SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:48 P.M. ET:

AUTHORIZED? – A startling statement from a State Department spokeswoman.  From the Jerusalem Post: 
"WASHINGTON- State Department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said on Friday that a resolution to the longstanding nuclear crisis with Iran, should current diplomatic efforts fail, 'is likely to involve military action.' 'I’m not predicting that we would take military action right away,' Harf said. 'It’s more of a broad statement that, look, if we can’t get this done diplomatically in six months or a year or at any time, we will– we are committed to resolving it. And that involves less durable and, quite frankly, riskier actions.'"  I wonder if she was authorized to go that far.  Her ultimate boss, Field Marshal General Obama, chokes on the term "military action," and didn't use it in his State of the Union message when noting what might happen if negotiations with Iran fail.

GOLDEN STATE? – From the L.A. Times:  "Nearly half of California households are in chronic financial stress and have little to no savings for emergencies, according to a report Thursday.  The study by the Corporation for Enterprise Development paints a generally dreary picture of the financial situation of low- and middle-income people -- and even many above-average wage earners -- throughout the state.  Based on various measures of overall financial well-being, California ranks 34th among the 50 states, according to the study. Unemployment, credit-card debt and personal bankruptcies all are far above the national average, the study found."  These problems built up over decades.  They are duplicated in many other states.  Should we hit another serious recession, this country could go into economic convulsions.

MAJOR BREAKTHROUGH – From CNN:  "Washington (CNN) -- A long-awaited State Department environmental report on the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline indicates what the oil industry and its backers have been saying -- it won't have a big impact on carbon emissions that cause climate change.  The report released Friday appears to give the Obama administration the cover it needs to approve the politically charged project, but not until May at the earliest, after a 90-day review and comment period."  It should have been approved long ago.  The delay is a concession to the environuts who prop up the Obama administration.  But it has been terribly insulting to Canada, not that Obama cares about America's allies.

THE SILLY SIDE OF MIKE – Mike Bloomberg was a competent, sane mayor of New York City.  But Mike has always had a silly side, and it's coming out again.  From the New York Post:  "UNITED NATIONS — Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg was appointed Friday to be the U.N. special envoy for cities and climate change, a position that will give the billionaire businessman and philanthropist an international stage to press for action to combat global warming.  Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon chose Bloomberg, who made combating climate change a major focus of his 12 years as mayor and was very outspoken on how cities should be run to cope with ever increasing populations without harming the environment."  Mike, the UN is a joke.  Just retire.  Or help shovel snow.  Don't get started with that crowd.

January 31, 2014