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

A NEW AMBASSADOR – FROM MEDIAITE:    What was rumored earlier today now appears to be a done deal: Former Fox News host and current State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert has reportedly been offered the job as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.  The report about the former Fox News host was broken by a current Fox News-er, White House correspondent John Roberts.  Smart woman who's done well at State, speaks beautifully, went to Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism, a good choice for ambassador.  The Dems will have a fit and will declare her a female impersonator because she's a conservative.

A DIGNIFIED CLERGYMAN – FROM FOX:   Jeffery Myers, the Pittsburgh rabbi who was leading services on Saturday when 11 of his congregants were gunned down, said in an interview Thursday that he was pleasantly surprised during his meeting with President Trump, and saw a warm side to the president "America doesn’t get to see."  Myers met with the president and his family on Monday. He said he was introduced to Trump by Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. They spent about 20 minutes together and were joined by the first lady Melania, Ivanka and Jared Kushner.  Myers told CNN that the president was warm and consoling.  "The first question that he [Trump] asked me was, 'Rabbi, how are you doing?'" Myers said. "And I must say, through the time that we were together, I was pleasantly surprised by a warm and personal side to the president I don’t think America has ever seen."  After the meeting, they placed a small stone on 11 stars outside the Tree of Life Synagogue in Squirrel Hill, where the shooting occurred.  The rabbi, who has conducted himself with grace and charity, will get plenty of hate mail over his kind comments toward the president, but I'm glad he had the courage to express them.

MOVING BACKWARD – FROM THE HILL:   Members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) are calling for an African-American lawmaker to be granted the No. 1 or No. 2 spot in the House if Democrats win back the majority next week, setting up a potentially messy and dramatic leadership battle on the left.
CBC Chairman Cedric Richmond (D-La.) is circulating a new “Dear Colleague” letter, which was obtained by The Hill and first reported by Politico on Thursday, making that position clear to fellow Democrats. The jockeying is heating up ahead of the Democratic leadership elections that are scheduled for Nov. 28.
“Over the past couple of weeks, several of our colleagues have respectfully shared letters of intent expressing interest in various House Democratic Caucus leadership positions,” Richmond wrote in the letter.
“It is within that context that I’d like to reiterate that if there is any change in our top leadership positions the Democratic Members of the CBC endorse African-American representation in at least one of the two top positions of elected House Democratic Caucus leadership.”  I understand the desire to see one's group advance, but this is just awful.  It is a racial quota.  Imagine how other aspiring groups will feel.

November 1, 2018