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

APRIL 20,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:03 P.M. ET: 

PROFESSOR STROOCK – It once again gives me pleasure to recommend a military novel by Professor Will Stroock, one of our distinguished readers.  I highly commend "World War 1990 – Operation Arctic Storm," available at Amazon here.  The story involves a major world conflict fought in the northern tier, with combat in Alaska.  As usual with Stroock, you get an authoritatively written story, packed with action and real background on military forces.  The action is seen from a number of capitals and commanders.  Fast-paced reading.  I'm looking forward to Will's next, "World War 1990:  Operation Eastern Storm."

GOOD DECISION – The president of Israel is refusing to meet with Jimmy Carter when Carter comes to the region.  From the Jerusalem Post:  "President Reuven Rivlin has refused to meet with former US president Jimmy Carter during his upcoming visit to the region, due to his stances over recent years seen as 'anti-Israel.'  In recent years, Carter has become one of the most prominent critics of Israel, notably when during last summer's war with Hamas he denounced the IDF's Operation Protective Edge in Gaza as illegitimate."  Carter was the early version of Barack Obama.  It's about time someone stood up to him. 

WRECKAGE – One of the great sources of pride in New York City over the last 24 years has been the dramatic reduction in crime.  New York went from one of the most dangerous cities to one of the safest.  Now, thanks to Marxist Mayor Bill de Blasio, it is all in jeopardy.  From conservativetreehouse.com:  "No longer willing to play second fiddle to Chicago, New York has re-entered the race to sit atop the infamous list of most dangerous cities.  'NEW YORK, New York — Twenty people have been shot and one victim has died after shootings in NYC since Friday.'  While it is still too early to tell how successful Mayor De Blasio will be in his quest to retake the mantle from Chicago’s Mayor Rahm Emanuel, it appears his policies to remove law and order are unleashing the strongest villains amid his societal construct.  '[…] More than a dozen people were wounded Saturday night alone in NYC.  The rise in violence comes as Mayor de Blasio ends "stop and frisk" practices, others blame warmer weather.  According to CBS New York, Saturday’s shootings wounded eight people in the Bronx, three in Brooklyn and one in Manhattan.'"  I love those who blame warm weather.  Never blame the shooter.  No, sir.  They are just oppressed.  De Blasio, as noted in today's posts, wants to be president.

LET'S GET TOGETHER ON THIS – Vice President Joe Biden and Field Marshal Barack Obama might consider having a meeting, or at least an exchange of love letters, to get their stories on Iran straight.  From JTA:  "WASHINGTON (JTA) — An Iran nuclear deal will not include substantial sanctions relief at the front end, Vice President Joe Biden said.  'If at the front end they expect there to be total sanction relief or significant sanction relief, there will be no deal,' Biden said in an address in Cambridge, Mass., on Friday to a Democratic political action committee, Politico reported. 'This will be, "You have to earn it."  Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has said that there will be no deal between Iran and the major powers unless there is immediate total sanctions relief."  Biden contradicted his boss, who strongly hinted Friday that there could be immediate relief.  Discuss, fellas.  Discuss.

April 20, 2015       Permalink

GOOD FOR HER! – AT 11:32 A.M. ET:  I love it when military families, especially those who have made enormous sacrifices, speak out.  Now a Gold Star mother is speaking out against Obama's highly political chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  And she's right.  From Fox: 

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Martin Dempsey responded to reports that Ramadi, Iraq is on the verge of an Islamic State today by describing Ramadi as “not symbolic in any way.” In an open letter, Debbie Lee, whose son Marc was the first Navy SEAL casualty in Ramadi, responded to his remarks today.

I am shaking and tears are flowing down my cheeks as I watch the news and listen to the insensitive, pain inflicting comments made by you in regards to the fall of Ramadi.

“The city itself is not symbolic in any way”? Oh, really? Are you willing to meet with me and with the families who have lost a son, daughter, husband, wife, father, mother, aunt, uncle, grandson, or teammate?

