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FEBRUARY 18,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:46 P.M. ET: 

I DISSENT – From thewrap.com:  "During a CNN internal town hall Tuesday, network chief Jeff Zucker said it’s not a conflict of interest for an executive of the network to host the president and First Lady in their home, an insider familiar with the event told TheWrap.  Responding to an anonymous email question from a CNN staffer regarding an unnamed D.C. executive who hosted the Obamas — along with other parents of Sidwell Friends School [in D.C.] — in their home for dinner, Zucker said there’s no issue."  No, it's a conflict of interest.  Hosting a social gathering that includes the president and first lady raises appearance issues, especially for a network regularly accused of liberal bias.  I wouldn't permit it.

MORE NETWORK INTRIGUE – From hollywoodreporter.com:  "Victoria Jackson, a six-year veteran of Saturday Night Live, is publicly wondering if her opposition to gay marriage prompted Lorne Michaels to treat her differently from the other cast members who attended the 40th anniversary of the show Sunday. Jackson, on her Facebook page, Twitter and in interviews, has mostly raved about Michaels and thanked the creator of SNL numerous times for hiring her in 1986, though she is also saying that she was the only cast member at Sunday's event to be banished to an overflow room.  Some bloggers noted the oddity and were wondering if Michaels or someone else involved with the seating arrangements might have been sending a political message to Jackson, who is a Christian conservative, a Tea Party favorite and an extremely vocal critic of President Barack Obama."  Of course it was a message.  SNL should've shown more class.  Not ready for prime time.

EXPECTED – From CNN:  "Washington – The Justice Department is preparing to bring a lawsuit against the Ferguson, Missouri, police department over a pattern of racially discriminatory tactics used by officers, if the police department does not agree to make changes on its own, sources tell CNN.  Attorney General Eric Holder said this week he expects to announce the results of the department's investigation of the shooting death of Michael Brown and a broader probe of the Ferguson Police Department before he leaves office in the coming weeks."  We'll wait for the fine print, and judge the case on the facts, but appearances are a little wobbly here.  It looks like Justice, under Holder, had to find something in Ferguson to justify the investigation and to cap Holder's tenure.  But let the facts speak.

February 18,  2015     Permalink

ANOTHER VICTORY – CALL YOUR FRIENDS – AT 11:32 A.M. ET:  We report another glorious victory under the courageous leadership of Field Marshal Barack Obama.  From Fox: 

Ukrainian separatists dubbed by Russian President Vladimir Putin as "yesterday’s miners or yesterday’s tractor drivers" drove Ukraine's army from a key rail hub in the eastern part of the country in what was branded a "crushing defeat" just days after a short-lived cease-fire agreement.

Fierce fighting around the town of Debaltseve, through which railroads linking the two major separatist cities of Donetsk and Luhansk pass, had been raging for days despite a cease-fire deal brokered by European leaders and signed by Putin to take effect last Sunday. The cease-fire was supposed to be followed by the withdrawal of heavy weaponry beginning Tuesday, but the fighting barely paused.

On Wednesday, multiple sources told Fox News that the pro-Russian rebels were holding 300 Ukrainian troops prisoner, but officials in Kiev insist that the number is lower. Russian state-owned television on Wednesday showed images of several dozen Ukrainian troops being escorted along a village road by the rebels.

The separatists have claimed that the area around Debaltseve isn't covered by the cease-fire deal. Putin, who helped broker the agreement last week, mocked the Ukrainian forces and suggested they should lay down their arms.

COMMENT:  Unbelievable.  And we do nothing about it.  We are reliving the 1930s.

February 18,  2015     Permalink

THE WHITE HOUSE FIGHTS TERRORISM – AT 9:52 A.M. ET:  There's a White House conference on violent extremism going on.  As Johnny Carson used to say, notice the difference?  And of course the guest list is star-studded.  From Fox: 

A controversial U.S. Muslim leader who has been highly critical of Israel and said that the Jewish state should be on the "suspect list" in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks participated on Tuesday in a White House summit on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) that featured Vice President Joe Biden.

