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SEPTEMBER 24,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:54 P.M. ET: 

VALUES – From CNS:  "A recent survey found that Democrats believe the threat posed by climate change is greater than the threat posed by either al Qaeda or the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL).  The Pew Research Center/USA Today survey, conducted between Aug. 20 and 24, shows that 68 percent of Democrats said global climate change is a 'major threat' to the U.S. while 67 percent chose al Qaeda and 65 percent chose ISIS as a major threat to the country.  On the Republican side, 80 percent said al Qaeda was the major threat and 78 percent chose ISIS, while only 25 percent said global climate change was a major threat.  Among Independents, 69 percent chose al Qaeda as the major threat, 63 percent chose ISIS, and only 44 percent said climate change.  Among Democrats, global climate change topped the list of greatest threats to the U.S. But among Republicans and Independents, it placed last on a list of nine 'major threats.'"  Of course, Democrats are so well-read and so scientifically sensitive, as we've seen by their rollout of Obamacare.

ANOTHER STEP FORWARD (CHOKE) – From NRO:  "The number of working-age adults in the United States with limited proficiency in English has more than doubled since 1980, according to a new Brookings Institution study. Immigrants proficient in English, the study notes, tend to earn substantially higher incomes.  'English proficiency is a strong predictor of economic standing among immigrants, regardless of the amount of education they have attained, and it is associated with the greater academic and economic success of the workers’ children,' the study found.  The Wall Street Journal reports that the rise comes out to nearly 1 in 10 adults who lack sufficient English skills, two and a half times more than three decades ago. Two-thirds of those lacking proficiency are Spanish speakers."  Ah, the joys of multiculturalism.  Of course, for some there's a positive to this:  the local political machine leaders love it when constituents can't advance much.  Then they stay constituents, trapped by their circumstances. 

ADVENTURES IN FACT CHECKING – From the Washington Free Beacon:  "President Barack Obama favorably quoted and praised on Wednesday in his speech before the United Nations a controversial Muslim cleric whose organization has reportedly endorsed the terror group Hamas and supported a fatwa condoning the murder of U.S. soldiers in Iraq.  Obama in his remarks offered praise to controversial cleric Sheikh Abdallah Bin Bayyah and referred to him as a moderate Muslim leader who can help combat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL or ISIS) radical ideology.  However, Bin Bayyah himself has long been engulfed in controversy for many of his views, including the reported backing of a 2004 fatwa that advocated violent resistance against Americans fighting in Iraq.  This is not the first time that the Obama administration has extolled Bin Bayyah, who also has served as the vice president of a Muslim scholars group founded by a radical Muslim Brotherhood leader who has called 'for the death of Jews and Americans,' according to Fox News and other reports."  Another day of glory for the White House amateur.

THAT OBAMA "SALUTE" – From the New York Post:  "Outraged veterans and their supporters were still steaming Wednesday about President Obama’s indifferent 'latte salute' to a pair of ramrod-straight Marines a day earlier.  'What a jerk! He should [respect] the people who protect his butt,' griped retired Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Cermele, 72, a Vietnam veteran visiting the Big Apple from San Antonio with his wife, Dale, 62.  Others took to social media to rant — including the White House’s Instagram page, which posted a video of the president awkwardly giving a half salute with a coffee cup in his right hand as he disembarked the Marine One chopper in New York on Tuesday."  Okay, it may have been an awkward moment, but isn't it odd that Ronald Reagan never had those moments?  I recall seeing a picture, early in his term, of Bill Clinton in the Oval Office wearing a running suit.  I said to a friend, "This guy is gonna get in trouble."  You can tell something of the character of a president by his style, those little things.  By the way, Reagan always wore a jacket in the Oval Office.  He said it was a sign of respect.   

September 24, 2014       Permalink

SAFE IN KENTUCKY? – AT 10:58 A.M. ET:  One Senate race that the GOP has been sweating is in Kentucky, where Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has been in the battle of his career against attractive Democratic candidate Alison Lundergan Grimes.  But it appears that McConnell has now taken charge.  From The Hill: 

A once-golden opportunity in the Kentucky Senate race could be slipping away from Democrats.