My son Marc Lee was the first Navy SEAL who sacrificed his life in Ramadi Iraq Aug 2, 2006. His blood is still in that soil and forever will be. Remember that was when so many of our loved ones were taken from us. You said that “it’s not been declared part of the caliphate on one hand or central to the future of Iraq.” My son and many others gave their future in Ramadi. Ramadi mattered to them. Many military analysts say that as goes Ramadi so goes Iraq.

What about the troops who sacrificed their limbs and whose lives will never be the same. Our brave warriors who left a piece of themselves in Ramadi. What about the troops who struggle with PTS/TBI who watched their teammates breath their last or carried their wounded bodies to be medevac’d out of Ramadi.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  There should be a national campaign to send this mother to Washington, along with others, to confront this phony, fraudulent administration, with its indifference to the American soldier.

Will Dempsey, a veddy political general, turn down her request to see him?

April 20, 2015       Permalink

THE REAL OBAMA – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 10:38 A.M. ET:  Andrew Malcolm summarizes the deceit and disaster that characterize the word "Obama."  Ever since the 2014 election he has completely flipped on major policies, becoming the left-wing ideologue we always knew he was.  From IBD: 

Remember the hundreds of thousands of new jobs certain to erupt by 2010 thanks to $1 trillion in extra Obama administration spending? Remember how President Obama vowed swift justice to the murderers of four helpless Americans in Benghazi? Remember how you can keep your doctor and health insurance under ObamaCare?

Remember how Obama promised to halt Iran's development of nuclear weapons because they would launch a nuclear arms race in the world's most volatile region and allow Iran to attempt its avowed erasure of Israel?

Well, folks, your favorite incumbent president is morphing again right before your disbelieving eyes. Here's what he said as recently as early March: "I reserve all options, and my policy here is not going to be one of containment. My policy is prevention of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons."

Now, here's Obama speaking to his favorite New York newspaper early this month: “I’ve been very clear that Iran will not get a nuclear weapon on my watch."

Whoa there, Buckaroos! In just one month we went from "prevention of Iran obtaining nuclear weapons" period to no Iran nukes "on my watch."

If you're counting, like many Americans, we are currently 2,281 days into Obama's "watch." With 640 left to go.

COMMENT:   And remember when Obama assured us that he rejected gay marriage...when he was running for office?  Now his major political guru, David Axelrod, admits that Obama has always favored gay marriage.  In other words, he lied to us. 

The lies on Iran are ongoing.  Hard to keep up with them.  Obama has been saying that sanctions will only be lifted on Iran once we're assured that it's living up to any nuclear agreement.  As of Friday Obama has been saying that we're prepared to lift sanctions immediately under certain circumstances.  Next concession probably in the works.

April 20, 2015       Permalink

GOOD REPORTING – AT 9:43 A.M. ET:  The Republican field was in New Hampshire this weekend.  Byron York does a fine job in summing up what happened.  The New Hampshire primary is January 26th.  That's a bit more than nine months away.  The combat is starting.  From the Washington Examiner:   

1) Marco Rubio is clearly enjoying a moment. He is relaxed and funny in front of crowds, flying high after a well-received campaign announcement. In addition, Rubio appears to be winning growing support among some GOP establishment figures and opinion makers — the ones who worry about Jeb Bush's dynastic problem, fear Scott Walker is not ready for prime time, and have given up on Chris Christie.

And...

2) Scott Walker is steadier on his feet. The Wisconsin governor seemed a little wobbly for a time after his quick rise to GOP frontrunner following a similar Republican cattle call in Iowa in late January. Now Walker seems a little more comfortable, and his record of standing up to his state's powerful Democratic-dominated public-sector unions has huge appeal among Republicans.

And...

3) Chris Christie is poised to re-emerge after a number of early death pronouncements. There is a reason people liked the New Jersey governor before he became mired in the bridge scandal. Once a favorite of a lot of establishment GOP poobahs, Christie went down, down, down after problems at home and his decision (hesitation?) to hold off on campaigning while rivals got the jump on him. But Christie has an undeniable appeal to voters on the stump, and now that he is finally out on the stump, they're getting a chance to see it. Look for his stock to rise.

