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MARCH 24,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:23 P.M. ET: 

CONFUSION – The prime minister of Malaysia announced this morning, with the ring of definitiveness, that the missing airliner went down in the southern Indian Ocean and that all passengers and crew were dead.  But the British satellite company that actually did the math later said that the airliner is "most probably" down in the southern Indian Ocean.  Once again we wonder about Malaysian announcements.  It was also revealed that the estranged wife of the pilot, who still lived with him, has not been interviewed about him since the disappearance "for cultural reasons."  Ah, the contributions of multiculturalists.

RESPONSE TO PUTIN – The Western allies announce with vigor that Russia has been suspended from meetings of the G8, an economic consortium.  That's like being suspended from the high school student government.  Also, to really get tough, the Western allies told us they will not attend a G8 meeting that was scheduled for Sochi, Russia.  So there!  Guess they'll have to get their caviar somewhere else.  No further sanctions were announced. 

PUSHING HER OFF THE CLIFF – During the last presidential campaign, the Dems ran an ad suggesting that Mitt Romney wanted to push little old ladies off a cliff.  Now the Dems are targeting their own little old lady – none other than Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Ginsburg.  It seems many Dem commentators are hinting broadly that she should resign from the Court before the November election, so that a Democratic Senate can confirm her presumably younger successor, to be selected by President Obama.  So far, the justice hasn't responded to the hints, which have been printed in a number of columns.  I'm guessing she's fuming.

THE AIRLINER – The U.S. is expanding its efforts to help find the missing Malaysian airliner.  From the Washington Times:  "The Pentagon is shuttling specialized military equipment overseas to aid efforts to locate the black box recorder which could provide critical clues to what happened the night that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing.  U.S. Pacific Command Commander NavyAdm. Samuel J. Locklear has issued an order to ship the equipment to the western Australia town of Perth in case a debris site for the Malaysian plane is located within the next few weeks. Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters Monday that a 'Towed Pinger Locator 25' as well as a Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle were placed on a chartered jet and flown out of John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York."  They only have a few weeks before the batteries on the plane's pingers go dead.

March 24, 2014       Permalink

WITH CERTAINTY, MAYBE – AT 10:22 A.M. ET:  The prime minister of Malaysia has just spoken about the missing airliner.  From The New York Times:

(CNN) -- Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went down over the southern Indian Ocean, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Monday, citing a new analysis of satellite data by a British satellite company and accident investigators.

The announcement appeared to rule out the possibility that anyone could have survived whatever happened to the aircraft, which vanished more than two weeks ago with 239 people aboard.

As Razak spoke, airline representatives met with family members in Beijing. "They have told us all lives are lost," one relative of a missing passenger told CNN.

The developments happened the same day as Australian officials announced they had spotted two objects in the southern Indian Ocean that could be related to the flight, which has been missing since March 8 with 239 people aboard.

COMMENT:  Might well be right, but we won't know until pieces of wreckage are actually found, picked up, analyzed, and identified.  What they're looking for are floating sections of the aircraft that contain serial numbers or other definitive items, like passports of passengers known to be on the plane.

If a positive I.D. can be made, then the question becomes:  How did the plane wind up in this part of the world?

We'll stay up to date on this, but wild speculation doesn't help.

March 24, 2014       Permalink

THE BETTING ODDS – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:  Nate Silver, formerly of The New York Times, is one of the best political handicappers writing today.  He is highly regarded for his application of research and statistics to his political prognostications, and he has some guardedly good news for us.  From The Hill:   

Statistician Nate Silver on Sunday said Republicans are now slight favorites to win at least six seats and take control of the Senate.

Silver wrote in a blog post that Republicans “have great opportunities in a number of states." At this point, he is rating West Virginia, South Dakota, Montana and Arkansas as “clearly” as leaning toward the Republicans.

In an interview that aired on ABC’s “This Week,” Silver said the GOP has a 60 percent chance of winning control of the Senate, and a 30 percent chance to win it big. The Democrats, by contrast, have only a 40 percent of holding on to their majority, he said.

