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JUNE 22,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE

REMEMBER – We record with sadness the death today of Fouad Ajami, 68, one of the finest commentators on the Mideast of our time.  We have quoted him often.  He was born in Lebanon of Muslim background, and became one of the leading scholars of Middle Eastern affairs after his migration to the United States.  He was pro-Arab and pro-American at the same time, and had no hostility toward Israel.  At his death he was a scholar at Stanford's Hoover Institution, one of the few remaining sanctuaries for conservatives in American academia.  He will be deeply missed.  Here is a remembrance in The Wall Street Journal online:

America has been fated to deal with the Middle East lo these many years, and Journal readers have had no better guide than our friend Fouad Ajami, who died Sunday at age 68 of cancer.

A protégé of Princeton's great scholar Bernard Lewis, Fouad was born in Lebanon to a Shiite Muslim family. Yet he found his real home in America, and he discovered his calling in explaining the ways of the Arabs to Americans. His 1981 book, "The Arab Predicament," was prescient in describing contemporary Arab history as "a chronicle of illusions and despair, of politics repeatedly degenerating into bloodletting." He foresaw the extremist pathologies that authoritarianism was breeding in Arabia before they exploded on our shores on September 11, 2001.

Perhaps in part because he was an immigrant, Fouad was also more optimistic about American purposes than most of his academic colleagues. He supported the war in Iraq and refused to abandon the effort even when it would have been advantageous for his career. He appreciated American idealism even as he saw it run up against the cynical realities of the Arab world and radical Islam. He thus fulfilled one obligation of the public intellectual, which is to take responsibility for the consequences of his views. His elegant prose adorned our pages for 27 years and the world will miss his wisdom.

HILLARY SPEAKS AGAIN – Can she say anything right?  Today Her Inevitableness denied that she's rich.  It's hard to make this up.  From The Hill:  "Hillary Clinton says she and her husband aren’t truly 'well off,' despite the fact that they’ve made millions.  Clinton made the comment in an interview published Saturday night in The Guardian.  The exchange touched on the recent comment she made about how she and former President Bill Clinton were 'dead broke' when they left the White House in 2001—a statement many regarded as out of touch.  'But they don't see me as part of the problem,' she said of voters, 'because we pay ordinary income tax, unlike a lot of people who are truly well off, not to name names; and we've done it through dint of hard work,' she said, laughing.  The Clintons have reportedly made $100 million since leaving the White House, The Guardian noted."  I don't know how any candidate can survive making gaffe after gaffe.  There is unease growing within the Democratic Party, something we'll discuss at Urgent Agenda this week.

A MATTER OF TIME – It was only a matter of time before Rand Paul's often bizarre foreign policy views would become a major issue inside the Republican Party.  Now former Vice President Dick Cheney is taking Paul on, and bluntly so.  From The Hill:  "Former Vice President Dick Cheney on Sunday said he hasn’t picked a 2016 presidential favorite yet, but called Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) an 'isolationist' whose policies 'won’t work in the aftermath of 9/11'  'I haven’t picked a nominee yet, but one of the things that’s right at the top of my list is whether or not the individual we nominate believes in a strong America, believes in a situation where the United States is able to provide the leadership in the world basically to maintain the peace,” said Cheney on ABC’s 'This Week.'   'Rand Paul, by my standards, as I look at his philosophy, is basically an isolationist,' he added. 'That didn’t work in the 1930s, it sure as heck won’t work in the aftermath of 9/11.'"  Cheney is correct.  Although Paul has tried to "explain" his views, and claims that he is in the tradition of Ronald Reagan, he is certainly not.  Paul's foreign policy views place him on the left, not on the right.

June 22, 2014       Permalink

INCREDIBLE – AT 11:18 A.M. ET:   The U.S. finally bagged one of the guys we think was responsible for the Benghazi disaster, and he's being shipped back here for trial.  Fine, up to now.  But this is where it gets wicked:  Eric Holder had any number of choices as to who would handle the case.  Who does he choose?  Read on, from an excellent piece of reporting in the Washington Post: 

For years, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington has watched as authorities in New York and Virginia handled many of nation’s biggest terrorism cases — even ones in which the District was the target of planned attacks.

