American Power on the way to North Korea

A digression, but related:  Is the USNS Harvey Milk part of this flotilla?  Or maybe the good ships Cesar Chavez and Gabrielle Giffords? Behold the Democrat navy of Obama.

Obama Endorses Candidate In French Presidential Election…

Weasel Zippers  Let's see how many times he mentions himself.  

✔@kylegriffin1:   Obama has just endorsed Emmanuel Macron

Many comments on this

Favored to beat Maurine Le Pen. Wait! What will Hillary say about this?

Emmanuel Macron policies – what is his manifesto?  

Excerpts from the article:

Emmanuel Macron on…. Immigration . . . "In stark contrast to Marine Le Pen, Mr Macron does not envisage a France that shut outs immigrants and asylum seekers."

Emmanuel Macron on… Defence and Security  . . . "Mr Macron has publicly pledged to increase defence spending to two per cent of the country’s GDP by 2025.  Security investments include hiring 10,000 extra police officers and creating an additional 15,000 prison places." . . . 

Emmanuel Macron on… the Economy  . . .  'He plans to cut corporate tax from 33 per cent to the European average of 25. The 35-hour legal work would remain, but he would let companies negotiate real work hours. "

Emmanuel Macron on… Education and Culture . . . "The number of early primary school pupils would be halved to 12 per class in some 12,000 lower income zones across the country.

Fire Colbert, or maybe his viewers.

Fire Colbert! Because, well, he's, he's..."homophobic*"! Yeah that's it! . . . "Late night comedy has historically pushed the limits of decency and with shows like "Saturday Night Live" so you kind of know what to expect. You certainly don’t expect balance and if you’re easily offended you can always switch to the Food Channel. However, Colbert not only jumped the shark of decency, his rant showed what you might get if soft porn and political commentary had a love child:" . . .
Colbert REFUSES to apologize for his 'homophobic' Trump gag and defiantly says 'I have jokes, he has the launch codes - it's a fair fight'

. . . "At the mention of the term 'c**k holster', the entire audience - which had been laughing through the more than 12-minute monologue - erupted into gasps. 

"The reaction was so loud that Colbert had to wait for them to settle back down to finish the rest of his speech." . . .

Don’t Fire Colbert — Fire His Crowd

The real problem is that so many on the left and right demand ever-cruder political discourse.

 . . . "In both, he makes essentially the same joke about Donald Trump fellating Vladimir Putin. (Hilarious and creative, right?) The truly troubling thing isn’t the joke itself — there will always be comedians willing to go low for a laugh, after all — but the crowd’s reaction:"

"Our political and cultural agenda is typically dictated by those who care the most, and right now those who care the most also tend to hate their opponents on the other side with a fiery, reflexive passion. "

"Watch again. Listen to the screaming and cheering.

. . . 

"In short, the people who truly care move this country, and the people who truly care are truly angry. Their anger is so all-consuming that it often forecloses the possibility of a debate about ideas. One of the more remarkable things about the 2016 election was that it was simultaneously the most vitriolic of my adult lifetime and the least ideological. Trump and Clinton were and are extraordinarily malleable, driven by self-interest above all else. Trump shifts positions almost daily. Yet the partisan devotion remains. Hillary is celebrated as a martyr to the progressive cause, and Trump’s base holds firm behind him."

* "Homophobic" has been placed within quotation marks because the term was used - improperly, I feel - by the left to designate any non-adoring references to that movement as coming from psychotic issues. Used properly (if possible), the word should refer to an inordinate fear of homosexuals and not to a rejection of their activism. The Tunnel Dweller

Trump Rebukes Abbas Three Times, Signals to Palestinian Leader that the Obama Years are Over

Legal Insurrection  "President Donald Trump appeared to rebuke Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at least three times in their joint statement on Wednesday.

First, at the beginning of his remarks, Trump recalled the Oslo Accords:

Almost 24 years ago, it was on these grounds that President Abbas stood with a courageous peacemaker, then-Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. Here at the White House, President Abbas signed a Declaration of Principles — very important — which laid the foundation for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.

