Saturday, June 14, 2014
George W. Bush Brought Democracy to Iraq – Barack Obama Brought ISIS
A young Iraqi girl shows her inked finger after her mother and grandmother voted in Baquba, 50 km (30 miles) north of Baghdad December 15, 2005.... (REUTERS/Bob Strong)
◼ McCain calls for entire Obama national security team to be fired - Washington Times
“The fact is we had the conflict won, and we had a stable government,” he said. “But the president wanted out and now we are paying a very heavy price, and I predicted it in 2011. You can go back and look at the quotes.”
◼ FLASHBACK: Biden’s Bold Prediction: Iraq Is “Gonna Be One Of The Great Achievements Of {Obama} Administration”… - Weasel Zippers
UPDATE: IRAQ IMPLODES...
◼ ISIS Rampages, the Middle East Shakes - Daniel Pipes
The jihadis' takeover of Mosul on June 9 won them control of Iraq's second-largest city, a major haul of weapons, US$429 million in gold, an open path to conquer Tikrit, Samarra, and perhaps the capital city of Baghdad. The Iraqi Kurds have seized Kirkuk. This is the most important event in the Middle East since the Arab upheavals began in 2010....◼ UPDATE: IRAQ IMPLODES - Daily Mail UK (image source)
Regional threat: The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), a designated terror group, is in a position to overthrow the governments of Iraq and Syria and perhaps beyond, starting with Jordan. Straddling the Iraq-Syrian border, it may both erase the nearly century-old border between these two colonial creations and end their existence as unitary states, thereby overturning the Middle Eastern political order as it emerged from World War I. Rightly does the U.S. government call ISIS "a threat to the entire region."...
Unexpected strength: These developments establish that the most extreme and violent form of Islamism, as represented by Al-Qaeda and like groups, can go beyond terrorism to form guerilla militias that conquer territory and challenge governments. In this, ISIS joins the Taliban in Afghanistan, Al-Shabaab in Somalia, Al-Nusra Front in Syria, Ansar Dine in Mali, and Boko Haram in Nigeria.
Muslims hate Islamism: Thanks to the ferocious reputation ISIS has established in its capital city of Raqqa, Syria, and elsewhere, an estimated quarter of Mosul's population of almost two million has fled. The current round of ISIS brutality will newly render Islamism obnoxious to millions more Muslims..... MORE, at the link
How Isis have rampaged towards the capital: A blow by blow account of how Islamist militants outnumbered 20-to-1 by the army cut through huge swathes of Iraq...◼ BAGHDAD FIGHTS BACK - MATT BRADLEY in Erbil, Iraq And ALI A. NABHAN in Baghdad/Wall St. Journal
◼ Iran sends in troops - The Guardian
Iran has sent 2,000 advance troops to Iraq in the past 48 hours to help tackle a jihadist insurgency, a senior Iraqi official has told the Guardian.◼ PENTAGON MOVES WARSHIP TO GULF - Reuters
The confirmation comes as the Iranian president, Hassan Rouhani, said Iran was ready to support Iraq from the mortal threat fast spreading through the country, while the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, called on citizens to take up arms in their country's defence.
Addressing the country on Saturday, Maliki said rebels from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) had given "an incentive to the army and to Iraqis to act bravely". His call to arms came after reports surfaced that hundreds of young men were flocking to volunteer centres across Baghdad to join the fight against Isis.
◼ Fall Would Make Current Gas Prices 'Look Like Bargain' - CBS LA
◼ Vets watch as insurgents undo sacrifices - AP
◼ 'Died for nothing' - CBS Philly
◼ BLAIR: 'It would be worse if we hadn't invaded' - The Independent UK
◼ ISIS Leader: 'See You in New York' - The Daily Beast
America's Allies Are Funding ISIS - The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), now threatening Baghdad, was funded for years by wealthy donors in Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, three U.S. allies that have dual agendas in the war on terror.
OBAMA OPENS BORDERS TO MEXICAN GANG MEMBERS
“If he’s a confirmed gang member in his own country, why are we letting him in here? … I’ve heard people come in and say, ‘You’re going to let me go, just like you let my mother go, just like you let my sister go. You’re going to let me go as well, and the government’s going to take care of us,’” Mr. Cabrera told the magazine.
He said that the only way to solve the problem was to implement harsher restrictions on who can be allowed to cross.
“Until we start mandatory detentions, mandatory removals, I don’t think anything is going to change. As a matter of fact, I think it’s going to get worse,” he said, National Review reported....
DRUDGE HEADLINES:
AZ threatens legal action on Fed's immigrant dumping...
Teenage Latin Horde...
Obama Admin Forbids Lawmakers From Taking Photos Of Facility...
Border Patrol Threatened With Criminal Charges for Speaking to Reporters...
Agents changing diapers, heating baby formula for surge of children...
OBAMA: 'Our Future Rests' on DREAMers...
Honduran President: 'Misinformation'...
More than 35,000 illegals entering TX each month...
◼ PAPER: Orchestrated campaign to create chaos - IBD
An Orchestrated Immigration Wave At The Texas Border? Not So Paranoid To Think So: As an unprecedented wave of undocumented children from Central America spills over our Texas border, a veteran lawmen's organization has declared it an "orchestrated" event. If so, who benefits?Embassies still not warning against sending children...
To date, there hasn't been a word from the White House or its agencies urging families in Honduras, Guatemala or El Salvador not to send their children alone through Mexico's merciless badlands infested with cartel criminals to reach the U.S. There's some Twitter activity and little else.
But the newspapers and television stations throughout Central America are falsely reporting that amnesty will be theirs if they can just make it through the Mexican obstacle course — and that the time to do it is now.
It doesn't matter that these children are likely to succumb to desert heat, be snatched by vicious human traffickers, forced into prostitution, slavery or the drug trade, or simply murdered as has already happened to thousands, as the white crosses at the border can attest.
Not since the radio broadcasts that triggered Rwanda's Tutsi massacres in 1994 has such false information been spread unchecked by authorities who might be able with just their words to make a difference....
In 2007, Romney Predicted Current Events In Iraq So Accurately He Must Have Had A Time Machine
◼ In 2007, Romney Predicted Current Events In Iraq So Accurately He Must Have Had A Time Machine - IJ Review
◼ 5 Disastrous Obama Policy Decisions That Have Already Blown Up In His Face - John Hawkins/TownHall
Barack Obama may be good at campaigning and great at shifting the blame, but when it comes to governing, he can't do anything right. If you want to see what happens when a politician ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS puts raw politics and ideology above what's good for the country, take a look at just some of the disasters Barack Obama has created for America.
Clintons lecturing you about 'income inequality?
