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

MARCH 30,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET: 

NOAH'S BARK – The Comedy Channel has picked Trevor Noah, a bi-racial South African "comedian" to replace Jon Stewart as host of "The Daily Show."  Noah has the fundamental qualifications – he's anti-American and anti-Israel.  I have no idea how funny he is or how long he will last.  I guess there weren't any comedians from the United States who were suitable for the slot.  I don't do things by race and gender, but this is one case where I agree with many who thought a woman should have been selected.  Breath of fresh air.  The whole multicultural thing is getting boring, as are left-wing comedians.

DOWN TO THE WIRE, MAYBE – The deadline for a nuclear deal is tomorrow, Tuesday, unless it gets extended, or they stop the clock, or go home, or watch "Downton Abbey."  Stories from the talks in Switzerland are all over the place, ranging from "They're close" to "Far apart."  Personally, I'm offended by the whole thing.  We're talking about issues that affect the very survival of millions of people, and the talks are being handled like a labor negotiation.  My great fear is that we'll cave in at the last minute.  I want to be proved wrong.

O CANADA – From Reuters:  "TORONTO (Reuters) - Canadian legislators on Monday voted to back the government's plans to bomb Islamic State positions in Syria, a move that opposition parties say threatens to drag Canada into a long war.  The House of Commons approved the plan 142-129. The result was never in doubt, since the ruling Conservatives have a majority in the chamber.  The vote also approved the extension of Canada's six-month mission by a year to the end of March 2016.  Canada has around 70 special forces troops in northern Iraq and six Canadian jets are taking part in U.S.-led bombing attacks against Islamic State in Iraq."  Canada is always there for us, and look at the way Obama treated Canada over the Keystone Pipeline.  He gave our geographically closest ally the back of his hand, while appeasing Iran.  Some president.

TOUGH RECRUITING – From AP:  "ABINGTON, Pa. (AP) — Saying the military needs to do more to compete with corporate America for quality recruits, Defense Secretary Ash Carter opened the door Monday to relaxing some enlistment standards — particularly for high-tech or cybersecurity jobs.  Speaking to students at his former suburban Philadelphia high school, Carter said the military could ease age requirements and bring in older people who are mid-career, or provide student loan repayments to attract students who have finished college."  Obama accidentally appointed a solid secretary of defense, and these are good ideas.  We must be more creative about attracting our best to military service.

March 30,  2015     Permalink

THE UNFLATTERING COMPARISON – AT 11:21 A.M. ET:  Hillary Clinton is being compared to Richard Nixon, and it isn't meant as a compliment.  From John Fund at The Wall Street Journal:

Ever since Hillary Clinton’s e-mail scandal broke earlier this month, comparisons between her secretive style and that of Richard Nixon, whom she ironically pursued as a young lawyer on the House impeachment committee, have been frequent. But with Friday’s revelation that she wiped her private e-mail server clean after her records were requested by the State Department last year, the comparisons are becoming more concrete. Washington wags note that even Nixon never destroyed the tapes, but Hillary has permanently erased her e-mails.

And...

Todd S. Purdum of Politico notes that Hillary Clinton “is in the midst of re-tooling herself and her staff for a 2016 campaign that will presumably introduce at least some version of a ‘New Hillary.’” Purdum highlights the obvious echoes of Richard Nixon, who created and presented a more humane “New Nixon” to American voters in 1968 as he tried to recover from his own humiliating loss of the presidency eight years earlier. “It was an exercise in media control and manipulation,” the historian Michael Genovese has written. But it worked. Convinced that Nixon was the most conservative candidate who could win in 1968, conservatives ranging from Barry Goldwater to Strom Thurmond to William F. Buckley endorsed him. Nixon himself cynically observed of his new conservative allies: “They don’t like me, but they tolerate me.”

And...

The Republican party and conservatives paid a stiff price for swallowing doubts about Nixon and elevating him to the presidency. There was enough evidence for them to be deeply concerned about how he would perform in office. There is certainly ample evidence for Democrats to worry about what a return of the Clintons to the White House could mean for their party.

But for all the private doubts about Hillary, in public it’s all happy talk from party leaders for now. Democratic strategist Steve McMahon appeared on Bloomberg News last week to claim Democrats were happy with the choice of Hillary Clinton. Host Mark Halperin quickly retorted, “Like the way Cuban voters are happy with their choices?”

