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APRIL 17,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:14 P.M. ET: 

IT HAS BEGUN – Inevitably, The New York Times has begun its campaign to rehabilitate Brandeis University, whose withdrawal of an honorary degree scheduled to be given to Ayaan Hirsi Ali has created a backlash and uproar among those who know of Hirsi Ali's heroic defense of women's rights in the face of constant death threats from radical Islamists.  Fact:  The executive editor of The Times, Jill Abramson, is scheduled to receive an honorary degree from Brandeis on the very same day that Hirsi Ali was scheduled to receive hers.  This is a scandal, an outrage.  It is, for Abramson, a clear, incontrovertible conflict of interest.  Her paper is covering Brandeis, and defending Brandeis, and she's accepting something of great value from Brandeis.  Are there no standards left at my old newspaper?  Or are lefty editors lofty and above us all?  It's sickening.

CONGRATULATIONS – It is announced from the Winter Palace that Chelsea Clinton is pregnant.  This is, for her mother, a holder of various government jobs, a blessing that will bring a blessing.  Or, as it's normally called in politics, a sympathy vote.  We can all anticipate the photos of Grandma Hillary holding the baby, even feeding it with a bottle.  So warm, so kind.   How could granny be the same steamroller we read about?  No names have apparently been selected, but I doubt if Monica is high on the list.  Of course, we really do wish the new parents only the best.  They're entitled to the same happiness any new parents should have.  And I hope they maintain their privacy.

LEGAL NEWS – Radical leftist nutbags at the University of Minnesota wanted Condi Rice arrested when she delivered an address at the university earlier today (Thursday).  The protesters wrote a letter to the university police saying there was "probable cause to believe Dr. Rice has been involved in massive criminal activity” and that she is a “truly dangerous” person to allow onto campus.  The university survived her appearance and will have classes tomorrow.  Actually, Dr. Rice got a very warm reception.

HE, TOO, COMES TO SAVE US – Al Gore is now quoted as saying that we will win the battle against climate change.   He said it in Hawaii.  The matter is now settled.  I await the victory parade.

April 17,  2014     Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 11:08 A.M. ET:  From straight-shooting liberal commentator Kirsten Powers, who proves that a liberal can overcome conformity and see the world as it really is.

She comments about the recent controversies around women's rights advocate Ayaan Hirsi Ali, one of the great fighters against Islamic extremism of our time.  Hirsi Ali had an honorary degree rescinded by Brandeis University after pressure from Muslim students and from the usual battery of leftists concerned about "Islamophobia."  Powers points out the monumental hypocrisy in our quote of the day, from USA Today:

In reviewing her book, Nomad, Nicholas Kristof lamented that, "Hirsi Ali denounces Islam with a ferocity that I find strident. … Her memoir suggests that she never quite outgrew her rebellious teenager phase." Yes, if only she would be more demure in describing her own oppression. Guardian columnist Emma Brockes complained that in criticizing Islam, Hirsi Ali "is startlingly direct" and is "deliberately, almost narcissistically provocative."

Yet, when author Anne Rice announced she had "quit Christianity" because it was anti-gay, anti-feminist and anti-science, Brockes only wanted to know "what took her so long?" Speaking of "startlingly direct," Rice said, "(I) began to really study (Catholicism) and I found that it was not an honorable religion, that it was not honest."

So, condemning the Catholic Church and Christianity broad-brush is heroic. But a woman who breaks with and criticizes Islam is a mouthy, immature narcissist who must be silenced. Got it.

COMMENT:  So-called "intellectuals," who never cease their panicky desire to be conformist, with it, and trendy, love to condemn "Islamophobia."  But, as Kirsten Powers says, condemning Christianity is oh so veddy, veddy sophisticated.  Add Judaism to that.  Anti-Semitism is back in style on the trendy left. 

In pulling Hirsi Ali's honorary degree, Brandeis may have done her a favor – she's now more famous than ever, and her courage (she needs 24-hour protection) in speaking out against Islamic extremism toward women is finally being recognized.

Praise to Kirsten Powers, a liberal with common sense.  There used to be many.

