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« on: February 22, 2016, 04:52:16 PM » |
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The Patriot Post Digest 2-22-2016
From The Federalist Patriot
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Daily Digest
Feb. 22, 2016
THE FOUNDATION
“The greatest good we can do our country is to heal its party divisions and make them one people.” —Thomas Jefferson, 1801
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
Justice Scalia Laid to Rest1
The politics were subdued Saturday as the Scalia family laid their patriarch, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, to rest. Yes, Liberty lost an articulate and bold defender2 and the political scrabble surrounding his replacement’s nomination will be one for the history books, but the ceremony at the largest Catholic church in the country, Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, focused on a great man and a higher truth.
“We are gathered here because of one man,” eulogized3 Rev. Paul Scalia, the son of the justice. “A man known personally to many of us, known only by reputation to even more. A man loved by many, scorned by others. A man known for great controversy, and for great compassion. That man, of course, is Jesus of Nazareth. It is He whom we proclaim. Jesus Christ, son of the father, born of the Virgin Mary, crucified, buried, risen, seated at the right hand of the Father. It is because of him. because of his life, death and resurrection that we do not mourn as those who have no hope, but in confidence we commend Antonin Scalia to the mercy of God.”
Washington elites such as AG Loretta Lynch, Joe Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts filled the pews4. But one man was noticeably absent5: Barack Obama. He released a photo of himself carrying a thick binder with what he said were potential Supreme Court nominees that he would go through over the weekend. That was Friday. On Sunday, rain interrupted his golf game6. Nothing better than scoring political points.
The GOP Race and the Obama Effect7
The results from South Carolina are in with few surprises, unless perhaps it would be Marco Rubio’s second-place finish after coming in a dismal fifth in New Hampshire. Ted Cruz came in third (though only about 1,000 votes behind Rubio) in a state that should have been tailor-made for him. Donald Trump performed strongly despite praising ObamaCare and essentially calling the last Republican president a war criminal. Perhaps he can, as he recently boasted, “stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and [not] lose any voters.”
The Trump Train remains impossible to derail until the field is down to two. Yes, Jeb Bush dropped out, but John Kasich and Ben Carson remain in the race, diluting the not-Trump vote. As Rubio put it, “Over 70% of Republicans nationally have basically said we’re not voting for Donald Trump. And as long as that 70% is being divided up … of course he’s the frontrunner.” That’s assuming Trump has reached his ceiling. He’s defied all conventional wisdom so far, but it does seem that 30-35% is his plateau in the primary. Until Rubio or Cruz bows out, Trump has the clearest path to the nomination — followed by what at present appears to be a significant loss to Hillary Clinton.
The trouble is that neither Rubio nor Cruz has any reason to leave the race yet. They virtually tied in South Carolina, and are polling neck-and-neck in Nevada (which votes Tuesday). Most unfortunately, they’ve spent most of their time in recent weeks attacking each other, which has made both of them less appealing.
As we have said before, Trump’s card is the ace of anger affirmation8 — he’s tapping into an entirely justified swell of frustration among voters. And for that, we can thank Barack Obama and the failure of the GOP establishment to effectively stop him. If Trump wins the nomination, it may simply be the Republican establishment reaping what it sowed. That’s all well and good, but we think it will ultimately lead to Clinton carrying on Obama’s legacy from the White House. What will that have accomplished?
Jeb! Loses All Energy to Continue Campaign9
With the results of the South Carolina primary placing him in fourth, Jeb!™ Bush dropped out of the GOP presidential primary, saying, “The presidency is bigger than any one person.” Winning South Carolina was key to Bush’s campaign. It was where his brother and father picked up their support in their races. But the possibility of a Bush family dynasty and the crass rhetoric of Donald Trump doomed the former Florida governor’s efforts.
“I have had a front row seat to this office for much of my adult life,” Bush said in the speech10 announcing the end of his campaign. “I have seen fallible men rise up to the challenges of our time, with humility, and clarity of purpose … to make our nation safer, stronger, and freer. I firmly believe the American people must entrust this office to someone who understands that whoever holds it is the servant, not the master. Someone who will commit to that service with honor and decency.”
And with those comments, Bush demonstrated his respect for voters, the office and the process. As conservative blogger Rod Dreher wrote11, it was Bush’s good character that prevented him from stooping to Trump’s level. It was what made him, in part, appear “low energy.” If it wasn’t for the toxic name of “Bush,” Jeb could have been one of the front runners in this primary. And despite not being the ideal candidate for 2016, his dropping out means there’s one less man of character in the race.
FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Stumbling Toward War12
By Arnold Ahlert
A spate of stories published last week all point in one troubling direction: America’s adversaries have taken the measure of our commander in chief — and found him seriously wanting.
We begin with the news that Russian President Vladimir Putin met13 with Iran Defense Minister Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan regarding the purchase of the S-300 air defense system14 and offensive weapons that include Moscow’s most sophisticated T-90 tanks and Su-30 Flanker fighter jets. Thus one of the key provisions of the Iran nuclear deal, a.k.a. UN Resolution 223115 — requiring Tehran to get UN permission before acquiring “battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles or missile systems” — is on the verge of being ignored. Adding insult to injury, Gen. Dehqan is believed to be the architect of the 1983 Beirut bombing that killed 241 American service members.
Iran is also expected to thumb its nose at the same resolution this month when they test16 a Simorgh space launch vehicle characterized by U.S. officials as the basis of their covert program to develop long-range nuclear missiles. An unnamed State Department official who spoke with The Washington Free Beacon epitomized the administration’s flaccid response to the prospect, declining to speculate as to whether such a launch would violate the agreement, but promising to address any Iranian actions “inconsistent with any relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions … through the appropriate channels.” Iran insists the space launch vehicle’s 220 pound payload is too small to carry a first-generation nuclear warhead. The Beacon’s Bill Gertz reveals otherwise: “Space launch technology is identical to long-range missile technology.”
And from whom is Iran getting the technological expertise for such an effort? An April exposé by Gertz reveals17 that while the nuclear negotiations with Iran were proceeding, North Korea supplied the mullahs with “several shipments of missile components” that also “appear to violate UN sanctions on both countries.” That would be the very same North Korea that South Korea’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) asserts is planning a terrorist attack orchestrated by Kim Jong Un. The same North Korea that launched a long-range rocket of its own this month — following January’s test of hydrogen bomb components.
Americans must never forget why North Korea has nukes. The same bankrupt ideology that animates the Obama administration’s horrendous deal with Iran drove Bill Clinton and his North Korean emissary Jimmy Carter. They repeatedly assured the nation the Agreed Framework of 1994 would prevent a nuclear North Korea.
Even if one were to concede such a momentous failure were an honest mistake, the idea the Obama administration would so willingly repeat it exemplifies the arrogance of a president who believes clever rhetoric can overcome evil ambitions by Communist or Islamist totalitarians.
An equally ambitious China revealed the hollowness of Obama’s promise of an Asian “pivot,” locating surface-to-air missile launchers and a radar system Woody Island in the South China Sea. The island is part of the Paracel Island chain and ownership is claimed by both Taiwan and Vietnam. The rising level of aggression follows condemnation by China, which vowed there would be consequences following the passage of U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, also part of the Paracel chain. A U.S. defense official called “on all claimants to halt land reclamation, construction, and militarization of features in the South China Sea,” but one suspects this is another “red line” moment for the administration. |
