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I appeared on Silvio Canto's talk show from Dallas yesterday.  It's here.

MAY 25,  2015

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

APPROPRIATE? – Michelle Obama gave an address at Oberlin College in Ohio today, delivering a fairly standard liberal message.  Oberlin is one of the most reliably left-wing colleges in the country.  What struck me, though, was that Oberlin's graduation was held on Memorial Day.  Entirely inappropriate, in my view, but the kind of insensitivity we've come to expect from liberals.  I'm sure the trendy college could have given out diplomas on some other day.

HOLLYWOOD DIVES – From showbiz411:  "This weekend’s box office will be the worst for a Memorial Day since 2001. 'Tomorrowland,' a bad movie, narrowly edged out hold over 'Pitch Perfect 2.' An unnecessary remake of 'Poltergeist' was a close third. Surprisingly, 'Mad Max: Fury Road' has not proven to be a blockbuster, although it’s doing ok. Theaters are living on the dribs and drabs of 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' and 'Furious 7' for audiences.  The movie business is now consumed with Marvel and DC comics movies. And sequels to things no one liked in the first place. Instead of the potentially great new filmmakers being encouraged to make new films, brave new worlds, the money is entrapping them in this stuff. What a shame. What happened to originality? The studios are too scared to get involved in it. And the movie audience has other things to do, apparently."  Good analysis of a fading industry. 

NO BRAVE NEW ROAD – From Daily Caller:  "President Obama’s promise to have 1 million electric or hybrid cars on the road by 2015 has been an abysmal failure, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg, as private and government purchases of such vehicles have only reached 31 percent of the president’s original goal.  Obama made his promise in 2009, but as it became clear electric and hybrid car sales would never reach one million units the president scaled back his ambitions in March. Though, Obama has failed to even meet his scaled back goals, according to Bloomberg.  'The U.S. bought about 24,816 electric and hybrid vehicles during Obama’s presidency, or about 7 percent of government purchases in that time,' according to government data obtained by Bloomberg. 'U.S. consumers bought about 286,814 of those models from 2009 to 2014, or 3 percent of overall sales.'"  Watch.  They'll try to make it mandatory for us. 

May 25, 2015       Permalink

THE DOCTOR IS IN – AT 12:15 P.M. ET:  I'm amazed at Ben Carson.  I don't think he'll get the Republican presidential nomination, but his guts and idealism are something to behold.  And he makes an impression.  Vice president perhaps?  From The Politico: 

OKLAHOMA CITY — Ben Carson won the straw poll at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference on Saturday, demonstrating his popularity among conservative activists at one of the party’s traditional presidential cattle-call events.

Carson, a former surgeon who formally launched his underdog campaign this month with an appeal to the GOP’s tea party wing, finished with 25 percent. He was followed by Scott Walker, who received 20 percent, and Ted Cruz at 16 percent. Chris Christie and Rick Perry tied at 5 percent. Jeb Bush, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal and Rand Paul each received 4 percent.

The straw poll victory doesn’t necessarily represent a breakthrough for Carson. Carson and Cruz, both middle-of-the-pack candidates in the early 2016 polls, mounted serious efforts to win the straw poll, but most candidates did not compete. They hoped it would give them badly needed momentum as they compete against a sprawling field of better-known and better-funded rivals. Four years ago here, Mitt Romney notched a narrow, one-vote win over Ron Paul.

COMMENT:  What candidates are shooting for right now on the GOP side is poll standing, which will determine whether they're included in the opening presidential debates.  There are something like 19 possible candidates, and no debate is possible with that number.  The powers, both TV and political, are now determining a formula for deciding who will be in, and who won't make the cut.

I fear that we may miss out on some real gems, like Dr. Carson, simply because of poll standing.  It's a reflection of the Republican Party's embarrassment of riches. 

May 25, 2015       Permalink

BUSH DID NOT LIE – AT 11:44 A.M. ET:  One of the most wrenching things about Memorial Day is thinking that some of the men and women who have died for us may have died in vain...because of deception.  We have, for example, been told by certain observers that President George W. Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction to get us involved in Iraq.

But Bob Woodward, who has been remarkably independent in his journalistic career, has done the journalistic research, and now assures us that Bush did not lie.  Two Congressional committees, bipartisan, came to the same conclusion, but the Democrats have persisted over the years in spreading the myth.  From Newsmax: 

Former President George W. Bush did not lie about the presence of weapons of mass destruction to justify the Iraq War, journalist Bob Woodward said Sunday.

The argument has been used for years by Democrats and other detractors, but Woodward said on "Fox News Sunday" that his own 18-month investigation showed that Bush was actually skeptical that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had WMDs as Saddam claimed.

Though plenty of mistakes were made in the invasion of Iraq, Bush actually told CIA Director George Tenet, "Don’t let anyone stretch the case on WMD," Woodward said.

The reason the United States went into Iraq was "momentum," he said.

"That war plan kept getting better and easier, and finally at the end people were saying, 'Hey, look, it'll only take a week or two.'"

Though it can be argued the war was a mistake, Woodward told host Chris Wallace, "there was no lie in this that I could find."

