The Front Page Cover "I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened"
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Featuring:
Will Elites Blow Up the GOP?
PAT BUCHANAN
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"Know who you are standing with"
"Show me your friends and I'll show you your future"
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What journalists really need to ask Hilly - Michael Barone says the question journalists need to ask, about Benghazi, about her husband’s questionable treatment of woman, and on issues in general is “do you really believe this?” He outlines his reasoning here. -Fox News
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Six Purple Hearts for Chattanooga Attack After the FBI and Naval Criminal Investigative Service finished their investigation into the July attack at two Navy facilities in Chattanooga, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the five service members who died and the one who was wounded will receive Purple Heart medals. "Their heroism and service to our nation will be remembered always," Mabus said in the announcement Wednesday. The men who gave their lives for their country are: Marine Sgt. Carson A. Holmquist, Staff Sgt. David A. Wyatt, Gunnery Sgt. Thomas J. Sullivan, Lance Cpl. Squire K. Wells and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Randall Smith. Marine Sgt. DeMonte Cheeley, who was wounded in the attack, will also receive the Purple Heart. 
For political reasons, Barack nObama has avoided labeling attacks on military facilities in our homeland acts of terrorism — something to do with that story about al-Qaida on the run and the Islamic State being contained. He even waited five days after the Chattanooga attack to order the flags at half staff. Furthermore, fallen and wounded soldiers have previously been denied the honor and support that comes with the Purple Heart. It took five years for survivors of the 2009 Fort Hook attack to receive medals. In the case of Chattanooga, the FBI took its time — five months — to announce the attacker was inspired by propaganda created, in the words of FBI Director James Comey, by a "foreign terrorist organization." nObama finally but offhandedly acknowledged these attacks were terrorism in his Oval Office speech last week. On the other hand, as Chattanooga's daily newspaper The Times Free Press notes, the FBI waited two days before labeling the San Bernardino attack an act of terrorism. Clearly, the nObama narrative is falling apart. -The Patriot Post
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Is the IRS Once Again Conspiring Against Conservatives?
As much trouble as the IRS has gotten itself into, you'd think it would tread carefully before rolling out more suspicious rules. But no. This is the IRS we're talking about — the one that politically targeted conservative groups and whose tax-exempt chief at the time, Lois Lerner, walked free. Now we're seeing what happens when government agencies aren't held accountable. A Wall Street Journal editorial cautions that a new IRS rule has all the warning sings of another politically motivated hatchet job to stifle finance contributions. To wit:
In September the Internal Revenue Service and Treasury Department proposed a rule to give 501(c)(3) charities the "option" of filing detailed reports on every donor who contributes more than $250. These reports would include names, addresses and Social Security numbers. Oh, oh.
While the IRS says the rule is "voluntary," in government that's often a prelude to compulsory. The legitimate fear in the nonprofit world, on the right and left, is that this is a first step toward making such donor lists mandatory, and then applying the requirement to every nonprofit — including the conservative social-welfare organizations that the IRS helped to shut down in the 2012 presidential election.