And...

4) Jeb Bush is a solid candidate running a solid campaign, but he is still stuck explaining why he is his own man and why another Bush should be running for president. Maybe he should just get on with it. Voters will work out the Bush issue in their own minds; Jeb's job is to make the best case why he would be the best president. It might not work — the Bush problem might be insurmountable, given Republican voters' intense yearning for something new — but Bush's best option could be to campaign as his own man without continually reminding voters that he is his own man.

And...

5) Ted Cruz is still Ted Cruz. A solid part of the Republican base likes him a lot, but it's unclear how he would grow beyond that group.

6) Rand Paul's appeal is as solid as ever, and his potential to transform himself into a general election candidate is as limited as ever.

And...

Carly Fiorina continues to intrigue Republican voters. They want to hear more, and if that appeal continues, there will be inevitably more attention to her record as a business executive. Then voters will see how she handles criticism.

She's the only woman in the race, and is extremely articulate.  Her problem:  A very controversial record as CEO of Hewlett-Packard.  She made enemies, and their knives will be out.  But watch her.

Rick Perry is embarking on a grand experiment to prove that a candidate who ran a disastrous race the last time can run a competitive one this time. It probably won't work, but he is a vastly improved candidate who would be taken very seriously if this were his first run for president.

COMMENT:  Read the whole piece to get the full story.  It's very sad that Rick Perry ran last time and messed up so badly.  He's a good man with a fine record as Texas governor.  But I'm afraid his past failure might sink him prematurely.   But as Silvio Canto Jr. says, don't underestimate Rick Perry.

April 20, 2015       Permalink

OH, IS THIS JUICY – AT 9:14 A.M. ET:  It was a big story just days ago:  The mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio, Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign manager in 2000, refused to endorse her for president.  He said she hadn't yet laid out a progressive social program.

What was his motive?  Why did he volunteer, in effect, to take heat from the Clinton camp to hold back his endorsement?

As they say, the plot thickens.  We may have the answer from Fred Dicker, one of the best local political reporters around.  From the New York Post:

Despite repeated claims to the contrary, Mayor Bill de Blasio is positioning himself to be the leftist “progressive” alternative to Wall Street-friendly Hillary Rodham Clinton as the Democratic candidate for president, a national party operative told The Post.

De Blasio’s hope, the operative said, is a “Draft de Blasio’’ movement will develop among progressive activists over the next several months that will lead to the mayor being able to defeat Clinton in the primary elections next year in much the same way leftist Sen. George McGovern successfully challenged the initially front-running establishment Democratic candidate, Sen. Edmund Muskie, more than 40 years ago.

Standing ready to back de Blasio against Clinton, said the operative, is the state’s small but influential Working Families Party, which has strong ties to de Blasio and is funded by some of the nation’s most powerful labor unions.

It is also very far left, very sympathetic to the red left.

Earlier this year, the New York-based WFP urged Massachusetts Senator and Wall Street-bashing “progressive’’ favorite Elizabeth Warren to challenge Clinton and run for president — but she has repeatedly said she won’t do so.

“With Warren saying she’s not running, de Blasio and his advisers are trying to position the mayor as the ‘draft’ candidate for the left in 2016. That’s why he refused to endorse Hillary last week,’’ contended the operative, who is involved in presidential politics.

COMMENT:  The story isn't shocking.  De Blasio represents the leftist fringe of the Democratic Party, the pro-Castro fringe.  He was active in supporting the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, and pointedly got married to his African-American wife in Cuba, to show support for the regime. 

De Blasio was elected mayor of New York City – a city that had elected the rational and effective Rudy Giuliani and Mike Bloomberg – in a year when voting participation was way down, and the Republican Party of New York did its usual thing, it nominated a nondescript candidate who had no real chance of winning. 

There are going to be fireworks ahead.  The far left is making its move, and I would not be shocked to learn that the White House is pulling the strings. 

