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MARCH 8,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:22 P.M. ET: 

A NEW DEFINITION FOR "DUMB" – From Fox:  "Two American tourists now have a criminal record in Italy after they were caught carving their names into Rome's Colosseum, according to The Guardian.  The visiting Californians snuck away from their tour group on Saturday and began scratching their initials into the amphitheater walls using a coin, The Guardian reported.  Police caught the pair but not before they managed to carve a 'J' and an 'N' around 3 inches high into the Colosseum wall. The paper also reports that the women took a selfie with their carvings.  The young women, aged 21 and 25, were cited for 'aggravated damage to a building of historical and artistic interest,' according to The New York Post."  Had they carved "Barack," the US Embassy would have come to their aid. 

POOR CHOICE – The Chicago politicians are at it in the White House again.   Robert Malley, a US negotiator at the 2000 Camp David talks on the Mideast, has been named to head the Mideast desk at the National Security Council.  Problem is, Malley is known for his anti-Israel positions.  I guess the payback for Bibi's speech has already begun.  It's the way small timers operate.  Had Obama been a real American president, rather than a student-government president, he would have appointed someone in whom our Israeli ally had confidence, to show that he could rise above his personal disputes with Netanyahu and reaffirm the alliance.  Petty man, this Obama, a cross between Jimmy Carter and Richard Nixon.

TREY ON THE CASE – From the New York Post:  "WASHINGTON – The chairman of the House Benghazi Committee said 'there are huge gaps' in the Hillary Clinton emails turned over to his committee investigating the deadly attack that killed four Americans on Sept. 11, 2012.  For instance, there were no emails on Oct. 18, 2011, the day of the iconic picture of the Secretary of State clad in sunglasses and bracing her Blackberry on a plane to Libya. In fact there were no emails from that entire trip.  'We don’t have all of them,' said Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), whose committee unearthed the existence of Clinton’s exclusive personal accounts.  'It strains credibility to believe that if you’re on your way to Libya to discuss Libyan policy, that there’s not a single document that’s been turned over to Congress. So there are huge gaps,' said Gowdy, who has requested emails related to Libya, before, during and after the attack."  The future for Hillary looks suddenly "iffy."

March 8, 2015       Permalink

IRAN ARMS – AT 11:44 A.M. ET:   While America cuts its defense budget, Iran continues to build its missile program.  Strikingly, that program is not part of the current nuclear negotiation with Iran.  That has left many observers in dismay, since the program includes ICBM's, which are only built to carry nuclear weapons.  But Barack is on the case.  From AFP:

Tehran (AFP) - Iran on Sunday unveiled two new missiles and two new drones it said have been added to its arsenal, in a ceremony attended by President Hassan Rouhani.

The Ghadir (Mighty), with a range of 300 kilometres (185 miles), is a ground-to-sea and sea-to-sea missile, the official IRNA news agency said.

It is in the same family as the Ghader or Qader cruise missile, which has a range of 200 kilometres.

The other missile unveiled on Sunday, the Nasr-e Basir (Clear Victory), is equipped with a seeker homing head. Its range was not given.

The new Karar-4 (Striker) drone can track and monitor enemy aircraft, the agency said, while the Mohajer-4 (Migrant) drone is designed to perform photographic and mapping missions.

Iran has developed a major missile programme in addition to producing different types of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), including attack drones.

The United States, whose Fifth Fleet is based in Sunni-ruled Bahrain across the Gulf from the mainly Shiite Islamic republic, has repeatedly expressed concern about these two programmes.

Rouhani on Sunday sought to allay such fears.

"Iran has no intention to interfere in, dominate or attack other countries or plunder their resources," he said in a speech broadcast on state television, adding that the country's military doctrine was defensive.

"But at the same time we will stand up to any aggression," he added.

