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APRIL 22,  2015

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

CARLY SPEAKS OUT – Carly Fiorina is getting more and more attention, and she isn't afraid of tough issues.  From the Daily Signal:  "Former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and likely presidential candidate Carly Fiorina criticized the Democratic Party’s platform of abortion on demand during a recent speech.  Serving as the mistress of ceremonies at the Susan B. Anthony List’s Campaign for Life Gala in Washington, D.C. last week, Fiorina praised the organization and its supporters for their contributions to the pro-life movement.  Fiorina said that while some call the Republican Party’s pro-life platform 'extreme,' the Democratic Party’s platform of abortion on demand is hardly mainstream:  'Here is what it says: Any abortion, anytime, at any point in a woman’s pregnancy, for any reason, to be paid for by taxpayers. Now, there are Democrats who want to add, "to be performed by a non-doctor."  And this policy has been succinctly summarized by Democrats, such as Barbara Boxer, as "it isn’t a life until it leaves the hospital." Do you agree with that? Nobody agrees with that! Even people who think they’re pro-choice don’t agree with that.'"  Republicans are now trying to use the abortion issue against the Democrats, who've owned it for decades.

LOVING OBAMACARE?  BETTER READ THIS – From Fox:  "Both health-care consumers and providers felt the squeeze of rising health-care costs in 2014 – with out-of-pocket costs for patients rising 11% -- according to a TransUnion Healthcare report released Wednesday.  'Our latest report demonstrates that consumers continue to feel the pressure of rising health-care costs,' said Gerry McCarthy, president of TransUnion Healthcare. 'Despite a slowly improving economy, many consumers are finding they have less money to make these payments.'"  Another triumph for federal planning.  Thank the guy from Chicago.

WE CAN'T WAIT – From The Hill:  "Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s attorney is pressing the head of the House panel investigating the Benghazi attacks to schedule her testimony 'without delay.'  Clinton lawyer David Kendall said there was 'no reason' to delay her appearance or have her testify in a private interview.  'In November, I informed your staff of Secretary Clinton’s willingness to testify publicly before the Select Committee on Benghazi. In the succeeding months, she has reiterated her willingness, and I do so again on her behalf,' Kendall said in a letter to panel chairman Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.).  'There is no reason to delay her appearance or to have her testify in a private interview,' he added."  Clearly, the Clinton camp wants to get her testimony, which will unquestionably be only her version of the truth, out of the way early, before it hits too close to the 2016 campaign. 

April 22,  2015     Permalink

CLOSE CALL – AT 10:45 A.M. ET:  There has been a close terror call in France.  From Fox: 

A suspected Islamic terrorist's plans to mount attacks on French churches were thwarted when he accidentally shot himself and called an ambulance, leading to the discovery of loaded guns, bulletproof vests and chilling notes about his intended targets, authorities said Wednesday.

French police believe the 24-year-old Algerian native was planning an imminent attack Sunday on one or more French churches in Paris when he shot himself, France’s top security official announced Wednesday. The suspect, who was not named, is a computer science student who was flagged as a risk by security officials last year, said Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve. He is also accused in the death of a young mother.

Sources told AFP that the suspect was found with a bullet it his leg and said he was wounded in some sort of dispute. The man was treated for a leg wound and remained hospitalized on Wednesday.

Police who arrived at the scene found a blood trail leading to his car, with loaded guns, bulletproof vests and notes about potential targets inside.

Inside the car, authorities discovered flashing blue lights that can fix magnetically to car roofs and orange “Police” armbands used by French plainclothes officers, RTL radio reports, according to France 24.

"Detailed documents that were also found established beyond doubt that the individual was planning an imminent attack, probably on one or two churches," Cazeneuve said, according to Reuters.

In the man's apartment, in southeastern Paris, more weapons were found as well as evidence of ties to Islamic extremism, the official said. There was no immediate evidence that the suspect had direct ties to any organized groups, the official added.

