Trump expresses support for Iranian protests as regime’s hard-liners counter opposition

Just as Obama should have been president enough to have stood for the Iranian people against the mullahs. We could now have been less one major world threat. But then Obama always respected our enemies than our allies. TD

Washington Times

"President Trump voiced support Saturday for Iranians protesting in the streets against their government, saying Tehran’s oppressive regime “cannot endure forever.”

“The entire world understands that the good people of Iran want change, and, other than the vast military power of the United States, that Iran’s people are what their leaders fear the most,” Mr. Trump tweeted. “Oppressive regimes cannot endure forever, and the day will come when the Iranian people will face a choice. The world is watching!”

"His comments echoed a speech that Mr. Trump gave to the United Nations last fall, in which he called on the Iranian people to return to their “proud roots as a center of civilization, culture and wealth.”

"The president, noting numerous reports of protests by Iranians angry with the regime’s corruption and “its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad,” said the government in Tehran “should respect their people’s rights, including right to express themselves.”

"It’s unclear what effect Mr. Trump’s support would have. Iranians already are largely skeptical of him over his refusal to re-certify the nuclear deal. Mr. Trump’s insistence in an October speech on using the term “Arabian Gulf” in place of the Persian Gulf also has also riled the Iranian public.

"Iranian hard-liners rallied Saturday to support the country’s supreme leader and clerically overseen government as spontaneous protests sparked by anger over the country’s ailing economy roiled major cities in the Islamic Republic."

Iran HARD-LINERS Rally as New Protests CHALLENGE Government

. . . "Early on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted out his support for the protests.

“ 'Many reports of peaceful protests by Iranian citizens fed up with regime’s corruption & its squandering of the nation’s wealth to fund terrorism abroad,” he wrote. “Iranian govt should respect their people’s rights, including right to express themselves. The world is watching! (hashtag) IranProtests.”

"It’s unclear what effect Trump’s support would have. Iranians already are largely skeptical of him over his refusal to re-certify the nuclear deal. Trump’s insistence in an October speech on using the term “Arabian Gulf” in place of the Persian Gulf also has also riled the Iranian public." . . .

Vet Sets the Record Straight about Vietnam, After PBS, ken Burn’s Tries to Whitewash Communism

Youtube

Leno is Tired of Late-Night Shows Bashing Trump

Western Journalism  "Former Tonight Show host Jay Leno said he doesn’t support President Donald Trump, but believes the “constant negative Trump stuff” nightly has gone too far.

"Leno told Page Six he enjoys “bringing people together” rather than dividing them politically.

“ 'If [mocking the president] is a constant thing on a nightly basis, eventually you’re all doing the same joke,” Leno said.

"Despite wanting to see late-night hosts minimize their negative coverage of the president, he went on to tell a joke of his own.

 “I remember when House of Cards was a TV show. Now it’s a documentary. You look at the Underwoods. You go, ‘At least this isn’t as bad as the real thing,'” Leno said. Leno made similar comments earlier this week to The Hollywood Reporter. “I was lucky,” Leno said. “I did it at a time when Bush was dumb and Clinton was horny.” 

"Leno said things have gotten much darker now with coverage of the president.
“ 'But the constant negative Trump stuff on a nightly basis? I think it has a debilitating effect on people,” he said. “People are just, ‘Oh, gosh, I don’t wanna watch TV anymore. This is just the same thing every night.'”

"In May, he told The New York Times that “this constant pounding” against the president “does have a tendency to anesthetize your feelings.”

"When looking across the current late-night platform, Leno argued entire shows
are centered around Trump." . . .

Still trying to find the truth on this: "Bill Clinton fathered an illegitimate, mixed-race son named Danney Williams with an Arkansas prostitute in 1985."

Gonzo Overkill

 UNPROVEN
Snopes  "On 3 October 2016, five weeks before the U.S. presidential election, a decades-old tabloid story was resurrected by the Daily Mail revealing the supposed existence of a “love child” fathered by former president Bill Clinton with a black prostitute in 1985.

"Adorning the article were side-by-side photos comparing the facial features of Clinton and a 30-year-old mixed-race man named Danney Williams (or “Danney Williams-Clinton,” as he prefers to call himself on Facebook), who claims that he is that love child and all he wants to do is meet his real dad — but he may never get a chance to, because Bill Clinton’s wife Hillary, who is also (far from coincidentally) the current Democratic contender for the presidency, has “banished” him." . . . 

Noisy Room  "Judicial Watch today released Justice Department records showing that FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe did not recuse himself from the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s unsecure, non-government email server until Tuesday, November 1, 2016, one week prior to the presidential election. The Clinton email probe was codenamed “Midyear Exam.”

While working as Assistant Director in Charge of the Washington Field Office, McCabe controlled resources supporting the investigation into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s email scandal. An October 2016 internal FBI memorandum labeled “Overview of Deputy Director McCabe’s Recusal Related To Dr. McCabe’s Campaign for Political Office,” details talking points about McCabe’s various potential conflicts of interest, including the FBI’s investigation of Clinton’s illicit server, which officially began in July 2015:

While at [Washington Field Office] did Mr. McCabe provide assistance to the Clinton investigation?

