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MAY 13,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 8:56 P.M. ET: 

CHRIS'S SHIP FOUND?  – From London's Daily Mail:  "The ship that led Christopher Columbus' mission to discover America has been found after 500 years, it has been claimed.  A recent expedition has left experts 'confident' a wreck found off the north coast of Haiti is the the Santa Maria.  The 58-foot ship was the flagship of the expedition, but its final whereabouts have never been known - until now.   The wreck was found off the north coast of Haiti during an expedition led by Barry Clifford, an explorer most famously known for his discovery of a complete pirate ship."  Today it's politically incorrect to admire Columbus, so I'll be curious to see how the discovery, if proved valid, is handled by the press and historians. 

NOW WE KNOW – We now have a definitive answer to why there is such widespread use of torture in the world.  Amnesty International, a great racket posing as a "human rights" group, gives us the unvarnished truth.  From AFP:  "(AFP) — Torture is rampant across the world and has become almost normalized by the 'war on terror' and its glamorous portrayal in shows such as '24' and 'Homeland,' Amnesty International said on Tuesday.  'It’s almost become normalized, it’s become routine,' Amnesty secretary general Salil Shetty told reporters at the launch of the 'Stop Torture' campaign in London.  'Since the so-called war against terrorism, the use of torture, particularly in the United States and their sphere of influence… has got so much more normalized as part of national security expectations.'"  Absolutely despicable.  So it's American television, is it?  Yeah, I'll bet that, all over the world, people yearn for torture after seeing "Homeland."  I doubt if Salil will blame his own co-culturalists.

NOT GOOD – From The Hill:  "Democrats in three top southern Senate races are holding their own — and even running ahead in a few cases — against Republicans in a new poll out Monday.   A new series of NBC News/Marist polls show Democrats in Arkansas, Kentucky and Georgia are running even or ahead of their GOP opponents.  In the three red states, President Obama’s low approval rating is still troubling for Democrats who fear he could be a drag down-ballot. And while ObamaCare isn’t popular in any of the three states, Democrats appear to be weathering GOP attacks focused on the law.  In Arkansas, Sen. Mark Pryor (D) holds an 11-point lead over his GOP opponent, Rep. Tom Cotton, taking 51 percent support among registered voters to Cotton’s 40 percent support. Most surveys have shown a tighter race, but this is the third poll since the start of April to show Pryor, long considered one of the cycle’s most vulnerable incumbents, ahead of Cotton by double digits."  We should note that polls of "registered" voters, as opposed to "likely" voters, tend to tilt Democratic, as a greater percentage of Democratic registered voters don't actually vote.  But I'm concerned at these polls.  Tom Cotton is about the best candidate out there.  He should be doing better, and I expect that he will.

HUH? – From the Moscow Times:  "The youngest son of U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, has been appointed head of legal affairs at Ukraine's largest private gas producer — a move he said would benefit Ukrainians and the country's economy.  In a statement published Monday on its website, Burisma Holdings announced Hunter Biden would join its board of directors and head the company's legal unit.  'As a new member of the board, I believe that my assistance in consulting the company on matters of transparency, corporate governance and responsibility, international expansion and other priorities will contribute to the economy and benefit the people of Ukraine,' Hunter Biden said in the statement."  I'm sure he was picked because he had strong extracurricular activities in law school.

May 13, 2014       Permalink

THE JEB NUDGE – AT 8:32 A.M. ET:  There is no question but that there's a Jeb Bush boomlet.  Early qualms about the "dynasty" issue seem to have faded, in part because the issue would be negated by a Hillary candidacy.  After all, her husband was president. 

Why Jeb?  His partisans will point out that he was a successful governor and that he's likable.  They might also mention his Hispanic wife and multi-racial children.  Also, blended in, is the notion that he's "safe," not someone who is likely to have bad secrets. 

The latest Jebster is House Speaker John Boehner.  From The Politico: 

SAN ANTONIO — Speaker John Boehner said he’s been “nudging” former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to run for president in 2016, adding that the Republican Party has been better off with governors in the White House.

“We have a lot of good candidates out in the field,” Boehner said during a public question-and-answer session here Monday. “Historically, our best candidates have come from the ranks of governors, or former governors. And yes, Jeb Bush is my friend, I think he’d make a great president. And I’ve been nudging him for some time.”

Boehner made the remarks at an event with the Texas Tribune’s Evan Smith at a downtown hotel. He did say he was not explicitly endorsing Bush, and that it’s early in the election cycle.

