Inflection point: Elijah Cummings, the top Democrat on the Benghazi investigating committee, concedes that there is reason for the continuing inquiry.

Althouse  "On "Face the Nation" this morning, at the very end of the interview, Bob Schieffer asked: "Well, are you satisfied that there's anything else to find out about Benghazi?"

"Cummings said: "I don't know. We have been at this now, Bob, since May. And I still don't know the scope of what we're looking for. I think there have been eight investigations. They have been done extremely well. And they — I think they have resolved most of the questions."

"He could have said — like many Democratic Party partisans — that the matter has been thoroughly investigated and it's nothing more than partisan politics now. But he said "I don't know." Twice. And then he said "they have resolved most of the questions." Most. Most means not all. So clearly there are questions left."

Restaurants in Seattle Going Dark as $15 an Hour Minimum Wage Looms. UPDATE with a counterpoint

Rick Moran  "I like this simple, elegant explanation from Reason’s Ronald Bailey about the value of labor and the minimum wage:" . . .

Seattle’s $15 minimum wage law goes into effect on April 1, 2015. As that date approaches, restaurants across the city are making the financial decision to close shop. The Washington Policy Center writes that “closings have occurred across the city, from Grub in the upscale Queen Anne Hill neighborhood, to Little Uncle in gritty Pioneer Square, to the Boat Street Cafe on Western Avenue near the waterfront.”

Of course, restaurants close for a variety of reasons. But, according to Seattle Magazine, the “impending minimum wage hike to $15 per hour” is playing a “major factor.” That’s not surprising, considering “about 36% of restaurant earnings go to paying labor costs.” Seattle Magazine,

“Washington Restaurant Association’s Anthony Anton puts it this way: “It’s not a political problem; it’s a math problem.”

“He estimates that a common budget breakdown among sustaining Seattle restaurants so far has been the following: 36 percent of funds are devoted to labor, 30 percent to food costs and 30 percent go to everything else (all other operational costs). The remaining 4 percent has been the profit margin, and as a result, in a $700,000 restaurant, he estimates that the average restauranteur in Seattle has been making $28,000 a year.

“With the minimum wage spike, however, he says that if restaurant owners made no changes, the labor cost in quick service restaurants would rise to 42 percent and in full service restaurants to 47 percent.”

 . . . "That means a net loss in jobs and economic activity. But for the rich voters in King County, that hardly matters. It’s so “progressive” to pay someone a wage unrelated to the value of their work. Too bad those who can least afford to be a casualty of this progressive experiment will suffer the most."

UPDATE: No, the minimum wage isn't forcing these Seattle restaurants to close

. . . "That doesn't mean that the minimum wage increase won't make the Seattle restaurant business harder. But so far it doesn't seem to have made a dent in diners' choices."

'Yes, He Is A Demonstrator': Police Announce Arrest Of Ferguson Cop Shooting Suspect

Truth Revolt

"The suspect has claimed to police that he was shooting at someone else and not at the police officers. The police are not yet able to confirm or disprove that claim. The weapon was a handgun." 

Get Set For “Hands Up #2″: Protesters Claim That #Ferguson Cop Shooting Suspect Jeffrey Williams Was Beaten By Police

. . . "Based on hearsay “Robinson said, this is what he said”, without the police side to rebut.

"Interestingly, according to Keith Rose, a Ferguson activist, what Robinson actually said was Williams said he was not a “regular” protester, not that he never had been.

"Sounds like an effort is underway on the one hand to disavow him as a protester, but on the other hand put out disinformation to make him the new cause."

Holder: Ferguson arrest sends 'clear message' against violence  "Williams has told police and prosecutors he was firing at someone other than the officers, but authorities say they are investigating that claim."

Sheriff David Clarke Disgusted With Obama And Holder After Mo. Police Shooting

But what we expect — and it’s all we expect, Megyn — is we expect that responsible people in this country back us in these situations. When we’re wrong, we’re wrong. But when we’re right, I expect them to come out in very strong language, indicate that and give us some sense that at least they have our backs in these situations and they’re not looking to indict based on emotional mob rhetoric or bring criminal charges or even slam our reputations.

