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MARCH 23,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:48 P.M. ET:

WISCONSIN POLL – The GOP Wisconsin primary is April 5th.  From Weekly Standard:   The poll, conducted March 20 to 22 by Emerson College, indicates that Kasich's presence in the race is taking more votes from Cruz than from Trump. Kasich's supporters view Cruz as more favorable than Trump by an 9-point margin—36 percent to 27 percent.  Some Kasich supporters may move to Cruz when they learn that Cruz is the only candidate who has a shot of beating Trump in Wisconsin's winner-take-all primary. It appears that many Kasich supporters who weren't firmly committed to the Ohio governor ended up voting for Cruz in Utah's primary yesterday.  Another sign that Cruz would win a two-man race against Trump is that an overwhelming majority of Wisconsin Republicans have a favorable view of Cruz, while Trump's overall favorability rating is negative.  Winning Wisconsin would be a major gain for Cruz, but many of the following primaries are in the northeast, currently seen as more favorable to Trump.  The Cruz goal is to prevent Trump from going to the convention with enough votes to win on the first ballot.

GREAT MOMENTS IN SCHOLARSHIP – From the Washington Times:   An associate professor at the University of North Dakota called the police on two ROTC students carrying replica rifles on campus, saying the group’s practice drills are “highly inappropriate” and “irresponsible” in light of recent school shootings.  In a letter Sunday to the Grand Forks Herald, Heidi Czerwiec described the panic she felt when she looked up from her office computer to see “two figures in camo with guns” outside her window.  “My first thought is for my students’ and my safety: I grab my phone, crawl under my desk and call 911,” she wrote.  The threat, however, was two ROTC students carrying guns on their way to a routine training exercise, Campus Reform reported.  “I can barely talk — first, with fear, and then with rage when the dispatcher reports back that yes, in fact, I’ve probably just seen ROTC cadets, though they’re going to send an officer to check because no one has cleared it with them,” Ms. Czerwiec wrote.  I feel her pain.  For her it must have been like...like Vietnam, or Ferguson, Missouri, or a Donald Trump rally.  We must be sure this woman is given help, covered by Obamacare.

ADVENTURES IN NEW YORK GOVERNMENT – And a warning to the rest of the country.  This is what happens when liberalism has absolute control, in this case over transportation systems in the New York area.  From the New York Post:   Ever wonder how the Port Authority spends its take from soaring tolls? Promise not to jump off a PA bridge, then take a peek at some crazy new data on what the authority’s paying employees.  One PA cop, Joseph Macaluso, pulled down a whopping $348,095 last year. That’s right: $348,095 for a cop. A chief maintenance supervisor, Stephen Olmo, raked in $325,880, including $186,846 in overtime.  It sounds surreal. But data just released by the Empire Center show that the average PA employee got $100,253 last year, up from $97,673 in 2014.  An executive, Michael Francois, topped the list at $366,698. But three dozen employees took in $250,000 each, including 25 PA cops. And 170 PAPD officers pulled down $200,000-plus, again thanks to juicy OT.  And public transportation is still sub-par, though the prices are gold-plated.  Families that used to travel around the area casually now must ask if they want to go to grandma's house when the bridge toll costs $14.

March 23, 2016       Permalink

AMERICA AND THE WORLD – QUOTE OF THE DAY – from the great British historian, Andrew Roberts, via the Hoover Institution.  As we watched President Obama attend a ball game in Cuba yesterday in the midst of the Brussels horror, we inevitably thought about the foreign policies he's pursued in his wretched seven years as president: 

Yet in the situation the United States has found herself post–World War II, the retention of strategic alliances spanning the globe has been essential, for both fighting and winning the Cold War, for subsequently prosecuting the War Against Terror, and also for facing the emerging threats from a revanchist, irredentist Russia and an increasingly confident and nationalist China. The United States fought all her major postwar struggles—primarily in Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan—as the leader of a coalition of allies. But the Obama administration has a deeply unimpressive record of nurturing and protecting America’s allies, which are in a worse state of repair than at any time since the Carter administration over a third of a century ago.

Although many Europeans among America’s allies derided President George W. Bush’s administration and opposed his invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, none doubted his resolve to protect them from Russian or Chinese incursions against their sovereign territory. They were willing to nestle safely under the American umbrella while sneering at the president who obligingly held it over them.

