Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

AUGUST 12,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:55 P.M. ET:

EMBARRASSING – From AP:   WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration doesn't plan to invite Cuban dissidents to Secretary of State John Kerry's historic flag-raising at the U.S. Embassy in Havana on Friday, vividly illustrating how U.S. policy is shifting focus from the island's opposition to its single-party government. Instead, Kerry intends to meet more quietly with prominent activists later in the day, officials said.  The Cuban opposition has occupied the center of U.S. policy toward the island since the nations cut diplomatic relations in 1961. The Cuban government labels its domestic opponents as traitorous U.S. mercenaries. As the two countries have moved to restore relations, Cuba has almost entirely stopped meeting with American politicians who visit dissidents during trips to Havana.  Incredible.  We allow these pint-sized dictators to kick us around, and consider it progress. 

NEW YORK AGAINST IRAN DEAL – From Quinnipiac.edu:   New York City voters oppose 43 - 36 percent the proposed nuclear agreement with Iran, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today.  Jewish voters oppose the proposed pact 53 - 33 percent, the independent Quinnipiac (KWIN-uh-pe-ack) University Poll finds. Opposition is 70 - 15 percent among Republican voters and 51 - 32 percent among independent voters, while Democrats support the pact 43 - 33 percent.  Manhattan voters support the nuclear deal 48 - 27 percent, and Brooklyn voters are divided with support at 40 percent and opposition at 43 percent. Opposition is 42 - 26 percent in The Bronx, 49 - 33 percent in Queens and 76 - 11 percent in Staten Island.
Voters are divided on whether the deal would make the world safer or not as 40 percent say safer and 42 percent say less safe.   "New York City voters agree with U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer in his opposition to the proposed Iran deal," said Quinnipiac University Poll Assistant Director Maurice Carroll.   Schumer is on safe ground, despite the ugly onslaught against him by the Obama crowd.  New York City is one of the most liberal towns in America.  If the Iran agreement is rejected there, Obama's support on the issue is truly in poor shape.  Reports from the Senate indicate that Schumer is still on track to be minority leader.  The lefties are trying to purge him, but it doesn't seem to be working.

MADNESS – From personalliberty.com:   It’s always fun to watch liberal utopia melt down in real time. Here’s a good one: from the intersection of big labor and racial oversensitivity.  United Auto Workers Local 2865, the University of California student-worker union, recently sent a letter to the AFL-CIO asking the union to sever ties with the International Union of Police Associations (IUPA) because police officer unions do not represent the interest of workers.  Why? Because cops are racists and they work for oppressors. And oppressors hate workers, especially black ones. Duh, bro.  If American parents ever understood what actually goes on at universities, most would haul their kiddies out in a second. 

August 12,  2015     Permalink 

CARLY SOARS – AT 8:40 A.M. ET:  As many had predicted, Carly Fiorina's standing in the polls has improved dramatically as a result of her stellar performance in last week's debates.  Many observers declared her the star of the evening, even though she was relegated to the "junior" debate.  From the New York Post: 

WASHINGTON — She was relegated to the “kids table,” but Carly Fiorina’s strong performance in last week’s GOP presidential debates propelled her into the top tier in the crowded Republican field.

Three new polls released Tuesday put the former Hewlett-Packard CEO within the top five of 17 Republican presidential candidates — a huge leap from the No. 14 spot she held prior to the Thursday night showdown on Fox News.

By most accounts, Fiorina won that second-tier forum featuring the seven candidates with the lowest poll scores.

“She has broken through,” Suffolk University pollster David Paleologos told The Post.

The next debate on Sept. 16 will be hosted by CNN at the Ronald Reagan Library in California.
Once again, the candidates will be separated, with the top 10 getting a spot on the main event stage and the candidates in the bottom tier of national polls going to the B-list debate.

And...

Paleologos called Fiorina’s showing “dramatic.”

The debate, he said, “was a real boost — it would have been a turbo boost had she been in the evening debate — but a boost is a boost nevertheless. She’s put herself in the game and that’s what you need to do six months before the first contest.”

COMMENT:  Why the raves?  Because Fiorina is the most prepared, most articulate candidate running.  She knows how to put across her point of view in plain English, without rancor, and in a beautifully modulated voice.  She clearly practices.  All good speakers do.  She's extraordinarily focused.  She has the will to win, and we sense it.