The President — Mr. President, you signed your name to the first Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. You remember that well, right? And I want to support you in being the Palestinian leader who signs his name to the final and most important peace agreement that brings safety, stability, and prosperity to both peoples and to the region.

"Trump is saying here, “you committed to making peace, I expect you to follow through.” Notice that he didn’t call Yasser Arafat a peacemaker either.

In the very next paragraph Trump delivered his next rebuke:

I’m committed to working with Israel and the Palestinians to reach an agreement. But any agreement cannot be imposed by the United States, or by any other nation. The Palestinians and Israelis must work together to reach an agreement that allows both peoples to live, worship, and thrive and prosper in peace. And I will do whatever is necessary to facilitate the agreement — to mediate, to arbitrate anything they’d like to do. But I would love to be a mediator or an arbitrator or a facilitator. And we will get this done.

"Trump says that he’ll act as a facilitator, but “any agreement cannot be imposed by the United States, or by any other nation.” He’s signalling that he won’t cover for Abbas’s intransigence like his predecessor did.

"In a conference call with reporters earlier this week, former negotiator Amb. Dennis Ross observed that Abbas boasted in the Palestinian media of saying “no” to President Barack Obama a dozen times. Despite this, Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry consistently blamed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for blocking progress to making peace. (And yes we know that it was Abbas who torpedoed Kerry’s 2013-2014 peace initiative.)" . . .

Yeah, but... "Trump Falls Down 'Peace Process' Rabbit Hole"  
. . . "Immediately after the announcement, two things occurred which guarantee the failure of any new peace initiative. First, Abbas’ empty rhetoric about seeking peace based on the “two-state solution” was immediately denounced by Hamas, the governing party in the Gaza Strip. Second, and equally predictive of failure, was the denunciation of any attempt to reopen negotiations with the Palestinians by members of Israel’s HaBayit haYehudi party. The defection of this party would topple the current governing coalition, leading to new elections in which the alignment might be quite different than it is now." . . .

Now we know: Bill Clinton cost his wife the presidency

Dana Milbank  "So now it can be told: Bill Clinton cost his wife the presidency.

"Almost three hours into a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, FBI Director James Comey shed new light on his decision to go public about his agency’s investigations into Hillary Clinton’s emails, first in July 2016 and again, with devastating effect, in late October, 11 days before the election.

"The specific reason he cited: Bill Clinton’s decision to board Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s plane in late June, when their planes were both on a tarmac in Phoenix. “The capper was — and I’m not picking on Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who I like very much — but her meeting with President Clinton on that airplane was the capper for me,” Comey said. Comey decided to “step away” and announce, without consulting the Justice Department, that Hillary Clinton shouldn’t be charged." . . .

. . .  "Yet he acknowledged an aide told him “what you’re about to do may help elect Donald Trump president,” and Comey said he considered “not for a moment” that huge impact.

"The director asserted that he had only “two doors” on Oct. 28 — speak or “conceal.” Thus did he ignore the obvious third option: Let his agents find out whether there was anything worthwhile in the new batch of emails (there wasn’t) before throwing the election into chaos."

7 Key Quotes From Hillary Clinton's Interview With Christiane Amanpour
"Here are seven key and sometimes fiery quotes Clinton gave during the sit-down interview: . . ."
Let It Go, Lady: Clinton Says She's Now Part Of The Resistance
. . . "There is a thing called dying with dignity. It appears that Hillary knows that her career in public life is over. She won’t be president. The fact the she told The New York Times Nicholas Kristof that she’s probably done running for office at the Women in the World conference, another liberal gathering, shows she at least cognizant of that fact. Still, she wants to be in the limelight. It’s over, lady. Go home; enjoy the grandkids, and your millions of dollars."

Just where ARE those "scared-off" Hillary voters she claims exist?

