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FEBRUARY 7,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:20 P.M. ET: 

BACK IN – The United Arab Emirates, which had pulled out of the coalition that is conducting air strikes against ISIS out of concern for its pilots, has rejoined the coalition.  You may be sure that the leadership provided by King Abdullah of Jordan had a great deal to do with this.  A strong leader attracts followers.  I doubt if Field Marshal Obama's presence had any effect at all.

CONTEMPLATION – Brian Williams says he's taking a few days off from his job as anchor of NBC's "Nightly News."  Says he's become too much a part of the story.  No doubt about that.  There are now new concerns about other reporting he's done.  He once claimed he'd saved a puppy from a burning house.  What was he doing in a burning house?  It's being reported that NBC executives repeatedly warned Williams about inflating his resumé.  Oh, by the way, the New York Daily News is saying that Katie Couric, who flopped grandly as anchor of the CBS Evening News, would love to have Williams's job.  She'd also like to be queen of England.

ANOTHER JOURNALISM FLAP – From Newsmax:  "Reports of a new federal investigation of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are at odds with the less sensational reality of the probe, and even reporters for liberal MSNBC and 'The Rachel Maddow Show' — no friend to the Republican governor — are knocking down the new-probe hype.  Turns out the story is more nuanced than the headlines might have you believe, 'Maddow' staffers Nazanin Rafsanjani and Julia Nutter write at MSNBC.com.  News outlets this week identified Christie as the target of the U.S. Attorney's Office in New Jersey in a new probe.  This time the allegations are not related to the bridge lane closures in Democratic Fort Lee, N.J., known as Bridgegate, but to a local prosecutor's claims that he was fired and his investigation of a Christie supporter shut down."  A spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office denies any investigation at all.  Another case of liberal journalists rushing on the air with a fake story.

February 7, 2015       Permalink

WE GO BEGGING...AGAIN – AT 11:21 A.M. ET:   It isn't only that the Obamans flash weakness, they do it over and over.  And they're darned proud of it.  Earlier this week there were press reports telling us that the administration is practically begging the Iranians for a nuclear deal, even though we are vastly stronger than Iran.

Guess Obama thinks this would be a hot part of his legacy.

Now we follow the grand strategy to Cuba.  What intellects we have running the show.  From Reuters:   

(Reuters) - The United States is pressing Cuba to allow the opening of its embassy in Havana by April, U.S. officials told Reuters, despite the Communist island's demand that it first be removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism.

A refusal by Cuba to allow the United States to quickly establish an official embassy for the first time in half a century could complicate talks between the Cold War foes, reflecting enduring mistrust as they move to end decades of confrontation.

It would also mark the first major setback since President Barack Obama's historic shift in Cuba policy in December, suggesting one of the biggest foreign policy moves of his administration is struggling to achieve even its first goal.

Striking Cuba from the terrorism list could take until June or longer, although the White House is pushing officials to move quickly, said two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the State Department's review to take Cuba off the list.

Washington is eager to re-establish diplomatic ties before a regional summit in Panama in April, when Obama will meet Cuban leader Raul Castro for the first time since 2013, the officials said.

COMMENT:  Oh, how exciting.  Raul will be there.  Maybe he'll bring some cigars.  Does it bother Obama that he's dealing with a complete dictatorship?  I don't think so.  Human rights are not big on his to-do list.  In fact, the left has essentially lost interest in fundamental concepts of freedom.

And shouldn't we remove Cuba from the state-sponsor-of-terrorism list after we determine, by facts, that it should be removed.  I get the feeling it will be removed despite the facts, for the greater glory of Barack.

February 7, 2015       Permalink

LEADERSHIP – AT 11:08 A.M. ET:  We are seeing a great example of true leadership in Jordan, a small country, not a real democracy, but run by a monarch who truly understands how to lead.  From IBD: 

Leadership: Jordan is taking the war to the terrorists — not only on land but on the propaganda front, where Islamic State has had the high ground for a while. Jordan's will to win is injecting new energy into the war on terror.

