered embargo-busting trade deals with Iran and tried to make Turkey the dominant regional power. Daily Caller

Obamacare to cause tax headaches . . . Obamacare is about to collide with the U.S. tax-filing season, adding frustration for millions of taxpayers trying to figure out how to comply and how much they will owe the government. Bloomberg

Obama wants more paid leave . . . Renewing a push for paid leave for workers, President Barack Obama on Thursday will call on Congress, states and cities to pass measures to allow millions of workers to earn up to a week of paid sick time a year, the White House said. He'll also ask Congress for more than $2 billion in new spending to encourage states to create paid family and medical leave programs. Associated Press

Quote of the Day || January 15, 2015

Obama Schedule || Thursday, January 14, 2015

Chicken We Can Believe In​

Obama frees five Yemenis from Gitmo . . . The Obama administration late Wednesday released five Yemeni al Qaeda fighters from the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, sending four of them to Oman, which shares a border with Yemen. Washington Examiner

Maybe they were told very sternly, "don't do it again."

Congress to press for Iran sanctions . . . Republican and Democratic U.S. lawmakers will press ahead with a plan for more sanctions on Iran, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said on Wednesday, despite White House warnings that they risked derailing nuclear talks. Reuters

Jindal to give rare remarks on his heritage . . . Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, in Europe for a trade mission, will preach the virtue and necessity of “assimilation” in an extended foreign policy speech Friday that will touch on his family’s own immigrant experience. Politico

GOP frets over immigration backlash . . . Republicans are worried their party’s recent moves to roll back immigration measures could come back to bite them in 2016. Legislation passed to roll back Obama's amnesty passed the House, but only amid consternation from swing district Republicans. The Hill

GOP bumps up convention . . . Republicans will hold their national convention early in 2016, moving the event to mid-July in hopes of getting a head start on fundraising for the general election. National Journal

​

Top European rabbi: Jews must carry guns . . . One of Europe’s most prominent Jewish organizations is petitioning the European Union to pass new legislation that would permit Jewish community members to carry guns “for the essential protection of their communities.” Washington Free Beacon

Yes, they should. In Israel.

The Great Wall of Saudi Arabia . . . With the Islamic State terrorist group in control of large swathes of Iraq, Saudi Arabia has decided to build a “Great Wall” that spans 600 miles. Washington Times

Released Cuban dissidents still shadowed . . . The 53 prisoners released by Cuba’s communist government still face restrictions on their movements and political freedoms and could eventually wind up in jail again. Washington Free Beacon

Duke to broadcast Islamic call to prayer . . . As part of a bid to promote religious pluralism on campus, students at Duke University will be hearing something new on Friday afternoons: An Islamic prayer call. Daily Caller

Of course it's Islam . . . The Obama administration’s mind-bogglingly determined refusal to say that we are at war with “radical Islam,” together with the left’s evasions about Islamic terrorism, means that there has been a haze of euphemism and cowardice around what should be a galvanizing event in the West’s fight against terror. Rich Lowry

Keith Koffler
Editor
White House Dossier