Thursday, April 14, 2016

Clintonism, RIP


Charles Krauthammer  . . . "Other pillars of her husband’s internationalism were already toppled, pre-2016, by the Obama presidency, often with her active collaboration. At the core of Bill Clinton’s foreign policy lay the notion of America as the “indispensable nation.” It is today quite dispensable, indeed a nation in retreat—from (Hillary’s) reset with Russia to the Iranian nuclear negotiations (which Hillary initiated with secret meetings in Oman in 2012) to the disastrous evacuation of Iraq in 2011.
"As has happened with another of Bill’s major achievements: welfare reform. President Obama has essentially dismantled its work requirements (with Bill Clinton’s acquiescence, a sign of things to come). No need for Hillary to repudiate her husband’s legacy. It has been done for her.
"How far has the party moved left? Under Bill Clinton, it gave up on gun control after stinging defeats in the 1994 midterms. Today, Hillary Clinton delights in attacking Sanders for being soft on gun control. Malleable she is. And she sure knows her party." . . .

Forget Russia and Iran! Global warming is our biggest threat!

Political Cartoons by Michael Ramirez
Taking Down the Stop Sign  . . ."America sheltered behind Red Lines during the Cold War, put in place by a generation who knew at first hand the high price of removing them. Yet in a generation since the fall of the Berlin Wall that lesson has been forgotten even in those who style themselves as intellectuals. President Obama's willingness to negotiate every "Red Line", which he regards as smart diplomacy, as proof of his intellectual superiority and confirmation of his status as the only adult in the room, is in fact nothing but an ignorant repetition of every error in the last hundred years; the action of a man who seems to have forgotten, indeed never having bothered to learn the lessons his nation's history has to offer.
"Captain Rick Hoffman correctly observes that the USS Cook provocation by itself is not worth a fight.  It's the one that comes after, and the one after that, and after that which you really have to worry about.  And they will come. For the challenges either stop somewhere or continue until they can't go on any more." 
Russian fighter jets buzz the USS Donald Cook. U.S. Navy

You started it! Russia claims its fighter jets only buzzed US Navy warship because it was ‘in proximity’ of nearby Baltic base . . .

A rising Russia’s fighters buzz U.S. ship as Obama declares ISIS decline   "But that’s not all of the international provocations that go unanswered. North Korea and Iran continue ICBM tests despite promises and sanctions. China continues militarization of artificial islands in the South China Sea. Iran continues shipping arms to terrorists, has fired near U.S. ships and boasts of accelerated development of its nuclear program, despite a nuclear deal with Obama."

On to more ominous things:
Obama: "No greater threat" than climate change

When he was first elected, these were the expectations in 2009:
President 'has four years to save Earth'  "Barack Obama has only four years to save the world. That is the stark assessment of Nasa scientist and leading climate expert Jim Hansen who last week warned only urgent action by the new president could halt the devastating climate change that now threatens Earth. Crucially, that action will have to be taken withinObama's first administration, he added." . . .

Al Sharpton Tells Megyn Kelly To ‘Calm Down’ After She Questions His Race Baiting Actions In Ferguson…

Weasel Zippers



Mediaite  "Megyn Kelly scored a pretty big interview today, speaking with MSNBC host Reverend Al Sharpton about #BlackLivesMatter and why he hasn’t apologized for his role in ginning up outrage over Ferguson.
The interview started out lighter, with Sharpton talking about the black vote and President Obama and Donald Trump, but Kelly pivoted to the issue of race relations and “more controversial aspects” of the #BlackLivesMatter movement, such as “pigs in a blanket, fry ’em like bacon” chants.
Sharpton said he doesn’t condone that kind of rhetoric.
Kelly asked him briefly about Baltimore before going in hard on Ferguson. She asked him, “Do you feel bad about what you said?”
Sharpton seemed a bit confused as to what she meant, affirming that he “stated what I believed” and expressed the sincere outrage of many. Kelly pointed out that the DOJ report found no reaso

Video of the Day: This Is How to Confront Campus Crybabies

NRO  "Perhaps campus administrators are starting to learn their lesson. From Ohio State University comes the video of the day — an “actual grownup” (to borrow Ed Driscoll’s words) ordering campus protesters to end their unlawful “occupation” of the university’s administration building:


. . . "I never thought I’d say this, but I’m proud of the Big 10 and ashamed of the SEC. Cowardly Missouri continues to pay the price for last year’s craven capitulation. The university has actually closed two dormitories because of enrollment declines and is battling through a $32 million budget shortfall." . . . 

Trump channels inner spoiled brat over delegate count

Political Cartoons by Jerry Holbert

NJ.com   Via Lucianne   "Donald Trump will be happy to learn that the rules in New Jersey are simple: If he wins the primary here, he gets all the delegates.
It gets more complicated in other states. Some give extra weight to party regulars, some to voters willing to endure a caucus process, and some have complex hybrids.
"One thing is beyond dispute: The Supreme Court has ruled unanimously that state parties can draft their own rules. They are like private clubs. The Constitution says nothing about how they should run their internal affairs.
"The Donald apparently didn't know that. And now he's banging a spoon on his high chair, whining that he's been robbed.
" 'The system is rigged," he said on Monday. "It's crooked."
"New Jersey's rules strike us as more fair. But if other states want to give added weight to party regulars, or to those willing to caucus process, or to sitting members of Congress, that's their business." . . .
Political Cartoons by Nate Beeler

Boycotts, Bathrooms, and the Boss

Curiously, Disney didn't seem to have a problem distributing The Force Awakens, which was filmed in the United Arab Emirates, a nation that actually murders people for engaging in homosexual behavior.  (To be fair, I'm not sure where they come down on transgendered bathroom use.)


Mark Griswold  "This past Sunday, Bruce Springsteen was scheduled to play a concert in Greensboro, N.C.  He canceled the concert, citing opposition to the recently passed H.B. 2, the "bathroom bill," which he labeled discriminatory against the transgender community.  Three weeks ago, Disney and several other companies, state governments, and individuals threatened to boycott the state of Georgia if Governor Nathan Deal signed a bill with similar legislation.  He folded to the pressure and vetoed that bill.  In 2010, a similar boycott of the state of Arizona was launched in opposition to S.B. 1070, a bill that strengthened immigration laws.

"Never mind that the people boycotting these states haven't read or don't understand what's in these bills.  If they did, they might stop hyperventilating and calling everyone they disagree with a bigot." . . .