April 17, 2014       Permalink

FUN ONLY – AT 10:36 A.M. ET:  Presidential polls two and a half years before an election are mostly fun, which is why we run them.  We need fun.  Fun is good.  Fox has the latest horse-race figures on the GOP side: 

With about 20 months to go before the Iowa precinct caucuses, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul lead the pack for the Republican presidential nomination. Meanwhile, former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton continues to hold a huge lead among Democrats, according to a Fox News poll released Wednesday.

Three possible GOP candidates capture double-digit support among self-identified Republicans: Christie receives 15 percent, which puts him just ahead of Bush and Paul both at 14 percent.

Next, Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan receives nine percent, followed by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio at eight percent, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz at seven percent, and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum each at five percent. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal comes in at two percent.

COMMENT:  Name recognition is a big factor two years before an election.  The guys at the top also are the best-known guys nationally. 

The issue is how much upward potential there is for any candidate, and that is almost impossible to predict at this early date.  Rand Paul may well go the way of his father, who excited an almost fanatical following, but never got much above where is son is now.  I frankly don't see that much upward potential for Paul because of his foreign-policy positions, which place him well to the left of the Republican mainstream.

Christie is an enigma.  He's been wounded in the press by Bridgegate, is something of a bully, but is still in serious contention in the opinion of most observers.  But his style is not presidential.  He wears out his welcome.

Bush is perhaps the most intriguing of the current "front runners."  He is statesmanlike, a successful former governor, married to a Hispanic woman.  He also has the Bush name, which helps with money but may hurt with votes.  He's also reluctant.  Who wants a guy who may not have any heart in the race? 

The other intriguing possibility, as we've noted here, is Scott Walker of Wisconsin.  If he wins big for re-election this November, he jumps into the front ranks.

And then there is Mr. or Ms. Unknown, someone not on the list who may jump in and become the new Barack Obama.  Unknown one day, president the next.

As I said, this is strictly fun.

April 17, 2014       Permalink

HAVING US FOR LUNCH – AT 8:58 A.M. ET:  If Americans are getting the impression that the Russians are running rings around us diplomatically, they're right.  And it isn't just the Russians.  We are losing virtually everywhere – Ukraine, Iran, North Korea, South America...even Canada.  One reason is that this administration really doesn't take American foreign interests that seriously.  How do they compare to Eric Holder's hurt feelings? 

At The Politico, former American diplomat James Bruno explains part of our problem, made worse in this administration by crass politics:   

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is fairly typical. A graduate of the prestigious Moscow Institute for International Relations (known by its Russian acronym, MGIMO) and 42-year Foreign Ministry veteran, Lavrov speaks fluent English as well as Sinhalese, Dhiveli and French. A former U.S. ambassador who had dealt with Lavrov at the United Nations described him to me as disciplined, witty and charming, a diplomat so skilled “he runs rings around us in the multilateral sphere.”

Russia has always taken diplomacy and its diplomats seriously. America, on the other hand, does not. Of this country’s 28 diplomatic missions in NATO capitals (of which 26 are either currently filled by an ambassador or have nominees waiting to be confirmed), 16 are, or will be, headed by political appointees; only one ambassador to a major NATO ally, Turkey, is a career diplomat. Fourteen ambassadors got their jobs in return for raising big money for President Obama’s election campaigns, or worked as his aides. A conservative estimate of personal and bundled donations by these fundraisers is $20 million (based on figures from the New York Times, Federal Election Commission and AllGov). The U.S. ambassador to Belgium, a former Microsoft executive, bundled more than $4.3 million.

By contrast, all but two of Moscow’s ambassadors to NATO capitals are career diplomats. And the two Russian equivalents of political appointees (in Latvia and Slovakia) have 6 and 17 years of diplomatic experience respectively. The total number of years of diplomatic experience of Russia’s 28 ambassadors to NATO nations is 960 years, averaging 34 years per incumbent. The cumulative years of relevant experience of America’s ambassadors are 331, averaging 12 years per individual. Russia has 26 NATO ambassadors with 20-plus years of diplomatic service; the United States has 10. Furthermore, 16 American envoys have five years, or fewer, of diplomatic service. The figure for Russia: zero. Five U.S. NATO posts currently have no ambassador. None of Russia’s is vacant. With Michael McFaul’s departure in February, there is no U.S. ambassador in Moscow at the moment.

COMMENT:   You don't put an amateur in a ring with a professional, and that's what we've done by putting Barack (come to save us) Obama in the White House.