Would all the 'scared off' Hillary voters please report to CNN  "If you sum up Hillary’s excuse for losing the election it all comes down to voters who were positively going to vote for her until Comey and Putin changed their minds to vote for Trump.

"If this is the case, as Hillary clearly suggests, then there should be literally thousands of voters who were “scared off” from voting for her who can corroborate that excuse. So where are all those “scared off” voters, and why haven’t any of the alphabet news organizations found even one of them to tell their story of how they were disenfranchised by Comey and Putin from voting for Hillary." . . .

It stands to reason that if Hillary’s excuse is the truth, then at least some of the “scared off” voters would actually feel disenfranchised and demand to have their votes changed back to Hillary.

As we speak, I'm sure some editors are assigning young reporters the task of finding such people by any means possible. TD 

Comey Didn’t Sink Hillary. Hillary Sank Hillary  . . . "Moreover, as Comey basically admitted again today, Clinton had clearly broken the law. The only struggle was proving intent (though gross negligence was the standard.) So rather than smearing Comey, Clinton should be thanking him for not suggesting she be indicted".  From The Federalist, which contains more on this here, here, and here, among others.

New Evidence Bolsters Probability that Hillary Clinton Was Hacked  . . . "I believe Judicial Watch may have unearthed the “smoking gun” revealing just such a compromise, or at least an attempt to hack Mrs. Clinton’s system.  At the very least, I believe this finding should have been investigated by federal authorities if they were aware of it. If they were not aware of it, or were aware, but have not investigated it to date, they should do so now.

"The discovery of this information and its possible significance requires some explanation." . . .

Ann Coulter: Swamp People: 47; Trump: 0

"How would Trump, the businessman, react if an underling charged with developing a new golf course could never break ground? . . .'And I have caved, and caved, and caved -- so now our opponents know what good guys we are.' Trump would fire that employee so fast your head would spin. We want the ruthless businessman we were promised."

Ann Coulter  "If this is the budget deal we get when Republicans control the House, the Senate and the presidency, there's no point in ever voting for a Republican again. 
"Not only is there no funding for a wall, but -- thanks to the deft negotiating skills of House Speaker Paul Ryan -- the bill actually prohibits money from being spent on a wall. 
"At a CYA press conference on Tuesday, Trump's ridiculously chipper budget director, Mick Mulvaney, described the bill's prohibition on building a wall as a MAJOR win. (At least Mulvaney said it in English, unlike his all-Spanish 2014 townhall.) 
"True, there will be no wall. But the Democrats graciously agreed to allow the administration to fix broken parts of any existing fences on up to 40 miles of our 3,000 mile border. 
"The other big wins, according to Mulvaney, are: 

1) more defense spending, which is fantastic news, because I was worried Boeing and Lockheed Martin CEOs were falling behind Mark Zuckerberg with their gluttonous salaries; and 
2) school choice, an obsession of Washington wonks that is hated out in America, where parents move to high-tax towns for the express purpose of avoiding schools full of disaffected urban youth, and the disaffected urban youth don't want to spend two hours on a bus every day. 

"But Mulvaney assures us that this monstrosity of a spending bill has set things up beautifully for the next budget negotiation in October. 
"That has become the GOP's official motto: "Next time!' "  . . .

Los Angeles Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Vandalized

Vietnam Vets of America

" The monument, painted on the wall 24 years ago, was tagged with a giant swath of silver graffiti, covering many of the 2,273 names of missing veterans from the war. Sunday morning, dozens of volunteers were working to clean it up. 

“Vandalizing a monument to brave men and women who served our country in a time of war is a disgusting act,” City Councilman Mike Bonin said. He is asking the mural be restored as soon as possible.

"Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies are investigating the act and other local officials are expressing their shock.

 “ 'Such ignorance and animosity,” said Venice Chamber of Commerce Vice President George Francisco, whose father was a Green Beret in Vietnam."

