SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:57 P.M. ET: 

REPUBLICAN RACE – From The Politico:  "The Republican field for 2016 is growing increasingly top-heavy, with no clear frontrunner emerging in the latest nationwide Quinnipiac University poll released Thursday.  Grabbing 10 percent apiece among Republican voters are former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.  Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul received 7 percent, with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at 6 percent, Donald Trump at 5 percent, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 4 percent and Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Carly Fiorina each getting two percent.  'Safe to say, the 2016 Republican presidential primary is anyone’s race. With no front-runner and identical numbers for the top five contenders, it’s a horse race which can only be described as a scrambled field – at least so far,' said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the poll."  I'm growing concerned about the sheer number of candidates.  Voters and poll respondents will find it increasingly difficult to make a clear decision.  And I fear that great voices like Carly Fiorina will be cut out of debates because of their poll standings.

US NEGOTIATOR OUT-OF-THERE – From Times of Israel:  "Wendy Sherman, who has led American nuclear talks with Iran for the better part of two years, will resign her post after the June 30 deadline for a final deal, she told The New York Times on Wednesday.  'It’s been two long years,' she told the paper.  As undersecretary for policy, Sherman is the third-highest ranked official in the US State Department. She was brought to the job by Hillary Clinton, the predecessor to current Secretary of State John Kerry. Upon announcing her departure, she won high praise from administration leaders."  Looks like a standard resignation.  No indication she's been forced out.  Frankly, we can do better.  Sherman also negotiated the nuclear agreement with North Korea, which the Koreans immediately violated.  I'd like to see someone stronger in there, but that's not the Obama way.

AH YES, I REMEMBER IT WELL – From London's Independent: "Lost memories have been retrieved with the help of light in a study that could further the understanding and treatment of patients with severe amnesia following injury or disease.  A study on laboratory mice has found that a lost memory is still stored within the brain cells even though the animals had apparently lost their ability to retrieve it, scientists said.  Scientists have long debated the nature of amnesia, with many researchers suggesting that the problem is due to the storage of memory rather than the inability to retrieve it from long-term memory banks of the brain."  Gee, you think Hillary can be made to remember what was in those private e-mails?  I think she should be made part of the experiment.

May 28, 2015