While Pledging to Defend Taiwan from China, Biden Shifted on Taiwan Independence. Here’s Why That Matters. |

 Council on Foreign Relations (cfr.org)

. . ."President Biden’s embrace of strategic clarity is a welcome and overdue adjustment to U.S. policy, but a critical corollary to that shift should be clear messaging that such a commitment would not be operative if Taiwan were to provoke a crisis by unilaterally declaring independence." . . . 

"On Sunday evening, President Joe Biden made headlines when he asserted in a 60 Minutes interview that the United States would come to Taiwan’s defense if China were to launch an unprovoked attack. His embrace of strategic clarity, however, was not his most notable comment on Taiwan, since this was the fourth time that Biden has articulated such a commitment. Instead, the comment that will raise more alarms in Beijing was Biden’s statement that “Taiwan makes their own judgments about their independence…that’s their decision.” While this comment might seem innocuous, it would mark a significant shift in U.S. policy.

"Since the United States severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan (formally the Republic of China) in 1979 and established formal diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China, U.S. policy has been to not support Taiwan independence. The State Department’s website currently notes, “we do not support Taiwan independence,” and Secretary of State Antony Blinken used the same language in his major speech outlining the Biden administration’s China policy.

"In this regard, the Biden administration’s policy is the same as its predecessors. In the 1982 communique between the United States and China, the Reagan administration stated it had no intention of “pursuing a policy of ‘two Chinas’ or ‘one China, one Taiwan’” (i.e. it would not support Taiwan independence)." . . . 

UPDATED: The Greatest Trick Evil Has Ever Done Is Convince the World That It Is a Victim –

  PJ Media

If the people living in Gaza wanted peace, Hamas would not have been elected into power for almost 25 years. If Hamas wanted peace, they would not have taken billions of dollars of aid and spent it making tunnels, rockets, and military facilities underground.

"In the first days after October 7, I wrote multiple articles predicting that the world would rapidly forget the depraved horrors of that day and replace them with images of Hamas as victims who should be pitied. I encouraged everyone to never forget the atrocities that were committed by Hamas, atrocities that they videotaped with pride: the raping and dismemberment of women, the beheadings of babies, the beheading of a man with a garden hoe, the many murders and kidnappings. I reminded readers that while the world would probably start talking about all the Gazans who hate Hamas and are victims, Hamas was repeatedly elected as the leadership of Gaza by over 90% in every election since 2005, and the streets of Gaza were filled with tens of thousands of Gazans dancing on October 7. Gazans who were supposedly "not supportive of Hamas" were publicly celebrating the horrors of Hamas.

"I made a detailed case of why we must view Hamas as a modern incarnation of Amalek, whom we are commanded to destroy completely. I begged that each one of us not get lost in anger or vengeance. I wrote that we must utterly destroy Hamas, but that we should never take joy in that task, lest we lose our own humanity.

"I received countless emails and phone calls after that email. Most told me that I was too kind, that we should never mourn any of the Gazans we need to kill, and that we should carpet bomb all of Gaza quickly. People were enraged and wanted vengeance, and I had long talks encouraging them not to get lost in a quest for vengeance. There were even some people who walked out of our synagogue’s services because I preached that we cannot allow ourselves to feel joy in what must be done to Hamas.

"But that was five months ago.

 "Now, we have had five months of the world media bombarding us about the "victims of Gaza," the need for more aid to those "poor victims," and how abusive the IDF is for going into the residential areas of cities in Gaza. We are hearing repeated calls, including from Jews, that we should just stop the war before Ramadan out of respect for their holiday, despite the facts that they attacked on a Jewish holiday and that Ramadan is actually an Islamic holiday of war.  . . ."

UPDATED 3/3: Douglas Murray: "Israel Must Secure Victory At Any Price"

No...Israel must never win no matter the evil they fight against.

Biden Would Go Further Left - Just look at where he has already been

The American Spectator | USA News and Politics   . . ."Well, if you think he has been far left in his first term, it will get worse if Biden wins a second. A lot worse.

"For his entire first four years in office, Biden has been looking ahead to his next four years. To win another term, he needs as much broad public support as possible. So, as far left as he is now, we can only assume that this has been Biden at his most balanced. How much Biden needed moderates is shown in 2020 exit polling: Liberals made up just 24 percent of voters, and Biden won 89 percent; moderates made up 38 percent of voters, and Biden won 64 percent.

"Based on Biden’s fall in support, in 2024 he will see his moderate support drop and his liberal support increase. Furthermore, he will have run his last race. What moderate support he managed to retain he will never need again. But he will need the Left to govern.

