From Eric Dondero:

With polls showing him down in the mid-40 range for approvals, and under fire for his unpopular domestic policy and increasingly failed foreign policy agenda, Obama may be forced to look to Europe for some inspiration for the coming year. He may find it readily available, particularly in Germany. The much ballyhood musical "HOPE: The Obama Musical Story" will premiere in Frankfurt on January 17.

From Der Spiegel:

Jimmie Wilson who plays Obama, struts up and down, clasping his mike and leading a euphoric gospel chorus of "Yes We Can."

And there's an odd connection to the deceased Michael Jackson. Continuing:

“We had some trouble finding Obama but then we found Jimmie Wilson and that worked well,” he said, refering to the actor who had his first major lead role in “Sisterella,” a musical produced by Michael Jackson. “We took into account the appearance of the performers to get that likeness, but their musical ability was essential too.”

Of particular interest to American Republicans, an entire set is devoted to Sarah Palin. More:

Sarah Palin also has her own solo, surrounded by a troop of scantily clad dancers.

The Actress playing Palin is said to be dressed in knee high boots and hot pants.

Apparently the Germans haven't gotten the word that Palin's latest approval ratings are on the rise now at 46%, while approvals for Obama are on steep decline at 47%.

One convention to be held Inside the Beltway, the other Outside

Ron Paul often identified by the liberal media as an "outsider," has just confirmed his appearance at the ultimate insider conservative convention to be held in DC late February - the Conservative Political Action Conference.

Meanwhile, Sarah Palin, often chided for having shared a ticket with "moderate" John McCain, has just confirmed her appearance as the keynoter at the very anti-establishment Tea Party Convention to be held in Nashville, Tennessee in early Feb.

Paul, who has taken potshots at Palin in the past, was asked about her appearance at the Tea Party gathering on CNN by Anderson Cooper. The segment was dubbed it "Palin's Power Play," From CNN video (via GOP12):

COOPER: Sarah Palin has reportedly decided to skip the upcomming C-PAC conference, which is a major event for conservatives, especially those seeking the White House. Palin was asked to be a speaker, but turned it down. At the same time Palin has agreed to be the paid keynote speaker at the first ever national Tea Party convention, that's taking place next month in Nashville. She is apparently sending a message to her Party and her base... With us now is Ron Paul, Republican Congressman and former Presidential candidate.

Congressman... what do you make of Sarah Palin's decision to not go to C-PAC, but to instead go to this first ever Tea Party convention?

PAUL: (Chuckle) I don't think I could make a whole lot out of it. I guess we gotta wait and see what happens. I've been invited to C-PAC. I'm going to attend that. And I think that's a good function for a conservative Republican. But exactly what she's up too I don't know.

Paul went on to take another shot at Palin for being a paid speaker. See the full video at GOP12.

America on "perpetual duty" Overseas, not working

There's been increasing chatter on the Right that a purely defensive posture against Al Qaeda has not been working. Conservatives, and even some libertarians are beginning to argue that a return to the Bush doctrine of taking the fight to the enemy may be a more effective strategy.

Andrea Tantaros, a regular contributor on Fox News late night, and a known defender of Sarah Palin, goes after the Obama administration for foreign policy failures. Tantaros's new blog column, "America needs to match Defense with Offense," rips into Obama's lax policies over the Christmas Day bomber, Yemen, intelligence failures and Afghanistan.

From NewsMax:

he's been apprehensive about acknowledging the current jihad, or holy war... the approach of the Obama administration to terrorism: staid, backward-looking, largely passive, chock-full of blame-shifting and always on defense.

The President's agenda as it relates to keeping us safe is based on a laundry list of our problems: Guantanamo, the CIA, advanced interrogation. What's missing is the acknowledgment that al-Qaida is a problem, one that Obama is committed to fighting and defeating.

Liberals are mistakenly preoccupied with downplaying the threat of radical Islamic jihadism...

Obama may be a reluctant wartime president on matters of security policy, but being on defense means nothing without going on offense. America cannot be on perpetual duty, and we can't get where we need to be as a society by just playing defense; you've got to play both. And it can't be on our own.

Read her full column from Sunday, Jan. 10 at NewsMax.

Fox News Sunday

US Senate Minority Whip, Republican Jon Kyl of Arizona had some strong words for the Obama Administration over the Christmas Day terrorist attack on the US.

From NewsMax, "GOP demands Accountability on Christmas Day attack":

Another top Republican in the US Senate, Minority Whip Jon Kyl, said he puts the blame for the security breakdown squarely on Obama, not the people who work under him.

"I think the president was right when he said, 'The buck stops with me'," Kyl told Fox News Sunday.

"The problem is he can't be fired right now..."

He continued:

"I don't blame them [security officials] as much as I do him. And I don't blame the people in the CIA, for example, or the counterterrorism center as much as I blame the heads of those groups, who obviously are reflecting the sentiments of the president, which is, 'We can just treat these people as common criminals and forget the intelligence they can provide to us and still win a war'."

Kyl's remarks were made on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.