Mcmaster's Denial

Power Line  "General McMaster emerged from the White House last night to read a statement denying the gist of the bombshell Washington Post story by Greg Miller and Greg Jaffe posted earlier yesterday evening. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have reported companion versions of the story.

"Although General McMaster serves as President Trump’s national security adviser at the pleasure of the president, he is a man of unblemished reputation and unusual credibility. His words deserve our attention. This is McMaster’s statement in its entirety:

A brief statement for the record. There is nothing that the president takes more seriously than the security of the American people. The story that came out tonight as reported is false. The president and the [Russian] foreign minister [Sergey Lavrov] reviewed a range of common threats to our two countries, including threats to civil aviation. At no time — at no time — were intelligence sources or methods discussed and the president did not disclose any military operations that were not already publicly known. Two other senior officials who were present, including the secretary of the state, remember the meeting the same way and have said so. Their on the record accounts should outweigh those of anonymous sources. And I was in the room. It didn’t happen. Thanks, everybody.

"As I say, McMaster’s statement appears in the form of a denial. However, close readers such as Josh Marshall and Stephen Green variously explicate the text. The Wall Street Journal reports that President Trump is tweeting his own comments on the story this morning.

"It was reasonable to hope that McMaster’s statement was accurate in its general sense and not only by closely parsing his words or taking advantage of their ambiguity, but it appears that a close reading is in fact warranted if not necessary."

You may recall a young McMaster from his narration of the greatest tank battle in Iraq:

Seth Rich, slain DNC staffer, had contact with WikiLeaks, say multiple sources

Fox News   "The Democratic National Committee staffer who was gunned down on July 10 on a Washington, D.C., street just steps from his home had leaked thousands of internal emails to WikiLeaks, investigative sources told Fox News. 

"A federal investigator who reviewed an FBI forensic report -- generated within 96 hours after DNC staffer Seth Rich's murder -- detailing the contents Rich’s computer said he made contact with WikiLeaks through Gavin MacFadyen, a now-deceased American investigative reporter, documentary filmmaker, and director of WikiLeaks who was living in London at the time.

Did he or didn't he? Murdered DNC staffer Seth Rich 'had WikiLeaks links' according to private investigator  ". . . 'The police department nor the FBI have been forthcoming,' Wheeler told Fox News in a report to be aired today. 

" 'They haven't been cooperating at all. I believe that the answer to solving his death lies on that computer, which I believe is either at the police department or either at the FBI. I have been told both.'

"Mr Wheeler claimed sources have given him 'confirmed' evidence that Mr Rich was in contact with WikiLeaks while a DC police insider has told him they were 'told to stand down on this case'. 

"But in a statement from the family sent to BuzzFeed, the family said: 'we see no facts, have seen no evidence, we have been approached with no evidence and only learned about [Wheeler's claims] when approached by the press.' . . .

Anti-Jihad crusader Robert Spencer poisoned in Iceland

Thomas Lifson  "Political violence by leftists is on the rise, not only in the United States but in Iceland as well, it appears. Robert Spencer, who has devoted his life to combatting the global jihad, was poisoned by a political antagonist, it appears. Writing in Front Page Magazine, he reports on his brush with assassination:

Last Thursday, I gave a lecture on the jihad threat at the Grand Hotel in Reykjavik, Iceland. Shortly thereafter, a young Icelandic Leftist registered his disapproval of what I said by poisoning me.

It happened after the event, when my security chief, the organizers of the event, and Jihad Watch writer Christine Williams, who had also been invited to speak, went with me to a local restaurant to celebrate the success of the evening. 

At this crowded Reykjavik establishment, I was quickly recognized. A young Icelander called me by name, shook my hand, and said he was a big fan. Shortly after that, another citizen of that famously genteel and courteous land also called me by name, shook my hand, and said “F**k you.” 

The anti-Trump press has degraded their institution

Real Clear Politics via Lucianne   "FNC´s Tucker Carlson rips MSNBC hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough for their unprofessional comments about Trump advisor Kellyanne Conway and says the incident is an example of the "hysteria" gripping much of the mainstream media. TUCKER CARLSON: His critic in the media often say that Donald Trump is diminishing the American presidency... But it is also true that in covering Trump the way they have, many journalists and have degraded and humiliated themselves. There are countless example, but watch this one..." More at the link.

