Publisher Macmillan's books pulled from Amazon.com in pricing dispute

New copies of Hilary Mantel's "Wolf Hall," Andrew Young's "The Politician" and other books published by Macmillan were unavailable Saturday on Amazon.com, a drastic step in the ongoing dispute over e-book prices.

By the Associated Press

My comment: I'm with Macmillan. I don't understand how publishers can be expected to stay in business by charging below-market rates for their electronic content (books). The Web is killing magazines and newspapers. I'd hate to see a close approximation (the e-book) kill the book industry.

The Pits

If they were bigger, chihuahuas would be worse than pit bulls.

HT: Christine

"Enough About You; Let's Talk About Me"

Given its crazy patchwork of proposals, the main theme of the president's speech seemed to be, "I won't quit." It was all about him, not us. Glenn Beck says Mr. Obama used the words "I" or "me" 132 times. Perhaps we should label the address "The State of Obama."

Incredible Speech

With all his talk about a "jobs bill" (a euphemism for a second "stimulus"?) and a spending "freeze," last night the president almost sounded like a conservative. With his stubbornness on health care "reform" and "don't ask don't tell," he sounded like a liberal. With his unseemly harranguing of the Supreme Court, he sounded like Hugo Chavez. The one thing he didn't sound like was credible. Mr. Obama apparently doesn't know that you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

Middle Class Strings Attached

Seeking to present a new image as a champion of the middle class, President Obama has another giveaway in his bag of tricks: tax credits for those who put their children in daycare or who care for their aging parents. In other words, if we do what the Democrats want, they'll give us some of our own money back.

Here's a better idea, Mr. President: If you really care about us, let us keep more of our own money and allow us to choose how to spend it. Don't worry, we can figure it out!

The Long and Short of It

Long memory, short relationship. Short memory, long relationship.

Get Serious

U.S. auhorities were getting some useful information while questioning the Christmas Day bomber, then some genius read him his Miranda "rights." Not surprisingly, the fanatic terrorist stopped talking. When is Obama going to get serious? Does a plane have to go down first?

Omnipresent

From Charles Krauthammer:

"After Coakley’s defeat, Obama pretended that the real cause was a generalized anger and frustration 'not just because of what’s happened in the last year or two years, but what’s happened over the last eight years.'

"Let’s get this straight: The antipathy to George W. Bush is so enduring and powerful that . . . it just elected a Republican senator in Massachusetts? Why, the man is omnipotent. "

Actually, I think the word is "omnipresent": the president's excuse-making, that is.

Big TV

Any TV looks like a big screen if you sit close enough.

Stop the Presses

Unless someone can show me why I shouldn't, I suppport President Obama's decision to turn banks into ... banks ... and not excessive-risk-taking investment houses. That's how it was just a few years ago, and Obama, I think, is just trying to return us to the pre-financial crisis status quo. Assuredly there were other reasons for the crisis (such as Barney Frank forcing institutions to lend to people who were bad risks), but this seems to be a good start on addressing some of the systemic issues.

The Scoop

Petting is a sign that you like the cat. Scooping its litterbox is a sign that you love it.

Happy Anniversary

After the massive protests in D.C., the defeat of Democrats in New Jersey and Virginia, the tea parties, the raucous town hall meetings, and the upset loss of "Ted Kennedy's Senate seat" last night, is President Obama finally ready to govern from the center (as he promised to do during the campaign) and stop shoving his statist agenda down our throats? If he is, he can still salvage his presidency. Is he smart enough to drop the liberal ideology, and are Republicans smart enough to govern responsibly also? Happy anniversary, Mr. President.

Boston Beans

Has anyone seen the president? My guess is he's in Boston right now passing out hot coffee to the ACORN volunteers.

Northward

While Haiti writhes in agony, our president's attention is turned northward-to a special election in Massachusetts. Every president gets out there to campaign, but if this one weren't so blatantly political, we'd all be better off. Mr. President, remove the brass knuckles and listen to the people.

Willful Blindness

I heard a military official refuse to acknowledge that religious extremism is primarily a Muslim phenomenon. If they cannot identify the enemy right in front of them, on what basis should the rest of us have any confidence that this war can be won?

Deadly Inaction

The U.S. military is thinking about punishing those who knew of Maj. Nidal Hasan's Islamic extremism and did nothing. What ought to be addressed is the culture of political correctness that pressured them into deadly inaction.

Just Help

I don't know whether Barack Obama will try somehow to capitalize on the disaster in Haiti. He's a politician, so he probably will. But so what? Even if the administration politicizes the earthquake-as Democrats did Katrina-we don't have to. Just help.

Unfair

President Obama is now advocating a tax on banks in order to recoup the bailout money he forced them to take. Isn't that a breach of contract? I'm all for the banks paying the money back (and many have), but changing the rules in the middle of game to pay for his overspending is simply unfair.

Haiti

Pray for Haiti.

Rush, Harry, and Bill

Just what was it that Rush Limbaugh said that made him a racial pariah? And what was it that Bill Clinton and Harry Reid said that exempted them from the same?

Seeking Advantage

To note the difference in response by Democrats to racially insensitive remarks by their own majority leader when compared with a Republican's is to simply state the obvious: Democrats only care about race when it is to their political advantage to do so.

Kid Wisdom

"More people hear you if you shout, but more people understand you if you talk."

No Kidding

I once had a boss who used to joke with his underlings as he walked out the door, "Work harder, work longer." It was his twist on the old adage, "Don't work harder, work smarter," which reminds us to be more concerned with results than with process.

Unfortunately, with his speech about national security yesterday, President Obama appears to be taking my old supervisor literally. Focusing on process, Obama says the key to making sure the snafu that allowed the Nigerian Muslim terrorist to nearly blow up Northwest 253 is to work harder and longer on our intelligence gathering and analysis.

So Mr. Obama doesn't think we need to change our basic approach or the people running it. The formula to begin "connecting the dots" seems to be: same strategy, same people, different results. In other words, "work harder, work longer."

My boss was kidding. I only wish Mr. Obama were doing the same.

Freedom

Freedom isn't the finish line. It's the starting line.

Tests

Taking a test doesn't make you smarter. It reveals how smart you are.

Will

A country that loses the will to defend itself forfeits its right to survive.

Not So Tiny Tim

Tim Tebow is that rare athlete who looks bigger and better the more closely you inspect him.