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Patriot Headlines | Grassroots Commentary Daily Digest
February 22, 2016
THE FOUNDATION"The greatest good we can do our country is to heal its party divisions and make them one people." —Thomas Jefferson, 1801TOP RIGHT HOOKSJustice Scalia Laid to Rest
"We are gathered here because of one man," eulogized Rev. Paul Scalia, the son of the justice. "A man known personally to many of us, known only by reputation to even more. A man loved by many, scorned by others. A man known for great controversy, and for great compassion. That man, of course, is Jesus of Nazareth. It is He whom we proclaim. Jesus Christ, son of the father, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified, buried, risen, seated at the right hand of the Father. It is because of him. because of his life, death and resurrection that we do not mourn as those who have no hope, but in confidence we commend Antonin Scalia to the mercy of God." Washington elites such as AG Loretta Lynch, Joe Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts filled the pews. But one man was noticeably absent: Barack Obama. He released a photo of himself carrying a thick binder with what he said were potential Supreme Court nominees that he would go through over the weekend. That was Friday. On Sunday, rain interrupted his golf game. Nothing better than scoring political points. Comment | Share The GOP Race and the Obama EffectThe results from South Carolina are in with few surprises, unless perhaps it would be Marco Rubio's second-place finish after coming in a dismal fifth in New Hampshire. Ted Cruz came in third (though only about 1,000 votes behind Rubio) in a state that should have been tailor-made for him. Donald Trump performed strongly despite praising ObamaCare and essentially calling the last Republican president a war criminal. Perhaps he can, as he recently boasted, "stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and [not] lose any voters."The Trump Train remains impossible to derail until the field is down to two. Yes, Jeb Bush dropped out, but John Kasich and Ben Carson remain in the race, diluting the not-Trump vote. As Rubio put it, "[O]ver 70% of Republicans nationally have basically said we're not voting for Donald Trump. And as long as that 70% is being divided up ... of course he's the frontrunner." That's assuming Trump has reached his ceiling. He's defied all conventional wisdom so far, but it does seem that 30-35% is his plateau in the primary. Until Rubio or Cruz bows out, Trump has the clearest path to the nomination — followed by what at present appears to be a significant loss to Hillary Clinton. The trouble is that neither Rubio nor Cruz has any reason to leave the race yet. They virtually tied in South Carolina, and are polling neck-and-neck in Nevada (which votes Tuesday). Most unfortunately, they've spent most of their time in recent weeks attacking each other, which has made both of them less appealing. As we have said before, Trump's card is the ace of anger affirmation — he's tapping into an entirely justified swell of frustration among voters. And for that, we can thank Barack Obama and the failure of the GOP establishment to effectively stop him. If Trump wins the nomination, it may simply be the Republican establishment reaping what it sowed. That's all well and good, but we think it will ultimately lead to Clinton carrying on Obama's legacy from the White House. What will that have accomplished? Comment | Share Jeb! Loses All Energy to Continue CampaignWith the results of the South Carolina primary placing him in fourth, Jeb!™ Bush dropped out of the GOP presidential primary, saying, "The presidency is bigger than any one person." Winning South Carolina was key to Bush's campaign. It was where his brother and father picked up their support in their races. But the possibility of a Bush family dynasty and the crass rhetoric of Donald Trump doomed the former Florida governor's efforts."I have had a front row seat to this office for much of my adult life," Bush said in the speech announcing the end of his campaign. "I have seen fallible men rise up to the challenges of our time, with humility, and clarity of purpose ... to make our nation safer, stronger, and freer. I firmly believe the American people must entrust this office to someone who understands that whoever holds it is the servant, not the master. Someone who will commit to that service with honor and decency." And with those comments, Bush demonstrated his respect for voters, the office and the process. As conservative blogger Rod Dreher wrote, it was Bush's good character that prevented him from stooping to Trump's level. It was what made him, in part, appear "low energy." If it wasn't for the toxic name of "Bush," Jeb could have been one of the front runners in this primary. And despite not being the ideal candidate for 2016, his dropping out means there's one less man of character in the race. Comment | Share FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSISStumbling Toward WarBy Arnold Ahlert