The Media-Democratic Party Suicide Pact  . . . "The Democrats in Congress dutifully follow suit like Pavlov's dogs.  They care not a whit whether their charges are based in fact.  Hence, "fake news."   The mainstream media folk invented it, this "resistance," and they are running with it, day after day after day.   They devised the game plan, and they are sanctimonious in their defense of it.  Like the Russia meme they keep peddling, they go at it from every angle in the pitiable belief that they can convince the American people that they elected the wrong person." . . .   Patricia McCarthy

Case in point:
CNN Devotes Two Segments to Trump’s ‘Executive Privilege’ for Eating Two Scoops of Ice Cream

Prominent Democratic Feminist Camille Paglia Says Hillary Clinton ‘Exploits Feminism’

Free Beacon   "Camille Paglia is a woman of seeming contradictions. She’s a lesbian who thinks homosexuality is not normal, a Democrat who often criticizes the party’s 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, a self-described "transgender being" who calls sex changes for children "abuse," and a feminist who says abortion is "murder." 

"Decades after she burst onto the scene with her best-selling book Sexual Personae, Paglia is back with a timely commentary on sex and gender. Her recent book Free Women, Free Men argues, among other things, that feminism is "stunting the maturation of both girls and boys" and that "if women seek freedom, they must let men too be free."

"Paglia talked to the Washington Free Beacon about a variety of topics including Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D., Mass.) alleged populism, Megyn Kelly's performance as a moderator during the first Republican presidential primary debate, and whether misogyny played a role in Hillary Clinton's failed 2016 presidential bid.

[The Beacon asks:] "You say in your new book that feminism’s "sex war" has stunted the maturation of both girls and boys. What do you think is the end result of that?
[Ms. Paglia answers:] "Second-wave feminism went off the track when it started to demonize men and blame them for all the evils in human history." . . .

Jeff Davis monument comes down after 106 years

"New Orleans city workers Thursday hauled away the forty-foot-high statue of Jefferson Davis from a downtown park. The anguish could be felt all the way to Washington. All week long the Democrats have been yelling for the president’s removal but they didn’t mean for it to be a Democrat."  Comedian Argus Hamilton

 WWLTV  "Dozens of vocal opponents and proponents of Confederate-era monuments gathered shortly after midnight as the second of the four Confederate-era monuments was being prepared to be removed from its location.

"The two factions were separated behind barricades, just feet apart from each other. Shouts, insults and profanity laced the verbal exchanges. 

"The Jefferson Davis Memorial was removed about two and a half weeks after the monument to the Battle of Liberty Place was taken down. Still slated for removal, at a time to be determined, are the statue of Robert E. Lee at Lee Circle and the statue of P.G.T. Beauregard at the entrance to City Park. There is no timetable for their removal, though Landrieu has said repeatedly that it would happen "sooner rather than later.' " . . .

AP reports on a ‘sort of boomlet’ due to Trump’s approval of pipeline

Thomas Lifson  "President Trump's leadership already is making one part of America great again: North Dakota.  The Trump administration's timely approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline already is providing a shot of adrenalin to the North Dakota economy.  Even better, the long-term benefits are substantial and will continue long after construction is completed and it is in use, in about a month.  James MacPherson of the Associated Press reports:

More than two years after the state's unprecedented oil bonanza fizzled to a lull, North Dakota – the nation's No. 2 oil producer behind Texas – is experiencing a sort of boomlet that has pushed daily production back above 1 million barrels daily.

"There is a long-term optimism that was not here just a year ago," said Williston Republican Sen. Brad Bekkedahl, whose western North Dakota district is in the epicenter of the state's oil-producing region.

Industry officials and others say the uptick comes from a bump in crude prices, regulatory certainty with the more drill-friendly Trump administration, better technology, and the prospect of nearly half of the state's crude coursing through the disputed Dakota Access Pipeline, which could open markets abroad where top prices are typically fetched.  . . . 

California Dems Take Off The Mask… Vote For Communists In Government Job

Noisy Room  "California is ripping off her mask and coming out of the red closet. They passed a bill last week that would no longer make it a firing offense for being a communist. We’ve known forever that the entire state is rife with commies… at least now, they’ve made it nice and legal to be one. You can still be fired for being part of a group that seeks to overthrow the government by force or violence, but who are we kidding? They are all for anyone seeking to remove President Trump. Considering Berkeley is ground zero for Antifa, you get my point." . . .

. . . 

"Next stop for the bill is the Senate where it is expected to pass easily. Assemblyman Voepel is right… the communists of Russia, China and North Korea are still very much a threat and are woven into our society. They are our enemies and they are among us. Most government agencies and schools are rife with them. The communists are currently winning the fight and Americans better wake up to the fact that they are being subjected to a coup from within and fast. The communists are more emboldened each passing day." Video

Progressives openly signaling the arrival of political violence as a tactic to obtain power

Thomas Lifson   "The message is being sent out loud and clear: the American left is moving toward violence as a tactic in its quest to grab the political power to which it believes it is entitled.  John Daniel Davidson is absolutely correct in his observation that the "The American Left is talking itself into Violence."  He cites a lot of examples.  Here is a sample:

Jennifer Carnahan, the new chairwoman of the Minnesota Republican Party, received a torrent of racist hate mail and at least one threat of physical violence that forced her from her home for a weekend. Carnahan, who is Korean-American, was targeted after publically apologizing and calling for the resignation of those responsible for an offensive image posted to the 7th Congressional District Republicans Facebook page.