COMMENT:  No, not explicitly endorsing him, but when the Speaker urges someone to get into the race he's not doing it because he wants greater entertainment.  Bush is on the move.  He's raising funds, he's speaking almost everywhere.  My medical diagnosis is that he's caught the bug. 

But there must be questions.  Where does he actually stand on issues?  Is he, as some say, a RINO (Republican in name only)?   Where does he stand on foreign policy? 

I'd like to see Bush make a series of speeches on specific issues.  I'd also like to see a journalistic review of his tenure as governor of Florida.  Right now, he's polling, along with Rand Paul, at the top of the heap of potential candidates, but the top is only 15%.

May 13, 2014       Permalink

HAVE IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS HIT A SNAG? – AT 8:27 A.M. ET:  I don't know.  We're getting contradictory reports.  On the one hand, a State Department spokesman says that negotiators are ready to start drafting a grand agreement with Iran, limiting its nuclear program.  On the other hand, both AP and AFP (the French news agency Agence France-Presse) are reporting a major snag that can bring down the talks:   

VIENNA — A once-promising UN attempt to probe suspicions that Tehran worked on atomic arms is faltering — and with it, hopes that Iran and six world powers can meet their July target date for an overarching nuclear deal.

With efforts to draft the text of an agreement starting in Vienna on Wednesday, both sides say that meeting the informal July 20 deadline remains possible. The US administration gives it a 50-50 chance, and Iranian Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recently said the talks are progressing at an “unexpectedly fast pace.”

The United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany want to reduce Iran’s present nuclear weapons-making potential. Tehran has been engaging with them over the past six months in exchange for full sanctions relief, even though it insists it has no interest in such arms.

But the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency is no nearer to closing the books on persistent allegations that Iran worked on nuclear arms in the past. While the IAEA’s probe is formally separate from the talks, the US and its allies insist that Tehran must provide satisfactory explanations to the UN agency as part of any overall deal.

Back in November, Tehran agreed to go into deeper explanations of its work on detonators that have a variety of uses, including sparking a nuclear explosion.

That has not happened. Three diplomats told The Associated Press Monday that in a recent formal response, Iran continues to insist that there is no nuclear link to the detonators. Tehran says they were developed only to set off conventional military blasts, and later for civilian uses.

The IAEA outlined its suspicions in a 2011 report on a wide range of suspected weapons experiments. It said then that Iran’s work on the detonators is of concern, “given their possible application in a nuclear explosive device, and the fact that there are limited civilian and conventional military applications for such technology.”

COMMENT:  From what I've been reading, I don't think Barack Obama and his sidekick, John Kerry, will let some nuclear nuisances stand in the way of a signed agreement...no matter what that agreement says.  I think both men are in touch with their inner Chamberlain, and want an agreement to take to the Democratic base before the midterm elections. 

As for the Europeans, I get the sense that they see the nuclear negotiations as essentially a commercial matter, a way to get Iran back as a trading partner.  Lots of money in Iran.  The Germans seem particularly eager to get started.  Nuclear weapons?  What nuclear weapons?  We only saw cap pistols. 

Only American leadership can prevent a bad agreement, and there isn't any.

May 13, 2014       Permalink

AND ANOTHER OUTRAGE – AT 8:18 A.M. ET:  Another commencement speaker chosen by a prestigious college has withdrawn in the face of the intellectual terror mounted by the left.  From Fox:

BOSTON – The managing director of the International Monetary Fund backed out of giving this year's commencement address at Smith College in the wake of protests from faculty and students, the school announced Monday.

Smith is the alma mater of Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem.  It's hard-line feminist and leftist.  Within a few days of the 9-11 attacks, Smith professors were giving left-wing "seminars" about the attacks, even as the bodies were still burning.

Christine Lagarde, who has headed the IMF since 2011, told the women's college over the weekend that it was clear her presence on the Northampton campus was not welcomed. Many of those who opposed Lagarde said they were attacking the IMF for being "a corrupt system" that fuels the oppression and abuse of woman worldwide. A spokeswoman from the IMF declined to comment on those allegations.

"I respect their views and understand the vital importance of academic freedom. However, to preserve the celebratory spirit of commencement day, I believe it is best to withdraw my participation," Lagarde wrote to Smith.

Almost 500 signatures including from faculty, students and alumni were collected in an online petition in opposition to Lagarde.