Such a requirement opens up a whole can of worms, the net effect being that donors who value their privacy (and want to stay out of the IRS's crosshairs) will close their pocketbooks altogether. Who, after all, willingly provides their Social Security number to a nonprofit? Even the IRS advises against haphazardly giving it away. Add that to the fact the agency has given us every reason not to trust it, and this may be yet another attempt to silence political foes (read: conservatives). Anything to undermine Citizens United, right? -The Patriot Post
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Hung Jury in First Trial Over Freddie Gray Death
In a decision that satisfied no one, the judge presiding over the trial of Officer William Porter, the first of six police officers tried over the April death of Freddie Gray, declared a mistrial. After the jury deliberated for three days, they were unable to come to an agreement over the verdicts of the four charges Porter faced: involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office. The death of Gray after his neck was broken while in a police transport van sparked riots in Baltimore. The city's officials acted quickly, with State Attorney Marilyn Mosby throwing the book at the officers with such force they responded by accusing the attorney of having a conflict of interest. It didn't help that when Mosby announced the charges, she said, "To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for 'No Justice, No Peace.'" Furthermore, the city implied that it thought its police officers were guilty by settling with Gray's family for $6.4 million before the criminal cases ever hit court. This hung jury throws up a barrier to the city's rush to "justice." In preparation of the blowback it would receive, the city braced for more protests, and three school districts canceled field trips into the city. As for Porter, he told a reporter from the Baltimore Sun "It's not over yet," as the city can still decide to prosecute him again. -The Patriot Post
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When All Else Fails, Erdogan Calls Israel
{Shoshana Bryen} ~ The announcement of the restoration of Israel-Turkish relations should be seen in the context of Turkey having nowhere else to go... Turkey's relations with Israel have been strained, to put it mildly, since 2010 when, through a non-profit organization, Turkey funded the 2010 Gaza Flotilla aimed at breaking the Israeli-Egyptian blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. After a bloody confrontation, which ended in the deaths of nine Turks, Turkey demanded that Israel be tried in the International Criminal Court (ICC) and subjected to UN sanction. The ICC ruled that Israel's actions did not constitute war crimes. In addition, the UN's Palmer Commission concluded that the blockade of Gaza was legal, and that the IDF commandos who boarded the Mavi Marmara ship had faced "organized and violent resistance from a group of passengers," and were therefore required to use force for their own protection. The commission, however, did label the commandos' force "excessive and unreasonable.".
DHS rejected plan to search Visa applicants' social media
{Jeff Dunetz} ~ According Department of Homeland Security (DHS) memos obtained by MSNBC (yes that MSNBC) senior officials at the agency considered and ultimately rejected a proposal to use social media accounts of visa applicants as part of the vetting process... This issue has received particular focus in the wake of the President’s decision to invite 10,000 Syrian refugees to the U.S., and the recent terrorist attack in San Bernardino. Originally it was reported that one of the terrorists, Tashfeen Malik was given a visa despite the fact that her social media showed her to be a radicalized Islamist, that report was disputed by the FBI. The memo from 2011 (embedded below w/redactions for selected operational details) spoke to what many Americans are calling for, a review of social media, for people who are applicants for visas. It outlines how officials could use social media to vet visa applicants abroad and inside the United States..
nObama Is About To Meet With Islamic Leaders...
{Randy DeSoto} ~ President nObama plans to meet with Muslim leaders later this week to discuss how his administration is working to combat discrimination and acts of hatred against those who practice that faith... Young Conservatives highlighted the seeming incongruity of concerns the president has about potential backlash towards Muslims versus the real world violence radical Islamists visited on San Bernardino less than two weeks ago. “What’s truly disgusting about this is how the president hasn’t personally met with victims’ families from the San Bernardino attack, who are dead because a Muslim terrorist decided to go beyond ‘hateful talk’ and end the lives of 14 innocent individuals,” writes Michael Cantrell for Young Cons. .
End of the West?
{Reuel Marc Gerecht} ~ Should the United States militarily defeat jihadist outfits in the Middle East? After 9/11 the answer seemed easy, but after the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq... Barack nObama is not alone in arguing that large-scale offensive campaigns against radical Muslim movements aren't worth the cost. Even if the president's go-slow approach is actually more likely to provoke more terrorism, is it the sensible policy for America? And can Western governments actually defeat the Muslim radicals who live in the West and are a nightmare for domestic intelligence services to find, let alone stop? These questions are as much about Europe as the Middle East. The United States could destroy the Islamic State militarily only to see Western-born or immigrant holy warriors continue to slaughter Americans and Europeans. What would be the point? A narrative is already developing—see last week's New York Times piece "U.S. Seeks to Avoid Ground War Welcomed by the Islamic State"—that questions whether the United States can and should destroy the Islamic State if doing so requires tens of thousands of American troops. Left unsaid but clearly implied: Better to have terrorist safe havens in the Middle East and absorb occasional terrorist attacks (especially if they are in Europe) than to risk a campaign that could generate thousands of new holy warriors and require America again to occupy Muslim lands..