On Friday morning, Politico published on the previously unknown and "closely held" details of former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton's contract with NBC News. According to the story, Clinton was given an annual salary of $600,000 when she joined NBC News as a "special correspondent" in November 2011. Based on these figures, Clinton has earned about $26,724 for each minute she subsequently appeared on air.
NBC News declined to confirm Politico's report about Clinton's salary. A spokesperson for the news outlet instead said they, "don’t comment on details of existing contracts." Politico also said Clinton's contract "was up for renewal or nonrenewal this year" and she was placed on the payroll on a month-to-month basis to allow her to cut ties with the network if her mother, Hillary Clinton, launches her long rumored presidential bid in 2016.
Assuming Politico's reporting is correct and that Clinton is still earning at the same rate after moving to month-to-month payment, she has earned about $1.55 million from NBC News....
Clinton's 14 past appearances identified by Business Insider included news segments where she interviewed the Geico gecko and feel-good "Making a Difference" pieces like one on foster grandparents and another on a program to provide therapy dogs to soldiers. She was also interviewed by other NBC reporters about her charity work and role in President Barack Obama's inauguration. In total, Clinton's segments from the past 2 years and seven months lasted just shy of 58 minutes.
◼ Hillary Clinton slams (income) inequality in populist speech - MSNBC
“The dream of upward mobility that made this country a model for the world feels further and further out of reach and many Americans understandably feel frustrated, even angry,” Clinton said.
◼ (Bill) Clinton Blasts ‘Inequality’ and ‘Climate Change’ Before Inaugurating NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio - Noah Rothman/Mediaite
WHY BENGHAZI MATTERS
◼ Bill Whittle of Truth Revolt takes on the monumental task of explaining very slowly for our liberal friends why the Benghazi terrorist attack still matters, and how it always will matter, until the truth comes out. - IJ Review
The White House is trying to run out the clock and avoid accountability for leaving Americans to die in a sandy hellhole without lifting a finger to make any rescue attempt.
Everyone, regardless of party affiliation, should grasp how reckless and unacceptable that is and what a terrible message that sends to our servicemen.
Then there is the matter of the cover-up. We now have word that the State Department was listening on the phones at Benghazi in real-time as terrorists were coordinating the attack. Oops. That means it was lies from the very beginning, like many people knew all along....
#BringBackOurGirls? President Barack Obama hasn't mentioned terrorist group Boko Haram since May 28.
◼ Hashtag MIA: Boko Haram Urgency Fades as Questions Raised About What Admin Knew When - Bridget Johnson/PJM
As quickly as Boko Haram caught Washington by hashtag storm, the Nigerian terrorists — and their schoolgirl captives — have seemingly vanished from the radar of priorities, even as the al-Qaeda-linked group’s jihadi brothers-in-arms run roughshod across Iraq.
One senator this week, though, charged that the administration never wanted the frightening growth of the North African terrorist organization to receive much attention in the first place....
There are some chilling foreign policy parallels between the continuing terrorist attacks in Nigeria and the terrorist takeover now grabbing the headlines in Iraq. The activities of both groups underscore that al-Qaeda is not on the run but metastasizing, and the atrocities of both have been met with calls for political solutions rather than a declaration of war on Islamic jihadists.
,,,Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) this week questioned why the State Department, under former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, “misled” Congress on the threat posed by Boko Haram.
He cited 2011 evidence on Boko Haram presented to the State Department by the National Counterterrorism Center, followed by a delay in the group’s terror designation until fall 2013.
“Recent evidence suggests Secretary Hillary Clinton and the State Department not only knew of the extent, but also deliberately attempted to obfuscate the issue in order to avoid having to make the designation of Boko Haram as a FTO, including downplaying the State Department’s own Country Reports on Terrorism (CRT),” Vitter wrote to Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday.
“Inaccuracies within official documents make it clear that the State Department misled Congress and the American people...."
As ISIS Terrorists Take Over Iraq… Obama Goes GOLFING
◼ He’s taking a long weekend. - Gateway Pundit
◼ Report: Hundreds of American Civilians Besieged by Terrorists at Air Force Base in Iraq - IJ Review
◼ Balad Iraq US contractors trapped - CNN ireport
◼ ‘Definition of bad optics’: Obama hits the links while Iraq hits the fan - Twitchy
@markknoller OK, goody. A long relaxing weekend in Palm Springs for Obama. Poor guy deserves a rest after his recent string of successes
— #JWF# (@JammieWF) June 13, 2014
◼ Iraq War Vet Explains How Screwed Up The Iraq Takeover is in one Heart-Wrenching Tweet - IJ Review
If I have this right, Iran, the country responsible for the weapons expert and the IED that took my arm, is going to help America with Iraq.
— J.R. Salzman (@jrsalzman) June 13, 2014
I did not get an arm blown off in Baghdad so you could sit on your ass and watch Iraq fall, @BarackObama. I did my job. DO YOUR JOB.
— J.R. Salzman (@jrsalzman) June 13, 2014
Unbelievable, but this is what happens when a community organizer becomes the feckless leader of the free world.
Images provided directly from ISIS via http://justpaste.it/fusg
IRS: So… Our Computer Crashed And Erased All Of Lois Lerner’s Emails
◼ Veteran IT Professional Gives Six Reasons Why the IRS’ Claim That It ‘Lost’ Two Years of Lois Lerner’s Emails Is ‘Simply Not Feasible’ - The Blaze
(Norman) Cillo, who has been working in IT for roughly 16 years and is currently a consultant for a tech company, said it’s possible the IRS is telling the truth if the federal agency is “totally mismanaged and has the worst IT department ever.”
Other than that, it’s just not “feasible,” he told TheBlaze. “If the IRS’ email server is in such a state that they only have one copy of data and the server crashes and it’s gone, I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“I don’t know of any email administrator that doesn’t have at least three ways of getting that mail back,” he added. “It’s either on the disks or it’s on a TAPE backup someplace or in an archive server. There are at least three ways the government can get those emails.”
◼ Watch the IRS Commissioner Testify They Had ALL of Lois Lerner’s Emails & Would Turn Them Over! - IJ Review
IRS Commissioner testified in March Lois Lerner emails were archived. Here is the video #IRS http://t.co/M6Zbl8Hgqc
— Jason Chaffetz (@jasoninthehouse) June 13, 2014
What are they hiding?
◼ James Woods: Will Lois Lerner finally desert the sinking S.S. Obama? - Twitchy
Now that the IRS "lost" two years of Louis Lerner emails, will she finally be the first rat to desert the sinking SS Obama?
— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) June 13, 2014
@RealJamesWoods Impossible scenario. Server back-up has to exist. They must implicate Obama directly. No other reasonable explanation.
— ALK (@ISAYSO56) June 13, 2014
◼ ‘A good time to reflect’: Scary reminder about the gov’t that ‘lost’ two years worth of email - Twitchy, Who Said What on Twitter
The government that just "lost" two years of emails would like to handle your medical records from now on.