Salam Al-Marayati, founder of the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), tweeted out a photo of himself at the White House with Biden and bragged, "We joined VP @JoeBiden for a discussion at the @WhiteHouse #CVESummit which kicked off today."

Al-Marayati has been viewed as a controversial figure due to past statements characterized by his critics as anti-Israel and soft on terrorism.

The White House CVE Summit, a three-day forum focused on countering radical extremism, comes in the wake of multiple anti-Semitic attacks across the globe and pressure for an increased military campaign against the Islamic State (IS) terror group.

The Investigative Project on Terrorism (IPT) released a detailed fact sheet that contained scores of controversial statements attributed to al-Marayati.

COMMENT:  The president addresses the "conference" today.  Please set your recorders so you don't miss a single gifted word.

Naturally, the term "Islamist extremism" is banned from the "conference."  I can just imagine FDR, after Pearl Harbor, saying to his staff, "Okay, so they attacked our fleet.  But can't we just call them 'militant flying enthusiasts?'"

February 18, 2015      Permalink

AND THIS TIDBIT ON HILLARY – AT 9:05 A.M. ET:  One serious question that will be asked about Queen Hillary's run for the presidency is the amount of cash she and Bill have taken from foreign sources, especially sources in the Arab world.  From Fox: 

The Clinton Foundation reportedly is seeing an increase in contributions from foreign governments after ending a self-imposed ban on such donations, raising new ethical questions as Hillary Clinton prepares for a possible 2016 presidential campaign.

According to The Wall Street Journal, which cited the foundation's online database, recent donors to the foundation include the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia, Oman, Australia, Germany, and a Canadian government agency promoting construction of the Keystone XL pipeline.

The foundation instituted a foreign gifts ban in 2009 after Hilllary Clinton was named Secretary of State by President Barack Obama. The Journal reports that the ban was not a total one, and some donations were permitted after receiving the approval of State Department ethics officials. Hillary Clinton re-joined the foundation after leaving the State Department in 2013 and has fronted a $250 million endowment campaign.

Ethics experts have told the Journal that the Foundation should re-imposed its ban while Hillary Clinton considers a possible White House bid.

"Now that she is gearing up to run for president, the same potential exists for foreign governments to curry favor with her as a potential president of the United States," said Kirk Hanson, director of the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University in California.

COMMENT:  The word "ethics" and the name "Clinton" are usually not found in the same sentence.  And I doubt if that will change.  Both Clintons have become fabulously wealthy since leaving office.  I've seen estimates, which I can't independently verify, that Bill Clinton has made about a hundred million dollars.

Some of that money has come from foreign sources, either through the foundation or for speaking and consulting fees.  It's worrisome, very much so.  There are different forms of bribery.

February 18, 2015       Permalink

ANOTHER PROFILE IN PORRIDGE – AT 8:46 A.M. ET:  Don't you just love it when Hillary Clinton identifies a problem, and acts on it with her usual elegance competence (choke)?  We present the Elizabeth Warren challenge.  From the great Legal Insurrection site: 

I’ve said it before, and I stand by it: Elizabeth Warren would crush Hillary, and they both know it.

If you doubted that Hillary knew it, read this NY Times account of their recent meeting, "Hillary Clinton, Privately, Seeks the Favor of Elizabeth Warren":

Hillary Rodham Clinton held a private, one-on-one meeting with Senator Elizabeth Warren in December at Mrs. Clinton’s Washington home, a move by the Democrats’ leading contender in 2016 to cultivate the increasingly influential senator and leader of the party’s economic populist movement.

The two met at Whitehaven, the Clintons’ Northwest Washington home, without aides and at Mrs. Clinton’s invitation.