"Related reading: Nunes blasts DOJ, FBI for ‘failure’ to produce records relating to anti-Trump dossier

After the referral was made, FBI Headquarters asked the Washington Field Office for personnel to conduct a special investigation. McCabe was serving as [Assistant Director] and provided personnel resources. However, he was not told what the investigation was about. In February 2016 McCabe became Deputy Director and began overseeing the Clinton investigation.

The Overview also shows if asked whether McCabe played any role in his wife’s campaign, the scripted response was: “No. Then-[Assistant Director] McCabe played no role, attended no events and did not participate in fundraising or support of any kind.” More here.

"Related reading: Russia never stopped its cyberattacks on the United States

"Wider context:

Why do heads seem to be rolling—or at least tilting—at the Department of Justice and FBI?

. . .  

Al Gore bilks people at Christmas – asking for ‘climate crisis’ money

Anthony Watts  "The true mark of a shyster is to take advantage of every opportunity to milk a person for money, and especially when emotions and sympathy run high. Christmas is one of those times. I give you exhibit A, Al Gore’s “Climate Reality Project”. I got this in my inbox this morning." . . .

"Of course, when you click on that donate button, Al doubles down:"

"Yes, send money to Al Gore to “end the climate crisis”. Yeah, that’s the ticket.

"He has quite a payroll to support, just look at all the employees here

"Anybody stupid enough to fall for this, especially on Christmas, deserves everything they are going to get back from Mr. Gore, which as my inbox shows, is nothing but requests for more money. Just look at all the emails I’ve received in the last 30 days:" . . .

A wave of what color?

Silvio Canto, Jr.  "It's the last week of 2017, and people are already making predictions about 2018.  So let me give my early take on all this.

Let's start with Newt Gingrich, who predicted a "surprise" in 2018:

The great political surprise of 2018 will be the size of the Republican victory.

After members of the elite media have spent two years savaging President Trump, lying about Republican legislation, and reassuring themselves that Republican defeat was inevitable, the size of the GOP victory in 2018 will be an enormous shock.

"Newt goes on to mention our friend Barry Casselman, who has a good eye for political waves:

H[i]storically ... the party out of power makes gains in the first mid-term election after [it] lose[s] the White House.

This precedent has fueled recent media and Democratic Party strategists' anticipations of a 2018 "blue wave."

This tide in blue might still happen, but the genuine signs for it are not yet present. " . . .

Wellll, not so fast. Let's not set up that fireworks display on the river quite yet: 

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Predictions  . . . "The trouble with predictions is that if you are right, and you remind others of that, you end up looking like a jerk.  And if you are wrong, you will be reminded of that fact too often.

"Another issue with predictions: The professional pontificators making them are rarely held to account when wrong.  Instead, they remain working at places like the N.Y. Times, CNN, and MSNBC.

"No, you will not hear any predictions from me.  Instead, it's more fun to look back at those foolish enough to make them to see who was right and who was wrong."

. . . As we look back on the year that was, and forward to the year that will be, one thing we can count on is that dire predictions rarely come to pass.  Proclamations of pending greatness follow a similar pattern – although, judging from the above, it appears that greatness is leading at the moment." . . .

Guess who Marie Harf credits with the virtual defeat of ISIS?

Twitchy  "U.S. military officials on Tuesday revealed that ISIS has lost 98 percent of the territory it once held, and since President Trump took office, half of its so-called “caliphate” has been captured.

"You can thank the Obama administration for that, says Marie Harf, now a political commentator for Fox News. Here she is on “The Five” to explain.

Marie Harf: "The strategy that has led to a virtual defeat of ISIS in the caliphate...is largely a strategy that was laid out during the #Obama administration by military commanders." #TheFive http://fxn.ws/2C7LC1j 

Comment to this: 

 Laurie Williams‏ @OCNaNa2013 Dec 27MoreMarie what are you smoking? Obama would not let military commanders do their job. Even they said that.

But there is this point of view:

ISIS Has Lost 98% Of Its Territory Since Trump Replaced Obama

. . . "Liberals mocked then-candidate Trump’s promise to “smash ISIS” during the presidential debates in 2016, but they are now being forced to eat crow.

"The massive gains against ISIS come after years of weak tactics and ineffectiveness under President Obama, when critics say the Obama administration “micromanaged” the war and shunned a more intensive air strategy that could have ended the conflict much sooner.

“ 'The rules of engagement under the Obama administration were onerous. I mean what are we doing having individual target determination being conducted in the White House, which in some cases adds weeks and weeks,” said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the former head of U.S. Air Force intelligence. “The limitations that were put on actually resulted in greater civilian casualties.' ” . . .

ISIS convoys roamed undisturbed over the countryside under Obama

Security Theater Comes to Disney World Resort

UK Daily Mail

Katherine Timpf  "Just when you thought Disney World couldn’t be a bigger nightmare, new security measures at some of its hotels are basically allowing Mickey Mouse and his obnoxious friends to invade your room.