— jon gabriel (@exjon) June 13, 2014
◼ 10 Things the Incompetent Buffoon Dave Camp Should Do Right Now to Handle the IRS's "MIssing Emails" - Doug Ross
1. Terry V. Milholland served as the IRS Chief Technology Officer during the years in question and was responsible for all IT activities. Subpoena Milholland now.◼ LOIS LERNER’S “LOST” EMAILS - Scott Johnson/Powerline
2. David Stender, currently SVP and Enterprise Security Officer at M&T Bank, served as Associate CIO for Cybersecurity and Chief Information Security Officer at the IRS during the years in question. Subpoena Stender now.
3. Robert N. Crawford served as the Associate Chief Information Officer for Enterprise Services at the IRS during the years in question. Subpoena Crawford now.
4. Lauren Buschor served as the Associate Chief Information Officer for Enterprise Operations at the IRS during the years in question. Subpoena Buschor now.
5. The IRS uses Microsoft Exchange as its email platform. Subpoena the administrator of that system now.
6. Immediately subpoena all backup tapes of the email system, probably held at an Iron Mountain facility, for the years 2010 through 2013... read the rest at the link
A reader writes from inside the Department of Justice to comment on the two-year gap in Lois Lerner’s intra-government email messages: I’m a DOJ lawyer, so you obviously cannot use my name or any identifying information. But the idea that a “hard drive crash” somehow destroyed all of Ms. Lerner’s intra-government email correspondence during the period in question [2009-2011] is laughable. Government email servers are backed up every night....◼ OBAMA ADMINISTRATION’S CLAIM THAT LOIS LERNER’S EMAILS ARE “LOST” IS LUDICROUS - John Hinderaker/Powerline
The Obama administration’s claim that the IRS has “lost” two years of Lois Lerner’s emails is implausible to anyone who understands how email systems work. This is what the administration said: The IRS told congressional investigators Friday it cannot locate many of Lois Lerner’s emails prior to 2011 because her computer crashed that year. This statement, on its face, is silly. Emails are collected on email servers....
The details keep getting worse around the impending take over of Iraq by Islamist terrorists who were kicked out of Al Qaeda for being too extreme.
◼ Vicious leader of ISIS terrorist group when U.S. forces released him to Iraq: ‘I’ll see you in New York’ - The Right Scoop
In a report from Megyn Kelly, the commander recalls a warning from the “new Bin Laden” now leading ISIS upon his release from U.S. captivity as part of our withdrawal from Iraq in 2011:
“He knew he was going to get out, in my mind, because as he left, he told us, he told me and the soldier that were around me, ‘I’ll see you in New York.’”
Gallup: Majority Says Obama Not ‘Honest and Trustworthy’
◼ Fifty-one percent of the Americans who responded to a Gallup poll conducted June 5-8 said that they do not believe the phrase “is honest and trustworthy” applies to President Barack Obama. - CNS
The latest poll, conducted June 5-8, was the first time that a majority said the description “is honest and trustworthy” does not apply to Obama.
Friday, June 13, 2014
IRAQ UNRAVELING...
In answer to the call, thousands of Shiites _ many with militia experience from the sectarian war that pitted Sunnis against Shiites and killed thousands from 2006 to 2008 _ flooded the cities of Baghdad, Najaf and Karbala to receive weapons, enlist in organized units and receive their orders.◼ UN: 800K REFUGEES
Hours later, President Barack Obama made it clear that the United States was unwilling to commit itself to the defense of a government that had been unable to resolve Iraq’s ethnic and sectarian differences.
The U.N. refugee agency says Iraq's refugee population has increased by almost 800,000 this year as the government struggles against rebels and Islamic militants.◼ CHRISTIANS ON THE RUN - CNS
The agency says 300,000 people fled for safety this week in Erbil and Duhok as Islamic militants seize control of large areas in northern Iraq.
Agency spokesman Adrian Edwards told reporters Friday in Geneva that many of the refugees are arriving with little more than the clothes they wear and have no money and nowhere to go.
◼ Government 'paralyzed' - YAHOO/AP
◼ IRAN TO THE RESCUE? - REUTERS
◼ VIDEO: Thousands of soldiers captured - GATEWAY PUNDIT
◼ REPORT: 200 American contractors surrounded - WND
A U.S. contractor in Iraq told WND the Iraqi Air Force has begun evacuations from Balad Air Force Base, where 200 American contractors were trapped by the al-Qaida-inspired jihadists who have seized control of two cities and are now threatening Baghdad.◼ Vets watch as insurgents undo sacrifices - AP
◼ 'It's Like Punch In Gut' - CBS SF
“You know it’s really hard, because part of what you learn in the military is mission success, mission accomplishment and never to accept failure,” the two-time Iraq War veteran said. “It can make you feel a lot of loss was in vain.”◼ Oil Soars
In December 2011, nearly all American troops left the war-ravaged nation, and leaders in Baghdad failed to negotiated a security agreement that would have retained a U.S. presence.
THE GREAT DIVIDE: Poll shows liberals, conservatives worlds apart not just on politics
Liberals and conservatives don’t agree on much when it comes to politics. But it runs even deeper than that, a new Pew Research Center poll finds.◼ This massive survey on the differences between liberals and conservatives has 4 fascinating takeaways - Becket Adams/Washington Examiner
The most polarized on the right and left disagree on where to live, who to associate with, even how big their house should be and who their children should marry....
Forty-one percent of consistent conservatives prefer to live in rural areas; 35 percent say small towns. Almost a majority of consistent liberals –- 46 percent — say they want to live in the city.
Seventy-five percent of consistent conservatives would rather live in places where the houses are larger and farther apart, and where you have to drive to schools, stores and restaurants. Seventy-seven percent of consistent liberals say the opposite. They prefer smaller houses, closer to each other, where you can walk to schools, stores and restaurants....
The report, titled ◼ “Political Polarization in the American Public,” takes a detailed look at the broad issue of American politics, partisan ideologies and the supposed divide between the right and the left....
From the report: Partisan animosity has increased substantially over the same period. In each party, the share with a highly negative view of the opposing party has more than doubled since 1994. Most of these intense partisans believe the opposing party’s policies “are so misguided that they threaten the nation’s well-being.”
Senate Appropriators Want $1 BILLION for Unaccompanied Illegal Immigrant Children
Senate appropriators are moving toward a $1.03 billion spending increase to address the healthcare and shelter needs of thousands of unaccompanied alien children streaming across the nation’s southern border....
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who supported the funding increase, said the recent influx of tens of thousands of children entering the country without their parents “has resulted in emergency situations in border states. Federal, state and local officials need increased resources to properly shelter, feed and clothe these children as they work to find solutions to these heartbreaking situations.”