Mrs. Clinton solicited policy ideas and suggestions from Ms. Warren, according to a Democrat briefed on the meeting, who called it “cordial and productive.” Mrs. Clinton, who has been seeking advice from a range of scholars, advocates and officials, did not ask Ms. Warren to consider endorsing her likely presidential candidacy. Aides to Mrs. Clinton did not immediately respond to requests for comment, and aides to Ms. Warren could not be reached.

The conversation occurred at a moment when Ms. Warren’s clout has become increasingly evident.

It’s not quite Bill Maher territory, but Hillary at some point may need to get down on one knee and propose a high level cabinet post in order to keep Liz out of the race, or if she stays out, to get Warren to bless the Hillary campaign.

COMMENT:  I wonder if Bill was behind the curtain, or sending guidance through a Hillary earpiece. 

There have been so many dramatic, tragic developments in foreign policy in the last few months, and Hillary Clinton, former secretary of state, hasn't apparently had time to comment.  But she's had time for tea with Lizzy.

American heroine.

February 18,  2015     Permalink

FEBRUARY 17,  2015

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 SÍ, 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       Permalink

BIG SURPRISE – AT 8:35 A.M. ET:  A White House summit on terrorism starts today.  Okay, stop laughing.

There are naturally ground rules, that follow the profound thinking of Philosopher-in-chief Barack "my middle name is Plato" Obama.  From the New York Post:   

WASHINGTON — The White House will kick off a three-day summit Tuesday on combating violent extremism on social media — but the administration won’t focus on Islamic extremism and won’t even mention the term.

“You can call them what you want; we’re calling them terrorists,” a senior Obama administration official said Monday.

The determination not mention to Islam or Muslims comes as ISIS continues its murderous spree in the name of Islam, most recently beheading 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya.

The rub for the Obama administration is that while the murderers cite their faith as motivation, they don’t represent Islam and, therefore, shouldn’t be associated with the religion.

“There is absolutely no justification for any of these attacks in any religion, and that’s the view of the vast majority of Muslims who have suffered huge causalities from the likes of ISI[S] or al Qaeda,” the official told reporters. “We are not treating these people as part of a religion. We’re treating them as terrorists.”

COMMENT:  I'm confused.  Can someone unconfuse me?  Didn't the philosopher-in-chief make a little speech at the National Prayer Breakfast recently in which he called out Christians, by name, for past transgressions, either real or imagined?  Gee, I think I heard that.  Was I dreaming?  Please advise by e-mail at comments@urgentagenda.com

February 17, 2015       Permalink

OBAMA IMMIGRATION POLICY STOPPED FOR NOW – AT 7:34 A.M. ET:  It may be only a temporary blip, but a court decision shows that Obama's immigration changes may have trouble getting accepted by the courts.  From The New York Times: 

A federal judge in Texas has ordered a halt, at least temporarily, to President Obama’s executive actions on immigration, siding with Texas and 25 other states that filed a lawsuit opposing the initiatives.

In an order filed on Monday, the judge, Andrew S. Hanen of Federal District Court in Brownsville, prohibited the Obama administration from carrying out programs the president announced in November that would offer protection from deportation and work permits to as many as five million undocumented immigrants. The first of those programs was scheduled to start receiving applications on Wednesday.

Judge Hanen, an outspoken critic of the administration on immigration policy, found that the states had satisfied the minimum legal requirements to bring their lawsuit. He said the Obama administration had failed to comply with basic administrative procedures for putting such a sweeping program into effect.

The administration argued that Mr. Obama was well within long-established federal authority for a president to decide how to enforce the immigration laws. But Texas and the other states said the executive measures were an egregious case of government by fiat that would impose huge new costs on their budgets.

In ordering the administration to suspend the programs while he makes a final decision on the case, Judge Hanen agreed with the states that the president’s policies had already been costly for them.

“The court finds that the government’s failure to secure the border has exacerbated illegal immigration into this country,” Judge Hanen wrote. “Further, the record supports the finding that this lack of enforcement, combined with the country’s high rate of illegal immigration, significantly drains the states’ resources.”

