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JULY 28,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:54 P.M. ET: 

MAJOR END-OF-WORLD NEWS – From the Washington Times:  Prince Charles is warning that there are only 35 years left to save the planet from climate disaster, which represents a 33-year extension of his previous deadline.  In March 2009, the heir to the British throne predicted that the world had 100 months “before we risk catastrophic climate change,” as pointed out by Climate Depot’s Marc Morano.  “Prince Charles gives world reprieve: Extends ‘100-Month’ climate ‘tipping point’ to 35 more years,” says the Tuesday headline on the Climate Depot website.  The British blog Not A Lot of People Know That announced in a July 19 post, “Charlie Gives Us a Reprieve!”  I'm so relieved.  Imagine, we have a full 35 years left.  The prince of Wales says so, and the royal household is always right.

MAJOR BEAUTY NEWS – We want our gracious queen to look her best.  From the New York Post:  Hillary Clinton put part of Bergdorf Goodman on lockdown on Friday to get a $600 haircut at the swanky John Barrett Salon.  Clinton, with a huge entourage in tow, was spotted being ushered through a side entrance of the Fifth Avenue store on Friday.  A source said, “Staff closed off one side of Bergdorf’s so Hillary could come in privately to get her hair done. An elevator bank was shut down so she could ride up alone, and then she was styled in a private area of the salon. Other customers didn’t get a glimpse. Hillary was later seen with a new feathered hairdo.”  Clinton regularly sees salon owner John Barrett, who charges regular mortals $600 for a cut and blow-dry. Hair color can cost an extra $600.  I will of course alert readers when I have my hair styled.  I am served by the very famous and exclusive Henry's.  Eighteen bucks.  About 15 minutes.  Free parking.

GREAT! – From Breitbart:   The only female GOP presidential candidate, Carly Fiorina, former Hewlett Packard CEO, is ranking in the top ten among the GOP presidential candidates in two national polls.  Fiorina has often been critical of the female Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton and has said she wants the opportunity to debate Clinton.  Public Policy Polling released a new national poll last week, which has Fiorina tied for sixth place with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)...In order to make the first GOP presidential primary debate on August 6th in Cleveland, Ohio, Fiorina must place in the top 10 of all candidates based on the ranking from an average of five national polls, according to the criteria set out by the host of the debate, Fox News.  Wonderful news.  I think Carly will make it into the first debate next week.  She is a superb campaigner, and wows every audience.  Her speech at the Reagan Library this week got rave reviews.  She's also a fighter!

July 28, 2015       Permalink

THE FIELD MARSHAL ASSESSES HIMSELF – AT 12:20 P.M. ET:   President Obama, in Africa, announces that he would win a third term if only the pesky Constitution didn't stand in the way.  From the Washington Free Beacon: 

President Obama told the African Union Tuesday that he felt he had been a “pretty good” president and if he were allowed to run for a third term, he’d probably be victorious.

Obama made the remarks while criticizing leaders on the continent who wouldn’t step aside at the conclusion of their terms.

“Now, let me be honest with you,” Obama said. “I do not understand this. I am in my second term. It has been an extraordinary privilege for me to serve as the President of the United States. I cannot imagine a greater honor or a more interesting job. I love my work. But under our Constitution, I cannot run again.”

The crowd cheered appreciatively.

“I actually think I’m a pretty good president,” he said. “I think if I ran, I could win. But I can’t. So there’s a lot that I’d like to do to keep America moving, but the law is the law.”

As it stands, the Democratic Party appears it will have to make do with Hillary Clinton as its 2016 standard-bearer.

COMMENT:  I don't think he'd be re-elected if he could run again.   The Republican National Committee is under good management, and the party has learned a great deal about how to run a modern campaign.  There are enough outstanding Republican candidates from whom to choose.  I think one of them would win narrowly against Obama, but the legendary Democratic ground game, and the clear press bias, might be enough to prove me wrong.

July 28, 2015       Permalink

NUTS – AT 9:22 A.M. ET:  Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of my state of New York is a public embarrassment.  Even though she holds the title of "senator from New York," once a prestigious label in American politics, I guarantee that she could walk down a New York street and few would know who she is, such is her lack of eminence.