“Providing sufficient funding for child advocates and legal services is essential to ensure children have adequate representation and support as their immigration cases make their way through the judicial process,” she said.
The Obama administration has reported that more than 47,000 children have illegally crossed the southern border unaccompanied by their parents since Oct. 1 — a 92 percent increase over the same period in 2013. More than 33,000 have been apprehended along the Rio Grande during that period...
But Republicans, like Senate Republican Whip John Cornyn, of Texas, insist that the crisis “is directly the result of President Obama’s own policies and it involves tens of thousands of young children risking their lives.”
Cornyn asserted the administration’s “failure to uphold our immigration laws, indeed, his statement that he essentially will not enforce broad swaths of those laws” has created an dangerous incentive for children and their parents to cross into the United States under “treacherous and horrific circumstances.”
“These children are being preyed on by drug cartels and human traffickers, and they’re at high risk of being kidnapped, raped, or even killed while traveling in this long dangerous journey to the United States,” Cornyn said. “But sadly, when they arrive here, we still have no way of guaranteeing their safety because of lack of an adequate plan to deal with this humanitarian crisis.”
Cornyn was joined in his condemnation by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who said the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border “spiked dramatically” in 2012 after the president implemented the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, memorandum instructing various agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, to practice prosecutorial discretion toward some individuals who immigrated illegally to the United States as children.
That action, Cruz said, “unilaterally granted amnesty to some 800,000 people who had been minors,” leading to “a dramatic increase of children being handed over to international drug cartels to be smuggled in here illegally.”
“These numbers represent children,” Cruz said. “Little boys and little girls, their parents are handing them over not to some noble social worker trying to help them. They are handing them over to international, global criminal cartels that smuggle human beings in. They put kids, among other places, on top of fast-moving freight trains. They are criminals who assault, sexually assault, and sometimes murder these children. These are little girls that are sometimes being sold into prostitution and sex slavery.”
◼ Obama Admin Forbids Lawmakers From Taking Photos Of Illegal Immigrant Facility - DAILY CALLER
◼ Border Patrol Threatened With Criminal Charges for Speaking to Reporters - BREITBART
◼ Agents changing diapers, heating baby formula for surge of children - WASHINGTON TIMES
◼ OBAMA: 'Our Future Rests' on DREAMers - NATIONAL REVIEW
◼ Feds vow to 'reunite' minors with parents in USA - BREITBART
◼ Did FEMA Anticipate Crisis? FEMA caught stockpiling clothes, housing, food, water and more for unknown emergency. - INFOWARS
The Hillary Clinton Fund for Broke Politicians
◼ Campus Reform Panhandles College Students for ‘The Hillary Clinton Fund for Broke Politicians’ - IJ Review
◼ And Hillary's daughter: Report: Chelsea Clinton Paid $600,000 Per Year At NBC - Daily Caller
Chelsea Clinton earned $600,000 annually from NBC News in her role as special correspondent from 2011 to earlier this year, according to a report from Politico.
Sources with knowledge of the agreement told the online publication that Clinton — daughter of American royals Hillary and Bill — switched over to a month-to-month contract with the news network recently....
◼ "$600,000 seems like a fair salary for an only child who has to support her struggling parents." Chelsea: The Poorest Clinton - Washington Free Beacon
"What amazes me is how the liberal progressive Left have such an animus towards Americans who oppose their socialist agenda, yet cower in the face of America’s real enemy."
◼ (Another) Released GITMO prisoner has grisly hobby (GRAPHIC) - Allen West
Then again, what difference at this point does it make?
The al Qaeda affiliated ISIS group now rampaging in Iraq is led by a man who was in US custody until freed by Obama.
◼ Former Obama Administration Official DESTROYS Obama’s Foreign Policy In One Tweet - Daily Caller
US respnse 2 Syria,Russia,Iraq:
1)Huh?
2)We're watching this closely
3)With concern.
4)Hey, stop-
5)We won't tolerate that!
6)Mmm. Whatever.
— Rosa Brooks (@brooks_rosa) June 13, 2014
◼ Hillary Clinton: I ‘Could Not Have Predicted’ That Al-Qaida Would Take Over Iraq - Daily Caller
“So this is not just a Syrian problem anymore,” Clinton said. “I never thought it was just a Syrian problem. I thought it was a regional problem. I could not have predicted, however, the extent to which ISIS could be effective in seizing cities in Iraq and trying to erase boundaries to create an Islamic state. That’s why it’s a wicked problem.”
Clinton also notably failed to classify the Islamist terrorist group Boko Haram as a terrorist group during her time at the State Department, which made it more difficult to prosecute the group that recently abducted a classroom full of Nigerian schoolgirls.
ISIS wants to create an Islamic caliphate state in Iraq and Syria, similar to the vision espoused by the late al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. The group has been effective in riling up Sunnis in the region against Sh’ia Iraqi prime minister Nouri al-Maliki and also Shi’ia leader al-Assad in Syria. The group recently seized the Iraqi city of Fallujah, where U.S. Marines won arguably their most important Iraq War victory. ISIS hangs the black flag of al-Qaida over the cities that it conquers....
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Feds pushing local cops to stay mum on surveillance...
The Obama administration has been quietly advising local police not to disclose details about surveillance technology they are using to sweep up basic cellphone data from entire neighborhoods, The Associated Press has learned.
Citing security reasons, the U.S. has intervened in routine state public records cases and criminal trials regarding use of the technology. This has resulted in police departments withholding materials or heavily censoring documents in rare instances when they disclose any about the purchase and use of such powerful surveillance equipment.
Federal involvement in local open records proceedings is unusual. It comes at a time when President Barack Obama has said he welcomes a debate on government surveillance and called for more transparency about spying in the wake of disclosures about classified federal surveillance programs....
Medieval Sharia Law Imposed... Thousands of IRAQI SOLDIERS, MEN & BOYS Captured By ISIS
Everything You Need To Know About The Deadly Extremist Group Ravaging Iraq & Syria #داعش #ISIS http://t.co/Exv3hrFjnI pic.twitter.com/SOT93tpcbL
— Miriam A Berger (@MiriamABerger) June 12, 2014
◼ Iraq Isis Crisis: Medieval Sharia Law Imposed on Millions in Nineveh Province - International Business Times
In a document circulating on social media attributed to the group, Isis warned tribal leaders and sheikhs not to "work with [the Iraqi] government and be traitors" while proclaiming that women should only go outside if absolutely necessary.
"For women, dress decently and wear wide clothes. Only go out if needed," read the document as translated by Al Aan TV reporter Jenan Moussa.
Further rules included bans on drugs, alcohol and cigarettes while public gatherings, the possession of guns and the carrying of flags not of the Islamic state were outlawed.
