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

APRIL 27,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:57 P.M. ET:

SAD – From the New York Post:  "A Navy SEAL from Queens and another from Michigan died after a training accident in a swimming pool at a base in Virginia.  Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Seth Cody Lewis of Queens and Special Warfare Operator 1st Class Brett Allen Marihugh of Livonia were found unresponsive Friday at the bottom of the Combat Swimming Training Facility at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story.  Lewis, 32, died Friday and Marihugh, 34, died Sunday, officials said."  A reminder that military service is inherently dangerous.  Even in peacetime we lose service people each year in training accidents and air crashes.  Their sacrifice must be respected.

DON'T GIVE UP – From Eli Lake at Bloomberg:  "The top ranking Republican in Congress privately acknowledged this weekend that his party doesn't have enough votes to overcome a veto of any resolution disapproving the nuclear-weapons deal President Barack Obama hopes to reach with Iran.  Speaking at an off-the-record event Saturday at the Republican Jewish Coalition's meeting in Las Vegas, House Speaker John Boehner told the audience that he didn't expect that more than two-thirds of Congress would vote to overturn a veto from Obama if Congress voted against a nuclear deal, according to four people who were inside the room for the private talk."   Pretty discouraging, but not something that should be said publicly.  All Boehner did was give the White House more of a free ride.  He surrendered before the fight even began.

OBAMA SOLID IN POLLS – It's hard to believe that Obama is actually doing reasonably well in the polls.  From the Washington Times:  "President Obama has reached Reagan-like levels of popularity in the twilight of his tenure, but analysts say his bounce can be attributed largely to the fact that he is fading into the political background as the next presidential race kicks into high gear and as Congress claims a surprising number of concrete legislative accomplishments.  Mr. Obama’s job approval rating stands at 46.4 percent, his highest mark in nearly two years, according to a recent Gallup survey. The figure puts him in the company of President Reagan, whose approval rating also hovered around 46 percent at the same point in his presidency.  Mr. Obama is far above President Bush, whose rating sunk to 35 percent during his 25th quarter in office. But Mr. Obama trails President Clinton, who held 64 percent approval ratings at this point in his term."  What are the American people thinking?  I guess that Obama is also helped by a kind of fanatical built-in constituency that will never abandon him. 

April 27, 2015     Permalink

WARNING ABOUT IRAN – AT 11:06 A.M. ET:  Published, surprisingly, in The New York Times.  Three people who know what they're writing about warn that the Iranians will not give up their ambitions simply because Barack Obama is smiling at them. 

Washington — The announcement last month of a preliminary agreement between the United States and Iran has led some to believe that Tehran will now enter the international system as a responsible actor. But such optimism ignores the fact that Iran’s current government still bears the imprint of a long imperial history and longstanding Persian regional ambitions.

Iran is a revolutionary power with hegemonic aspirations. In other words, it is a country seeking to assert its dominance in the region and it will not play by the rules. Yet, the Obama administration hopes a nuclear agreement will have a “transcendental effect” on Iran and convince it to abandon its imperial aspirations in return for a sense of normalcy.

And...

History offers few examples of bringing such powers into the international system. Revolutionary hegemonic powers combine the imperialist lust for “lebensraum” seen in Wilhelmine Germany with a religious or millennial worldview that rejects the principles of the classic international order.

In February 2013, Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader and the ultimate decision maker in areas of foreign and military policy, called the negotiations with the West a deceptive trick, proudly adding: “I am not a diplomat. I am a revolutionary.” Ayatollah Khamanei will blame Mr. Rouhani if the negotiations fail or move in a direction that he does not like. His legitimacy stems from the Iranian revolutionary project, and any compromise would be an admission that he does not believe in that narrative of world history.

Iran’s imperial ambitions are not new. Under the Safavids, the Shah and the mullahs alike, Tehran has vied for regional domination. Do not expect Iran to compromise its principles any time soon.

COMMENT:  Well worth reading, and well worth thinking about.  But does Obama really care?  He's done everything possible to advance Iran's interests.  But why?