After more than a dozen consecutive polls have shown nominee Alison Lundergan Grimes lagging behind Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R), some Kentucky Democrats are warning that Grimes might need a strategy shake-up. Last week, the state’s largest newspaper wondered whether she needed a “campaign reset.”

Grimes’s campaign and her allies insist they’re exactly where they need to be, pointing out several polls were within the margin of error or partisan surveys. They said their strategy of unseating the unpopular GOP leader is going according to plan.

But the public numbers have some veteran Bluegrass State Democrats worried. Longtime strategist Jimmy Cauley, who ran Gov. Steve Beshear’s (D-Ky.) 2007 race, warned that if Grimes doesn’t shift her strategy soon, it might be too late.

“I genuinely believe, if it’s an hourglass, the sands are running out,” he told The Hill.

Conversations with several Democrats in the state revealed near-universal concern that Grimes has let McConnell and his moneyed allies define the candidate before she could define herself.

COMMENT:  Translated:  She isn't running a very good campaign.  Now, Mitch McConnell isn't the most lovable guy around, but he's a pro in a contest that requires a pro.  Also, the fact that he was in some trouble was detected early, and corrections were made.  In general, Republican campaigns are better run this year than the last time around.  We're getting into crunch time now.

September 24, 2014       Permalink 

ARE DEMS HEADING FOR ELECTORAL DISASTER? – AT 9:46 A.M. ET:  We stress that this is one interpretation of electoral data, but we like it, it makes us feel good, so here it is.  From the Washington Times: 

A game-changing revolution is brewing across the nation’s political landscape, though it’s getting little serious attention in the liberal news media right now.

A growing pile of voter-preference polls now show that the Republicans are on the brink of taking control of the Senate and strengthening their hold on the House in what is shaping up to be a complete repudiation of the Democrats and Barack Obama’s failed presidency.

But neither the Obama White House nor the Democrats on Capitol Hill are vocally sounding the alarms about their impending defeat in the upcoming midterm elections.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi lives in her own little, delusional world that a miracle will happen and she will be speaker of the House once again. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, like Mrs. Pelosi, has never uttered one word of criticism about the consistently underperforming Obama economy, even though unemployment in his state is still nearly 8 percent.

The Democrats’ impending demise has been building for months. But the network news programs have virtually ignored the story, believing it will go away, and the major national newspapers are still churning out cover-up stories of vulnerable Democrats who, just maybe, could pull “an upset” on Nov. 4.

And...

Consider recent polling data that show the Republicans are now seen as much more positively by voters, while the Democrats’ polls have fallen over the course of Mr. Obama’s troubled second term — from a 51 percent high in January 2013 to a 42 percent low this year. Now both parties are roughly at parity, with the GOP rising and Democrats in decline.

“Americans have typically rated the Democratic Party more positively than the Republican Party since the question was first asked in 1992, so the current parity between the two is a positive sign for the GOP and a negative one for the Democratic Party,” Gallup reported last week.

“Indeed, current opinions of the Democratic Party are among the worst Gallup has measured in the past 20 years,” the veteran polling organization added.

COMMENT:  Well, I hope so.  But we always remind readers that the only poll that counts is the one on election day.  Republicans have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory before, and their ability to mess things up is unmatched.  However, the campaign is going well thus far.  We still have to work as if we're 20 points behind. 

September 24, 2014       Permalink

AUSTRALIA CAME CLOSE – AT 9:14 A.M. ET:  For some reason, it hasn't registered with the mainstream media how close Australia came recently to a series of ghastly plots by jihadists.  I don't know why Australia was especially targeted, but the country's security services are to be commended for their quick work in breaking up the plots.  From the West Australian: 

An 18-year-old who was shot dead after he stabbed two officers in Melbourne was planning to behead them, cover their bodies in an Islamic State flag and post photos to social media, according to reports.

The teenager, who recently had his passport cancelled on security grounds and had been spotted at a shopping centre draped in an IS flag, stabbed an AFP officer three to four times before twice stabbing a Victorian officer in the forearm after greeting them with a handshake, police said.

The teen, who has been named in media reports as Numan Haider, was searched and found to be carrying a larger knife and an Islamic State flag in his pocket, Fairfax reports.

He is a known terror suspect who authorities had been monitoring for months.