The Ukraine situation is the worst crisis we've had with Russia since the end of the Cold War, and Moscow is winning hands down.  Obama warns of "serious" consequences, and gets laughed at.  He then cuts the defense budget even more. 

The next generation is gonna love us.

April 17, 2014       Permalink

UKRAINE UPDATE – AT 8:46 A.M. ET:  Look, everyone is now taking this very seriously.  There is combat in the Ukraine between Ukrainian nationalists and factions loyal to Russia.  Several people have been killed in military action at a Ukrainian military base, although facts are muddled. 

What next?  Josh Rogin and Eli Lake, two superb defense analysts, probe Putin's intentions at the Daily Beast: 

Crimea is in Moscow’s hands. Deadly fighting has broken out in parts of Eastern Ukraine. And now there are signs that Russian President Vladimir Putin may have picked his next targets: First a small breakaway state in Moldova, west of Ukraine, where thousands of Moscow’s troops are already stationed; then its close neighbor Odessa, Ukraine’s third-largest city and its largest remaining port, where pro-Russian and pro-government groups are tangling. If forces loyal to Putin can successfully disrupt Odessa, it could effectively cut the county of Ukraine in two.

A firefight between pro-Russian forces and Ukrainian troops left three dead and 13 wounded in the Black Sea port of Mariupol late on Wednesday. Officials and experts inside Ukraine are also becoming more and more concerned that weeks of unrest, likely spurred on by the Russian government, are increasing in frequency and scale in Transnistria, the autonomous region on the Ukraine-Moldova border where as many as 2,500 Russian peacekeepers are stationed. Protests and counter-protests have also spread to Odessa—a city of over 1 million that’s less than 50 miles from Transnistria. And that’s stoking fears of a new front opening in the raging battle between the Ukrainian government in Kiev and pro-Russian forces operating all over eastern and now southern Ukraine. If Transnistria moves into Putin’s camp, Odessa could well follow.

Rep. Mike Rogers, the Republican chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told The Daily Beast he has seen "a level of activity by the Russians" in Moldovan Transnistria that he said was similar to Russian military and paramilitary movements before Russia's annexation of Crimea. He said the Russian troop movements "fit the profile for the pre-deployment of additional special forces and intelligence units that engage in provocation and sabotage.”

COMMENT:  This isn't alarmism.  We don't actually know what's in Putin's mind.  He's a shrewd, sophisticated international politician, unlike President Hope 'n' Change.  He may ease back for a time, only to forge forward later, responding to some trumped-up "provocation" inside Ukraine. 

A British analyst worried yesterday that this could be the start of the Third World War.  I really don't think so.  No one wants it.  No one would benefit.  No one really wanted the other two either.

April 17,  2014     Permalink

APRIL 16,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:43 P.M. ET: 

INSULTING – It's no secret that this administration has no respect for traditional faith groups, so this should not come as a surprise.  From Breitbart:  "The White House has announced that John Podesta, President Obama’s current Counselor, will lead his delegation to the Holy See for the Mass of canonization of Popes John XXIII and John Paul II on April 27, 2014.  Podesta will head the delegation which will also include Rep. Xavier Becerra, chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, and Katie Beirne Fallon, Assistant to the President and Director of Legislative Affairs."  All three are associated with the political advancement of practices, like abortion, that are deeply offensive to the Church.  Couldn't Obama have picked a delegation more respectful of traditional Catholic beliefs?  Again, no class.

THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE... – From the Washington Examiner:  "Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., in a neck-and-neck race for re-election, is taking a lot of criticism over a new ad — her first this season — depicting herself taking on 'Washington' to protect the interests of Louisiana's oil and gas industries. What Landrieu did to invite the ridicule was to re-create for her ad producers her own performance in a Senate hearing — complete with set, supporting cast, fake nameplate and even phony news trademarks — to show her standing up for her state."  Disgraceful.  She should be censured by the Senate for this.

OUR MATURE COLLEGE STUDENTS – From College Insurrection, quoting The College Fix:  "The Stanford University Graduate Student Council helped fund a guest lecture by atheist Richard Dawkins last fall, but this quarter denied a request for $600 to help a conservative student group shoulder the cost of a spring conference on traditional marriage.  In denying the latter request for the Stanford Anscombe Society’s 'Communicating Values' conference, the student council cited its funding guidelines, which prohibit financial support to any event that makes students feel 'unwelcome.'"  I guess inviting an atheist wouldn't make anyone at Stanford feel "unwelcome."  These aren't colleges.  These are nursery schools.

