Typical Squawking

Love how the GOP are quick to turn any event partisan, somehow blaming Obama for the Nigerian bomber who flew in from Amsterdam -- where airport security is private rather than government run. Yet the lack of a leader at our own TSA is the direct fault of lead squawker Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC), who is blocking confirmation of President Obama's nominee as a wedge again TSA unionizing:

DeMint's objection creates a procedural hurdle that could take three days of debate and test votes to overcome, or could potentially be limited if Democrats offered DeMint a compromise. No one was taking conciliatory stance on Monday, however. Manley called DeMint's opposition "disgraceful."

What's more, Republicans cast the key votes against funding for protecting U.S. planes and lives:

Republicans have cast votes against the key TSA funding measure that the 2010 appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security contained, which included funding for the TSA, including for explosives detection systems and other aviation security measures. In the June 24 vote in the House, leading Republicans including John Boehner, Pete Hoekstra, Mike Pence and Paul Ryan voted against the bill, amid a procedural dispute over the appropriations process, a Democrat points out. A full 108 Republicans voted against the conference version, including Boehner, Hoekstra, Pence, Michelle Bachmann, Marsha Blackburn, Darrell Issa and Joe Wilson.

The conference bill included more than $4 billion for "screening operations," including $1.1 billion in funding for explosives detection systems, with $778 million for buying and installing the systems.

Squawk squawk. As Mitchel Bard writes in HuffPo, the key story of the year should be how little the GOP care for the American people over their Party's own political fortunes:

It has been less than one year since President Obama was sworn in. When he sat behind the big desk in the Oval Office for the first time, he found himself responsible for a free-falling economy (and mounting staggering job losses), a massive deficit, the manpower and financial burden of hundreds of thousands of troops in Iraq, a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, and a militant Islamic movement looking to inflict damage on America and American interests, all of which came as a direct result of the failed policies of his predecessor. Obama also had a host of other problems to address, from global warming to energy dependence to a corrupt and dangerous Iranian government struggling to hold onto power and capable of real danger, just to name a few.

The president didn't create any of these problems. Not one of them. And it is completely unrealistic to think that any person or party could solve these issues in less than a year.

...

What have the Republicans offered aside from "no"?

To me, that should be the real story of the first year of the Obama administration. The discussion should be about the utter disdain the Republicans have shown for the American people, as the party has put political games and protecting its corporate interests in the first position on every issue. That, and the out-and-out lies that have become the go-to strategy of the party (death panels anyone?).

Baird goes on to list some of the most egregious blocking actions, thwarting attempts, anti-President actions on foreign soil and lies that have taken the place of real statesmanship in the GOP '09. Good reminders in case you've missed or forgotten some of the worst.

I honestly don't see a change ahead for 2010. In fact, with healthcare reform not quite over the finish line, the GOP is already lining up repeal of the reform as their key party message.

Here's hoping the Dems stick to their guns on this one -- the only way to lose is to fold under the noise.

Squawk!