As for President Barack Obama's decision to leave no residual force behind when American troops left Iraq in December 2011, Woodward indicated it would have been better to have left 10,000-15,000 troops behind as "an insurance policy" as military commanders suggested.

"We have 30,000 troops or more in South Korea still, 65 years or so after the war," Woodward said. "When you’re a superpower, you have to buy these insurance policies, and he didn’t in this case. I don’t think you can say everything is because of that decision — but clearly a factor."

COMMENT:  I very much like Woodward's use of the term "insurance policies."  That's exactly what our troop commitments around the world are.  The insurance policies we took out in Europe, Korea and Japan have paid off very handsomely.  I'm not so sure the current administration realizes or respects past successes.  Obama's chaotic withdrawal from the Mideast, and his indulgence of Russian President Putin, indicates that our insurance policies are being cashed in, for very little return.

May 25, 2015        Permalink

MEMORIAL DAY – AT 11:24 A.M. ET:  We don't celebrate Memorial Day.  We observe it.  And I do believe, despite all the cynicism, that there are millions of Americans of all ages who do understand the meaning of this day.

I was particularly struck by comments of a Medal of Honor recipient, Ryan Pitts, invited to give the commencement address at the University of New Hampshire, his alma mater.  I was, first of all, surprised that a soldier would be asked to deliver a commencement address without a revolt by the faculty.  Maybe Pitts's alumnus status immunized him.  He spoke appropriate words: 

“Valor was everywhere that day,” he said Saturday, before drawing a moral for young people about to embark on their careers: “Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the ability to move forward in the face of it. There is beauty in this definition, because courage can exist in the decisions we make every day. Courage exists in the individual who accepts who they are and openly lives the life they want in the face of rejection. Courage exists in those who challenge their own perceptions in the face of accepting they are not infallible. Be courageous and appreciate courage in others who take action in the face of fear.”

He closed by saying: “The last thought I will leave you with is more a matter of character. Never forget those who helped you reach where you are.”

Then he named the men who died that morning, eight on Topside and one in the village of Wanat: “ Sergio Abad, Jonathan Ayers, Jason Bogar, Jonathan Brostrom, Israel Garcia, Jason Hovater, Matthew Phillips, Pruitt Rainey and Gunnar Zwilling. The advice here is simple: Appreciate the contributions of others and the impacts they make in your life. That’s it.”

COMMENT:  We still have great men and great women, and, if challenged again, they will rise to the challenge.  Even the age of Obama will not deter them.

May 25,  2015     Permalink

MAY 24,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:30 P.M. ET: 

ANOTHER COP EXECUTED – From ABC News:  "A New Orleans police officer was found shot dead in his marked patrol car this morning, city officials said.  The shooting was reported around 7 a.m., the New Orleans Police Department said in a news release. The victim's car rolled forward and struck a curb after the shooting.  The officer's name has not been released, but the New Orleans police identified the victim as a 45-year-old man who worked as a Housing Authority police officer."  Based on first reports, this has the earmark of an execution-style killing.  Let us now measure the outrage.

BIG MISTAKE – Jeb Bush is apparently repeating a mistake that Mitt Romney made in 2012.  From the New York Daily News:  "Jeb Bush is going for Maine over Main Street.  The all-but-certain 2016 candidate is having a huge house built for him at the Bush family compound at Walker’s Point, in Kennebunkport, Maine, the Boston Globe reported Sunday.  The former Florida governor’s new home will be built on a 1.3-acre site worth at least $1.4 million, the Globe reported, and was ordered built by Bush’s parents, former President George H.W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush.  The 3,000 square-foot, 4-bedroom, 4.5-bathroom “cottage” is expected to have a gorgeous wraparound porch and feature panoramic views of the Atlantic Ocean."  Remember that Mitt Romney was having a mansion built during the 2012 campaign?  It only emphasized his wealth.  Same mistake here.  Can't the house wait until the presidential campaign is over?  Doing this reveals a kind of tone deafness on Jeb's part.  Not a good political sign.

CHICAGO STORY – The carnage continues.  I thought black lives mattered.  From the Chicago Sun-Times:  "Six people were killed and at least 23 others—including a 4-year-old girl—have been wounded in shootings across Chicago this Memorial Day weekend, police said.  The 4-year-old, identified by her family as Jacele Johnson, was shot about 8 p.m. Friday in the West Englewood neighborhood.  She and her 17-year-old cousin Romare Wilson were inside an SUV in the 7000 block of South Justine when another vehicle pulled up and someone inside opened fire, according to their family and Chicago Police."  And the weekend isn't even over.  No outrage yet from Reverend Al.  I guess black lives only matter when they're politically useful.

May 24, 2015       Permalink

CLOWNS – AT 11:12 A.M. ET:  I'm regularly angered by people who call themselves "peace activists."  Aside from being pompous and presumptuous, these people never do anything that actually advances peace.  They usually advocate policies that lead to war, and then never take any responsibility for it.  And sometimes they are simply people who are siding with the enemy, and using the word "peace" as a shield.  From CNN: 

Paju, South Korea (CNN)An international group of female activists crossed the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea on Sunday in a controversial effort to bring attention to the need for peace between the two nations.