Arkansas is one state where Republicans have been "pretty consistently ahead in the polls,” he said. “We give them a 70 percent chance of winning in Arkansas. Louisiana is about 55 percent. North Carolina is a purple state so that’s about as 50-50 as it gets.”

Rep. Tom Cotton (R) is challenging incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in Arkansas. Rep. Bill Cassidy (R), among others, is running against incumbent Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu in Louisiana. A slew of GOP candidates are running to unseat incumbent Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan in North Carolina.

The GOP has a 45 percent chance to win in Alaska and Michigan, 35 percent chance in Colorado and 30 percent chance in Iowa, Silver said on “This Week.”

Silver predicts Republicans will pick up six Senate seats, but could win as many as 11.

COMMENT:  The worst thing is for the GOP to be overconfident, as the late President Dewey might have told us.  Silver's projections are "as of today."  Conditions may change, and the GOP has often worked hard to lose elections.  Our side must always fight as if it's 20 points behind.  It's the only way to fight an election.

And let's not forget that the Democrats always fight hard.

I'm glad to see optimism, and I'm encouraged by Silver's numbers.  But the only numbers that count are the ones on election day. 

March 24, 2014       Permalink

OBJECTS!   OBJECTS, I SAY! – AT 9:25 A.M. ET:   We have actual reports of more "objects" sighted in the south Indian Ocean by searchers looking for the Malaysian airliner.  Meanwhile, we will have a statement, an actual statement.  From Fox:

(CNN) -- Malaysia's Prime Minister will make a live statement on missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 at 10 p.m. (10 a.m. ET), he said Monday on Twitter.

Prime Minister Najib Razak did not give any details of the statement.

Also, two relatives of passengers aboard the missing airliner tell CNN they have been asked to attend a meeting at a Beijing hotel where Malaysian authorities have been briefing families.

The developments happened the same day as Australian officials announced they had spotted two objects in the southern Indian Ocean that could be related to the flight, which has been missing since March 8 with 239 people aboard.

One object is "a grey or green circular object," and the other is "an orange rectangular object," the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said.

COMMENT:  Of course we hope that the Malaysian prime minister actually has something to say, because, as we've reported, the press coverage has become absurd.  It's reaching the point where anyone who's ever flown in or near a Boeing 777 is considered an "expert."  We'll monitor the "statement."

March 24, 2014       Permalink

SHUT UP – AT 9:04 A.M. ET:  Sometimes even the president of the United States should shut up.  In the case of the current president, that should be most of the time.  Our redeemer opened his mouth on Ukraine again, and a foot flew in.  From Fox:

President Obama has told a Dutch newspaper that the United States does not see the ongoing crisis in Crimea and Ukraine as a "zero-sum game" between Washington and Moscow as pro-Russian forces reportedly overran a third Ukrainian military base in the Black Sea peninsula Monday.

In the interview, published in Monday's edition of de Volkskrant, Obama said, "The United States does not view Europe as a battleground between East and West, nor do we see the situation in Ukraine as a zero-sum game. That’s the kind of thinking that should have ended with the Cold War."

The president went on to say, "The Ukrainian people do not have to choose between East and West. On the contrary, it’s important that Ukraine have good relations with the United States, Russia, and Europe. As I’ve said, the future of Ukraine ought to be decided by the people of Ukraine."

COMMENT:  Take that, Putin!  Spoken like a true professor of political science who never reads a newspaper.  It takes two to end a cold war.  Putin's Russia isn't interested in ending their cold war with us.

And of course Europe is a battleground between East and West.  Obama may see that as old-fashioned thinking.  But, guess what?  The Russians are old-fashioned thinkers, and their old-fashioned thinking just produced a major victory in Crimea.

Remember that World War I was called "the war to end all wars."  It didn't.  Neither did World War II.

