South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley's rebuttal to the SOTU and...Trump

S.C Gov Haley attacks Trump after Obama SOTU: “Mr. Trump has definitely contributed to what I think is just irresponsible talk”
"Check out Haley’s segment where she targeted Trump:"

Trump hits back:  "She certainly has no trouble asking me for campaign contributions"  (Video) 

Iran releases US sailors; Kerry apologizes

Welcome back, Carter – Now comes humiliation phase of Navy boat seizure by Iran

"Every confrontation with Iran has a phase which is much more important to the Iranians than the physical outcome.

"It’s the humiliation phase, in which the Iranians get to exploit photos and video showing their opponents as weak and the Iranians as strong."

US apologises for Iran naval incursion - Revolutionary Guards

. . . "This naval incident comes at a delicate moment for both Washington and Tehran.

"The process to begin lifting the sanctions imposed on Iran due to its nuclear activities is expected to get under way at the end of this week.

"There are many conservatives and hardliners in both countries who would dearly love to sabotage the deal and consequently both governments may be eager - whatever the attendant rhetoric - to get this episode resolved as quickly as possible.

"How it plays out will be an important signal as to the balance of power in Tehran itself.

"The Revolutionary Guard Corps, whose naval branch detained the US vessels and their crews, is amongst the more hardline elements ranked up against the nuclear deal.

"But the potential economic benefits of lifting the sanctions may be too great an inducement for the agreement to be derailed now." . . .

10 US sailors held by Iran confirmed freed   . . . "It's not surprising that we "apologized" when Iran committed the provocative act of seizing our boats and our people.  The president and Secretary Kerry have become experts at groveling before the petty tyrants of the world and making it clear that just about everything is the fault of the U.S.  I question the apology only because if, indeed, the boats strayed into Iranian waters as a result of navigational problem, that wasn't the fault of the U.S. government, and no apology was needed.
"But Iran needed to further humilate the U.S., and President Obama was glad to oblige." 

Kerry Expresses 'Gratitude' to Iran   . . . " 'I want to express my gratitude to Iranian authorities for their cooperation ‎in swiftly resolving this matter."

" 'That this issue was resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure, and strong.' "

The 10 US Navy sailors detained and then interrogated after drifting into Iranian waters have been freed  . . . "American officials said the Riverine boats were not part of the carrier strike group and were on a training mission. The boats are reportedly not considered high-tech and do not contain any sensitive equipment." . . .

These are the U.S. Navy riverine command boats that Iran just ‘took into custody’

. . . "Riverine command boats or RCBs, are actually Swedish CB-90s and are a type of fast attack craft. In a number of pictures released by the U.S. Navy, the boats are outfitted with a number of light, medium and heavy weapons including .50 caliber heavy machine guns and GAU-19 miniguns. Approximately 50 feet long, the CB-90s can reach speeds up to 40 knots on the water, according to the Swedish Navy." . . .

Riverine boats are vessels specifically designed to operate in littoral and shallow water environments.

. . . "The Riverine Command Boat (RCB) is a fully enclosed platform designed to conduct command and control, tactical mobility and fire support operations in hostile riverine and littoral (near-shore) environments. The RCB is powered by twin diesel engines mated to water jets and equipped with key features that include an insertion and extraction bow door, reconfigurable mission space, manned/unmanned weapon mounts, a chemical weapons air filtration system, and optional armor. These design features combined with sea, air and land transportability make the RCB a one-of-a-kind multi-mission platform." . . .

And the US claims there is no sensitive equipment on board?

Strait of the Union

HopeNChange Cartoons

. . . "Still, we felt like enjoying a bit of pleasant fantasy on the occasion of Barry's last State of the Union address (assuming our "October Surprise" isn't his declaration of martial law). While he still has a full year to do untold damage, at least the countdown for his exit is finally happening.

"Of course, we couldn't fit all of his (ahem) "accomplishments" into the cartoon above. Let us not forget that in seven short years, he's also managed to polarize our society as never before, poison the relationship between police and communities, make astonishing numbers of people dependent on government benefit programs, crushed the middle class while enriching those at the very top, and chummed the waters for the international "climate change" sharks to take a big bite out of American prosperity." . . .

Weasel Of The Week Nominees!! – 01/12/16

Noisy Room

"It’s time once again for the Watcher’s Council’s ‘Weasel Of The Week’ nominations, where we pick our choices to compete for the award of the famed Golden Weasel to a public figure who particularly deserves to be slimed and mocked for his or her dastardly deeds during the week. Every Tuesday , tune in for the Weasel of the Week nominations!

"Here are this weeks’ nominees…

"Hollywood Wack Job And Dictator/Psychopath Groupie Sean Penn!!"