Everybody on the panel laughed, but it rang hollow. Democrats are being presented with an inevitable nominee at the same time everyone seems afraid to raise legitimate doubts about her.

If Democrats ignore the warning signs about Hillary the way Republicans ignored the ones raised about Richard Nixon, they may well also owe history and their party a future accounting.

COMMENT:  Very perceptive.  Hillary and Dick, together again.  At least in spirit.  Read the whole piece.  John Fund is very good.

March 30, 2015       Permalink

INCIDENT AT NSA – AT 10:58 A.M. ET:  There's been a shooting at the gate of the National Security Agency.  From CBS Baltimore: 

FORT MEADE, Md. (WJZ) — One person is dead and another injured after a shooting occurred near the gates of the the National Security Agency.

A federal law enforcement official tells CBS News that two women were in a vehicle that tried to ram the gate at NSA and Ft. Meade.

Video shows a police SUV that has damage and the women’s car. Police are not sure if the women fired.

One woman is dead and another was taken to Shock Trauma for treatment.

Cocaine and a weapon were found in or near the women’s car.

NSA Police are handling the investigation and details have yet to be confirmed by police. There is no active shooter on scene, police say, but they are investigating the shooting. Police are trying to determine the motive and so far there are no links to terrorism.

COMMENT:  We'll follow the story.  Motivation is everything in these cases.  We'll be looking for clear identifications on the alleged perps, and their backgrounds.

I'm sure MSNBC will report that the agency attacked the car.

March 30, 2015       Permalink

GETTING WORSE AND WORSE – AT 10:14 A.M. ET:  The media should be commended for good reporting on the Germanwings crash in the French Alps last week.  Not to be commended is European aviation, which apparently maintains safety and medical standards that are below what they should be.

Indeed, The New York Times has just run a piece reporting that Germans are questioning their assumptions about German precision and quality following revelations about practices at Germanwings, which is owned by Lufthansa.

And now this, from The Times:   

DÜSSELDORF, Germany — The co-pilot of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed in the French Alps on Tuesday had been treated for “suicidal tendencies” before receiving his pilot’s license, the office of the German prosecutor in Düsseldorf said Monday.

The co-pilot, Andreas Lubitz, had been treated by psychotherapists “over a long period of time,” the prosecutor’s office said, without providing precise dates. In follow-up visits to doctors since that time, the prosecutor said, “no signs of suicidal tendencies or outward aggression were documented.”

Mr. Lubitz’s medical records show no physical illnesses, the prosecutor said.

COMMENT:  It seems to me that no one treated for suicidal tendencies within a certain number of years of applying for pilot status should be allowed near the controls of an airliner. 

It's probable the airline knew nothing about the individual's prior psychiatric history.  That raises questions regarding the right of privacy versus the right of the public to be kept safe.  The public should win hands down.  This man took 150 people with him.  Yes, an applicant for pilot status can probably hide part of his medical history, but perhaps more robust medical and psychiatric exams by an airline itself would help solve this horrible problem.

March 30, 2015       Permalink

THE MESS – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 9:45 A.M. ET:  There is a building backlash against Obama's ridiculous Mideast policies, policies that reward our enemies and condemn our friends.  The American Interest is one of the best publications chronicling our times, and this quote on what is occurring pretty much tells the story: 

...even the President’s ideological fellow travelers can no longer mount a cogent defense of his Middle East policy. The MSM will still do all it can to avoid connecting the dots or drawing attention to the stark isolation in which the White House now finds itself as ally after ally drops away. It still doesn’t want to admit that the “smart diplomacy” crowd has been about as effective at making a foreign policy as the famous emperor’s smooth-talking tailors were at making a new suit of clothes. But it’s getting harder and harder to find anybody willing to gush about how snazzy the President looks in the sharp foreign policy outfit that he’s sporting around town. The shocked silence of the foreign policy establishment, the absence of any statements of support from European or Asian allies about our Middle East course, the evidence that the President and the “senior officials” whom he trusts continue to be blindsided by major developments they didn’t expect and haven’t provided for: all of this tells us that our Middle East policy is indeed in free fall.

