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JUNE 20,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:12 P.M. ET: 

JUSTICE? – The "Central Park Jogger" case was one of the most publicized crimes in America in the last 50 years.  A young woman jogging in Central Park was raped and beaten senseless.  Five black men were convicted of the crime, but were later "exonerated" when DNA matched someone else.  From The New York Times:  "The five men whose convictions in the brutal 1989 beating and rape of a female jogger in Central Park were later overturned have agreed to a settlement of about $40 million from New York City to resolve a bitterly fought civil rights lawsuit over their arrests and imprisonment in the sensational crime."  Many connected with the case feel a sense of uneasiness, still believing that these five men were involved in the attack in some way.  The Mike Bloomberg administration fought a settlement tooth-and-nail, but the new, "progressive" regime of Bill DeBlasio settled quickly and easily.  We may never know the full truth.

OBAMA DOWN AGAIN – From Gallup:  "WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Americans' approval of President Barack Obama's handling of immigration has dropped to 31%, one of the lowest readings since 2010, when Gallup began polling on his handling of the issue. Meanwhile, two in three Americans (65%) disapprove of his handling of immigration."  Chuck Todd of NBC says that Obama is "over."  I'm not sure, but I can't see how he can rebuild his popularity.  What could rebuilding be based on?

OH MY, MY, SHE'S CAUGHT ONCE MORE – Earlier today I ran a post reporting on Hillary Clinton's ridiculous interview with The New York Times Book Review, in which Ms. Inevitability announced the names of her favorite authors.  I then received, from a sharp reader who wishes to remain anonymous, this reply:

Note the listing in Hillary's responses

Alex Berenson
Linda Fairstein
Sue Grafton
Donna Leon
Katherine Hall Page
Louise Penny
Daniel Silva
Alexander McCall Smith
Charles Todd
Jacqueline Winspear

Into:

Berenson
Fairstein
Grafton
Leon
Page
Penny
Silva
Smith
Todd
Winspear

Alphabetical order... on her lists.

No one thinks let alone speaks that way.

Have a good laugh.  She's done it again.  I wonder which staff aide actually provided Ms. Hillary's reading list, and what alphabetical list he or she chose from.

June 20, 2014       Permalink

A DANGER TO AMERICA – AT 10:51 A.M. ET:  Another troubling report about Islamists leaving the U.S. to fight abroad.  They'll be here again someday, equipped with new skills.  From Fox:   

As many as 15 Somali-American men have left their homes in Minnesota in recent months to travel to the Middle East and join up with ISIS, the jihadist army at war with Syria and Iraq, according to Minnesota Public Radio.

The fighters appear to have made the decision to go fight with Islamic State of Iraq and Syria/Levant while the terror group was fighting to overthrow Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, but some may now be in Iraq, where the marauding group is seeking to topple Baghdad.

"A Muslim has to stand up for [what's] right," Abdirahmaan Muhumed told MPR News through a series of Facebook messages dating back to the beginning of the year. "I give up this worldly life for Allah."

ISIS, an Iraq-based, Al Qaeda-linked terror group, poured into Syria as rebels known as the Free Syrian Army fought to overthrow Assad. But ISIS’s ferocious brutality, especially toward Christians, quickly caused a rift with the Syrian rebels. Now, the group appears bent on establishing an Islamic caliphate, or nation under strict Islamic law, spanning the two nations.

Among Minnesota’s thriving Somali community, Muhumed's transformation from ordinary life in Minneapolis to Middle East jihadist is evidence of a strong recruitment and radicalization effort.

“Most of [those who left] don't have the resources to even buy a ticket to go to Chicago. So that means there is some influential individuals who are taking advantage of our youth," Mohamud Noor, executive director of the Confederation of Somali Community in Minnesota, told MPR. "So it's up to us to defend ourselves. This is not only a fight for our youth. It is a fight for our future."

It is against the law for Americans to independently travel overseas to fight in civil wars or armed conflicts against foreign governments. FoxNews.com has written about Americans who went to join the war in Syria in the past, including Eric Harroun, a onetime U.S. Army soldier from Arizona.

