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Note to readers:  We are traveling to the Southland for a happy family event.  There will be no disruption in our service, but it's possible Urgent Agenda may be a bit more brief in the next three days.

JULY 17,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:07 P.M. ET: 

NOWHERE GUY – Not exactly Lincolnesque.  From the Boston Globe:   Lincoln Chafee has no support, according to a recent poll.  That’s right, literally zero people said they support the former Rhode Island Republican senator and independent governor for the Democratic presidential nomination.  The Monmouth University poll released Wednesday had Chafee trailing Hillary Clinton at 51 percent, Bernie Sanders at 17 percent, Martin O’Malley and Jim Webb—both at 1 percent—with 15 percent still undecided.  “Chafee registers no support in the poll,” according to the poll, which was based off a 357 sample of registered Democrats of 1,001 individuals surveyed.  But the real news is that Hillary Clinton only registers 51 percent.  If she starts bumping into the 40s, look for panic and the lowering of lifeboats.

RAND'S DADDY EMBARRASSES THE FAMILY AGAIN – From The Hill: Former Rep. Ron Paul said in two recent interviews that he supports the Obama administration’s nuclear agreement with Iran, calling it “to the benefit of world peace.”  Paul’s statements stand in contrast to his son, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who has said he will vote against the deal.  Ron Paul told “The Michael Berry Show” on Friday that a lot of opposition to the deal comes from an unfair view of Iranians, according to Buzzfeed.  “We have learned and been conditioned to distrust and hate the Persians, and that they’re gonna kill us,” Paul said. “But there’s no history to show that Iran are aggressive people.”  “When’s the last time they invaded a country? Over 200 years ago!” he added, comparing Iran’s support for terror groups to “what our CIA does.”  I would have loved to hear daddy explain how trigger-happy American sailors fired on Japanese tourist planes over Pearl Harbor.  Sometimes psychiatry should be recommended.

GOOD FOR THEM – From Newsmax:   The Oregon bakers fined for refusing to make a wedding cake for a lesbian couple  raised a record-breaking $358,500 on a religious crowdfunding site — more than 2 1/2 the $135,000 state penalty they faced.  Supporters of Sweet Cakes by Melissa bakers Aaron and Melissa Klein raised more money than any previous campaign in the history of the Wisconsin faith-based Continue to Give crowdfunding website, its founder tells the Washington Times.  The Oregonian reports as of Wednesday the campaign had raised $358,500 from 7,750 donors, more than doubling the $150,000 goal announced when it began May 5.  That's terrific.  They are being treated horribly by the politically correct crowd in Oregon.  Declining to participate in a religious ceremony is not bigotry, but preference.  Even if there was a technical violation of a statute, a $135,000 fine is cruel and unusual punishment, and must be fought.

July 17, 2015       Permalink

OUTRAGE – AT 8:16 A.M. ET:  The increasingly dictatorial Obama administration is taking the Iran deal first, not to the elected representatives of the American people, but to the UN, which is dominated by thugs and corrupt third-worlders.  Even some Democratic members of Congress are outraged.  From The Hill: 

President Obama should not go to the United Nations with a proposal to lift sanctions on Iran before Congress acts, said Sen. Ben Cardin (Md.), the senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Cardin said the administration should not move forward with a proposal to draft a new U.N. resolution affecting international sanctions until lawmakers have a chance to review the nuclear deal, which was unveiled this week.

“Acting on it at this stage is a confusing message to an independent review by Congress over these next 60 days. So I think it would be far better to have that vote after the 60-day review, assuming that the agreement is not effectively rejected by Congress,” Cardin told reporters after meeting with Vice President Biden Thursday.

“If the United States is signing onto the United Nations program and later on we’re not part of it, what we’ll do is inconsistent with the U.N. resolution, so it would be better not to have action on the U.N. resolution,” he said.

Cardin said he has communicated his concerns to senior administration officials.

Samantha Power, U.S. ambassador to the U.N., on Wednesday circulated a draft resolution that would end international sanctions on Iran once the International Atomic Energy Agency verifies its compliance with a deal curbing its nuclear program

Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said he told Power the action is inappropriate.

COMMENT:  Inappropriate?  That's an understatement for you.  It's arrogant, anti-democratic and pro-enemies-of-America.  In other words, it's Obama.  But it will happen, and large elements of the American media, which always screams about the Constitution and its own rights, will go along with it.

July 17, 2015       Permalink 

U.S. VOTERS RAP IRAN – AT 7:38 A.M. ET:  The deal with Iran hasn't made the American people love the mullahs more, according to a new Fox poll.  From Fox: 

Most American voters don’t trust Iran -- and worry the Obama administration was willing to give too much to get a deal on Iran’s nuclear program.