" According to a piece in the Miami Herald, Walt Disney World Resort Hotels has removed the “do not disturb” signs from the rooms in three of its hotels and replaced them with “room occupied” signs as part of a new security policy. What’s more, a Disney cast member will now be required to enter each hotel room at least once per day to “ensure gun safety,” according to Walt Disney World News today. 

"Disney has not explicitly stated its reasons for the new policy, but it seems to have been implemented in response to October’s Las Vegas shooting, when a man was able to enter a hotel room with a boatload of weapons and subsequently murder 58 people. 

"Now, while I do appreciate that Disney wants to keep people safe, this is, quite frankly, a stupid idea. Stupid . . . but not surprising. After all, responding to violent incidents with overzealous, privacy-invading security theater is exactly what the government has been doing for years." . . .   Read more.

Trump: The Unlikeliest Churchillian

*

Patricia McCarthy  . . . "To the horror of our 2016 establishment, Donald Trump was elected.  He has been as loathed as Churchill was when he took on the P.M. job as the catastrophe at Dunkirk was unfolding.  Like Churchill, Trump is a bit reckless with his opinions and his speech.  Churchill regularly offended people on both sides of the political spectrum, as does Trump.  Churchill was innovative, imaginative.  He devised the civilian boat rescue of all those soldiers at Dunkirk.  It worked.  Trump has, in a year, defeated ISIS, although the media are loath to report that.  Trump has revitalized the economy beyond anything Obama was able to do.  He has successfully rolled back the restrictive regulations Obama put in place that have strangled the economy and suppressed GDP growth to 2% for eight years."

. . . 

"Would it not be a hilarious turn of events if Trump became recognized as the greatest American president of all time?  Churchill was a highborn man of letters with a lifetime of public service under his belt.  Trump is none of those things, but he is a host of things Churchill was not.  The end results may just be similar.

"Trump may just be our Churchill.  They certainly share some personality traits.  Churchill's love of England saved England.  Trump's love of America may save us as well."

Pictured: ISIS (ISIL to Obama)under Trump

*Barack Obama sends bust of Winston Churchill on its way back to Britain

"A bust of the former prime minister once voted the greatest Briton in history, which was loaned to George W Bush from the Government's art collection after the September 11 attacks, has now been formally handed back." . . .

You Don't Have to Like this President to Acknowledge the Obvious

Bernard Goldberg

. . . "To say journalists have a liberal bias and detest this president isn't exactly breaking news. When it comes to Donald Trump, a lot of journalists figure if the sun rose in the east today, he must have done something wrong and they're going to prove it. So they let their journalistic instincts lapse; they let their guardrails down. Instead of being skeptics, they become gullible patsies, taking in all sorts of later discredited information peddled by anonymous sources -- as long as it makes the president look bad.

" They put out false information about collusion with the Russians, for example, because they want to believe that he conspired with his pal Vladimir Putin to rig the election. Collusion, after all, could lead to impeachment, the holy grail. 

"And if, heaven forbid, you criticize them for sloppiness or for going overboard, you're accused to being a Trump sycophant who wants to put a stake through the heart of the First Amendment and democracy itself. 

"But how would these same journalists respond if it were Barack Obama or President Hillary Clinton who was under investigation by a special prosecutor who loaded up his team with Republican donors? How would they react if a lead FBI investigator texted his mistress that candidate Clinton "is a (expletive) idiot" and that they needed an "insurance policy" in case she somehow won the election? 

"We know how they'd react: They'd say the deck was stacked against the Democrat. They'd be outraged. And for good reason." . . . 

American Silliness: Do we even know what racism is anymore?

Professors claim farmers’ markets cultivate racism: ‘Habits of white people are normalized’  "Two professors from San Diego State University claim in a new book that farmers’ markets in urban areas are weed-like “white spaces” responsible for oppression.". . . Define oppression:  "the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjustmanner. an act or instance of oppressing or subjecting to cruel or unjust impositions or restraints."

Washington DC restaurant accused of dress-code racism changes ‘no sneakers’ policy  . . . "Rashid said that the dress code policy was “no different than any DC, LA or New York lounge,” and that when guests saw other guests who weren’t dressed according to the code, it was usually because the underdressed guests were dining in the restaurant, which has no dress code, and stuck around for the nightclub portion of the night, when the dress code is instituted. . .

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee invokes racism when not given her demands.

Woman Accused Of Racism By Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee Is Human-Rights Activist   There goes her race card.

Tucker Carlson Tweets 100 Racist Things — It’s Even More Ridiculous Than You Think It Is

Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee once called for hurricanes to be given African-American names so that "all racial groups would be represented."

The Top 10 False Claims of Racism on Campus From 2015:  "As the University of Missouri is engulfed by a number of bratty students offended over racial incidents that might not have even happened, it's important to note that race hoaxes tend to pop up on campuses throughout the country. Here are the top ten race hoaxes that have occurred on campus." . . .

NAACP official: Trump judicial nominee 'a product of the modern white supremacist machine'   I hate to say this, but the NAACP may have a claim here that can't do any good for President Trump's image. How sad that the antics of those such as Jackson-Lee, Sharpton, and Maxine Waters can cause us to disrespect serious racism claims out of hand. TD