COMMENT:  Read the whole piece.  It's worth it.  We're now starting to get some backlash against Obama from parts of the mainstream media, although it's very limited.  The would-be Titanic captains at The New York Times continue to cling to the Obama myth.  Despite extensive coverage of the Mideast, CNN hasn't laid a glove on Obama himself.  And Christiane Amanpour, one of the worst journalists on television, regularly spouts her pro-Iranian nonsense. 

A Washington Post columnist today reported that Obama will continue his anti-Israel policies because he sees them as connected to his "legacy."  In my view, Obama wants to serve Islam and serve socialism.  That's clear from his background, but the press lords who put him in power will never admit it.

March 30,  2015     Permalink

MARCH 29,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET: 

DOWN TO THE WIRE – The nuclear talks with Iran are scheduled to end tomorrow night.  There is still no guarantee of success.  In fact, Iran has taken a contrary turn that could scuttle the negotiations.  From The New York Times:  "LAUSANNE, Switzerland — With a negotiating deadline just two days away, Iranian officials on Sunday backed away from a critical element of a proposed nuclear agreement, saying they are no longer willing to ship their atomic fuel out of the country.  For months, Iran tentatively agreed that it would send a large portion of its stockpile of uranium to Russia, where it would not be accessible for use in any future weapons program. But on Sunday Iran’s deputy foreign minister made a surprise comment to Iranian reporters, ruling out an agreement that involved giving up a stockpile that Iran has spent years and billions of dollars to amass."  Why bother to negotiate?  We're talking about the lives of millions of people, and negotiating the agreement like a labor contract.  Iran's pullback is probably based on the feeling that Obama will cave, and Iran might be right.

SHE HAS SPOKEN – Hillary Clinton, whose convictions have a certain flexibility about them, has finally spoken out about the strains in American-Israeli relations.  The possible next president says that it's important to get the relationship back on track.  Such wisdom.  Such insight.  I wouldn't have even thought such an exciting thought without her help.  Someone should point out that she participated in Obama's wrecking of the American-Israeli relationship when she was secretary of state.  Will anyone in the press challenge her on that little detail?  Don't hold your breath.

O'MALLEY GETS AGGRESSIVE – The former Maryland governor is opening up on Hillary Clinton, and making it clear that if he gets into the presidential race he'll pull no punches.  From AP:  "Potential Democratic presidential candidate Martin O'Malley says the country needs new perspectives, and he's criticizing the prospects of another Clinton and Bush seeking the White House again.  The former Maryland governor tells ABC's 'This Week' that the presidency is 'not some crown to be passed between two families.'  He also questions whether former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton would take on special interests.  Clinton is a likely presidential candidate and would be the strong favorite for the Democratic nomination.  O'Malley says he'll decide this spring whether he'll run."  Unless he's successfully threatened by the Clinton gang, he's runnin'. 

March 29, 2015       Permalink

CARLY? – AT 10:36 A.M. ET:  Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, pretty much announced for president today.  No one gives her much chance of gaining the top slot.  But vice president?  Well, you never know.  From The Hill:

Former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina said Sunday that she is almost certain she will run for the GOP nomination for president.

Fiorina told “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace that there is a “very high” chance she will run, and followed it up by specifying that the probability is “higher than 90 percent.”

If she decides to run, Fiorina wants to wait until late April or early May to announce, she said.
“We need to make sure we have the right time in place, that we have the right support, that we have the right financial resources lined up, just as all the other candidates have done,” Fiorina said in an interview on the show.

Fiorina took the interview as a chance to take some shots at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is expected to announce soon her candidacy in the 2016 race as a Democrat.

“There’s a competence issue now. Anyone in 2015 who says you can’t have two email accounts on a single device obviously doesn’t understand technology,” she said, referring to Clinton’s statement that she used a private email account to avoid carrying multiple smartphones.

When Wallace asked Fiorina to make the case for her nomination, the Republican, who ran for Senate in 2010, focused largely on her tenure at HP from 1999 to 2005.

“Because I have a deep understanding of how the economy actually works, having started as a secretary and become the chief executive of the largest technology company in the world,” she said.

COMMENT:  Being the only woman in an otherwise all-male lineup is an advantage.  It's also an advantage when a candidate presents herself as well as Carly Fiorina does.  I've seen her in action and she's terrific, standing head and shoulders above the conniving Clinton.

