SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:52 P.M. ET: 

YIKES – Obama has hit 50% again in the Gallup poll.  I just can't understand it.  He's had possibly the worst two foreign-policy weeks in his presidency, and his popularity rises.  I'm hoping the poll is an outlier.  Obama has been polling better in Gallup than in other major polls.  Or, and it's chilling, maybe Americans are losing their interest in national security.  I certainly hope that's not true.

CUBA SI, CUBAN PEOPLE NO – From Reuters:  "(Reuters) - The United States and Cuba will hold a second round of talks in Washington nest week aimed at restoring diplomatic relations, the State Department said on Tuesday, as U.S. Democratic senators visiting Havana said there may be enough support among Republicans to lift a trade embargo on Cuba.  'The talks will be held on the 27th (of February) here at the State Department,' State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told a daily briefing for reporters.  The sides held historic negotiations in Havana last month and the next round is seen by U.S. officials as critical to fleshing out details on re-establishing ties."  I wish the Cuban people would have a seat at that table, but they won't.  They're being sacrificed to commercial interests, and Barack Obama's ego.  Isn't it interesting to note how little interest the left has in human rights?

DEMS FEAR NEW OBAMACARE BACKLASH – From the Washington Post:  "The Obamacare window technically just closed this weekend, but a new round of political headaches could just be beginning for the administration.  That's because it's tax season, and many Americans could soon be getting an unwelcome surprise that they owe the government a penalty for skipping health insurance coverage.  Up to 6 million Americans are expected to pay a penalty for not having coverage in 2014, according to recent Obama administration projections. The 2014 penalty for this tax season is $95, or 1 percent of family income — purposefully on the weaker side to let people adjust to this new coverage scheme. Most of the uninsured won't actually face the penalty because they'll qualify for an exemption, either related to their inability to afford coverage or some other hardship.  But it's likely that a lot of people who will have to pay don't know it yet. Despite the unpopularity of the individual mandate and the high-stakes Supreme Court case over it three years ago, there's still limited awareness of the penalty among those who could risk triggering it."  There's so much deception in Obamacare that one doesn't know where to begin.  It seems to be a system rigged with unpleasant surprises.  Death panels anyone?

February 17, 2015