In less than a week, Jordan has transformed itself from a bit player in the war on terror to a moral beacon of why we fight — because it's ultimately a struggle of good versus evil, and good must win.
It began with King Abdullah's fiery vow to make the "earth shake" against terrorists who'd just murdered a 26-year-old Jordanian pilot from a prominent tribal family, as the king's red and white Bedouin tribal attire reminded Jordan's mourning citizens.

The king also morally delegitimized the terrorists, saying they had zero claim to the name Muslim — powerful, given that the king is a direct descendant of Muhammad. He was buttressed by Jordanian officials, who called the terrorists "daesh" — a derogatory word in Arabic that's as nasty as it sounds, and one that IS hates.

COMMENT:  Compare please with our fearful leader, Barack Hussein Obama Jr, come to save us.  Among other lectures he gave us this week was one in which he warned us about "overreaching."  Oh yes, Barack, we are hopelessly stretched.

Let's see.  The United States ended World War II with 135 million citizens.  It had 15 million under arms.

Today the U.S. has 320 million citizens, and only 1.4 million under arms.  We are spending less on defense, as a percentage of gross national product, than we were before Pearl Harbor.

Yessirree.  Overstretched.  Can't do more.

In fact, we haven't scratched the surface.  This nation is capable of restoring its greatness.  But it won't happen under the followship of a president who really doesn't like us very much.  We are not overstretched, and our civilian population, since 9-11, has been largely uninvolved in the struggle.  There was a famous sign put up in Iraq during our actions there, which roughly read:  "America isn't at war, the Marine Corps is at war."  So true, Barack.

February 7, 2015       Permalink

RICE CAKES – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 10:46 A.M. ET:  The American Spectator nails Susan Rice, who just unveiled Field Marshal Obama's new old national security policy: 

Susan Rice, best known for claiming the Benghazi attacks were a spontaneous reaction to an Internet film and that Bowe Bergdahl served with honor and distinction, today outlined the Obama Administration's national security strategy:

"But, too often, what’s missing here in Washington is a sense of perspective. Yes, there’s a lot going on. Still, while the dangers we face may be more numerous and varied, they are not of the existential nature we confronted during World War II or the Cold War. We can’t afford to be buffeted by alarmism and an instantaneous news cycle. We must continue to do the hard work of leading a complex and rapidly evolving world, of seizing opportunities, and of winning the future for our children."

I find it interesting that Rice that acknowledges that WWII was an existential threat. Yet consider what Winston Churchill said in the British House of Commons in November 1936:

"Our Amendment in November 1934 was the culmination of a long series of efforts by private Members and by the Conservative party in the country to warn His Majesty's Government of the dangers to Europe and to this country which were coming upon us through the vast process of German rearmament then already in full swing. The speech which I made on that occasion was much censured as being alarmist by leading Conservative newspapers (italics mine), and I remember that Mr Lloyd George congratulated the Prime Minister, who was then Lord President, on having so satisfactorily demolished my extravagant fears."

Churchill would continue to be called an alarmist as this this speech wass made nearly two years before Neville Chamberlain proclaimed "peace for our time" following the Munich Agreement with Hitler. Well, we know how that turned out.

COMMENT:  Well said.  What struck me about Rice's comments was how condescending they are.   She was saying, in effect, "We are just so bright.  Trust us.  Don't trust those flagwavers.  Where did they go to school?"

Rice would have more cred if we were winning all over the world.  But we are losing.  Has she noticed?

February 7,  2015     Permalink

FEBRUARY 6,  2015

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

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIR – From the Washington Times:  "Friday (today) marks what would have been Ronald Reagan’s 104th birthday — not forgotten by those who continue to revere and appreciate what he stood for.  'Reagan continues to hold a tight grip on the American imagination and he is steadily moving into a place in history occupied by FDR, Lincoln and a few select others,' historian Craig Shirley tells Inside the Beltway.' ... Reagan is also remembered for his prowess on the world stage, and his willingness to deem the Soviet Union an 'evil empire' in a speech over three decades ago, The 40th president told his audience, 'If history teaches anything, it teaches that simple-minded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is folly. It means the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom.'"  Compare please to our current president.