Veronica Hernandez, who graduated last year, said in an interview that it would send the wrong message to students if Lagarde spoke at graduation.

"She is the head of an organization that has caused so much suffering to women around the world," Hernandez said. "If she speaks it is telling students that no matter the consequences or who you exploit to get there, if you are a powerful woman that is all that matters."

Smith President Kathleen McCartney said in a statement sent to the school community that she is standing by inviting Lagarde to be the 2014 speaker and receive an honorary degree.

"Those who objected will be satisfied that their activism has had a desired effect. But at what cost to Smith College?" McCartney said.

COMMENT:  Excellent question, and President McCartney is to be praised for standing by her decision.  Smith now joins Brandeis, Rutgers and a number of other colleges in the "shame" column, but shame is not a particularly visible emotion on the political left.

It's interesting, by the way, that the most prominent cases of intellectual terror this commencement season have been directed against women – Ayaan Hirsi Ali at Brandeis, Condi Rice at Rutgers, and now Christine Lagarde at Smith.  No comment at the White House.

May 13, 2014       Permalink

WE HOPE THEY FIND THEM – AT 8:03 A.M. ET:  Americans are now seriously involved in the search for the Nigerian girls.  From Fox: 

The U.S. military is flying manned missions over Nigeria in hopes of locating the hundreds of schoolgirls who were kidnapped by an Islamist extremist group last month, a senior official tells Fox News.

The official said the manned missions are intelligence and surveillance missions. At a press briefing Monday White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said the U.S. had experts in a variety of areas, including reconnaissance and surveillance, working on the case of the missing girls. However he said he did not have a “catalog” of the specific resources the experts were using.

“They are actively involved in working with the Nigerian government to provide the advice and the expertise that they can provide to assist in that effort,” Carney said.

The information comes as a new video, believed to be from Boko Haram, the group behind the kidnappings, surfaced Monday showing more than 100 of the kidnapped Christian schoolgirls praying to Allah.

The video also features the Islamic terror group’s leader – who was reportedly negotiating with the government – saying he will hold the girls until imprisoned militants are freed.

When asked about the option of trading the girls for imprisoned militants, U.S. State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki said Monday, that is up to Nigeria.

“As you know, Nigeria is in the lead. We are simply supporting their efforts. As you know also the United States' policy is to deny kidnappers the benefits of their criminal acts including ransoms or concessions,” Psaki said at a press briefing.

The video is the first sighting of the abducted girls since more than 300 were taken April 14 from their school in the northern town of Chibok by Islamist militants. Although more than 50 girls escaped their captors and are now safe, at least 276 remain missing.

The search so far has centered on the Sambisa forest, with Nigerian troops being aided by advisers from the U.S., Britain and France.

COMMENTS:  Once again I went to the website of the National Organization for Women (NOW), the best-known of the "feminist" organizations.  And, once again, there is not a single mention of the Nigerian girls.  Lots on abortion, birth control, the hot sixties issues.  But apparently the Nigerian girls are not worth a mention.

And yet, where is the mainstream press?  Why aren't reporters questioning "feminist leaders" to find out why they show so little interest?  Could it be that the modern "feminist" movement isn't really about women, but about left-wing politics?  Or could it be that some of these groups are just hopelessly behind the times, still playing out the rhetoric of their youth?

Whatever it is, the press has an obligation to cover the lack of interest.  Don't expect anything.

May 13,  2014     Permalink

MAY 12,  2014

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 6:37 P.M. ET: 

LITERARY NOTE – From the New York Post:  "Family connections can only get one so far.
Pippa Middleton is learning that firsthand after her bi-weekly column for England’s The Daily Telegraph was canceled after just six months, reports Us Weekly.  The Duchess of Cambridge‘s younger sister, 30, began writing her 'Sport and Social' column for the paper last September, and covered a diverse array of topics like boxing, pancake flipping and oyster shucking.  'The readers just weren’t into it,' a source told the magazine. 'There was a lot of negative mail coming in after each column and there were too many off-limit subjects for her. They ran out of ideas.'"  As Johnny Carson used to say, "How quickly they forget."

