SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:02 P.M. ET: 

IDIOT – FROM REUTERS:   BEIJING (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced his "separation" from the United States on Thursday, declaring he had realigned with China as the two agreed to resolve their South China Sea dispute through talks.  Duterte made his comments in Beijing, where he is visiting with at least 200 business people to pave the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with longtime ally Washington deteriorate.  "In this venue, your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States," Duterte told Chinese and Philippine business people, to applause, at a forum in the Great Hall of the People attended by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.   "Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also. America has lost."  Duterte may be a borderline idiot, but his perception of America's decline is widely shared.  It should worry us, but a good part of the liberal press is indifferent, or perhaps has the view that American influence is evil.

TRUMP MAY HAVE A POINT – FROM ROLL CALL:   More than two out of every three U.S. citizens in a recent poll say they are very or somewhat concerned about the security of the nation's electoral system.  The Economist/YouGov poll was conducted amid Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s recent claims that the November election is “rigged.”  Seventy-two percent of respondents said they were very or somewhat concerned about the security of the electoral system while just 21 percent were either not very concerned or not concerned at all.  The survey found that two out of five respondents (42 percent) said they believed that Russia was attempting to influence the U.S. presidential election.  Last week, the White House officially accused Russia of meddling in U.S. elections. Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied any hand in the recent cyberattacks on Democratic groups and voter registration systems.  I think Trump's language is what hurt him.  To say the election is "rigged" is over the top.  If he'd said there are legitimate concerns about the accuracy of the vote, he'd have been right.  There always have been.  It's a legitimate issue.  You gotta say it right.

ME? – FROM BREITBART – President Barack Obama offers multiple excuses for why health insurance premiums continue to skyrocket, including blaming Republicans and insurance companies for the problems.
He complains that too many reporters spend more time discussing premium increases than explaining why he isn’t responsible for them.  “No, I had nothing to do with that,” Obama said, calling it “complicated” despite the “hysteria” that was growing.  Compare please to Kennedy's reply when asked who was responsible for the Bay of Pigs fiasco in Cuba:  "I am the responsible officer of the government."  We've come a long way down.

October 20, 2016