After FoxNews.com interviewed Harroun from the battlefield, he traveled back to the U.S., where he was arrested in June 2013. He pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was released, then died of an apparent overdose in April.

COMMENT:  It took only 19 hijackers to pull off the 9/11 attacks.  Even a small number of jihadists, operating on these shores, can do devastating damage.  Minnesota Public Radio is to be commended for going against the politically correct tide and reporting this story.

June 20, 2014       Permalink 

OH, YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS – AT 9:59 A.M. ET:  There are moments when public figures just reveal themselves.  Hillary Clinton is from that class of people who define themselves by their "intellectual" credentials.  You know, where you went to school, your grades, the number of degrees you have, and whether you can use the key words of the moment.  (During the early years of the Kennedy administration the key word was "viable."  A policy had to be "viable."  The key word in the last few years has been "sustainable.")

So Queen Hillary was interviewed by The New York Times Book Review, and she went overboard.  I get the feeling, by the way, that this was a written interview – where questions are submitted, and answered in writing.  You gotta read it to believe it.  Hillary, or some staff member, clearly out to impress the intellectual classes, claims the potential president has read everything under the sun, carefully balanced of course by the gender of the author.  Just get these few questions and answers.  Just savor them.  Here is the voice of snotty, East Coast liberalism: 

Who are your favorite contemporary writers? Are there any writers whose books you automatically read when they come out?

I will read anything by Laura Hillenbrand, Walter Isaacson, Barbara Kingsolver, John le Carré, John Grisham, Hilary Mantel, Toni Morrison, Anna Quindlen and Alice Walker. And I love series that follow particular characters over time and through their experiences, so I automatically read the latest installments from Alex Berenson, Linda Fairstein, Sue Grafton, Donna Leon, Katherine Hall Page, Louise Penny, Daniel Silva, Alexander McCall Smith, Charles Todd and Jacqueline Winspear.

What are your favorite novels? Your favorite short stories? Poems you hold especially dear?

“The Brothers Karamazov” made a lasting impression on me when I read it as a young woman; I intend to reread it this summer to see what I now think about it. My favorite short stories are by Alice Munro, especially her collections “Carried Away” and “Runaway.” That’s an easy choice for me compared with the many poets I’ve appreciated over time. Included in that list are E. E. Cummings, T. S. Eliot, Seamus Heaney, Pablo Neruda, Mary Oliver and W. B. Yeats.

COMMENT:  Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.  Is Hillary really as dense as we're beginning to think she is?  As one pundit commented on reading this so-called interview, "When did she have time to be secretary of state?"  Right, what novel was she reading during Benghazi?

I mean, really now.  Who does Hillary think she's kidding?  This is patronizing, amateur politics at its worst.  Oh, she also mentions she reads the Bible. 

Hillary's world is the world of her class.  She's a pseudo-intellectual showoff.  She lacks judgment and common sense.   This interview reveals her as a kind of child out to impress mommy, and a college admissions committee.  It does not reveal her as a president.

Oh, the latest book I'm reading is "A March Through Hell," by Will Stroock.  It's about the China Burma India theater in World War II.  It's great.  Hillary hasn't read it.

June 20,  2014     Permalink

PETRAEUS ADVISES – AT 9:43 A.M. ET:  Former U.S. army general and CIA Director David Petraeus has some advice for President Obama.  I would take him seriously.   Despite the personal embarrassment that ended his government career – an extra-marital affair – he knows this territory.  From London's Daily Mail: 

The United States military should launch 'targeted' strikes against the 'terrorist army' of ISIS in Iraq - if the situation deteriorates so that it threatens the security of the West said David Petraeus.

The retired general - who led commanded the surge eight years ago that rid the war-torn nation of al-Qaeda - said that he does support limited military action to stem the flood of ISIS troops.

Former CIA chief Petraeus made these remarks on Thursday, the same day that President Obama declared he was sending 300 special forces advisers to Iraq in addition to the 275 'combat ready' troops he has deployed to protect the US Embassy in Baghdad.

In an exclusive interview with the UK's Daily Telegraph, Petraeus said that he favored using drones to specifically target the ISIS leader, Abu Bakr el Baghdadi.