She was appointed by pathetic Governor David Patterson to fill out the term vacated by Hillary Clinton, when she was made secretary of state by Barack Obama.  Allegedly, she was picked to block the rise of Caroline Kennedy, who wanted the job, but who found it difficult to complete an English sentence in public appearances.  Kennedy is now safely installed as ambassador to Japan.

Gillibrand's extreme form of feminism does not help women at all.  It repels rather than attracts.  Now she is showing her usual insensitivity, this time to the appalling revelations in the recent videos dealing with Planned Parenthood.  From the Washington Free Beacon: 

Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.) is fundraising off of the Planned Parenthood controversy, condemning Republicans lawmakers for pushing to defund the federally funded organization after video surfaced of officials touting the sale of aborted baby body parts.

The Weekly Standard reported that Gillibrand circulated a fundraising email Monday blasting congressional Republicans for spearheading an investigation into Planned Parenthood following the release of two videos by the non-profit Center for Medical Progress.

“Right now, Republicans in Washington are pushing legislation allowing employers to fire single women for getting pregnant–AND they’re leading an ‘investigation’ to undercut Planned Parenthood,” Gillibrand wrote in the message to potential supporters. “This makes my head explode.”

“I’m confident that if we had more women leading in Washington, we would not still be dealing with the right wing’s efforts to trample women’s health care.”

Gillibrand, who previously deemed it “vital” that a woman become president in 2016, called on voters to support Reps. Tammy Duckworth (D., Ill.) and Donna Edwards (D., Md.) and California Attorney General Kamala Harris , all of whom are running for Senate in 2016.

COMMENT:   As the father of two daughters and a working wife, I certainly favor equality for women and advancement of women.  But Gillibrand hurts the cause with her sledgehammer approach and her failure to respect the feelings and sensibilities of women and men who disagree with her.  Her support of California Attorney General Kamala Harris is especially noteworthy, as Harris has announced she will investigate the practices, not of Planned Parenthood, but of the filmmakers who made the videos exposing the organization.  So much for the First Amendment.

Gillibrand is now notorious for inviting the famous "mattress girl" of Columbia University to the State of the Union.  "Mattress girl" became a news item for carrying her mattress around campus, claiming she'd been raped on it.  Her story had been discredited by very capable people, but Gillibrand continues to believe. 

It's impossible to get rid of Gillibrand in a fanatically Democratic state like New York.  But we can learn to ignore her until she matures.

July 28, 2015        Permalink

TRUMP TRUMPS – AT 8:46 A.M. ET:   Like him or loathe him, Donald Trump is showing real strength in early polling.  Whether it will last is another matter, but his Republican competitors must find a way to deal with him.  He's hit a nerve.  From Byron York at the Washington Examiner: 

A new poll of voters likely to take part in the New Hampshire Republican primary shows Donald Trump with the biggest lead he has yet held in the GOP race. The Monmouth University poll, released Tuesday morning, has Trump at 24 percent -- double the support of the next-highest Republican, Jeb Bush, at 12 percent.

Scott Walker and John Kasich are tied for third at seven percent apiece -- a significant drop for Walker from recent months and a significant advance for Kasich, who announced his candidacy on June 21. Following are Marco Rubio, at six percent; Ben Carson and Rand Paul, five percent; Chris Christie, four percent; Ted Cruz and Carol Fiorina, three percent; and the rest of the field.

The survey suggests Trump's appeal is strong across the spectrum of voters likely to go to the polls in the New Hampshire primary. Among registered Republicans, his support is 21 percent. Among independents, who are allowed to vote in the GOP primary, his support is 29 percent. Trump leads among voters who call themselves very conservative, as well as among those who call themselves somewhat conservative. Only among moderate voters does Bush lead, and even among them, Trump is just four points behind.

Trump has a huge lead among voters under 50 years old -- 30 percent to Rand Paul's 12 percent. Trump also has a solid advantage among voters over 50 -- 21 percent to Bush's 13 percent.