"Kelly noted that although Officer Darren Wilson was exonerated of all charges by the Department of Justice, President Obama was not forceful in acknowledging that verdict."

Cop Shooter Jeffrey Williams Is Friends With Mike Brown’s Buddy Dorian Johnson

"Williams told police he fired the shots.
St. Louis officials say Williams was a regular Ferguson protester.

"Jeffrey Williams and Mike Brown’s buddy Dorian Johnson are friends on Facebook."

Suspect Arrested in Ferguson Shooting, Claims He Wasn’t Aiming at Officers
. . . "But Williams reportedly told investigators he didn’t mean to target the line of police standing on the sidewalk Wednesday night, facing down protesters on the opposing sidewalk. Williams is claiming that he intended to shoot his .40-caliber handgun at someone with whom he had a disagreement, but hit the police instead." . . .

Ferguson Police: Public info led to arrest of man in shootings of two officers

"Authorities offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of person or persons responsible for the gunfire upon the two officers, according to the St. Louis Regional CrimeStoppers website.

"McCulloch said the tipster whose information led to Williams' arrest is eligible to receive the reward. He declined to provide any information on the tipster or the nature of the tip."

Famous Hollywood actor warns Israel about Obama

Examiner.com

. . . "Relations between Israel and the U.S. have been on the down-slide ever since President Obama took office in 2009. While Israel and the U.S. have disagreed on some occasions over the years, never has a president, like President Obama, ignored a Prime Minister from Israel or the issues the State of Israel faces on a daily basis by Islamic terrorist groups.

"In a recent speech in front of Congress on March 4, 2015, Netanya proposed a “practical alternative” to the planned Obama led deal with Iran on Tehran's nuclear program. The speech was presented to the U.S. House in which is now dominated by Republicans, but President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden refused to attend and 

"Obama called Netanya's proposal as nothing more than theater. More than a 100 of Obama Democrats in the House and the Senate had also stated that they would not attend the speech, ignoring the threat Iran poses to Israel. Iran has stated several times in the past that it’s wishes is to wipe the State of Israel off the map, something Democrats ignore as well most of the main-stream liberal media." . . .

Don't mess with Jon Voight:

Hat tip to Christopher Collins at Guardian Eagles

The Progressive Practice of Rewriting History on Campus

Campus Insurrection  "Sometimes, students decide they don’t like a person that a campus building is named after and they make an effort to change it.

"As Bernie Reeves of National Review points out, their choices are rather selective.

Campus Activists Airbrushing History

Colleges and universities across the country are victims of revenge politics, usually instigated by white left-wing activists waging war against dead white males supposedly on behalf of blacks. Across the South, their tactics include pressuring schools to erase the name of well-known former leaders from campus buildings. The heroes of the past are now judged as racist based on today’s politically correct, revisionist opinions.
The Raleigh-Durham-Chapel region of North Carolina – called the Research Triangle – is home to three nationally prominent universities. Only North Carolina State University in Raleigh has retained its traditional credibility, at least in comparison to nearby UNC-Chapel Hill and Duke University in Durham.
UNC has a long tradition of progressive/liberal attitudes, while Duke was a national leader in radical campus politics in the 1980s. Duke rid itself of Stanley Fish, the Typhoid Mary of revisionist and multicultural doctrines, in the 1980s. Sadly, UNC has continued in its deconstructive path. The formerly venerated public university is now imploding as a result of the spread of radicalism from the professoriate to the administration.
Naturally, both UNC and Duke are in the thick of the revisionist history fad. Carolina’s Saunders Hall is named for a state leader of great accomplishment who, influenced by the post-Civil War era he lived in, was a founder of the Ku Klux Klan. Duke has already rubbed out the name of Charles B Aycock, known in North Carolina as the “education governor” for his dedication to providing schooling to all citizens – albeit in the atmosphere of “separate but equal”."