COMMENT:  These terror movements are based on ideas.  How do you stop an idea?  We're a bit naive in this country about ideological movements.  We always have been.  During World War II the United States Navy could not comprehend the Japanese kamikaze.  The notion of committing suicide in battle was outside our experience and our ethic. 

It is perfectly obvious that, despite assurances from Barack Obama, terrorism is not on the run, and is not about to be defeated.  Indeed, in recent days some military officers have said openly that it will take years to defeat the Islamic State.  Maybe the grown-ups in Washington are reasserting themselves. 

September 24, 2014        Permalink

LONE WOLF WARNING – AT 8:55 A.M. ET:  This has become a major story on networks and across the internet.  From CBS: 

The U.S. government is warning about the potential for retaliatory attacks from home-grown, lone-wolves who may be inspired to act in the name of al Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.

The FBI and Department of Homeland Security issued a bulletin after the airstrikes were launched against extremists in Syria, telling law enforcement to "be vigilant." Officials have said there is no credible specific threat at the moment.

One of the groups targeted in Syria is an al Qaeda-offshoot called Khorasan.

Taking advantage of the lawlessness inside Syria, Khorason -- a terror cell of veteran al Qaeda operatives -- has been working on new hard-to-detect bombs that can be smuggled aboard airplanes, reports CBS News correspondent Bob Orr.

Lt. Gen. William Mayville, director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday the group was "nearing the execution phase of an attack either in Europe or the homeland."

Al Qaeda has experimented with non-metallic bombs that may be hidden in shoes, clothing, cell phones, laptops and tubes of toothpaste.

That intelligence prompted the TSA in July to tighten security for U.S.-bound flights from two dozen foreign airports.

Sources tell CBS News Khorasan, which takes orders from al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri, includes explosives experts who may have been trained by al Qaeda's top bomb-maker, Ibrahim al Asiri. Asiri, who is based in Yemen, is the architect of bombs hidden in underwear and computer printers.

COMMENT:  I would take this warning seriously.  I'd also take seriously the possibility that plans already underway before the American air strikes on Syria and Iraq are still intact.  The "lone wolf" scenario is frightening, but the well-organized mass attack, like 9-11, is more frightening.

September 24,  2014     Permalink

SEPTEMBER 23,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:52 P.M. ET: 

CLOSE CALL – From National Journal:  "The U.S. launched eight airstrikes Monday night against a little-known, al-Qaida-affiliated militant group in Syria.  The United States Central Command said Tuesday morning that American forces hit the Khorasan Group near Aleppo to stop 'imminent attack-planning against the United States and Western interests' At a Pentagon press briefing shortly after, defense officials explained just how imminent such an attack may have been.  'The intelligence reports indicated that the Khorasan Group was in the final stages of plans to execute major attacks against Western targets and potentially the U.S. homeland,' said Lt. Gen. William Mayville, the director of operations for the Joint Chiefs of Staff."  There is no guarantee the air strikes will stop any attacks.  In fact, it's likely that jihadist groups will now step up their attempts to hit us, in retaliation for our military action.

MAJOR CAMPAIGN BLUNDER – From the Christian Science Monitor:  "The Republican Party’s top leader in Congress is catching flak for a comment that appears to call the jobless lazy – a comment that has rekindled an old challenge for the party: appearing insensitive or uncaring toward Americans who are poor or in financial difficulty.  House Speaker John Boehner was asked after a speech last week to comment on a plan for addressing poverty – promoted by a Republican colleague, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin.  Speaker Boehner gave a response that was favorable toward Representative Ryan's plan, but not so favorable about Americans’ work ethic. He said in part: 'I think this idea that’s been born over last ... couple of years that, "You know, I really don’t have to work, I don’t really want to do this, I think I’d just rather sit around," – this is a very sick idea for our country.'"  That line is gonna cost us.  I don't know how much, but the Dems will use it.  Callous Republicans.  Cruel.  Indifferent.  I wish Speaker Boehner would choose his words more carefully, or, preferably, not use any at all, especially in English.