'If ISIS is seen as a terrorist organization with the potential to engage in terrorist acts beyond the Middle East, then that could warrant the targeting of high value targets,' said Petraeus.

He referenced the complicated sectarian friction that currently exists in Iraq between Sunni and Shia Muslims.

'We must be careful not to take sides if we offer military support. But the growing threat posed by Isis means that military action will be necessary,' said Petraeus to the Daily Telegraph.

COMMENT:  Pretty direct.  I'm afraid he might be right, although we're also wise to consider whether, under the command of Field Marshal Extraordinaire Barack Obama, we could make things worse.  Knowing Obama, he won't choose the wisest course.  He'll choose the course best for him and his standing in the polls.

June 20,  2014      Permalink

McCARTHY IN – AT 8:58 A.M. ET:  Kevin McCarthy of California has been elected the new House majority leader, replacing Eric Cantor, who was stunningly defeated in a primary election for his House seat.  From Fox: 

WASHINGTON – In a GOP leadership shuffle, Republican lawmakers voted Thursday for California Rep. Kevin McCarthy to succeed Rep. Eric Cantor as House majority leader after Cantor's unexpected primary defeat last week.

McCarthy, a fourth-term lawmaker who had held the No. 3 GOP position, was elected by secret ballot.

"America is struggling," he said after the vote. "We're struggling with a stagnant economy, a failed health care law, and so many are living paycheck to paycheck. They are looking for individuals that put people before politics. I make one promise: I will work every single day to make sure this conference has the courage to lead with the wisdom to listen."

The day's second election, to succeed McCarthy as party whip, was a much tighter three-way competition among Reps. Steve Scalise of Louisiana, Peter Roskam of Illinois and Marlin Stutzman of Indiana. Scalise, 48, scored the victory.

Scalise, who won his seat in a special election in 2008, campaigned as head of the Republican Study Conference, a group of that sometimes serves as a conservative thorn in the side of leadership.

"I'm looking forward to bringing a fresh new voice to our leadership table and joining with this team to help confront the challenges that people all across this country are facing," he said at a press conference following the vote. "We've got solid conservative solutions that are going to solve the problems facing our country."

McCarthy and Scalise will govern for only 12 legislative days between when Cantor officially calls it quits on July 31 and November’s midterm elections.

COMMENT:  McCarthy was actually Cantor's choice to succeed him, so the GOP establishment is still firmly in charge, and it won in a free election. 

Republicans are expected easily to retain control of the House in the November election.  It's the Senate we focus on.  My fear, based on current conditions, is that the GOP will fall short and that Obama, even with narrow Senate control, will run wild during his last two years in office.

June 20,  2014     Permalink

JUNE 19,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:50 P.M. ET: 

ADVISERS – That's what they're calling them.  President Barack "Tuffie" Obama announced that 300 American military advisers are being sent to aid the Iraqi military.  They will not have a direct combat role.  Inevitably, some pundits are comparing the move to the sending of American military advisers to Vietnam, which eventually grew into a huge fighting force.  The comparison is probably inaccurate, but what happens if any of those advisers is killed or captured?  You may be sure our enemies are planning a hostage situation.  This story is just beginning.

MORE ROMNEY – Well, as the guy in "Casablanca" said, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  The boomlet for Mitt Romney continues.  From the Boston Herald:  "The surprise early frontrunner in New Hampshire’s next GOP presidential primary is the loser of the last White House race – former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who wipes the 2016 field by a more than 2-1 margin, a new Suffolk University-Boston Herald poll reveals."  Well, part of that is name recognition.  But another part is that Romney already has presidential stature, and much of what he said in the 2012 campaign has come true.  But he swears he won't run again.

AND THE BAD NEWS – The same poll that gave Mitt Romney a boost in New Hampshire has grim news for former Republican Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown.  From the Herald:  "The poll of 800 likely Granite State voters has less encouraging news for another ex-Massachusetts politician, former U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. He trails incumbent Democrat Jeanne Shaheen by 10 points and is now viewed unfavorably by 46 percent of New Hampshire voters."  Even though Brown comes from a bordering state, he is probably seen as a carpetbagger by many New Hampshire voters.  Also, Shaheen is relatively popular.  Indeed, many Democratic senators are proving surprisingly tough in races that Republicans must win to take control of the Senate.  This won't be easy.

