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FEBRUARY 12,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:

HOW ROMANTIC – From CNS:  "During her weekly briefing, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) reminded everyone Valentine's Day was coming up and to 'take your loved one and sign up for the Affordable Care Act.'"  And while you're at it, how about saying "I love you" with a gift pack of Centrum Silver and Geritol.  Always hits the spot.

DOESN'T GET IT – From CNS:  "During a heated discussion over gay marriage, CNN morning Anchor Chris Cuomo opined that the unalienable rights endowed to all Americans do not come from God.  Cuomo was debating Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore on the constitutionality of same-sex marriage. Near the end of the back-and-forth and after Moore argued that rights cannot be handed down by men, Cuomo blurted out:  'Our rights do not come from God, your honor, and you know that. They come from man... That’s your faith, that’s my faith, but that’s not our country. Our laws come from collective agreement and compromise.'"  I guess Chris was absent from school the day they talked about the Declaration of Independence.  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."  It is one of the fundamental statements of American exceptionalism, that we have certain natural rights, and that no government can take them away.

THE TRUTH COMES OUT – From The Hill:  "Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg admits to sharing some wine with her colleagues and not being '100 percent sober' for President Obama's State of the Union address in January.  During Obama's speech, which lasted just under an hour, many viewers on social media pointed out that the 81-year-old liberal justice appeared to be snoozing.  'The audience for the most part is awake, because they’re bobbing up and down, and we sit there, stone-faced, sober judges. But we’re not, at least I wasn’t, 100 percent sober,' Ginsburg said during a talk at George Washington University on Thursday night, according to a report by The Blaze."  I couldn't have lived another day without knowing that.

NUTS – President Obama has made a nutty video advertising Obamacare.  It's here. This comes shortly after the president allowed himself to be interviewed by a media personality whose claim to fame is that she takes baths in Fruit Loops.  You'll recall the number of "historians" who welcomed the election of Mr. Obama in 2008, citing his intellect.  We may still discover that intellect, but I doubt it.

February 12, 2015        Permalink

I'M SHOCKED, SHOCKED – AT 11:17 A.M. ET:   The Democratic Party is one big vote-buying scheme.  Need proof?  From the Washington Times: 

IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told Congress on Wednesday that even illegal immigrants who didn’t pay taxes will be able to claim back-refunds once they get Social Security numbers under President Obama’s temporary deportation amnesty.

The revelation — which contradicts what he told Congress last week — comes as lawmakers also raised concerns Mr. Obama’s amnesty could open a window to illegal immigrants finding ways to vote, despite it being against the law.

“While we may disagree about whether your deferred action programs were lawfully created and implemented, we are confident that we can all agree that these programs cannot be permitted to impair the integrity of our elections,” Republican members of Congress from Ohio wrote in a letter to Mr. Obama Wednesday, ahead of a hearing on the issue in the House on Thursday.

Mr. Obama’s new deportation policies, which carve most illegal immigrants out of danger of being removed, and could proactively grant as many as 4 million illegal immigrants work permits and Social Security numbers, are increasingly under fire for ancillary consequences such as tax credits and competition for jobs.

COMMENT:  They will eventually vote.  That's the whole idea.  In fact, I don't recall any other idea in about half a century from the left wing of the Democratic Party.

February 12, 2015       Permalink

ARE VOTERS TURNING ON OBAMA? – AT 10:18 A.M. ET:   We hope so, but ultimately it's the economy that will decide.  However, I cannot imagine that the American people will accept the catastrophe that is Obama's foreign policy.  From Andrew Malcolm at IBD: 

On Wednesday, President Obama sent a draft authorization for use of military power against ISIS. But already Americans say such a half-hearted assault on terrorists is not good enough.

As a political symbol (and to spread the blame when something goes wrong), Obama has asked Congress for authority to do what he's already been doing since September -- bomb ISIS as part of an international coalition and train and arm Kurds, Iraqis and Syrians.

This is authority the Nobel Peace Prize winner did not seek before attacking Libya in 2011, a successful war that also succeeded in turning that country into a lawless land of terrorist groups and marauding militias who killed four Americans in Benghazi.

But in a brief Wednesday afternoon statement on his authorization request, Obama ended up saying as much about what he does not want to do.

"The resolution we’ve submitted today does not call for the deployment of U.S. ground combat forces to Iraq or Syria," Obama maintained. "It is not the authorization of another ground war, like Afghanistan or Iraq."

However, a new Rasmussen Reports poll also out Wednesday reveals for the first time that a majority of Americans are now sufficiently concerned about ISIS's barbarism and terrorist threat that it supports the use of ground combat troops again in Iraq as part of an international effort.

The poll of 800 likely voters found that 52% want to do more than Obama, 28% do not and 20% don't know.

