Soros group dubs WND cruise 'worst vacation ever'

Editor's Note: Aaron Klein is one of the featured speakers on the 2011 WND cruise to Alaska.

A George Soros-funded advocacy blog that is a project of a radical left think tank with deep ties to the Obama administration has dubbed WND's upcoming cruise to Alaska the "worst vacation ever."

On its Twitter feed yesterday, the Think Progress blog sent out the link to a WND article promoting the independent news website's cruise, calling the upcoming event "not a joke" and the "worst vacation ever."

Think Progress is a project of the Soros-funded American Progress Action Fund, which was founded by and is regarded as a "sister advocacy organization" of the Center for American Progress.

Check out the opportunity to join the 2011 WND cruise.

The Center for American Progress established the Fund to transform "progressive ideas into policy through rapid response communications, legislative action, grassroots organizing and advocacy."

The Center is run by John Podesta, a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton who was co-chairman of President Obama's 2008 White House transition team.

Podesta and the Center have had heavy influence on the crafting of White House policy.

A Time magazine article profiles the influence of Podesta's Center for American Progress in the formation of the Obama administration, stating that "not since the Heritage Foundation helped guide Ronald Reagan's transition in 1981 has a single outside group held so much sway."

The Center for American Progress reportedly was founded in 2003 with seed money from Soros, who also donated $3 million to the group's sister, the Project Action Fund.

In a section on its website titled "What We're Fighting For," Think Progress listed its action items as "Social and Economic Justice," "Healthy Communities," "Global Leadership" and "A Secure America."

The group said it is fighting against: "Corrupt Establishment," "Incompetent Establishment," "Braindead Media" and "Radical Right-Wing Agenda."

Think Progress routinely reprints pieces by the Soros-funded Media Matters for America.

WND's cruise to Alaska departs from Vancouver, British Columbia, on Aug. 26. Cruisers will travel up the Inside Passage and make stops in Ketchikan, Alaska, Aug. 28; Icy Strait Point the next day; Juneau; Skagway; and Hubbard Glacier before finishing at Seward.

Soros group maps out Obama strategy

In November, following the GOP wins in midterm elections, WND reported Podesta's Center released a roadmap for Obama to bypass the new Republican Congress and govern for the next two years via executive order.

The plan called for Obama to push a "progressive agenda" on issues of health care, economy, environment, education, federal government and foreign policy.

Podesta wrote that "the U.S. Constitution and the laws of our nation grant the president significant authority to make and implement policy," including in executive orders, diplomacy, rulemaking and commanding the armed forces.

"The ability of President Obama to accomplish important change through these powers should not be underestimated," he wrote.

Podesta was commenting in introductory remarks to the Center for American Progress' 54-page treatise, "The Power of the President: Recommendations to Advance Progressive Change."

A summary of the group's map for Obama's next two years is listed on its website. The group states it is offering "just some of the many possible actions the administration can take using existing authority to move the country forward."

On energy, the Center for American Progress recommends Obama use executive power to:

Reduce oil imports and make progress toward energy independence.
Progress toward reducing greenhouse gas pollution by 17 percent by 2020.
Conserve federal lands for future generations.
Manage public lands to support a balanced energy strategy.
Convene and engage hunters and anglers in the development of a fish and wildlife climate adaptation plan.
Generate solar energy on U.S. Air Force hangar roofs.

On the domestic economic policy front, the Center for American Progress writes that Obama should:

Direct an assessment, strategy and new policy development to promote U.S. competitiveness.
Launch the new consumer financial protection bureau with an aggressive agenda to protect and empower consumers.
Increase the capacity of small businesses to expand hiring and purchases by accelerating the implementation of the Small Business Jobs Act.
Promote automatic mediation to avoid foreclosure where possible and speed resolution.
Create a web portal to empower housing counselors, reduce burdens on lenders and speed up home mortgage modifications.
Help stabilize home values and communities by turning "shadow REO" housing inventory into "scattered site" rental housing.
Promote practices that support working families.

On the domestic policy front, the Center for American Progress urges Obama to:

Partner with the private sector in health care payment reform.
Focus on health care prevention in implementing the Affordable Care Act.
Streamline and simplify access to federal antipoverty programs.
Replace costly, inhumane immigration detention policies with equally effective measures.

In the education policy arena, the president can:

Launch an "educational productivity" initiative to help school districts spend every dollar wisely to best prepare our children for the 21st century.
Ensure students can compare financial aid offers from different postsecondary institutions.
Improve the quality, standards and productivity of postsecondary education.

In "improving the performance of the federal government," the Center for American Progress says the president should:

Scrutinize federal spending programs and tax expenditures to achieve greater returns on public investment.
Build the next-generation Recovery.gov website to track all public expenditures and performance in real time.
Use new information technology for faster, more transparent freedom of information.
Create a virtual U.S. statistical agency.
Collect data on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans in federal data surveys.

And in the foreign policy and national security arena, the president and his administration should:

Rebalance our Afghanistan strategy with greater emphasis on political and diplomatic progress.
Promote domestic revenue generation in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Appoint a special envoy for the Horn of Africa and the southwest Arabian Peninsula region.
Appoint a special commission to assess contracting practices in national security and foreign affairs.
Use executive branch authority to mitigate the impact of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy if Congress does not repeal it.
Redouble support for Palestinian state- and institution-building efforts.
Pursue dual-track policy on Iran while sharpening focus on Iranian human rights issues.
Reinvigorate the U.S.-Turkey strategic alliance. Develop a comprehensive policy on the Russia-Georgia conflict.

With research by Brenda J. Elliott