SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

A GREAT GUY – FROM FOX:   Recently retired Detroit Police Chief James Craig joined "Tucker Carlson Tonight"’ Wednesday to expand on what he sees as the failed leadership of incumbent Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and announce a gubernatorial exploratory committee.   Craig, a Detroit native who spent the past 8 years leading the Motor City's law enforcement force – after tenures in Cincinnati and Portland – said that he "protected and served for 44 years" and now wants to do the same for the entire state of Michigan.  "We launched today the Chief James Craig For Governor Exploratory Committee," the Republican said, adding he protected his city from destructive left-wing riots that sprang up in other places like Philadelphia, New York and Los Angeles last year:  "We know what happened last year when other cities were burning – Portland, Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago – Detroit did not burn."  He added that another major concern for the people of Michigan is the leadership, or lack thereof, of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The Democrat's name was often mentioned along with liberal governors of New York, California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey when criticisms were made about statewide socioeconomic lockdowns.  Craig has a strong record.  Governor Whitmer has a wreckage.  Watching her is like watching a failed student in a reform school.  She adds to her incompetence a personality that even a mother would reject.  Go Craig!

SAD, AND SHOCKING – FROM AMERICAN THINKER:  We’ve all seen this before, as has every leader of every country in the world. A sitting President of the United States cannot put together a coherent answer to a simple question. He pauses, appears puzzled, and then comes up with a string of words that appear to have entered his brain via an earpiece. If the stakes weren’t so high, it would be comic.  Wednesday saw the president of the United States engage in a town hall format discussion, on friendly territory with Don Lemon moderating on CNN. It must have been one of those “good days” that dementia sufferers sometime enjoy – in Biden’s case, meaning no “lid” was called, removing the leader of the free world from public scrutiny.  (“Calling a lid” is an unprecedented admission that the POTUS is not in full command of his mental faculties and would have Democrats demanding that the 25th Amendment be invoked if a Republican were in office. But Republicans are far too polite and far too scared of the media to make an issue of it with Biden.)  Even with friendliest, least demanding moderator imaginable, Don Lemon, it was a challenge for President Joe Biden to get through the entire hour. His handlers must have believed that that with familiar questions and maybe a good earpiece helping him along, he could handle the challenge.  They were wrong.   No one should be happy that any American president, regardless of party, appears to be sinking.  That president might have to make a critical life-and-death decision.  Mr. Biden clearly is impaired, and his vice president is entirely inadequate.  Any political projections for 2024 must take into account those realities.

July 21,  2021