NEW APPROACH TO LATE NIGHT – We think of the late-night comedians as appearing on CBS, NBC, and ABC, and maybe a few cable channels.  But now Netflix, a subscription service, is getting into the game.  From Hollywood Reporter:  "Chelsea Handler is taking her late-night brand to Netflix.  Upon wrapping her long-running Chelsea Lately series on E! in late August, the outspoken comic will kick off a multi-tiered deal that includes a stand-up special, docu-comedy specials and the streaming service’s first-ever talk show. The latter, mere speculation until this point, is set to begin in early 2016, and will debut simultaneously in all Netflix territories."  Absolutely no way to predict how successful this will be, or even how we define success.  But Netflix has been successful with its original series, "House of Cards."  I suspect it's going for a kind of niche success with Chelsea Handler.  I'm certainly curious.

June 19,  2014     Permalink

NO RESPECT – AT 10:01 A.M. ET:  This is happening at a generally conservative school in a very conservative state.  Imagine what's happening elsewhere.  From the Daily Caller:

A veteran in the student government at the University of Wyoming has been denied in his quest to have meetings open with the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance, reportedly out of the fear it would offend international students, Campus Reform reports.

Cory Schroeder, a six-year Army veteran who has served tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, was elected in May to serve a year-long term as a senator on the Associated Students of the University of Wyoming, the university’s student legislative body. He told Campus Reform that he became upset when he attended meetings and discovered they did not open with the option to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

Schroeder says that when inquired about opening meetings with the Pledge, he was told it was a “very touchy subject” because the Pledge might offend the body’s two international students.

How about courteously informing the international students that they're in America now, and that the pledge is meant for American students, with no disrespect toward anyone else.  That sounds easy, doesn't it?

Instead of opening with the Pledge, the body instead takes the time to read its mission statement, which aspires to “accurate representation, professional interaction with campus programs and organization [sic], and responsible effective leadership.”

Schroeder says he was promised time to speak about the matter during a future meeting, but that the issue never made it on the agenda before the school year’s end. He was also told he could author a bill seeking to insert 20 seconds for the Pledge into each meeting, but he said he disliked such a course of action because it would be a “long process” that would be picked apart by a “liberal standing committee.”

COMMENT:  I have no strong feelings about opening meetings with the Pledge.  It's voluntary, but it certainly should be permitted.  This line about "offending" foreign students is bogus.  It's just the old left doing the old left thing, and trying to explain it away.  They're so boring. 

Foreign students might actually have more respect for Americans if we showed a little pride in country now and then.

June 19, 2014        Permalink

GOP TARGETS WOMEN VOTERS – AT 9:49 A.M. ET:  The Republican Party shows signs of entering the modern world of politics.  Now it is starting to do what it should have done years ago, address the gender gap in elections.  From Reuters: 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican party officials are putting together a new election year messaging campaign to reach women voters on issues including Obamacare, jobs and education as they seek to gain an advantage in the Nov. 4 congressional elections.

About three weeks of internal polling and focus group research has identified jobs and household finances as the most important issues among 1,206 likely women voters, according to the Republican National Committee, which commissioned the surveys along with the National Republican Congressional Campaign.

Party officials said Obamacare was also a top issue, with 55 percent of women polled opposing President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy and 43 percent voicing strong opposition.

The findings show far more opposition than independent public opinion polls, including a Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll that showed 43 percent of women and 48 percent of men opposed to Obamacare in May.

The research identified the phrase "start over" as a message that resonated with many women on Obamacare. The Republicans have been seeking to bridge the gap between loyal voters who want the healthcare law thrown out and those who favor retaining its consumer protections as part of a different reform environment.

A CNN/ORC International poll last month showed that 61 percent of Americans want Congress to leave the Affordable Care Act alone or make some changes to the law in an attempt to make it work better. Thirty-eight percent said the law should be either repealed or repealed and replaced with a completely different system.

