Stop unfairly asking what Hillary Clinton accomplished as Secretary of State

Hot Air  "The unfair treatment of Hillary Clinton, brought about simply because the poor woman wants to be President, simply has to stop. All of these pestering questions, one after another, are obviously signs of hatred from people who are jealous of her many accomplishments. Or at least that’s the current line of defense being taken by the Ready for Hillary camp these days. But what were those accomplishments again? As Legal Insurrection points out, that’s an unfair question which is only being brought up by the aforementioned haters.

Expecting a Commander in Chief to have some kind of accomplishments that show their qualifications before getting hired for the job is reasonable, right? Maybe, just not if those accomplishments happened while serving has the head of the State Department, according to U.S. News and World Report’s Susan Milligan.
On Hardball with Chris Matthews’ Milligan said the question posed to the Iowa Democratic panel was “unfair.”
“I think most people could not look at a Secretary of State and point to an accomplishment. Frankly, mostly what a Secretary of State does is keep something from becoming a massive crisis so, that in a way wasn’t a terribly fair question,” said Milligan.

"Chris Matthews helpfully agreed with Ms. Milligan, noting that Barack Obama didn’t really have any serious accomplishments to point to when he was elected either. Point taken, sir.

"There’s a video of the exchange available at the link and it’s pretty much what you’d expect. And for just a moment here I’ll play devil’s advocate and grant at least one portion of what Milligan was saying. It’s difficult to draw up a chart and point to the specific accomplishments of some cabinet members, with the State Department being a prime example. The job of the Secretary is designed to happen largely under the covers, and when they do make headlines it’s for arranging things which essentially lay the groundwork for the President to swoop in and finish the deal. The top diplomat can’t actually sign off on treaties or end wars… they can only grease the skids to make that happen.

"But with that said, powerful Secretaries of State leave their fingerprints on the process and their accomplishments – or lack thereof – are readily identified by historians. No matter how awful the Iran deal is, if it winds up going through and being signed, it will at least be considered an accomplishment of John Kerry. Madeleine Albright was credited with being a key figure in arranging the smooth transition of Hong Kong in 1997 and hammered out the specifics of numerous trade deals. We could begin a discussion on the contributions of Henry Kissinger here, but the article would quickly balloon to the size of an encyclopedia.

"Hillary Clinton finished a full term in the office and had nothing of substance to point to aside from boosting the previously sagging novelty RESET button manufacturing sector. (You’re welcome.) She burned enough jet fuel dashing around the world to balance the budget of Detroit, so it hardly seems “unfair” to ask her defenders to point to something… anything … that she has to show for it."

Mr. President, the Fall of Ramadi Is Much More than a ‘Setback’

http://www.investors.com/editorial-cartoons/michael-ramirez/754249

NRO. . . "Administration officials, including the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the president’s spokesman, have tried to minimize the May 17 fall of Ramadi as nothing more than a “setback.” But, having served in al-Anbar with the Marines, I recognize the loss of this key city for what it really is: a defeat of strategic consequence with potentially catastrophic implications for the future of Iraq."

"Other writers have rightly pointed to the symbolic importance of Ramadi, where hundreds of U.S. troops were killed in a hard-fought battle to recapture the city from insurgent forces nearly a decade ago. But let’s set aside the symbolism and look at the hard facts about why Ramadi matters today." . . .

 

Cold Comfort

HopeN'Change

 

"In his Memorial Day remarks, Barack Obama cited the special significance of the fact that it was the first such day in 14 years that the United States was not engaged in a major ground war. If by "not engaged" you mean ignoring the thousands of US troops still at risk in Afghanistan and Iraq, and your definition of "major" ground wars doesn't apply to head-lopping JV teams like ISIS.

"Still, by almost any definition the president seems to be ignoring a pretty major ground war right here at home. Over this holiday weekend, shootings in just two Democrat-controlled American cities racked up horrifying body counts which didn't appear on the presidential radar: in Chicago, 12 dead and 43 wounded. In Baltimore, 9 dead and 29 wounded.

"Unfortunately for the victims, none of them was shot by a police officer - which is why Al Sharpton isn't marching in the streets, the DOJ isn't launching any major investigations into lost civil rights (breathing doesn't count), and Barry isn't even bothering to tweet #BlackLivesMatter on his precious new Twitter account.

"The president has previously suggested that much of the violence plaguing our inner cities can be blamed on policing which is "oppressive" to minorities. Which is why he's been so vocal about pushing a new, "softer" look for police and their policies.

