SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:53 P.M. ET:

WARNING – FROM THE HILL:   The Secret Service is reportedly investigating after a vehicle in President Trump's motorcade was hit by an object in south Florida, where the president is spending his weekend.  A US Secret Service spokesperson told members of the President's press pool that they are investigating an incident: “The Secret Service can confirm that an object appears to have been thrown at the motorcade this afternoon. We are investigating at this time and don’t have anything further.”  According to ABC News, law enforcement said the object was a rock. It didn't hit the presidential limo, but another vehicle in the motorcade.  I'm increasingly uneasy, and I know many readers share that feeling, about the level of hate directed at the president.  If anything ever happens to him, this country might well suffer a severe splitting asunder.

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER – FROM THE HILL:   Retired general and former CIA Director David Petraeus has reportedly pulled his name from consideration to replace Michael Flynn as National Security Adviser.  According to a report by the Wall Street Journal Friday, Petraeus's name was floated for the role, but the White House was miffed by his concerns about staffing and independence. It's not clear how seriously he was being considered.  Still reportedly on the short list for the position are acting national security adviser Keith Kellogg, a retired three-star Army general and Flynn's chief of staff, former United Nations ambassador John Bolton, and Army strategist Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster.  The Washington Examiner reported that Kellogg, Bolton and McMaster will meet with Trump separately at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida this weekend to discuss the position, citing an administration official.  The most fascinating name is McMaster.  He's a protégé of Petraeus, and the author of a brilliant book about Vietnam analyzing what went wrong.  But he has a glowing military career, and I wonder if he'd leave it to be caught up in the Washington meatgrinder.  I also wonder if Trump would select a man known as a rebel.  This is getting interesting.

MISPLACED PRIORITIES – FROM HEATSTREET:   A Yale student group has waged a war on the university fraternities and will use Title IX to force them into admitting women—while letting female-only sororities off the hook.  Engender, a group led by students of Yale, claims it will lobby the university—citing Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on gender, and internal Yale policies against discrimination—to issue sanctions against male-only fraternities.  Will McGrew, a co-director of the organization, told Yale News that it’s a “logical next step” to approach the Yale administration “because all of these organizations fall under the purview of Yale legally, either because they are registered as Yale organizations or it is literally all Yale students that constitute them.”  Of course, all proper ideologists know that this is more important than nuclear proliferation.  It's obvious.

February 17, 2017