IRAQ ANARCHY SPIRAL...
Terrorists 'full-blown army'...
Medieval Sharia Law Imposed...
Iraqi citizens join fight...
Army Collapses...
VIDEO: Thousands of soldiers captured by ISIS...
PM Asks USA for Strikes...
Iran Deploys Forces...
Americans evacuated...
USA Secretly Flying Drones...
Pentagon: Rebels may have captured military equipment...
FLASHBACK: Biden: Iraq One of Obama's 'Great Achievements'...
Vets in Congress: 'What was point of all that?'...
Oil Soars...
◼ BREAKING ➙ NEW VIDEO – Thousands of IRAQI SOLDIERS, MEN & BOYS Captured By ISIS - Jim Hoft/Gateway Pundit
Intel agencies overheard Benghazi attackers calling terrorist leaders during assault?
Fox News’ Bret Baier and James Rosen report that US intelligence agencies knew for certain during the attack on the Benghazi consulate that it was a coordinated terrorist attack, in large part because they listened to phone conversations to terror network leaders from the attackers. That’s because those calls took place on State Department cell phones seized from the consulate, according to the pilot that flew the mission to get the survivors and bodies out of Benghazi the next day. Major Eric Stahl (USAF retired) told Baier the story, which Rosen confirmed with a second source...
ISLAMISTS CLOSE IN ON BAGHDAD
◼ Iraq Battles Islamists in Saddam’s Hometown, 80 Miles From Baghdad - Bloomberg
◼ DRUDGE HEADLINES:
IRAQ ANARCHY SPIRAL...
WAR GAINS LOST...
Washington Watches Disaster Unfold...
'Mass beheadings' by al-Qaeda forces in Mosul and Tikrit...
PM Asks USA for Strikes...
Secret Request Rebuffed...
Governemt on brink of collapse...
Militants Sweeping Toward Baghdad...
VA Spent Tens of Millions on Ad Campaigns, Audits, Green Energy
An analysis of more than $1 billion dollars in spending by the Department of Veterans Affairs on “professional services” finds several instances of questionable spending, including millions for a national ad campaign and energy programs to make VA facilities more sustainable....
A review of records also showed millions of dollars was spent on surveys during the past five years to ensure VA standards were met at state-owned and operated facilities. The Free Beacon found a $6.3 million contract awarded in 2011, another $5.9 million contract in 2013, and another $1.7 million contract in 2013, all of which were awarded to Ascellon Corp. during the past five years to conduct surveys to ensure compliance.
Two other additional contracts—one for $2.6 million completed in March 2013 and another for $5.3 million contract completed in September 2012—all focused on monitoring veteran’s facilities.
In total $18.1 million was awarded over the past five years to “conduct surveys at state owned and operated veteran’s homes to monitor compliance with VA Standards.”
The Free Beacon also found numerous contracts for a “peer review” program to ensure quality management at VA facilities. That program was instituted as a result of a directive from the Veterans Health Administration in June 2010....
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Military Bases: Obama's New Illegal Alien Dumping Grounds... What's Obama Doing With All Those Illegal Immigrant Children?
The first reportedly landed at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford. According to my tipster, approximately 160 illegal immigrants arrived on that flight and stayed nearly a week before being transferred to a Department of Homeland Security site and then released.
The second flight reportedly was diverted from Hanscom to Boston's Logan Airport this past weekend. I am told that both Massachusetts and New Hampshire officials were on hand. I reached out to Hanscom AFB for confirmation, but did not receive a call back by my deadline.
Question: How many other military bases are stealthily being used to redistribute, house, process and release illegal border crossers?
A makeshift detention center in Nogales, Ariz., is being used as the central clearing station for the latest illegal alien surge. The deluge is a threat to national security, public safety and public health -- not to mention a slap in the face to the law-abiding men and women in uniform on those bases and a kick in the teeth to law-abiding people around the world patiently waiting for approval of their visas.
...The latest "crisis" is a wholly manufactured byproduct of White House administrative amnesties, which are supported by a toxic alliance of ethnic-vote-seeking Democrats and cheap-labor-hungry Big Business Republicans. The flood comes just as Obama's DHS announced a two-year extension for beneficiaries of the "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals" (DACA) program. A whopping 560,000 illegal aliens have been granted amnesty under DACA and also have received employment authorization.
As I've said for two decades, illegal alien amnesties guarantee two things: more illegal immigration and more Democratic voters. Now we have a White House forcing U.S. military bases to provide interminable benefits and services to illegal aliens for political gain, while said White House evades responsibility for allowing military veterans to die waiting for the most basic of medical services.
And where's the GOP "leadership" in this country? Doing the bidding of the amnesty-loving U.S. Chamber of Commerce and demonizing Republican candidates at every level who are sick and tired of giving away the store and the country.
God save us from bipartisanship. (More details, at the link.)
◼ Leaked Docs: Here’s What DHS Is Doing With All Those Illegal Immigrant Children - Daily Caller
The Daily Caller has obtained documents used in an off-the-record conference call being conducted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for Congressional staffers on how the Obama administration is handling thousands of young illegal immigrants who are coming to the U.S. alone.
The young immigrants, called Unaccompanied Children, or UACs, are being housed at several U.S. military installations as well as with 94 Unaccompanied Children Shelter Grantees throughout the U.S., the document reveals.
FEMA is coordinating the effort, which is being called a “humanitarian situation.”
...The UAC’s have also been sent to various military installations in the U.S.
On May 18, Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio began holding some of the UACs. The installation has room for 1,200, according to the document with 1,137 of the minors having been placed there.
Ventura County Naval Base outside of Oxnard, Cali. has room for 230 UACs; 91 are currently at the facility. It is operating at only 40 percent capacity, according to the document. Contractors are completing requirements to increase capacity to 575.
Fort Sill Army Base near Lawton, Okla. will begin housing UACs on Friday, according to the document. They have room for 600.
The Nogales Transition Center in Arizona and the McAllen (Texas) Customs and Border Patrol facility have room for 1,200 UACs apiece.
Plans are also being finalized on a facility in Baltimore, Maryland. It was reported earlier this week that a 1.1 million square foot abandoned Social Security Administration building will be used to house UACs there.... TheDC attempted to listen in on the call but was told that members of the press were not allowed.
Good News --> The Obama Reset Button is Working! Russian Bombers Fly Within 50 Miles of California Coast
Two U.S. Air Force F-22 jets were scrambled and intercepted the bombers over the Aleutians.
After tracking the bombers as they flew eastward, two of the four Bears turned around and headed west toward the Russian Far East. The bombers are believed to be based at the Russian strategic base near Anadyr, Russia.