"Frankly, we think he should instead be pushing for softer sidewalks, since that's where so many bodies seem to be falling."

Related:  In his Memorial Day remarks, Barack Obama cited the special significance of the fact that it was the first such day in 14 years that the United States was not engaged in a major ground war. If by "not engaged" you mean ignoring the thousands of US troops still at risk in Afghanistan and Iraq, and your definition of "major" ground wars doesn't apply to head-lopping JV teams like ISIS.

Still, by almost any definition the president seems to be ignoring a pretty major ground war right here at home. Over this holiday weekend, shootings in just two Democrat-controlled American cities racked up horrifying body counts which didn't appear on the presidential radar: in Chicago, 12 dead and 43 wounded. In Baltimore, 9 dead and 29 wounded.

Unfortunately for the victims, none of them was shot by a police officer - which is why Al Sharpton isn't marching in the streets, the DOJ isn't launching any major investigations into lost civil rights (breathing doesn't count), and Barry isn't even bothering to tweet #BlackLivesMatter on his precious new Twitter account.

The president has previously suggested that much of the violence plaguing our inner cities can be blamed on policing which is "oppressive" to minorities. Which is why he's been so vocal about pushing a new, "softer" look for police and their policies.

Frankly, we think he should instead be pushing for softer sidewalks, since that's where so many bodies seem to be falling.

Related:   Flag-stomping fugitive Eric Sheppard threatens to kill police, whites and others in manifesto
" Almost a month later, Sheppard is still on the run.  But that hasn't stopped him from threatening police, and all white people, including women and babies.  A few days ago, Sheppard  sent a rambling manifesto accompanied by a short video to the Valdosta Daily Times." . . .

 

 Parents Walk Out After H.S. Principal Attacks Police for ‘Killing Young Black Men’ in Grad Speech   (Video)

 

"Welcome to President Obama's 21st Century Transformation of the Institution of Policing"

 . . . "Baltimore police are afraid to do proactive policing. They are alienated by the prosecutor, the police chief and the mayor. No one has their backs. If they neglect to follow a new rule that requires seat belts in vans, they could lose their jobs and their freedom. They will be arrested for murder if the person dies." . . .

Baltimore Cop: Spike in Crime Due To Less Policing “Definitely a Result of the Indictment of the 6 Officers (Video)

 “Welcome to President Obama’s 21st Century transformation of the institution of policing – and it’s been a disaster,” Clarke dead-panned. “Unnecessary black carnage is what we saw, this weekend, and that officer – one of Baltimore’s finest hit the nail right on the head.”

  
Nice Deb  . . . "As is now become necessary in the Obama era – the whistle-blowing law enforcement officer had his face hidden, and voice disguised to protect himself from retaliation. In our new upside-down world, those who risk their lives every day to serve and protect us – must be hidden in shame.

"The incognito cop explained why the city was seeing a spike in its crime rate: “After the protests it seemed like the citizens would appreciate a lack of a police presence, and that’s exactly what they’re getting. No proactive policing, right now.”

"Hannity asked the officer if police in Baltimore are “afraid to do their job.”

“'When you go out on the street, you trust that your command staff and those you work with will support you. The point is – the tip of the spear needs the most assurance that your department, your citizens, mayor and city council will have your back.”

"The implication being, these cops feel like they’ve been left out to dry.

"Hannity asked pointedly if the lack of policing was “a direct result of the indictment of the six police officers.” . . .

I Won’t Applaud or Condemn Josh Duggar

 So can Josh Duggar and other sexual offenders change?  Absolutely they can, and many do.  Also, not every sexual offender is the same, some are more prone to reoffend than others.  The observed sexual recidivism rates of juveniles who commit sexual offenses range from about 7 percent to 13 percent after 59 months depending on which study you look at.  Juvenile sex offenders tend to have lower recidivism rates than adult sex offenders as well.  Statistically speaking, a relatively small percentage of juveniles who commit a sexual offense will sexually reoffend as adults. . .

Shane Vander Hart 

 

. . . "The first extreme I’ve seen are those who turn Josh Duggar into a hero of sorts because he confessed his sexual offenses, repented and turned his life over to Christ. Some have blindly defended the Duggar family as well which, in my opinion, is not appropriate. Instead of defending Josh Duggar, who himself said what he did was inexcusable, or Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar our focus should be on respecting Josh Duggar’s victims.