A WARNING – From Breitbart:  "Russia now spends more on its military, relative to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), than both the United States and Europe respectively.  According to figures compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Moscow spent 4.1 percent of its GDP on defence in 2013, an increase of 0.6 percent over the past 10 years. By contrast, the United States spent 3.8 percent of GDP on defence and Britain spent just 2.3 percent, with further defence cuts expected."

April 16,  2014     Permalink

WALKER?  – AT 10:15 A.M. ET:  We have long written here that Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is the sleeper candidate for 2016.  A highly successful Republican governor in a state with a strong Democratic vote, Walker appears poised for re-election this year, after surviving a recall election several years ago.  From Powerline:   

Scott Walker has a 16 point lead (56-40) among likely voters in his race for governor, according to a poll from Wisconsin Public Radio/St. Norbert’s. Among registered voters, his lead is essentially the same (55-40).

The survey was conducted between March 24 and April 3. A Marquette University survey conducted between March 20-23 also showed Walker with a nice, though smaller, lead. In that poll, Walker outdistanced Democrat Mary Burke 48-41.

Revealingly, Walker fares well in an electorate that does not seem particularly conservative and that, if anything, appears to be slightly to the left of American voters in general. Among those surveyed in the WPR/St. Norbert’s poll, 48 percent had a favorable view of President Obama; 50 percent had an unfavorable view. Obama generally fares worse than that in national polling. In addition, Wisconsin’s liberal Senator Tammy Baldwin had a positive rating — 44 percent approve; 33 percent disapprove.

In this context, Walker’s popularity is particularly striking. 59 percent approve of his performance, while only 39 percent disapprove.

Walker’s approval numbers basically track the right direction/wrong direction numbers for his State. 57 percent said that Wisconsin is moving in the right direction, while 38 percent said its moving in the wrong direction. By contrast only 32 percent believe the United States is moving in the right direction. 63 percent think we’re moving the other way.

Let’s assume that Scott Walker is reelected decisively in November. In that event, it’s clear that he will receive a boost among Republicans nationally.

The buzz among Republicans accompanying a big Walker victory would probably dwarf the considerable buzz that followed Chris Christie’s runaway win in New Jersey. Many conservatives had serious doubts (or worse) about the New Jersey governor even when he was riding high. No serious doubts exist for Walker, although most conservatives will want to learn more before embracing him as a presidential candidate.

The other thing that accompanied Christie’s big win was intense scrutiny from the mainstream media. Suddenly, his campaign for local office 20 years ago became an issue. Even his high school baseball career received attention.

Scott Walker is in for the same treatment.

COMMENT:  The key issue is whether he can defeat Hillary Clinton.  That will be the standard.  She will not be easy, and will have the same press bias on her side as Obama had.  Indeed, it might even be worse.  I don't think there is any clear-cut Republican frontrunner right now.  Christie has been wounded in New Jersey.  Jeb Bush is reluctant, and reluctant candidates rarely win.  (Who wants someone who's reluctant to be president?)  Walker is attractive because he's successful, and has a tendency to win elections.  But he may not have the campaign "presence" for a national election.  He's not exactly Mr. Excitement.  But maybe that can be turned to an advantage in a nation yearning for real leadership.

Scott Walker has saved Wisconsin.  Hillary Clinton has saved Hillary Clinton.  There is a difference.

April 16, 2014       Permalink

DEEP IN THE HEART – AT 9:31 A.M. ET:  One of the more interesting gubernatorial races this year is in Texas because the Dem candidate, Wendy Davis, has been seen as a potential national figure.  You'll recall that she became famous by mounting a filibuster, in tennis shoes, against proposed legislation that would restrict late-term abortion in Texas.

Not so fast, Dems.  It turns out that Wendy apparently never bothered to check with the women of Texas.  From Townhall.com:   

Texas Attorney General and Gubernatorial Candidate Greg Abbott is beating State Senator and feminist hero Wendy Davis in the Lone Star State...among women. According to new data from the left-leaning Public Policy Polling, Abbott is not only leading Davis with overall voters, but by a whopping eight percent among female voters.