March 24,  2014     Permalink

MARCH 23,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:52 P.M. ET:

JIMMY'S COMPLAINT – From The Hill:  "Former President Jimmy Carter (D) says he thinks the National Security Agency might be monitoring his emails.  In an interview on NBC’s 'Meet the Press,' Carter said he sends messages to foreign leaders via snail mail instead."  Why would anyone be interested?

NOT SURPRISING – From Breitbart:  "President Barack Obama has spent more time traveling abroad than other U.S. president in history at this point in their presidencies, according to a forthcoming study from the National Taxpayer Union Foundation (NTUF) provided exclusively to Breitbart News ahead of its public release.  'The most internationally well-traveled President, through five years, is also flying the most expensive-to-operate Air Force One to date,' NTUF wrote.  After five years in the White House, Obama has taken 31 trips for a total of 119 days abroad. At that point in George W. Bush’s presidency, Bush had taken 28 trips for 116 days, while Bill Clinton had taken 27 trips for 113 days. Ronald Reagan, after five years, had taken 14 trips for 73 days while Richard Nixon had taken 12 trips for 60 days after five years in the White House and Lyndon Johnson took 10 trips for 34 days at the half-decade mark. Dwight Eisenhower took 8 trips for 31 days after five years in the White House."  But look what we've gained from Obama's trips!  Wait, forget that comment.

ANOTHER FOREIGN POLICY TRIUMPH – From Ahram:  "Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim said on Sunday that Egypt was facing an arms supply problem and was considering importing weapons from Russia.
'There is a problem because there has been a stifling of arms imports from the United States and the European Union' after the ouster of president Mohamed Morsi last summer, Ibrahim told a group of journalists at a meeting."  Russia is emerging once more as a major enemy of the United States.  We worked for years to make Egypt an ally, and succeeded.  Now, under the Obama doctrine of punishing our friends and rewarding our enemies, we're practically delivering Egypt to the Russians in order to punish the Egyptian regime for not showing proper respect for Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood government.  What a triumph.

March 23,  2014     Permalink

ANYTHING? – AT 11:38 A.M. ET:  We continue to get "reports" on the search for the Malaysian airliner.  CNN and Fox won't give up their intensive coverage, even though there's nothing much to report.   From CNN: 

(CNN) -- A growing number of airplanes scoured the southern Indian Ocean on Sunday as the 16-day search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 continued, but the end result was frustratingly the same -- nothing.

Buoyed by a third set of satellite data that indicated possible debris from the plane in the water, the international team led by Australia fought bad weather early in the day as it looked for signs of the missing Boeing 777 and the 239 people who were aboard.

Eight aircraft and one ship conducted Sunday's search and there were no sightings of significance, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said in a written statement.

Four more jets -- two from China and two from Japan -- are set to join the reconnaissance team on Monday, the organization said.

Earlier, French authorities passed on satellite data showing "potential objects in the vicinity of the southern corridor" of the search area for the plane, Malaysia's acting transportation minister said.

"Malaysia immediately relayed these images to the Australian rescue coordination center," Hishammuddin Hussein said.

Satellite images previously issued by Australian and Chinese authorities have also pointed to possible large floating objects, stoking hopes searchers may find debris from the missing plane.

COMMENT:  It was pointed out last night that the section of the Indian Ocean being searched is, even in normal times, a vast junkyard.  There's always debris there.  Unless the searchers can put eyeballs on some of the objects "sighted" by satellite we'll never know if these were chunks of the missing airliner, or stuff that has fallen off ships or dumped as refuse.

It won't be many days before the battery power runs out on the pingers that sound when a plane goes down.  The search authorities hope they can home in on these pingers before the power goes out.  So far, no luck.

March 23, 2014       Permalink

EVEN LIBERALS ARE UNEASY – AT 10:58 A.M. ET:  I've noticed in recent weeks that even a number of liberals in Congress are starting to separate themselves from Obama's obviously failing foreign policy.  Maybe they see what's coming.  From Fox:   

Senate Democrats are joining House lawmakers in pressing President Obama again on nuclear negotiations with Iran, insisting the president hold Tehran to iron-clad international agreements and keep them apprised of developments including the need for new sanctions.

