Trump-Putin summit: In support of President Trump; Tunnel Wall wants to be the Anti-CNN

Putin Summit May Prove to Be Trump's Finest Hour  ". . . As Walter Russell Mead pointed out, if Trump is in Putin's pocket, he's doing a terrible job of it.
"Barack Obama -- although the New York Times would burn down its own building rather than admit it -- did an abysmal job with Putin and was indeed the one who was truly "owned" by the Russian.  And it wasn't just the silly reset button and the embarrassing video of Barack whispering into Medvedev's ear to tell Vlad he -- Barack -- would be more flexible on missiles after the election.  (What a toady!)  Even worse, in his Chamberlainesque ardor to make a deal with Iran's mullahs, Obama let Putin play him in Syria, agreeing not to honor his redline against Assad's use of chemical weapons in order not to endanger the deal.  Trump never did anything nearly that pathetic.  Actually, he stands up strong." . . .

Correction: Trump Did Not Absolve Russians of Meddling  . . . "Further, he pointed out the obvious truth: the left is using supposed Russian interference as a way to delegitimize Trump, even though no one is saying the Russians actually changed any vote counts.  If it turned out that the Russians didn't impact the results of the election, then the left's main tool to attack Trump would disappear.  Hence, the left is highly incentivized to lie about Russian interference.

"It's important to keep in mind that the man who was heading the CIA when this Russian interference was going on called today for Trump to be impeached. " . . .

Hysteria over Trump-Putin meeting  . . . "Oh, and Obama certainly did not have any problem dealing with Iran, one of the largest sponsors of terrorism on the planet and primary instigator of violence in the Middle East.  Thus, to cry heresy over the fact that our president sat down with a Russian Tsar in an attempt to smooth the diplomatic waters is hypocritical and foolish." . . .

The irrational hysteria over Trump and Putin  I spent a good part of yesterday watching the vast army of those incapable of generating an original thought, namely the majority of talking heads on radio and television as well as politicians in both parties, droning on about the disaster that was the Trump-Putin press conference in Helsinki.  Once the first narrative was proffered by one of this gaggle, the rest dutifully repeated the talking points as if they were preprogrammed ventriloquist dummies.  The bottom line: Trump is a buffoon inalterably subservient to the puppet master; thus, betraying his country.  However, having watched the press conference, I did not come away [with] this inane version of events.

An MSNBC analyst was 'nauseous' about the Trump-Putin meeting. Speaking of nausea... (Not the entire selection from this article)

• Was she nauseous when Obama said he would be flexible with Russia? More on that here
• Nauseous when Hillary did the reset button with Russia?
• Nauseous when Obama laughed at Mitt Romney back in 2012 when he said Putin and Russia were dangerous?
• Nauseous when Obama reneged on commitment to put in missile shields in Poland and the Czech Republic?
• . . . Nauseous when Obama refused to enforce his own red line threat in Syria?
• . . . Nauseous that the DNC and Hillary would produce a fake dossier to get Trump?
• Nauseous that the Justice Dept used the fake dossier as an excuse to spy on political opponents?
• Nauseous when Obama administration unmasked people around Trump for their own political purposes?

American Thinker is always a wealth of resistance to the left's demagoguery. TD

If the Trump/Putin Press Conference Shocked You, You're Not Paying Attention  . . . "Their hyperventilations will do little to gin up the backlash they seek. The online taunts were immediate, along the lines of “Hey, MAGA people, where’s that Trump strength you people love so much?' ” . . .

Spare Us The “What Does Putin Have On Trump” Memes  . . . "But having watched the resultant media meltdown over the presser held by Presidents Trump and Putin, I’m seeing plenty of valid criticism, but also some overheated conspiracy theories which should be tossed out before they really catch fire." . . .

Once Again, President Trump Is Magnificently Right—This Time About Russia . . . "Nonetheless, it was America that made a mess of relations with Russia, and President Trump’s tweet this morning was right on the mark. You can usually gauge the merits of this president's public statements by the decibel level of the protests.
"Postscript: To restrain Russia, we should immediately begin an R&D program with Manhattan Project intensity to neutralize Russia's state-of-the-art air defense systems (S-400 and soon the S-500). We know in theory how to do this, for example with drone swarms, but implementation involves non-trivial programs. The Trump administration has failed to address the erosion of America's edge in military technology in a number of fields, and this is one of them."

How's this for role-reversal? Gingrich: Trump's Putin Comments 'the Most Serious Mistake of His Presidency' while Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) defended Trump, stressing that the intelligence community "has way too much power.' "
Would that be called "damning with faint praise"?

