Donald Trump: Defender of the Faith

What on earth happened to Cruz's evangelicals?

Charles Krauthammer

. . . "Cruz had done all the groundwork to win evangelicals and sweep the South by putting together strong alliances with local pastors and leaders. And yet, outside Oklahoma and Texas, he lost them to Trump bystunning margins — by 21 points in Alabama, 13 in Georgia, 14 in Tennessee, 16 in Virginia and 36 in, of all places, Massachusetts.

"How could this have happened? A more scripturally, spiritually flawed man than Trump would be hard to find. As several anti-Trump evangelical voiceshave argued, Christian witness cannot possibly support a thrice-married man with such an impressive list of sins, featuring especially spectacular displays of the seven deadlys.

"These theological arguments are both eloquent and impassioned but, in this season of fear and anxiety, beside the point. This time around, evangelicals are not looking for someone like them. They’re looking for someone who will protect them." . . .

The "2 Corinthians" gaffe sparked many reactions

. . .  "Several students at the Christian university corrected Trump’s mistake on the spot, while other critics took to Twitter to poke fun at Trump using the freshly minted meme, “Two Corinthians walk into a bar…' ”

The Ben Carson watch . . .

Looking for new info at bencarson.com  So far, only Dr. Carson's statement on March 2nd:

I have decided not to attend the Fox News GOP Presidential Debate tomorrow night in Detroit.  Even though I will not be in my hometown of Detroit on Thursday, I remain deeply committed to my home nation, America.  I do not see a political path forward in light of last evening’s Super Tuesday primary results. However, this grassroots movement on behalf of “We the People” will continue. Along with millions of patriots who have supported my campaign for President, I remain committed to Saving America for Future Generations. We must not depart from our goals to restore what God and our Founders intended for this exceptional nation.

Hillary Emails Betrayed Whereabouts of Murdered Ambassador Chris Stevens

Breitbart via Weasel Zippers.

"An email containing the whereabouts and plans of murdered U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens passed through Hillary Clinton’s private server, dispatches released Monday in the final group of messages from Clinton’s emails reveal.

"The email was actually first released last May but was contained in Monday’s batch as well, serving as a reminder that numerous emails sent to Clinton’s private address betrayed Stevens’ location while he was stationed in arguably one of the most dangerous zones in the world for an American diplomat.

"The email in question was written Sunday, April 10, 2011 by State employee Timmy Davis and sent to the State email addresses of other employees, including Clinton’s then-foreign policy aide, Jacob Sullivan and Clinton’s senior aide.

"Abedin forwarded the message to Clinton. At the time, Stevens was the U.S. envoy to the Libyan rebels."   The email read:

The situation in Ajdabiyah has worsened to the point where Stevens is considering departure from Benghazi. The envoy’s delegation is currently doing a phased checkout (paying the hotel bills, moving some comms to the boat, etc). He will monitor the situation to see if it deteriorates further, but no decision has been made on departure. He will wait 2-3 more hours, then revisit the decision on departure.

 

Muslim ‘refugees’ refuse food parcels because of the Red Cross on the boxes!

JewsNews   "Just in case you didn’t know what’s headed your way as hundreds of thousands of Middle Eastern migrants mass to invade Europe!

"This is one video that the BBC most certainly won’t let you see!

"This stunning footage shows the ungrateful Muslim mob on the Greek/Macedonian border waving away food parcels because they are offended by the red crosses that have been on the boxes since 1864." . . .

"When the weary soldiers turn back the crowd cheers. Note also the ‘One God – Allah’ one finger ISIS* salutes.  Something wicked this way comes!"

*shown used by Obama here:

Chief justice rejects plea to block air pollution rule

Another victory for this Petulant President. 

The Hill

"Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts rejected a plea Thursday to block a contentious air pollution rule for power plants in a big victory for the Obama administration.

"Roberts’s order came despite his court’s 5-4 decision last year ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulation, known as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards, is illegal.

"Michigan led a group of 20 states last month — empowered by the Supreme Court’s recent unprecedented decision to halt the EPA’s carbon dioxide rule for power plants — in asking the court to live up to its ruling last year and block the regulation’s enforcement.  

“ 'Unless this court stays or enjoins further operation of the Mercury and Air Toxics rule, this court’s recent decision in Michigan v. EPA will be thwarted,” the states wrote in a Feb. 23 filing with the court.

