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JANUARY 9,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 10:46 P.M. ET: 

IS THIS SERIOUS? – From the New York Daily News:  The United States showed off its own military might by buzzing North Korea with a B-52 Bomber.  The Guam-based Stratofortress had an entourage as it cruised 60 miles south of the North Korean border on Saturday, near the city of Osan. The aircraft was flanked by an American F-16 Falcon and a South Korean F-15 Eagle.  Though the U.S. government has not confirmed that North Korea detonated a nuclear weapon at its underground test site Tuesday, U.S. Pacific Command officials said the show of muscle was prompted by the incident.  "This was a demonstration of the ironclad U.S. commitment to our allies in South Korea, in Japan, and to the defense of the American homeland," said U.S. Pacific Command Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr. in a statement.  I'm sure the North Koreans are shivering in their boots.  Not.  They know we won't do a thing.

A STUNNING RECORD – From the Daily Signal:   Emanuel Lutchman was arrested on Dec. 30 for his support of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and planned attack for New Year’s Eve in Rochester, N.Y.  Lutchman planned to attack a local restaurant/bar armed only with a machete, knives, and supplies to take hostages.  This marks the 76th Islamist-inspired terror attack/plot on the United States since 9/11 and the 13th in 2015—making 2015 the year with the greatest number of attacks or plots over the past 14 years.  And it is likely to get worse.  ISIS is far more relentless than Al Qaeda, and much more shrewd.

KERRY ROARS – THAT IS A JOKE – From AP:   WASHINGTON — The State Department said Saturday that Secretary of State John Kerry will respond “as appropriate” to a letter from executives at 25 news organizations, including The Associated Press, asking him to press Iran to free jailed Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian.  The department is “working very hard to get our citizens back home and we call again on Iran to release them,” spokesman John Kirby said.  Besides Rezaian, three other Iranian-Americans are known to be held by Iran. Separately, a former FBI agent disappeared in Iran in 2007 while working for the CIA on an unapproved intelligence mission.  How pathetic.  Our secretary of state will respond "as appropriate."  Meaning he will do nothing to upset our precious "relations" with Iran.  North Korea all over again, as noted above.

January 9,  2016     Permalink

OH, THESE BORING, HONEST PEOPLE – AT 11:47 A.M. ET:  Former Secretary of Defense Bob Gates has made a new, scathing attack on the foreign policy of the Obama administration, in which he served.  From Daily Caller: 

Former defense secretary Robert Gates, who served during the Obama administration, thinks that President Barack Obama’s national security aides are totally and completely naïve, a naiveté which has brought about disastrous foreign policy consequences.

Gates pointed to deputy national security advisor Ben Rhodes and former special assistant Samantha Power, both in their 30s, as prime examples of youth and inexperience run amuck, Politico reports.

As top-level national security advisors, however, Rhodes and Power had Obama’s ear. But for Gates, the absurdly optimistic rhetoric coming from the White House regarding prospects for spreading democracy and human rights through the Middle East has crashed on the rocks.

COMMENT:  Read the whole thing.  I don't always agree with Gates, but he's an honest public servant.  The views he expressed here are spreading, and I get the sense that they're spreading in what remains of the moderate wing of the Democratic Party. 

Obama has a year to go as president.  His successor will be chosen in 10 months.  My great fear, and I think it is shared by many, is that Obama and his adolescent sycophants will do enormous harm in the time they have left, and that the harm will be mostly in foreign policy.

January 9, 2016       Permalink 

NATIONAL SECURITY TOP ISSUE FOR GOP VOTERS – AT 10:56 A.M. ET:   Not surprising.  If national security becomes the top issue for voters generally, that should be a distinct advantage for the Republicans, if they nominate the right candidate.  From foxbusiness.com: 

In the aftermath of the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Republican primary voters are shifting their focus. In a new Fox News poll released Friday, 43% say national security will be the deciding factor when casting their vote for the nomination, while economic issues rank second with 27%.

The last time the survey was taken in November, prior to the attacks, 38% of voters said economic issues were most important compared to national security at 26%.

Here is the breakdown of the Fox News Poll:

Most Important Issue When Deciding Vote

Among GOP Primary Voters

                                   Now            Nov. 2015

National Security         43%                26%

Economic Issues          27%                38%

Immigration Issues      15%                 15%

Social Issues                 4%                  7%

COMMENT:  We commented a few days ago about the relentlessness of the ISIS attacks around the world.  We will have more here.   The issue will not go away.

January 9, 2016       Permalink

WHITE HOUSE SILENCE – AT 10:32 A.M. ET:  The shooter who allegedly tried to assassinate a Philadelphia police officer Thursday night has a bit of a past.  From Fox:

The FBI is investigating two trips alleged Philadelphia police shooter Edward Archer made to the Middle East, a spokesman told Fox News late Friday.