nObama administration clears path for Iran
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Federal judge rebukes CAIR in 'Muslim Mafia' case
{wnd.com} ~ A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled Thursday that the Council on American-Islamic Relations – a group founded by the Muslim Brotherhood in the U.S. – has no legal basis to claim its reputation was damaged by an undercover investigation documenting its ties to global jihad... As WND reported, CAIR filed suit in 2009 against former federal investigator Dave Gaubatz and his son, Chris Gaubatz, after their findings were published in the WND Books expose, “Muslim Mafia: Inside the Secret Underworld That’s Conspiring to Islamize America.” In its lawsuit, which is scheduled to go to trial, CAIR originally alleged it suffered damages after the younger Gaubatz, posing as an intern, obtained access to some 12,000 pages of CAIR internal documents under false pretenses and made recordings of officials and employees without consent..
Joint Chiefs Chairman Opposed Gitmo Terrorist Release
{Bill Gertz} ~ The chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff did not approve the Oct. 30 release of a terrorist held at the Guantanamo Bay prison... contrary to a Pentagon announcement that the transfer was “unanimously” approved by senior nObama administration officials. Gen. Martin Dempsey, who retired Oct. 1 as chairman, said he did not support plans to release Aamer because of the detainee’s “conduct” after a 2009 interagency review certified him for transfer from the Cuban prison. “It is a matter of congressional record that I recommended against releasing Shaker Aamer,” Dempsey told the Washington Free Beacon in an email. http://freebeacon.com/national-security/joint-chiefs-chairman-opposed-gitmo-terrorist-release/.
U.S. Continues to Limit Airstrikes Against ISIS Camps
{Bill Gertz} ~ President nObama said for the first time this week that U.S. and allied airstrikes are targeting ISIS training camps in Iraq and Syria, but new figures reveal only 20 camps were hit in recent months... Since May, U.S. and allied air forces conducted 17 attacks hitting a total of 20 camps in Syria and Iraq, according to the U.S. military command in Iraq. Critics in the nObama administration and U.S. military say ISIS has been operating more than 60 training camps since 2014 in areas of Syria and Iraq. The camps are said to be producing an estimated 1,000 fighters a month. The officials voiced frustrations that ISIS training camps are not being vigorously struck..
Iran, Russia Begin Swapping Nuclear Materials
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Make America Dumb Again?
{Cliff Kincaid} ~ Asked during the debate which leg of the nuclear triad requires the most attention, Donald Trump said a few things about the danger of terrorists getting a nuclear weapon... Then, he added, “I think, for me, nuclear is just the power, the devastation is very important to me.” Two days before these words of wisdom were spoken by The Donald to a national television audience, I had gotten in the mail a copy of MAD, my favorite humor magazine, with a parody of Donald Trump’s campaign that proclaimed, “Make America Dumb Again.” Stupidity in the nuclear arena spells death for America. I understand that MAD has a liberal bias and tends to focus its humor on conservatives and Republicans. But I couldn’t argue with the cover story on Trump, especially after it became clear in the debate that Trump didn’t understand what he was talking about. He sounded authoritative nonetheless. Moderator Hugh Hewitt had asked the question while noting, “The B-52s are older than I am. The missiles are old. The submarines are aging out.” The air, land and sea components of our nuclear forces are the three legs of the triad. Any serious presidential candidate should know that. Trump seemed to be out to lunch at the Trump Tower. Yes indeed, we are in trouble.
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Will Elites Blow Up the GOP?
PAT BUCHANAN
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So, Richard Nixon told me half a century ago, after he had been badly burned in just such a futile and failed enterprise.
So, Richard Nixon told me half a century ago, after he had been badly burned in just such a futile and failed enterprise.
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It was the Cleveland Governors Conference of 1964.
It was the Cleveland Governors Conference of 1964.
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Sen. Barry Goldwater had just defeated Gov. Nelson Rockefeller in the final and decisive winner-take-all primary in California.
Sen. Barry Goldwater had just defeated Gov. Nelson Rockefeller in the final and decisive winner-take-all primary in California.
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As the story is told, Stu Spencer, Rocky’s man in California, had come to his candidate and said, “Governor, I think it’s time to call in the Eastern establishment.”
As the story is told, Stu Spencer, Rocky’s man in California, had come to his candidate and said, “Governor, I think it’s time to call in the Eastern establishment.”