Even if she doesn't eventually get the nomination, she might well still be on the ticket, and will be an asset.

August 12, 2015       Permalink 

MAYOR MIKE SPEAKS OUT – AT 8:31 A.M. ET:  While no Rudy Giuliani, former Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York is looked on fondly by New Yorkers as a solid mayor who kept the city safe, as compared with the current clown-in-chief, Red Bill de Blasio, who's nostalgic about Fidel Castro.

I've been wondering when Mayor Mike would speak out on national issues.  I've also been wondering whether he would make a run for national office.  Like Donald, he could finance his own campaign.

Now Bloomberg has spoken out, or written out, on the Iran deal.  His column, published by his own news service, is serious, mature, and thoughtful.  From Bloomberg:   

I have deep reservations about the Iranian nuclear agreement, but I -- like many Americans -- am still weighing the evidence for and against it. This is one of the most important debates of our time, one with huge implications for our future and security and the stability of the world. Yet instead of attempting to persuade Americans on the merits, supporters of the deal are resorting to intimidation and demonization, while also grossly overstating their case.

Last week, President Barack Obama said that it was not a difficult decision to endorse the agreement. I couldn't disagree more. This is an extraordinarily difficult decision, and the president's case would be more compelling if he stopped minimizing the agreement's weaknesses and exaggerating its benefits. If he believes that the deal "permanently prohibits Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon," as he said in his speech at American University last Wednesday, then he should take another look at the agreement, whose restrictions end suddenly after 15 years, with some of the constraints on uranium enrichment melting away after just 10.

Overstating the case for the agreement belies the gravity of the issue and does more to breed distrust than win support. Smearing critics is even less effective. In his speech, the president suggested that critics of the deal are the same people who argued for the war in Iraq. The message wasn't very subtle: Those who oppose the agreement are warmongers. (Of course, those who voted for the Iraq War resolution in 2002 include Obama's vice president and secretary of state.)

Then he went further, saying: "It's those hardliners chanting 'Death to America' who have been most opposed to the deal. They're making common cause with the Republican caucus." From a president who often complains about hyperpartisanship, and whose stated aim is to elevate the discourse, the public deserved something better.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  It's one of the best columns I've read on the subject.  Say, you don't think Mike is gearing up to...?

Yah never know.  I mean, who woulda thunk of Trump?

August 12, 2015       Permalink

YIKES – HILLARY FADES – AT 8:14 A.M. ET:  A new poll shows Bernie Sanders surging ahead of Hillary in New Hampshire, which, of course, will hold the first major primary.  From the Boston Herald: 

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders has rocketed past longtime front-runner Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire, a stunning turn in a race once considered a lock for the former secretary of state, a new Franklin Pierce University/Boston Herald poll shows.

Vice President Joe Biden got 9 percent support in the test primary match-up. The other announced Democrats in the race, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee and former Virginia Gov. Jim Webb, barely register at 1 percent or below.

The live interview phone poll was conducted Aug. 7-10 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.7 percentage points.

Clinton is still viewed overwhelmingly by voters as the likely Democratic nominee, but the results suggest she faces an unexpectedly difficult fight to prevent an embarrassing opening loss in the first-in-the-nation primary.

The Franklin Pierce/Herald poll shows that most New Hampshire Democrats are lukewarm to Clinton, despite her campaign’s concerted effort to soften her image and connect with voters.

Just 35 percent of likely primary voters say they are “excited” about Clinton’s campaign, according to the poll. And 51 percent of voters say that while they could support her, they aren’t enthusiastic about her White House bid.

And while 80 percent of likely Granite State Democrats view her favorably, just 38 percent of those say they have a “very” favorable impression.

Sanders’ rise has been meteoric. The socialist senator trailed Clinton by a 44-8 margin in a Franklin Pierce/Herald poll in March.

COMMENT:  Well, I guess it gives our side some satisfaction to see this, but let's be careful what we wish for.  Let's say Hillary is toppled, or even withdraws from the nomination race because of poor polls, a possible indictment, or both.   Who's left?  Bernie?  Lizzie Warren?  In terms of policy, they could be much worse.

And let's also recall that Jimmy ("Why not the best?") Carter couldn't wait to run against Ronald Reagan in 1980.  He thought he'd roll over the "extremist warmonger."  Then Americans saw them both on the same strange, and it was all over.  Reagan was a president.  Carter, even though holding the presidency, was a local postmaster. 