Now, with the capture of Ahmed Abu Khattala, a suspected ringleader in the assault on U.S. outposts in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans were killed, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. and his attorneys are poised to handle one of the most important American terrorism cases in recent memory. Abu Khattala, who is being interrogated aboard a U.S. warship, is expected to be brought to the United States and arraigned in Washington in the days ahead.

The case will mark a critical challenge for an office that has comparatively little experience in prosecuting high-profile terrorism cases, suffered setbacks in recent cases and, at other times, been considered slow to build cases. Several former law enforcement officials said top Justice Department figures have steered some cases away from Machen’s office, in favor of offices with more experience.

Hey, gives you a feeling of confidence, doesn't it?

The Benghazi case “is an opportunity for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. to demonstrate its prowess in handling a high-profile, sensitive terrorism prosecution,” said David Laufman, a former assistant U.S. attorney who handled national security cases at the Justice Department.

Officials in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Washington said in interviews that, over the past three years, Machen and his prosecutors have filed more cases against suspected terrorists than any of their counterparts nationwide — even if many of those cases remain sealed.

“When we have the facts, we go aggressively after the case,” said Gregg Maisel, chief of the national security section in Machen’s office.

Karen J. Greenberg, who directs Fordham Law School’s Center on National Security and who has tracked terrorism prosecutions, said the “train left the station a long time ago about which offices were going to be important in terrorism: Manhattan and Brooklyn and Northern Virginia.”

“This will be a major test of the federal prosecutors,” she said of the Abu Khattala case, “because they don’t have the institutional history and experience of the other courts.”

COMMENT:  You'd think the Department of Justice would want to go with the best, the most experienced, the office with the most solid record.  But this is the Obama administration.  It seems to be a political decision, although I can't figure out the politics.  I can give you all kinds of conspiracy theories, none of which I can prove.  But the first step in this prosecution, the choice of a prosecutor, is amateurish.

June 22, 2014       Permalink

IRAQ DOWNHILL – AT 10:45 A.M. ET:   Just as we are sending 300 "advisers" to Iraq, additional towns are falling to the radical extremists.  And my great fears are 1) that some of our advisers will be captured, and we'll have a hostage situation, and 2) that an extremist will break through the U.S. Embassy compound and produce a nightmare that will make Benghazi look mild.  From Fox: 

Sunni Muslim insurgents in Iraq captured their fourth town in a little more than 24 hours late Saturday, hours before U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in the Middle East to try to shore up Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's faltering government.

Iraqi officials told the Associated Press that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) captured the town of Rutba in the western province of Anbar, about 90 miles east of Iraq's border with Jordan. However, AP reported that residents were trying to negotiate with the militants to leave due to the presence of an army unit that threatened to begin shelling.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Rutba is the fourth Anbar town to fall to ISIS fighters and allied Sunni militants since Friday, dealing a serious blow to Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's government.

The other three are Qaim, Rawah and Anah, as well as a border crossing with Syria. The towns are the first territory seized in the predominantly Sunni province west of Baghdad since ISIS overran the city of Fallujah and parts of the provincial capital of Ramadi earlier this year.

Sunni militants have carved out a large fiefdom along the Iraqi-Syrian border and have long traveled back and forth with ease, but control over crossings like that one in Qaim allows them to more easily move weapons and heavy equipment to different battlefields. Syrian rebels already have seized the facilities on the Syrian side of the border and several other posts in areas under their control.

Chief military spokesman Lt. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi acknowledged Qaim's fall, telling journalists that troops aided by local tribesmen sought to clear the city of "terrorists."

Sunni militants also captured the Euphrates River town of Rawah, ransacking government offices and forcing local army and police forces to pull out, Mayor Hussein Ali al-Aujail said. The town, which had remained under government control since nearby Fallujah fell, also lies dangerously close to an important dam near the city of Haditha.

The vast Anbar province stretches from the western edges of Baghdad all the way to Jordan and Syria to the northwest. The fighting in Anbar has greatly disrupted use of the highway linking Baghdad to the Jordanian border, a key artery for goods and passengers.

COMMENT:  Douglas MacArthur used to say that all military disasters begin with two words:  too late.  Are we too late?  Field Marshal of the United States Barack Obama says he will "consider" other military action if the 300 advisers don't produce a miracle. 