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To which Rocky replied, “You’re looking at it, buddy. I’m all that’s left!”
To which Rocky replied, “You’re looking at it, buddy. I’m all that’s left!”
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Rocky was cooked. But then the panicked Republican governors gathered in Cleveland — Rockefeller, George Romney of Michigan, William Scranton of Pennsylvania — to plot a path to deny Goldwater the nomination he and his conservative insurgents had won.
Rocky was cooked. But then the panicked Republican governors gathered in Cleveland — Rockefeller, George Romney of Michigan, William Scranton of Pennsylvania — to plot a path to deny Goldwater the nomination he and his conservative insurgents had won.
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Nixon was invited, and, according to Romney, privately urged him to get into the race. Nixon denied it.
Nixon was invited, and, according to Romney, privately urged him to get into the race. Nixon denied it.
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The governors, and Goldwater himself, suspected Nixon was pushing Romney onto the tracks to derail his bandwagon. And, presumably, after Romney had been run over, the convention, to heal the bleeding wound, would turn to a centrist compromise candidate — Nixon.
The governors, and Goldwater himself, suspected Nixon was pushing Romney onto the tracks to derail his bandwagon. And, presumably, after Romney had been run over, the convention, to heal the bleeding wound, would turn to a centrist compromise candidate — Nixon.
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“Nixon is sounding more and more like Harold Stassen every day,” said Goldwater. Nixon pivoted swiftly to repair the damage, offered to introduce Goldwater to the convention, did so in a brilliant speech, then campaigned harder for Mr. Conservative than did Barry himself.
“Nixon is sounding more and more like Harold Stassen every day,” said Goldwater. Nixon pivoted swiftly to repair the damage, offered to introduce Goldwater to the convention, did so in a brilliant speech, then campaigned harder for Mr. Conservative than did Barry himself.
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And while Nixon enlisted in Goldwater’s campaign, Rockefeller, Romney and Scranton, arrogantly refusing to accept defeat graciously, crippled any chance Goldwater might have had by demanding that the platform condemn the John Birch Society as equally extreme as the Communist Party and Ku Klux Klan.
And while Nixon enlisted in Goldwater’s campaign, Rockefeller, Romney and Scranton, arrogantly refusing to accept defeat graciously, crippled any chance Goldwater might have had by demanding that the platform condemn the John Birch Society as equally extreme as the Communist Party and Ku Klux Klan.
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The party said no. And the establishment cut Barry dead in the fall.
The party said no. And the establishment cut Barry dead in the fall.
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Thus did the GOP establishment earn the eternal enmity of the right.
Thus did the GOP establishment earn the eternal enmity of the right.
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And thus did Richard Nixon emerge in 1968 as the first choice of Barry Goldwater and the centrist Republican most acceptable to the conservative movement. The rest, as they say, is history.
And thus did Richard Nixon emerge in 1968 as the first choice of Barry Goldwater and the centrist Republican most acceptable to the conservative movement. The rest, as they say, is history.
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Which brings us to that dinner last week at The Source on Capitol Hillwhere Republican Party elites discussed how Donald Trump, even if he wins the lion’s share of votes and delegates, might be denied the nomination in a “brokered convention.”
Which brings us to that dinner last week at The Source on Capitol Hillwhere Republican Party elites discussed how Donald Trump, even if he wins the lion’s share of votes and delegates, might be denied the nomination in a “brokered convention.”
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The absurdity of such a conspiracy would be matched only by its stupidity. Has the GOP establishment learned nothing from history?
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Deadlocked conventions — like the 1924 Democratic convention, which went on for 104 ballots — virtually ended with the elimination, by FDR’s party in 1936, of the two-thirds rule for nomination.
Deadlocked conventions — like the 1924 Democratic convention, which went on for 104 ballots — virtually ended with the elimination, by FDR’s party in 1936, of the two-thirds rule for nomination.
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That rule kept ex-President Martin Van Buren, who could not muster 67 percent of the delegates, from capturing the nomination in 1844.
That rule kept ex-President Martin Van Buren, who could not muster 67 percent of the delegates, from capturing the nomination in 1844.