We begin with the news that Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Iran Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan regarding the purchase of the S-300 air defense system and offensive weapons that include Moscow's most sophisticated T-90 tanks and Su-30 Flanker fighter jets. Thus one of the key provisions of the Iran nuclear deal, a.k.a. UN Resolution 2231 — requiring Tehran to get UN permission before acquiring "battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles or missile systems" — is on the verge of being ignored. Adding insult to injury, Gen. Dehqan is believed to be the architect of the 1983 Beirut bombing that killed 241 American service members. Iran is also expected to thumb its nose at the same resolution this month when they test a Simorgh space launch vehicle characterized by U.S. officials as the basis of their covert program to develop long-range nuclear missiles. An unnamed State Department official who spoke with The Washington Free Beacon epitomized the administration's flaccid response to the prospect, declining to speculate as to whether such a launch would violate the agreement, but promising to address any Iranian actions "inconsistent with any relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions ... through the appropriate channels." Iran insists the space launch vehicle's 220 pound payload is too small to carry a first-generation nuclear warhead. The Beacon's Bill Gertz reveals otherwise: "Space launch technology is identical to long-range missile technology." And from whom is Iran getting the technological expertise for such an effort? An April exposé by Gertz reveals that while the nuclear negotiations with Iran were proceeding, North Korea supplied the mullahs with "several shipments of missile components" that also "appear to violate UN sanctions on both countries." That would be the very same North Korea that South Korea's National Intelligence Service (NIS) asserts is planning a terrorist attack orchestrated by Kim Jong Un. The same North Korea that launched a long-range rocket of its own this month — following January's test of hydrogen bomb components. Americans must never forget why North Korea has nukes. The same bankrupt ideology that animates the Obama administration's horrendous deal with Iran drove Bill Clinton and his North Korean emissary Jimmy Carter. They repeatedly assured the nation the Agreed Framework of 1994 would prevent a nuclear North Korea. Even if one were to concede such a momentous failure were an honest mistake, the idea the Obama administration would so willingly repeat it exemplifies the arrogance of a president who believes clever rhetoric can overcome evil ambitions by Communist or Islamist totalitarians. An equally ambitious China revealed the hollowness of Obama's promise of an Asian "pivot," locating surface-to-air missile launchers and a radar system Woody Island in the South China Sea. The island is part of the Paracel Island chain and ownership is claimed by both Taiwan and Vietnam. The rising level of aggression follows condemnation by China, which vowed there would be consequences following the passage of U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, also part of the Paracel chain. A U.S. defense official called "on all claimants to halt land reclamation, construction, and militarization of features in the South China Sea," but one suspects this is another "red line" moment for the administration. Speaking of red lines, the administration's failures in Syria may also lead to tragic consequences. "The Syrian civil war, still spiraling out of control, may soon lead to something even worse: a Russian-Turkish conflict that would engulf the region, magnify the war's death toll and destruction, and likely mark the end of NATO," explains columnist Benny Avni. Thus Secretary of State John Kerry's allegedly engendered "cessation of hostilities" has become little more than what the French ambassador in Washington, Gerard Araud, referred to as "a smokescreen for the intensification of the offensive" by Russian and Syrian forces that included the bombing of two hospitals near the former rebel stronghold of Aleppo. "If Russia continues behaving like a terrorist organization and forcing civilians to flee, we will deliver an extremely decisive response," Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu stated following the strikes. If Russia and Turkey engage in all out war, NATO is supposed to help Turkey. Avni notes what will likely happen in that event. "We don't do wars anymore, remember? We, and NATO, are the weakest link in the Syrian war, which by now is a mini-world war, with players from near and far deploying armies and backing proxy militias." A senior NATO official was even blunter regarding cause and effect: "It's clear that there has to be some actual 'redline' for Mr. Obama, something that the United States cannot tolerate Russia doing — but where is it? If I don't know, I'm sure the Kremlin doesn't either." Last week, Defense Intelligence Agency director Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart brought the consequences of the Obama administration's fecklessness home — literally. Stewart told the Senate Armed Services Committee that ISIL "will probably attempt to conduct additional attacks in Europe, and attempt to direct attacks on the U.S. homeland in 2016." His assertion was buttressed by National Intelligence Director James Clapper who explained the world's foremost terrorist organization is active in approximately 40 countries, and that the world has more