The remaining two nuclear-capable bombers then flew southeast and around 9:30 pm entered the U.S. northern air defense zone off the coast of Northern California.
Two U.S. F-15 jets were deployed and intercepted the bombers as they eventually flew within 50 miles of the coast before turning around and heading west.
A defense official said the four bombers also were supported by two IL-78 aerial refueling tankers that were used for mid-air refueling during the operation this week.
The Tu-95 is a long-range strike aircraft capable of carrying nuclear cruise missiles. Other versions are equipped with intelligence-gathering sensors and electronic warfare gear. It has a range of around 9,400 miles without refueling.
House votes against California high speed rail
...Hammering home the point, House Republicans on Tuesday approved an amendment by Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., that blocks any money from the $52 billion bill from going to California high-speed rail.
“This is a project that is going out of control,” Denham declared during House debate. “It’s a project that has no end in sight. We’ve got to stop this train wreck.”
The Republican-controlled House passed Denham’s amendment on a largely party line 227-186 vote following a 15-minute debate.
The House actions follow the GOP policy of opposing the Obama administration’s high-speed rail efforts, and they are to some extent symbolic. California’s high-speed rail planners, who have already obtained some $3.8 billion in federal funds, do not anticipate needing additional federal dollars in the next fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.
We’ve given all that we fought for in Iraq away
“@hale_razor: Obama inherited from Bush an Iraq not controlled by Al-Qaeda.”
— Instapundit.com (@instapundit) June 11, 2014
We’ve given all that we fought for in Iraq away. http://t.co/YGo6cEjtZ7
— Bill Murphy (@billmurphy) June 11, 2014
fruits of Obama's military strategy RT @Drudge_Siren 'Mass beheadings' in Iraq as al-Qaeda forces seize Mosul, Tikrit http://t.co/NqkdE7aQhh
— Prudence Paine (@PruPaine) June 11, 2014
◼ Al-Qaeda rebels take Tikrit, force 500,000 to flee Mosul - HotAir
Tikrit may be remembered more for being Saddam Hussein’s home town. Today it fell to radical Sunni extremists linked to al-Qaeda as western Iraq spins out of Baghdad’s control. ISIS also tightened its grip on Mosul and took aim at the Iraqi oil infrastructure, hoping to establish its own transnational state with territory it controls in Syria...
As I wrote earlier, there isn’t much we can do now. Despite the predictable return of al-Qaeda and ISIS to western Iraq, the Obama administration failed to reach an agreement with the Maliki government for a residual force to support Iraq’s security services in that eventuality. We have no footprint on the ground any longer in Iraq, and other than long-range bombing missions that would do damage to the Iraqis as well as ISIS thanks to the latter’s integration into urban areas, no immediate way to impact the fight.
◼ The Wall Street Journal puts the blame on the Obama administration for its decision to completely abandon Iraq...
So much for al Qaeda being on a path to defeat, as President Obama used to be fond of boasting. On Tuesday fighters for the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, an al Qaeda affiliate known as ISIS, seized total control of the northern city of Mosul—with nearly two million people—after four days of fighting. Thousands of civilians have fled for their lives, including the governor of Nineveh province, who spoke of the "massive collapse" of the Iraqi army. This could also describe the state of U.S. policy in Iraq.
◼ Iraq crisis: al-Qaeda forces seize Mosul and Tikrit - as it happened - Raf Sanchez, Harriet Alexander and Barney Henderson/Telegraph UK
◼ Al-Qaeda disavows any ties with radical Islamist ISIS group in Syria, Iraq - Washington Post
Cantor takes the high road in announcing he’ll step down as majority leader
"Conservatives have solutions that can help alleviate the middle-class squeeze and provide opportunity to all regardless of their circumstance in life. And I will continue to fight for each and every American who’s looking to better themselves and help their families by pursuing the American dream. While I will not be on the ballot in November, I will be a champion for conservatives across the nation who are dedicated to preserving liberty and providing opportunity.And the media?
Truly, what divides Republicans pales in comparison to what divides us as conservatives from the Left and their Democratic Party. I hope that all Republicans will put minor differences aside and help elect a Republican House and Senate so that we may all benefit from a proper check and balance that leaves our nation more secure, more prosperous and freer."
Peaceful election in VA? Earthquake.
Civil war in Iraq? Ripples. #journalism
— Will Antonin (@Will_Antonin) June 11, 2014
"That's Enough. That's Enough."
◼ Farmers Produce ‘That’s Enough’ Parody of ‘Frozen’ Song in Response to New EPA Rule
Farmers are furious about a new rule proposed by Barack Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency in what might be considered an unexpected way: with humor.
In a parody of Disney’s “Let It Go” from the wildly popular film “Frozen,” Kacey and Andy Clay, and their children, decry the “Waters of the U.S.” rule that would allow the EPA to regulate water in small ponds and ditches, as well as rainwater flowing through some low spots, in a similar way to how it regulates larger bodies of water like rivers.
#HillaryIsSoPoor: Hillary’s book tour from Hell
◼ ‘Broke’ comment debacle likely tip of iceberg - Washington Times
As soon as her new book hit store shelves Tuesday, Hillary Rodham Clinton became one of Twitter’s biggest punch lines, mocked for her claim she and her husband were penniless when they exited the White House in 2001.
But the furor over the Clintons’ supposed financial problems — the subject of a ◼ #HillaryIsSoPoor Twitter movement, complete with clever one-liners and photos of the couple’s impressive mansion — likely is just the tip of the iceberg, as Mrs. Clinton’s re-emergence in the public eye surely will fuel debate over the Benghazi affair and the broader issue of her time as secretary of state....
Some analysts say Mrs. Clinton, admittedly eyeing a 2016 White House bid, is employing Politics 101 by releasing a memoir and using it to defend her record and paint her own narrative ahead of another presidential campaign....
Did Hillary mean morally bankrupt? #hillarystruggles #HillaryIsSoPoor
— Kim (@mrskimcam) June 9, 2014
Must read: It's about government overreach. Here's Why The FDA's New Cheesemaking Ban Is Terrible News For Artisans.
...the FDA, after citing numerous code violations (and yet a lack of any scientific research) has decided to forgo its usual comment-rule making process, instead issuing this statement:
“The porous structure of wood enables it to absorb and retain bacteria, therefore bacteria generally colonize not only the surface but also the inside layers of wood. The shelves or boards used for aging make direct contact with finished products; hence they could be a potential source of pathogenic microorganisms in the finished products.”Although the relationship between the FDA and traditional cheesemakers has always been a rocky one, this move would spell doom for the artisans who make the cheese, and the millions of people who enjoy it. Already, nearly 1,500 people have signed a White House petition to force the Obama Administration into getting involved. Others are going directly to the source and emailing the FDA. Already, reddit is abuzz with the prospect of "Speakcheesies" (basically just a smellier speakeasy) for future illegal cheese. Before you go stocking up on your favorite cheese, however, consider these facts that help explain the argument a bit better:
Wait a second. Why are we suddenly afraid of bacteria? Isn't bacteria what actually makes cheese taste good?....