Further, Davis has an overall 47 percent unfavorable rating while Abbott enjoys a favorable rating of 40 percent. Among women, Davis's approval favorable rating is just 32 percent.

Going into this race, Davis was defined by her pro-late term abortion stance. At the time of her now infamous filibuster and before she announced her bid for governor, Davis was at odds with Texas women, and women in general, over the issue. The overwhelming majority of women support late-term abortion bans and strict regulations on abortion clinics. I'm sure lying about how she made her way as a "single mother" didn't help win her any votes, either.

COMMENT:  We caution that more than six months remain until the election.  Anything can happen.  But Davis is currently a flameout on the Democratic side.  Surveys always show that women make a distinction between abortion and late-term abortion, a distinction lost on Davis.

April 16, 2014       Permalink

AL QAEDA 2 – AT 9:17 A.M. ET:  Related to the post just below, Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has issued a stern warning about Al Qaeda's growing strength.  From The Politico: 

Rep. Mike Rogers said Tuesday that Al Qaeda is stronger than ever, and that they are doing all the things necessary to prepare a strike.

“The Al Qaeda threat today is more diverse and more aggressive with more threat streams than we’ve seen before 9/11. So we think that they’re feeling empowered,” the Michigan Republican said on CNN’s “The Situation Room” on Tuesday.

Responding to a CNN report that a large gathering of Al Qaeda was caught on video and not disrupted by the U.S., the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said that the terrorist organization is strengthening itself.

“The less pressure you put on them, the more they take that as a victory,” Rogers said. “The more that they believe they can get away with plotting, planning, organizing, as you saw there, finance training, all of the things that they would need to do to strike a Western target, they’re going through that process, including, by the way, bringing very sophisticated people to devise new devices that would try to get around security protocols at airports and other places.”

Rogers was vague on specifics, being privy to classified information in his position atop the Intelligence Committee, but he said leaks last year about operations in Yemen have had an effect in the region, although he would not say they alone made Al Qaeda more brazen.

COMMENT:  They key is Rogers's comment that Al Qaeda feels empowered, feels it can get away with things.  This is generally the way conflicts begin – when someone thinks he can get away with something.  And that thought is often based on a perception of weakness on the other side.  We are projecting weakness.  We're cutting our defenses.  People notice.

April 16, 2014       Permalink

AL QAEDA CHILLS US AGAIN – AT 9:03 A.M. ET:  A brazen meeting of Al Qaeda operatives, out in the open, shows that the group is alive and well, and up to no good.  From CNN's great defense reporter, Barbara Starr:

Washington (CNN) -- A new video shows what looks like the largest and most dangerous gathering of al Qaeda in years. And the CIA and the Pentagon either didn't know about it or couldn't get a drone there in time to strike.

U.S. officials won't comment on that, but every frame of the video is now being analyzed by the United States.

In the middle of the clip, the man known as al Qaeda's crown prince, Nasir al-Wuhayshi, appears brazenly out in the open, greeting followers in Yemen. Al-Wuhayshi, the No. 2 leader of al Qaeda globally and the head of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, has said he wants to attack the United States. But in the video, he looks unconcerned that he could be hit by an American drone.

The video started appearing on jihadist websites recently, drawing the attention of U.S. officials and global terrorism experts. U.S. officials say they believe it's authentic.

"This is quite an extraordinary video," Paul Cruickshank, CNN terrorism analyst, said.

The video shows al-Wuhayshi addressing more than 100 fighters somewhere within Yemen, Cruickshank said, a restive nation on the southwestern portion of the Arabian Peninsula. The al Qaeda leader, he said, is "taking a big risk in doing this."

But he doesn't mince words about his mission.

In a speech to the group, al-Wuhayshi makes it clear that he's going after the United States, saying

"We must eliminate the cross. ... The bearer of the cross is America!"
U.S. officials believe the highly produced video is recent. With some fighters faces blurred, there is worry it signals a new round of plotting.

COMMENT:  Nothing to see here, nothing to see.  After all, our own leader, Field Marshal-in-chief Barack Obama, has told us that the war on terror is over.  Al Qaeda didn't get the memo.

April 16,  2014     Permalink