“ 'A stay or injunction is appropriate because this court has already held that the finding on which the rule rests in unlawful and beyond EPA’s statutory authority.' ” . . .

Doctor Ben Carson in today's commentary

I hope this good and decent man goes out with the same class and dignity that was made manifest throughout his life and his campaign. TD

Carson close to ending campaign   . . . "Carson was easily the nicest candidate in the field, who rarely had an unkind word for his opponents. But in a campaign so incendiary, so toxic, he was drowned out by the bombast coming from others.  That, and his frightening ignorance of national security issues, led to his eventual downfall." Rick Moran

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Ben Carson tells supporters he sees 'no path forward'

“We, as Americans, can and must do better than that,” Carson said. “We have a process, an electoral process. That is a process that I’m in the process of following and will continue to follow and will continue to listen to our millions of supporters and we’ll act accordingly.”

 Video at the link  

Some see a chance of Ben Carson joining Trump  "Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson looks to be dropping out of the presidential race, despite multiple declarations to the contrary on Super Tuesday. He will skip out on Thursday night's debate, and he has openly declared that he does "not see a political path forward." Carson will speak on Friday at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), where he is expected to drop out of the race. If so, whom will he endorse?"

RedState is more critical of Carson than many I don't like the writer's use of the word "scam", but do wonder if Carson is out or just holding his place.

The Closing Chapter of Ben Carson’s Campaign   "Yes, his campaign dragged on for far too long, and he stumbled forward in denial of basic electoral realities and his own weaknesses as a candidates, Yes, he generated so few votes for so much eagerly donated grassroots money. Ben Carson didn’t enter this race a policy expert, but his heart always seemed to be in the right place. He wasn’t up to speed on the details, but he almost always seemed to see the big picture right — and perhaps more importantly, he could say he had lived by the right values. Every high schooler in America ought to hear about Carson’s life story and his ability to overcome adversity. Some presidential front-runners come out of the blue and you wonder what a fickle primary electorate sees in that figure; in Carson, the appeal was clear."

Trump, Trump, Trump; 24 hours a day.

http://terrellaftermath.com/

I don't see Gov. Christie as a vice-president, even with his attack-dog qualifications, but picture him as Attorney General. TD

Rush feels bad for Gov. Christie  " Yeah, I'm sitting here thinking about Chris Christie.  This is another one of these things that won't go away.  They're making fun of the guy.  They're literally destroying the guy.  And I'm sure that Christie, when he endorsed Trump, I think he probably thought it was gonna be heralded, you know, a great move, courageous move. . . . And instead he's standing behind Trump last night on the stage not knowing how to do it. "

Victor Davis Hanson on how to fight Donald Trump  . . . "The problem for Trump is not just that he cannot score points on ideas and so he monotonously strikes back with ad hominem slurs, but also that, off the cuff and in passing, he is capable of saying almost anything. Over two hours, those anythings — especially when they are windows into his past and his present values — finally add up." . . .

So far, Trump wins open primaries and Cruz wins closed … and the calendar is starting to change toward more closed primaries

The Volokh Conspiracy

"Following the South Carolina primary, an interesting article by Michael Harrington went around Facebook that speculated that Donald Trump’s victory in the South Carolina primary was attributable to Democrats voting in the Republican (open) primary. One of the good things about Harrington’s article is that he put out a testable hypothesis — that turnout in the Democratic primary a few days later would be less than 390,000. In fact, it was 367,000. Harrington concludes that had South Carolina had a closed primary, Ted Cruz would have won the primary there. I don’t know him and the author seems to be anti-Trump based on other things he has written — but the fact that his prediction was borne out adds some independent verification to his thesis. So that got me to thinking."

Former CIA Director: Obama Threw Us under the Bus

Is there anyone Obama would not throw under any bus, anywhere and at any time? The Tunnel Dweller

"(This is the second of two interviews with Michael Hayden.)"

Elise Cooper  . . . "Support was not forthcoming for those in the intelligence community.  The book discusses how the Obama administration, which includes but is not limited to people such as John Brennan, attempted to change the legal and political landscape.  The current CIA director, Brennan, appeared to have a revisionist memory when he recently said on 60 Minutes that he had misgivings and concerns about the Enhanced Interrogation Program.  When asked, Haydenreferred to the Showtime documentary Spymasters.  In it, George Tenet, Brennan's boss, said that Brennan had never raised concerns, never expressed discomfort, and never said it should be stopped.