It didn't matter that Carnahan didn't post the image, or that she did everything right. The folks sending the hate mail called her racist, and threw a few racial epithets directly at her for good measure.

Last month, left-wing activists in Oregon caused the cancellation of the 82nd Avenue of Roses Parade by threatening to drag "fascists" off the parade route – and by fascists, they meant the Republican Party of Multanomah County. In an email, the activists warned, "we will have two hundred or more people rush into the parade into the middle and drag and push those people out as we will not give one inch to groups who espouse hatred toward lgbt, immigrants, people of color or others."

. . .  "Good trouble" is a wonderful (yet horrifying) catchphrase.  It is memorable and readily defensible.  Yet in the minds of the violent factions of the left, it can be appropriated to provide blanket permission to misbehave.  The expression "good trouble" can be picked up by anyone from nonviolent demonstrators seeking "symbolic arrests" to antifa thugs to (God forbid) potential future Weathermen-like terrorists.

"From the standpoint of Lewis, it is not an explicit call to violence, of course.  He is citing nonviolent Civil Rights-era heroes, and he is one himself.  So he is bulletproof in uttering these words.  But his words exist in the context that John Daniel Davidson chronicles."

SJW Mom Triggered by Confederate Rug Shows Us How NOT to Fake a Hate Hoax

PJ Media

"This sounds like a joke and really should be a joke, but is, in fact, a real event that happened in Portland (of course). Heather Franklin, a social justice warrior (SJW) who resides in Portland, went shopping at a local store and had a full-fledged flip out over a rug for sale that had a Confederate flag on it. Then she filmed it, complete with hysterical, contrived sobbing for all of us to laugh at. The sobbing began when a man she had just accused of being a racist and of enjoying "black rape" followed her out of the store and filmed her from a great distance. One can only surmise he was filming her to make sure she wasn't doing damage to the property after verbally freaking out inside the store and trying to manufacture a hate crime.  The shameless lying in this video is absurd. See for yourself:" . . .

Chuck Schumer’s Threat To Block New FBI Director Shows Democratic Incompetence

RedState  "One of the pillars of advice in Sun Tzu’s ‘The Art of War’ is “The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” Similarly, Napoleon’s (at least it’s attributed to him) advice to “Never interfere with the enemy when he is in the process of destroying himself,” is wise counsel Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer should follow."

"As we wrote earlier, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is open to blocking whoever Trump’s nominee is to head up the FBI unless Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appoints a special prosecutor to investigate links between the Trump campaign and the Russian government." . . .

. . . "With the threat of blocking a nominee, the Democrats set themselves up to be the bad guys, particularly if Trump chooses somebody who would otherwise be a consensus choice.

"It’s fascinating to watch. Donald Trump keeps shooting himself in the foot, and instead of sitting back, allowing it to happen, Schumer is grabbing the gun from Trump and firing shots into both of his own feet.

"Odd as it may be, it is Democrats these days who are always overplaying their hand."

WND

Throwing Shade: Maxine Waters Town Hall in Inglewood, CA

"She gets lots of attention because she likes to throw shade (urban slang for constantly insulting someone) at Donald Trump, Republicans, and just about anyone else you can think of."

Townhall

. . . "A wrecking ball of stupidity, Waters has faced token opposition all her career. For all of her bluster, Maxine Waters has run the South LA, Hawthorne, Inglewood, and Gardena regions into the ground
for nearly 3 decades. What does she have to show for it? Zero.

"I have long wanted to confront Waters on her record of professional failure. Then four days ago, I got word that Waters was hosting a town hall in Inglewood. Unlike previous town halls, I took clear steps to ensure that I would be protected ahead of time. Trump supporters don’t just find themselves behind enemy lines, I have sadly found that any outcry of displeasure or disapproval means that I
get escorted out. This is the fate of the First Amendment in deep blue sections of California.

"Or is it? Election 2016 was a rousing success for Republicans across the country, and even in deep blue California, Trump did better than Romney in 2012. Where? Oakland—Governor Moonbeam’s stomping ground; Compton, which has not elected a Republican to Congress since the late 1970s.

"And Inglewood. Check this article from the Sacramento Bee if you do not believe me. How to explain this? Trump resonated with black voters because of his vocal opposition to illegal immigration, which is eviscerating black communities." . . .