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SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE – TWO MORE DAYS

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

FEBRUARY 24,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:39 P.M. ET: 

THREATENING WORDS – Now that the Olympics are over, the boys in Moscow can stop smiling and get back to their usual tactics.  They have eyes on the Ukraine.  From Reuters:  "Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Monday said Russia had grave doubts about the legitimacy of those in power in Ukraine following President Viktor Yanukovich's ouster, saying their recognition by some states was an 'aberration.' 'We do not understand what is going on there. There is a real threat to our interests and to the lives of our citizens,' Medvedev was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.  'There are big doubts about the legitimacy of a whole series of organs of power that are now functioning there.'  Chilling words, the kind you hear before an intervention.

I'M NOT THRILLED – I've reported to readers several times that I'm not thrilled by the results of recent polls that show our side ahead, but by margins that should be greater.  The Texas governorship race is an example:  From the Texas Tribune:  "After what are shaping up to be easy primary wins in March for the leading gubernatorial candidates, Republican Greg Abbott starts the general election race for governor with an 11-point lead over Democrat Wendy Davis, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll."  Look, Wendy Davis has almost self-destructed, and all the GOP can muster at this point in the red state of Texas is an 11-point lead?  Come on.  It should be at least 15 points or more.  Some constructive worry is in order.  Every race should be run as if we're 20 points behind.  Overconfidence kills.

DEVAL WHO? – From the Politico:  "Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick signaled Sunday that he would be open to a White House bid at some point, though the governor has previously ruled out seeking the presidency in 2016.  Asked in an interview whether he could see himself as a national candidate — not necessarily in 2016 — the second-term Democrat responded: 'Maybe. Maybe.'"  I'm so glad.  Everywhere I go I hear a yearning for Deval Patrick.  Don't you?  Listen carefully.  The support is building.  One vote.  Two votes.  Do I hear three?

WHAA..? – If the UN secretary-general doesn't know what's going on in the UN's own home city, maybe we shoudn't trust the UN on anything.  From the Weekly Standard:  "Former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg met with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at United Nations headquarters for Bloomberg's new role as United Nations special envoy for cities and climate change. At the photo op, the secretary general was effusive in his praise of Bloomberg, even crediting him for transforming New York City into a 'carbon-free city':  Mayor Bloomberg is much better known for his strong stewardship on environment and climate change. He has made this great city of New York a carbon-free city. It has been his hallmark, and as President of the C40 Mayors Group for Climate Change, he has been making a great contribution to a global effort, together with the United Nations, to make this Planet Earth and our world environmentally sustainable. And I really appreciate it.'"  When did Mike Bloomberg make New York carbon-free?  Did I miss it?  Was I out of town?  Will someone please tell me.

February 24, 2014       Permalink

ATTACK ON THE BEST – AT 10:18 A.M. ET:   There is probably no better columnist writing today than Charles Krauthammer.   He and Fouad Ajami are my two favorite commentators.  In addition to his other credits, Krauthammer is a Harvard-trained physician, a scientist by education. 

And so it is laughable that the parishioners in the Church of the Global Warming are actually launching a campaign to silence Krauthammer.  Howard Kurtz speaks out at Fox: 

Charles Krauthammer says it right up front in his Washington Post column: “I’m not a global warming believer. I’m not a global warming denier.”

He does, however, challenge the notion that the science on climate change is settled and says those who insist otherwise are engaged in “a crude attempt to silence critics and delegitimize debate.”

How ironic, then, that some environmental activists launched a petition urging the Post not to publish Krauthammer’s column on Friday.

Their response to opinions they disagree with is to suppress the speech.

Brad Johnson (@ClimateBrad), the editor of HillHeat.com and a former Think Progress staffer, boasted on Twitter that 110,000 people had urged the newspaper “to stop publishing climate lies” like the Krauthammer piece.

I understand that many people are passionate about global warming and consider skeptics to be flat-earthers. Those who don’t like the arguments by Krauthammer, a Fox News contributor, should by all means criticize, dispute, denounce and otherwise go at him. That’s how debate takes place in a country with a vibrant media culture.

Instead, these folks believe that censorship is preferable. Why engage Krauthammer when they might just be able to employ pressure tactics to silence him? And what’s the difference between this and shouting down a speaker at a town hall?

Krauthammer told me the petition-signers “showed up just in time to make precisely the point I made in the column.”

When it comes to free speech, he says, “they don’t even hide it anymore. Now they proudly want certain arguments banished from discourse. The next step is book burning. So the question of the day is: Can you light a Kindle?"

COMMENT:  Well stated.  The flat Earthers are the fanatical global warmers, not the skeptics, who often raise intelligent, well-reasoned questions. 

