Monthly Archives: February 2018
February 26, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff
In a sign of the times, the California Democratic Party has declined to endorse the state’s senior senator in her bid for reelection. In fact, Dianne Feinstein lost to her Democratic opponent in a vote at the state’s Democratic convention. Hard left-winger Kevin de Leon received 54 percent of the vote, compared to Feinstein’s 37 percent. De Leon fell short of the 60 percent support required to get the Party’s
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February 26, 2018 — John Hinderaker
This cartoon by Michael Ramirez is admirably even-handed, but since there is no evidence of collusion between Russians and the Trump campaign, and we know the Hillary campaign colluded with Russians through Fusion GPS to produce fake opposition research on Trump, the most apt apparel here is the Hillary shirt. Which is so beautiful I’m surprised no one had already thought of it. Click to enlarge:
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February 26, 2018 — Steven Hayward
While there may not be a true consensus about climate change, it appears that an iron consensus has been reached on another question: Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a complete buffoon. Barkha Dutt reports in the Washington Post: How did Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the world’s favorite liberal mascot — a feminist man, with movie-star good looks, a 50 percent female cabinet and a political lexicon that has replaced
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February 26, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff
I wrote here about the Confucius Institutes, a mechanism through which the Chinese government fights its ideological battle on American campuses. The Institutes offer Chinese language and culture courses at more than 100 American colleges and universities, while avoiding mention of human rights abuses, portraying Taiwan and Tibet as undisputed territories of China, and doing their best to make sure American students know nothing more of China than the regime’s
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February 26, 2018 — Steven Hayward
Sometimes you really have to wonder just how dumb reporters and editors at the Associated Press must be. This correction takes the prize perhaps for the whole year, though to be fair, given the quality of mind shown by the Broward County sheriff, I can understand why a reporter might write something so idiotic. But let it sink in anyway: Well, I suppose we should be grateful that it was
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February 26, 2018 — Steven Hayward
John Hinderaker, just back from CPAC, joined me yesterday afternoon for Episode 58 of the Power Line Show, kicking around the controversies that arose over the guest speaker list for CPAC, but also talking about the frenzy in the aftermath of the Florida school shooting. I offer my argument for calling the liberal bluff about the “well-regulated militia” clause of the 2nd Amendment, and actually having volunteer militias, organized and
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February 26, 2018 — Scott Johnson
Over the weekend the House Intelligence Committee Democrats’ much ballyhooed memorandum (“the Schiff memo”) was finally redacted and released. I posted the Schiff memo here and Devin Nunes’s response here. The 10-page Schiff memo defends the FBI against the charge that it abused its surveillance powers during the 2016 election. The redactions strongly suggest that the Democrats don’t care as much about protecting intelligence sources and methods as they do
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February 25, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff
John’s CPAC wrap-up post included a discussion of Mona Charen’s contribution to a panel on feminism. I didn’t see the panel (or attend CPAC). However, according to Yuval Levin’s account, Charen criticized CPAC for inviting Marion Marechal Le Pen to speak at the convention. She stated: [T]here was quite an interesting person who was on this stage the other day. Her name is Marion Le Pen. Why was she here?
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February 25, 2018 — John Hinderaker
We have documented, from time to time, Venezuela’s descent into the final stages of socialism. You know you are nearing the end when people eat their pets. But that’s not all: Patrick Reusse, a veteran sportswriter at Minneapolis’s Star Tribune, notes that even baseball is abandoning Venezuela: Bill Smith was in charge of setting up a training academy for the Twins that opened in Bejuma, Venezuela, in 1995. There was
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February 25, 2018 — John Hinderaker
I am en route back from Washington after spending the last three days at the American Conservative Union’s annual CPAC event. I hadn’t been to CPAC for a number of years, but it was much the same as I remember. Here are a few observations: 1) An event like this makes you feel better about the conservative movement. I have no idea how many attended, but it was a lot,
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February 25, 2018 — Scott Johnson
As I quickly read the Dems’ memo proclaiming that everything was beautiful in the counterintelligence investigation of Russian election interference, I was struck by its argumentative nature. It is not a trustworthy document. It plays fast and loose with facts and argument. It refutes claims the Nunes memo didn’t make. It liberally trashes Carter Page. It omits the testimony of Andrew McCabe on the critical role played by the Steele
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February 24, 2018 — Paul Mirengoff
Yesterday, the Washington Post ran a front page story about how Viktor and Amalija Knavs are seeking to become U.S. citizens based (the Post thinks) on the fact that they are the parents of Melania Trump. The Post finds this scandalous because President Trump wants to change immigration law to end this form of chain migration. Today, the Post doubled down on this story. An editorial declares that the Trump’s
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February 24, 2018 — Scott Johnson
House Intelligence Commmittee Chairman Devin Nunes was ready to go with his own response to the Democrats’ memo that I have embedded in the adjacent post. I have uploaded his point-by-point response to Scribd and embedded it below. It is a useful document. Moreover, by contrast with Adam Schiff et al., Nunes is a credible player. Consistent with my comments, he notes some of the Democrats’ rebuttals of points not
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February 24, 2018 — Scott Johnson
The powers that be have redacted and released the House Intelligence Committee Democrats’ memo rebutting the committee Republicans’ four page memo. In a quick reading, among other things, I find it rebutting claims that weren’t made. The Democrats vouch for the credibility of Christopher Steele when the only relevant question is the credibility of his sources. The Democrats also challenge just about every point made by the Republicans. The Democrats
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February 24, 2018 — Scott Johnson
By letter to Susan Rice dated February 8, 2018, Senators Grassley and Graham posed 12 numbered questions. I posted the Graham/Grassley letter in “Rice papers the file.” By letter dated February 23, 2018, white collar criminal defense lawyer Kathryn Ruemmler has now responded to the Grassley/Graham letter on Rice’s behalf. I posted Ruemmler’s letter nearby this morning in “Susan Rice responds, sort of,” and am embedding it again at the
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February 24, 2018 — Joe Malchow
I think that I am like most American men in, every five or ten years, directing my reading deep into the Revolution and the Founding generation. It is impossible to resist the magnetic attraction of this period. It is not that the Founding Fathers were geniuses (though some were) or gods (though one was close). Instead there seems to be something about the vacuum of the founding moment and the
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February 24, 2018 — Scott Johnson
Barack Obama installed Susan Rice as his National Security Advisor in recognition of her service to him as knave and fool in the matter of Benghazi. As National Security Advisor she sent an email on Obama’s last day in office shortly before President Trump inauguration. Released in redacted form on February 12, the email is one of the most intriguing bits of evidence to have emerged in the alleged Russian
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