What Critics Missed About the Trump-Putin Summit  . . . "As Trump and Putin both frankly acknowledged, there are issues on which they diverge—the fate of Crimea may lead the list—but there are also many areas in which our national interests intersect. It is a mark of the realistic and far-seeing diplomat to seize and build upon the latter while trying to find common ground about the former. This is what both men are trying to do." . . .

Putin’s explosive claim US intelligence helped drop $400,000,000 Russian-linked money into Hillary campaign  "While the mainstream media, Democrats and the Never-Trump crowd clutched their pearls over President Trump and Vladimir Putin’s summit on Monday, a major bombshell was overlooked.
"During the highly publicized joint press conference the Russian President not only called US. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s bluff on the indictment of 12 Russian officials, but blasted former Sec. of State Hillary Clinton for nefarious activities." . . .

Yet today, there is barely a peep in the mainstream media about the Clinton-Fusion-Putin connection. Imagine the outrage that would have ensued if we had learned that Trump had hired an opposition research firm with Putin-linked clients to dig up dirt on Clinton and that senior Russian government officials had been the sources of the unsubstantiated allegations that were leaked to the media. The left would be screaming, “Smoking gun!

Andrew Klavan takes on the media's reaction to Helsinki

Of course the left, when it's Barack Obama, IRS shutting down the opposition? "Never heard of it." Lying about Benghazi? "No no, he didn't lie about Benghazi." He's sending in the FBI to investigate the opposition? "No no, it just looks that way because the FBI was investigating the opposition at Obama's request." So they surround them with this kind of "cone of silence" but they surround Republicans with noise.

Brazile, Rice, Obama Gave Russian Hackers Free Rein

Rich Terrell

Daniel John Sobieski  . . . "Indeed, what the Democrats and Mueller's team seem to be saying is that the Russians interfered in the 2016 election by hacking into the emails of John Podesta and the DNC to reveal how they were interfering in the 2016 elections.  And they forget how former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz tipped the scales for Hillary Clinton over a surging Bernie Sanders.  She interfered in the 2016 election in ways Vladimir Putin couldn't even dream of and arguably changed at least the Democratic Party results and campaign timeline.

"So what the Democrats accused the Russians of doing, Debbie Wasserman Schultz's DNC actively did.  And considering what we have found out about the Pakistanis, not the Russians, who were brought in to run the DNC's I.T. operation, it makes sense why the DNC refused to turn over its servers to *FBI forensic investigators.  What else were they trying to hide?

Robert Mueller's appointment as special counsel of the Russia election interference probe presents an opportunity for the FBI to inspect the Democratic Party computers that U.S. intelligence concluded were penetrated by Kremlin-directed hackers, cybersecurity analysts say. . . 

*What would Agent Strzok have done with this information had he been entrusted with it?

The MSM disses the Trump-Putin meeting but Rush Limbaugh sees it in a much different light.

Trump-Putin Press Conference: Comedy Gold As American Journalists Beclown Themselves
". . . "I go through the anger. But I can’t stay angry very long because I can’t stop laughing at this. For example, some AP reporter stood up, he got the last question of Trump, and he (laughing) asked Trump, “Okay. U.S. intelligence says that Russia meddled.

“ 'Russia says they didn’t. Who do you believe?” And then the guy says to Putin, “Do you have any compromising material on President Trump and his family?” I about lost it at this point. It was a serious question. “Do you have any compromising material on President Trump and his family?” And Putin and Trump both just laughed, and Putin’s facial expression was priceless! Putin’s facial expression was over the top. You could tell that he thought this guy was an idiot.

. . . 

"You know what I was hoping? I was hoping that one of these dingbat reporters stood up, I was hoping one would say, “President Trump, President Trump, did you tell Putin to stop it? Did you tell Putin we are not gonna accept his cheating and collusion anymore and his interference?”

. . . 

"Now, lest you get the wrong idea, folks, I’m well aware that there are many people who think this was not Trump’s finest hour, that Putin got away with basically dominating this whole thing and whatever Putin said stood, that Trump didn’t push back on any of it. That is a developing bit of analysis that you’re gonna find even on what you would consider to be Trump-friendly media. That Trump didn’t push back, Putin got the run to say whatever he wanted to say. Trump didn’t push back.

"That may be. This all happened just mere moments ago, and I’m gonna have developing thoughts on this as I have a chance to learn about it in a nonpressurized circumstance. This is like cramming for an oral final exam with everything on the exam coming up in 15 minutes. So I’m sure by tomorrow’s show, later today, may even have a different take on this thing." . . .

