SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:48 P.M. ET: 

I DUNNO ABOUT THIS – From The National:  "ABU DHABI // Former US president Bill Clinton will address students at New York University Abu Dhabi’s first graduation ceremony.  The inaugural commencement ceremony takes place on May 25 and will see 140 students from 49 countries graduating.  The ceremony itself will be held at NYU’s newly built campus on Saadiyat Island, which is set to officially open this summer."  I'm uneasy.  An American president delivering a commencement address in a country not exactly known for freedom?  There have been rumors over the years about the Clintons making fortunes in Gulf states.  I wonder what the check will be for this speech?  Wife might be president.

OUR FRIEND, VLADIMIR – From Fox:  "The Russian government declined to provide American authorities with information about one of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects two years before the attack, which likely would have led to more extensive scrutiny of the suspect, according to a published report.  The New York Times, citing an inspector general's review of how American intelligence and law enforcement agencies could have prevented the deadly bombing last April that claimed three lives and wounded hundreds, reported that Russian authorities told the FBI in 2011 that Tamerlan Tsarnaev 'was a follower of radical Islam.'  But after an initial investigation by FBI agents in Boston, the Russians declined several bureau requests for additional information they had about Tsarnaev, who was killed in a shootout with police days after the attack."  Guess that reset button continues to malfunction.

PRESIDENTIAL WISDOM – From the Washington Examiner:  "President Obama isn't worried about the Rev. Al Sharpton's history as an FBI informant with ties to the mafia, his spokesman said, and doesn't think that the news makes his impending visit to Sharpton's National Action Network awkward.  'Rev. Sharpton and the National Action Network have made significant contributions to civil rights efforts, and the President looks forward to appearing at the conference,' White House press secretary Jay Carney told reporters during the Wednesday press gaggle."  I've always been impressed by Obama's high standards and taste in people.

VICTORY – From the Washington Times:  "A federal court Wednesday ordered the University of North Carolina-Wilmington to promote and give $50,000 in back pay to a conservative professor in what is described as a landmark anti-discrimination case.  The restitution was ordered three weeks after a jury found the university guilty of retaliating against criminology professor Mike Adams, a popular conservative columnist on Townhall.com, after denying him a promotion to full professor in 200.  'This ruling sends a message to public universities: Academic freedom isn’t just for the Left, it’s a constitutional right for all professors — even Christian conservatives,' said David French, senior counsel at the conservative American Center for Law and Justice, which represented Mr. Adams."  Mike Adams is terrific.  Sometimes things go right, but only if you fight for them.

April 9, 2014