COMMENT:   It doesn't matter whether the culprit has "direct ties" to any organized group.  These groups radicalize these kids via internet or meetings.  You don't have to join.  You don't have to have a membership card or pay dues.  The damage from the explosion is the same. 

April 22, 2015       Permalink

MIKE – AT 10:26 A.M. ET:  Mike Huckabee will be running for president.   I can't conceive of him getting the nomination, but the sheer number of qualified Republicans running is itself a major story.  Consider the imagery:  Many Republicans competing, all with credentials.  And then there's Hillary, saddled with scandal, with no serious opposition.  From The Politico: 

Mike Huckabee has been staffing up for his likely presidential campaign, before an expected announcement in Hope, Arkansas, on May 5.

Sources familiar with the internal planning tell POLITICO that the Republican has decided on senior staff and their roles for a potential 2016 campaign.

This inner-circle includes three alumni of the former Arkansas governor’s 2008 presidential campaign, during which he won the Iowa caucuses and carried seven other states. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Huckabee’s daughter, would be campaign manager. Chip Saltsman, who was manager last time, returns as a senior adviser. Bob Wickers will stay in his role as pollster and media consultant.
Arkansas Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin, the GOP operative and former congressman, will work as a senior political adviser on the potential campaign.

COMMENT:  Huckabee is a very articulate speaker, an ordained minister who doesn't scare people away.  Eventually the GOP field must narrow, and the quicker the better, as voters can only concentrate on a small number of candidates at a time.  But the Republican side will not be dull. 

Hillary will not be dull either, kind of in the way that Bonnie and Clyde weren't dull.

April 22, 2015       Permalink 

THE HILLARY MESS – AT 9:48 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton has launched her campaign for president.  As Johnny Carson used to say, "Notice the difference?"  It's a mess, a non-campaign, a little sideshow by an individual who seems decidedly un-presidential. 

And a new book threatens to derail the whole plot.  From Peter Wehner at Commentary: 

Hillary Clinton is making her life more difficult than it needs to be.

I’m speaking in this instance of the donations by foreign governments to the Clinton Foundation. As Jonathan made note of yesterday, a New York Times story on the forthcoming book by Peter Schweizer, Clinton Cash, asserts that “foreign entities who made payments to the Clinton Foundation and to Mr. Clinton through high speaking fees received favors from Mrs. Clinton’s State Department in return.”

When the secretary of state has a policy of pay-to-play, that is bad enough. It reinforces the impression that Mrs. Clinton is a tangle of corruption, dishonest and untrustworthy, and playing by rules that apply to her and her husband but not to others. That has happened time and again with the Clintons; it’s the pattern and habits of a lifetime. And there’s no indication it will change. The portrait of Mrs. Clinton is that of a hardened, brittle, unreflective, and self-justifying individual. Whatever problems she faces are always the result of others, often the “right-wing conspiracy” she has invented in her over-active imagination.

But that’s not the only complicating factor for Mrs. Clinton. The other is that she has badly damaged her ability to wage a culture war/”war on women” campaign against Republicans. Because whatever outlandish charge she makes against Republicans, they will sound positively enlightened compared to the repression of women and gays that occurs in nations (like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, et cetera) that have given millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation. It looks for all the world as if those nations gave money to buy the silence of the Clintons–and their investment paid off.

COMMENT:  The hypocrisy of the left is something to behold.  Never has a group been so anguished about so much and taken action about so little.  Hillary's lack of real interest in the plight of women around the world is exposed.  Note the silence of the feminist movement. 