With Zero Evidence To Back Him Up, Schumer Says Possible Putin Has Damaging Info On Trump

“We should be guided by facts. Could you name a single fact that would definitively prove the collusion?” Putin asked a reporter who asked about collusion.

How not to negotiate  . . . "If, after all that has transpired over the past three years, you still cling bitterly to the notion that Donald John Trump is not in charge, then you are at a level of ignorance that overwhelms my imagination." . . .

Explosive Anthony Bourdain Interview Released After His Death: Unloads On Clintons, Obama

Daily Wire

Bill Clinton was "entitled, rapey, gropey, grabby, disgusting"; Hillary "destroyed" his accusers; Obama immediately started "f***ing with us."

"In an interview published in Popula magazine weeks after he tragically hung himself in a hotel room, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain spoke frankly about a wide range of topics and people, including the "entitled, rapey, gropey, grabby, disgusting" Bill Clinton, his enabler wife Hillary, and the disappointing Barack Obama. He also described how he imagined the death of Harvey Weinstein, whom Bourdain's girlfriend has accused of sexually assaulting her.

"Though Bourdain's interview with journalist Maria Bustillos took place back in February, Bustillos finally published it on Sunday. Its content is not for the faint of heart, as Bourdain clearly felt free to be raw about some hot-button issues and famous people in his free-wheeling two-and-half-hour conversation with the journalist, a conversation that took place fittingly in one of his favorite Irish pubs.

"He talked about #MeToo and the powerful forces of evil arrayed against decent people, about Rose McGowan, about raising daughters, about the sexual mores of the 1970s," writes Bustillos. "He told me how he imagined the death of Harvey Weinstein, a hilarious, weirdly specific fantasy that I’ll share with you in a moment. We talked about luxury, too."

"Below are some of the quotes that are making headlines, first his opinion on his "disappointment" with Hillary over her Harvey Weinstein statement:

. . . 

The new hero of the left; Peter Strzok-Smirk

Strzok mounts the "Otter Defense"  "Watching disgraced G-Man Peter Strzok lecture us on politics and patriotism this week made my skin crawl. He is a repulsive character. Neo-neocon drew on her knowledge of art to find the comic antecedent to Strzok’s deep thoughts in Eric “Otter” Stratton’s defense of his fraternity in Animal House (video)."

The WaPo stands firmly behind Strzok.

https://legalinsurrection.com/

Republicans Praise 'Credible,' Less 'Smug' Lisa Page After Closed-Door Session

Meadows said the American people “would be happy” with the transcribed interviews, and that Page's cooperation spoke well of her.

“She’s been willing to help in the spirit of transparency. … We’ve certainly learned additional things today,” Meadows said, according to Fox News.

CNN: Framers Never Envisioned Justices Living Past Their 50s

Photosnark by Rich Terrell

The Federalist Papers  "If you want proof that liberals will say just about anything that pops into their brains, read on.
"Jeffrey Toobin, a legal analyst for CNN – who once called Justice Clarence Thomas a “nut” – tried to poke some holes in President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nomination by declaring that gee … the Founding Fathers never thought people would live past 50, so these 30-year careers on the court are just too much, or something.
"He was speaking on Anderson Cooper’s show with former US Acting Solicitor General Neal Katyal. After named some of the expansive rulings from retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy, Toobin said the current norm defies how the Founding Fathers envisioned Court nominations.

“ 'When the Constitution was written in the late 18th century, people were expected to die in their 50s,” Toobin said. “The Framers never contemplated that these terms would regularly go to 30-plus years as they do now.”

"So, let’s unpack this." . . .  Read more...

Strzok by a Farce

The question is not whether the investigator is biased, but whether bias leads the investigator to do illegal or abusive things. . . . whether, with respect to Trump in particular, they pursued a counterintelligence probe in the stretch-run of an election, premised on the belief that he was a traitor, based on information that was flimsy and unverified.

Andrew C. McCarthy  "An investigation is one of two things: a search for the truth, or a farce. The House is conducting a farce. That fact was on full display during ten hours of testimony by Peter Strzok, the logorrheic lawman who steered the FBI’s Clinton-emails and Trump–Russia probes.

"The principal question before the joint investigation of the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees is whether the Democratic administration’s law-enforcement and intelligence arms strained to manufacture an espionage case against the Republican candidate, having buried an eminently prosecutable criminal case against the Democratic presidential nominee.

"It should be straightforward to answer this question, provided that the investigative process has the one attribute central to any credible probe: the capacity to compel the production of evidence and testimony, with the corollary power to hold witnesses in contempt for defiance.

"The House investigation has devolved into farce because it lacks this feature." . . .