The group of about 30 members, called WomenCrossDMZ, included feminist Gloria Steinem and two Nobel Peace laureates, Mairead Maguire of Northern Ireland and Leymah Gbowee of Liberia.

On Sunday morning, a bus picked them up from the North Korean side and ferried them across the Demilitarized Zone that has separated the two Koreas for more than half a century.

"We feel very celebratory and positive that we have created a voyage across the DMZ in peace and reconciliation that was said to be impossible," Steinem said after the group, which had originally planned to walk across the zone, arrived in South Korea.

The activists said they acted as "citizen diplomats" in North Korea, speaking with women at a series of events during their time there.

"We can learn on paper and on screen," Steinem said. "But the ability to understand, not just learn, happens when we are together and able to empathize."

The group says women need to be involved in the peace-building process. It calls for reuniting families divided by the Korean War, and replacing the 1953 armistice with a permanent peace treaty -- demands similar to those made by the North Korean government.

Yeah, and that's the problem.  They're either dupes, or people who want to be dupes.  Sometimes they want very much to be dupes.

Other activists have criticized the event, saying the group is overlooking major problems faced by women under Kim Jong Un's authoritarian rule.

"It is absolutely outrageous that they completely ignore the suffering of the North Korean people, especially North Korean women," said Suzanne Scholte, head of the North Korea Freedom Coalition.

COMMENT:  They ignore these things because people like Gloria Steinem never really believed in human freedom.  They believe in government-controlled societies where "social justice" is delivered by those in power, whether elected or not.  "Equality" is their thing, not freedom.  As long as there's equality of misery, it's an improvement, in their narrow, authoritarian view.

May 24, 2015       Permalink

TRUE WORDS OF WISDOM – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 10:31 A.M. ET:  Retired Marine General James Mattis, former head of CENTCOM, has given a very blunt assessment of our situation in the world.  From the Washington Times: 

Retired Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis said the U.S. is suffering “strategic atrophy” that will threaten the long-term security of the nation.

The retired general and former Central Command (CENTCOM) commander made the remarks while speaking at the Heritage Foundation, a prominent conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday.

“The perception [among allies] is we’re pulling back,” Gen. Mattis said, the U.S. Naval Institute reported Thursday.

The conversation with Gen. Mattis covered a variety of topics, including Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire “to break NATO apart,” to China, which “is doing a pretty good job of finding friction points between our allies,” USNI reported.

Gen. Mattis praised the United Arab Emirates and Jordan for aiding the U.S. coalition in its fight against the Islamic State group. He added that he has “no doubt” that any foreign policy missteps can be rectified with the right leadership.

COMMENT:  That, of course, is the key.  The right leadership.  Mattis was plainly calling for new leadership in the United States.  We will have the chance to answer his call next year.  We'd better answer it correctly, for the future of this country is very much on the line. 

Mattis also said, "“The greatest generation taught us that if you don’t talk about something then things will go wrong fast."  So true, so true.

May 24, 2015       Permalink

WHY WE'RE LOSING – AT 8:25 A.M. ET:  There are reasons why nations lose battles and wars.  On this Memorial Day weekend, we might contemplate how many troops we have lost with confused or losing strategies.  From the Washington Times: 

Special operations forces are aggravated over being largely held back from the fight against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

Top U.S. special operations commanders say they are building forces for a multi-generational fight — not a war that will be won in the next few years.

“We recognize this is a longterm prospect,” Gen. Joseph Votel, the leader of U.S. Special Operations Command told The Daily Beast during a special operations forum in Tampa, Florida. “We’re patient.”

Lt. Gen. Bradley Heithold, who heads the Air Force Special Operations Command estimated that the fight could be “a 15-year struggle,” the Daily Beast reported Friday.

Special operations officers and troops in Tampa and Washington expressed their frustration over having to fight remotely in Iraq and Syria; advising Iraqis, Kurdish Peshmerga, and rebel Syrian fighters from afar instead of joining in the battle.

“We are doing everything through cellphones … It’s hard to do much when you can’t go outside the wire,” one special operator said, The Daily Beast reported.

And...

“You can’t say ‘We’re with you every step of the way, except when you are going on combat operations,‘“a former senior special operations official told The Daily Beast.

Many of the officers at the Tampa conference said that both Mosul and Ramadi, the two cities taken over by the terrorist group, could have withstood the sieges if U.S. military advisers had been working with Iraqi forces on the ground.

COMMENT:  We appear to be losing almost everywhere in the world.  In the Mideast, certainly.  In Ukraine, definitely.  In our confrontation with the new Russia, of course.  And in facing the Chinese military buildup in the Pacific, jury out, but "win" doesn't seem to be a word in the Obaman vocabulary.

We are cutting our forces when our enemies are building theirs.  The president seems at best indifferent to the plight of allies or potential allies.  Military defense seems a distraction to him and to the left wing of the Democratic Party that supports him.

The general who spoke of a 15-year struggle is probably being optimistic.  It took us 40 years to win the Cold War.  Our children, and their children, may well pay the price for the policies the United States is pursuing today.

May 24,  2015     Permalink