April 22, 2015       Permalink

REMARKABLE LETTER – AT 9:14 A.M. ET:  My Iranian friend, Banafsheh Zand, alerts us to an extraordinary letter from the nephew of Iran's supreme leader, whom nephew clearly does not like.  There are no family reunions planned.  The letter is reported by Roger Simon at PJ Media: 

An open letter to President Obama was posted on an Iranian website (khodnevis.org) today from Dr. Mahmoud Moradkhani — the nephew of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. This letter is explosive and tells Obama, in essence, that the ayatollah, his uncle, is lying in negotiations, practicing the Shia doctrine of taqiyya in which it is permissible for Muslims to lie to the infidel for the advancement of Islam. He advises the president not to pursue his nuclear deal with Iran and to focus on the atrocious human rights record of that country. But allow the doctor to speak for himself:

Dear Mr. President

I am presenting this open letter as one of the serious opponents of the Islamic republic of Iran on behalf of the like-minded opposition groups and myself. Because of my knowledge of this regime, especially of Ali Khamenei who is my uncle (my mother’s brother), I see it as my duty to inform you about this regime and the issue of nuclear negotiations with the Islamic regime of Iran.

Let me at first inform you that the regime that falsely calls itself a republic came to power in 1979 by deceiving Iranian people and the world through provoking Iranian people against the regime of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and gaining the support of the world community.

The tragedy of Cinema Rex*, believing in Khomeini’s words and then establishing a backward regime that is violent, medieval and against all international laws are all results of Iranian people and the world community being deceived. We are witnessing that not only a rich and cultured country like Iran has become a victim of this regime but also the Middle East and the whole free world. The intervention of Ali Khamenei’s regime (following Khomeini’s footsteps who had no other intention other that domination of Iraq) in Lebanon, Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria is more than obvious. As if these were not enough, he has now added the Arabian Peninsula to that list.

In any case, this regime has done great damage to Iranians and to the international community.

We can find a historical example of this kind of deception prior to the Second World War. Hitler manipulated and deceived German people and European countries and the hesitation in addressing the problem with Hitler led to a great disaster.

COMMENT:  Read the entire thing.  It's the best history lesson, and psychological lesson, about Iran that I've read.  And it points up either the deceit or immaturity, or both, of the Obama administration.

April 22,  2015     Permalink

APRIL 21,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:28 P.M. ET: 

GREAT MOMENTS IN THE SECOND AMENDMENT – From The Smoking Gun:  "A Colorado man who has been 'fighting with his computer for the last several months' unloaded a volley of shots into his Dell tormentor, resulting in the death of the computer and him being cited for discharging a firearm, cops report.  According to the Colorado Springs Police Department, officers responding last night to a 911 call about shots fired discovered that a 'fed up' Lucas Hinch took his computer into a back alley and 'fired 8 shots into the computer with a handgun, effectively disabling it.'"  He should've gotten a Mac.  I've never heard of anyone shooting a Mac. 

SICKENING – From the Washington Times:  "Army ROTC cadets are complaining on message boards that they were pressured to walk in high heels on Monday for an Arizona State University campus event designed to raise awareness of sex' events in 2014, but now it appears as though ROTC candidates at ASU were faced with a volunteer event that became mandatory.  'Attendance is mandatory and if we miss it we get a negative counseling and a "does not support the battalion sharp/EO mission" on our CDT OER for getting the branch we want. So I just spent $16 on a pair of high heels that I have to spray paint red later on only to throw them in the trash after about 300 of us embarrass the U.S. Army tomorrow,' one anonymous cadet wrote on the social media sharing website Imgr, IJReview reported Monday."  This requires an investigation.  It's no secret that Obama planted some left wingers in the Pentagon at the start of his presidency.  They've clearly done the damage they dreamed of.

THUMBS DOWN ON GUMMINT – From WaPo:  "Buried in a massive Pew study on the public's feelings about data and open government is this amazing nugget: Just 23 percent trust the federal government to do the right thing 'at least most of the time.'  Twenty three percent! That's unpopularity-of-Congress territory. Journalist-trust territory! Donald Trump's approval ratings look down on those numbers!"  Why the surprise?  Americans are looking at the Obama administration, which can't even recommend a good school lunch.