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After eight deadlocked ballots in a three-way contest, that Baltimore convention turned to a “dark horse,” Speaker James K. Polk, who promised immediate annexation of Texas by the United States and that he would take us to war with Mexico to guarantee it.
After eight deadlocked ballots in a three-way contest, that Baltimore convention turned to a “dark horse,” Speaker James K. Polk, who promised immediate annexation of Texas by the United States and that he would take us to war with Mexico to guarantee it.
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With the two-thirds rule dead, the only way to have a convention without a nominee on the first ballot is a three- or four-way split in delegates.
With the two-thirds rule dead, the only way to have a convention without a nominee on the first ballot is a three- or four-way split in delegates.
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But assume at the GOP convention in Cleveland that Trump runs first, Ted Cruz second, Marco Rubio third and Ben Carson fourth.
Rather than wait for Karl Rove & Co. to tell us whom the party shall nominate, Trump would phone Cruz, offer him second spot on the ticket in return for his delegates, and if Cruz declined, ask for Rubio’s phone number.
But assume at the GOP convention in Cleveland that Trump runs first, Ted Cruz second, Marco Rubio third and Ben Carson fourth.
Rather than wait for Karl Rove & Co. to tell us whom the party shall nominate, Trump would phone Cruz, offer him second spot on the ticket in return for his delegates, and if Cruz declined, ask for Rubio’s phone number.
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Candidates who have gone through a yearlong campaign, and sustained the defeats and suffered the abuse, are not going to let a Beltway cabal decide the nominee.
Candidates who have gone through a yearlong campaign, and sustained the defeats and suffered the abuse, are not going to let a Beltway cabal decide the nominee.
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Carson has already warned he will walk away from the party if such a decision were imposed upon the convention.
Carson has already warned he will walk away from the party if such a decision were imposed upon the convention.
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Moreover, the old establishments are dead. Conservatives killed the GOP establishment in 1964. The Vietnam War and George McGovern killed the Democratic establishment in 1972.
Moreover, the old establishments are dead. Conservatives killed the GOP establishment in 1964. The Vietnam War and George McGovern killed the Democratic establishment in 1972.
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What is left are elites, collectives of officeholders past and present, donors, lobbyists, think-tankers angling for jobs, party hacks and talking heads.
What is left are elites, collectives of officeholders past and present, donors, lobbyists, think-tankers angling for jobs, party hacks and talking heads.
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What the Republican collectivity has to realize is that it is they and the policies they produced that are the reason Trump, Carson and Cruz currently hold an overwhelming majority of Republican votes.
What the Republican collectivity has to realize is that it is they and the policies they produced that are the reason Trump, Carson and Cruz currently hold an overwhelming majority of Republican votes.
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It was the elites of both parties who failed to secure our borders and brokered the trade deals that have de-industrialized America and eviscerated our middle class.
It was the elites of both parties who failed to secure our borders and brokered the trade deals that have de-industrialized America and eviscerated our middle class.
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It was the elites of both parties who got us into these idiotic wars that have blown up the Middle East, cost us trillions of dollars, thousands of dead, and tens of thousands of wounded among our best and bravest.
It was the elites of both parties who got us into these idiotic wars that have blown up the Middle East, cost us trillions of dollars, thousands of dead, and tens of thousands of wounded among our best and bravest.
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That Republican elites would sit around a dinner table on Capitol Hill and discuss how to frustrate the rising rebellion against what they have done to America, and decide among themselves who shall lead us, is astonishing.
That Republican elites would sit around a dinner table on Capitol Hill and discuss how to frustrate the rising rebellion against what they have done to America, and decide among themselves who shall lead us, is astonishing.
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To borrow from the Gipper, they are not the solution to our problems. They are the problem.
To borrow from the Gipper, they are not the solution to our problems. They are the problem.