SNUBBIN' BIBI – The Obama administration continues its tradition of treating America's friends far worse than its enemies.  Obama is reported upset, maybe near tears, because Speaker Boehner invited Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu to speak before a joint session of Congress without getting a White House blessing first.  It's the way royalty thinks, you know.  So now Joe Biden's office says that the veep won't attend because of a long-planned trip abroad, even though they haven't bought the tickets and don't know where he's going.  Maybe Joe is studying travel magazines.  A cruise might be nice.  But the snub of Netanyahu is petty politics on the world stage.  If Obama were smart, which he ain't, he'd welcome Bibi and invite him to the White House, and look big.  But Obama never looks big, which is why he's increasingly ignored.

ISIS IN AMERICA – From The Hill:  "Federal prosecutors on Friday indicted six U.S. residents for allegedly providing assistance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS).  The suspects are charged with conspiring to and providing material support to terrorists.  The Justice Department identified them as Ramiz Zijad Hodzic, his wife Sedina Unkic Hodzic, and Armin Harcevic from St. Louis County, Mo., Nihad Rosic of Utica, N.Y., Mediha Medy Salkicevic of Schiller Park, Ill., and Jasminka Ramic of Rockford, Ill.
Zijad Hodzic and Nihad Rosic are also charged with 'conspiring to kill or maim persons in a foreign country,' according to a statement from the Justice Department."  Don't worry about it.  Nothing to see, nothing to see.  Who are we to question someone else's culture?

CALL THE MOVING VAN – From The Hill:  "The president of NBC News says the company is weighing the 'best next steps' for 'Nightly News' anchor Brian Williams as it investigates his false claims that he came under enemy fire during an Iraq visit.  'This has been a difficult few days for all of us at NBC News,' Deborah Turness wrote in a memo to staff that was leaked on Twitter.  'Yesterday, Brian and I spoke to the Nightly News team. And this morning at the Editorial Exchange, we both addressed the wider group. Brian apologized once again, and specifically expressed how sorry he is for the impact this has had on all of you and on this proud organization,' she continued."  The only way Williams can honorably stay on is if he were exonerated or if there were mitigating circumstances.  I don't see either possibility right now.  Indeed, there are probes underway of some of his reporting from Hurricane Katrina.  I don't think this will have a pretty ending.

February 6, 2015       Permalink

NOT SO FAST, GUYS –  A new jobs report is out.  Looks pretty good...until you work the details.  From The New York Times, which treats any good economic news as if it were victory in World War II.

In a sign the economic momentum evident late last year has carried into 2015, the Labor Department said Friday that American employers added 257,000 jobs in January, as wage growth rebounded and more people joined the work force.

The Labor Department said on Friday that the unemployment rate ticked up to 5.7 percent, from 5.6 percent. But that was mostly because the portion of Americans in the work force rose slightly last month, a positive sign.

Over the course of 2014, the economy added about 250,000 jobs a month on average. But employers grew bolder in the final quarter of the year, creating an average of more than 290,000 jobs a month in October, November and December. Hiring in sectors like leisure and hospitality, retail, and professional and business services was especially robust.

In addition, the Labor Department on Friday revised the December gain to 329,000 jobs, from its initial estimate of 252,000.

And now for the other side:

Since the beginning of this year, some other economic indicators have been lackluster, including data last week that showed economic output grew at a slower-than-expected 2.6 percent rate in the fourth quarter of 2014.

On Thursday, new data revealed a big jump in the country’s trade deficit in December, as imports surged and exports fell. With the dollar's gaining strength and the euro and other currencies’ weakening, the trade balance may continue to weigh on the economy in 2015.

And there is this gem from Gallup, bringing us down to Earth.  From Gateway Pundit: 

Gallup CEO and Chairman Jim Clifton doubled-down on his comments earlier in the week on the misleading Obama unemployment rate.