" I nominate Sean Penn for hearting every dictator and commie under the sun. His latest is El Chapo, who he inadvertently helped capture because he was interviewing him for a magazine that would make the drug pin look like some kind of hero. Then Penn jetted off to North Korea to pal around with another psychopath. What about violating the Logan Act? Don’t we charge anyone with treason anymore? Geez" . . .

The Obama State Department!!

. . .  "The Weasel of the Week is the Obama administration, for shipping a Hellfire missile to Cuba,

• in early 2014
• which its manufacturer, Lockheed, noticed “was missing”in June of that year
• and ended up in Cuba
• during the time the Obama administration was finalizing its negotiations for easing relations with the Communist dictatorship, but didn’t demand the missile back
• and instead removed Cuba from the states sponsors of terrorism list
• and went right ahead with the easing." . . .

Sweden’s Anti-Semitic Foreign Minister Margot Wallström!!

"Margot Wallström is the rabidly socialist Foreign minister of Sweden. She claims to be a ‘feminist’ who favors ‘democracy’ but was instrumental in getting Sweden to recognize ‘Palestine’, a country without borders as a ‘state.’ Palestine, by the way, is a place where a kleptocrat dictator named Mahmoud Abbas is now in year 11 of a four-year-term, where what passes for law is based on sharia and where things like honor killings, torture, and the oppression of women occur with distressing regularity. But hey, let’s not mention any of that. Because it’s all the fault of Israel! Or so you would think if you listened to Minister Wallström." . . .

Joe Biden kneecaps Hillary

comicallyincorrect.

"Hillary Clinton was revealed in her e-mails on Friday to have circumvented classification rules when she e-mailed secret material while Secretary of State. It’s alarming. If Hillary’s indicted before the election, it could end the Clinton dream of being America’s first two-impeachment family."  Comedian Argus Hamilton

Biden Kneecaps Hillary as the Dem Establishment Gets Nervous

. . . “ 'It’s relatively new for Hillary to talk about that,” he said. “Hillary’s focus has been on other things up to now, and that’s been Bernie’s — nobody questions Bernie’s authenticity on those issues. . . . I think they question everybody’s who hasn’t been talking about it all along, but I think she’s come forward with some really thoughtful approaches to deal with the issue.” 

"You don’t say this sort of thing if you’re enthusiastic about Clinton being the Democratic nominee in 2016. Either the vice president wants to ensure that Sanders gets a fair shot at the nomination, or he’s itching to reverse his own decision not to run in 2016. (He has recently hinted at the latter possibility.)" . . .Read more

The State of Obama's Union (Updated)

Existential Threats and the State of the Union Address

"Gearing up for the State of the Union lecture he is preparing to treat us to this year, President Obama wanted to put a positive spin on the results of his many years in the Oval Office.

"It is a chilling testament to his myriad of failures as Commander-in-Chief that one positive he reaches for, amid his many delusions, is that the Americans are not facing “existential threats”.

. . . 

"I am not comforted. Recall that he asserted there was no threat the the homeland from Islamic terrorists shortly before the San Bernardino terror attack occurred.

"The recent seizure of our Navy ships is an indication that his dreams of a peace deal with Iran are tuning into a nightmarish reality for the next administration to handle.

"Obama’s signature achievement, Obamacare, is slowly collapsing under the weight of its complexities and costs. Just ahead of the State of the Union, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin is going forward with plans to close down the state-run Obamacare insurance marketplace.

"Two of tonight’s audience members are not fans of Obamacare, either:

. . . 

Then there are Obama's plans for after his presidency

…Mr. Netanyahu recently is said to have gotten wind of Obama’s plans which he calls the Obama Project. “Wasn’t eight years of having Obama in office enough?”

Emphasis mine, TD 

Congressman Fumes: 'Narcissist' Obama Should Have Invited Kate Steinle's Family to SOTU

. . . "The president, he surmised, seems more apt to address climate change.

“ 'I have never been more afraid for my children’s future.”

"Along with Obama’s designated empty seat are a lot of empty promises.

“I don’t believe anything that comes out of his mouth,” Marino fumed. “He’s in this for himself. He is a narcissist.”

"Which uninvited guests, we wondered, should have been granted seats at tonight’s speech? Without hesitating, Marino said the family of Kate Steinle, the young woman who was tragically killed by an illegal immigrant in the sanctuary city of San Francisco last summer." . . .

Will Obama show any tears at the State of the Union?  . . . "So pardon me if I don’t get choked up when he sheds a fake or real tear when he is pushing a political agenda.

"The president says he wants commonsense laws to save even one life.  Here are a couple easy suggestions:

"Maybe the Justice Department and states should actually enforce existing laws instead of always wanting more laws.  That would be common sense, but the Democrats and Obama won't suggest that.  They should keep criminal gang members off the streets.  They obviously know where they are.

"Maybe Obama and all the liberal governors and mayors should actually enforce existing immigration laws instead of supporting sanctuary cities and suing states that want to enforce the laws."