FASCINATING – From The Politico:  "The New York Times, The Washington Post and Fox News have made exclusive agreements with a conservative author for early access to his opposition research on Hillary Clinton, a move that has confounded members of the Clinton campaign and some reporters, the On Media blog has confirmed.  'Clinton Cash: The Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich' will debut on May 5. But the Times, the Post and Fox have already made arrangements with author Peter Schweizer to pursue some of the material included in his book, which seeks to draw connections between Clinton Foundation donations and speaking fees and Hillary Clinton's actions as secretary of state. Schweizer is the president of the Government Accountability Institute, a conservative research group, and previously served as an adviser to Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin."  Do I detect the possibility that the liberal New York Times and Washington Post may be getting disenchanted with Queen Hillary?

April 21, 2015       Permalink

UNBELIEVABLE – AT 8:45 A.M. ET:  And some people wonder why grown-ups doubt the word of the president of the United States.  Here's a good example of why.  From the great Eli Lake at Bloomberg: 

The Barack Obama administration has estimated for years that Iran was at most three months away from enriching enough nuclear fuel for an atomic bomb. But the administration only declassified this estimate at the beginning of the month, just in time for the White House to make the case for its Iran deal to Congress and the public.

Speaking to reporters and editors at our Washington bureau on Monday, Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz acknowledged that the U.S. has assessed for several years that Iran has been two to three months away from producing enough fissile material for a nuclear weapon. When asked how long the administration has held this assessment, Moniz said: "Oh quite some time." He added: "They are now, they are right now spinning, I mean enriching with 9,400 centrifuges out of their roughly 19,000. Plus all the . . . . R&D work. If you put that together it's very, very little time to go forward. That's the 2-3 months."

Brian Hale, a spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, confirmed to me Monday that the two-to-three-month estimate for fissile material was declassified on April 1.

Here is the puzzling thing: When Obama began his second term in 2013, he sang a different tune. He emphasized that Iran was more than a year away from a nuclear bomb, without mentioning that his intelligence community believed it was only two to three months away from making enough fuel for one, long considered the most challenging task in building a weapon. Today Obama emphasizes that Iran is only two to three months away from acquiring enough fuel for a bomb, creating a sense of urgency for his Iran agreement.

Back in 2013, when Congress was weighing new sanctions on Iran and Obama was pushing for more diplomacy, his interest was in tamping down that sense of urgency. On the eve of a visit to Israel, Obama told Israel's Channel Two, "Right now, we think it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon, but obviously we don’t want to cut it too close."

On Oct. 5 of that year, Obama contrasted the U.S. view of an Iranian breakout with that of Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, who at the time said Iran was only six months away from nuclear capability. Obama told the Associated Press, "Our assessment continues to be a year or more away. And in fact, actually, our estimate is probably more conservative than the estimates of Israeli intelligence services."

Ben Caspit, an Israeli journalist and columnist for Al-Monitor, reported last year that Israel's breakout estimate was also two to three months away.

COMMENT:  We are talking about nuclear weapons, weapons that can take out whole cities, or even whole countries if used in multiple.  And yet we've been lied to in order to make it more convenient for Obama to make his arguments. 

Remember the phony chant, "Bush lied, thousands died"?  Well, Obama clearly lied, and the mainstream media is hardly interested.  I guarantee you that Eli Lake, one of the best reporters around, will not get a Pulitzer Prize for this story.

April 21,  2015     Permalink

WEIRDLY OUT OF TOUCH – AT 8:24 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton, no matter what she says or does, seems weirdly out of touch with reality.  And she really thinks Republicans talk only about her.  Definite weirdness.  From The Politico: 

Keene, N.H. — Hillary Clinton on Monday attacked the crowded field of Republican presidential contenders for making her the focus of their campaigns.

In fact, there's never been a presidential field more committed to issues.  Hillary's ego is not as great as her bank account, but it's getting there.

“I think it’s worth noting that Republicans seem to be talking only about me,” she told reporters after her first roundtable in New Hampshire, which took place at a family-owned wooden toy company in Keene. “I don’t know what they’d talk about if I weren’t in the race.”

Yikes.  She's out of control.