The numbers show steady growth in support of ground troop deployment since September when 48% liked that idea and 36% were opposed. A key element in that support is involvement of other countries, especially Muslim ones.

COMMENT:  Of course we should be very careful about committing ground troops, especially under the command of a president who has no concept of victory, who won't even use the term.  Still, our position in the Mideast is deteriorating rapidly, and the forces that are rising represent a direct threat to the security of the United States.

February 12, 2015       Permalink

STILL ONE MORE FAMOUS VICTORY – AT 9:56 A.M. ET:  Only now are we starting to understand the implications of the fall of Yemen, once touted as a great Obama success.  This week has been awful.  From the Washington Post: 

The closure of the U.S. Embassy in Yemen has forced the CIA to significantly scale back its counterterrorism presence in the country, according to current and former U.S. officials, who said the evacuation represents a major setback in operations against al-Qaeda’s most dangerous affiliate.

The spy agency has pulled dozens of operatives, analysts and other staffers from Yemen as part of a broader extraction of roughly 200 Americans who had been based at the embassy in Sanaa, officials said. Among those removed were senior officers who worked closely with Yemen’s intelligence and security services to target al-Qaeda operatives and disrupt terrorism plots often aimed at the United States.

The departures were triggered by mounting concerns over security in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, where Houthi rebels have effectively toppled the government. Britain and France said Wednesday that they also would close their embassies, as news footage showed Houthi fighters driving off in vehicles that U.S. diplomats had abandoned at an airport during their exodus.

The collapse of Yemen’s government had already disrupted some U.S. counterterrorism operations in Yemen. The closure of the U.S. mission compounds the challenges and “is extremely damaging” to the CIA’s mission in Yemen, said a former senior U.S. official involved in the effort. That person said that the embassy had served as the primary base in Yemen for U.S. intelligence operations and that “the political turmoil in Sanaa and the closure of the embassy all play into the hands” of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, as the Yemeni franchise is known.

U.S. officials emphasized that not all CIA personnel were withdrawn from Yemen, saying that the agency would try to salvage an intelligence network that it had assembled in cooperation with Yemen, Saudi Arabia and other allies over the past five years.

COMMENT:  I have no doubt that Obama is readying a speech saying that the closure of our embassy was a result of the Crusades, the Vatican, and the Israel lobby.   And Bush.

February 12, 2015       Permalink

SOBERING – AT 9:07 A.M. ET:   Despite the glorified town councilman in the White House, we're beginning to get a very sobering picture of ISIS, and its gains.  But most Democrats are much more upset over the fact that Speaker Boehner invited the prime minister of Israel to address Congress without getting the pastoral blessing of Hussein Obama.  From the Washington Times:

The Obama administration’s top counterterrorism official said Wednesday that the number of foreign fighters traveling from the U.S. and other nations to join the Islamic State extremist movement in Syria and Iraq continues to grow — with some 20,000 fighters having flooded in from more than 90 countries in recent years.

Despite months of U.S. airstrikes against the group also known as ISIS and ISIL, National Counterterrorism Director Nicholas Rasmussen told a House hearing that it is “clear that the number of those seeking to go to Iraq and Syria is going up.”

“We assess that at least 3,400 of these fighters are from Western countries, and that number includes also over 150 U.S. persons who’ve either traveled to the conflict zone or attempted to do so,” Mr. Rasmussen said. “They come from various backgrounds, which highlights the need for comprehensive messaging strategies and early engagement with a variety of communities in order to dissuade vulnerable individuals from trying to travel to conflict zones.”

He made the remarks during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing.

Committee Chairman Michael T. McCaul, Texas Republican, said the Islamic State “now controls territory the size of Belgium, governs millions of people, draws on billions of dollars in revenue and commands tens of thousands of foot soldiers.”

“This evolving Islamic terrorist landscape has given rise to the dual threats of foreign fighters returning to the United States and homegrown terrorism,” Mr. McCaul said.

“Extremists do not need to travel overseas in order to become a threat to our homeland,” he said. “Through Hollywood-like propaganda videos and social media and through that means, Islamist terror groups are inciting their followers and potential recruits to wage war at home. Both ISIS, and Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula have called for Westerners, including Americans, to wage individual jihad in their home countries, and it’s working.”

“ISIS social media also gives step-by-step instructions on how to get to the fight and how to return,” Mr. McCaul said.

COMMENT:  It was only months ago that Field Marshal Obama, for whom I have growing and utter contempt, was calling ISIS the junior varsity.  Kind of like the "experts" from pre-World War II days who laughed at the idea that those little people in Japan, with poor eyesight, were threats to the United States.  Why, we have a mighty base at Pearl Harbor!

Pathetic.