I disagree with Bernie on almost everything, but he has a certain "my favorite uncle" appeal.  Don't underestimate him.  I think Hillary would be easier to beat.

August 12,  2015     Permalink

POOR HILLARY, SHE HAS A PROBLEM – AT 8:05 A.M. ET:  I feel so sorry for her.   She's "earned" $140-million, with her husband, in recent years.  But how can she keep it, and enjoy an occasional lunch at Burger King, with all these legal expenses?  From Fox:   

Charles Krauthammer told viewers Tuesday on “Special Report with Bret Baier” that revelations classified emails were found on Hillary Clinton's private server that she used to conduct business showed that “it’s not only her trustworthiness, it’s the fact that nothing she says ever is true three weeks later.”

On Tuesday, the Intelligence Community Inspector General informed Congress that two of four classified emails found on Clinton's personal server carried a “Top Secret” classification – one of the highest security categorizations.

Clinton has repeatedly denied using her private account to send or receive any classified emails. On March 10 she told reporters “I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email. There is no classified material. So I'm certainly aware of the classification and requirements and did not send classified material.”

Krauthammer, a syndicated columnist and Fox News contributor said that Tuesday’s revelation is simply part of a larger pattern of behavior by the former secretary of state: “She says ‘there was nothing classified and I know how to do that, I know the process,’ and then it was revised to ‘nothing that at the time was classified.’ Well, now we’re learning that it is quite probable that actually at the time it was, and she should have known it even if she’ll claim, obviously, that she didn’t.

“There’s always a movement, a parsing of the edges, a cutting, with her husband, and with herself and that is the problem that dogs her and that she cannot escape.”

COMMENT:  And that's what people see, and have often seen.  And yet, if she is the nominee, you may be sure that the same media that put Barack Obama in office will make every effort to put Hillary in office, as another "first."  They will be some pro forma concerns expressed about her, but I can just imagine The New York Times saying, "On balance, she is far preferable to a candidate of the Republican Party, with its anti-woman agenda and reckless foreign policy."

In addition, she went to the right schools, and that counts more than anything.

August 12, 2015       Permalink 

AUGUST 11,  2015

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:44 P.M. ET: 

THIS IS NUTS – From Fox:  Secretary of State John Kerry doubled down on the controversial Iran nuclear deal Tuesday, telling lawmakers that there was not a better deal available to negotiators and that since 2003 Iran has not pursued a nuclear bomb to the best of America’s knowledge.  Whaa?  Iran hasn't been pursuing an atomic bomb for 12 years?  Then why was any agreement necessary?  Hasn't the Obama crowd been warning that, without the agreement, Iran would be within "weeks" of a nuclear bomb?  Something isn't adding up here. 

NICE, HUH? – This is what the Iran nuclear deal is all about.  From Fox:  The lifting of international sanctions on Iran has triggered a stampede of European companies beating a path to Tehran to secure contracts, but some of the equipment being offered has dark, dual purposes in the hands of the Islamic Republic’s oppressive government.  The cranes made by Austrian manufacturer Palfinger could be used to transform Tehran’s skyline, but also have played a starring role in Iran’s infamous public executions, where convicted criminals are often hanged from the giant booms high above public squares. German company Herrenknecht, whose senior officials visited the Iranian capital last month, makes industrial drilling rigs critics say could be used to nestle nuclear facilities deep inside mountains. Other companies lining up to do business with the mullahs make equipment that also could be used against Iran’s enemies – or its populace.  The Europeans are acting like Europeans again.  As Churchill warned, they are feeding the alligator in the hope that they'll be eaten last.  And just before they're eaten, they'll beg Washington for help. 

HILLARY HOPELESS – From NRO:   The latest PPP poll out of Iowa shows Hillary Clinton trailing four Republican candidates in head-to-head matchups.  Ben Carson performs the best against the former secretary of state, besting her by by four points, 44-40, while former Florida governor Jeb Bush performs the worst: He trails her by four, 44-40. The other three GOPers who came out ahead of Clinton are Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, both of whom lead her 44-43, and Florida senator Marco Rubio, who leads her 43-42.  Kentucky senator Rand Paul and real-estate mogul Donald Trump both trail Clinton by three points, 43-40, and Texas senator Ted Cruz, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and Ohio governor John Kasich all trail her by two points.  It wasn't many months ago when it looked like Hillary would have a cakewalk to the inauguration.  It will be a battle, if the Democratic National Convention allows her to wage it at all. 