◼ SIGN THE PETITION: Lift the FDA restrictions on ripening cheese on wooden boards, which will devastate the American craft cheese industry. - petitions.whitehouse.gov (YES, THEY TRACK YOUR IP)
Earth’s War On Women: Professor Wants To Sacrifice Reproductive Rights In The Name Of Climate Change
Singer added that “greenhouse gases… are getting very close to a tipping point,” and climate change could become a “catastrophe and cause hundreds of millions or billions of people to become climate refugees.”As if that couldn’t be more offensive, Singer then compared the right of women to give birth to the right people have to graze their cattle on common property. Overgrazed ground – which he equates to bearing more children – leads to smaller yields, leads to disaster.
In that case, he said, “we need to consider whether we can talk about trying to reduce population growth and whether that’s compatible with the very reasonable concerns people have about women’s right to control their life decisions and their reproduction.”
“Turns out that the right to graze as many cows as you like on the common was not an absolute right,” said Singer. “Obviously this is what I think we ought to be saying even about how many children we have… I hope we don’t get to a point where we do have to override it… but I don’t think we ought to shrink away from considering that as a possibility.”His remarks weren’t received too well
ObamaCORE Emerges As a Major Issue As Education Takes An Orwellian Turn
Contrary to what the public is told, Common Core is not about standards. It’s about content — what pupils are taught. In the Social Studies Framework approved on April 29th by New York State’s education authorities (but not parents), American history is presented as four centuries of racism, economic oppression, and gender discrimination. Teachers are encouraged to help students identify their differences instead of their common American identity. Gone are heroes, ideals, and American exceptionalism....
Common Core was invented five years ago by a handful of Washington based education “experts” and bankrolled by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. But it took off when the Obama administration put into the stimulus bill $4.3 billion in state education grants called Race to the Top.
President Obama’s education secretary, Arne Duncan, made it clear the surest way for states to qualify was to adopt Common Core. Some states took it sight unseen, since the first grant applications were due in January 2010, and the standards were not written until months later. New York adopted Common Core in July 2010, in return for $697 million.
All in all, 45 states signed on to a program that had never been tested in even one school. What pomposity....
Private schools and home schooling won’t shield you if you want your children to compete for college. ACT and SAT tests are already being aligned with Common Core. This is a No Exit system.
But what’s most at stake is truth. Novelist George Orwell warned in “1984” how distorting history destroyed freedom: “The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became truth.”
Uh oh: Study says ‘collapsing’ Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica melting from geothermal heat, not CO2 heat effects
◼ Researchers find major West Antarctic glacier melting from geothermal sources - WATTS UP WITH THAT?
Thwaites Glacier, the large, rapidly changing outlet of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, is not only being eroded by the ocean, it’s being melted from below by geothermal heat, researchers at the Institute for Geophysics at The University of Texas at Austin (UTIG) report in the current edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
The findings significantly change the understanding of conditions beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet where accurate information has previously been unobtainable.
The Thwaites Glacier has been the focus of considerable attention in recent weeks as other groups of researchers found the glacier is on the way to collapse, but more data and computer modeling are needed to determine when the collapse will begin in earnest and at what rate the sea level will increase as it proceeds. The new observations by UTIG will greatly inform these ice sheet modeling efforts.
What Cantor’s Defeat Means
...Did we have an actual citizen politician here — and, incredibly, an intelligent one? Skeptical old me began to think of Frank Capra movies. Brat even had the diffident, bespectacled look of Jimmy Stewart.
Nah, it couldn’t be, I thought. There are no more Mr. Smiths. As if on cue a report from the Washington Post rocketed across the lower-third of the screen: “Brat will never have power of Cantor” or words to that effect.
Again, I am not so sure. America — some of it anyway — is desperate for new leadership. The people are restless — and fed up. They don’t always know what they are looking for but they are looking for something. With men like Brat, that something is the U.S. Constitution. They could do worse.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
COMPLETELY SHOCKED: After Eric Cantor ´earthquake,´ stunned House GOP seeks direction
"Earthquake. The members are completely shocked," was the reaction of one House Republican lawmaker after Majority Leader Eric Cantor's out-of-the-blue loss to challenger Dave Brat Tuesday night. Trying to grasp the import of what happened, Republicans settled into two schools of thought.
The first was amazement at the sheer power of immigration as an issue in GOP contests. Many Republicans believe Cantor tried to play both sides of the street on the issue, on one side working on measures to ease the way for more young illegal immigrants to move into mainstream American society, and on the other assuring fellow Republicans that serious immigration reform would not happen this year....
Whatever the perspective, Cantor's defeat seems to be the final nail in the coffin -- there have been many -- of comprehensive immigration reform in 2014. "Although it is hard to ever pronounce it dead, given the interests involved, I do finally think amnesty is dead -- at least for this year," writes a GOP House lawmaker.
The other strain of thought among Republicans is speculation about what Cantor's defeat will mean for the House GOP leadership overall. Now that Cantor has gone down, can Speaker John Boehner survive?
The answer is unclear. But what is clear is that many Republican members will interpret Cantor's loss as a sign that the GOP leadership is even weaker than originally thought. "I think you will immediately see a lot of people start to put themselves up for leadership," the Republican lawmaker wrote. "Boehner is weak, and I think you could very well see a completely new slate of leaders next January."
◼ Virginia-7: Here the People Rule - Bill Kristol/Weekly Standard
◼ ‘Amnesty’ Has Claimed a Victim - Fred Barnes/Weekly Standard
◼ Cantor out in Tea Party shocker - The Hill
Cantor’s defeat is all about immigration.
◼ Ari Fleischer: ‘Cantor loss likely means no way immigration reform proceeds’ - Twitchy
Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer says Brat’s victory tonight ensures “immigration reform” (by which he means amnesty, though he doesn’t call it that) is dead in the water.
◼ PowerLine (Paul Mirengoff) agrees:
Cantor’s defeat is all about immigration. A vast gulf has opened up between certain Republican leaders, like Cantor and Paul Ryan, who seemingly are doing the bidding of corporate interests that would like to drive down wages, and the Republican rank and file....House Republicans, please take note.◼ So does The New Republic:
The immediate policy implications of this are clear: Immigration reform is completely dead. It was a very longshot before Tuesday night. Now, it’s 100 percent over. Cantor’s loss shows how toxic the subject is for any incumbent Republican.