April 27,  2015     Permalink

VIRGINIA WOBBLY FOR HILLARY – AT 10:24 A.M. ET:  A new poll in the critical purple state of Virginia shows the damage being done by the nonstop revelations about Hillary Clinton.  From the Washington Times: 

Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida have separated themselves a bit from the rest of the 2016 GOP pack in the battleground state of Virginia, with Mr. Bush the only Republican to top former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in a head-to-head match-up as others inch closer to the Democratic frontrunner.

Mr. Bush sits atop the Republican field at 17 percent with Mr. Rubio at 16 percent, according to the poll released Monday by the Wason Center for Public Policy at Christopher Newport University.

Next are New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker at 10 percent, followed by retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas at 7 percent apiece.

“The Republican field continues to be very fluid,” said Tom Kramer, assistant director of the Wason Center for Public Policy. “While there are no break-out candidates yet, we do see a sorting taking place, with Bush and Rubio emerging as top-tier candidates, and Christie, Paul, and Walker forming a solid second-tier.”

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was next at 6 percent.

Mr. Bush also leads Mrs. Clinton by 2 points, 48 percent to 46 percent, in a head-to-head match-up after trailing her by 5 points, 48 percent to 43 percent, in a February poll.

Mrs. Clinton leads several other GOP contenders, but the margins have narrowed considerably since February. She has faced questions over the private email system she used as secretary of state and questions over contributions to the Clinton Foundation as her presidential campaign geared up earlier this month.

COMMENT:  The name "Hillary" and the word "toast" are increasingly found in the same sentence.  But I'm not so sure.  The Clintons are powerful, and they preside over a party which has been very casual about corruption.  It is, after all, a party steeped in the legacy of big-city machines.

But the polls are another matter.  If they continue their path southward for Hillary, political reality may trump everything.  If that happens, get ready for a real mess.  I can't wait.

April 27, 2015        Permalink

THE FIRST SHOE DROPS – AT 9:21 A.M. ET:  Queen Hillary has said nothing about the current scandals, but her "people," the servants of the Court, are starting to react.  And there may be a bit of an acknowledgement that all the stuff that's come out about the Clintons may not be the product of the great right-wing conspiracy.  From Fox: 

The Clinton Foundation acknowledged Sunday that the nonprofit group “made mistakes” in IRS filings and defended its disclosure of controversial contributions from a Canadian financier, following days of intense public scrutiny about foundation finances.

“We made mistakes, as many organizations of our size do, but we are acting quickly to remedy them,” foundation executive Maura Pally wrote on the foundation website. “And [we] have taken steps to ensure they don't happen in the future.”

Ah, they have "taken steps."  People like this always "take steps."  And of course they "made mistakes," none of which would have been acknowledged had it not been for enterprising journalists who are digging up the corruption.

The donations were called into question last week by Peter Schweizer, author of the soon-to-be-released book “Clinton Cash.”

Schweizer found Canadian financier Frank Giustra gave $31.1 million to the foundation after a 2005 uranium-mine deal he made in Kazakhstan, with former President Clinton at his side. The deal eventually led to one that gave Russia access to U.S. uranium deposits.

An observer could logically conclude that $31.1 million is not a sum that one gives out of the goodness of his heart to a foundation that happens to be run by an influential political machine.

The concerns about the foundation’s contributions and finances are being raised as Clinton’s wife, Hillary Clinton, a Democrat, makes a 2016 White House bid.

She also was secretary of state during other deals about which Schweizer has raised concerns.

COMMENT:  We have to ask what else will come out.  The Clintons are famously ambitious, with a history of pushing ethical boundaries well beyond their limits.  Why should we assume that we know everything already?

The standard Clinton technique is to play for time, hoping that the public forgets.  Many in the public do.  But Hillary has been a national figure for a quarter of a century.  I'm not sure she has any time left to enhance whatever is left of her public image.

April 27, 2015       Permalink

A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME – AT 8:38 A.M. ET:  Ukraine continues to smolder, while the West, once led by the United States, does little or nothing.  But now even the American military, weakened by Obama, is starting to request more powerful weapons in case the day of combat comes.  From Fox:

One of the last American combat units stationed in Europe is asking the government for bigger guns amid rising tensions over Russia’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict.