By total contrast, today America’s allies are deeply concerned that American support for them is weak, partial, and hesitant, while continuing to praise President Obama personally. Specifically, the eastern European and Baltic states worry that Obama has been insufficiently tough over Vladimir Putin’s seizure of the Crimea from Ukraine, and not supportive enough of Ukraine in its struggle against separatist rebels who are willing even to shoot down Malaysian airliners (at no cost, so far). They worry whether Obama would support the Baltic states if Putin were to destabilize them, too. In the Middle East, the Israelis, Saudi Arabians, and other Gulf allies of America are also deeply concerned at Obama’s appeasement of Iran and refusal to destroy the Islamic State. In the South China Sea, China’s saber rattling and aircraft carrier-building have left its neighbors deeply concerned, especially as Obama’s much-vaunted “shift to the east” now looks like just so
much verbiage.

COMMENT:  That's what happens when a president is elected simply on the basis of political correctness.  Obama came to office as an inexperienced, self-important kid from Chicago.  And that's the way he's leaving office.  He hasn't grown at all.  How can you improve on perfection?

What a waste.

March 23, 2016       Permalink

YESTERDAY'S PRIMARIES AND CAUCUSES – AT 9:28 A.M. ET:  The results were split.  Both Donald Trump, on the GOP side, and Hillary Clinton, on the other side, won strong victories in Arizona, which is a voting primary.

But Bernie Sanders wiped Hillary out in the Utah and Idaho caucuses.  And Ted Cruz defeated Trump in Utah as well.  There were no GOP caucuses in Idaho.  From Fox: 

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton padded their delegate totals with convincing wins in the valuable Arizona primary Tuesday night – but their respective rivals, Ted Cruz and Bernie Sanders, kept the race alive with victories in the Utah and Idaho caucuses.

The Associated Press projected Sanders and Cruz the winners of the Utah contest early Wednesday morning. Idaho’s Democratic-only caucuses were called for Sanders.

Though Arizona was the biggest prize on the map in Tuesday's Western contests, Sanders and Cruz won their states by huge, double-digit margins. Cruz took all of Utah's delegates by finishing with more than 50 percent of the vote.

Together, the Western contests seemed to leave the race in a familiar place: with the front-runners building their tallies and trying to shift to a general election mindset, yet unable to shake underdog rivals buoyed by their own victories and finding reason to press on.

With Sanders' two wins, he roughly split Tuesday's delegate haul with Clinton. And Cruz’s victory in Utah indeed slows Trump’s march toward the nomination on the GOP side.

COMMENT:  I think it's significant that Cruz's and Sanders's victories came in caucuses.  The frontrunners seem to do very well in a straightforward primary election, but caucuses bring out the challengers' true believers.  I have no idea why.

I regard Sanders as the most dangerous candidate in the race.  He is personable, and very decent, but has some of the worst ideas I've ever seen in a major candidate, particularly on national defense.  Some observers say he's the future of the Democratic Party, but I'm not so sure.  First of all, he's 74.  Second, his personal qualities can't easily be duplicated in other candidates.  Third, his appeal is mostly to the young, but there are lots of un-young voters out there.

Clinton and Trump still lead their respective fields.  But few things are predictable in this race.  Clinton could face an FBI problem.  And Trump does seem to be showing signs of weakness, at least for now. 

Cruz was endorsed yesterday by Jeb Bush.  In terms of votes, that may not mean much.  But the endorsement could open Bush's donor network to the Cruz campaign. 

March 23, 2016       Permalink

THE THREAT – AT 8:35 A.M. ET:  ISIS is taking "credit" for yesterday's carnage in Brussels, and is promising more.  From Times of Israel:

The Islamic State terror group threatened the US and European countries with continued attacks early Wednesday, hours after taking responsibility for a series of blasts in Brussels that left at least 34 people dead, and as police in Brussels carried out a massive manhunt for suspects in the attacks.

A statement from the group promised “dark days” for countries allied against the Islamic State.

“What is to come will be more devastating and bitter,” reads the statement directed against “crusader nations allied in their war against the Islamic State,” a reference to the US-led coalition bombing the group’s positions in Syria and Iraq.