" 'But more importantly, what Hayden wants to focus upon is that America should be "capturing terrorists and detaining them for interrogation.  How we get to that point is to elect another president.  This president grabs someone only if he can put them in an article III court, instead of treating them as enemy combatants.' " . . .

The author writes for American Thinker.  She has done book reviews and author interviews and has written a number of national security, political, and foreign policy articles.

How will a devious, ruthless Clinton escape from all this? Oppo research maybe?

FBI grants immunity to Clinton staffer who set up email server  "This could be the beginning of the end for Hillary’s political career, with the now immunized Bryan Pagliano, no mere IT tech, but rather a member of Hillary’s 2008 campaign, free to sing like a bird and implicate others in a criminal conspiracy.

"Or not.

"Adam Goldman of the Washington Post broke the story:" . . .

. . . This could set off a cascade of witnesses flipping, to avoid prison, by implicating their superiors.  William Jacobson of Legal Insurrection outlines the process:

Several months ago, Kemberlee predicted that getting a State Department employee to flip on Hillary would be the key, Some dare say conspiracy: Who will be first Hillary aide to flip on her?: . . .

. . . "This blows to hell the Hillary camp contention that this is just a security review.  It is now unmistakably a criminal inquiry, and immunity is not casually granted.  Usually it means that there is something specific of a criminal nature that is being sought, and that the recipient of the immunity is a smaller fish.

"And who would the big fish be?" . . .   

By Thomas Lifson

I suppose Hillary's oppo research team looking for dirt on Republican candidates is also looking for juicy bits on possible prosecutors in her case.  Let's hope that FBI Director Comey -among others - is as clean as a whistle. TD

Here is the Legal Insurrection article: Hillary email scandal moves into flip flip flip phase   . . . "As I said earlier, Bernie Sanders just needs to hang on long enough, Bernie playing to box out other candidates after Hillary indicted.

"Until Huma flips. Then it’s all over."

Hillary can silence Huma with the threat to release nude photos of her husband. Oh, wait...never mind.

Comey Speaks, Tersely   "On the rare occasions when she is asked about the FBI investigation arising from her use of an insecure email server to conduct official business as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton refers to it as “a security review.” It is, moreover, “a security review” that “was requested,” as though the FBI is doing someone a favor. The woman lies with the ease and abandon of a pathological liar.
(Emphasis mine, TD)

"Clinton makes it sound routine. The FBI, however, does not perform “security reviews.” It conducts criminal investigations. Its handling of the Clinton email matter clearly constitutes a criminal investigation."

. . . Note Comey’s use of the term “investigation” to describe the FBI’s work on the matter. Note also his proclamation of involvement in it. Whatever the outcome, he will bear responsibility." . . . 

As Presidential Campaign Unfolds, So Do Inquiries Into Clinton’s Emails

. . . "As Hillary Clinton moves toward the Democratic presidential nomination, she faces legal hurdles from her use of a private computer server as secretary of state that could jar her campaign’s momentum in the months ahead. Foremost among a half-dozen inquiries and legal proceedings into whether classified information was sent through Mrs. Clinton’s server is an investigation by the F.B.I., whose agents, according to one law enforcement official, could seek to question Mrs. Clinton’s closest aides and possibly the candidate herself within weeks." . . . 

Obama: The Lamest Duck; A Devastating Column by Victor Davis Hanson

. . . There is so far no Obama legacy, except the creation of Donald Trump, a $20 trillion debt and zero interest rates—and the gift of flat energy prices that came despite not because of Obama’s efforts. . .

Victor Davis Hanson

. . . "His hard-left politics have insidiously eroded the Democratic Party, which has lost both houses of Congress and the vast majority of the state legislatures, state elected offices, and governorships. Obama has redefined the black vote, as a necessary, no-margin-of-error 95% bloc majority to offset his similar creation of an increasingly monolithic 65% bloc white vote. We are no longer individual voters, but, in Chicago-politics style, merely faceless “Latinos,” “Asians,” “African-Americans,” “gays,” “women,” and now “whites.”