The research, intended to help craft Republican campaign messages for the summer and autumn, comes as analysts say tightening races in Louisiana, North Carolina and other key states have highlighted the importance of attracting swing voters.

COMMENT:  Yes, we're seeing the term "tightening races" rather often, and it's generally not good news for our side.  Many Republicans thought Louisiana and North Carolina would be easy Senate pickups this year, but they're proving difficult.  Both states have large African-American and Hispanic populations that are loyal to the Democratic label.  Gaining control of the Senate will be difficult, but it is critical.

June 19, 2014       Permalink

HAYDEN ON IRAQ – AT 9:31 A.M. ET:  Former CIA Director Michael Hayden has always struck me as a stand-up guy.  Although he was part of the Obama administration, he speaks his mind, and I'm sure isn't welcome at too many Obama parties these days.  He says Iraq is gone as a nation.  From Newsmax: 

The country of Iraq is, for all intents and purposes, dead and has been replaced by three successor states, former CIA director Gen. Michael Hayden told Newsmax TV Wednesday.

"The state of Iraq as we know it is gone, and it's not going to be reconstituted," he told "The Steve Malzberg Show."

And...

He said the only way out of the Iraq mess might be a science fiction-type scenario.

"[I'd] get in the way-back machine, go back three years and undo some incredibly unwise decisions that we made then. That's really the nub of the issue,'' he said.

"We've got three successor states there now," Hayden, a retired four star Air Force general added. "As much as we might look for opportunities to keep Iraq together, we need to be prepared for the reality that it's not going to stay together.

"Unwise" is exactly the word for this administration.

"This is all going to be very, very hard going forward, and we frankly may have to limit our objectives. In other words, seek to achieve things less than we would have thought to achieve had we made different decisions a few years back."

COMMENT:  Nothing like an indictment of the commander-in-chief.  We consistently say here that the mistakes this administration makes today will be paid for by our children.  But we'll be making the down payment, and the bill is coming due.

June 19, 2014       Permalink

IRAN TALKS IN BAD SHAPE – AT 8:58 A.M. ET:  Let's not forget that the really big issue in the Mideast is the Iran nuclear program.  Negotiations to limit it are not going well, and that is a direct threat to the United States.  From ABC: 

Any thaw in relations between Iran and the United States under the pressure of Iraq's turmoil is unlikely to hasten progress in difficult negotiations seeking limits on Tehran's nuclear program.

Recent high-level U.S.-Iran talks that were meant to pave the way to a final nuclear deal only highlighted the two nations' huge differences, say two diplomats, further diminishing expectations that a July 20 target date for agreement will be met.

U.S. and Iranian officials are both concerned by the swift advance of radical Islamist forces in Iraq and officials from the two countries met here briefly Monday. But the nuclear talks, a senior State Department official said, are "its own process." The official demanded anonymity in line with State Department rules.

The two western diplomats told The Associated Press that last week's discussions between U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left major differences unresolved.

That leaves negotiators from Iran, the U.S., Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany, who began a new round in Vienna Tuesday, facing essentially the same problems that stalled last month's meeting.

The diplomats, who have detailed knowledge of the confidential talks, agreed to share new information on the differences with the AP but demanded anonymity because they are not allowed to discuss the negotiations publicly. The main disputes, as outlined by them:

Enriched uranium can range from low-enriched reactor fuel to the high-enriched core of a nuclear weapon. Iran insists it has no interest in such arms.

It wants to keep the almost 20,000 enriching centrifuges it now operates or has on standby. And it wants to ultimately expand the number to 150,000 — or replace them with advanced models that have that same output.

The U.S. demands that Iran run no more than a few hundred centrifuges, dismantle all on standby and agree to tight limits on how much enriched uranium it can stockpile.

"Unless the Iranians make a huge concession, it's very unlikely that there will be an agreement by the end of July," says Gary Samore, who left the U.S. negotiating team last year to work with Harvard's Belfer Center think tank.

COMMENT:  Sounds pretty grim.  We may well wind up without an agreement, meaning the possibility of military action, especially by Israel, to stop the Iranian nuclear program.

Obama has flashed weakness, and the Iranians may well believe they can get away with conceding nothing important.

June 19,  2014     Permalink