"The second extreme are those who desire to totally discount Josh Duggar’s repentance because he’s a sex offender. In the minds of some, sex offenders can never change. They also scoff at the forgiveness he was allegedly shown by his victims. Much of this vitriol has come from some on the left who love to point out the flaws of conservatives in general, and Christians in particular. What is alarming is how many Christians have jumped on this bandwagon.

"I want to offer four observations from the perspective of working with juvenile and adult sex offenders, as well as, juvenile victims of sexual abuse for a number of years.

 "The first and most important observation I want to make is if God can not save sexual offenders He can save no one.  It is mind-boggling to me when even some Christians doubt this.  If you have landed in this camp you need to repent because you are embracing a false gospel.  The Bible is abundantly clear.  The Gospel is the “power of God for salvation to everyone who believes,” (Romans 1:16 emphasis mine).  There is no exception clause here.

"Ephesians 2 is a little more poignant.  We were all spiritually dead and separated from God and the fact any one of us is saved is a miracle." . . .

. . . Third observation… It seems as though the victims have been lost in all of the hoopla surrounding Josh Duggar with both extremes.  The simple fact is that the news and social media backlash is making these girls (at least four were family members, one was not) have to relive all of this again.  Also juvenile victims are typically given privacy that has been denied the Duggar girls.  Some have asked why the family didn’t go public with this years ago?  Because juvenile victims and offenders are afforded privacy protections by law.  This doesn’t change just because they became the center of a TV show later on.

 Full article here. But this is his bottom line:

I am not going to condemn Josh Duggar as many have done.  From what I can see he is repentant and has changed his life.  There is only one Judge who can decide the true fruit of his repentance and I am not Him.  I also would not use the Duggars as a model under similar circumstances nor go as far to say Josh Duggar should not have resigned and the family should keep its show.  Unlike most of their critics I say that from a restorative perspective, not a punitive one.  It is time to let the Duggars, especially the victims, continue with the healing process away from the public eye.

 

Barack "Climate Change" Obama

Warning Signs

 “America’s communities do not need to be protected from climate change. They need to be protected from the excesses of authoritarian presidents and bureaucrats.”

 

“ 'Woe to the land that’s governed by a child.” - Shakespeare, Richard III

"I have been wrestling for some kind of explanation why the President of the United States, Barack Obama, would continue to talk about climate change and urge the global transition from fossil fuels to wind, solar and bio-energy. I have concluded that he thinks everyone, not just Americans, are idiots.

"We know he lies about everything, but these two topics are clearly near and dear to his heart.


"My friend, Paul Driessen, is a policy analyst for the Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow, a free market think tank. Among the pundit class he’s ranked very high by his colleagues. Here’s what he has to say about climate change:

“ 'Earth climate always has changed, is always changing, and always will change—but not from fossil-fuel use. Solar fluctuations, deep ocean circulation patterns, and other powerful natural forces have driven climate change and weather events throughout Earth’s history and will continue to do so.”

 “ 'President Obama’s hubris is breathtaking. He now thinks an army of regulators can control our planet’s temperature and climate by tweaking emissions of plant-fertilizing carbon dioxide, a mere 0.04% of the atmosphere.' ” . . . Full article here.

Disasters at Home and Abroad; From ISIS at Ramadi to riots at home, nothing is going right.

 

 The center of this culture is not holding. Even a few Democrats are worried that Hillary Clinton’s mendacities are unsustainable. More Americans privately confess that American foreign policy is dangerously adrift. They would agree that the U.S. no longer has a southern border, and will have to spend decades and billions of dollars coping with millions of new illegal aliens. Some Americans are starting to fear that the reckless borrowing under Obama will wreck the country if not stopped. . .

Victor Davis Hanson  . . . "Things are starting to collapse, abroad and at home. We all sense it, even as we bicker over who caused it and why.

"ISIS took Ramadi last week. That city once was a Bastogne to the brave Americans who surged to save it in 2007 and 2008. ISIS, once known at the White House as the “Jayvees,” were certainly “on the run” — right into the middle of that strategically important city.


"On a smaller scale, ISIS is doing to the surge cities of Iraq what Hitler did to his neighbors between 1939 and 1941, and what Putin is perhaps doing now on the periphery of Russia. In Ramadi, ISIS will soon do its accustomed thing of beheading and burning alive its captives, seeking some new macabre twist to sustain its Internet video audience. We in the West trample the First Amendment and jail a video maker for posting a supposedly insensitive film about Islam; in contrast, jihadists post snuff movies of burnings and
beheadings to global audiences. We argue not about doing anything or saving anybody, but about whether it is inappropriate to call the macabre killers “jihadists.”

