Please spare us the sob signalling over David Bowie

You mean like this?

The Spectator  . . . "From the word go, the level of sheer asininity of the guest commentators on BBC Breakfast was truly remarkable – surely the saddest legacy a creative person can leave is stupid fans. ‘He knew a lot of stuff about a lot of things.’ ‘The last great PR stunt of his life.’ ‘I didn’t know him well, to be honest,’ admitted Mick Ronson’s daughter, wiping the sleep from her eyes. ‘He always wanted to be himself’ said someone – NO HE DIDN’T, he made up CHARACTERS! " . . .  Ziggy Stardust, for example.
And this?

Even The Onion has its take on the SOTU

From The Onion; repeat: the Onion:  Obama Praises Own Strength, Resilience In Face Of Hardship During State Of The Union
"WASHINGTON—Recounting in detail the numerous struggles and tribulations of the past seven years, an impassioned President Obama loftily praised his own strength and resilience in the face of adversity Tuesday evening during his final State of the Union address. “In my two terms in office, this country has faced unprecedented challenges both at home and abroad, but if there is one constant amid this turmoil, if there’s one truth we can all hold onto, it’s that through it all I have remained steadfast and resolute—my perseverance never ceases to amaze me,” said Obama, his voice swelling with pride and conviction as he noted how, time and again, he has withstood every attack or heartache that has befallen him. “From the BP oil spill, to gun violence, to ISIS—I have met every hardship with the deepest resolve. Consider how truly inspiring that is. It is a testament to my incredible determination. My fellow Americans, these are trying times, but knowing what I know about me, about the type of good person I am, there is no doubt in my mind that I will get through whatever I encounter and emerge stronger on the other side.” Obama added that it was precisely this indomitable spirit that made America great."  Source: The Onion

Gitmo 'High-Risk' Prisoner Released; Vows to Kill Americans

But still the country adores Obama

Clarion Project   "Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Awn al-Shamrani is on record as vowing to 'kill Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan,' if he was ever let go."

"America released a recruiter for al-Qaeda from Guantánamo. Muhammad Abd al-Rahman Awn al-Shamrani, 40, considered a “high-risk prisoner” is on record as vowing to “kill Americans in Iraq and Afghanistan,” if he was ever let go from the prison.

"Al-Shamrani, originally from Saudi Arabia, will be transferred back to the desert kingdom.

The deal with the Clinton devil is over

"Once untouchable, Hillary and Bill are getting pounded"

Monica Crowley

"Live by Bubba, die by Bubba.

"Something has shifted when it comes to the treatment and perception of the Clintons, and it threatens their joint political ambitions like nothing before it.

"For nearly a quarter of a century, the Clintons have been politically bulletproof. No charge, regardless of how salacious, illegal and true, seemed to stick. When they detected incoming fire, they activated their tried-and-true protocol: deny, stonewall, deflect and claim that the nation’s business was too important — they were too important — to respond: “I need to get back to work for the American people.” Exit left. Get protection from the leftist mainstream media.

"They were untouchable, having created a cult of personality rivaled (and surpassed) only by President Obama.

"Until now." . . .   Read the entire article

WE'RE ALL RUTH BADER GINSBURG NOW

"The Constitution says: "No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.'" 

Ann Coulter  "If Ted Cruz is a "natural born citizen," eligible to be president, what was all the fuss about Obama being born in Kenya? No one disputed that Obama's mother was a U.S. Citizen. 
"
Cruz was born in Canada to an American citizen mother and an alien father. If he's eligible to be president, then so was Obama -- even if he'd been born in Kenya. 

"As with most constitutional arguments, whether or not Cruz is a "natural born citizen" under the Constitution apparently comes down to whether you support Cruz for president. (Or, for liberals, whether you think U.S. citizenship is a worthless thing that ought to be extended to every person on the planet.) 

"Forgetting how corrupt constitutional analysis had become, I briefly believed lawyers who assured me that Cruz was a “natural born citizen,” eligible to run for president, and “corrected” myself in a single tweet three years ago. That tweet’s made quite a stir! 