Expect more attempts at suppression.  A Harvard student wrote an editorial in the Crimson last week suggesting that Harvard ban conservative speech.  You'd be surprised how many "educated" people think this way.  It's the sophisticated way to go, dahlings.

February 24, 2014        Permalink

AMERICANS CATCH ON – AT 9:08 A.M. ET:  The American people appear to be catching on to the extent of the foreign-policy disaster brought by this president.   From The Politico:

For the first time, a majority of Americans think President Barack Obama is not respected among world leaders, according to a new poll that found opinion has plunged “dramatically” in the past year.

Fifty-three percent now say Obama is not respected on the international stage, up from 43 percent a year ago, the Gallup poll on Monday shows. And the number who say they believe the president is respected has dropped to 41 percent from 51 percent over the same time, the poll found.

The pollster attributes the decline to the spate of difficult international issues the president has dealt with over the past year, including tensions with Russia and Israel, the situation in Syria and the tapping of phones calls of foreign leaders.

Obama’s shift in his foreign approval comes largely from both Democrats and independents. Sixty-nine percent of Democrats say he is respected by other world leaders, down from 80 percent in 2013. Similarly, only 34 percent of independents say he is respected, down from 49 percent in 2013. Remaining consistent are Republicans. Nineteen percent say the president is not respected by other leaders, down 2 points from 2013.

COMMENT:  Ah, Mr. Hope and Change, where have you gone?  Do you recall when Obama, during his egomaniacal 2008 campaign, actually went to Berlin to deliver a speech to the people of the world?  (That alone should have gotten him defeated.  The arrogance of the man.)  All the kids cheered, and the intellectual classes went delirious.

It's six years later.  No more cheering.  The delirium has been treated with the tranquilizer of experience.  The glorified town councilman in the White House has cut himself down to size.

February 24, 2014       Permalink

MORE MADNESS – AT 8:47 A.M. ET:   The Obamans seem to be going out of their way to aid our enemies and frustrate our friends.   We learn this morning that the new Egyptian government has resigned, plunging that sorry nation into greater despair and doubt. 

Of course, we've done nothing to help that government despite the fact that it is run by nominally pro-American military men.  The last government Obama supported in Egypt was run by the Muslim Brotherhood. 

And it gets worse.  From the Jerusalem Post: 

The sudden rapprochement between Egypt and Russia should concern the West and Israel. In a yet unexplained twist, the United States appears unaware of the fact that by pressuring the new regime in Cairo to demonstrate its commitment to democracy it is driving it straight into the willing embrace of one of the least democratic countries in Europe.

An unprecedented arm deal is about to be concluded, according to a number of reliable sources. Moscow will supply Cairo with $3 billion worth of such sophisticated weapons as MiG-29 warplanes, anti-aircraft systems, Kornet anti-tank guided missiles and combat helicopters. It follows that Russian experts will be sent to Egypt to train and advise in the use of these weapons, as well as help with maintenance.

This new cooperation will probably not be all-pervasive the way it was in the ’60s and ’70s, but it will bring the two countries much closer together.

Russian experts will replace the many American experts keeping a low profile but at work helping the Egyptian Army with American weapons and equipment bought with the $1.2b. in annual military aid granted to Cairo by the US since the peace treaty with Israel.

Egyptian officers and technicians will be sent to Russia to learn the technology and the methods of a regime which is not too preoccupied with democracy.

COMMENT:  We worked for decades to reduce Soviet, then Russian influence in the Mideast.  That influence is now returning bigtime, but Obama just doesn't care.  He must punish the Egyptians for driving out the "freely elected" Muslim Brotherhood government.  Never mind the fact that, as soon as the Brothers took power, they started dismantling all the elements of a democratic society.

Have you noticed?  The only two forces that have gained under Obama are Communism, with the dramatic  resurgence of Russia and the rise of China, and Islamism.  Gee, I wonder why.

February 24, 2014       Permalink

WE'RE SPEECHLESS – AT 8:26 A.M. ET:  What does one say to madness?  From Fox:

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will reportedly propose a Pentagon budget that will shrink the U.S. Army to its smallest number since 1940 and eliminate an entire class of Air Force attack jets.

The New York Times reported late Sunday that Hagel's proposal, which will be released to lawmakers and the public on Monday, will call for a reduction in size of the military that will leave it capable of waging war, but unable to carry out protracted occupations of foreign territory, as in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Under Hagel's plan, the number of troops in the Army will drop to between 440,000 and 450,000, a reduction of at least 120,000 soldiers from its post-Sept.11 peak.