"Obama issues a new initiative—and the nation snoozes. He wastes the day on the golf links—and the nation snoozes. He smear his critics, invites a rapper to the White House whose latest album cover has a dead white judge lying in front of the White House—and the nation snoozes. He cozies up to America’s enemies and snubs our friends—and the nation snoozes. For the nth time, he blusters about closing down Guantanamo—and the nation snoozes. He opens the border even wider to welcome in more illegal aliens and future constituents—and the nation snoozes. Lame duckestry means not even being able to wake up your opponents." . . .

There is so far no Obama legacy, except the creation of Donald Trump, a $20 trillion debt and zero interest rates—and the gift of flat energy prices that came despite not because of Obama’s efforts. Almost every major bureaucracy is awash in scandal or charges of incompetence. The common theme of the disasters at the GSA, EPA, ICE, IRS, NASA, Secret Service, and VA is ideological subversion and ingrained hostility to meritocracy. Would anyone be surprised that another government official pled the 5th, created fake email personas, resigned at 5 PM on a Friday afternoon, declared a foremost mission Muslim outreach, or withheld subpoenaed documents?

Obama's legacy includes black-white animosity, hatred for the police and targets on the backs of law enforcement and merchants in the streets of Obama's cities. TD

Please post your reasons for disagreeing with my words here: 

A former Soviet citizen writes: "When Bernie honeymooned at Lenin’s Tomb"

. . . Still, many Westerners, Sanders among them, liked to draw comparisons, and some, even after they saw our circumstances, continued to insist that the basic needs in the Soviet Union were covered by the government.  We understood that many of those espousing these views were some sort of commies and thought of them as basically good people but hopelessly naive."

 When Bernie honeymooned at Lenin’s Tomb

 

"Strange it was because, lets face it, not all newlyweds surround themselves with an entourage of 10, hob-nob with provincial nomenclatura and tour Lenin’s tomb."

. . .  "Although the free spirit from Vermont fancied his “foreign policy” to be some sort of an antidote to the warmongering Reagan, his Yaroslavl partnership came on the coattails of the 40th president who ushered in the friendliest relationship we ever had with Russia.

"If the mayor’s guided tour of Russia was some kind of foreign policy exercise, I feel a bit let down because, as far as I can tell, Bernie didn’t utter a word about freedom.  We in the Soviet Union were taking steps towards liberalization, and not a word of encouragement from this American official?

. . .  "Russian media doesn’t pay much attention to American elections at this early stage, and, in as much as they do, they prefer populist Trump to socialist Sanders."

After noting the naivete' of liberal Americans, the author then catalogs the misconceptions they have of socialism. First healthcare:

. . .  Bernie’s observation about free healthcare in the Soviet Union was a common misconception because increasing number of doctors were paid under the table.  My own grandfather was a doctor; he completed his studies shortly before the Bolsheviks consolidated the power in what is now Ukraine.  He worked a government job, and, returning home, took clients there, charging them the market rate.  He made a comfortable living for us."Underground moonlighting jobs were very common in the Soviet Union because the paycheck from the government could not sustain a family." . . .  "Presuming, as Sanders did, that the cost of healthcare and housing in the Soviet Union was approaching zero, the question arises, on what kind of shiny toys did the Soviet subjects spent their immense wealth?"

Then she comments on the socialist economy:

 . . . It’s not an exaggeration to say that every Soviet adult was involved in some kind of black market transactions.  There was a lot of frustration, among intelligentsia especially, that one simply could not make an honest living in that country.  To live not by lie, as in Solzhenitsin’s famous dictum, was not an option.  Yet the enormity of the Soviet black market somehow escaped Bernie.

 Ill-informed Utopians like Bernie-class liberals just did not impress those who had lived their lives under socialism.

. . . "Still, many Westerners, Sanders among them, liked to draw comparisons, and some, even after they saw our circumstances, continued to insist that the basic needs in the Soviet Union were covered by the government.  We understood that many of those espousing these views were some sort of commies and thought of them as basically good people but hopelessly naive."

. . . "Sanders says he wants to usher in a Scandinavian-style socialist democracy.  Setting aside the discussion that Scandinavia is not as socialist as Sanders imagines it to be, the United States is a lot more like Russia: a vast, ungovernable country."