Special Agent Eric Rouna said federal authorities are investigating a trip Archer made to Saudi Arabia in 2011 where the suspect spent “a couple” of weeks. Authorities are also seeking more information about the several months Archer spent in Egypt in 2012.

Rouna said law enforcement officials have plenty of time to investigate because the suspect is in custody and isn’t going anywhere.

Archer was caught in surveillance video ambushing Officer Jesse Hartnett in his squad car, shooting him multiple times, and claimed he acted “in the name of Islam,” police said at a news conference Friday.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross said the suspect’s gun, a 9mm Glock 17, had been stolen from police in 2013.

COMMENT:  Meanwhile, the White House has not issued a single statement on this presumed terrorist attack.  As many police departments, including the NYPD, put their officers on high alert, the president cannot be bothered. 

And the president's ally, the hack mayor of Philadelphia, continues to insist that this incident has nothing to do with the teachings of Islam.  His first comment after the brutal attack was that there are too many guns on the street, the Democratic Party line.

January 9,  2016     Permalink

JANUARY 8,  2016

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

MAJOR ETHICS ADVANCE – From CNN:  A Missouri lawmaker introduced a bill Wednesday that would require lobbyists to report "sexual relations" with state legislators as a "gift" in their disclosures to the state ethics commission.  "We've already got a lobbyist gift reporting requirement and so that's how I worked it in there, by treating it as a definition of gift," Rep. Bart Korman, a Republican from High Hill, told CNN on Thursday. "I hope it deters any of that activity, but that if activity does occur, it's at least transparent."  Yes, I'm sure lobbyists will follow that law to the letter.  I feel cleaner already.

THE FANTASY CONTINUES – From PJ Media:   Secretary of State John Kerry marked the first anniversary of the Charlie Hebdo and Jewish market attacks in Paris without mentioning terrorism...."We honor the victims of this tragedy and share the sadness of their loss," Kerry said in a statement Thursday evening. "Their legacy endures as a challenge and inspiration to all of us. Charlie Hebdo continues to publish, and journalists around the world continue in their essential mission to tell the stories that people everywhere need to hear."  What a sincere, warm statement.  Choke.  It wasn't a "tragedy," it was a terrorist attack.  We saw the same illusions before World War II.

NOT MUCH OF A COP – From AFP:   BERLIN, Germany (AFP) — The police chief of the German city of Cologne was suspended Friday for failing to stop mob violence at New Year’s Eve celebrations, as authorities said many suspects were asylum seekers.  Germany, unsettled by a record refugee and migrant influx, has reacted with shock to news that women had to run a frightful gauntlet of groping, insults and thefts in an aggressive and drunken crush of around 1,000 men, described by witnesses as mostly of Arab and North African appearance.  Cologne’s police chief Wolfgang Albers, 60, was suspended from active duty in order to “restore public confidence” in the police force, said Ralf Jaeger, interior minister of North Rhine-Westphalia state.  Can we suspend Barack Obama? 

ONLY IN NEW YORK – From CBS:   NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — The New York Police Department will strengthen safeguards against illegal surveillance of Muslims in terrorism investigations and install a civilian representative on a committee that reviews the investigations under the terms of a settlement of two high-profile civil rights lawsuits, lawyers said Thursday.  The announcement of the deal formally ended litigation over accusations that the nation’s largest police department was illegally infiltrating mosques and spying on Muslims based on their religion.  This occurs at the same time that the NYPD is placing its officers on high alert, fearing attempted assassinations of cops by Islamic radicals.  So-called "civil rights" groups have not shown much interest in that.  There was an attempted murder of a police officer in Philadelphia Thursday night.  The alleged assailant claimed he was honoring ISIS and Islam. 

January 8, 2016       Permalink

BULLETIN:  PHILLY COP SHOOTER DID IT "FOR ISLAM" – AT 4:48 P.M. ET:  The man who attempted to murder a Philadelphia police officer last night claims he did it for Islam, and also claims that he's a follower of ISIS.  From ABC: 

A gunman who pledged allegiance to ISIS ambushed a Philadelphia police officer Thursday night, unleashing a hail of bullets at him "in the name of Islam," officials said.

The suspect, Edward Archer, 30, now in custody, "confessed to committing this cowardly act in the name of Islam," Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said during a news conference. "According to him, he believed that the police defend laws that are contrary to the teachings of the Quran."

Philadelphia Police Captain James Clark said the suspect "stated that he pledges his allegiance to Islamic State, he follows Allah and that is the reason he was called upon to do this."

COMMENT:  Philadelphia's idiot new mayor immediately got on social media to declare that this had nothing to do with Islam.  It's well known that he went out of his way during the election campaign to court Muslim votes. 