That’s according to a new Fox News poll, conducted Monday through Wednesday evenings.

President Obama announced early Tuesday that an agreement had been reached on Iran’s nuclear program, and he held a press conference to defend it Wednesday afternoon. The deal must still go before Congress for review. Lawmakers have 60 days to consider it.

The poll finds 80 percent of voters think Iran cannot be trusted on the issue of nukes.

At the same time, 68 percent are concerned the White House has been so eager to get a deal that economic sanctions against Iran are being eased too much. That includes 42 percent who are “very” concerned about Obama’s eagerness to compromise during negotiations.

Just over half -- 51 percent -- think the Obama administration hasn’t been aggressive enough in trying to stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapons program, including more than a quarter of Democrats (29 percent).

Overall, 37 percent of voters say the administration’s actions on Iran have been “about right,” and hardly any -- three percent -- say the White House has been “too aggressive.”

COMMENT:  Not exactly a ringing endorsement of Obama's diplomacy.  The more Americans learn about the deal, the more sickened they should get...that is, if the media tells the truth.  That's a big question.

July 17, 2015       Permalink

HILLARY TOUGHENS ON IRAN – AT 7:30 A.M. ET:  Since announcing her initial support for the Iran deal, Admiral of the Fleet Hillary Clinton has toughened her rhetoric.  Guess she finally realized that the left wing of the Democratic Party isn't enough to win presidential elections.  From Reuters:

DOVER, N.H./WASHINGTON - US Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton offered her most pessimistic assessment yet of the Iran nuclear deal on Thursday, telling supporters the United States should not trust Tehran to carry out the agreement.

"Do I trust the Iranians?" Clinton said. "Absolutely not." Clinton has largely been supportive of the agreement struck between the United States, five other world powers and Iran to limit its nuclear program in exchange for relief from economic sanctions.

But in New Hampshire, she asserted for the first time that critics of the deal had "a respectable argument." The former secretary of state reiterated her belief that the deal was the best the United States could reach at present, but added later in an exchange with reporters: "No one should be deluded about the continuing threat that Iran poses to the region."

During a meeting with House of Representative Democrats on Tuesday, US Representatives Earl Blumenauer and Brad Sherman reported that she thought the deal "was worthy of support."

Blumenauer said Clinton talked about the history of the Iran deal and events leading up to it and "why it puts us in a potentially stronger position."

Clinton said that as president, her posture toward Iran would be "Don't trust, and verify," saying the United States would employ intrusive inspections and extensive monitoring to ensure Tehran complies with the accord.

The comments reflected a continuing attempt by Clinton since the deal was struck to support the Obama administration and yet stake out a tougher stance on the issue of Iran.

COMMENTS:  As we've noted before, who knows what she actually believes?   Maybe there's been some internal polling indicating that the Iran deal isn't all that popular with the peasantry.  But I'm glad that the probable Democratic nominee is sounding, at least now, more sane and more mature than her former boss, Barack Obama.

July 17,  2015     Permalink

JULY 16,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:31 P.M. ET: 

NEW FOX POLL – From Fox:   Among Republican primary voters, Trump captures 18 percent. He’s closely followed by Walker at 15 percent and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush at 14 percent. No one else reaches double-digits.  Support for Trump is up seven percentage points since last month and up 14 points since May. He’s also the candidate GOP primary voters say they are most interested in learning more about during the debates.  Walker’s up six points since he officially kicked off his campaign. That bump gets him back to the support he was receiving earlier this year. In March, he was also at 15 percent.  Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul gets eight percent, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio receives seven percent, former neurosurgeon Ben Carson comes in at six percent, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee get four percent a piece.  We're still in the silly season.  Trump's all the craze, but he's still polling at only 18 percent.  Let's give it some months before we get serious about polling.  The next craze may not be Donald Trump, but Donald Duck.

YOU SHALL SLEEP – From Breitbart:   ADOR, Spain, July 16 (UPI) — A Spanish mayor has become the first in the country to issue a proclamation creating an official afternoon nap time for the entire city.  Mayor Joan Faus Vitoria of Ador in Valencia declared 2 to 5 p.m. as the official time for the city’s residents to take their afternoon siestas.  The edict asks residents to keep quiet during the siesta hours and the mayor recommended children be kept inside to prevent noise from traveling into open windows.  The mayor said the nap time was chosen due to the high afternoon heat making 2 to 5 p.m. the ideal time to take a break from working in fields.  Coming soon:  Official happy times.  Coming after that:  selling the country to a foreign nation to pay for revenues lost during the official nap times.