INCREDIBLE – From London's Express:  Hero SAS sniper saves father and eight-year-old son from being beheaded by ISIS maniac.  The brave British marksman saved the terrified eight-year-old and his father after taking out the crazed jihadi with a head shot from 1,000 metres away.  The special forces crack shot then killed two other members of the hated terror group, who were also taking part in the sick planned execution.  ISIS militants had decreed that the little boy and his father must die after branding them "infidels" because they refused to denounce their faith.  They were just seconds from death when the hero sniper intervened to stop the barbaric killing in the Syrian desert. The pair were part of the minority Shia sect of Islam which ISIS considers to be heretical.  They were saved from a cruel and painful death at the hands of the fanatics after an Iraqi spy tipped off British special forces to the planned execution.  Reminds me of the film, "American Sniper," about our own hero.  Of course, the movie was banned from some college campuses here because it was deemed upsetting to Muslim students.

August 11, 2015       Permalink

TYPICALLY OBAMAN – AT 11:29 A.M. ET:  We must protect the reputation of Mother Russia from those big, bad American soldiers.  From the great Bill Gertz at the Washington Free Beacon: 

The White House is blocking the release of a Pentagon risk assessment of Russia’s violation of the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, according to a senior House leader.

Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, disclosed the existence of the Pentagon assessment last month and said the report is needed for Congress’s efforts to address the problem in legislation.

“As we look to the near-term future, we need to consider how we’re going to respond to Russia’s INF violations,” Rogers said in an Air Force Association breakfast July 8. “Congress will not continue to tolerate the administration dithering on this issue.”

Rogers said the assessment was conducted by chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey, and noted that it outlines potential responses to the treaty breach.

However, Rogers noted that the assessment “seems to stay tied up in the White House.”

At the Pentagon, spokesman Capt. Greg Hicks said: “The Chairman’s assessment of Russia’s Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty violation is classified and not releasable to the public.”

Hicks said, however, that steps are being taking “across the government to address Russia’s violation of the treaty, including preserving military response options—but no decision has been made with regard to the type of response, if any.”

At the White House, a senior administration official said: “The United States continues to consider diplomatic, economic, and military responses to Russia’s violation of the INF Treaty.”

COMMENT:  Come on.  Why not give cooperation to Congress?  Once again Obama treats Congress as the enemy and our enemies as allies.

August 11, 2015       Permalink

OBAMA NOT WINNING PUBLIC OPINION ON IRAN – AT 10:16 A.M. ET:   A new poll by a respected polling organization shows the public still skeptical, despite an all-out effort by Obama and his crowd.  From Monmouth University: 

West Long Branch, NJ – The American public is divided on what Congress should do about the recently negotiated nuclear deal, but more feel that Iran came out of it better than the U.S. The Monmouth University Poll also found distrust that Iran will live up to the agreement is as high as it was before the deal was struck. Other poll results find that Pres. Obama’s claim he could win a third term may be unfounded.

The public is divided on how Congress should handle the recently negotiated agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program. Just over 1-in-4 (27%) say Congress should vote to approve it and about 1-in-3 (32%) say Congress should not, while a plurality (41%) are not sure what Congress should do. A majority (55%) of Republicans say Congress should reject the deal, just 13% say it should support the deal and 32% are unsure. Just over 4-in-10 (41%) Democrats say Congress should approve the agreement compared to just 14% who oppose it, but 45% of Democrats remain unsure. Among independents, 27% say Congress should approve the agreement, 33% not approve it, and 40% are not sure.

Part of the uncertainty in public opinion may be due to a sense that Iran got the better end of the bargain. Four-in-ten (41%) say Iran got more of what it wanted from this deal, while just 14% feel the U.S. came out on top. Only 23% say that both countries benefited equally. Another 5% volunteer that neither country got what they wanted and 17% are not sure who benefitted more from the agreement. Two-thirds of Republicans (67%) say Iran made out on the deal, while a plurality of Democrats (39%) say both countries benefitted equally.