COMMENT:  Recently the Iranians produced a video showing a simulated attack on an American aircraft carrier.  Clearly, they have our navy in mind when developing these missiles.   The Iranians are not stupid, they're not backward, they're not Third World. They're becoming an advanced nation with a fanatical regime, and they are a serious threat.  With nuclear weapons, that threat will be magnified many fold.

March 8, 2015       Permalink

DARK HORSE? – AT 10:31 A.M. ET:   Hillary is getting wobbly.  Yes, she's still well ahead of anyone else for the Dem nomination, but reports across the web indicate that many Democrats are becoming uneasy with her "inevitability."  They're almost getting used to waiting for the next scandal, the next explanation, the next plea to "move on." 

If Hillary falters, the Dems have no obvious replacement.  Hillary set herself up as the queen-to-be, with no other contenders welcome.  But a few faces are starting to emerge.  Whether they'll last the week is another story.  From Fox: 

Former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley is emerging as a potential challenger to Hillary Clinton for the party’s 2016 presidential nomination but appears unwilling, at least for now, to mount a head-on challenge to the front-running Clinton.

O’Malley on Friday night at a Democratic fundraiser in key voting state New Hampshire declined to discuss two Clinton controversies -- donations to the Clinton Foundation and her use of a private email accounts -- much less use them to his political advantage.

“I like Hillary Clinton. I respect Secretary Clinton. I am not here to talk about Secretary Clinton," O’Malley said when asked after his speech about the foundation accepting large donations from foreign countries in the two years since Clinton left her post as secretary of state.

Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, have long been supportive of O’Malley, who reportedly got Hillary Clinton’s blessing to run for the White House as far back as 2013.

You need her blessing?

O’Malley’s speech Friday at the Merrimack County Democrats fundraiser in Concord, N.H., marks his first visit to the state since the midterm elections. He last visited New Hampshire in October to campaign on behalf of Democratic Gov. Maggie Hassan, who won re-election.

Clinton, also a former New York senator, has been the presumptive Democratic 2016 presidential nominee since polling started as far back as 2012, though she has yet to announce whether she is running.

With roughly 44 percent of the potential vote, formidable fundraising might and campaign infrastructure, Clinton has essentially cleared the field of potential primary challengers.

COMMENT:  O'Malley has kept his name before the political press for years, always with a hint that the presidency is in his sights.  But, aside from Hillary standing in his way, he has two major problems.  First, the Democratic Party is now a party of groups.  It has bought into the whole race, gender and ethnicity game, and the party is ready to nominate a woman.  There'll be a great sense of dismay among much of the base if it turns to another white guy.

Second, O'Malley committed one of the great sins of politics.  He wasn't able to elect is anointed successor.  Maryland is one of the most Democratic states in the Union, but now has a Republican governor, who succeeded O'Malley just recently.  That is no feather in O'Malley's cap.  It will be held against him. 

Other than that, the guy is in great shape.

March 8,  2015     Permalink

GRIM FORECAST – AT 10:02 A.M. ET:  The ranks of ISIS are growing, and are filling with Europeans.  From the Jerusalem Post:   

Europeans swelling the Islamic State group's ranks could reach 10,000 by the end of 2015, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls suggested on Sunday in an interview with French television, AFP reported Sunday.

"There are 3,000 Europeans in Iraq and Syria today. When you do a projection for the months to come, there could be 5,000 before summer and 10,000 before the end of the year," Valls warned, addressing the near three-fold increase of foreign born Islamic State militants.

"Do you realize the threat this represents?" he asked. "There have already been nearly 90 French people who have died out there with a weapon in their hand, fighting against our own values."

Different organizations have provided various estimates of how many fighters have joined the Islamic State and other groups like it.

According to the Tel-Aviv-based Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center, approximately between 6,000 and 7,000 fighters have traveled to Syria alone in order to fight the Assad regime. Meanwhile, the US State Department has suggested that as many as 20,000 fighters from one hundred different countries have passed through both Syria and Iraq.