COMMENT:  Pundits are trying to figure out Trump's appeal.  It's probably that he seems to be a straight talker, uninhibited by political convention, and good at identifying issues, like immigration, that have hot-button appeal. 

But let's see what happens in the next 60 days.  If he continues to lead, he will have to be taken seriously as a potential nominee, even though I believe that will not happen.  But they said that a young, black senator from Illinois had no chance either.

July 28, 2015       Permalink

AMERICANS STILL REJECT IRAN PACT – AT 8:29 A.M. ET:  A new CNN poll shows that the most important foreign-policy initiative of the Obama administration still cannot get majority support among Americans.  From the Washington Examiner: 

Despite President Obama's high approval rating, a majority of Americans want Congress to reject the recently-negotiated Iran nuclear deal.

Obama's approval rating sits at 49 percent — the highest it has been since June 2013 — however, 52 percent of Americans say they would like to see Congress reject one of the president's biggest foreign policy accomplishments in recent years. Forty-four percent say it should be approved, according to a new CNN/ORC poll.

A definite partisan gap exists about desires for the nuclear deal with Iran, which was announced earlier this month: 66 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of independents say Congress should reject it. However, roughly six in 10 (61 percent) of Democrats say the deal should be approved.

An age divide also exists about the nuclear deal: 52 percent of those age 18-34 say it should be approved, while 56 percent of those 35 years and older say the deal should be rejected.

COMMENT:  You'd think that if the deal had any validity Obama would have sold it by now.  But it's a bad deal and Americans realize it.  We won't pay the price.  Our children and their children will pay the price.  But that doesn't bother the egos in the administration who have Nobel prizes in their eyes.

July 28,  2015     Permalink

JULY 27,  2015

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

CASH FOR JEB – From Bloomberg:   Behind a garden modeled on Monet's, Jeb Bush addressed a lawn-full of chief executives and hedge-fund managers at an East Hampton, New York, estate Saturday morning. While the candidate is no stranger to courting wealthy donors, this time was different: about half the attendees were Democrats.  "This guy sells well," said Kenneth Lipper, the money manager and registered Democrat who hosted the event, after Bush left. Virtually the only one who left without writing a check, Lipper said, was a buck deer that wandered past the group assembled on the wooded grounds.  Fascinating story.  Jeb is clearly positioning himself as the candidate who can cut across party lines and appeal to the great American middle...and to minorities.  That's fine, as long as he maintains a strong conservative position.  Reagan ran as a strong conservative, but had the ability to appeal to disenchanted Democrats, creating the Reagan Democrats.  Jeb, should he be the nominee, would have the same opportunity. 

DR. BEN ON CALL – From Breitbart:   Retired pediatric neurosurgeon and 2016 GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson will be the featured speaker Tuesday at the Washington, D.C. #WomenBetrayed rally to defund Planned Parenthood.  To date, some 60 cities are confirmed as holding rallies – all of which have been coordinated by the nation’s largest organization of pro-life millennials, Students for Life of America (SFLA) and its partner organization Pro-Life Future. The rallies urge citizens across the nation to demand their states investigate, prosecute and defund Planned Parenthood.  The Washington, D.C. rally will be held on Capitol Hill.  I think Democrats are underestimating the power of the Planned Parenthood videos that have come to light.  Abortion, in particular late-term abortion. may well be the sleeper issue in next year's election.

MAJOR PARTYING NEWS – From PanAm Post:  Without knowing the crimes alleged against him, the general director of the Venezuelan Federation of Liquor Producers (Fevelif) was arrested on Friday, July 24. According to local media, Fray Roa could appear in court on Monday, July 27.  While there remains no stated justification for the arrest, Venezuelans haven’t failed to notice that it occurred right after Roa shared revelations with journalist Gabriela Frías on her television program Global Portfolio, broadcast on CNN en Español...“Fray Roa reported the emergency that the distillation sector in Venezuela is facing; now the SEBIN have taken him away. They did the same with a doctor. What does that solve?”...The industry representative complained about the lack of raw materials for the production of beer and malt in the country. Moreover, the businessman took the opportunity to announce a “zero-hour” (planned strike) to protest the critical situation Venezuelan liquor producers are facing.  Roa reported that the perilously low stocks of beer would only last until the first week of August, and explained that this is largely due to the non-payment of US$2.7 billion that the regime owes the brewing industry.  What a crisis.  What does a college fraternity in Caracas do?  I'm sure President Obama is readying aid.  Please send bottles of Bud to families in need.