The communique was published in Arabic, French, and English according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi websites.

IS also released photos purportedly showing its fighters in Syria giving out candy to children to celebrate the Brussels attacks, according to SITE.

Twitter accounts linked to the group also distributed a picture of a fighter standing above a beheaded Statue of Liberty.

Three intelligence officials in Iraq told the AP that they had warned European colleagues last month of IS plans to attack airports and trains, although Belgium wasn’t specified as a likely target.

COMMENT:  We have no excuse for being surprised.  But we will have, for the next ten months, a commander-in-chief who went to a Cuban baseball game yesterday in the midst of the bulletins about the Brussels horror. 

Britain is on high alert, expecting an attack in as many as ten places simultaneously.  I worry about the same thing here.  Remember that 9-11 was a multi-pronged attack as well – on the World Trade Center, on the Pentagon, and a failed attempt to attack another target in Washington by United Flight 93, which was brought down in Pennsylvania.

March 23,  2016     Permalink

MARCH 22,  2016

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:56 P.M. ET:

THE DISGRACE – Yesterday we saw the president of the United States pose for a picture in Cuba in front of a huge portrait of Che Guevara, a common murderer.  Today we saw the president go to a baseball game in Cuba with Raul Castro, after learning of the Brussels attacks.  He did the wave with Castro.  He looked right at home in the people's republic.  He is a disgrace to the presidency, and makes Donald Trump look like a statesman.  I think a lot of the anger we see in America is a direct result of the divisive, failing, and corrupt Obama presidency.

TERROR WARNING – From Newsmax:   Tuesday's terrorist attacks in Brussels that killed more than 30 people and wounded more than 200 may signal a coming wave of terror from the Islamic State (ISIS), NBC News reports.  ISIS has claimed credit for the attacks.  NBC's Richard Engel reported Tuesday on "The NBC Nightly News" that a senior U.S. counterterrorism official says Brussels was "likely just the beginning" of an ISIS terror wave.  U.S. intelligence officials told NBC they are working on the assumption that the same ISIS network that carried out the coordinated attacks in Paris in November is responsible for the attacks on Brussels Airport and a subway station.  Aside from the human tragedy, which is the most important factor, of course, this could have a profound effect on who becomes the next president.

THE NEXT GENERATION – From the College Fix:   Approximately 40 students at Emory University were disturbed — disturbed, I tell you — about “pro-Donald Trump for president chalkings” that had appeared Sunday night throughout campus, and hence protested at the college administration building yesterday afternoon.  Student Jonathan Peraza, who led the protesters, shouted to administrators “You are not listening! Come speak to us, we are in pain!”  You read that right: “In pain.” Because of chalk graffiti which says “Trump 2016.”  “It is our duty to fight for our freedom. It is our duty to win. We must love each other and support each other. We have nothing to lose but our chains,” Peraza and the activists chanted, quoting Assata Shakur, who was sentenced to life in prison for her role in a cop killing.  Not exactly Marine Corps material.

March 22, 2016       Permalink

BRUSSELS – AT 8:51 A.M. ET:  There has been a major terrorist attack in Brussels, Belgium.  Two bombs went off at the city's main airport and another in a subway station.  At least 26 are dead, many more injured.

The attacks come only days after one of the masterminds behind last year's Paris attacks was captured in Brussels.  Some terror experts speculate that these attacks may be retaliation for the arrest.  Others speculate that these attacks were long planned, but that their timing may have been accelerated out of fear that the man captured might be spilling the beans and exposing other members of his terror network.  From Fox: 

At least 26 people were killed and more than 100 injured as coordinated terrorist attacks rocked the Brussels airport and subway system during rush hour Tuesday morning in the Belgian capital.

Bombings at Zaventem Airport and the metro station in the heavily Muslim section of Maelbeek were almost immediately confirmed as terror attacks. The attack at the airport was reportedly accompanied by shouts in Arabic and gunfire.

"What we feared has happened, we were hit by blind attacks," said Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel.

The attacks came four days after the main suspect in the November Paris attacks was arrested in Brussels, and even as Brussels was braced for new attacks.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. A source told Fox News that a credible ISIS social media account posted the message, “Mosul revenge for the Kuffar capital Brussels,” but it was not definitive that the terror group was behind the attacks.

