SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:  We'll devote "Short Takes" tonight to today's terror attack in New York:

NAILING IT - FROM THE NEW YORK POST:  The driver who plowed into a group of people on Tuesday, killing 8, left behind handwritten notes pledging loyalty to ISIS along with an image of an ISIS flag inside his vehicle.  Sayfullo Saipov, 29, had the notes written in Arabic inside his Home Depot rental truck along with a picture of the ISIS flag, according to law enforcement sources.  The handwritten notes indicated that he had pledged allegiance to the terror group, the sources said.  The excuse makers are already out in force on MSNBC, although I must say that CNN was very forthcoming about the ISIS connection.

SOMETHING MISSING? – FROM DAILY CALLER:   Former President Barack Obama tweeted about Tuesday’s New York City terror attack, and noticeably left out a major point concerning the nature of the incident.  Obama made no mention of the word “terror” or “terrorist” and simply referred to Tuesday’s events as “today’s attack":  "Michelle and I are thinking of the victims of today's attack in NYC and everyone who keeps us safe. New Yorkers are as tough as they come."  No thanks, guy.  And no thanks also for your administration, which tried to replace the word "terror" with "manmade disaster," and referred to the Ford Hood terror attack as "workplace violence."  He who controls the vocabulary controls the country. 

THE VICTIMS – FROM THE NEW YORK POST:   Information about the victims in the deadly truck rampage in downtown Manhattan has started to emerge, with officials identifying the nationalities of some who died.  Argentina’s Foreign Ministry has confirmed that five friends from the country — who were in town celebrating the 30th anniversary of their high school graduation — were among the dead.  Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister for Belgium, wrote on Twitter that at least one the victims was Belgian.  “I am deeply saddened to announce a Belgian victim in Manhattan,” he tweeted. “I express my condolences to the family and friends.”  These were the only fatalities due to terrorism to occur in New York since the 9-11 attacks of 2001.  A remarkable record of success in preventing terror attacks, despite today's tragedy.

October 31, 2017