The Monmouth University Poll also found that 6-in-10 (61%) Americans do not trust Iran at all to abide by the terms of this agreement. Just 6% have a lot of trust in Iran and 28% have a little trust. This high lack of trust is similar to where it stood in polls taken during the final stages of the negotiations last month (55%) and at the beginning of the year (59%). 1 Nearly 9-in-10 Americans (88%) have been following news about the recently negotiated agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program. Republicans (63%), though, are more likely than independents (49%) and Democrats (48%) to have heard a lot about it.

COMMENT:  The public is moving in the right direction because opponents of the deal have the far better argument.  But I'm afraid the deal will go through anyway, as I don't think the Democrats in Congress will have the courage to buck Obama, the demigod who came to save us.

August 11, 2015       Permalink

VETS AGAINST THE IRAN DEAL – AT 9:56 A.M. ET:  I wonder if the Obama crowd will declare these veterans unpatriotic, or pawns of sinister forces.  From Bloomberg:   

A group of Iraq war veterans is launching a million-dollar effort to oppose President Obama's nuclear deal with Iran, trying to counter the president's argument that those who are against the deal are in favor of war.

Obama has said recently that there are only two camps: those who support the deal versus those who would prefer a bloody and costly war like the conflict in Iraq. The new ad campaign complicates that, asserting that the deal itself will lead to more war. And the voices putting forth that case do not prefer war; they are soldiers who have had enough of it.

The group, Veterans Against the Deal, was founded last month as a 501(c)(4) nonprofit, and it does not disclose its donors. Its national campaign starts today, including television ads in states whose members of Congress are undecided on the Iran deal. Lawmakers will vote on it in September.

The first of the group’s videos features retired staff sergeant Robert Bartlett, who was badly injured by an Iranian bomb while serving in Iraq in 2005. “Every politician who is involved in this will be held accountable, they will have blood on their hands,” he says in the ad. “A vote for this deal means more money for Iranian terrorism. What do you think they are going to do when they get more money?”

The first ad will go up in Montana, aimed at Democratic Senator Jon Tester. Subsequent ads will air in North Dakota, West Virginia and elsewhere. The group will also send veterans to speak at events in key states.

“We are going to challenge those people who are on the fence,” Executive Director Michael Pregent, a former intelligence adviser to Gen. David Petraeus and Gen. Ray Odierno who served in Iraq, told me. “Our main argument is that veterans know Iran better than Washington, D.C., does. You’ve got a lot of veterans out there who are pretty upset about this, so we are looking to capture their voices and make sure they are heard.”

COMMENT:  Great idea.  Let Obama take on the veterans.  Of course, some of his subordinates might just do so, given the insensitivity of this administration to military sacrifice. 

August 11, 2015       Permalink

JOHN GETS IT RIGHT – AT 8:46 A.M. ET:  John McCain says out loud what many Americans must be thinking about Barack Obama's conduct in office.  From the Washington Examiner: 

Almost a week after President Obama compared Republicans opposing the Iran nuclear deal to Iranian hard-liners, Sen. John McCain argued Monday that Obama has "cheapened" the U.S. presidency with his rhetoric in support of the deal.

Appearing on "The Hugh Hewitt Show," McCain told Hewitt that the comment was "not presidential," adding further that it "demeaned" the office in which Obama currently occupies.

"The first thing I want to ask you about is the president's comment that those who are opposed to the deal are making common cause with those who shout 'Death to America' in Iran," Hewitt told the Arizona senator.

"I think the president has demeaned and cheapened the office of the presidency by that kind of comment," McCain told Hewitt. "It seems that his M.O. is to attack to those who disagree and characterize their opposition, which I believe is the -- what political arena is all about. People with differing opinions and debating and discussing it before the American people."

"I think he is now obviously paints us people who are like the hard-liners in Tehran who sang 'Death to America. Death to Israel,'" McCain said. "That's not presidential."

COMMENT:  McCain is being mild.  The president's behavior has been despicable.  And it has sent a signal for others to be just as bad.  The debate over Iran has turned very ugly, with opponents of the nuclear deal depicted by some left-wing organizations as warmongers and even traitors.  Charges that those who oppose the deal are simply serving their campaign donors are commonplace, a charge launched by Obama itself.

So much for hope and change.  Not much hope, the wrong kind of change.

August 11,  2015     Permalink