The Trump–Putin Summit: The U.S. President Must Be Strong, Clear, and Consistent

Tony Branco

Russia’s actions today have their roots in the failure of the Obama Administration’s “reset,” combined with Putin’s imperial ambitions. Russia has been able to exploit the situation to its own benefit, calculating that the West will not respond in any significant way. Putin cannot be a partner to the U.S. under current conditions. The sooner President Trump understands this, the safer America and her allies will be.

Heritage  "On July 16, President Donald Trump will meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Finland. President Trump should go into this summit with his eyes wide open. Since coming to power in 1999, Putin has never shown that he can be a trusted partner of the United States. At almost every opportunity, he has pursued policies that undermine America’s national interests and those of its closest partners. President Trump should use this meeting as an opportunity to press Putin on issues like aggression against Ukraine and Georgia, Moscow’s support for Syria and Iran, and meddling in the election campaigns of Western democracies.

Key Takeaways:

• "Putin has not been good for Russia. To distract his people from their many woes, he has pursued a dangerously aggressive and expansionist foreign policy.
• "Since coming to power in 1999, Putin has pursued policies that undermine America’s national interests and those of its closest partners.
• "At the summit in Helsinki, President Trump should reiterate U.S. commitment to Europe, and be clear about which behaviors are unacceptable.

. . .

Same liberal media called Reagan ‘war-monger’ and Trump ‘accommodationist’ on Russia  . . . "The only way it makes sense is to look at what is good for liberals. Liberals had a not-so-secret crush on the Soviet Union because it was a communist country. Liberals loved, and still love, communism, even as they rebrand it KFC and IHOP-style with names like "progressivism" and "socialism".

"But liberals hate Russia because Russia tried to interfere in our elections against Hillary. Liberals feel that a bunch of Twitter and Facebook bots tossed the election to Donald Trump. They really believe this. Perhaps they felt that all the Russian-originated Facebook posts somehow counteracted the legions of illegal aliens who voted for Hillary. So liberals hate Russia because they think that Russia tried to stop Hillary from winning the election." . . .

Never forget this:

FLASHBACK: Media Gushed Over Obama’s Euro Trip

MRC  (cartoons added by TD)

"An overseas trip has done nothing to quell the liberal media’s war of words with President Donald Trump, but when Barack Obama went on his first Euro-trip as president, he and First Lady Michelle Obama were lavished with bouquets from the press.
"On the March 31, 2009 edition of MSNBC’s Hardball, host Chris Matthews gushed over the scenes from London: “He is the new us! That’s right, President Obama is in London tonight as the new emblem of the American people. He is us, just as - to the consternation of our allies and the often cringey-ness of his countrymen - George W. Bush was us for eight years....I thought about that scene for months, the first time they get to come as our American couple - to represent us, really in a new way, a kind of a sophisticated new leadership.”
"An overly impressed Chuck Todd, on the April 1, 2009 NBC Nightly News, was amazed by Obama’s pace: “In just a few short hours, the President was able to do a diplomatic decathlon, packing in a week’s worth of international diplomacy into 12 hours.”

"ABC anchor David Muir, on the April 4 World News, boasted that other world leaders were mere nerds compared to Obama: “As we wrap up the week we wanted to take note of these images we’ve been looking at, particularly this one where other heads of state are seemingly trying to get close to the head of the class, or the cool kid in the class, if you will, President Obama.”
"And of course Michelle Obama received the celebrity-like coverage that, so far, First Lady Melania Trump has yet to garner from the liberal press. On April 1, 2009 CNN’s Alino Cho offered this glowing review: “There’s no denying that Michelle Obama is a rock star in America, but how is her style and personality playing abroad? Well, the early reviews are very good. The apparent love affair with the U.S. First Lady is flourishing in Europe.” Over on the April 1, 2009 Today show, NBC’s Keith Miller cooed: “What the Obamas bring to Buckingham Palace is a charisma not seen since the Kennedys, when the First Lady, Jacqueline, dazzled the royal court.”
"The following are just a few examples of over-the-top gushing the Obamas received from the liberal media from their 2009 European trip, as culled from the MRC archives: " . . .  Keep reading...

2014: MSNBC Gushes Over Obama’s Press Conference ‘Swagger’

You remember MSNBC, don't you? It was the network of choice playing in many scenes from "Law & Order" in the 2000s.

From The Depths Of Hell, Hillary Clinton 2020 Could Be Brewing; Until Then The Whining Will Continue

Trump won more electoral votes and in this case, more states than Hillary. She’s a loser.