February 12,  2015     Permalink

FEBRUARY 11,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET: 

GREAT MOMENTS IN CHILD REARING – From CBS:  "OAKLAND (KPIX 5) – After the recent Black Lives Matter protests, there is a new brownie troop in Oakland. Instead of selling cookies, they are spreading a message.  On a Saturday afternoon in Oakland, a handful of 8 to 10 year old girls are gathered, in brown uniforms, giggling and eating cupcakes. They look like Girl Scouts, but it’s not just fun and games.
'White policeman are killing black young folks such as women, men and children,' one of the girls said.  Another girl said, 'Mike Brown. He was shot because he didn’t do nothing. Only the police officer shot him because of his skin color.'   These girls are called the 'Radical Brownies.'   And instead of learning sewing, they’re learning social justice.  Even their uniforms have a message.  'The beret, it’s a Black Panther/Brown Beret twist,' one of the Radical Brownies said."  I'd love to know the response of the national Girl Scout organization.  I'd also love to know if these girls sell cookies, and what they put in them.

PASSING – Bob Simon, the longtime CBS correspondent, who covered the Mideast extensively and was taken prisoner during the 1991 Gulf War, was killed tonight in a car accident in Manhattan.  Simon was riding in a livery cab when it sideswiped another car, went out of control and crashed.  I know the area well, and traffic doesn't move very quickly there.  Speed doesn't appear to have been a factor.  Simon was a mainstay of "60 Minutes."

THE TRUTH LEAKS OUT – From CNN:  "Washington (CNN) David Axelrod, President Barack Obama's former top political adviser, said the President appears to be having 'the time of his life right now' as he's enjoying his new-found freedom without the political constraints of an impending election.  'He's having the time of his life right now. I think he feels very much unrestrained in terms of speaking to all these issues,' Axelrod said in an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Wednesday.  Obama has indeed drawn notice for his newly relaxed and frank posture and comments, now that he's nearing the end of his presidency. During his State of the Union address, Obama tossed a couple of zingers at Republicans, the likes of which had been absent in previous years.  Axelrod also defended comments in his book that Obama misrepresented his position on gay marriage for political expediency, which Obama attempted to refute in an interview with BuzzFeed this week.  'This is not uncommon in history, great leaders often work in that way,' Axelrod said, 'He had a goal and he worked his way to that goal.'"  Translated into real English, Axelrod is saying that Obama consistently lied his way into office, and only now are we seeing who he is.  And, no, that isn't the way all political leaders work, or have worked.  Winston Churchill and Ronald Reagan both risked a great deal politically to state what they actually believed.  Churchill was forced into the political wilderness in the 1930s, until proved right.  Reagan was laughed at in 1980, even by some in the Republican establishment.  They are both now seen by many (not all) as great men.

February 11, 2015       Permalink

HILLARY IN TROUBLE? – AT 12:06 P.M. ET:  There are new reports that her fundraising isn't going so well.  And then there's this, a widely publicized report of two polls showing Elizabeth Warren ahead of Clinton in Iowa and New Hampshire.  From the Washington Examiner: 

Populist groups cheering "Run Warren Run," today released 2016 election polls from Iowa and New Hampshire showing Sen. Elizabeth Warren ahead of dominant Democrat Hillary Clinton.

The YouGov poll of likely Democratic voters for MoveOn.org and Democracy for America also found that 79 percent want Warren and majorities support her anti-Wall Street positions.

Warren has said she doesn't plan to challenge Clinton, though several others have indicated that they are looking at a bid, including Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.

The poll of 400 conducted Jan. 30 to Feb. 5 put Warren ahead of Clinton in Iowa, 31 percent to 24 percent. In New Hampshire, her lead is 30 percent to 27 percent.

The groups cautioned that the poll mostly shows that voters are extremely open to her candidacy rather than her being a Clinton killer. They hope to use the poll to encourage Warren to change her position and get into the race.

The poll analysis said: "The results show that, after likely caucus goers and primary voters learn about Elizabeth Warren’s biography and issue positions, not only do a stunning 79 percent say they want her to run, but, in both states, Warren ends up leading all other potential Democratic candidates in a head-to-head ballot question."

COMMENT:  The results should be taken with some skepticism.  The polls were taken among true believers, the Dem base, the group most likely to go for Warren.  And yet, these same results should be worrying for Clinton.   They show, as other polls have shown, that enthusiasm for her in the Democratic Party is limited.  She's been around a long time, and is seen, incredibly, as a "centrist," where Warren is seen as true left.

I still think Clinton has the steam to get the nomination, and that she'll be able to convince the party that a serious contest for the nod would be divisive.  But polls like this, and lackluster fundraising, could convince Clinton not to run at all, or could convince the party that they might look for another face.

