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APRIL 8,  2012 

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 11:21 P.M. ET:

SYRIAN DEAL CLOSE TO COLLAPSE – WaPo reports that a peace plan for Syria brokered by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is close to collapse, just as it was going to go into effect.  The Syrian government, at the last minute, imposed new conditions on the rebel forces, which the rebels are refusing to accept.  It appears that, unless there's a compromise, the fighting will go on.  I has already taken 9,000 Syrian lives.  Notice the sense of urgency in Washington. 

OHIO GOVERNOR PREDICTS CLOSE RACE IN STATE – Republican Governor John Kasich of Ohio is predicting that the presidential race in his state will be "tight as a tick," and will be decided by independent voters.  We can legitimately wonder whether Kasich is just giving his opinion or making a bid to be put on the Romney ticket to help bring in Ohio.  But, of course, politicians never think like that, do they?

TULSA – The arrest of two white men in the shooting of five African-Americans in the last few days, which resulted in three deaths, has eased racial tensions in Tulsa.  As we reported this morning, the racial arsonists kept quiet for a change.  But there are still questions as to motive, whether these shootings targeted blacks because of race.  Tulsa police are now saying that irrational revenge may have been the motive of one of the two arrested.  That man's father was killed by a black man two years ago.  The press, in contrast to its wild reporting in the Trayvon Martin case, continues to act with restraint.

April 8, 2012       Permalink 

RISKY BUSINESS – AT 11:42 A.M. ET:  The Dems have made some gains with their claim that the GOP is waging a "war on women."  Of course it's absurd, but a certain number of people will believe almost anything that's charged.

I think it's risky business.  Those gains can evaporate when Republicans start fighting back.  Ann Romney, the potential first lady, has multiple sclerosis and has had a form of breast cancer.  The Romneys can speak personally and emotionally about women's health issues.

Still, the Dems are at it.  From The Politico:

Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz said Sunday the Republican Party is focused on “turning back the clock for women.”

The Florida congresswoman told CNN’s Candy Crowley on “State of the Union” that Republican policies toward women show “how callous and insensitive they are.”

“The focus of the Republican Party on turning back the clock for women really is something that's unacceptable and shows how callus and insensitive they are towards women's priorities,” Wasserman Schultz said.

“Because the policies that have come out of the Republican Party saying we should have to have a debate again over contraception and whether we should have access to it and it should be affordable, saying that like Gov. Scott Walker in Wisconsin, you know, he tried to quietly repeal the Equal Pay Act. Women aren't going to stand for that,” Wasserman Schultz said. “Gov. Walker just signed a bill that repeals the equal pay law that they had in Wisconsin for years. You have Republicans that have engaged themselves for the entire Congress on trying to redefine rape as only being forceful rape, defunding Planned Parenthood and family planning programs.”

COMMENT:  This is way over the top, and eventually voters will realize it.  Mitt Romney is no extremist, and people will realize that as well.

The Democrats dream of returning the country to the divisive sixties.  The "war on women" claim was followed by a "war on blacks" claim.  Soon we'll have Dems running around in tie-dyed jeans and regretting Lyndon Johnson.

However, these charges cannot go unanswered.  Romney must have specific ideas on how women can advance during a Romney administration.  Ann Romney, who is a tremendous asset, and a fine speaker, is Mitt's secret weapon on this issue.

If Romney plays it right, it's the Democrats who'll come out of this looking foolish, immature and extreme.

April 8, 2012       Permalink

NEWT GETTING REAL – AT 11:02 A.M. ET:  I admire Newt Gingrich for the vigor of his intellect, for his superb preparation on the issues, and his debating skill.

Indeed, it would have been wonderful to see Newt debating Obama.  Obama would have needed three teleprompters and earpieces in each year through which he would be fed lines. 

But, alas, it is not to be.  Many Republicans clearly did not appreciate Newt's style and signaled he'd be a better presidential adviser than president.  It's now apparent that Newt is starting to accept the verdict.  From Fox:

Newt Gingrich acknowledged Sunday that his campaign is "operating on a shoestring," as he signaled he is preparing to transition from candidate to surrogate in anticipation of Mitt Romney winning the nomination.
While not throwing in the towel just yet, the former House speaker spoke frequently in past tense about his presidential bid in an interview on "Fox News Sunday." He said he wants to continue to try and influence the party platform, but said he's already discussed with the Republican National Committee how he can best help the nominee defeat President Obama if it's not him.