"The dynamic of diminishing overall support for presidents in their second term and Biden’s increasing dependency on the Left to govern will only intensify Biden’s leftward lurch.

"Gallup terms presidents’ decline in support the “second-term curse.” Looking back to Harry Truman, Gallup polling found that only Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton did not lose support in their second terms. To this general trend, Biden will add his own.

"If Biden wins reelection, he will certainly have seen the Left play an even larger role in that victory than it did in 2020. He will owe it. As his second term goes on, we can expect Biden’s additional attrition in support to come from the center and the Right. That leaves him only the Left.

"So, Biden will start a second term more beholden to, and dependent on, the Left; and as it goes, he will become even more beholden to, and dependent on, the Left for his support. This cycle of debt and dependency with the Left will become self-reinforcing: The more left he goes, the more support he will lose from the center and the Right." . . .

Biden's worth is that of a dependable tool; nothing more. TD 

Biden:

Board AF1, take nap.
Wake up in place called Brownsville.
Read large teleprompter message, "It's all Trump's fault".
Board AF1, ask who people in green uniforms were, told they "strap" illegal aliens, express horror, take nap.
Wake up, call a lid, hit beach, take nap. pic.twitter.com/exvsDieaVW

— Border Patrol Union - NBPC (@BPUnion) March 2, 2024

Obama:  McKay to Tucker: It’s Obama’s World

Big Names Mentioned on the Chopping Block at CNN, As Ratings Continue to Flounder

Will CNN cease to be a left-wing haven? If anything, expect CNN to try to mimic MSNBC more. With that on the table, perhaps going bankrupt is the best option. Next, what about MSNBC?

RedState

...CNN not only finished behind rivals Fox and MSNBC, but was the 10th most-watched channel on cable, getting beat by Hallmark, The History Channel and INSP, a South Carolina-based channel founded in the late 1970s by the Christian televangelists.

"That fall from grace has coincided with CNN's anti-conservative obsession, which always existed to some extent but greatly accelerated during the Trump administration. With the ouster of yet another CEO in Chris Licht, who was blamed for the problems despite them predating his arrival and being created by the remaining on-air "talent," a new sheriff is in town, and he's known for cutting costs. 

"On that front, according to a new report, many of the network's big "stars" could face large pay cuts—or worse." . . .

 Ratings Implosion: CNN’s Entire Primetime Lineup Fails to Equal the Audience of One Fox Program – RedState

"To clarify, this is not the ranking in all of cable television ratings, this is only among the cable news programs. Now, let’s take a look at the very top of this list, and here is where things become especially embarrassing.

"The top-rated program was 2022’s overall leader in cable news, “The Five.” That panel show logged 3,469,000 viewers, in line with its average figures. What is the standout statistic is this: That audience figure for the one-hour broadcast surpasses all of CNN’s primetime lineup! Beginning at 5 p.m., with “The Lead,” all the way through the 11pm hour with “CNN Tonight,” the combined audience of those shows did not total as much as Fox drew – for just the 5 p.m. hour." . . . 

IDF review finds no strike carried out in Gaza aid convoy disaster

  The Jerusalem Post (jpost.com)

This should be a big disappointment to Rashida Tlaib and her Squad. TD

. . .“We want humanitarian aid to reach Gazan civilians in need,” Hagari asserted. “...Our war is not against the people of Gaza. Our war is against Hamas…It is Hamas who have caused immense suffering to civilians on both sides of the border,” Hagari said.

Describing the incident as “unfortunate,” Hagari reiterated that no strike was carried out on the aid convoy and that the majority of Palestinian casualties had been trampled to death by the stampede. 

"Hagari also claimed that the IDF had fired warning shots in an attempt to disperse the stampede and that IDF troops had begun retreating from the scene when looters began posing an immediate threat to the forces present. Hagari explained that it was due to this threat that IDF soldiers were forced to respond.

“ 'As a professional military committed to international law, we are committed to examining our operations thoroughly,” Hagari reassured. “We have opened an inquiry to examine the incident further, which will help reduce the risk of such a tragic incident from occurring again during one of our humanitarian operations.

“ 'The incident will be examined in the Fact Finding and Assessment Mechanism, an independent, professional and expert body. For the sake of transparency, we will share our updates as our examination develops, hopefully in the coming days.” . . .

Nooooooooo!

Tlaib, from Michigan, had a pretty bad day all around

. . ."The former US president also won the Missouri and Idaho Republican caucuses on Saturday, according to Edison Research.

"In all three states, Trump trounced Nikki Haley, his last remaining rival for the Republican presidential nomination, moving him closer to becoming his party's White House standard-bearer and a likely general election rematch with President Joe Biden, a Democrat.