ANOTHER HORROR – From CBS:   CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. -- A gunman unleashed a barrage of gunfire at two military facilities Thursday in Tennessee, killing four Marines and wounding two other service members and a police officer, officials told CBS News.  The shooter also was killed. Law enforcement sources told CBS News that the shooting suspect was identified as 24-year-old Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez. According to a U.S. law enforcement source, Abdulazeez was born in Kuwait and came to the United States in 1996. It's unclear if and when he became an American citizen.  A U.S. official told CBS News that Abdulazeez was not on law enforcement radar concerning possible terror links or aspirations. The FBI was not aware of him as being any kind of threat.  Repeat after me:  This has nothing to do with anything taught in Islam today.   It's a coincidence, just another coincidence.

July 16,  2015     Permalink

HILLARY DOING A TITANIC – AT 8:24 A.M. ET:  She continues to sink, but her friends are not yet rushing to the few lifeboats.  From the Politico: 

Hillary Clinton is still leading the Democratic field for 2016, but her lead has shrunk in recent months, according to a Monmouth University poll out Wednesday, as independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders continues to make steady gains, despite trailing by a wide margin.

Among Democrats and those leaning toward the Democratic Party, Clinton picked up the support of 51 percent, down from 57 percent in June and 60 percent in April.

Sanders came in second with 17 percent, followed by former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb with 1 percent each. Lincoln Chafee, the former governor and senator from Rhode Island, registered no support.

If Vice President Joe Biden were to run, however, the results suggest that he would take some votes from Clinton. He has not announced his intentions, but poll respondents backed him with 13 percent, just behind Sanders.

Among voters who said they were likely to vote for Biden in the event of his candidacy, 68 percent said they currently support Clinton, while 18 percent said they are backing another candidate, with 14 percent undecided.

Clinton continues to have the best favorability ratings among her Democratic rivals in the Monmouth poll (74 percent favorable to 17 percent unfavorable), though Biden is close behind (67 percent to 17 percent).

COMMENT:  If Clinton is down to only 51% support, she has serious worries, and might have to bring in grown-ups to run her campaign.  There is serious talk about Joe Biden getting into the ring, and, if that happens, Clinton might well dip below 50%, creating a psychological storm.

Even the Dems aren't yearning for Clinton.  The party is a mess, Michelle Obama isn't running, and Jimmy Carter doesn't know there's an election. 

July 16, 2015       Permalink

ANOTHER IRAN-DEAL SELLOUT – AT 8:16 A.M. ET:   The more we learn about the Iran deal, the worse it gets.  From the Washington Free Beacon: 

The Iranian nuclear deal reached in Vienna contains no reference to the Parchin military facility where most of Iran’s past nuclear arms-related work was carried out.

Additionally, the draft agreement made public on Tuesday contains no stated limits on Iran’s Russian-made Bushehr nuclear power facility that analysts say could produce plutonium for dozens of bombs.

Also, the accord will lift international sanctions on several Iranian entities currently engaged in supporting terrorism and building ballistic missiles, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)-Air Force Al Ghadir Missile Command.

The Tehran-based command is a key element in developing nuclear-tipped missiles and is considered to be in operational control of Iranian missiles.

The lifting of sanctions in eight or fewer years will also include removing sanctions on Parchin Chemical Industries—a firm involved in the past in Iranian ballistic missile and chemical explosive work that was possibly related to nuclear arms applications.

COMMENT:  Don't you feel safer?  John Kerry does.  Barack Obama certainly does.  And he has the comfy knowledge that the forces he really feels close to have won another round, with his active help.  My, my, I can imagine his post-presidency, and where he'll be visiting.

July 16, 2015       Permalink

ON THIS DAY – AT 8:07 A.M. ET:  The day is symbolic, given the events of the week.  On this day in 1945, exactly 70 years ago, the United States detonated the first nuclear device in the New Mexico desert.  It was familiarly called "the gadget," and the test was called Trinity. 

This week the United States and other powers concluded a nuclear agreement with Iran, one of the worst regimes in the world, supposedly to prevent that country from getting its own nuclear bomb.  The agreement does nothing of the kind, and we can expect Iran will eventually be a nuclear power. 

America on this day in 1945 was led by Harry S. Truman, a man ridiculed by some as too minor for the presidency, and who achieved the office only because he'd been vice president when Franklin D. Roosevelt died suddenly on April 12th of that year.  But Truman grew in office, and is now regarded as one of our great, or near-great presidents.  It was under his leadership that the foundation of our struggle against Soviet Communism was put in place. 

Today America is led by one Barack Hussein Obama Jr., a man seen as a demigod by some when he was swept into office in 2008 with the help of an adoring press.  But he has shrunk in office, and is the petty little man we see today.

This week, with his "agreement" with Iran, Barack Obama put this country in grave danger.  It is something Harry Truman would never have done. 

And yet Harry Truman could not come anywhere near the presidential nomination of his party, the Democratic Party, today. 

Sad.

July 16,  2015      Permalink