LYNDON B. OBAMA:   “When it comes to offering progress reports on his war against ISIS, Barack Obama is beginning to sound like a previous wartime Democratic president. It is not a flattering comparison,” Richard Benedetto recently noted at Real Clear Politics:

Over the past few weeks, Obama has issued several upbeat statements crafted to assure an uneasy American people that the fight against terror is going well, only to have the facts come back and bite him.
He is starting to develop a “credibility gap,” faced by Lyndon Baines Johnson during the Vietnam War. LBJ and his commanders kept telling the nation that the war was going well when it really was not.

. . .  "No word yet if the US sailors detained in Iran will be flashing “the Hawaiian good luck sign” at their captors, but it would certainly have double meaning this time around."

Iran promises to release detained U.S. sailors

Politico

. . . ""Iran seized 10 sailors aboard two small Navy ships that drifted into Iranian waters in the Persian Gulf after experiencing mechanical problems. The Pentagon said it lost communication with the vessels but was informed that Iran would soon return the sailors and ships.

Story Continued Below

“ 'Earlier today, we lost contact with two small U.S. naval craft en route from Kuwait to Bahrain,” a senior administration official said. “We subsequently have been in communication with Iranian authorities, who have informed us of the safety and well-being of our personnel. We have received assurances the sailors will promptly be allowed to continue their journey.”

"White House press secretary Josh Earnest confirmed that U.S. officials have been in touch with Iran and are monitoring the situation closely." . . .

Well, Iran does owe Obama a big favor, you know:
Report: Obama Ordered the CIA Not to Support Green Movement in Iran in 2009

. . . "The most widely known victim of the regime's brutality was innocent onlooker Neda Agha-Soltan, who was shot dead in the street during one of the massive protests. Her last moments were caught on a video that went viral around the world. The president's famous response? He went out for ice cream.

"Obama was handed a unique opportunity in history to be the sort of inspirational and transformative figure Ronald Reagan was for Eastern Europe before the Berlin Wall fell. All he had to do was say and do the right things to denounce the illegitimate Iranian government and stand with the people in the street.

"But he didn't. "

"At Jihad Watch, Robert Spencer couldn't help but notice that of the many demonstrations and revolts that have swept the Muslim world during Obama's presidency, he has only supported the Muslim Brotherhood-backed, Islamic-supremacist ones."

Black Lives Matter Revolutionary Leader Invited to SOTU

Why didn't we just elect Al Sharpton or Louis Farrakhan as president in 2008? What would have been different? 

Independent Sentinel

"In the President Obama’s final State of the Union, “you’ll hear the president talk about making sure that every American has a chance to influence this democracy. Not the select few, not the millionaires and the billionaires, but every American.” White House Chief of Staff Bill McDonough said Sunday.

"That’s why it’s so appropriate that Barbara Lee invited Black Lives Matter to the State of the Union. What better way to showcase what he’s done and who he wants influencing our democracy?

"Leftist Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) has invited Alicia Garza to attend the State of the Union. Garza is the revolutionary co-founder of the radical and violent hate group, Black Lives Matter. The group was founded on the now fully debunked, Hands Up, Don’t Shoot.

"They have confirmed via Twitter.

"Black Lives Matter travels around to political events to disrupt speeches and bully politicians, they show up in restaurants to ruin peoples’ dining experiences, they’ve disrupted military award ceremonies, but mostly they foment trouble in places like Ferguson and Baltimore. Their main goal is to stoke black rage against whites and against police.

"Three militant feminists co-founded the organization: Parisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, an open borders leftist, and Opel Tometi." . . .

How sad that the American voters put these elected officials in place. A nation gets the government it deserves.

Vetting Hillary as we failed to do with Obama. Did she sell US secrets? Updated

terrellaftermath

Email Scandal, Bill's 'Bimbos': '16 Starts Bad For Hillary — Will It End Worse?    . . . "Some are saying this is the smoking gun showing that Clinton broke the law by mishandling classified information.

"But of course, it's not an isolated instance of poor decision-making on her part. So far, we know she's sent at least 1,340 emails that held classified material via her personal, non-secure email.  . . . Fox News is reporting that the FBI probe into her email "has expanded to look at whether the possible 'intersection' of Clinton Foundation work and State Department business may have violated public corruption laws."

"Emails aren't her only problem, though. Husband Bill and his 1990s popularity were supposed to be a formidable asset for her campaign. Instead, he's become a millstone around her neck. She's running as a feminist, but his reputation as a womanizer has become an issue." . . .  Full article 

Noisy Room

Emails reveal Hillary vetted plans to undermine Israel with covert ops    . . . "The second email dated September 24, 2010 comes from Anne-Marie Slaughter, who was Hillary’s Director of Policy Planning at the State Department, and was sent staff-wide to Hillary’s inner circle.  In it, she recommended mobilizing Hillary’s millionaire and billionaire friends to take a “pledge for Palestine” and devote significant portions of their wealth to the Palestinian cause:" . . .