Can Hillary be dethroned?  Yes.  Is it likely?  No.  But it wasn't likely in 1968 that the leftist insurgents would force a sitting president, Lyndon Johnson, out of the race.  It wasn't likely in 2008 that a nothing little senator from Illinois, a man with no record of accomplishment, could be elected president by skillful playing of the race card.

As Bette Davis said in All About Eve, "Fasten your seatbelts.  It's going to be a bumpy night."

April 20,  2015     Permalink

APRIL 19,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:52 P.M. ET:

ANOTHER DAY IN THE WAR ON TERROR, WHICH, OF COURSE, IS OVER – From Fox:  "Federal authorities said late Sunday that they had arrested six people in Minnesota and California in connection with an investigation into young men who have traveled or tried to travel to Syria to fight alongside ISIS.  A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minnesota said the arrests were made Sunday in Minneapolis and San Diego but there is no threat to public safety. A spokesman for the Minneapolis FBI office confirmed the number of people arrested. No further details were available about the identities of the suspects or the specific charges they faced."  The White House will probably tell us that they were on spring break.

WHAT CONFLICT OF INTEREST? – From Mediaite:  "Anthony Weiner — yes, that Anthony Weiner — talked to Reliable Sources host Brian Stelter Sunday morning about Hillary Clinton’s road trip to Iowa in the now infamous Scooby van, which he said bespoke of the unexpected in comparison GOP’s candidate’s staged events, and said the media was focusing on arcane or frivolous details that mattered only to the insider types, not to voters.  If you’re thinking, 'Wait, Anthony Weiner’s a media critic now?' you’re not alone. You may also be thinking: isn’t Huma Abedin, Weiner’s long-suffering wife, also Hillary Clinton’s long-suffering aide, and wasn’t she actually in said Scooby van during the trip?"  Yeah, she was there.   I guess CNN put Weiner on because he's neutral.  Joke.

INSULTING – But to be expected.  From the Latin American Herald Tribune:  "NEW YORK – Top executives from big U.S. firms such as MasterCard, pharmaceutical manufacturer Pfizer and JetBlue airline will travel to Cuba on a trade mission headed by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.  The Monday visit, which had been announced in January, will be the first of its kind since U.S. and Cuban authorities last December made public their intention to normalize diplomatic relations between the two nations.  The list of participants, announced Sunday by Cuomo, also includes top officials from educational and research institutions and several politicians.  Among the businesspeople who will go on the trade mission are JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes, MasterCard vice president Walt M. Macnee and Pfizer VP Freda Lewis-Hall."  Cuba's thousands of political prisoners could not be reached for comment.

April 19, 2015       Permalink

MARCO – AT 11:52 A.M. ET:  The Republican candidates for president, or almost-candidates, have been in New Hampshire this weekend.  It's a good group.  I don't think a party has had this many solid candidates for president since the Democrats in 1960, who had Jack Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Hubert Humphrey, Henry Jackson, Stuart Symington and Adlai Stevenson.  It was a different party back them. 

I haven't noticed any solid Democratic candidates for president.  And, after a week of Hillary Clinton on the stump, I still haven't noticed any. 

One of our favorites here is Marco Rubio, who, I believe, combines the ingredients needed for a winning candidate.  Here's Marco today, from The Hill: 

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Sunday blasted 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, saying she had not accomplished any lasting victories during her tenure as secretary of State.

“We cannot ignore she was the secretary of State during the first four years of the Obama presidency and has virtually no meaningful achievements to show for it,” Rubio told host Bob Schieffer on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“On the contrary, whether it’s the reset in Russia, or our response to Benghazi, or everything in between, the Obama foreign policy during the Clinton years especially, as secretary of State, have been a disaster for America,” he added.

Rubio argued that a Clinton presidency would carry these failed policies further into the future. The 2016 GOP presidential candidate argued that drastic change was needed to restore lost U.S. prestige.

“Today, our allies trust us less,” he said. “Our enemies fear us less. And America has less influence in the world than it did four to six years ago.”

