Inside the Beltway: Obama takes another golf weekend, this time to Florida - Washington Times

Just a brief bulletin, then we’ll move right along. Time to fire up Air Force, because President Obama is off to the Treasure Coast of Florida this weekend, specifically Palm City. The local press is attentive, reporting that Mr. Obama will play a few rounds at the Floridian National Golf Club. Yeah, well. Rather than prattle on about the cost of operating Air Force One ($206,000 an hour), here’s the description of the course, just for the heck of it.

“This stunning, yet formidable Par 71 will certainly impress. At 7,114 yards, the 18-hole course offers perfectly manicured rolling fairways and greens, demanding hazards, breathtaking views of the St. Lucie River, and is surrounded by natural preserve and native wildlife.”

Yeah, well. Mr. Obama was at the course two years ago, golfing with Tiger Woods. For those keeping count, this is approximately the 220th round of golf the president has played since taking office, this based on calculations from the ObamaGolfCounter.com, which tracks such things.


SEE ALSO: Obama taunts Republican critics on 5th anniversary of Obamacare: ‘It’s working’


ODDS ON 66 WOULD-BE PRESIDENTS

As comedic relief from endless political analysis: There are big lists of who’s going to run for president in 2016, and bigger lists which have money attached. Paddy Power, one of Europe’s largest online betting concerns, has offered the odds on 66 potential hopefuls from both sides of the aisle. This is a most expansive list that includes all the usual entries, plus people like Alec Baldwin, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chelsea Clinton and David Petraeus, among others. Well sure. Why not?

In the top-10, here are the numbers for the curious. Hillary Clinton 6/5, Jeb Bush 4/1, Sen. Marco Rubio and Gov. Scott Walker, both 10/1; Gov. Chris Christie 12/1, Mitt Romney and Sen. Rand Paul both 16/1; Sen. Elizabeth Warren 18/1. Rep. Paul Ryan 33/1 and Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Ted Cruz, both 33/1. In case you were wondering, the aforementioned Baldwin is 750/1.


SEE ALSO: Congress subpoenas EPA chief’s cellphone records


Dublin-based Paddy Power, meanwhile, has been offering bets on American votes and voters for years. “Paddy Power is the home of U.S. politics betting,” the group advises. “Whether you want to bet on the Presidential election or elections in the US Senate or House of Representatives, we have all the markets covered.”

BUMPER PATROL

“If Reagan were still president, ISIS would be WASWAS”

â€" New bumper stickr from SarahPac, a political action committee supporting conservative candidates and American exceptionalism.

ON A WING AND A PRAYER

Consider that Rep. Sam Johnson was once a fighter pilot who flew 87 combat missions in Korea and Vietnam, flew an F-100 Sabre for the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and was a prisoner of war for seven years. The Texas Republican was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, two Purple Hearts and a dozen other significant medals and awards â€" and has deep-seated feelings about military service. Mr. Johnson recently introduced the Preserve and Protect God in Military Oaths Act in response to U.S. Air Force Academy’s decision to make “so help me God” an option in the Cadet Honor Oath.

“Our Constitution’s very First Amendment protects every individual’s freedom of religion. But our servicemen and women who protect our county with their lives are seeing that freedom under fire,” Mr. Brown told his peers before introducing the bill. “In 2013, the U.S. Air Force Academy made the phrase ‘so help me God’ optional in the oath each cadet takes. And why did they do this? Because of one radical atheist group’s demands.”

He continued, “Let me be clear: Americans have the freedom of religion â€" but not freedom from religion. That’s why I am introducing legislation that requires Congressional approval before any change would be made to military oaths. The moral foundation of our country is in serious danger if we allow radical groups to dictate whether or not we can freely express our religious beliefs! It’s time to take a stand.”

Republican Reps. Doug Lamborn, Pete Olson and Pete Sessions co-sponsored the legislation. Not happy with the bill: Mikey Weinstein, founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and an Air Force Academy graduate; he tweets that Mr. Johnson “is trying to force the phrase” on the service academy.

Story Continues â†'

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