But it may already be too late. 

Of course, Obama and his crowd see this as an opportunity to work with Iran, which, for its own reasons, sides with the Iraqi government.  But what will Iran demand in return?  Watch the negotiations over Iran's nuclear program for the answer. 

A rebel victory in Iraq will also strengthen the rebels' allies next door in Syria.  We possibly could have saved Syria a year ago, or at least delayed the Islamists, but chose not to.

We are starting to see the "fruits" of Obama's foreign policy.  The question will be whether Americans remember at election time.

June 22,  2014     Permalink

GIVE 'EM HELL, BOBBY – AT 10:32 A.M. ET:  Governor Bobby Jindal of Louisiana is one of the most effective speechmakers in the Republican Party.  He has also been a superb governor.  Will he run for president in 2016?  No one knows.  But I'd love it if he does, just for the rhetoric alone.  From Fox: 

WASHINGTON – Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Saturday night accused President Barack Obama and other Democrats of waging wars against religious liberty and education and said that a rebellion is brewing in the U.S. with people ready for "a hostile takeover" of the nation's capital.

Jindal spoke at the annual conference hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a group led by longtime Christian activist Ralph Reed. Organizers said more than 1,000 evangelical leaders attended the three-day gathering. Republican officials across the political spectrum concede that evangelical voters continue to play a critical role in GOP politics.

"I can sense right now a rebellion brewing amongst these United States," Jindal said, "where people are ready for a hostile takeover of Washington, D.C., to preserve the American Dream for our children and grandchildren."

The governor said there was a "silent war" on religious liberty being fought in the U.S. -- a country that he said was built on that liberty.

"I am tired of the left. They say they're for tolerance, they say they respect diversity. The reality is this: They respect everybody unless you happen to disagree with them," he said. "The left is trying to silence us and I'm tired of it, I won't take it anymore."

Earlier this week, Jindal signed an executive order to block the use of tests tied to Common Core education standards in his state, a position favored by tea party supporters and conservatives. He said he would continue to fight against the administration's attempts to implement Common Core.

"The federal government has no role, no right and no place dictating standards in our local schools across these 50 states of the United States of America," Jindal said.

Jindal used humor in criticizing the Obama administration on several fronts, referencing the Bergdahl prisoner exchange and the deadly attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya.

"Are we witnessing right now the most radically, extremely liberal, ideological president of our entire lifetime right here in the United States of America, or are we witnessing the most incompetent president of the United States of America in the history of our lifetimes? You know, it is a difficult question," he said. "I've thought long and hard about it. Here's the only answer I've come up with, and I'm going to quote Secretary Clinton: `What difference does it make?"'

COMMENT:  Republicans have too often been perfect gentlemen.  Bobby knows how to fight.  Reagan knew how to fight also. 

And yes, I agree with him that there's a rebellion brewing in America.  There's a deeply felt anger.  But that rebellion must be channeled through political outlets...ours.  That is the Republican challenge.  Step one of that challenge is to find the people who can do it. 

June 22,  2014     Permalink

JUNE 21,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 6:01 P.M. ET: 

MAKE YOUR TRAVEL PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR NOW – From AP:  "LONDON (AP) -- Self-styled Druids, new-agers and thousands of revelers have watched the sun rise above the ancient stone circle at Stonehenge to mark the summer solstice - the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere.  English Heritage, which manages the monument, says some 36,000 sun-watchers gathered on the Salisbury Plain about 80 miles (130 kilometers) southwest of London on Saturday. Police say the event was peaceful with only 25 arrests, mainly for drug offenses.  Couples kissed, dancers circled with hoops and revelers took part in a mass yoga practice as part of the free-form celebrations."  I guess 25 arrests is considered "peaceful" in those parts.