CADILLAC TO NEW YORK – From AP:  "Cadillac wants a jolt from the city that never sleeps.  General Motors' 112-year-old luxury car division, founded in Detroit and named for the city's founder, is moving its headquarters to New York.  Cadillac, which has been steadily losing sales to its German rivals, wants to get closer to its ideal buyers. Executives and marketing staffers will set up shop in a loft office in Manhattan's trendy SoHo neighborhood starting next year.  'There is no city in the world where the inhabitants are more immersed in a premium lifestyle than in New York,' Johann de Nysschen, the brand's new president, said in a statement issued Tuesday announcing the move. 'It allows our team to share experiences with premium-brand consumers and develop attitudes in common with our audience.'"  Yeah, right.  Mr. de Nysschen will soon find out that New York premium trendies associate Cadillac with their grandfathers, the ones who disinherited them.  New York has become shallow.  It would probably go for a car called the Obama Mark Zero.

THE FIELD MARSHAL EATS HIS WORDS – From Breitbart:  "President Barack Obama dismissed the F-22 fighter jets used during Monday’s airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria as 'outdated and unnecessary' in a speech on July 21, 2009.  'I reject the notion that we have to waste billions of taxpayer dollars on outdated and unnecessary defense projects to keep this nation secure,' Obama said. 'That's why I'm grateful that the Senate just voted against an additional $1.75 billion to buy F-22 fighter jets that military experts and members of both parties say we do not need.'  The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that the United States used the F-22 to carry out its airstrikes against ISIS and Khorasan targets inside Syria."  The field marshal argued for biplanes, but they're all being serviced.

September 23,  2014     Permalink 

UNBELIEVABLE CYNICISM – AT 10:31 A.M. ET:   It's sometimes hard to fathom the open cynicism of this administration.  It's one reason why it's also hard to take the Obamans seriously on anything.  It's been made very clear that the president will wait until after the election to take sweeping action on immigration "reform."  This is a blunt admission that he realizes the action will be unpopular and therefore doesn't want Americans to know the details when they vote.  You'd think the political class, and at least part of the press, would be in an uproar.  It ain't.  From the Washington Times: 

President Obama is preparing to do “an awful lot” on immigration when he issues an executive order later this year, Vice President Joseph R. Biden told supporters Monday night.

Speaking at a Hispanic Heritage Month event, Mr. Biden told the audience that he understands their frustrations with the administration’s delayed action.

The president has backtracked on a promise to take executive action on immigration by the end of summer, saying he didn’t want the issue to become embroiled in the November mid-term elections. He now says he will issue an executive order after the election because Congress has failed to address the immigration system’s problems.

Mr. Biden predicted that Republicans “may just see the Lord” in the lame-duck session of Congress after the president acts. His comments also suggested that Mr. Obama might wait to allow the GOP to digest the election results before taking unilateral action.

“Watch when this election is over, watch what happens when all of a sudden our friends in the other team realise their prospects for future electoral success hinge upon acting rationally,” the vice president said. “They will either act rationally, or we will act for them. And if we have to act for them, they will not be around a whole lot longer to act in large numbers.”

He added, “When this election [is] over in the lame duck session, they just may see the Lord. It is possible. But if they don’t, they will see some lightning.”

COMMENT:  Don't you think we have a right to see the lightning before the election?  If I were Hispanic, I'd be outraged at how patronizing this is.  Clearly, we're in for sweeping executive orders that the public opposes.

Anybody for democracy?

September 23, 2014       Permalink

SAVING KANSAS – AT 9:41 A.M. ET:  All of a sudden there's a Republican crisis in Kansas.  This should be an easy win for the incumbent Senator Pat Roberts.  But the Democratic candidate suddenly dropped out of the race, and Roberts, whose popularity has declined, is facing an independent who is beating him in the polls.  This could result in the loss of a "safe" GOP seat, and possibly the loss of the GOP dream of taking over the Senate.  So now the Republicans have awakened and are actually trying to win.  From the Wichita Eagle: 

Jeb Bush, the former governor of Florida and a possible 2016 presidential candidate, will come to Wichita on Sept. 29 to stump for U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts in a tight Senate race that has drawn national attention.

Bush, the son and brother of the former presidents, will join the three-term senator at a luncheon at Murfin Stables, 14525 E. 13th St. Cost for attendees ranges from $100 up to $2,600 for a seat at the head table, according to the invitation.

