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