◼ And Miami Herald political writer Marc Caputo:
The No. 2 Republican in the U.S. House is a goner.And countless others on both Left and Right
And amid the ashes of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s shocking defeat Tuesday, comprehensive immigration reform smolders.
If Cantor goes down, so does immigration reform.
— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) June 10, 2014
Drudge:
◼ SALON: Drudge and the right's frenzied paranoia - Salon
◼ MAG: Immigration Reform Will Go Down With Cantor - Jack Fitzpatrick and Alex Roarty/National Journal
◼ Todd: Children Flooding Border Sealed fate - Breitbart
◼ White House Spins: It Wasn't Immigration - National Review
◼ GOP Leadership in 'chaos' - National Journal
◼ Meet The Candidate Who Beat Top Republican - ABC
◼ Press Conference - YouTube (Autoplay, turn down your speakers)
◼ THIRD military base tapped to house illegal immigrant children - Daily Mail
◼ RYAN RENEWS AMNESTY PUSH
Zuckerberg group pumps ads...
◼ Border Agent Issues Plea for Help, Says USA Overrun By Criminal Aliens - Infowars
Deportation costs soar...
Questions surround surge at border...
Illegal who sought refuge in church gets deportation stay...
Illegals flagging down border patrol to gain entry to USA...
Central American newspapers tout Obama amnesty program...
CONDITIONS DETERIORATE AT AZ SHELTER...
Chicken pox, staph infection fears...
Widespread sexual activity...
Feds violating child abuse laws?
Valerie Jarrett in secret meetings with activists...
PAPER: Influx 'threatens to transform nation'...
◼ DC Rocked. Cantor Loses Primary - AP
◼ What Cantor’s Defeat Means - John Podhoretz/Commentary
...So is this a case of the Republican Right eating one of its own to prove a point? Perhaps. Or it could just be he was hit by a perfect storm of anti-Washington sentiment and his own advocacy for an immigration bill that made him a whipping boy for ratings-hungry radio chatters. He lost touch with the voters in his own district and was done in....
Virginia Shocker: Cantor Canned
◼ Eric Cantor Is Losing His Primary Race. Big. AP Follows AOSDD And Calls It For Dave Brat... The rare Double Flaming Skull because it's that big. - Ace Of Spades
◼ Brat severely trailed in fundraising, pulling in $200,000 this cycle compared to Cantor’s $2 million. _ The Other McCain
The AP gets to the heart of it:
Much of the campaign centered on immigration, where critics on both sides of the debate have recently taken aim at Cantor. Brat has accused him of being a top cheerleader for “amnesty” for immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally. Cantor has responded forcefully by boasting in mailers of blocking Senate plans “to give illegal aliens amnesty.”And so the toppling of Cantor will lead to a gut check for the GOP: go all “scorched earth” and run amnesty through despite the base, or deal with the reality that those spiffy Progressive ideas have all the appeal of a dirty diaper outside the Beltway.
It would be great to say I’m confident that the latter will occur. The GOP will recognize the need for reform. The GOP will at least borrow some fortitude and ignore the Graham/McCain/Boehner Axis of Deadwood.
I don’t think that’s how this works. The Tea Party has to root out incumbents one at a time. The resources just don’t exist to start an entirely new party, much less blow away all the incumbent deadwood at once.
This will be a slow and steady effort. Congratulations to Brat, and a toast to avoiding becoming that which he despises.
◼ Meet David Brat, the man who brought down House Majority Leader Eric Cantor - Washington Post
David Brat, an economics professor at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, has just taught Washington — and one of its most powerful leaders — a lesson in humility.
Brat was dismissed by many Republicans inside the Beltway and beyond, who saw an upstart without the brawn, dollars or organization to depose the second most powerful man in the House.
He did it by casting himself to the right of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on immigration and the Affordable Care Act — and more importantly by giving pumped up primary voters and conservative talkers including Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham an opportunity to make an anti-establishment statement.
My interview on Hannity tonight on Dave Brat's landslide victory http://t.co/l8pE6wccqe
— Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) June 11, 2014
◼ Cantor's defeat comes at the end of tough-fought primary campaign, where the challenger Brat made immigration reform a central issue. - Weekly Standard
◼ Brat Takes Center Stage After Surprising Win Over Cantor - Roll Call
The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal both posted articles under headlines asking “Who is David Brat?” and Brat himself did a star turn with a lengthy, post-victory interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.◼ ANN COULTER ENDORSES CANTOR PRIMARY CHALLENGER DAVID BRAT - Breitbart
Speaking on the phone on Tuesday night with Hannity, Brat called his win a “miracle,” saying he was “utterly humbled and thankful” that “God gave us this win [and] acted through the people.”
Brat also acknowledged that he had “tremendous tea party support,” which he said was “clearly responsible for the win,” but denied that he was any sort of fringe, far-right candidate.
“We have this Republican creed in Virginia that the only problem with the Republican principles is no one’s following them,” Brat insisted. “I ran on the Republican principles.”
He also credited his immigration stance as a factor in his primary win.
“It’s the most symbolic issue that captures the differences between myself in Eric Cantor in this race,” Brat said, “but it also captures the fissure between Main Street and Wall Street. … Why are Republicans doing this? Why are they so intent on this immigration reform? There’s no answer that makes any logical sense.”
Brat denied that he was “far right or hard right,” and blamed the media for trying to paint him as an extremist.
“I’ve been a conservative all my life,” he said.
"Cantor says 'immigration reform could be an economic boon to this country,'" wrote Coulter. "You don't have to be an economics professor [like Dave Brat] to know that bringing in millions of workers is not 'an economic boon' to the workers already here. (If only we could bring in millions of workers to compete for Cantor's job.)"
Coulter applauded Brat, who she wrote "responded to Cantor's baby-talk, saying immigration 'lowers wages, adds to unemployment, and the taxpayer pays the tab for any benefits to folks coming in.'"
Congrats to @ZacharyWerrell, 23 year-old campaign manager for @DaveBratVA7th. He has 210 followers. That's about to change. #va07
— Matt Mackowiak (@MattMackowiak) June 11, 2014
“How many Qatar officials knew about the deal before a single member of Congress was made aware?”
Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2014/06/congress-not-among-top-90-to-learn-of-bergdahl-trade/#yooP6KAPgmJkQoeC.99 - Bob Unruh/WND
Congress held a behind-closed-doors hearing on the deal for Bergdahl. Some of the details presented were classified, others not.
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., told WND: “Today my colleagues and I were informed that as many as 80 to 90 Obama administration officials were aware of the plan to exchange Sgt. Bergdahl for five dangerous terrorists before a single member of Congress was informed.”
Meadows said it is “wholly unacceptable that President Obama knowingly chose to completely bypass Congress.”
The congressman said his question for the White House now is: “How many Qatar officials knew about the deal before a single member of Congress was made aware?”