"In Michigan, Trump beat Haley in all 13 districts taking part in the nominating caucuses, according to the state Republican Party.

"Overall, Trump won with nearly 98% percent support: 1,575 votes to just 36 for Haley." . . .

The Disturbing End of Our Modern ‘Me’ Culture

  Intellectual Takeout

Common sense be damned, the message being sent by peak health bodies across the Western world is that the needs of children are of little consequence, so long as the adults in the picture are gratified.

"In his popular work Culture of Narcissism, Christopher Lasch wrote:

To live for the moment is the prevailing passion—to live for yourself, not for your predecessors or posterity. We are fast losing the sense of historical continuity, the sense of belonging to a succession of generations originating in the past and stretching into the future.

"Now, more than three decades after Lasch wrote those words, the consequences of this culture of narcissism are bearing rotten fruit. And no one is paying the price more than children.

"We need look no further than the news last week revealing that a trust of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) claimed that the nipple secretions of transgender-identifying men were “comparable to that produced following the birth of a baby.”

"The trust has previously advertised its pride in pioneering within the NHS vocabulary like “chestfeeding” instead of breastfeeding and “birthing parent” instead of mother.

"Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released guidance last July saying, “transgender and nonbinary-gendered individuals may give birth and breastfeed or feed at the chest (chestfeed).”

"What these medical bodies are far more reluctant to admit is the cocktail of drugs required to induce this “chestfeeding,” in addition to any hormone therapy already being undertaken by the adult in question. As highlighted by The Telegraph:

For a person born male to breastfeed, they must develop milk-producing glands by taking the hormone progestin.

A drug is required to lactate, such as domperidone, which is often prescribed to women struggling to breastfeed, and helps to stimulate the production of prolactin – a separate hormone that tells the body to produce milk.  . . .

Biggest takeaways after wild 2-day hearing on Fani Willis affair: 'What's done is done'

 Biggest takeaways after wild 2-day hearing on Fani Willis affair: 'What's done is done'

5 explosive moments from Fani Willis testimony in Trump Fulton County case | Fox News

Testimony Thursday seemingly contradicted Willis' claims about her personal relationship with a special prosecutor

 Attorney, citing Willis' church speech, says she 'needs to go'

Willis plays the race card and the God card:

Judge to decide Willis disqualification in Trump Georgia case within 2 weeks - The Washington Post   . . ."First, McAfee must determine who has told the truth. The nine defendants who are seeking Willis’s disqualification, including Trump, are heavily relying on text messages that Wade’s former law partner Terrence Bradley sent to one of the defense attorneys and the testimony of Robin Bryant-Yeartie, a former close friend of Willis who claimed the relationship with Wade began in 2019, long before Willis hired Wade in November 2021 to lead the case.

"That timeline is significant, defense lawyers argued, because it creates a clear appearance of impropriety for Willis to hire a romantic interest.

The conflict of interest only grew when Willis took several trips with Wade that he paid for, the lawyers argued." . . .

Fulton County hearing: Trump case hangs in balance as judge mulls DA Willis' disqualification - ABC News (go.com)  . . ."Gillen argued that her "deflection" strategy at the church merits disqualification because it could improperly "inject" race into the case, which might compromise the impartiality of the prospective jury pool.

""She chose to play the race card and the God card … to deflect away from the allegations" in the motion for disqualification, Gillen said. "She chose to inject race into the minds of the listeners."

"Judge McAfee initially appeared skeptical of this argument, asking Gillen directly whether he could cite other instances in Georgia where a prosecutor had been dismissed based on their public commentary on a case.

""Thank goodness it doesn't happen very often," Gillen replied. "Sadly, it's already happened here.' " . . .

"Prosecutors don't act like this, lawyers don't act like this … and they need to go," Gillen said." . . .

And finally, the Babylon Bee checks in with: Kamala Harris Moves To Second Place In ‘Worst Diversity Hire Of All Time’ | Babylon Bee 

. . ."Those close to Kamala Harris say her team is scrambling to prepare her to assume the role of President now that she is no longer the most embarrassing example of racial diversity efforts to ever live." . . .

"Race has nothing to do with corruption. The legal system is not an MSNBC show."

 Trump Lawyers Put Final Nails in Fani Willis's Coffin (townhall.com)  "The misconduct hearings on efforts to oust Fulton County DA Fani Willis from the Trump RICO case have come to a close. Both sides delivered final arguments Friday, each arguing where the bar should be set for the judge's looming disqualification decision.