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{CHERYL CHUMLEY} ~ 
{Matt Vespa} ~ President nObama said he’s gunning to close the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, and he’s starting by emptying the cell blocks that have housed suspected terrorists since it opened in 2002... Right now, the administration is on the verge of the largest detainee transfer in a single month since 2007 (via NYT): Defense Secretary Ashton B. Carter has notified Congress in recent days that he has approved 17 proposed transfers of lower-level detainees, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters that have not yet been made public. Congress has required Mr. Carter to certify that security standards have been met at least 30 days before any transfers. President nObama wants to close the Guantánamo prison in Cuba before he leaves office in a little over a year. His administration has stepped up efforts to find countries to take 48 detainees on a transfer list and moved to speed up the work of a parole-like board that might approve the release of others who are currently recommended for indefinite detention.
{Michael Rubin} ~ Secretary of State John hanoi-Kerry has reversed a long-standing position and declared, during a visit to Moscow, that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s ouster is not a prerequisite for Syrian peace talks... In a sanitized world, hanoi-Kerry’s position has allure: After all, how can the outcome of negotiations be presaged before they formally begin? And perhaps a formula can be established by which Assad can remain provisionally until new elections. The problem is that such sanitized, detached consideration of Syria demonstrates profound ignorance of events in Syria and the trauma which Syrians have experienced. Over at Commentary, I drew parallels between the 2011 Hamza Ali al-Khateeb episode and the US civil rights era case of Emmett Till. Both boys were kidnapped by those in power. Both were tortured and murdered. But rather than quietly burying their sons, both sets of parents allowed the media of the day to photograph their castrated bodies and broadcast the horror widely.
Tom Mclaughlin
{BOB UNRUH} ~ 
{Marc A. Thiessen} ~ While Republicans are rightly critical of President nObama’s mishandling of the terrorist threat, the GOP needs to do some introspection as well...
George F. Will
{nicedeb} ~ Judge Jeanine’s opening statement Saturday night was a change in form for her. Instead of reaming Barack nObama (or Hilly, or some other vile Democrat) for for seven minutes... she defended the integrity of a man she knows and obviously has deep admiration for – FBI Director James Comey. His name has come up on her show in the past, during discussions about the Clinton email investigation, which she has maintained is being conducted by the FBI in a non-partisan and above board manner. On Saturday night’s Justice, Pirro ran through a number of clashes Comey’s had with nObama for the past year – some of which – was news to me.
{Judge Andrew Napolitano} ~ If you were looking for a needle in a haystack, simple logic would tell you that the smaller the haystack the likelier you are to find the needle. Except for the government... Since Edward Snowden revealed the federal government’s unlawful and unconstitutional use of federal statutes to justify spying on all in America all the time, including the members of Congress who unwittingly wrote and passed the statutes, I have been arguing that the Fourth Amendment prohibits all domestic spying, except that which has been authorized by a search warrant issued by a judge. The same amendment also requires that warrants be issued only based on a serious level of individualized suspicion backed up by evidence – called probable cause – and the warrants must specifically identify the place and person to be spied upon. Because these requirements are in the Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, Congress and the president and the courts are bound by them. There is no emergency or public safety or wartime exception to them. These requirements cannot be changed by legislation; only a constitutional amendment, ratified by the legislatures of 37 states, can do so. 
{Sher Zieve} ~ Until January 2009, we had never seen the likes of Barack Hussein nObama from anyone in leadership positions...let alone the president of the United States... I daresay, we have likely never seen anyone in the world like him. During his initial campaign for the presidency in 2008 he said he would "transform" the country from its very foundation. People who had graduated high school no later than the 1960s knew full well what that meant. After that time period the essential dumbing-down of America's student children began in earnest. nObama was not shy with his meaning that the USA had to be destroyed at its core and then rebuilt in what would become his and Islam's image. He is doing it and has almost finished his straightforward – if not perverse – mission. The following is a short and very partial list of those things for which nObama is the proudest.