LOVE IT – From Fox:  "An alleged third-grade bully is being sued in a lawsuit that claims he subjected a schoolmate to almost weekly verbal and physical attacks.  Deveri and Matthew Del Core said their son, Joaquin, was the victim of the bullying at Robert Frost Elementary in Mount Prospect outside Chicago. The lawsuit seeks $50,000 in damages from the alleged bully, his parents, the school district and Robert Frost's principal.  'There was everything from choking my son and threatening to kill him, said he was going to go home and get a knife and come back and kill him,' Deveri Del Core told 5NBCChicago after she and her husband filed the lawsuit in Cook County Circuit Court. 'My son would wake up at night screaming and crying, terrified, and did not want to go to school.'  Del Core told the station that hours after filing the complaint, she was fired from her job in her son’s school cafeteria.  The lawsuit accuses the alleged bully’s parents of failing to discipline their child to stop the behavior."  I have no independent knowledge of the facts, but a lawsuit may be the best way to go if they are accurate.  I have seen, up close, cases where children have been placed at risks by parents and schools who refuse to take action, or even acknowledge a problem.

A JERK IS A JERK – Would you believe that this clown is the former governor of Montana and is considered by some on the left to be a serious candidate for president?  From The Politico:  "Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer apologized on Facebook for comments he made about House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Senate Intelligence Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein in an interview with National Journal published late Wednesday.  'I recently made a number of stupid and insensitive remarks to a reporter from the National Journal. I am deeply sorry and sincerely apologize for my carelessness and disregard,' the Democrat posted to his Facebook page Thursday afternoon.  In the interview, Schweitzer said Southern men — including Cantor —'are a little effeminate.  They just have effeminate mannerisms,' Schweitzer said...The former governor also graphically criticized Feinstein for her ties to the Central Intelligence Agency, before slamming the agency.  'She was the woman who was standing under the streetlight with her dress pulled all the way up over her knees, and now she says, "I’m a nun," when it comes to this spying!' Schweitzer said in the profile."   Can you imagine the response had this been said by a Republican?  The sky would truly fall.

June 21, 2014       Permalink

THE SLEEPER ISSUE – AT 12:18 P.M. ET:   I get the sense, in reviewing what I see on the internet, that education may emerge as a much larger issue this year, and in 2016, than we've imagined.  These, I think, are the reasons:  1) the outrageous cost of college and the growing belief that, for many young people, it really isn't worth it; 2) the feeling that we pay vast sums for public schools and get very little for it; 3) an increasing recognition that some very bad stuff is being taught to our kids, and by teachers who are poorly prepared; 4) the taking of power over the education of our children by the federal government, through the new "common core" program.

It's this last point that is creating a firestorm on the right.  Traditionally, public education has been a state function, with state standards.  But the encroachment of the federal government, and its own politically correct ideas, is chilling.  From Fox: 

Common Core has emerged as the newest Republican litmus test for gauging candidates’ conservative bona fides, and experts say the controversial national education standard will help shape elections from school boards to the White House for the foreseeable future.

Whether prompted by pressure from grassroots groups and well-funded political action committees, or simply by a realization of what is involved in the sweeping K-12 reform, Common Core has become a hot button issue within the GOP. Several Republican governors, including some rumored to be considering 2016 White House runs, have turned against the plan and critics have coined a loaded term for it that lays bare the political divide: “ObamaCore.”

“The center of gravity on the right has clearly shifted in recent months,” said Frederick Hess, of the American Enterprise Institute. “The Common Core is now like comprehensive immigration reform: there are respected leaders who endorse it, but they’re clearly crosswise with mainstream conservative sentiment.”

The issue's prominence is expected to rise as Common Core is widely implemented next fall, and as fellow Republicans at the local, state and federal levels battle it out in primaries. Experts predict it will become a potent issue in November's midterm elections, and eventually, in 2016.

Earlier this week, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a onetime backer of Common Core, issued an executive order designed to block its implementation in the Bayou State. Although Louisiana was one of 45 states that initially adopted the plan, Jindal has since turned against it, as criticism mounted around the nation. The move by the high-profile Jindal was seen by many as a tipping point in the mainly conservative battle against Common Core.

COMMENT:  "Raising educational standards" always sounds great, until you look at the details.  Very often, "standards" is a codeword for political indoctrination, especially in history classes.  Also, "federal" standards, almost by definition, operate on a "one size fits all" model. 

The state system almost guarantees a certain amount of innovation.  In addition, it allows Americans choice in education.  Many people move to states or communities because of a quality educational system.  Let the feds take over, and we'll see a field of gray in education.

