Santorum: Come to Think of It, I Might Run in 2016, Too

Since I've indulged my prediliction for writing deja vu posts several times in recent days, who's up for one more?  Election 2016: Return of the sweater vest?

Former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum says he is “open” to another run for president in 2016. Santorum was asked about a possible presidential campaign Monday at THE WEEKLY STANDARD. “I’m open to it, yeah,” Santorum replied. “I think there’s a fight right now as to what the soul of the Republican party’s going to be and the conservative movement, and we have something to say about that. I think from our battle, we’re not going to leave the field.” In 2012, Santorum won nearly 4 million votes and 11 GOP primary contests—the same number of states, he pointed out, Ronald Reagan won in his failed 1976 presidential bid. The nomination eventually went to Mitt Romney, whom Santorum argued did not focus on what he considered the “main issue” of the race: The role of government in the lives of Americans. 

Read more: http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2012/11/27/santorum_come_to_think_of_it_i_might_run_in_2016_too

Ten Reasons to be Wary of US Energy Independence Claims

U.S. energy independence must be about to happen. The International Energy Agency just devoted its World Energy Outlook 2012 to telling us so. America will become the largest producer of oil and other liquid fuels on Earth by 2020; it will be entirely self-sufficient by 2030; and a net exporter by 2035. Boom. Epic stuff.
It would be churlish to deny that U.S. energy growth will provide major economic gains to America — of course it will. Here’s a few hundred pages explaining exactly what they are. But this isn’t going to be a free lunch for America.

Read more: http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/Ten-Reasons-to-be-Wary-of-US-Energy-Independence-Claims.html

Heat without Light

The Obama administration owes it to the American people to make public the results of its extensive 18-month investigation of Huawei.

It was just a year ago that I completed a study for the American Enterprise Institute on the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei and its efforts to crack the U.S. market. The report chronicled a number of actions by the U.S. government, both public and behind the scenes, to thwart Huawei. At the time, I took note of two investigations that were about to be launched: one by the House Intelligence Committee and one by a White House task force. Early in October, the preliminary findings of the House investigation were published. And on October 18, a Reuters team, headed by reporter Joseph Menn, broke a story on the unpublished findings of the White House probe — which was actually started in 2010 and completed early in 2012, but kept under wraps. What follows is my own analysis of the implications and significance of the two reports, and a review of my own recommendations from last year.

Read more: http://www.american.com/archive/2012/november/heat-without-light

US Power Grid Vulnerable to Just About Everything

As Washington hunts ill-defined al-Qaeda groups in the Middle East and Africa, and concerns itself with Iran’s eventual nuclear potential, it has a much more pressing problem at home: Its energy grid is vulnerable to anyone with basic weapons and know-how.
Forget about cyber warfare and highly organized terrorist attacks, a lack of basic physical security on the US power grid means that anyone with a gun—like disgruntled Michigan Militia types, for instance--could do serious damage.

Read more: http://oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/US-Power-Grid-Vulnerable-to-Just-About-Everything.html

Washington must stop the creeping rust

“According to the World Economic Forum’s competitiveness report, US infrastructure ranks below 20th in most of the nine categories, and below 30 for quality of air transport and electricity supply.”


Read more: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/bc6f228e-34c9-11e2-99df-00144feabdc0.html#axzz2DI6dPZtO

In the Ultimate Media War, Governments Target Reporters

Governments Target Reporters Worldwide

We’ve reported that reporters are an endangered species, are targeted as terrorists, and journalists have been killed all over the world. And see this.
The New York Times notes:
In many parts of the globe, its profession is under murderous assault.
***
“Targeting journalism has become a trend, and now the people who are harassing and killing journalists include governments as well as the people you would expect,” said [Alan Rusbridger, editor in chief of The Guardian].

Read more: http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/11/in-the-ultimate-media-war-governments-target-reporters.html

Why the Recovery Is Feeble

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke last week became the latest economist to ask why the current economic recovery has been so weak. The question has inspired a cottage industry of studies, papers and speeches with often-esoteric and murky theories. The explanation is actually straightforward: The financial crisis and Great Recession scared the wits out of most Americans -- not just consumers but also corporate managers, bankers and small-business owners. They are reacting accordingly. They're cautious, risk-averse and defensive. They're spending less and saving more.
The recovery's languor is striking. Bernanke, speaking to the New York Economic Club, noted that the economy's annual growth rate had averaged only about 2 percent since the recession officially ended in mid-2009. By contrast, the average growth rate of post-World War II recoveries at a similar stage is almost 4.5 percent. This means the economy is producing about $1.4 trillion less of everything, from Big Macs to cars, than it would if we'd had an average recovery.

Read more: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/11/26/why_the_recovery_is_feeble_116239.html