"But the Constitution is the Constitution, and Cruz is not a "natural born citizen." (Never let the kids at Kinko's do your legal research.) " . . .

'13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi': The Security Contractors Have Their Say

" . . .but it's clear that director Michael Bay has taken sides in the debate about what happened on the ground that night.  Oh yes there was a "stand-down order."

PJ Media

LA Times

"13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is not just an entertaining movie, it's a 144-minute rebuttal to everything the Obama administration has been saying about the attack since it took place on September 11, 2012.

"The "true story" of Benghazi as told by the secret soldiers is a powerful rebuke to the "tall tales" that were told by the White House, the State Department and their defenders. There was no "fog of war" that prevented the Department of Defense from sending military assets to Benghazi -- just a foggy narrative that was created by the commander in chief and secretary of State to explain the debacle without looking weak and feckless two months before an election.

"The movie is based on the book of the same name, written by Boston University journalism professor Mitchell Zuckoff with the five CIA contractors who were on the ground in Benghazi that night: Jack Silva, Mark "Oz" Geist, John "Tig" Tiegen, Kris "Tanto" Paronto, and Dave "Boon" Benton.

" 'Jack Silva" (played by “The Office" alum John Krasinski) and “Dave Benton” (played by David Denman) are pseudonymous names because their real identities have not been revealed." . . .

. . . 

The film depicts the men's sense of abandonment over and over again.

LA Times: '13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi,' from Michael Bay, revisits a battle

. . . " '13 Hours" indeed focuses tightly on what happened on the ground — per Bay and several writers' research — during the period a U.S. diplomatic outpost was attacked and a small group of security contractors took up arms to defend it. Among the film's core messages is the selflessness of the fighters, many of whom were near the end of their tours — and, to top it off, had to beg their disapproving CIA boss to let them put their lives on the line.

"But though explicit politicking is absent — Bay and the cast say partisan fingerpointing was far from their minds — the combination of an emotional movie with a U.S. official's death abroad could be read as a broadside against President Obama's administration and then-secretary of State  Hillary Clinton — or at least be used by others to that end." . . .

Two Specter Gunships were ready and waiting to go into action.

Stealing America: "What My Experience with Criminal Gangs Taught Me About Obama, Hillary, and the Democratic Party "

American Thinker

Stealing America: What My Experience with Criminal Gangs Taught Me About Obama, Hillary, and the Democratic Party, by Dinesh D’Souza, Broadside Books

 

Stealing America, the book

. . . "Democrats, however, through a reversal of traditional American values, seek to acquire power by vilifying wealth-creators and rewarding “victims” with trickle-down shares of the national loot -- all while portraying themselves as righteous advocates of social justice.  
. . . 
"To carry out their grand political heist, Democrats must marshal the emotions and votes of an army of envious underlings -- stoking resentment among minorities, women, the poor, immigrants, gays, and other potential victim groups."
. . . 
"Stealing America is also filled with raw conversations between D’Souza and fellow inmates -- exchanges that provide significant insight into the world these criminals and their hapless government overseers inhabit.

"At the very least D’Souza’s experience with the legal system provides one excellent example of the overlap between the “psychology of crookedness” and the motives and methods of progressive politics.  His poignant analyses of the Clintons, the two Obamas, and Saul Alinsky, however, provide considerably more fodder for an audacious thesis."    

Wow: GOP Rep. Delivered Ultimate Slap To Obama’s Face DURING SOTU- TV Cameras Hid It…

"My seat on the floor of Congress will also be empty. I will be in the Member’s chapel praying for God to raise up a leader whom he will use to restore the Soul of America.

Western Journalism

"Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, walked out of the State of the Union message Tuesday night to leave his seat empty in memory of the victims of abortion and to protest Barack Obama’s lawless presidency. The representative added that he would be in the Members’ chapel, praying that a better leader will follow the current chief executive.