terrorist safe havens "than at any time in history." The Islamic State might have something else as well. Last November, "highly dangerous" radioactive material was stolen from a storage facility near Basra. The storage facility is owned by U.S. oilfield services company Weatherford WFT.N, and the radioactive material by SGS Turkey, an Istanbul-based testing and inspection company. An Iraqi official speaking on condition of anonymity stated the obvious, saying, "We are afraid the radioactive element will fall into the hands of Daesh (ISIL)." That would be the same Islamic State expanding in Libya, courtesy of Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose "leading from behind" strategy abandoned Libya to terrorists after deposing strongman Moammar Gadhafi. The administration finally carried out airstrikes against ISIL there last Friday, reportedly killing as many as 30 people. Nonetheless, European and U.S. official believe the number of Islamic State fighters in Libya has increased from 2,000 to 5,000 — meaning once again the administration is half-heartedly attempting to clean up a mess of its own making. Maybe not since the establishment of the United States itself have we seen an administration more willing to abide such chaos. While Americans remain embroiled in presidential politics, the world moves closer to war and/or another devastating domestic attack, with the added worry that a dirty bomb might be part of the equation. Through it all only one constant endures: This commander in chief and his cadre of equally delusional administration officials are more than willing to compromise national security for ideological purity. Comment | Share
MORE ORIGINAL PERSPECTIVE
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 OPINION IN BRIEFPeggy Noonan: "The closest you can come to public peace in resolving the question of Scalia's replacement is to take a step wholly unusual, even unprecedented, and let the American people make the decision themselves, this year, with their 2016 presidential vote. ... That they made the decision will allow people to accept the outcome more easily — either a real change in the ideological makeup of the court, or a court whose rough and not always predictable balance has been preserved. We take a swerve or stay where we are. But it will be the people who swerved or stayed. For President Obama to leave the Scalia replacement to the next president would be an act of prudence and democratic courtesy. ... There is something increasingly unappeasable in the left. This is something conservatives and others have come to fear, that progressives now accept no limits. We can't just have court-ordered legalized abortion across the land, we have to have it up to the point of birth, and taxpayers have to pay for it. It's not enough to win same-sex marriage, you've got to personally approve of it and if you publicly resist you'll be ruined. It's not enough that we have publicly funded contraceptives, the nuns have to provide them. This unappeasable spirit always turns to the courts to have its way."Comment | Share SHORT CUTSThe Gipper: "Recognize that government invasion of public power is eventually an assault upon your own business. If some among you fear taking a stand because you are afraid of reprisals from customers, clients, or even government, recognize that you are just feeding the crocodile hoping he'll eat you last."For the record: "Democrats continue to wage war against photo IDs being required at the polls, pretending its only purpose is to disenfranchise blacks. And yet blacks don't seem to have a problem proving who they are when it comes to boarding planes, renting cars and apartments, buying beer and cigarettes or showing their photo ID to traffic cops. Only when it comes to voting do they suddenly become stateless, homeless and nameless, according to those promoting crooked elections." —Burt Prelutsky Bingo: "I think there's an underlying question that is really in the back of people's minds, and that is, you know, 'Is she in it for us or is she in it for herself?' I think that's, you know, a question that people are trying to sort through." —Hillary Clinton The BIG lie: "Planned Parenthood does some very good work." —Donald Trump Alpha Jackass: "The reason that Ted Cruz lost the Evangelicals in S.C. is because he is a world class LIAR, and Evangelicals do not like liars!" —Donald Trump Upright: "We are a nation of 300 million people. The two frontrunners are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. It would be hard for me to think of two people less suited to the presidency in mind and character — especially character — than those two. But, in a democracy, the people get their way. And elections tell us a lot more about us than about the candidates." —Jay Nordlinger Late-night humor: "Over on the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders is getting the support of students at Hillary Clinton's alma mater, Wellesley College. Now Hillary Clinton is trying to get the support of Bernie's alma mater, Jurassic Park." —Jimmy Fallon Comment | Share Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis! Managing Editor Nate Jackson Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm's way in defense of Liberty, and for their families. |
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