July 27,  2015     Permalink

MORALE BOOSTER – AT 4:58 P.M. ET:  Yes, I know, the news is grim.  Things seem to be falling apart.   A pseudo-president sits in the White House.  The country appears to be failing as never before.

And yet...there are moments when we realize that there's a lot more to America than headlines written on the west side of Manhattan.  My wife and I went to West Point on Saturday to hear a concert by the United States Military Academy Band – our nation's oldest military band – and the alumni Glee Club.  It was a tremendous boost to the morale.  The performance was sharp.  The audience was respectful, and appreciated the patriotic tone.  The academy itself is inspiring, and its presence reminds us that there are men and women of character in our young generation who will always answer the call.  You might be interested in some photographs I took Saturday.  I'll be posting pictures from time to time as I visit more historic sites in America:

United States Military Academy Band and alumni Glee Club performing at Trophy Point Saturday night,
July 25, 2015.  In the background is Constitution Island (which is also featured on the daily masthead
of Urgent Agenda.)  There are still remains from forts on Constitution Island that defended West Point
during the Revolutionary War.  During that war West Point was a military installation only.  It became
the site of the United States Military Academy in 1802, during the administration of Thomas Jefferson.

The base of Battle Monument at Trophy Point, United States Military Academy, West Point.   The monument was designed
by the distinguished architect, Stanford White, and was dedicated in 1897 by veterans of the Civil War.  It memorializes
officers and soldiers of the Regular Army killed in that war.   The monument is surrounded by greened cannons placed
barrel down in the ground, symbolizing the desire that Americans never fire on each other again.

Jefferson Hall, a library building at the United States Military Academy, West Point.  It will surprise the political left
that West Point has a library.  It actually has several, which are well equipped and well attended.  West Point accepts
only 9% of applicants, making it one of the most competitive educational institutions in the nation.

July 27,  2015     Permalink

WHAA..?  QUOTE OF THE DAY – OBAMA WOWS THE HOMEBOYS – AT 10:08 A.M. ET:  Look, I don't begrudge the president returning in triumph to his father's native country of Kenya, as he did last week.  After all, President Kennedy went to Ireland after taking office, and we cheered him.Irish-Americans were understandably proud. 

But our current president has a way of messing things up, and he came out with a quote in Kenya that even had the locals laughing.  This is what he said, while lecturing Kenyans on how they should behave: 

"Too often, here in Kenya -- as is true in other places -- corruption is tolerated because that’s how things have always been done.....There was a time in the United States where that was true, too. My hometown of Chicago was infamous for Al Capone and the Mob and organized crime corrupting law enforcement. But what happened was that over time people got fed up, and leaders stood up and they said, we're not going to play that game anymore..... Here in Kenya, it's time to change habits, and decisively break that cycle."

COMMENT:  Only Barack Obama would use Chicago as a symbol of governmental reform.  Well of course.  The Chicago machine produced...him.  And he's always been loyal.  Mayor Rahm Emanuel?  Perfection. 

And yes, Kenyans did laugh at his Chicago reference.  They know more than he thinks they do.

Obama lectured Kenyans on many things...their imperfect past, gay rights, and political corruption.  They must've loved it.  I mean, it isn't as if he's has actually succeeded, or anything like that.  And I really don't recall President Kennedy, on his trip to Ireland, saying, "Look, you really have to be more like me."

Only Obama.  Eighteen more months.

July 27, 2015       Permalink

SANE DEMS STARTING TO WORRY – AT 9:16 A.M. ET:  There are actually some sane people left in the Democratic Party, although you won't find too many on the streets of New York City or Beverly Hills.  They're out there, though, in places with quaint names like Tennessee or South Carolina or Texas or Ohio.  I even have some names.