Iran Using U.S. Cash to Fund Unprecedented, Massive Military Buildup

"The Obama administration avoided any serious action for years, and so Iran kept growing its arsenal and using it against our allies, against Syrian civilians, and increasingly against our military," said the source. "Now they're rushing to accomplish as much as they can before Congress and the Trump administration get around to reversing Obama's policies."

Washington Free Beacon

"Iran is using the billions in cash resources provided under the landmark nuclear deal to engage in an unprecedented military buildup meant to transform the Islamic Republic's fighting force into an "offensive" juggernaut, according to a largely unreported announcement by Iranian military leaders that has sparked concern among U.S. national security insiders and sources on Capitol Hill.

"Iranian officials announced late last month that Iran's defense budget had increased by 145 percent under President Hassan Rouhani and that the military is moving forward with a massive restructuring effort aimed at making it "a forward moving force," according to regional reports.

"Iranian leaders have stated since the Iran deal was enacted that they are using the massive amounts of cash released under the agreement to fund the purchase of new military equipment and other armaments. Iran also has pursued multi-million dollar arms deals with Russia since economic sanctions were nixed as part of the deal.

"Leading members of Congress and U.S. officials working on the Iran portfolio suspect that at least a portion of the Obama administration's $1.7 billion cash payment to Iran  has been used to fund and support terrorists in the Middle East.

"The latest disclosure about Iran's military buildup is further fueling concerns that U.S. cash assets returned to the country—which were released with no strings attached by the Obama administration—are helping Iran pursue a more aggressive military stance against U.S. forces in the region.". . . .

On Hillary's interview with Christiane Amanpour (UPDATED)

Scarborough: Hillary’s Excuses “Pathetic,” Mika: “Arrogance”

. . . "That arrogance, that sort of we are in charge, we are going to be in charge again. We have so much power. We bring in the money. We bring in the people. That arrogance made it impossible for them literally to see what was in front of them, and that is that Bill Clinton was made a liability by Donald Trump’s presence. It as obvious to me when Donald Trump came on the scene, that Bill Clinton all of a sudden, the whole moral conversation can’t be had, or, you don’t want it to be had. And they could never see that. They always saw themselves as somehow off, off-limits for people to talk about."

Hillary Clinton still blames everyone but herself   " . . .Hillary Clinton has just shown again why she lost the election.  It's just amazing that she lacks any hint of introspection after her stunning loss to Republican Donald Trump seven months ago.  Speaking to CNN, she kept up the same drumbeat of blame she's always pushed dating her miserable, screaming, chair-throwing election night."

UPDATE:

Hillary: I Am Now ‘Part Of The Resistance’

"Hillary will be teaching her fellow “resistance” fighters how to dodge sniper fire."

“I’m back to being an activist citizen — and part of the resistance”

Noah Rothman‏:Verified account Democrats should be mortified by this behavior from Clinton. Truly striking commitment to projection.

Colbert, Trump, and the Roots of Liberal/Progressive Rage

In what sane universe does calling yourself "The Resistance" to Donald Trump make sense when the original "Résistance" was to counter Hitler and the Nazis taking over France, and prevent them from sending people to concentration camps and doing away with the underground in firing squads?  Is that what Trump is doing?

PJ Media

. . . "Oh, yes, Donald Trump got elected -- seemingly a calamity equal to, if not greater than, the Vietnam War.

"Since his inauguration, and to a great extent before, the whole country has gone more or less berserk. Just the other night, comedian Stephen Colbert, in what I presume we were supposed to take as an edgy witticism, accused our president of fellating Russia's Vladimir Putin. Although I recall many bad things being said about LBJ back in the day (Barbara Garson wrote a play comparing him to Macbeth, and who can forget "Hey, hey, LBJ, how many kids did you kill today?"), nothing approached Colbert's angry joke in terms of pure unmitigated hostile vulgarity, not on late-night TV anyway.

But his was just the culmination (for now) of a modern Days of Rage which has metastasized into Months of Rage with no end in sight.

. . . "I am only going to ask the simple question: Why Trump?

