Amid brewing campaign intrigue, Dan Quayle’s son Ben unveils a provocative new spot, outing Barack Obama for the fraud that he is.

President Barack Obama has nominated Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis to serve as commander, U.S. Central Command, according to a Defense Department news release issued today.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates recommended Mattis for the job this month. If confirmed by the Senate, Mattis will succeed Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, who now commands U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

Mattis currently is commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command based at Norfolk, Va.

“General Mattis has proven to be one of the military’s most innovative and iconoclastic thinkers,” Gates said during a July 8 Pentagon news conference. “His insights into the nature of warfare in the 21st century have influenced my own views about how the armed forces must be shaped and postured for the future.”

U.S. Centcom is based in Tampa, Fla. If confirmed, Mattis will have responsibility for operations from Pakistan to Egypt and Oman to Kazakhstan. He would be the combatant commander for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Mattis served as the commander of the Marine forces that were first in Afghanistan in 2001. He also served as the commander of the 1st Marine Division during the initial push into Iraq in 2003. He left that job to serve as the commander of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton, Calif.

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates announced today that the President has nominated Marine Corps Gen. James N. Mattis to serve as commander, U.S. Central Command and for reappointment to the rank of general.  Gen. Mattis is currently serving as commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.

One would think that Barack Obama could count on the support of fellow Democraps Democrats on legislation and other matters both domestically and internationally.

Let’s just say that some of his brethren are jumping ship.

According to a Fox News/Opinion Dynamics poll commissioned recently, Obama’s job approval among Democrats has dropped again, from 84 percent just a couple weeks ago to around 76 percent as of July 13.

I suspect that several factors come into play as to why the numbers have dropped:

• Dissatisfaction among his party reduces turnout at the polls and as a result undermines the President as the numbers in both the House and Senate get smaller.
• Obama is abandoning his “post-racial” spiel as he is focusing on minorities to the exclusion of his white voter base. That in and of itself is a recipe for disaster, especially with the November 2010 mid-term elections drawing near.
• The President’s decision to sue the state of Arizona over its immigration law. As it turns out, 59 percent of those polled by Fox News approve of Arizona’s statute as the 29 percent who oppose it.
• There’s the issue of the Administration’s refusal to prosecute the New Black Panthers for obvious voter intimidation. This underscores the increasing exclusion of whites of all stripes – including progressives –  from Obama’s base.

What is so interesting about all of this is thyat the President’s snarkiness and narcissism – polariziation, if you will – is exactly why his numbers have dropped to such lows.

Obviously, Obama needs to make some changes if he expects the Democrats to retain majorities in both the House and Senate. But the President’s mindset simply will not allow to do the common sense things necessary. As Rush Limbaugh once said, he wanted Obama’s policies to fail. I feel the same way.

I can guarantee that you do not want this in your medicine cabinet – or anywhere in your house, for that matter.

If you believe Barack Obama’s Justice Department is suing the State of Arizona simply to pander to his extreme liberal base… think again. 

The sad and shameful truth is that Obama’s lawsuit against Arizona’s tough new immigration law is part of a grand scheme to ram amnesty for millions of illegal aliens down the throats of the American people. 

That’s right. Just as Obama and the Pelosi-Reid Congress rammed ObamaCare, the so-called Stimulus bill and other government takeovers down our throats, they are now planning to force through an Amnesty bill against the wishes of the American people. 

Simply put, ANY attempt to secure the border — something the federal government refuses to do — foils their Amnesty plans. And that’s precisely why this frivolous lawsuit against the state of Arizona must be stopped! 

And it can be stopped. Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC) and David Vitter (R-LA) just introduced an amendment that would expressly prohibit the Obama Justice Department from participating in lawsuits that seek to invalidate the Arizona immigration law. 

A vote on this crucial amendment could take place in a matter of days and that means there is not a moment to lose. The politicians in Washington need to hear from patriotic Americans like you right now. 

Make no mistake, if this lawsuit goes forward… Amnesty stays on the table and our border remains unsecured. If we stop this lawsuit, we deal Amnesty a death blow. It’s that simple… and that’s why we must act now.

Have Illegal Cartels Invaded The United States?

Of course, Arizona is not alone. Other states are rapidly following Arizona’s lead. 

According to the Associated Press:

“Lawmakers or candidates in as many as 18 states say they want to push similar measures. … Bills similar to the law Arizona’s legislature approved in April have already been introduced in Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Minnesota, South Carolina and Michigan…” 

Why the sudden rush by other state to jump on the Arizona bandwagon? Recent news reports, largely ignored by the Mainstream Media, indicate that criminal cartels have actually INVADED the United States. 

Michael Webster with RenewAmerica.com writes:

“A high ranking Mexican Army commander who insists on remaining anonymous has told the U.S. Border Fire Report that Mexican coyotes are now being trained by the Mexican Drug Cartel known as the Los Zetas and are operating in the deserts of Arizona.” 

Another story in Human Events reads:

“The United States is ceding parts of Arizona to the Mexican drug cartels. So says Pinal County (Ariz.) Sheriff Paul Babeu. … the sheriff described how his deputies were outmanned and outgunned by the cartel smugglers who increasingly operate using military tactics and weapons. The result, said Sheriff Babeu, was that a wide corridor of Arizona from the border North to the outskirts of Phoenix is effectively controlled by the cartels.”

Human Events also reported that the federal government recently posted warning signs 80 miles north of the border “urging U.S. citizens not to camp or hike in the ‘Active… Human Smuggling Area’ because ‘Visitors May Encounter Armed Criminals.’” 

That’s not all. One recent report by Reuters reads:

“Police in an Arizona border city are on heightened alert after receiving a warning… that officers may be targeted…. Nogales Police Chief Jeff Kirkham said the department received the threat through an informant…. ‘The warning was … that the officers, if they are off duty, are to look the other way and ignore any… trafficking loads that are coming across the border, otherwise they will be targeted,’ Kirkham told Reuters.”

Statements suggesting that the United States is being “invaded” by illegal alien criminal cartels are not mere rhetoric as Obama, Pelosi and Reid would like you to believe. 

In states along the southern border like Arizona, it is actually happening. Yet, Barack Obama and his extremist allies in Congress refuse to act decisively to secure the border. And, they’re moving heaven and earth to make sure Arizona doesn’t secure its border either. 

As Senator DeMint stated upon the introduction of his amendment:

“States like Arizona shouldn’t be prosecuted for protecting their citizens when the federal government fails to do so. The federal government is rewarding illegal behavior and encouraging many more to enter our nation illegally when they refuse to enforce our laws. States along the border are facing kidnappings… human trafficking and gang violence and they have a duty to keep their residents safe.” 

We must defend Arizona and the others states who are willing to get the job done… and we can do that, right here and right now, by forcing our elected officials to support the DeMint-Vitter Amendment.

Low-tax crusader and Republican strategist Grover Norquist tells Newsmax that letting the Bush tax cuts expire in January 2011 would amount to a $1 trillion tax increase — the largest boost in American history.

Norquist — president of Americans for Tax Reform — also warns that President Barack Obama and the Democrats are intent on pursuing the “very bad idea” of imposing a European-style value-added tax.