"When these seventh-century psychopaths tire of warring on people, they turn to attacking stones, seeking to ensure that there is not a vestige left of the Middle East’s once-glorious antiquities. I assume the ancient Sassanid and Roman imperial site at Palmyra will soon be looted and smashed." . . .

Jeb Should Withdraw to Save the Country from Hillary

Roger L Simon
. . . "The Democratic Party looks determined to nominate a woman for president that a majority of the country thinks a liar.  A recent poll from NBC and the Wall Street Journal found a paltry 25% of Americans believe Hillary Clinton to be honest. And this is before Mrs. Clinton assumes office.  Who knows what would happen thereafter when so many presidents find themselves in crisis situations demanding courage and integrity?

"If Mrs. Clinton were to win the presidency, she would do so under a cloud of distrust unprecedented in any of our lifetimes.  She would have no honeymoon period and would not deserve one.  And this would be happening at a moment in history when the entire world is on a knife edge because of the rise of radical Islam and ISIS throughout the Middle East, Africa, South East Asia, Latin America and, increasingly, Europe, not to mention having to monitor the controversial nuclear deal with Iran, if and when such a thing is signed.

"More than ever, we would need a man or woman in the White House we could trust — yet so many of us wouldn’t.". . . Read more:

The oppression of political correctness

“Head Explosions”: The war on speech and the End of Discussion
 "On June 9, Crown Publishers will release a new book, End of Discussion: How the Left’s Outrage Industry Shuts Down Debate, Manipulates Voters, and Makes America Less Free (and Fun), written by our own Guy Benson and Mary Katharine Ham. “They want to shut you up,” Guy and MK write, “but don’t let this be the End of Discussion.” The book encourages all Americans who value the open exchange of ideas to fight back against this strategic effort to make America less free, less feisty, and less fun." . . .

In leftist circles, participants vie viciously for the title of most socially aggrieved in pursuit of the ultimate social windfall—the sanitization of the public square of the arguments of one’s adversaries. We’re not the only ones who’ve noticed. A bevy of liberals in good standing, Bill Maher and Dan Savage among them, have felt the sting of violating the grievance hierarchy. Jonathan Chait, in a 2015 essay for New York magazine, called the “new p.c.” a “style of politics in which the more radical members of the left attempt to regulate political discourse by defining opposing views as bigoted and illegitimate.” This system, he wrote, “makes debate irrelevant and frequently impossible.”

http://liberallogic101.com/?p=25932

Women Now Demanding To Be Treated As Eggshells, Not Equals

 "[You can't have] the Stalinist situation we have in America right now, where any neurotic woman can make any stupid charge and destroy a man's reputation. If there is evidence of false accusation, the accuser should be expelled.

But on the TV you watch, women must dominate
. . . "Women head about 40 per cent of US households, make 85 per cent of purchasing decisions and run 40 per cent of US companies. Its an economic clout that can only get stronger."

 

 Lib Rag Vox Marks Memorial Day By Lamenting Fact Military Deserters And Draft Dodgers Don’t Get Their Own Holiday…

Deadspin Targets St. Louis Cardinals Mascot For Daring To Hold A ‘Police Lives Matter’ Sign  

"Who could think that a baseball team would disallow such a statement as controversial? But the Cardinals wimp out under pressure…"

DOJ Official: Slavery to Blame for Riots in Ferguson and Baltimore  "Megyn Kelly recently discussed the subject with conservative author Michelle Malkin, who analyzed the issue in a political context."

Stars and Stripes Op-Ed: Obama policies weaken military, embolden enemies

kingsjester

Congressman Doug Lamborn
 "President Obama made that bold pronouncement in his State of the Union address. Unfortunately, the reality of the Obama administration is the exact opposite: Obama’s weak foreign policy is masking how much damage his cuts to our military are doing.

"The weakness of the president’s foreign policy is painfully obvious. He won’t stand with our allies like France when they are hurting. He is sacrificing our relationship with Israel in a vain attempt to befriend Iran. He left our friends in Ukraine to their own devices as Russians invaded their country. Obama draws lines in the sand, and then immediately ignores them, making them meaningless to every nation in the world. Even his supposed foreign policy successes, like Libya, have devolved into disasters because of the politically motivated decision to lead from behind. Simply put, Obama is alienating our allies and aiding our enemies.

"Even liberal foreign policy leaders are growing more critical of Obama’s foreign policy. Leslie Gelb, a Carter and Clinton administration official and former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, recently wrote: “The Obama team lacks the basic instincts and judgment necessary to conduct U.S. national security policy in the next two years. It’s simply too dangerous to let Mr. Obama continue as is — with his current team and his way of making decisions.” . . .

