SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:58 P.M. ET: 

DISGRACEFUL – From AP:  "WASHINGTON (AP) -- The second-ranking Senate Democrat on Wednesday accused Republicans of putting the president's attorney general nominee 'in the back of the bus' by delaying her confirmation.  Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois made the comment on the Senate floor as he criticized the GOP over its handling of Loretta Lynch's nomination. She would become the nation's first black female attorney general, replacing Eric Holder, the first African-American in the job."  That is an ugly playing of the race card.  Lynch's nomination is being delayed because the Senate has other pressing business.  Race has nothing to do with it, and Durbin knows it.

CRAZY – From the Washington Times:  "President Obama, whose party was trounced in last year’s midterm election due in part to poor turnout among Democrats, endorsed the idea of mandatory voting Wednesday.  'It would be transformative if everybody voted,' Mr. Obama said during a town-hall event in Cleveland. 'That would counteract [campaign] money more than anything. If everybody voted, then it would completely change the political map in this country.'  Mr. Obama raised the subject during a discussion of curbing the influence of campaign donations in U.S. elections. The president said he had never discussed the idea publicly before, but said Australia and some other countries have compulsory voting.  The president didn’t commit to pushing a mandatory voting initiative at the federal level but said, 'that may end up being a better strategy in the short term' than finding a solution to curbing campaign donations."  What a nutty idea – being forced to vote.  And what if millions don't?  Do they send out the Marines?  The right to vote should always include the right not to vote.  Dems would favor compulsion because most of the low-information non-voters would vote Democratic. 

CLASS AND NO CLASS – Not only did Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulate Benjamin Netanyahu on his re-election, he did it in Hebrew on Twitter, then provided an English translation.  That's class.  Compare please to President Smalltime, in the White House, a petulant child who is so annoyed that Netanyahu won that he has thus far refused to congratulate him.  We're told that the congratulations will come within days.  Smalltime treats dictators far better.  He's demonstrated little respect for democracy.

MAJOR RESEARCH REPORT – From dishwashers.reviewed.com:  "We've got it all wrong folks. A new study in the Chemical Engineering Journal has discovered the best way to load a dishwasher, and we weren't even close.  Digital Trends reports that it's all about what's on the dirty dishes, specifically proteins and carbohydrates. Dishes covered in carbs like pasta should be placed in a circle in the center of your dishwasher, following the rotating sprayer arms of the machine.  As for protein-covered dishes, they should stay along the edges of the dishwasher, where they can spend more time getting sudsed up. And don't even think about overloading your dishwasher. This inhibits water flow in the machine, preventing dishes from getting clean."  I'm so glad I know this.  Now I'm an educated man.

March 18, 2015