She has deficits.  Her time at HP was controversial and she was eventually forced out.  There inevitably will be the anonymous stories charging her with incompetence, cruel management and self-promotion.  And her experience, while admirable, is thin when it comes to public service.  Also, she has never won an election.

She should be welcomed to the race.  I think she'll be an asset and draw more viewers to the debates.  And the contrast with Hillary will be very pleasing to see.

March 29, 2015       Permalink

DEFECTOR – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 8:41 A.M. ET:  We told you last night that there is a defector from the Iranian delegation to the nuclear talks.  He gives us this morning a stunning quote, and, in a way, a warning about Barack Obama.  From the Weekly Standard:   

An Iranian journalist writing about the nuclear negotiations between the United States and Iran has defected. In an interview Amir Hossein Motaghi, has some harsh words for his native Iran. He also has a damning indictment of America's role in the nuclear negotiations.

“The U.S. negotiating team are mainly there to speak on Iran’s behalf with other members of the 5+1 countries and convince them of a deal," Motaghi told a TV station after just defecting from the Iranian delegation while abroad for the nuclear talks. The P 5 + 1 is made up of United States, United Kingdom, Russia, China, France, plus Germany.

COMMENT:   We try to be very careful here, so we note that this is only one person.  As someone with intelligence experience, I also want to note that defector reports must be looked at very carefully.  The defector may have personal motives, or the defector might actually be a plant.

That said, what makes this man's quote so devastating is that we have long suspected exactly what he is suggesting, that Barack Hussein Obama Jr., who is controlling our side in the talks, is pro-Iranian, is a friend of the regime, and wants to replace Israel with Iran as our major ally in the region.  Virtually all of Obama's policies in the Mideast point in that direction. 

Remember that, when the Iranian people revolted against the ghastly regime in 2009, it took Hussein Obama four days to make it to a microphone to say some kind words about democracy.  It was a disgraceful performance by an American president, but, naturally, the media gave him a pass. 

This is a major story.  If it can be shown decisively that Obama is working against his own country's interests, that could be considered an impeachable offense.  I don't know if impeachment would occur – it is a risky proposition for the Republicans, and the issue of race hovers over this presidency – but I increasingly feel that it is a course that must be considered by true patriots.

March 29, 2015      Permalink

CRISIS POINT – AT 8:22 A.M. ET:  The nuclear talks with Iran have reached a crisis stage.  The deadline is Tuesday.  John Kerry has canceled a trip to Washington to honor the late Edward Kennedy to remain in Switzerland.  There apparently are still serious gaps.  From AP and Times of Israel:

Amid signs of trouble in the Iran nuclear negotiations, US Secretary of State John Kerry canceled plans Sunday to return to the United States for an event honoring his late Senate colleague Edward Kennedy in order to remain at the ongoing talks in Switzerland.

The State Department said Kerry had been looking forward to participating in the dedication of the Kennedy Institute in Boston with the family of the late Massachusetts senator on Sunday and Monday but that “given the ongoing nuclear negotiations in Switzerland, the secretary regrets he will not be able to share this special time with them in person.” Kerry served in the Senate with Kennedy for nearly 25 years and the two were close friends.

Kerry’s decision to stay comes as the talks appear to have hit obstacles ahead of a March 31 target for the outline of a final deal to be negotiated by the end of June. Officials have spoken of the hurdles in general terms, citing Iranian resistance to limits on research and development and demands for more speedy and broad relief from international sanctions.

With just three days to go, negotiators were meeting multiple times in various formats. Kerry has been in discussions with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in the Swiss town of Lausanne since Thursday. The foreign ministers of France and Germany arrived on Saturday and the foreign ministers of Britain, China and Russia are due to arrive on Sunday.

The State Department said late Saturday that “serious but difficult work” remained for negotiators and that the pace of discussions expected to intensify as “we assess if an understanding is possible.”

COMMENT:  It's a farce.  It really is.  Iran tells the world its nuclear program is peaceful.  If that's so, why are these talks going down to the wire?  Why is Iran resisting on critical points?  Why, indeed, is Iran developing ICBM's, whose only purpose is delivering nuclear warheads?

I agree with those who say it would be better for the talks to collapse than have a bad deal.

March 29,  2015     Permalink