And many of these sane Democrats are starting to panic over their once-great party's march to the left.   They wonder how the party of Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy can remain truly national if it appeals to only a small segment of the population.  From The Politico:

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. — Centrist Democrats were wiped out in the 2014 elections and in their absence emerged a resurgent liberal movement, embodied most recently by the surprisingly competitive presidential campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

But the suddenly ascendant left — its populist overtones becoming part of the mainstream Democratic pitch — is worrying Democrats who want to compete on Republican-leaning turf. The party lost every competitive gubernatorial and Senate race in the South last year. And Democrats didn’t fare much better in the heartland.

Now, as Bernie Sanders’s surge foreshadows a new burst of progressivism, moderate Democrats are looking to their counterparts in Washington with a plea: Don’t freeze us out.

“The national Democratic Party’s brand makes it challenging for Democrats in red states oftentimes and I hope that going forward, the leaders at the national level will be mindful of that and they will understand that they can’t govern the country without Democrats being able to win races in red states,” said Paul Davis, who narrowly failed to unseat Republican Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback last year.

Davis and his ilk were partly victims of a historically dismal year for Democrats, who saw their gubernatorial ranks fall to 18. Their candidates were weighed down by perceptions that President Barack Obama was too liberal. Now, Democrats in red states are worried that the party’s shift toward an even more polarizing, populist tone could turn off the swing voters they need to mount a comeback in 2015 and 2016, when a handful of GOP-tilted states with Democratic governors are on the ballot.

“It’s important that the Democratic party be ‘big-tent,’” said Vincent Sheheen, who lost last year to South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. “So if the result of that kind of rhetoric is an antagonism toward or a hostility toward the moderate elements of the Democratic Party then yeah, it’s big trouble and big problems.”

COMMENT:   Oh, those fools.  Don't they realize that liberal Democrats despise them and their culture?  The moderates are the "flyover people," the people who don't count, the people who never had a serving of tofu and can't identify fine wines.  Who needs them?  What do they do?  Make cars and grow food?

The Democratic Party's lurch to the left is bad for the party and bad for America.  The party has become a danger to our national defense and, indeed, our national existence.  Maybe, if they're defeated next year, the Dems will come to their senses.  But I really wonder about that.  Their amen corner in the national media love the idea of a true left-wing party, and they're egging the nuts on.

July 27, 2015       Permalink

THE IRAN DEAL – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  Like a bad movie, you can't wait for it to end.  But it isn't ending.  The more we learn about it, the worse it gets.  Can you imagine the sequel?

The Wall Street Journal is doing some of the best reporting on the Iran deal.  This morning it has another devastating report:

An Obama administration assessment of the Iran nuclear deal provided to Congress has led a number of lawmakers to conclude the U.S. and world powers will never get to the bottom of the country’s alleged efforts to build an atomic weapon, and that Tehran won’t be pressed to fully explain its past.

In a report to Capitol Hill last week, the administration said it was unlikely Iran would admit to having pursued a covert nuclear weapons program, and that such an acknowledgment wasn’t critical to verifying Iranian commitments in the future.

Details of the report, which haven’t been previously disclosed, indicate the deal reached this month could go ahead even if United Nations inspectors never ascertain conclusively whether Iran pursued a nuclear weapons program—something Tehran has repeatedly denied.

The issue of Iran accounting for its alleged past work has emerged as a flash point in the debate between Congress and the White House over the July 14 agreement. Lawmakers initiated a two-month review of the accord last week, and many have demanded answers about Iran’s nuclear weapons history.

COMMENT:   You'll notice how the administration's line has changed.  When it went into these negotiations it promised all kinds of red lines – that we would know Iran's research past, that we would have "anytime anywhere" inspections, that sanctions could be "snapped back" if Iran violated the pact.

The final agreement respects none of those red lines.  We caved on everything.  We caved because Barack Obama doesn't really care if Iran gets nuclear weapons, as long as the Iranians get them on some other president's watch.   All he cares about is getting a legacy agreement that will impress the political left and the "international community," which is his real audience.  He is sometimes called the first "post-American" president.  That is correct.  I hope he's the last.

July 27,  2015     Permalink