COMMENT:  This recruiting will only stop when ISIS is handily defeated, and potential recruits realize it's a losing cause.  No one wants to join a losing cause.  But how do you win when "victory" is a dirty word in the Obama administration?

March 8, 2015        Permalink

MARCH 7,  2015

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

BRILLIANCE IN ACTION – From The Smoking Gun:  "MARCH 6--An Ohio man called 911 to report that his wife had stolen his cocaine, according to cops who subsequently arrested him on drug and other charges.  Robert Collins, 39, dialed the police emergency line late Wednesday night to report the cocaine theft, according to an Alliance Police Department report that does not detail the whereabouts of Collins’s spouse or the cocaine.  When officers arrived at Collins’s residence, he apparently had a change of heart and 'refused to tell police why he called 911.'  Investigators reported that Collins, who 'had a pipe used to smoke marijuana in his possession,' was 'arrested and charged with misuse of 911 and drug paraphernalia.' He also had an active arrest warrant in connection with a 2013 criminal case."  With his sense of morality, he could soon be working for Hillary.

THEY PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE – From AP:  "Kano (Nigeria) (AFP) - The leader of Nigeria's Boko Haram militants, Abubakar Shekau, pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS) group in an audio recording released Saturday.  'We announce our allegiance to the Caliph of the Muslims, Ibrahim ibn Awad ibn Ibrahim al-Husseini al-Qurashi,' said the voice on the message, which was believed to be that of Shekau and was released through Boko Haram's Twitter account. Qurashi is better known as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, leader of the IS group which has proclaimed a caliphate in parts of Syria and Iraq.  Shekau spoke in Arabic, but the message contained French and English subtitles."  What do we do in reply to an announcement like this?  Do we send flowers?  Hold an allegiance party?  I want to be sure we're culturally appropriate. 

THIS IS WHAT IT'S COME TO – From Daily Caller: "Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is facing accusations of racism and insensitivity for endorsing a white male U.S. representative to replace retiring Maryland Sen. Barbara Mikulski.  Major Democratic donor Steve Phillips, the founder of progressive group PowerPAC+, slammed the Nevada Democrat’s speedy, public endorsement of Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who is white, to replace the 78-year-old Mikulski, who announced earlier this week that she is stepping down. 'For Harry Reid to come out and endorse Van Hollen is insulting period,' Phillips told Buzzfeed. 'But to do it on the anniversary of the Selma 50th anniversary — to make an endorsement that would make the Senate less diverse — is outrageous and insulting.'"  I'm no fan of Harry Reid or Chris Van Hollen, but this is disgraceful.  What are we heading for, a quota system for the U.S. Senate? 

March 7, 2015       Permalink   

THE BIBI EFFECT? – AT 12:08 P.M. ET:   I've noticed several subtle changes since the prime minister of Israel spoke before Congress.  The administration's line on Iran has gotten tougher, and allies have now spoken more forcefully about their concerns over the proposed agreement. 

France, in particular, has made it clear that it is not satisfied with the agreement because it gives Iran too much.  The language used by France is remarkably similar to that used by Netanyahu.  And other European allies are reportedly grumbling about the U.S. taking over the negotiations with Iran and excluding them.

Secretary of State Kerry has just rushed around the Mideast, snubbing Israel, but going to several Arab capitals to assure nervous governments that the agreement with Iran will be a good one.  I don't see any smiling in these capitals.  From AFP:

Paris (AFP) - Top US diplomat John Kerry on Saturday sought to smooth differences with France over nuclear talks with Iran, agreeing with the French that there were still gaps to overcome in the "critical weeks" ahead.

The US secretary of state said it was up to Iran to prove its peaceful intentions to the world if it wants a deal on its nuclear programme ahead of the looming March 31 deadline.

He was speaking to reporters after a 20-minute meeting with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius in Paris where they tried to iron out their differing views on the deal.

France has privately expressed concerns that the final agreement will not include enough iron-clad guarantees to stop Iran acquiring a nuclear bomb.