June 21, 2014       Permalink

YOU GOTTA LOVE THE GUY – AT 11:38 A.M. ET:   As I'm sure you've noticed, the liberal media goes from one potential GOP presidential candidate to another, trying to destroy each one before he or she becomes dangerous.  Sarah Palin got the treatment.  So did Chris Christie.  Now it's Scott Walker's turn.

But Scott Walker fights back.  When the left tried to recall him as governor of Wisconsin, he not only beat his tormentors in the recall election, he actually wound up with more votes than he originally had received when elected.  Now the left is trying to dredge up old, completely discredited charges against Walker, who is seen as a serious possibility for the White house.  He has been a spectacular governor.

Again, Walker fights back.  He understands what too many Republicans don't, that you've got to strike back vigorously, not be used as a gentlemanly punching bag.  This is his statement, from his own website, in regard to the latest smear: 

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Truth is generally the best vindication against slander.”

The truth on the widely covered “John Doe” is that two judges, one state and one federal, reviewed the accusations of partisans within a Democrat District Attorney’s Office and determined their theories have no merit or basis in law.

Each of these judges explicitly issued judicial orders that these partisan prosecutors must end their investigation immediately.

These are the truths that need to be stated over and over again to fight the slander directed at me and our campaign by my political opponents.

Still, many in the media proceed as though the opinion of the partisan prosecutors is new information and ignore the truths I have stated above. It is not. It is old news that has already been discounted by two judges. No charges. No case.

In reaction to the information that was released to the public and seized on by the media, the federal judge just this week sharply criticized the prosecutors. He said that they are now seeking "refuge in the Court of Public Opinion, having lost in this Court on the law."

Watching the media frenzy it is clear that this is what happens when someone takes on the big government special interests. They push back. No wonder so many politicians are afraid to make tough decisions.

I will not back down. We will continue to fight using the truth to keep the hard working taxpayers of Wisconsin in charge of their state and local governments. We will continue to fight to make life better for the good people of Wisconsin.

COMMENT:  Great statement and completely accurate.  It sounds like something Walker wrote himself, not something written by a "consultant."  This man should be looked at very carefully for the 2016 ticket.  He has a record.  He fights.  He wins.  In the immortal words of Ira Gershwin, "Who could ask for anything more?"

June 21, 2014       Permalink

TIME FOR REFLECTION – AT 10:52 A.M. ET:  Sometimes an event occurs that makes people reflect on mistakes they may have made.  Consider this, from CBS: 

BOSTON (CBS) – A Marine from New Hampshire has been killed in Afghanistan.

Lance Cpl. Brandon Garabrant, 19, was one of three U.S. service members killed by a roadside bomb Friday morning.

“The entire State of New Hampshire is devastated by the tragic loss of Lance Corporal Brandon Garabrant, who was bravely serving his nation in Afghanistan,” Governor Maggie Hassan said in a statement. “Our service men and women courageously sacrifice every day to protect their fellow citizens and defend the enduring value of freedom that is our very core, and in doing so, Lance Corporal Garabrant made the ultimate sacrifice.”

Garabrant graduated from ConVal Regional High School in Peterborough last year. He had requested to wear his uniform during graduation, but the school did not allow it.

The school has released a statement reacting to Garabrant’s death.

“On behalf of the entire ConVal community I extend my deepest sympathy to Brandon’s family and friends,” Principal Brian Pickering said. “We are all shocked and deeply saddened by his passing and we are incredibly grateful for his service to our country.”

Garabrant was also a volunteer firefighter in Temple, New Hampshire.

COMMENT:  I would hope that the "educators" who refused to allow Lance Cpl. Garabrant to wear his uniform at graduation would now reflect on their decision.  The school may have had a dress code for graduation, but I assure you that the code, in most schools, is stretched to the limit by representatives of approved "groups," wearing group or ethnic symbols or sashes.

A military uniform is almost always appropriate, and is a symbol of service and pride.  If you ever go, for example, to a dress review at West Point, you will see exchange cadets or midshipmen marching in the uniforms of their institutions, even though it breaks the uniform color of their formation. 

It would be appropriate for Lance Cpl's high school to hold a memorial service in his honor, referring to him by his Marine rank, and not as "Brandon."  He was not a child nor a student when killed.  It would be further appropriate for the principal to announce a new policy regarding military uniforms at graduation.  It would be applauded.

June 21,  2014     Permalink