The letter was signed Friday by 23 Democratic senators and is nearly identical to the one recently sent by 216 House Republicans and 179 House Democrats.

“As negotiations progress, we expect your administration will continue to keep Congress regularly apprised of the details,” the Senate letter reads. “And because any long-term sanctions relief will require congressional action, we urge you to consult closely with us … so that we can act swiftly to consider additional sanctions.”

While lawmakers from both chambers also said they have no desire for military conflict, they argued the United States “must keep all options on the table to prevent this dangerous regime from acquiring nuclear weapons.”

The United States and other world leaders reached an interim deal in November with Iran that calls for the rouge country to agree to inspections as it halts or scales back parts of its nuclear program to get below bomb-making capacity, in exchange for the easing of some international sanctions.

The White House has since then succeeded in stopping Congress from voting to imposing more sanctions, asking instead for additional time for a diplomatic solution to prevail.

"I am convinced that we should only relieve pressure on Iran in return for verifiable concessions that will fundamentally dismantle Iran's nuclear program," committee Chairman Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., said during a Senate hearing last month.

However, the July 20 deadline for the temporary deal is fast approaching. And hopes for a final agreement appear to be dwindling now that Russia -- an ally of Iran and a potential go-between in the nuclear talks -- has angered world powers by annexing the Crimea region of Ukraine.

COMMENT:  If this were a parliamentary system, Obama might well lose a vote of confidence.  It's clear that many members of his own party have lost confidence in him.

March 23, 2014       Permalink

SHOCKING – AT 10:31 A.M. ET:  This story has been touched on over the years, but has started to rumble around the internet in a  major way in the last few days.  From the New York Post:

A multicity support network inside America funded by Saudi Arabian officials to aid the 9/11 hijackers was never “taken down” after the attacks, and until a secret report detailing the network is made public, America will remain “vulnerable” to another attack, the former US senator who headed the joint congressional inquiry into 9/11 warns.

More than a decade ago, President George W. Bush mysteriously classified a 28-page section of the “Joint Inquiry Into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001.” The documents remain secret under President Obama despite his promise to 9/11 families to release them.

Former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla), who co-chaired the joint inquiry, says releasing the 28-page chapter — which was “censored from word one to the last word” over the objection of he and Republican co-chair Sen. Richard Shelby — would ¬expose shocking details on the terrorism plot that killed nearly 3,000 people. Allegedly, they identify Saudi officials, agents and other contact men for the hijackers.

Saudi support cells were set up in a number of US cities, coast to coast — including Paterson, NJ, Delray Beach, Fla., Sarasota, Fla., Falls Church, Va., Alexandria, Va., Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix — but were never properly investigated, Graham says.

As a result, he fears the terror support network was never abandoned and remains intact today, ready to be used for an encore attack.

“There’s no evidence the network prior to 9/11 has been taken down,” Graham said. “And in terms of our national security, we would be foolish to assume it has been taken down and end up more vulnerable.

“That’s another reason why releasing these 28 pages is so important: If this was in existence in 2000 and 2001, what is it in 2014?”

Al Qaeda last week called on terrorists secreted inside America to carry out car-bomb attacks in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, Alexandria, Va., and other cities.

COMMENT:  The Saudi lobby in America is enormously powerful, and spreads money around Washington and America like a gardener spreads seed.  I recall that, in one week some years back, a Saudi prince gave more money in one week to buy influence in American universities than the entire annual budget of the Israel lobby.  Not much was said...or reported.

The Bush family was, and is, close to Saudi Arabia through the Bush oil interests.  So is former Secretary of State James Baker.   Key people in both parties are responsible for the cover-up of Saudi activity in the U.S.  So is our mainstream press.

Declassify those pages, Mr. President.  The American people have a right to know.  But it will never happen.  Money talks.

March 23,  2014     Permalink