"If you were a visitor from a distant solar system come to our nation or even a time traveler from our own nineteenth century, I submit you would be perplexed. This Trump person (being?) doesn't seem to be all that different from many leaders who have come before him. I mean, what has he done exactly? Enforced some immigration laws that were enacted by the Congress over several administrations? Tried to fix a mediocre healthcare plan with another plan that may or may not be as mediocre? Called for a tax reduction similar to those enacted by previous Republican and Democratic administrations? Cut back on some regulations that became overly burdensome? Called for a temporary halt to immigration from a half-dozen countries his predecessor had already cited as dangerous hotbeds of terrorism? Shot off a few dozen cruise missiles at the airfield of a dictator who was gassing his own people, but didn't harm a single person in the process?

"I could go on, but you get the point. Compared to the grand panoply of political theory and governmental actions in world history this is pretty puny stuff. In fact, it's even less than that. It's a piffle. And almost all of this, if it had been called for by his opponent, would have been perfectly acceptable anyway." . . .

Hillary Clinton joins ‘resistance,’ snuffing last semblance of dignity

“I’m now back to being an activist citizen and part of the resistance,” she said, during a particularly rocking-and-rolling ‘I am woman, hear me roar’ moment on CNN, with Christiane Amanpour.
Is this what a former secretary of state — former first lady of the United States — has to look forward to? Becoming a member of the “resistance?”  

 Rachael Maddow claims Trump wants "to kill us"

A Thinking Mom's Message for Jimmy Kimmel

Michelle Malkin

"I feel your pain. But please use your brain. 

"On Monday, late­night TV comedian Jimmy Kimmel delivered an emotional monologue about his newborn son. His baby was born with a congenital heart defect that required emergency open­heart surgery.

" Millions of American parents, myself included, have walked in Kimmel's shoes. We've experienced the terrifying roller coaster of emotions ­­ panic, helplessness, anger, anxiety, relief, grief and unconditional love ­­ that comes with raising chronically ill kids. 

"But Kimmel didn't use his high­profile platform to educate the public about coping with rare diseases. Or to champion the nation's best and brightest pediatric specialists and medical innovators. The Tinseltown celebrity turned his personal plight into a political weapon, which his liberal friends were all too happy to wield. Top Democrats tweeted their praise for Kimmel's advocacy of expanded government health care regulations: 

"Well said, Jimmy," Barack Obama gushed.
"Thanks @jimmykimmel for sharing your story & reminding us what's at stake w/health care," Hillary Clinton effused. 

"The Huffington Post piled on: "Jimmy Kimmel's Humanity Underscores Heartlessness Of GOP's Approach To The Poor."

"I don't need lectures from Huffington Post and Hollywood elites about having a heart. Neither do the rest of America's parents, whatever their political affiliations, who know what it's like to stay up night after endless night with suffering children, wondering whether they would ever be able to breathe normally again or see the light of the next day. 

"Kimmel doesn't need more maudlin Twitter suck­uppery. He needs a healthy fact­check." . . . 

Bret Baier of Fox News Special Report said he felt this same pain.More

.@jimmykimmel -We went thru the exact same thing w/ our son Paul-who's now the tallest kid in his class. Have faith

Good grief! Charles Hurt hits back at Kimmel in this.  . . . "I mean, really, Jimmy, does your newborn child not mean more to you than petty politics? How do you look at the miracle of your child and think — partisan politics!

"That is not to say he didn’t also lie and claim to be above partisan politics — even as he was pushing exactly that.

“ 'Let’s stop this nonsense,” he said. “This isn’t football; there are no teams. We are the team — it’s the United States. Don’t let their partisan squabbles divide us on something every decent person wants.”

"Yes, that’s right. He just had a kid and the kid nearly died and he wants you to know that if you are not for bloated federal bureaucracy, socialized medicine, higher taxes and tons of more debt piled onto your grandchildren, then you are not a “decent person.' ” . . .