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

RUMBLINGS AT BREITBART – From Buzzfeed:  Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields and editor-at-large Ben Shapiro are resigning from the company over the site’s handling of Donald Trump’s campaign manager’s alleged assault on Fields, BuzzFeed News has learned.  Fields and Shapiro informed Breitbart News chairman Steve Bannon of their decision Sunday night.  “Today I informed the management at Breitbart News of my immediate resignation,” Fields said in a statement sent to BuzzFeed News. “I do not believe Breitbart News has adequately stood by me during the events of the past week and because of that I believe it is now best for us to part ways.”  In his own statement, Shapiro said the episode was emblematic of how he believes the site’s management had sold out the legacy of its founder and namesake, the late Andrew Breitbart.  There have been reports of substantial tension at Breitbart, a site that has often provided valuable information for conservatives.  I hate to see this happen.  Michelle Fields claims she was manhandled by a Trump official.  The Trump organization denies it.  An outside arbitrator should be brought in.

STRANGE AND CHILLING – From the Oregonian:   BELGRADE, Serbia — Serbia's authorities are investigating reports that a cargo package bound for Portland contained two missiles with explosive warheads on a passenger flight from Lebanon.  N1 television said the package with two guided armor-piercing missiles was discovered Saturday by a sniffer dog after an Air Serbia flight from Beirut landed at a Belgrade airport.  Serbian media say documents listed the final destination for the AGM-114 Hellfire missiles as Portland. The American-made projectiles can be fired from air, sea or ground platforms against multiple targets.  The Serbian state news agency Tanjug reported that the missiles had been packed in wooden coffins and unloaded at the Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport, where they were inspected by bomb-sniffing dogs.  The FBI says it's looking into the story.  I certainly hope so.  This is very serious stuff. 

PAINFUL – From The Hill:   Hillary Clinton is taking a new tack to boost her image in the Democratic presidential campaign.  Clinton acknowledged during Wednesday’s Democratic debate that she was “not a natural politician” and expanded on the theme in an interview with the SiriusXM radio show “The Mayor” the following day.  “This is harder for me,” she said. “I admire the skills my husband and President Obama have. They’re charismatic and they’re compelling and they’re great orators. I do get up every day and say, ‘What can I do to try make someone’s life better?’”   Few objective observers view such comments as spontaneous moments of candor. Rather, they see them as part of a strategy to warm up perceptions of the Democratic front-runner, who is seen suffering an enthusiasm deficit by comparison with her rival Bernie Sanders.  Each week I await the "new" Hillary.  It's almost exciting, like opening an old package of baseball cards, throwing away the bubble gum that came with them, and wondering which guys you got this time. 

March 13, 2016