Officials told the Times that Hagel's plan has been endorsed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and protects funding for Special Operations forces and cyberwarfare. It also calls for the Navy to maintain all eleven of its aircraft carriers currently in operation. However, the budget proposal mandates the elimination of the entire fleet of Air Force A-10 attack aircraft, as well as the retiring of the U-2 spy plane, a stalwart of Cold War operations.

The budget plan does keep money for the F-35 warplane, a project which has been beset by delays and criticism over design flaws.

Other characteristics of the budget will likely draw further ire from veterans groups and members of Congress. The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Hagel would recommend a limit on military pay raises, higher fees for health-care benefits, less generous housing allowances, and a one-year freeze on raises for top military brass.

COMMENT:  Look at this from the viewpoint of foreign adversaries like Russia, Iran and North Korea.  The sound you hear is the breaking out of caviar. 

We have tried these major drawdowns before, and every one of them has ended in disaster.

There is a reason Obama – who is a leftist, not a liberal – picked Kerry and Hagel.  Their mission is to reduce America as a world power, for Obama believes that it is the United States that is the source of many of the world' s problems.  He can't say it, but he's acting it.

I'd love to know where the "savings" from these cutbacks will go.  I think we all know.  Look for an increase in "programs" that will benefit the leaders of major Democratic constituency groups, but not necessarily benefit the followers.

February 24,  2014     Permalink

FEBRUARY 23,  2014

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

MORGAN OVER – It is being widely reported that Piers Morgan's CNN 9 p.m. interview show, the network's replacement for Larry King, will be terminated in March because of low ratings.  Morgan, a Brit, never caught on with American audiences.  And his anti-gun crusade, often filled with misinformation, antagonized a good part of America.

OLYMPICS OVER – The Sochi Olympics ended tonight.  They began with great fears of terrorism, but no incident occurred.  That does not prove that no incident was planned or contemplated.  We don't know.  It may be that Russian security was very good, or that the terror masters decided they'd be hurt, rather than helped, if they disrupted the games.  The games themselves were fine, but there was a certain spark lacking.  Sochi is a grim place, and the atmosphere of the games reflected it.  The NBC commentary at times also seemed to lack spirit.  The winter games in four years will be held in South Korea.  It will be fascinating to see how the North Koreans react.

LOVE IT – John McCain had the perfect response to Susan Rice's TV comments today that she didn't mislead the American people on Benghazi.  From Mediaite:  "On Face the Nation Sunday morning, Senator John McCain (R-AZ) literally laughed off National Security Advisor Susan Rice’s statement earlier on Meet the Press that she did not intentionally mislead in her September 2012 appearance on the Sunday shows in which she claimed that the Benghazi attack had been in part a 'spontaneous response' to an anti-Islam video. 'I’m almost speechless,' McCain told host Bob Schieffer. 'It’s patently obvious, first of all, that Susan Rice had no reason to be on the program, she had no involvement in it. Second of all, she read talking points, that we are now beginning to believe came from the White House, which were absolutely false. We now know that the CIA station chief on the ground sent a message immediately saying ‘not-slash-not spontaneous demonstration.'  'And of course, the information was totally misleading, totally false,' McCain continued."  McCain is right, but Rice was barely challenged by NBC's David Gregory when she made the statements today.

February 23, 2014       Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 11:21 A.M. ET:   Reader Tom Wharton alerts us to a brilliant column by the British writer Janet Daley, who notes the power vacuum left by the United States under the Obama administration.   This is must reading.  From London's Telegraph:

So tell me, those of you who have demanded for years that America and the West should end their “domination” of geopolitics, and their interference in the affairs of far-flung nations: is this what you wanted? A free-for-all for rogue states, lunatic extremists and long-dead imperial powers, in which the lives and freedoms of populations caught up in the murderous power play would count for nothing?

Over Syria, every crackpot and despot in the world saw America dither and shamelessly contradict itself – and in the end, do nothing. Every rebellious dissident in an autocratic country now appreciates that he and his fellow protesters are on their own, with only the feeble attempts of a collective European negotiating machine standing between them and annihilation.

If Ukraine – or Syria for that matter – eventually finds its way to some form of stable democracy, it will have been with precious little help from the West, which seems to be either uninterested (America) or useless (the EU). So I ask again: is this what those who longed for a post-American, post-Western world had in mind?

COMMENT:  Beautifully stated.  She will get no honest answers.

February 23, 2014      Permalink

VENEZUELA IN CRISIS – AT 10:47 A.M. ET:  As we look around the globe, we see a world in flames.  Ukraine, Syria, Venezuela, Libya, Egypt, and confrontation between China and Japan.  And yet, no one in Washington seems much concerned. 