"The defense is arguing that the undisclosed affair between Willis and special prosecutor Nathan Wade, the Democrat district attorney's subordinate, constitutes a conflict of interest because she tapped her longtime lover to helm the prosecution. Meanwhile, the couple claims the affair started after she hired him in November 2021, but witness testimony from a former Willis staffer, Wade's cellphone data depicting late-night shenanigans, and texts sent by Wade's ex-divorce attorney say otherwise.

"Trump defense attorney Steve Sadow said an "appearance of impropriety" is "enough" to disqualify her under Georgia law." . . .

Compared to Sadow's calm and composed demeanor, Abbate was, at times, a fumbling mess reciting case law. Willis, who was passing notes to Abbate and signaling with nods, "looked like she wanted to jump up and argue this case herself," per WaPo

. . ."Sadow raised rhetorical questions about who has the strongest motive to lie: "Who has the best motive of anyone to lie? They do. Who has the most at stake to lie? They do. Who wants to stay on this case, for whatever the financial reason may be? They do."

"He also lambasted Willis for pulling out the race card at a black church in Atlanta where she claimed that Wade is under scrutiny simply because he's "a black man." Colloquially called "the church speech," which was part of a public conversation she had "with God," the Democrat DA's comments injecting race violated the professional rules of conduct, Sadow argued." . . .

Will the "racism" defense never stop? Let's see next week what "Jim Crow" Joy Reid has to say about this. TD

. . ."At one point, Willis was asked by a Trump lawyer, Ashleigh Merchant, in a heated moment if she had any "proof" that she reimbursed Wade for vacations because the payments were in cash.

"The testimony of one witness is enough to prove a fact," Willis responded. "Are you telling me I'm lying?"

"I'm asking if you have any proof," the lawyer responded. And Willis shot back, "The proof is what I just told you." . . .

As a trial lawyer would Willis have accepted such testimony?

Joe Biden, His Alzheimer’s Disease and Jill Biden’s Coverup -

  The Lid (lidblog.com)

Take the article below as pure speculation based on empirical experiences, which of course does not rule out altheimers. TD

"After the disastrous Friday DOJ report on Joe Biden’s mishandling of classified documents, he stood in front of the nation in a press conference to tell us that he talked to one world leader in Egypt thinking that leader was from Mexico. Biden made nonsensical gaffes, memory lapses, dropped sentences, misstatements and outright lies.

"The DOJ found him to be an “elderly man with a fading memory” who would not be prosecuted for his crimes. In the national interview, Biden said, “My memory is fine.” One major newspaper reported, “Biden’s memory is hazy, fuzzy and dull.”

"Immediately, ABC reported the latest poll on Biden’s popularity: 86 percent of Americans do not want Biden for a second term as president of the United States.” He’s too old, too feeble, too cognitively vacant, too unfit, and incapable of handling the rigors of a United States president.

"This journalist would add that Joe Biden’s lifetime of lies, plagiarism, racism, sniffing little girls’ hair, and shaking hands with the air has finally caught up to him.

"But what blows my mind stems from the fact that no one will pin the “reality tail” on the donkey of Joe Biden’s condition: he’s suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease. If he took a cognitive test today, he wouldn’t score five out of 25 on that test.

"How do I know? Answer: my best friend suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease. My best friend has been reduced to the intellect of a six year old. My best friend cannot tell time, does not understand money, doesn’t know what year it is, and cannot remember any friends’ names." . . .

Bill Maher ridicules Biden's age in merciless five-minute monologue - where he jokes that president 'walks like a toddler with a full diaper' and pretends to give State of the Union address using a walker | Daily Mail Online

. . ."The HBO Real Time host urged the 81-year-old Biden to 'lean into' his age and 'let his old fart flag fly.'  'If Democrats want to win the next presidential election, they need to find a way to make the Biden age issue work for them. Because you know what's really getting old about Joe Biden? Complaining about his age,' Maher started in his Friday night monologue." . . .

I see not just Biden's age but for years - since the Clarence Thomas hearings - have seen his lack of intelligence and wisdom. TD

Biden Administration Not Stopping Iran, Russia, China, the Houthis

  Gatestone Institute

"The US campaign against the Houthis appears to bear the hallmarks of many of these highly circumscribed, scrubbed campaigns of the past where we seek to avoid causing them actual pain." Sounds liberal to me. TD

 Houthi gunmen trample a US flag in Sanaa, Yemen on February 21, 2024.  Wait! They might be Democrats!

"In recent months, the Red Sea has become a battleground for attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis of Yemen, with the Biden administration facing mounting criticism for its failure to quell the escalating violence. As the Houthi group continues to build its weapons stockpile in Yemen, supported by the Iranian regime, the urgency of the situation cannot be overstated. It is critical that the United States reevaluate its military strategy to effectively address this growing threat.