“I believe I’m positioned to help lead this country to this new American century,” Rubio claimed.

“The presidency’s a big job and I’m prepared for that,” he added.

Rubio argued Democrats were mistaken if they placed all their trust in Clinton’s campaign. The much-more crowded Republican field, he claimed, offered Americans a better array of candidates.

“We have a strong field of quality people that are running,” said Rubio.

“I think the Democrats are struggling to find one and we have eight or nine,” he said of each party’s 2016 candidates.

COMMENT:  Rubio presents himself well, and, most important, he presents himself as a national candidate, not the candidate of a group or region.  That's good thinking.  Americans tend to feel comfortable with national candidates.  That's exactly the way Reagan positioned himself.  So did Kennedy.  Americans have now had six and a half years of a "group" candidate, and they don't like what they see. 

April 19, 2015       Permalink

HORROR – AT 10:58 A.M. ET:   More murders of Christians by ISIS.  But where is the outrage in the West?  From Reuters: 

CAIRO - A video purportedly made by Islamic State and posted on social media sites on Sunday appeared to show militants shooting and beheading about 30 Ethiopian Christians in Libya.

Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the video but the killings resemble past violence carried out by Islamic State, which has expanded its reach from strongholds in Iraq and Syria to a conflict-ridden Libya.

The video, in which militants call Christians crusaders and say they are out to kill Muslims, showed about 15 men being beheaded on a beach and another group of the same size shot in their heads in Libya's southern desert interior.

Both groups of men are referred to in a subtitle as "worshipers of the cross belonging to the hostile Ethiopian church."

Libyan officials were not immediately available for comment.

A senior Ethiopian official said the government was gathering information about the reported killings and would respond when it had more details. He said Ethiopia had no embassy in Libya, making it more difficult to verify the incident.

COMMENT:  I'm afraid we're becoming immune to these ghastly events.  The press is more interested in whether Hillary Clinton carries her own luggage.  And there's a big story today on Michelle Obama's Mother's Day plans.  Nothing to see, nothing to see.

April 19, 2015       Permalink 

THE PRICE OF OUR WEAKNESS – AT 10:45 A.M. ET:  Every signal Obama sends to Iran flashes weakness, and contempt for the American tradition of negotiating from strength.  He caves in whenever possible.  On Friday he strongly signaled that Iran might well get its dream of immediate relief from sanctions if it signs a nuclear deal, a complete reversal of our former position.

Now the Iranians are repeating and emphasizing another demand – that there be no inspections of military sites in Iran.  Sadly, they'll probably get this, too.  From USA Today: 

A senior military commander in Iran said Sunday that foreign inspectors would be barred from military sites in the country under any nuclear agreement with world powers, the Associated Press reported.

Speaking on state TV, Gen. Hossein Salami, deputy leader of Iran's Revolutionary Guard, said allowing the inspection is tantamount to "selling out," according to the news agency.

The United States, United Kingdom, France, Russia, China and Germany — the so-called P5 +1 group — reached an understanding with Iran earlier this month on limits to its nuclear program in return for lifting crippling economic sanctions.

Negotiators have until June 30 to fill in the critical details to assure Iran it will get relief from the sanctions as soon as possible and to guarantee world powers that Iran won't develop a nuclear weapon.

Earlier this month Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and President Hassan Rouhani said that any nuclear agreement must include the immediate lifting of economic sanctions.

That has now been negated by Obama, who caved.

The framework deal agreed to after the talks in Lausanne, Switzerland, states that sanctions will be suspended after international monitors verify Iran is abiding by the limitations set out and that sanctions will resume if Iran fails to fulfill its obligation.

Sanctions will never resume.  Once lifted they will be impossible to restore because economic interests, especially in Europe, will prevail.

The United States has said the sanctions would be lifted in phases, but the details have not been negotiated.

As noted, Obama caved on this Friday. 

COMMENT:  It's a very sad spectacle, but appeasement has now become American policy, and the outrage seems very limited.  The left-wing educators and journalists have done their jobs.

April 19,  2015     Permalink