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

THE REPUBLICAN DEBATE – There was another Republican debate tonight, hosted by CNN.  It was probably the best of the debates so far, with Trump, Rubio, Cruz, and Kasich participating.  Trump actually behaved himself and came off as marginally presidential, obviously an intentional tactic to improve his image.  However, his answers to many questions, especially on foreign policy, were vague, and sometimes sounded more leftist than Republican.  (He called the 1989 democracy protests in Tiananmen Square, China, a "riot.")  That shouldn't shock us, for Trump isn't a Republican or a conservative.  All the debaters were focused on Tuesday's primaries in Florida and Ohio.  Trump leads in Florida polling, an embarrassment to Marco Rubio, the senator from that state.  The race is closer in Ohio, Governor Kasich's home state, where most polls show Trump leading, but not by a large amount.  Pundits divided on who won tonight's debate, but no one thought it was a game changer. 

OUR CIVILIZATION LIVES – From the College Fix:   A petition asking Stanford University students to put to a campuswide vote the question of whether the study of Western Civilization should be required to earn a diploma has passed muster, its backers report.  The petition late Wednesday passed the 350-signature threshold necessary for consideration as a campuswide ballot measure just under deadline, reports the conservative-leaning Stanford Review, whose editorial board authored the petition.  It's good news, but the betting is that students, brainwashed by leftist education will turn down the excellent proposal.  Western Civilization used to be a staple of a college education.  But as the left became more and more powerful, it was seen as obsolete, the work of "dead white men," and a barrier to "social justice."  Even if Stanford students agree to the idea, the faculty must go along.  Some chance.

CARSON DECIDES – Dr. Ben Carson is expected to endorse Donald Trump for president, probably tomorrow.  The news came as a jolt, with observers wondering why a refined man like Carson would endorse the gruff, often coarse Trump.  We'll hear why from Carson directly when he makes his endorsement.  Some theorize that the endorsement makes sense, that Carson, loved by many Republicans, might wish to be on the ticket as vice presidential nominee, and that he's concluded that Trump will win the presidential nomination.  Also, there have been many reports that Trump is making headway in the black community, and Dr. Carson could only help that progress. 

March 10, 2016