Hillary Clinton believes that 'white terrorism' and 'police violence' are as much a threat as ISIS  "Hillary Clinton took part in the "Brown and Black" candidate forum in Iowa yesterday and laid the pandering on thick to her minority audience.

"She agreed with the moderator who asked her if "white terrorisms and extremism is as much a threat to some in this country as something like ISIS?”

"Her rambling answer starts about 1:20 into the video."

And last - for now - but by no means least:

The real email question: Did Hillary Clinton sell US secrets?  "While the media is focusing your attention on the shiny object that is her email server, the real story is not being told. The circumstantial evidence indicates that Hillary Clinton, or members of her inner circle with her connivance, purloined highly classified US intelligence and either sold it, traded it, or used it for personal gain. This is not a conspiracy theory and it is not hyperbole. Stick with me for a moment."  
Read the full article via Lucianne

Don't Cry for Me, Syria

PJ Media

"At the announcement of his meaningless executive orders on gun control Wednesday, the president appeared to get emotional, tears welling in his eyes at the thought of innocent children being wounded and killed. It seemed out of character for the supposedly “No Drama Obama,” and some questioned his sincerity, provoking the usual outrage from the left."

John FugelsangVerified account‏@JohnFugelsang

People who say Obama fake-cried are essentially accusing him of being as indifferent to mass killings as they are. #StopGunViolence

"Note the false premise in that tweet, and (as usual) inability of leftists to grant any sort of good faith to their political opponents. As it happens, it is, in fact, possible to both be horrified at mass killings, and still disagree about the proposed solutions to them."

. . . 

"For instance, I don’t recall reports of him shedding any tears when, after he declared a “red line” over Syria’s use of chemical and biological weapons, Bashir Assad gassed children to death with chlorine, but perhaps I missed it.

"Did he get all weepy when children were being literally crucified by ISIS for not properly fasting during Ramadan? If so, it went unreported.

"In fact, a Google search of “Obama tears” reveals no other reported instances of presidential lachrymosity. It’s all about Sandy Hook." . . .

"Obama talks tough or at least talks about the concept of being tough. But not with terrorists or ISIS. Just the other day President Obama mocked the idea of bellicose speech when it comes to those bad guys. No, only one set of bad guys elicits strong emotions from Obama: his critics. And among them, most especially Republican ones. Because the only real enemy he’s aware of are enemies of his precious legacy."

Lloyd Marcus asks, At What Point Do Obama Loyalists Begin Asking 'Why'?  Just an excerpt from this lengthy, thought-provoking article:  . . . "Folks, I could go on for days listing Obama's unprecedented assaults and undermining of America and Americans. Still, it would not make a difference to black racists and many Obama walking dead zombies. Nothing will cause them to question Obama's actions." . . .

David French at NRO  . . . "Oh, and like many football players and coaches, Dabo Swinney is a devout and outspoken Christian. In 2014 — before he’d established himself as one of college football’s elite coaches — his faith landed him in the crosshairs of one of America’s most malicious anti-religious organizations, the Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF)." . . .

. . .
"Specifically, the FFRF claimed that Swinney had invited a man named James Trapp to become a team chaplain and gave him access to the team for Bible studies. They also claimed that Swinney scheduled team devotionals and “organized transportation for coaches and players to ‘Church Days.’” "
. . .
"But Swinney held firm, and his university backed him. Swinney’s statement was a model of polite conviction. First, he outlined the three simple rules that every player must follow: “(1) Players must go to class, (2) they must give a good effort, and (3) they must be good citizens.” Next, he noted that he’s recruited players “of many faiths.” Then, he made the crucial point:" . . .
. . .
"Football has enormous cultural power, and it’s thus no surprise that some on the left are trying to drive God off the gridiron. Two years ago, they took aim at a young coach on the rise. He stood strong, and today he’s playing for a national championship and college football’s first 15–0 season." . . .   Full article

Clinton Considered Secret Plan to Spark Palestinian Protests

Washington Free Beacon

"Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton considered a secret plan created by her then-advisers to foment unrest among Palestinian citizens and spark protests in order to push the Israeli government back to the negotiating table, according to emails released as part of the investigation into the Democratic presidential frontrunner’s private email server.

"In a Dec, 18, 2011, email, former U.S. ambassador to Israel Thomas Pickering suggested that Clinton consider a plan to restart then-stalled peace negotiations by kickstarting Palestinian demonstrations against Israel.

"Pickering described the effort as a potential “game changer in the region,” recommending that the United States undertake a clandestine campaign to generate unrest. Clinton requested that his email be printed." . . .