America is weak, not Obama. . . "The military is our strongest and most patriotic link, and even its weakness is being exposed and exploited.

"The Bergdahl swap is the most recent example of Obama’s disregard for the military and rule of law. This act was tantamount to spitting in the face of our soldiers.

"Yet, Obama has refused to issue an apology. In fact, the administration told military and intelligence officials who opposed the release of these “high risk” detainees to “suck it up and salute.”

"Obama is also weakening the military and hurting morale by allowing open homosexuality. And he is purging the military of some of their best generals to reduce effectiveness and quash dissent."

This post reeks of anti-Clinton sexism. Do not read if you're offended easily

http://terrellaftermath.com/

Emails Cast More Guilt on Clinton and Obama  . . ."Committee Ranking Member Elijah Cummings (D-MD) issued his own statement praising Clinton for being so forthcoming. “The American people can now read all of these emails and see for themselves that they contain no evidence to back up claims that … Republicans have made for years.”

"So, according to Cummings, now that we have access to the slightest fraction of 50,000 emails that have been thus-far out of reach from the public record, we can plainly see that there is no smoking gun and we should leave Hillary Clinton alone and elect her emperor president already." . . .

http://liberallogic101.com/?p=25923

The Clinton Foundation admitted it received twenty-six million dollars of previously unreported donations from foreign nations Friday. The same day, Hillary's fundraising Super PAC reported they are having difficulty raising money. It's gotten so bad they may have to start reaching out to Americans.  Comedian Argus Hamilton

It’s unfair to question Hillary’s accomplishments as Secretary of State?
 "It is if you’re U.S. News & World Report’s Susan Milligan"
. . .  "Carly Fiorina said it best shortly after Hillary made her official 2016 candidacy announcement, “Hillary Clinton’s a highly intelligent woman, hardworking, she’s dedicated her life to public service but unfortunately she does not have a track record of accomplishment or transparency.' ”

DAMN THE TORPEDOES?: An oped in the WSJ today by former Navy Secretary John Lehman

 

DAMN THE TORPEDOES?:  An oped in the WSJ today by former Navy Secretary John Lehman excoriates President Obama’s decision to nominate Admiral John Richardson to the post of chief of naval operations, thus moving him out of his current position as director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program (NNPP):

Working with the bipartisan leadership of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy, the Senate and House Armed Services Committees and the secretary of energy, we constructed  . . . a position having executive power to prevent meddling from the layers of bureaucracy that were creating chaos in most defense programs. Importantly, we gave the new incumbent [director of NNPP] complete control of the selection and training of personnel. To ensure that such a powerful executive stayed long enough to execute programs and ensure accountability, a nonrenewable term of eight years was established.

That successful effort was put into an executive order by President Reagan that has worked effectively for 34 years. . . . [The NNPP has] been protected from the 970,000 Pentagon bureaucrats whose paralyzing bloat has made a hash of most Army, Navy and Air Force weapon programs. The reason for Navy nuclear success is because there has always been one strong experienced person in charge and accountable, standing like a stone wall against the bureaucratic onslaught.

Admiral John M. Richardson

But by far the most important benefit from this unique arrangement is the fact that there hasn’t been a single nuclear accident in the seven decades that the U.S. Navy has operated hundreds of nuclear submarines, carriers and surface combatants.

President Obama’s nomination of a current director of the Navy’s nuclear program to be the next chief of Naval Operations puts this unique record at risk. If Adm. Richardson leaves the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, which he has headed for less than two years, all that was accomplished by the executive order will be swept aside. The job will become one more rung up the career ladder, a perch for ambitious admirals to use to interact with and please the politicians who have the power to elevate them to more glamorous positions.

Worst of all, if the job is seen as a steppingstone, a fraying of the zero-defects culture may begin and the possibility of a nuclear accident within the U.S. Navy may increase.

Yikes.

Obama Torpedoes the Nuclear Navy 
 "Wall Street Journal — The president disregards a policy that for decades has ensured effective leadership of the nuclear fleet.
"President Obama, possibly unaware of the implications, has made a mistake by nominating Adm. John Richardson as the new chief of naval operations. Adm. Richardson likely would do a fine job in that important role, but by trying to move him from his current position as director of the Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program, the president has crossed a line and created a precedent that could have grave consequences for the effectiveness of the nation’s nuclear fleet." . . .