"We want an agreement that's solid," Kerry said.

"We want an agreement that will guarantee that we are holding any kind of programme that continues in Iran accountable to the highest standards so that we know in fact that it is a peaceful programme."

Fabius emphasised that any deal to remove sanctions could not be thrashed out only between Iran and the US.

"These are multilateral negotiations and we are making sure our position is known," he said.

COMMENT:  Maybe the Europeans have gotten a little backbone from Bibi's speech.  They may not like him personally, but this isn't a popularity contest. 

In the end, though, the real decisions will be made by Town Councilman in training Barack Obama, and I think we all know where his sentiments lie.  He wants a legacy, at any cost.  He wants Iran to dominate the region, replacing Israel as America's most important ally.  It is up to Congress to block him.

March 7, 2015       Permalink

PATHETIC – AT 11:41 A.M. ET:  We're getting a first look at what a second Clinton administration will be like.  From Bloomberg: 

Hillary Clinton won’t be presiding over a soul-searching press conference or sitting down for a come-clean interview about her use of a private email address any time soon — at least if everything goes according to her team’s plan.

The former secretary of state and her advisers have decided to adopt a time-tested Clintonian approach: take a concrete step to ease the pressure, then wait out the storm, according to three sources with knowledge of her team’s approach.

Their theory is that her late Wednesday tweet asking the State Department to release the 55,000 pages of emails she provided to the agency would start to calm the media and political tempest, while giving her spokesman an easy answer to many journalists’ questions: ask State.

"It makes sense to settle in a little bit … people have very short memories."

Clinton and her team are aware that her tactics will only hold out for so long and that she’ll eventually have to answer questions about her e-mail practices, but she and her advisers are aiming to delay that moment, ideally until she formally announces she’s running for president. At that point, they hope, the controversy will have subsided to the point where her campaign launch will be a much bigger headline than her response to a month-old scandal. An added benefit to the approach: the potential for Republicans to overreach and overreact while Clinton stays silent.

Her Rose Garden tactics, time-tested as they are, pose substantial risk. The era is different than when last they were deployed. With Congressional committees probing and the constant stoking of Twitter, the furor may not be fully extinguished by simply sitting on it. Especially with new revelations—on her emails, the Clinton Foundation or something else—there's a danger she will be faced with questions so pressing they demand immediate answers or risk derailing her presidential ambitions.

COMMENT:  What a pathetic comment on a person who would be president.  I had assumed that the media would do the same favors for Hillary Clinton that they did for Barack Obama, come to save us.  I'm not so sure any longer.  Obama was a fresh face.  Clinton has more baggage than United Airlines.  And the American people, we hope, will not accept the kind of superficial reporting they saw during the last two presidential contests.

As I said, I hope.

March 7,  2015     Permalink

TERROR – AT 11:21 A.M.ET:  Suicide blasts in Nigeria.  From AP:

Police say four suicide bomb attacks Saturday killed at least 54 people and wounded 143 in the northeastern Nigerian city of Maiduguri that is the birthplace of the Boko Haram Islamic extremist group.

Police Commissioner Element Adoda said the blasts occurred over four hours in locations from a busy fish market to a crowded bus station.

Witnesses say a fifth explosion at a military checkpoint outside the city wounded three.

Boko Haram has attacked Maiduguri many times, with bombings and armed assaults since the insurgents were forced out of the city after a state of emergency was instituted in 2013.

Maiduguri is the capital of Borno state and the biggest city in northeastern Nigeria, the heart of an Islamic uprising that has killed about 12,000 people in nearly six years.

COMMENT:   Nothing to see, nothing to see.  As our president told us, the war on terror is winding down.  We simply must understand the socio-economic conditions that lead to these deviations from Islam.

It is reported that Obama is rushing a fresh supply of unemployment compensation checks to Nigeria.

March 7, 2015       Permalink