AWKWARD MOMENT FOR AN IDOL – From USA Today:  "Singer Clay Aiken's chief rival for the Democratic nomination for Congress died unexpectedly Monday.  Keith Crisco, 71, a former North Carolina secretary of Commerce, died from a fall at his home, reported The Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C. A woman who answered the telephone at Asheboro Elastics, which Crisco founded, confirmed the news to USA TODAY and said the company's workers were in shock.  Aiken, a former American Idol runner-up, led Crisco by 369 votes for the Democratic nomination in North Carolina's 2nd Congressional District, but the race was too close to call. The Democratic nominee will go on to face GOP Rep. Renee Ellmers in the fall."  I hate to see a race decided by someone's sudden death, but this will be a test of how Aiken handles himself in a moment of crisis.  Obviously, he will be the nominee.

SHOW OF FORCE? – From the Washington Free Beacon:  "The U.S. Strategic Command, which is in charge of waging nuclear war, will hold large-scale bomber exercises this week—days after Russia held what Moscow called 'massive' war games simulating a U.S. and NATO nuclear attack.  Ten U.S. B-52 bombers and up to six B-2 strategic bombers will take part in the war games called 'Global Lightning 14' from Monday through May 16, the command said in a statement late Sunday.  The purpose is to 'demonstrate flexibility and responsiveness in training scenarios throughout the continental U.S.,' the command said in a statement from its Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska headquarters."  I'm sure the exercise will be impressive, but it is meaningless when the national leadership of the United States is so weak, and so contemptuous of America's contributions to international security.

OBAMACARE LATEST – From Newsmax:  "Just 12 percent of Americans say that the Affordable Care Act has been a success, according to a new CNN poll. At the same time, the percentage of newly enrolled Americans who had previously been uninsured did not increase, according to a McKinsey & Co. report.  'Enrollment rates remained much lower among those previously uninsured than among those previously insured (13 percent vs. 90 percent in our April survey, for example),' the report said.  President Barack Obama has urged Democratic candidates to campaign on his signature healthcare law, which, while on the books for four years, continues to be unpopular, Breitbart reported."  But please note that the leftist media is now hyping Obamacare as a great success.  Blue is red.  Green is yellow.  Night is day.   What difference does the truth make?

May 12,  2014     Permalink

A MUST READ – QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 10:51 A.M. ET:  This is the best piece I've read in recent times about the chilling anti-freedom atmosphere on American college campuses.  Ruth Wisse, the author, teaches at Harvard.  She is one of the last holdouts, advancing traditional values and educational standards at a time of repression of free speech and advancement of practices normally found in dictatorships.  Her words, in The Wall Street Journal:   

There was a time when people looking for intellectual debate turned away from politics to the university. Political backrooms bred slogans and bagmen; universities fostered educated discussion. But when students in the 1960s began occupying university property like the thugs of regimes America was fighting abroad, the venues gradually reversed. Open debate is now protected only in the polity: In universities, muggers prevail.

Assaults on intellectual and political freedom have been making headlines. Pressure from faculty egged on by Muslim groups induced Brandeis University last month not to grant Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the proponent of women's rights under Islam, an intended honorary degree at its convocation. This was a replay of 1994, when Brandeis faculty demanded that trustees rescind their decision to award an honorary degree to Jeane Kirkpatrick, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In each case, a faculty cabal joined by (let us charitably say) ignorant students promoted the value of repression over the values of America's liberal democracy.

Opponents of free speech have lately chalked up many such victories: New York City Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly prevented from speaking at Brown University in November; a lecture by Charles Murray canceled by Azusa Pacific University in April; Condoleezza Rice, former secretary of state and national-security adviser under the George W. Bush administration, harassed earlier this month into declining the invitation by Rutgers University to address this year's convocation...

...Universities have not only failed to stand up to those who limit debate, they have played a part in encouraging them. The modish commitment to so-called diversity replaces the ideal of guaranteed equal treatment of individuals with guaranteed group preferences in hiring and curricular offerings.

COMMENT:  Please read the entire piece and send it to friends.  It's well worth it.  At least there are some who are fighting back.

May 12, 2014       Permalink

MARCO GETS CLOSER – AT 9:42 A.M. ET:  Republican Senator Marco Rubio of Florida hasn't exactly thrown his hat in the presidential ring, but he's removed it from his head and appears ready to toss.  From ABC News: 

He’s a 42-year-old freshman senator, but when asked by Jonathan Karl on “This Week” if he’s ready to be president, Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida answered without hesitation.

“I do … but I think that’s true for multiple other people that would want to run … I mean, I’ll be 43 this month, but the other thing that perhaps people don’t realize, I’ve served now in public office for the better part of 14 years,” said Rubio. “Most importantly, I think a president has to have a clear vision of where the country needs to go and clear ideas about how to get it there and I think we’re very blessed in our party to have a number of people that fit that criteria.”