 Read the original article:
Campus Activists Airbrushing History (National Review)

2008 Candidate Senator Obama Sent U.S. Secret Emissary To Iran Telling Them Not To Negotiate With George Bush – Said Wait For Him To Be Elected….

The Last Refuge  "From a radio interview in October of 2014 Mark Levin discusses with Michael Leeden the details of a secret message sent by candidate Senator Barack Obama to Iran in 2008 via a former Ambassador, William G Miller.

"In essence the content of the communique was Senator Obama telling the Iranian government not to negotiate with the outgoing George Bush administration because Obama was more friendly toward the position of Iran and he would work to structure a more favorable outcome to the Iranian people." . . .

"It is a remarkable revelation given the level of apoplectic response recently from the White House and State Dept. to a rather innocuous “open letter” from 47 Senators.

"President Obama, Joe Biden and John Kerry shouting about how wrong it is for the Senate to publish their opinion, yet it is now clear that Senator Obama not only communicated with the Iranian government in secret, but he did so specifically to undermine President George W. Bush during prior Iranian negotiations." . . .

Michael Ledeen writes on this in 2014:  Obama’s Latest Big Lie: ‘We Have No Strategy’   "They do have a strategy, but they prefer to appear indecisive. That’s because the strategy would likely provoke even greater criticism than the false confession of endless dithering.

"The actual strategy is detente first, and then a full alliance with Iran throughout the Middle East and North Africa. It has been on display since before the beginning of the Obama administration. During his first presidential campaign in 2008, Mr. Obama used a secret back channel to Tehran to assure the mullahs that he was a friend of the Islamic Republic, and that they would be very happy with his policies. The secret channel was Ambassador William G. Miller, who served in Iran during the shah’s rule, as chief of staff for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, and as ambassador to Ukraine. Ambassador Miller has confirmed to me his conversations with Iranian leaders during the 2008 campaign.

. . .

NY Post: Valerie Jarrett Leaked Hillary’s Private Email Use to Press

Big Government

"Vengeful Obama confidante Valeria Jarrett went through back channels to leak Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server to the press, an explosive new report reveals.

"The New York Post‘s Edward Klein reports that a source familiar with Bill Clinton said that the former president told him: “The Obamas are out to get us any way they can.”

"Jarrett blamed the Democratic party’s 2014 midterm losses on the Clintons’ insinuations that Obama’s unpopular policies, including executive amnesty for foreigners gobbling up American jobs, made the president an “albatross” around the reigning party’s neck.

"Jarrett, Obama, and Obama’s wife greeted Hillary as a triumvirate of black liberals at the White House after Democrats got thrashed at the voting booth. Under the watchful eyes of his wife and closest senior advisor, Obama told Hillary, the former first lady of Arkansas, in no uncertain terms he would remain “neutral” in the 2016 election — signaling he wouldnot, in fact, support the Clinton candidacy that the media call “inevitable.” . . .

Maureen Dowd's "An Open Letter to hdr22@clintonemail.com"

NY Times!

"SINCE open letters to secretive and duplicitous regimes are in fashion, we would like to post an Open Letter to the Leaders of the Clinton Republic of Chappaqua:

"It has come to our attention while observing your machinations during your attempted restoration that you may not fully understand our constitutional system. Thus, we are writing to bring to your attention two features of our democracy: The importance of preserving historical records and the ill-advised gluttony of an American feminist icon wallowing in regressive Middle Eastern states’ payola.

"You should seriously consider these characteristics of our nation as the Campaign-That-Must-Not-Be-Named progresses.

"But therein lies the rub.When you grin and call out to your supporters, like at the Emily’s List anniversary gala, “Don’t you someday want to see a woman president of the United States of America?” the answer is: Yes, it would be thrilling." . . .

Michelle And Barack Go To California – On Separate Planes

Michelle And Barack Go To California – On Separate Planes

"President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama were both in California at the same time yesterday, but the pair took separate flights for two different television appearances.