What is needed to guide the nation through international crises is presidential leadership, which is now nonexistent.   Without leadership, the American people are slipping back into a pre-World War II mentality, which can only lead to catastrophe down the line.

And many Venezuelans bitterly complain that their own struggle against an oppressive, incompetent regime is getting short shrift from the American media.  Maybe the journalistic nostalgia for Hugo Chavez is just too great.  But Venezuela is on the edge.  From AP: 

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelans on both sides of the nation's bitter political divide took to the streets on Saturday after two weeks of mass protests that have President Nicolas Maduro scrambling to squash an increasingly militant opposition movement.

In Caracas, tens of thousands of opponents of the president filled several city blocks in their biggest rally to date against his 10-month-old government. Across town, at the presidential palace, Maduro addressed a much-smaller crowd of mostly female supporters dressed in the red of his socialist party.

The dueling protests capped a violent week in which the government jailed Leopoldo Lopez, a fiery hard-liner who roused the opposition following its defeat in December's mayoral elections, and dozens of other student activists. The violence has left at least 10 people dead on both sides and injured more than 100.

A few small clashes that erupted between government opponents and state security forces after the opposition rally broke up were visually impressive, but resulted in only five injuries.

In a pattern seen in past demonstrations, dozens of stragglers erected barricades of trash and other debris and threw rocks and bottles at police and National Guardsmen. Troops responded with volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets to prevent the students from reaching a highway.

There were also clashes in San Cristobal, a remote city on the western border with Colombia that has seen some of the worst violence, but most opposition marches across the country ended peacefully.

The protests claimed their 10th fatality, when a 23-year-old student in the provincial city of Valencia was pronounced dead Saturday after an eight-hour surgery for brain injuries suffered at a demonstration earlier in the week.

Geraldine Moreno was near her home on Wednesday, watching students defend a barricade at the corner of her street, when six national guardsmen rushed in and fired rubber bullets at close range, hitting her in the face, El Universal newspaper reported.

On Saturday at the opposition rally held in wealthier eastern Caracas, two-time presidential candidate Henrique Capriles urged supporters to keep pressuring the government to resolve problems afflicting the oil-rich nation, from rampant crime to galloping 56 percent inflation.

"If you (Maduro) can't, then it's time to go," Capriles told the crowd.

COMMENT:  The Venezuelan government is blaming the U.S. for the protests, which is absurd.  But the key here is the stance of the military.  There is vast military corruption in Venezuela, with military factions running drug operations under the protection of the government.  Will military leaders stop taking favors from the regime and start siding with the Venezuelan people?  That is the question of the day.  If the military joins the opposition, the regime, with its anti-Americanism, will be gone.  I have no idea what the chances of that are.

February 23, 2014       Permalink

OH PLEASE – AT 10:26 A.M. ET:  Our secretary of state, John Kerry, is off in the land of Oz again.  At least in Oz we got some good songs.  Not here.  From Fox:

Secretary of State John Kerry on Saturday hailed the U.N. Security Council uniting for the first time on a resolution regarding Syria's humanitarian crisis, calling it a potential “hinge-point” in ending that country’s deadly, 3-year-long civil war.

The agreement calls for Syrian President Bashar Assad's government and opposition forces to provide immediate access across the country to humanitarian aid for all Syrians.

“This could be a hinge-point in the tortured three years of a Syria crisis bereft of hope,” Kerry said. “After three years of slaughter and savagery, people rightfully will question whether progress is possible, but this resolution holds the promise of something real.”

Still, Kerry warned that such an agreement is only the first steps toward ending the international crisis in which hundreds of thousands have been killed and millions forced from Syria and into refugee camps.

“The test is whether the words of the Security Council are matched with the life-saving actions the Syrian people so desperately and urgently need,” he said.

The breakthrough this weekend came when Russia, Syria's closest ally, and China, another supporter, agreed with the Western and Arab-backed resolution.

After two weeks of negotiations and a watering-down of the original text, the two countries decided to join the rest of the 15-member council in sending a strong message, especially to the Assad government, that food, medicine and other essentials must not be blocked to civilians caught in the conflict.

COMMENT:  Is the Obama crowd the only group left in the world that cares about UN resolutions?  Does anyone else take this seriously?  Does anyone believe the vicious factions in Syria will now say, "Oh, the UN has spoken.  Let us lay down our arms"? 

And I love the phrase, "a watering-down of the original text."  Yeah, that's the way you get China and Russia on board.  Just make it meaningless.

We are seeing a tragic deterioration in the power and influence of the United States.  In Obama's mind, this is not a failure, but a success.  It is the dream of the left, and our children will pay for it.

February 23,  2014     Permalink