Tom Mclaughlin
Michael Barone
{Bill Roggio} ~ Secretary of State John haoi-Kerry believes that al Qaeda’s “top leadership” has been “neutralized” as “an effective force.”... He made the claim while discussing the administration’s strategy, or lack thereof, for combating the Islamic State (ISIS), which is al Qaeda’s jihadist rival. hanoi-Kerry believes that the U.S. and its allies can finish off ISIS quicker than al Qaeda. There’s just one problem: It is not true that al Qaeda or its top leaders have been “neutralized.” Dozens of senior al Qaeda terrorists, including of course Osama bin Laden, have been eliminated. But al Qaeda is not a simple top-down terrorist group that can be entirely vanquished by killing or detaining select key leaders. It is a paramilitary insurgency organization that is principally built for waging guerilla warfare. Terrorism is a part of what al Qaeda does, but not nearly all. And a key reason why al Qaeda has been able to regenerate its threat against us repeatedly over the past 14 years is that it uses its guerilla armies to groom new leaders and identify recruits for terrorist plots against the West. The summary below shows what al Qaeda looks like today – it is far from being “neutralized.” Instead, al Qaeda and its regional branches are fighting in more countries today than ever. They are trying to build radical Islamic states, just like ISIS, which garners more attention but hasn’t, contrary to conventional wisdom, surpassed al Qaeda in many areas.
{Shane Harris} ~ ‘There are still Americans in captivity in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region,’ a top congressman reveals. The question is: How many? And what’s Washington doing to recover them?... A group of Islamist militants aligned with the Taliban has been holding an American man hostage for more than a year, according to U.S. officials and others familiar with his case, which has not been reported previously. The disclosure of another American hostage raises questions about how many Americans are being held abroad—and what the U.S. government is doing to recover them. The nObama administration has been working to streamline its hostage rescue efforts, which critics say have suffered from a lumbering bureaucracy that hasn’t kept family members fully informed about their loved ones. How effective those efforts have been is unclear. 
{James Pethokoukis} ~ In the new Oxford University study “Industrial Renewal in the 21st Century: Evidence from US Cities,” researchers Thor Berger and Carl Benedikt Frey examine the tech revolution’s job effects... How much creation and how much destruction is really happening — and in what Schumpeterian share? Is society overall benefitting? Berger and Frey’s results suggest technological unemployment and underemployment are big risks going forward. The digital economy is creating wealth and jobs only for a few. As the FT’s Izabella Kaminska cites from Frey, “Major economies like the US need to think about the implications for lower-skilled workers, to ensure that vast swathes of people don’t get left behind.” Here are major results of the study: 
{Genevieve Wood} ~ In the aftermath of the massacre in Paris and the shooting this week in San Bernardino, Calif., the debate over the threat of Islamic terrorism is again front and center... Many political leaders, including President Barack nObama, refuse to make the connection between the terrorist acts of groups like ISIS and the religion of Islam. And few Muslim leaders appear willing to speak out against Islamic extremism. But one such voice, Dr. Zuhdi Jasser, the founder and president of the American Islamic Forum for Democracy, sat down with The Daily Signal to do just that.
{Melissa Quinn} ~ As the Senate gears up to debate the $1.1 trillion omnibus spending bill, conservative leaders are pushing back against a measure floated by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McCon-nell boosting the amount of money political parties can spend in coordination with candidates... In a letter circulated among conservative groups, nearly 50 conservative leaders Thursday rallied in opposition to a campaign finance policy rider McCon-nell, R-Ky., will reportedly insert into the omnibus spending bill. McCon-nell’s measure would lift the amount of money political parties can spend in coordination with a candidate. “There is no doubt that campaign finance restrictions need reform,” the signatories said. “However, the McCon-nell rider provides preferential treatment to the Washington establishment and subordinates the voices of those who contribute to other multi-candidate organizations. Therefore, the Congress should not include this rider.”
Noah Feldman
> Debra J. Saunders
{Sharyl Attkisson} ~ As some reporters unequivocally declare Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to be “wrong” when he claimed thousands in New Jersey celebrated the Sept. 11, 2001 Islamic extremist terrorist attacks, I observe with more than a passing interest... My interest isn’t in the presidential candidates; it’s in the news media’s conduct. One news outlet dubbed Trump “the post truth 2016 candidate,” lifting a propaganda phrase passed along by the usual suspects. If one didn’t know better, one might think Hilly Clinton’s supporters among propagandists, astroturfers and the news media know she polls weakest when it comes to honesty, so they’re on a mission to reduce her strongest Republican competition to equal footing. If voters can be convinced that Trump and Ben Carson are liars, then those candidates are less likely to attack Clinton’s own dubious relationship with the truth…