"The current approach, adopted by the Biden administration, is characterized by a reluctance to directly target Houthi leadership. The administration has opted instead to focus solely on destroying weapons and equipment.

"This approach, however, has proven ineffective in deterring the Houthis from launching further attacks. What is essential to remember is that the Houthis and other proxies of Iran are in all likelihood deeply apprehensive about the prospect of their senior leadership being targeted. By refraining from targeting Houthi leaders, the United States has inadvertently emboldened the group and allowed them to act with impunity.

"A former US military official, who spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity, pointed out that the current campaign against the Houthis is similar to previous failed endeavors:

"The US campaign against the Houthis appears to bear the hallmarks of many of these highly circumscribed, scrubbed campaigns of the past where we seek to avoid causing them actual pain."

"The Trump administration's targeted killing of Qassem Soleimani, head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), for instance, resulted in cessation of Iranian harassment of the US as long Trump was in office. If one wants to induce meaningful change in the behavior of the Houthis, unfortunately decisive blows will be necessary."

It's what Clinton and Obama would do. TD

Appeals Court Overturns Jan. 6 Defendant’s Sentence, Potentially Impacting Dozens of Cases

  The Epoch Times

Dozens of Jan. 6 cases might be impacted after the court’s ruling on Friday.

"An appeals court in Washington unanimously ruled that a Jan. 6 defendant’s sentence was improperly enhanced, a move that could impact numerous other Jan. 6 cases.  

"On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled that Larry Brock, who was convicted for a range of crimes related to Jan. 6, improperly had additional charges of “interference with the administration of justice.” The judge who wrote the court’s opinion wrote that the charge doesn’t apply to a sentencing enhancement, however, and struck it down.

“ 'Brock challenges both the district court’s interpretation of Section 1512(c)(2)’s elements and the sufficiency of the evidence to support that conviction,” wrote the judge, Patricia Millett.

"The judge, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, concluded that any interference with Congress’ certification of the 2020 electoral votes isn’t tantamount to a sentencing enhancement.

“ 'Because Section 2J1.2’s text, commentary, and context establish that the ‘administration of justice’ does not extend to Congress’s counting and certification of electoral college votes, the district court erred in applying Section 2J1.2(b)(2)’s three-level sentencing enhancement to Brock’s Section 1512(c)(2) conviction,” the judge wrote.

" 'The judges, in siding with Mr. Brock, wrote that Congress’ function on Jan. 6 was not judicial but was only a part of the 2020 presidential election process." . . .

Full article here. | The Epoch Times

Report: Gaza Ceasefire Talks Stalled as Hamas Fails to Provide the List of Hostages Still Alive

 Israeli official: “There is no point in starting another round of talks until we receive the lists of which of the hostages are alive.” (legalinsurrection.com)

"Negotiations for the release of Israeli hostages appears to have been stalled as terrorist group Hamas refuses to hand over the names of captives who are still alive, the news website Axios reported Friday. More than one hundred Israeli hostages, including women and children, are believed to have been in terrorist captivity for nearly five months.

"Israel told Arab negotiators that it “will not hold another round of talks until Hamas presents a list of the hostages who are alive,” the Axios article added. In recent weeks, Israeli negotiators have been holding a fresh round of talks with their counterparts from Qatar and Egypt to secure the release of the hostages. The list of alive hostages in terrorist captivity is vital for any negotiations since Hamas is demanding the release of thousands of terrorists in return.

"Writing for Axios, Israeli journalist Barak Ravid disclosed:

Qatari and Egyptian officials spoke to Israeli officials in the last 24 hours and proposed holding another round of talks in Cairo next week. A senior Israeli official said that Israel refused the offer and clarified that until it receives answers from Hamas, it will be impossible to move forward in the negotiations.

“There is no point in starting another round of talks until we receive the lists of which of the hostages are alive and until Hamas gives its answer regarding the ‘ratio’ that defines how many prisoners will be released for each hostage,” an Israeli official said.

"The revelation comes days after President Joe Biden declared that a ceasefire between Israel and terrorist group Hamas might be reached ‘by Monday.’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, overseeing the talks, was taken by surprise by Biden’s bold claim, ABC News reported.

"Biden has since changed his tune, claiming that a deal was not yet in sight. He was still “hoping” for a ceasefire in Gaza ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan expected to begin on March 10, media reports on Friday suggest. “I’m hoping so, we’re still working real hard on it. We’re not there yet,” Biden told reporters at the White House." . . .