The bombings in the European Union capital are certain to add new fire to the raging debate over refugees from Muslim nations where terrorist groups are active. Europe has taken in more than a million refugees, and terror groups including ISIS have said they are infiltrating the wave of migrants.

COMMENT:  At least the Europeans, not always stalwarts in the war on terror, immediately nailed this as a terrorist attack.  In Obamaland, as we've seen recently, every effort is made to downplay terror involvement in anything. 

Major cities around the world are now on heightened alert.  But Brussels was on heightened alert before these attacks.  It's the old story.  If someone is determined to carry out a terror attack, and has not been detected, the attack will probably succeed.

It was the Paris attack that propelled the campaign of Donald Trump forward, as he was seen as "tough."  We will see if this latest incident has an effect on our presidential campaign.

March 22, 2016       Permalink

UTAH AND ARIZONA VOTE TODAY – AT 8:14 A.M. ET:  And the outcome could affect the Republican presidential race.  Ted Cruz is favored to take Utah, but Donald Trump is expected to take Arizona.  Of course, voters can sometimes surprise us, and neither state has been polled extensively.

The anti-Trump people are putting up a fight.  From the Boston Globe: 

A vote for Ohio Gov. John Kasich—the only Republican candidate “with a real track record,” according to Mitt Romney—would be a vote for Donald Trump, according to Mitt Romney.

Or at least that’s what the former Massachusetts governor is telling voters in Utah and Arizona in a pro-Ted Cruz robocall. Audio per ABC News:

“This is a time for Republicans across the spectrum to unite behind Ted. He is the only Republican candidate who can defeat Donald Trump,” Romney says in a Cruz campaign robocall, first reported Monday by the Daily Caller.

“And at this point, a vote for John Kasich is a vote for Donald Trump,” Romney adds.

Romney announced Friday he himself would be voting for the Texas senator when he casts his ballot Tuesday in Utah’s caucuses. Arizona also votes Tuesday.

COMMENT:  Last week Romney was saying that Kasich was the only candidate in the race who had a real track record.  That just shows how confused and embarrassing the Republican race has become.  The Republicans are eating their own.

Trump had an interview with the Washington Post editorial board yesterday, and the results were less than stellar, especially in foreign policy.  The Post, unlike The New York Times, has a fair-minded editorial board.  Trump did not come off as a president, as a man who knew his stuff.  The anti-Trump forces are still reported to be determined and even optimistic that they can stop Trump from getting the GOP nomination.  But if the numbers say otherwise, the party can easily split into factions, with a number of embittered people staying home on election day.

March 22, 2016        Permalink

WARNING FROM A DEMOCRAT, NO LESS – AT 8:06 A.M. ET:  Mr. Putin is playing games with his submarines, and even a Democratic senator from the northeast has noticed.  From the Washington Examiner: 

Russian President Vladimir Putin is deploying nuclear-armed submarines "dangerously close" to the United States and European allies, a Senate Democrat said following a trip to the Arctic Circle.

"No one is suggesting that Putin is contemplating a nuclear launch against a NATO country, but it's not clear how tethered to reality Putin is," Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy told reporters Monday. "And it should make us nervous that many of his submarines are starting to get dangerously close to the U.S. and our allies."

Murphy made the comments while arguing that the U.S. Navy needs to pursue an aggressive plan to replace aging submarines, which can thwart rival countries from gathering intelligence and maintain the security of global shipping lanes.

In recent years, Putin's navy has pursued a more aggressive strategy than even during the Cold War, Murphy said. "Russian submarines have been pushing out to the very precipice of NATO-ally waters," he said. "We have seen Russian boats coming closer to the U.S. and to our European partner ports than ever before, in immensely provocative ways — in ways that were rare even during the days of the Cold War."

COMMENT:  Of course, it should be pointed out that Murphy represents the submarine-building state of Connecticut.  But he's also right.  Both Russia and China are outbuilding us, and have become extremely aggressive.

I doubt if Murphy will get any satisfaction during the Obama administration, which has little interest in national defense.  Our equipment budgets have been cut to the bone.  But plenty of money has been found for "diversity" training in the armed forces. 

March 22,  2016     Permalink