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment is requesting that 81 of its 8-wheel-drive Stryker infantry carrier vehicles be equipped with 30-mm. automatic cannons -- double the caliber of the 12.7-mm. guns they already carry, the military news website Breaking Defense reports.

The House Armed Services committee is already setting aside money for the upgrade, which the Army approved Wednesday, according to a memo obtained by the website.

The upgraded cannons would give the Strykers added firepower against other light-armored vehicles.

The 2nd Cavalry Regiment, based in Vilseck, Germany, had been deployed to the Baltic States to deter aggression following Russia’s seizure of Ukraine’s Crimea region, Breaking Defense reports.

NATO's chief on Thursday reported a sizeable Russian military buildup on the border with Ukraine that he said would enable pro-Moscow separatists to launch a new offensive with little warning.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia has substantially stepped up supplies to the rebels, as well as providing them with advanced training and equipment like drones, despite a cease-fire.

Making an accusation of their own, Russian officials said U.S. military instructors were training Ukrainian national guardsmen in urban fighting techniques in the same eastern regions where Ukrainian forces and separatists have been fighting for the past year.

In Washington, the U.S. State Department rejected the Russian claim of U.S. trainers in eastern Ukraine, saying all the activity was in western Ukraine near the border with Poland.

COMMENT:  Putin, who sees himself as a kind of new czar, will not give up Russia's grand ambitions.  Does Obama understand this?  Does he care, or does he still have a soft spot in his heart for the old Soviet Union?  That question should be asked seriously by the mainstream media, but don't hold your breath.

April 27,  2015     Permalink

APRIL 26,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:24 P.M. ET: 

WILL WILLIAMS WALK THE PLANK? – From The Politico:  "Longtime broadcast executives say a triple crown of leaks about Brian Williams late last week appear to be an effort by NBC News to shame him into resigning, to avoid the messiness and possible additional expense of the firing. The brutal leaks were designed to send the message to Brian Williams and his superlawyer, Robert Barnett: 'You’re dead. Now negotiate.'"  I can't see how Williams can return to an anchor position if the leaks are true, that NBC has found many instances of him distorting his own record.  But strange things happen in television, especially when ratings are considered.

HILLARY MONEY MAN CLOSES COOKIE JAR – From the Washington Times:  "A top Democratic moneyman recruited by Hillary Rodham Clinton’s presidential campaign has put fundraising activities on hold, saying he can’t do it with a clear conscience because the former secretary of state has too many unanswered questions swirling around her.  New York businessman Jon Cooper, who Team Clinton enlisted for its elite corps of early fundraisers known as 'HillStarters,' said that he decided not to tap his donor network for Mrs. Clinton because she hasn’t provided enough answers about foreign donations to the Clinton Foundation while she ran the State Department, her exclusive use of private email for official business as America’s top diplomat and her commitment to liberal priorities."  I'm afraid that last point might be the real reason.  The liberal elites really want a nominee to the left of Clinton. 

CRUZ WARNS – From The Hill:  "Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) on Saturday said Democrats had gone to extremes in their persecution of Christians.  'Today’s Democratic Party has decided there is no room for Christians in today’s Democratic Party,' he said at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition summit in Waukee, Iowa.  'There is a liberal fascism that is going after Christian believers,' the 2016 GOP presidential candidate continued.  'It is heartbreaking,' Cruz argued. 'But it is so extreme, it is waking people up.'"  He is correct in his diagnosis.  The Democratic Party of today has essentially expelled people of faith, who at one time were a major part of the party's base.   Evangelical Christians of the South coexisted with traditional Catholics in the North.  And it was a national defense party.  The good old days.

April 26,  2015     Permalink

FROM THE NORTH – AT 11:28 A.M. ET:   Canada is such a friendly country that the Canadian-American border is the longest undefended border in the world.  But now there are new concerns that the border is too tempting for terrorists.  From The Politico: 

The photograph didn’t look like much: two parallel rural roads, separated only by a small ditch.
But according to lawmakers in a hearing this week, it’s a portrait of one of America’s least-appreciated security risks. The ditch separates western Washington state and British Columbia, just one weak spot among many in the 4,000 mile stretch between the United States and Canada. Drug smugglers can chuck duffel bags stuffed with marijuana and meth, undetected. Human traffickers and potential terrorists could use it to avoid the security equipment at official crossings.