Update: But first, did you hear what Hillary said about Brett Kavanaugh? Clinton said that Brett Kavanaugh Will Bring Back Slavery

 Matt Vespa  "Whether Democrats realize it or not, the names being tossed as potential 2020 challengers to President Trump are weak. It’s milquetoast. All far too left for the American voter, and all with rigid regional appeal. Who knows who Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is outside of New Jersey? The same could be said for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s (D-MA) doesn’t resonate outside of the Boston suburbs. And Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), well, she’s working hard to boost her profile, but she’s running aground with the Bernie crowd. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) could run again, but his age—and the fact that the DNC will only allow Democrats to run for their nomination, could put Feel The Bern 2.0 in limbo. So, what else can Democrats do, but accept the third presidential run of Hillary Rodham Clinton. Why is she still around? Why doesn’t she shut up? Can we move on? Nope. There are some rumblings that the former first lady and two-time presidential loser could be staging another go for the White House. Michael Goodwin had an op-ed that outlined the case, along with the many eye rolls from Democrats had when he mentioned the idea of a rematch (via NY Post): 

Not long ago, I told a group of friends, all liberal Dems, that I believed she was keeping open the possibility of a rematch against Trump, and might already have decided to run. It was unanimous — they were horrified. “I would not give her a single cent,” one man, formerly a big donor to Clinton, said emphatically. Their reasons are no surprise: Her moment has passed, she was a terrible candidate and her endless claims of victimhood are tiring rather than inspiring. It’s time to find new blood. […] Here’s how I believe she sees the playing field, and why she can’t be ignored. . . .

Does Hillary Clinton ever get 'tard' of whining?

"Ever wondered why you can't stand Hillary Clinton?

"It's not just her leftwing ideas.

"It's because she manages, always, without fail, in her speeches to be hackneyed, grating and whining, too. And cripes, she's still a liar. A good demagogue will take grains of truth and then twist them - Hillary is different: A purveyor of straight up 100-proof lies, painting an alternative reality." . . .

This guy will wish he had picked Starbucks instead

A  California court would side with the crook, you know?

Thomas Lifson  . . . "So, when I saw this video from Tulsa (Hat tip, Glenn Reynolds, Instapundit, who calls it “heartwarming”), I took a perhaps inappropriate level of personal satisfaction, given that I am thousands of miles away, and have never myself confronted a thief. And, according to the accompanying article, one of the brave workers required 16 stitches from a box cutter wound.

"Many large chains forbid their employees from resisting robbery attempts, probably fearful of liability for injuries to both perps and employees.  I certainly hope that this is not the response(sic) of the unnamed restaurant in Tulsa. These guys are heroes in my book."

CNN Commentator: Trump Asking Russia to Release Hillary Emails ‘Almost Treasonous’

I saw something today - Sunday, July 15th, 2018- exactly like this on CNN's Jake Tapper show about 1:3- 2:30 pm in, by the way, a McDonald's. There was the same CNN banner stating Donald Trump asked the Russians for help finding Hillary's emails, knowing all along that Mr. Trump was being ironic. In the same way when candidate John McCain jokingly replied it was about six million, adding this remark would be distorted by Obama who sat near him. It was indeed. By Obama: TD

Anti Trump Derangement Syndrome

Snopes says True, but elaborates without judging Obama. "Although this item is “true” in the strictly literal sense that John McCain did make the remark attributed to him, how much importance to place upon it is a subjective issue. Predictably, Democrats painted Senator McCain’s remarks as indicative of his being out of touch with ordinary Americans and desirous of giving tax breaks to the rich, while the McCain campaign dismissed the candidate’s statement as an obvious joke. (A Democratic National Committee video spotlighted Senator McCain’s “$5 million” statement while omitting the remarks that surrounded it; the full exchange in context can be viewed here.) "

CNN and the left: a marriage made in hell.

Mediaite

"CNN commentator Christine Quinn went there in reaction to Donald Trump asking Russia to release Hillary Clinton‘s missing 30,000 emails."Trump today said, “They probably have her 33,000 emails that she lost and deleted. I think you will probably be rewarded mightily by our press.”"Quinn was stunned by that and cried, “It’s honestly almost treasonous!”"Fellow CNN commentator Andre Bauer shot back, “It’s treasonous to have 30,000 emails disappear! It’s treasonous to the American public!”"They fought as Quinn called Trump irresponsible and Bauer insisted Trump just “wants to be friendly with everybody.' ” . . .

In an internet search, the entire first page supported the distorted,  anti-Trump version. Finally on page two of the Bing search: ‘Of course I’m being sarcastic’: MSM misses Trump’s joke on Russia & Hillary emails.  They didn't miss it; they chose this interpretation. The Tunnel Dweller.