"As reported by Western Journalism, last week, President Obama announced that he would be leaving a seat next to his wife open to recognize the victims of gun violence. “They need the rest of us to speak for them. To tell their stories. To honor their memory,” the White House said in a written statement.

"Yesterday, Rep. King released a statement indicating that he too would be leaving an empty seat: his own. “I can’t abide being lectured to one last time,” he said. "
. . .

How to Respond to Iran

Michael Rubin at Commentary

. . . "Yesterday’s episode follows an April 2015 incident in which the IRGC briefly seized a ship it believed was U.S.-flagged. It suffered no consequence for its actions.

"Red lines are defined in force, not in rhetoric. Perhaps it’s time to remember Ronald Reagan and Operation Praying Mantis. After the USS Samuel B. Roberts struck an Iran-laid mine in the Persian Gulf, an incident which caused no deaths, Reagan ordered the U.S. Navy to retaliate by destroying guns and military equipment on an Iranian oil platform. In order to minimize loss of life, the U.S. Navy warned the occupants of the platform first. When the Iranian navy and air force tried to defend the platform, the U.S. navy engaged and, in what would become the largest surface naval battle since World War II, the U.S. Navy largely sank their Iranian counterparts." . . .
. . .

"It’s would be healthy for a new generation of [Iranian] commanders to learn the same lesson their predecessors did: To mess with any U.S. sailor or ship is to precipitate a cost too high for Iran to bear. To do nothing is an alternative that would not bring peace, but would instead embolden a regime to engage in even more outrageous, destructive, or lethal rogue behavior."

The 2016 State of the Union address

ISIS’s latest slaughter puts the lie to Obama’s happy talk

‘Legacy’ of one comes at cost of security of many   "What irony. The weakness of this administration was once again the real story."
Politico: Obama hangs up his magic wand   . . . "Arms on the podium, hands clasped, leaning into the microphone making swipe after told-ya-so swipe — he wasn’t waiting for vindication anymore. He was taking it for himself." . . .

IBD: Are You Better Off Than You Were 7 Years Ago?  "Obama gave his eighth and final SOTU address after we went to press. But we're on safe ground predicting that he spent a good chunk of it praising himself."

Making America Grate Again by Jonah Goldberg at NRO  . . . "Cut through the rhetoric and the message was the same as ever: If you agree with me, you’re reasonable.  It was all so tediously familiar and grating I couldn’t wait for it to end (much like Obama’s presidency)."

Here comes the dreaded word "period" again: Obama: ‘America Is the Most Powerful Nation -- Period’  
Chutzpa with a straight face:   . . . "Surveys show [our] standing around the world is higher than when I was elected to this office and when it comes to every important international issue, people of the world do not look to Beijing or Moscow to lead, they call us."

Obama’s Shameful Iraq Remark  "The lesson of Iraq is that after American troops achieved stability, Mr. Obama quit, leading to a larger war and more American deaths."

Bernie Suggests Obama Copied Him in SOTU Speech

“This was less a state of the union than it was a state of denial”

On a related note, David Brooks of the New York Times", who once said that Obama deserved credit for the neat crease in his pants, has decided that Cruz isn’t sufficiently Christian: . . . 

"Reverend Jeremiah Wright couldn’t be reached for comment."

Allen West "President Obama’s final State of the Union address was 59 minutes in length and brilliantly delivered. Now, the bad news."
"President Obama talked about giving everyone a "fair shot" at opportunity in a new economy. First of all, who defines what a "fair shot" is? It appears that this is just more coded language for government-guaranteed equality of outcomes."

The only three takeaways you need from Obama’s Last State of the Union speech.
"To sum up: this is the State of the Union address that the country largely deserved, honestly.  The country voted this man in twice, and that’s something that we’re going to have to live with for the rest of our lives.  If there is a fourth takeaway to this speech, it is this: we must never let a man like Barack Obama be President, ever again. You do not have the luxury of shrugging things like this off. If you do not take politics and your duties as a citizen seriously, this is what we will have to face."

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?