SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:51 P.M. ET: 

THE DEBATE – The Republicans have just concluded another debate, this one hosted very capably, and sanely, by Fox Business News.  Bottom line:  The general consensus is that Rubio had another strong night, along with Cruz; that Kasich showed the most improvement; that Trump was off his game, and that Carson delivered his usual lower-than-low-key performance, which never seems to hurt or help him.  Pundits wondered whether Jeb Bush could break out and plug his sinking ship.  His performance was fine, but not strong enough to reverse the trend.  Carly, as always, was a sparkling debater, but her debating abilities have not recently helped her in the polls.  We'll see within a few days whether poll numbers were changed much by this debate.  We should also note that we're entering the holiday season, and the nation's attention will be turned to festivities.  The election campaigns will quiet down, but will be back with a roar after New Year's.

NOT GOOD – From The Times of Israel:   Iranian media is reporting that the government has stopped taking apart centrifuges in two uranium enrichment plants.  The reported cessation on Tuesday follows the issuing of a letter, drafted by 20 conservative lawmakers, complaining that the process of complying with the nuclear deal was too rushed, according to Reuters.  The nuclear deal, negotiated between Iran and six world powers, including the United States, lifts economic sanctions in exchange for Iran curbing its nuclear program.  This is really not a done deal.  In fact, the Iranians have never formally ratified it.  We're just assuming that Tehran will hold up its part of the bargain, which I doubt.

MISSOURI STUDENTS STRIKE BACK – Not everyone at the University of Missouri is involved in the sometimes crazed "protests" that forced the president to resign.  From Breitbart:   One young female University of Missouri student, Jessie Sharon, is using her public Facebook page to express disappointment at recent on campus events.  Unlike the media, which was blocked and shouted down by the Social Justice Worriers at Mizzou, Sharon was able to speak her mind and have it shared by over 2,800 people for now.
"Today I learned that my university is run by its football team. Today I learned that the media cares more about creating a story than uncovering the truth. Today I learned that the right of a small group to protest is more important than the entire student body’s right to the education they pay for. Today I learned that one man is responsible for the heinous actions of a few campus racists. Today I learned that not supporting one group protesting racism makes you a racist, even though you support the fight against racism–just not that specific group. Today I am not proud to be a tiger."  Clearly, she’s not alone, given that even a good number of football players didn’t support their teammates boycott that led to the resignation of a university president. Unfortunately, those voices, much like Jessie’s – and the voices of who knows how many other students – just didn’t matter as much to the media.  I'd imagine many students feel the way Jessie does, but are afraid to speak out.

November 10, 2015