When asked if he was qualified to run, Rubio reiterated that the Republican Party has several qualified candidates.

“The question is what — whose vision is the one that our party wants to follow?” he said.
Rubio – who spoke to Karl on Friday in New Hampshire — said that if he decides to seek the presidency, he would not simultaneously seek re-election as a senator for the Sunshine State.

That is a gutsy decision, and good politics. 

“I believe that if you want to be president of the United States, you run for president,” he said. “You don’t run for president with some eject button in the cockpit that allows you to go on an exit ramp if it doesn’t work out.”

The Florida senator – who was once considered a 2016 Republican front runner – has seen his star fade in recent days, according to at least one recent New Hampshire poll. But Rubio seems to take it in stride, telling ABC News that polls are not something he pays a great deal of attention to, even joking that he has been jinxed after gracing the cover of TIME magazine.

COMMENT:  He's right about polls.  They all change after candidates get in the ring.  I've always liked Rubio.  I'm not sure he could defeat Hillary, as he is very youthful, but I hope he gives it a try.  I especially like his traditional Reaganite views on foreign policy.

May 12, 2014       Permalink

RUSSIA WINS AGAIN – AT 8:48 A.M. ET:  Although the Ukrainian government calls yesterday's "elections" in parts of the country illegitimate, they are already having an impact.  Moscow does notcall them illegitimate, and Moscow gets its way.  From Fox:   

The Russian government has called for the Ukrainian government to begin a dialogue with separatists in the eastern part of Ukraine after rebels claimed overwhelming victories in so-called "self-rule" referendums condemned as illegitimate by the Kiev government and its Western allies.

The Kremlin voiced its hope in a statement that "the practical implementation of the referendums results will take place in a civilized way," without violence.

It added that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe could help organize a dialogue between Ukraine's government and representatives of the east, where about 90 percent of votes backed sovereignty for their regions in Sunday's vote.

The statement signaled that Russia has no intention to annex the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces, like it annexed Crimea following a similar referendum in March. It also noted the "high turnout" in the vote and condemned the use of force against civilians in the east.

According to early returns, 89 percent of those who cast ballots Sunday in the Donetsk region and about 96 percent of those who turned out in the neighboring Luhansk region voted for expanded sovereignty.

The pro-Russian insurgents who organized the vote said the ultimate status of the regions would be discussed later and could include the possibility of secession or annexation by Russia.

COMMENT:  Russia is issuing these "one the one hand...on the other hand" statements.  On the one hand, it has no intention of annexing territories.  On the other hand the "implementation" of the referendum results should  take place in a civilized way.

Those territories will wind up under Russian control.  Putin is the shrewdest operator we've seen on the world stage in quite a while.  Compare please to Barack Obama.

May 12, 2014       Permalink

NIGERIAN GIRLS LATEST – AT 8:30 A.M. ET:  AFP, the French news agency, has obtained a video, presumably of the Nigerian girls kidnapped by an Islamist terror group.  From Reuters: 

The leader of the Nigerian Islamist rebel group Boko Haram has said he will release more than 200 schoolgirls abducted by his fighters last month in exchange for prisoners, according to a video seen by Agence France-Presse on Monday.

Around 100 girls wearing full veils and praying are shown in an undisclosed location in the 17-minute video in which Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau speaks, according to the French news agency.

Militants fighting for an Islamist state stormed a secondary school in the northeastern village of Chibok on April 14 and seized 276 girls who were taking exams. Some managed to escape but around 200 remain missing.

The group has killed thousands since 2009 and destabilized parts of northeast Nigeria, the country with Africa’s largest population and biggest economy.

COMMENT:  We have to be awfully careful here.  First, the video has to be authenticated.  If it is authentic, the decision must be made as to whether the Nigerian government "negotiates with terrorists."  Almost everyone does, despite denials.

I'm guessing that Nigeria would be willing to release some prisoners in exchange for the girls.  However, I think it's highly unlikely that Boko Haram will release all the girls.  That would be suicide.  It would leave the group completely vulnerable to attack, since no released girls would be killed in the attack.  I'd imagine they'd keep, say, 50 girls as hostages and protection against military action.

This isn't easy.  Clearly, the group should have been taken more seriously and wiped out years ago. 

May 12,  2014     Permalink