February 11, 2015       Permalink

OBAMA'S NATURE, AND OUR PROBLEM – AT 9:56 A.M. ET:  Several people have said to me that they can't recall a period more packed with major international news stories, all of them frightening.  That may be true, but we had a preview of what would come right before the last presidential election.  From Andrew Malcolm at IBD:   

Who knew 35 months ago what Barack Obama really meant when he "secretly" pleaded with Russia's Dmitry Medvedev for patience and space so he could steal the 2012 election and gain more "flexibility"?

"On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved but it's important for him to give me space," Obama said with a brotherly arm pat, noting 2012 was his last election. Medvedev responded, "I will transmit this information to Vladimir."

It was long thought that Obama's gaffe, caught on an open mic during one of those frequent summits national leaders feel the need for, dealt only with the Democrat giving away more to Russia on missile defense.

But Obama has elongated the nuclear "negotiations" with Iran to no end and Russia's benefit. Obama slapped sanctions on Russia that have surely hurt the Russian economy but produced zero effect on that country's relentless military destabilization of Ukraine.

And Obama has dithered more than a year now, with many more months to come apparently, over providing vital defensive weapons for Ukraine's elected government to fight Russian-backed insurgents. Obama's Codewords: Strategic Patience. Dmitry and Vlad are no doubt appreciative.

Obama talked with the Russian leader Tuesday and, according to the White House, the American threatened to raise the costs for his Ukraine intervention. Economic sanctions have not worked there or in Iran, so more of them will?

Such phone call accounts do not include the other leader's response, which was likely "LOL."

COMMENT:  Very well said.   One of the problems here is that Obama comes from a political class that has all but banned the word "victory."  I remember the reaction of that crowd when Reagan said that his strategy was, "We win, they lose."  The chattering class was aghast.  Such crudeness.  Such lowbrow rhetoric.  Why, he sounds like a movie actor.

And of course he was right.

February 11, 2015       Permalink

WHAT WE FACE – AT 9:31 A.M. ET:   Many commentators are still stunned by President Obama's remarks in the last few days, seeming to downplay the threat of terrorism, and even to suggest that the attacks on a Jewish delicatessen in Paris wasn't directed against Jews.  As the president meanders through his semi-thoughts, ISIS gains.  From AP:

WASHINGTON — Foreign fighters are streaming into Syria and Iraq in unprecedented numbers to join the Islamic State or other extremist groups, including at least 3,400 from Western nations among 20,000 from around the world, U.S. intelligence officials say in an updated estimate of a top terrorism concern.

Intelligence agencies now believe that as many as 150 Americans have tried and some have succeeded in reaching in the Syrian war zone, officials told the House Homeland Security Committee in testimony prepared for delivery on Wednesday. Some of those Americans were arrested en route, some died in the area and a small number are still fighting with extremists.

The testimony and other data were obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Nick Rasmussen, chief of the National Counterterrorism Center, said the rate of foreign fighter travel to Syria is without precedent, far exceeding the rate of foreigners who went to wage jihad in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, Yemen or Somalia at any other point in the past 20 years.

U.S. officials fear that some of the foreign fighters will return undetected to their homes in Europe or the U.S. to mount terrorist attacks. At least one of the men responsible for the attack on a satirical magazine in Paris had spent time with Islamic extremists in Yemen.

COMMENT:  And we must ask how difficult it would be for ten operatives to strike in ten different American cities at the same hour.  That's terrorism.  Its purpose is to terrorize, to make people afraid, to force them to change their lives.  And it often succeeds.

Now multiply what you've just read by a million, which might be the impact if terror groups like ISIS get weapons of mass destruction.  But, like Scarlet in "Gone With the Wind," we won't think about that today.  We'll think about that tomorrow.

February 11, 2015       Permalink

ANOTHER FAMOUS VICTORY – HAIL BARACK! – AT 9:15 A.M. ET:  Last September Barack Obama was hailing Yemen as a great success story.   Today we're abandoning our embassy there.  From Reuters: 

SANAA - The United States is closing its embassy in Yemen, the Arabian peninsula state that is a front line in Washington's war against al-Qaida, embassy employees and US officials said on Tuesday.

US officials in Washington confirmed the embassy would close because of the unpredictable security situation in a country where a rebel group has seized control of the capital, Sanaa.

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki declined comment. But she noted that the embassy staff had been gradually reduced and said the safety of the personnel was a top priority. "We take steps in order to make sure we do everything we can to protect that," she told a regular briefing.

COMMENT:  I love this administration.  Just one triumph after another.  Can you stand it?  Why isn't Obama on Mount Rushmore right now? 

I hate to sound cynical, but what else is there?

February 11,  2015     Permalink