On Thursday, Roberts will be joined by a special guest at the Independence Historical Museum and Art Center in Independence, Kan. A source close to the campaign said that guest is Sarah Palin, the former governor of Alaska who served as running mate in 2008 for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

The political forecasting site FiveThirtyEight.com on Monday gave Roberts’ independent opponent, Greg Orman, a 61 percent chance of winning with an expected margin of 3 percentage points.

Winning the seat could prove critical in the Republican Party’s quest to retake control of the U.S. Senate. Orman has not committed to caucusing with either party.

It's tough to imagine a man running against a Republican in the general election and then caucusing with them.

Roberts is touring the state with other Republican icons this week, including McCain and former Sen. Bob Dole, both of whom served as the GOP’s nominee for the presidency in unsuccessful runs.

Dole used to be a Kansas senator. 

September 23,  2014     Permalink

GERGEN BLASTS WAR ROLLOUT – AT 9:22 A.M. ET:  David Gergen, presidential adviser to both parties, doesn't care for the way Obama is presenting military action in the Mideast, and compares it to the rollout of Obamacare, the ultimate insult.  From Newsmax: 

The rollout of President Barack Obama's strategy to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) has been dogged by problems comparable to the bungled rollout of Obamacare, said David Gergen, the CNN Senior Political Analyst.

"Someone in the Obama White House clearly has a good book to write one day: 'How Not to Do Rollouts,'" Gergen wrote in a commentary for CNN.

"With one hapless episode after another, the rollout of the President's plan to destroy ISIS is beginning to rival the less-than-splendid debut of the Obamacare website."

Gergen said, like any war effort, the stakes are high and it is critical for the Obama administration to get on the offensive with a firm strategy and take clear international leadership.

"Ever since the president went on prime-time television to announce his new strategy to 'degrade and destroy' ISIS, he and his team have slipped on one banana peel after another," Gergen wrote.

He cited a list of muddled messages about the terminology of the conflict, including numerous contradictions emerging from the administration. There also continues to be a lack of clarity about whether there will be "boots on the ground," he said.

Meanwhile, it continues to remain unclear as to what role the international coalition will play in supporting the mission.

Gergen also notes there has been a chorus of doubts among experts and those in the media about the likely effectiveness of the president's chosen strategy of combining American air power with a reliance on local ground forces. Doubts are being amplified by reports of rifts between the White House and military officials.

COMMENT:  As Americans, we hope for the best.  We want what is best for this country, which is the destruction, not only of ISIS, but of other jihadist forces that threaten us and our allies.  But we have a commander-in-chief who has already lost the confidence of most Americans, and very possibly the nation's military leaders.  Obama has to rebuild that confidence for any sustained effort to succeed.  I'm not sure he can.

September 23, 2014       Permalink

SYRIA – AT 9:05 A.M. ET:  From Fox: 

The United States, joined by five Arab allies, launched an intense campaign of airstrikes, bombings and cruise-missile attacks against the Islamic State and another militant group in Syria Monday night – marking the first U.S. military intervention in Syria since the start of that country’s civil war in 2011.

U.S. Central Command (Centcom) said in a statement released early Tuesday that 14 Islamic State targets were hit, including the group's fighters, training camps, headquarters and command-and-control facilities, and armed vehicles. The operation involved a combination of fighter jets, bombers, Predator drones and Tomahawk missiles launched from the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.

"We believe we hit, largely, everything we were aiming at," Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby told Fox News.

The strikes "destroyed or damaged" multiple targets, according to the U.S. military, which reported "all aircraft safely exited the strike areas."

The mission was not limited to hitting Islamic State positions. Centcom said that U.S. aircraft also struck eight targets associated with another terrorist group called the Khorasan Group, made of up Al Qaeda veterans. Those strikes, near the northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo, targeted training camps, a munitions production facility, a communication building and command-and-control facilities.

Centcom said the Khorasan Group was involved in "imminent attack plotting against the United States and Western interests."

COMMENT:  Now we must be told the ultimate objective, and work toward it.  I fear this will be a quick show, with little result.  I hope I'm wrong.

September 23,  2014     Permalink