"Yesterday, President Obama traveled aboard Air Force One to California for a TV appearance with comedian Jimmy Kimmel. The First Lady, however, flew on a separate plane to California for a TV appearance with Ellen.

"The popular daytime television host tweeted a selfie with Michelle Obama yesterday at about the same time that President Obama was filming himself reading mean tweets with Kimmel:". . .

Bad news, Republicans: Obama is ‘embarrassed’ for you

Hot Air   . . . “ 'I’m embarrassed for them,” Obama said of the 47 Republicans who signed a letter to Tehran reminding the Islamic Republic’s theocrats of their roles as members of the majority party in control of the only American institution that can legally ratify international treaty. “For them to address a letter to the Ayatollah, who they claim is their mortal enemy, and their basic argument to them is ‘Don’t deal with our president because you can’t trust him to follow through on an agreement,’ that’s close to unprecedented.' ” . . .

. . . "First, there is nothing “unprecedented” about this maneuver by Senate Republicans – “close to” or otherwise. As many astute commentators and students of history have noted, this letter is tame when compared to past efforts made by Democratic officeholders to undermine a sitting American president abroad. The notion that this letter lacks a historical parallel is a pure fabrication, not to mention a display of contempt for the intelligence of the viewing audience."

Pelosi’s visit to Syria was the latest challenge to the White House by congressional Democrats,  "President Bush admonished Pelosi in a Rose Garden question-and-answer session Tuesday, calling her trip "counterproductive."

" 'Going to Syria sends mixed signals, signals in the region and, of course, mixed signals to President Assad," Bush said. "And by that I mean, you know, photo opportunities and/or meetings with President Assad lead the Assad government to believe they're part of the mainstream of the international community, when in fact, they're a state sponsor of terror."

Obama sent letter to Iran leader before election, sources say   . . . "The letter requested dialogue and engagement between the two nations, the sources said.

"The sources said that Khamenei has yet to reply to the letter but that nonetheless it "had set the negotiating table in order for both sides to sit around it after the election."

"The White House refused to "get into the specifics of our different ways of communicating," a senior Obama administration official said."

israelmatzav

Teen Arrested In Murder Of Iraqi Refugee Watching His First Snowfall In Dallas, Not Facing ‘Hate Crime’ Charge…

Weasel Zippers

"Shooter does not meet the requirements for a ‘hate crime’ charge.

"via NY Daily News

A Texas teen has been arrested for fatally shooting an Iraqi refugee watching his first-ever snowfall, police said.

Nykerion Nealon, 17, was arrested early Friday after gunning down Ahmed al-Jumaili outside his Dallas apartment complex March 4, Maj. Jeff Cotner told reporters alongside the victim’s father-in-law Friday.

Al-Jumaili was shot in front of his wife and brother, three weeks after fleeing Iraq to be in a safer place and reunite with his wife, who had moved to America a year earlier.  . . 

Whose lives matter? 

Early Onset Clinton Fatigue

Charles Krauthammer

"She burned the tapes.

"Had Richard Nixon burned his tapes, he would have survived Watergate. Sure, there would have been a major firestorm, but no smoking gun. Hillary Rodham was a young staffer on the House Judiciary Committee investigating Nixon. She saw. She learned.

"Today you don’t burn tapes. You delete e-mails. Hillary Clinton deleted 30,000, dismissing their destruction with the brilliantly casual: “I didn’t see any reason to keep them.” After all, they were private and personal, she assured everyone." . . .More here.
As long as we're on the subject...
Democrats suffering from Clinton fatigue say they’re ready for Warren  . . . "Over the course of the hour-long meeting, it was clear the frustrations of the attendees here were driven not only by Clinton but also by President Obama."

The Globe and Mail reports the Brits have CF as well: Why I already have Hillary fatigue   "But Ms. Clinton’s inevitability should make serious Democrats want to stick hot pokers in their eyes. She is a purely manufactured candidate, as artificial as plastic flowers in a cheap restaurant. She has no gift for inspiring or moving people, and if she has any ideas beyond the utterly banal, she has yet to express them."

The Globe and Mail