Add this to San Bernardino.  There will be more.  The New York Police Department has just put its force on alert, warning about a possible similar attack in New York.

January 8, 2016       Permalink

ANOTHER HILLARY FAIL – AT 11:41 A.M. ET:  Please keep in mind that Hillary Clinton still may face criminal charges over her security lapses while secretary of state.  And her allies aren't doing her any good by antagonizing investigators.  From The Hill:

The State Department has been providing “inaccurate and incomplete” responses to requests for the emails of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a watchdog says in a new report released Thursday.

The 29-page inspector general’s (IG) report says the leadership of the State Department “has not played a meaningful role in overseeing or reviewing the quality” of the responses to requests for documents under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

As a result, requests from organizations such as The Associated Press, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) and Judicial Watch have been mishandled in various ways, the IG said.

In one example, CREW asked for records in 2012 that would show the number of email accounts held by then-Secretary Clinton. While senior staff at the department regularly corresponded with her on her private account — and her chief of staff was made aware of the request — the State Department came back that there had been “no records responsive” to the query.

At other times, the IG said, media organizations have put in nearly identical requests for documents, only to receive different sets of records in response.

In 2015, Clinton’s use of a private email server emerged as a flashpoint in the presidential race, with Republicans using it to attack her candidacy.

COMMENT:  Provoking anger in people is not good.  Angry people get back at you.  Hillary should insist on full cooperation with investigating organizations and the press.  Otherwise she looks guilty...as usual.

January 8, 2016       Permalink

BUSH FADES – AT 10:27 A.M. ET:   Jeb Bush was a fine, respected, capable governor of Florida, and he is a decent man.   But he cannot gain traction as a presidential candidate.  I do think the "dynasty" issue, that both his father and brother were president, is playing a role here.  We don't do dynasty in America, as current members of the Roosevelt, Kennedy, Adams and Jefferson families will tell you.

Jeb is fading.  It's embarrassing.  From The Hill:

For the first time since he launched his presidential bid, Jeb Bush’s net favorability among Republicans is negative, according to a new Gallup survey released on Friday.

Once considered the GOP's front-runner, the former Florida governor’s plus-27 favorability rating in mid-July has now declined to a minus-1 less than a month before the Iowa caucuses.

While his favorable rating has declined from 54 percent to 44 percent in the six-month span, his unfavorable rating has ballooned from 27 to 45 percent.

Bush has been hit the hardest by a 39-point decline in support among Republican men, the poll found.

While conservative males once viewed Bush favorably by a plus-30 margin, the group now views him unfavorably by a minus-9 spread.

Bush’s minus-1 rating is also good for last place in the Republican primary field.

COMMENT:  Maybe it's time to withdraw graciously rather than be humiliated any further.  I hate to see this happen to a decent guy.  It is true that his campaign lacks focus, but I do think that the reaction to Bush has been somewhat unfair.

January 8, 2016       Permalink

OFFICER DOWN – AT 9:36 A.M. ET:  There was an attempted assassination of a police officer in Philadelphia.  From the New York Post:

PHILADELPHIA — A gunman ambushed a police officer as he sat in his marked cruiser at an intersection, striking him three times in the arm and fleeing before being apprehended, officials said Friday.

Police Commissioner Richard Ross said the suspect fired 13 shots that hit Officer Jessie Hartnett and his car late Thursday. He said the officer returned fire, hitting his assailant at least three times. Hartnett was in stable condition.

“This is absolutely one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen,” Ross said at a news conference early Friday. “This guy tried to execute the police officer. The police officer had no idea he was coming.”

He said the officer was in his cruiser in West Philadelphia when the shooter approached from the sidewalk and started firing into the driver’s-side window as he got closer and closer to the car.

The suspect ran away but was quickly apprehended by other officers, authorities said.

Ross, who was sworn in as commissioner Tuesday, said there was no apparent motive for the attack.

“Why someone would do something so absolutely evil is just beyond us,” Ross said. “It’s amazing he’s alive.”

COMMENT:  Gee, haven't you got any ideas, Commissioner Ross?  Any thoughts at all as to why someone would try to murder a police officer?

Maybe, Commissioner, you can turn for wisdom to Philadelphia's new mayor, your boss, a Democratic hack named Jim Kenney:  "Jim Kenney, in his first week as mayor of the nation’s fifth-largest city, said, 'There are just too many guns on the streets, and I think our national government needs to do something about that.'"

That's it.  There are just too many guns on the street.  Nothing to do with the hatred of police officers stirred up by the political left.  No relationship at all.  It's just the guns.

And pundits wonder why Americans are so outraged at the behavior of their public officials.

January 8,  2016     Permalink