Sen. Cory Booker displayed the picture in a U.S.-Canadian border security hearing earlier this week to demonstrate just how undefended America’s largest flank can be. The hearing was the fifth in a series looking at the challenges associated with so many entry points into the U.S. — other recent sessions have focused on Central American migrant children and transnational criminal organizations.

The U.S-Canadian border, as Politico Magazine reported last fall, is often overlooked in the homeland security debate, even though it’s the international crossing where custom and border agents have nabbed suspected terrorists over the last two decades with plans to set off bombs from Los Angeles to New York.

“It’s kind of the forgotten border,” Sen. Heidi Heitkamp said in an interview as she rushed from the committee hearing to the Senate floor to vote on an amendment to a human trafficking bill.

COMMENT:  It should worry us.  If I were a terror group trying to smuggle parts of a nuclear weapon into America, for assembly later, I'd choose a desolate part of the northern border. 

There have been terror incidents in Canada.  It's a free and open society.  Americans have been conditioned to expect problems from the south.  The north may turn out to be the greater threat, especially as Western terrorists can melt more easily into Canadian society than into Mexican.

April 26, 2015       Permalink

THE THREAT – AT 10:52 A.M. ET:  It's only a matter of time before ISIS, and groups like it, target the American homeland.  From CNN:

(CNN) The FBI is investigating a possible ISIS-inspired terrorist threat in the United States, law enforcement officials said Saturday.

The investigation originated from intercepted chatter and other intelligence information that led officials to believe a possible plot could be in the works, the officials said.

No arrests have been made. It's not clear whether the threat is real or aspirational.

The exact nature of the threat couldn't be learned. One official said it focused on parts of California where officials stepped up security, a U.S. official said.

The Transportation Security Administration alerted local law enforcement agencies that are responsible for external security around airports, but officials said the possible threat is not necessarily aviation-related.

Some cities around the United States have increased their security as a precaution.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson declined Saturday to talk about specifics, but spoke about security measures in general.

"Over the last few months, we have made a number of security adjustments, including enhanced screening at select overseas airports and increasing random searches of passengers and carry-on luggage on flights inbound to the U.S., reflecting an evolving threat picture," the spokesman said.

COMMENT:  It's the old story:   We have to be lucky all the time.  The terrorists have to be lucky only once.

April 26, 2015       Permalink

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW – AT 10:31 A.M. ET:  See Hillary Clinton!  In person!  Hear her sing, "They Wouldn't Do This If My Name Were Bill"!  Tickets available through HillaryCharge.  From Breitbart: 

The chairman of the House Select Committee on Benghazi, Trey Gowdy (R-SC), has asked former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to appear before his committee twice during the weeks of May 18 and June 18, according to a report at NBC News.

One of the major topics of discussion will be Clinton’s off-the-books email server, which NBC naturally describes as “a centerpiece of Republican attacks on the 2016 presidential candidate.” When a Democrat breaks the law, the story is always about the Republicans daring to talk about it, transforming even the most obvious malfeasance into a political food fight.

Also unsurprisingly, Democrats complained that Gowdy was dragging out the Benghazi investigation to influence the 2016 presidential election, conveniently forgetting about Hillary violating transparency laws and administration policies to hide her official correspondence from Congressional oversight and Freedom of Information Act requests.

Gowdy mentions this at the very beginning of his letter to Clinton’s legal representation: “I have consistently, and without exception, said the Committee would schedule the Secretary’s appearance within 30 days of receiving assurance all documents needed to have a constructive conversation with the Secretary are in the Committee’s possession,” Gowdy writes. “To date, no one has been willing to make that assurance, and the reasons for that are manifest below.”

Gowdy goes on to note that when Clinton’s time was first offered to the committee in November 2014, it was “in possession of merely eight (8) of Secretary Clinton’s emails, out of a now known universe of at least 300 emails.”

COMMENT:  Let's see if Queen Hillary actually shows up, or if her Scooby van breaks down on the way to Washington.  At some point she's got to pull something akin to a Nixonian "Checkers" speech to try to get herself out of trouble.

April 26,  2015     Permalink