Ken Paxton, the attorney general of Texas, which is leading the states bringing the lawsuit, hailed the judge’s ruling as a “victory for the rule of law in America and a crucial first step in reining in President Obama’s lawlessness.” He said Mr. Obama’s actions were “an affront to everyone pursuing a life of freedom and opportunity in America the right way.”

COMMENT:  This is only the first stage.  I get the feeling that some of Obama's immigration orders will be tied up in the courts for years. 

February 17, 2015       Permalink

OUR PRESIDENT – AT 7:20 A.M. ET:  It isn't only the policies of Barack Obama, and his increasingly weird public statements, that are producing growing anger, it's his personal behavior.  Dare we say it?  He doesn't act like a president, like the leader of the world's superpower.  And, in blunt terms, he doesn't have much class.  From Breitbart: 

As the international community mourned the deaths of 21 Egyptian Christians who were beheaded in an Islamic State (ISIS) video released on Sunday, President Barack Obama spent the day golfing in Palm Springs, California.

Obama also played golf on Sunday when the videotaped slaughter of Coptic Christians went viral globally.

In response to the gruesome beheading video, Egypt began airstrikes in Libya against ISIS targets.

Pope Francis denounced the brutal slaying.

“Today I read about the execution of those twenty-one or twenty-two Coptic Christians,” said the Pope. “Their only words were: ‘Jesus, help me!’ They were killed simply because they were Christians.”

Obama hit the links before 8:00 a.m. local time and played the Porcupine Creek Golf Course in Palm Springs with three of his Hawaii buddies.

This is not the first time Obama has golfed amid beheading video releases. In September, just minutes after delivering a speech on the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley by ISIS, Obama went golfing. Later, Obama said he “should have anticipated the optics” surrounding his decision.

On Sunday, CBS’s Bob Schieffer said he was “bothered” that Obama “goes off to California to do a fundraiser” after ISIS announced the death of U.S. aid worker Kayla Mueller.

How Christians will react to Obama’s recent golfing decision remains to be seen. A week-and-a-half ago, Obama ignited controversy when he lectured Christians not to get on their “high horse” in the wake of ISIS immolating a live Jordanian pilot in a metal cage. As Obama put it, “during the Crusades and the Inquisition, people committed terrible deeds in the name of Christ.”

COMMENT:  It is frightening to think that we have almost two years more of this man, as a president can only be removed by impeachment, which requires a high crime, or through incapacitation.  Maybe it's time to consider, Constitutionally, a third way, a way to remove a president who, because of incompetence or warped judgment, has put the Nation in danger.

February 17,  2015     Permalink

CHRIS? – AT 7:14 A.M. ET:  Dearies, do you remember when Chris Matthews revealed that a tingle went up his leg when he heard Barack Obama speak.  Apparently, the tingle is gone, the leg is numb, and Chris is speaking in ways we'd never expected.   It's significant because we've seen some real movement in journalism recently as Obama's failures become too obvious to ignore.  From Mediaite: 

The ISIS slaughter of Egyptian Christians moved Chris Matthews to say tonight that the United States is being “morally humiliated” by this terrorist group. Matthews said the clear goal of capturing the beheadings on video is to stir anger, and admitted the U.S. really has no choice but to act.

After all, he said, doing nothing and moving on with our lives without taking strong action is not an option, because “the alternative is too sick, too un-American, too inhuman.”

Matthews also said that we can’t “act like America… is not being morally humiliated, because it is.” And America, he concluded, like it or not, has a responsibility and a moral authority to act.

COMMENT:  Maybe some people are starting to realize how they misled us in 2008.  I hope so.  A Fox News reporter said yesterday that the questions at White House news conferences were becoming tougher.  And some of Obama's defenders are not standing up for him, as before.

February 17,  2015     Permalink