SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:

JUSTICE DONE – FROM FOX:  Kristian Saucier, the former U.S. Navy sailor who served a year behind bars for taking photos of classified areas in a nuclear submarine, has been pardoned, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Friday.  Saucier recently received a letter from the Department of Justice saying it was taking a new look at his request for a pardon. Although he was released from jail last year, he remained under house arrest.  President Trump had denounced the government’s handling of Saucier’s case, calling it a political move and saying it contrasted with the velvet-gloved response to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s mismanagement of classified information through a private server.  "The president has pardoned Kristian Saucier, a Navy submariner,” Sanders said in a press briefing Friday afternoon. “Mr. Saucier was 22 years old at the time of his offenses and has served out his 12-months sentence. He has been recognized by his fellow service members for his dedication, skill and patriotic spirit.”  Good, decent move by the president.

WOODWARD RAPS WAYWARD SCRIBES – FROM THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON:   Veteran journalist Bob Woodward criticized reporters on the right and left alike who were becoming too emotionally invested in their coverage of Donald Trump, calling them "unhinged."  "You’ve described the Trump presidency as being a "test" for the news media. Do you think the media is failing the test?" asked Newsweek.  The former Washington Post reporter—now an associate editor—responded journalists could always do better, including himself, but that he thought the media had not "failed" to date.  "But we have a lot of work to do," he continued. "A number of reporters have at times become emotionally unhinged about it all, one way or the other."   He's being mild.  The mainstream press is in danger of being sidelined in this country because of its left-wing bias.  Approval numbers for the press are ghastly, especially among moderates and conservatives.  Impartial journalism isn't even seen by many "journalists" as desirable.  One must "make a difference."

WISE WORDS – FROM THE WASHINGTON FREE BEACON:  Sen. Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) said on Friday that the United States "must remain deeply skeptical" as it approaches a meeting with North Korea and should avoid granting "unilateral concessions" to the Kim Jong Un regime.  "The patterns of U.S.-North Korea crises are well-worn and North Korea’s nuclear and missile capabilities are obvious. A summit could possibly break those patterns and lead to the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Cotton said in a statement released in response to an announcement President Donald Trump and Kim will meet in the coming months.  The senator went on to caution against conceding to North Korea and conveyed skepticism about the intentions of the Kim regime.  He is perceptive, as usual.  Reagan quoted the old Russian proverb, "Trust but verify."  Cotton's words are in the same spirit.

March 9,  2018