Clinton arrived in New Hampshire Monday — she drove from her home in Chappaqua, New York — following a two-day gathering in the Granite State of 19 Republican presidential contenders who appeared to be workshopping their best shots. They spent the weekend blasting Clinton on everything from Benghazi to the State Department email scandal to the highly choreographed roundtables to her roadside lunch stop at Chipotle.

In contrast to the other side of the aisle, Clinton had the whole stage here to herself. During the event, she tried to present herself as above the political fray, while making a few subtle digs at the Republican field and veering into a couple of policy areas.

Yeah, she's really above the fray.  We've noticed that.  Just an elder stateswoman with a scandal a minute.

She swatted away attacks due to be published in a book out next month, “Clinton Cash: the Untold Story of How and Why Foreign Governments and Businesses Helped Make Bill and Hillary Rich,” by Peter Schweizer. “[I’ll be] subjected to all kinds of distractions and attacks, and I’m ready for that. I know that that comes, unfortunately, with the territory,” she told reporters.

COMMENT:  No, Hillary, they don't write books like that about everybody.  They write books like that about you. 

Do you get the feeling that Hillary will soon have some competition from within her party?  Some of the revelations in the Schweizer book, if documented, can lead to serious legal problems.

April 21, 2015       Permalink

WELCOME – AT 8:17 A.M. ET:  Looks like we'll have another Republican presidential candidate.  From The Hill: 

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) has launched a political committee to assist in fundraising as he seeks to raise his national profile ahead of a potential run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016.

Kasich and his allies filed paperwork with the IRS on Monday for a 527 nonprofit group called New Day for America. The group can raise unlimited funds to pay for travel and other expenses the Ohio governor incurs as he travels the country testing the presidential waters.

Former Sen. John Sununu (R-N.H.) and former Ohio House Speaker Jo Ann Davidson (R) are among the group’s directors.

In recent weeks, Kasich has signaled he’s increasingly serious about running for president. He’s been traveling the country pushing for a balanced budget amendment.

Those efforts had been bankrolled by a PAC formed late last year, Balanced Budget Forever, which includes former operatives from Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign.

COMMENT:  Kasich has been an effective governor and is an effective vote getter.  He should be welcomed to the campaign, if he decides to run.  It is not lost on political pundits that he could be very helpful in capturing Ohio, always a great prize in presidential politics.

Good candidate, good record.

The Republican field is very deep, and filled with talent.

April 21, 2015       Permalink

NAVY TO YEMEN – AT 8:08 A.M. ET:  Under the ultimate command of Grand Admiral Barack Obama, the U.S. Navy has dispatched the Theodore Roosevelt strike group to waters off Yemen.  Teddy Roosevelt said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick."  Admiral Obama speaks loudly and carries a small stick, but he gets things confused.  From AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In a stepped-up response to Iranian backing of Shiite rebels in Yemen, the Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt is steaming toward the waters off Yemen to beef up security and join other American ships that are prepared to intercept any Iranian vessels carrying weapons to the Houthi rebels.

The deployment comes after a U.N. Security Council resolution approved last week imposed an arms embargo on leaders of the Iranian-backed Shiite Houthi rebels. The resolution passed in a 14-0 vote with Russia abstaining.

Navy officials said Monday that the Roosevelt was moving through the Arabian Sea. A massive ship that carries F/A-18 fighter jets, the Roosevelt is seen more of a deterrent and show of force in the region.

The U.S. Navy has been beefing up its presence in the Gulf of Aden and the southern Arabian Sea in response to reports that a convoy of about eight Iranian ships is heading toward Yemen and possibly carrying arms for the Houthis. Navy officials said there are about nine U.S. warships in the region, including cruisers and destroyers carrying teams that can board and search other vessels.

COMMENT:   I really wonder how much America will do to intercept Iranian ships.  The nuclear talks with Iran resume this week, and Obama's main priority is nailing down an agreement, seemingly any agreement, to enhance his legacy, at least on the left. 

There are clearly going to be some tense weeks ahead, with the continuing collapse of Yemen and the the nuclear talks threatened by increasingly extreme Iranian demands. 

April 21,  2015     Permalink