Obama says the unemployment rate is 5.6% which is very misleading.

Clifton went on America’s Newsroom today to explain the misleading government numbers.

"The number of full-time jobs, and that’s what everybody wants, as a percent of the total population, is the lowest it’s ever been… The other thing that is very misleading about that number is the more people that drop out, the better the number gets. In the recession we lost 13 million jobs. Only 3 million have come back. You don’t see that in that number."

COMMENT:  If the economy were truly coming back, Americans would feel it.  They don't.  The employment picture is actually pretty bad, especially when you look at the quality of jobs and whether they're full- or part-time. 

But you may be sure the Obama media will tell us that the good times are rolling.  I guess they are, at Georgetown parties.

February 6, 2015       Permalink

SNUB – AT 9:09 AM. ET:   We pray for the day when we have a president who treats our enemies as badly as he treats our friends.  It will not happen with Obama, who has contempt for his own country and its values.

Several extraordinary things happened in the last few days to make our point.  King Abdullah of Jordan, who is emerging as a major figure in the Mideast, met with President Obama at the White House, after the video of the Jordanian pilot being burned alive was made public.  Abdullah then went to meet with Congressional leaders.  Reports from the meeting say that he never mentioned Obama once.

That is unheard of, absolutely unheard of.  Any leader meeting with the president of the United States would issue a statement like, "I just met with your president.  I want to thank him for his kind words and support in this hour of crisis."  Abdullah never spoke Obama's name.

Abdullah then went back to Jordan.  And who does he speak with by phone?  Bibi Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, despised by Barack Obama.  And, to boot, the transcript of the call is made public.  That is a signal to Field Marshal Obama that there are new alliances forming, that the field marshal's indifference and lack of zeal in supporting our traditional allies have been duly noted.  It is a stick in the eye to a president who was greeted as a demigod when he took office in 2009.  No more of that stuff.

And what did Obama do in the last day?  He went to the National Prayer Breakfast and lectured the audience on the deficiencies in Christianity.  Really smart move.

Can you believe all this is happening?

February 6, 2015       Permalink

AND FROM THE REAL WORLD – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  A new warning this morning about Russian intentions, from a guy I've found very solid.  From Fox: 

NATO's former secretary-general has warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could engineer a Ukraine-style intervention in one of the Baltic republics as the leaders of France and Germany flew to Moscow to make a last-ditch bid for peace in eastern Europe.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen told Britain's Daily Telegraph Thursday that Putin's goal was to reassert Russian dominance of Eastern Europe by testing, and ultimately fracturing the West's bedrock Cold War alliance.

"There is a high probability that he will intervene in the Baltics to test NATO's Article 5," Rasmussen said, referring to the section of NATO's charter mandating that other member states come to the defense of a fellow member under armed attack. "Putin knows that if he crosses the red line and attacks a NATO ally, he will be defeated. Let us be quite clear about that. But he is a specialist in hybrid warfare."

All three of the so-called Baltic republics -- Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania -- were part of the Soviet Union until its dissolution in 1991. All three joined NATO in 2004. All three also have sizable minority populations of ethnic Russians. Rasmussen says his fear is that Moscow will generate a conflict under murky pretenses, In the case of Ukraine, the fall of the pro-Moscow president Viktor Yanukovych prompted Russia's annexation of Crimea and a bloody civil war between Kiev's new pro-Western government and separatist rebels thought to be trained and equipped by Russia's military.

Article 5 has been invoked only once in NATO's 66-year history, by the U.S. after the September 11, 2001 attacks. It is not clear what would happen if a NATO member claimed Article 5 protection, but was turned down by the NATO council.

Rasmussen added that many of NATO's European member nations have slashed military spending to such an extent that they cannot defend themselves without U.S. help.

COMMENT:  I would take that warning very seriously.  Putin looks at the West and he sees only weakness and indecision.  Obama has become an international joke.  As Rasmussen noted, many European nations have hollow militaries.

Ukraine is in desperate crisis, but you'd never know it in Washington.

February 6,  2015     Permalink