Romney, he said, "is far and away the most likely" nominee. Looking back on the race, Gingrich said he has "no regrets" -- he became visibly emotional as he discussed on Easter Sunday how his faith helped him through the campaign.

"I'm glad I did this," Gingrich said of his decision to run, calling it "the right thing for me to do."

COMMENT:  The internal issue now is Rick Santorum.  There is speculation that he will drop out even before the Pennsylvania primary, which is two weeks and two days away, if convinced that he could suffer a humiliating defeat in his home state.  Pennsylvania airwaves are being flooded with Romney ads, and two polls suggest that they are beginning to bite.   Rasmussen reports that Santorum only leads by four points, 42-38.  Public Policy Polling reports that Romney is actually in the lead, 42-37 percent.  Romney is clearly consolidating his support among Republicans, as it becomes obvious that he will be the nominee. 

We think it is likely that Romney will have a clear field by the end of the month, and will be able to devote all of his attention to the general-election campaign, and the choice of a running mate.

April 8, 2012      Permalink

RELIEF IN TULSA – AT 10:39 A.M. ET:  As of last night we worried that the shooting of five black citizens in Tulsa, resulting in three fatalities, was the beginning of another Trayvon Martin case.

However, police have now arrested two suspects, both white, and are moving the case swiftly along.  While the shootings have the appearance of a racially motivated crime, police are not calling it that, insisting that they need further details.  They are conducting interrogations of the accused men this morning.

The Tulsa police, who have a checkered history, acted in a swift, professional manner.  Leaders of the local African-American community behaved intelligently and thoughtfully.  The racial agitators stayed away, probably because they didn't have enough time to make the trip and get themselves on TV.  And the media has not jumped to any conclusions. 

Maybe, in fact, we're learning something.

April 8,  2012     Permalink

APRIL 7,  2012

SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – 11:15 P.M. ET: 

EASTER FEARS – As Christians prepare to celebrate Easter, one group of Christians looks to the holiday with apprehension.  In the countries of the wrongly named "Arab spring," Christians are fearful, CNN reports, that anti-Christian groups could seek them out for attacks.  There have been attacks on Christians and Coptic Christian churches in Egypt, and now Syrian Christians fear the same could happen to them.  Item:  The U.S. released $1.5-billion in foreign aid to Egypt just a few days ago.

DERBYSHIRE FIRED – John Derbyshire, the long-time writer for National Review, was fired from the magazine for writing a racially charged piece for a right-wing website.  The dismissal, which was justified, reflects the values set by William F. Buckley Jr., the conservative icon who set a very high standard during his lifetime for fighting bigotry on the right.  We wish we'd see the same vigilance on the left, but that is a wish unlikely to be fulfilled.

ROMNEY WAY AHEAD – Like him or not, Mitt Romney has passed the halfway mark in his race for the GOP presidential nomination.  Romney now has 573 delegates out of the 1,144 needed to win.  Rick Santorum has 202, Gingrich registers 132 and Ron Paul has collected 26.  This count is from the Republican National Committee.  The AP actually has Romney stronger, with 660 delegates, but some of those may be contested. 

April 7, 2012       Permalink 

NBC FIRES "ZIMMERMAN TAPE" PRODUCER – AT 10:23 A.M. ET:  I don't like to see anyone lose his job.  There's a family involved, and you don't know whether the dismissal was justified, or part of an effort to cover for someone else.  However, NBC has fired the producer responsible for airing a viciously edited tape of a 911 conversation with George Zimmerman, the shooter in the Trayvon Martin case.

The editing made it appear that Zimmerman was a racist.  The true version revealed that he was just answering a dispatcher's questions.  From Fox:

NBC News has fired a producer who worked on a 'Today' show segment that featured a heavily edited 911 recording in which George Zimmerman appears to racially profile Trayvon Martin before the teen's shooting, according to The New York Times.

The name of the Miami-based producer who was fired was not released, according to the Times report, which does not refer to any disciplinary action that may have been taken against other NBC staffers.

NBC News has been slammed for the report since last week, and had promised an investigation into what has been described as a grossly misleading editing of the tape.

COMMENT:  I'm guessing that NBC concluded that the distortion was wilful.  NBC may also have concluded that its credibility was on the line.  That credibility hasn't been too healthy in recent years, what with the wild-eyed behavior of its subsidiary, MSNBC, which is home to some of the most reckless commentators on the air. 

I recall the days when NBC News was a great news organization.  I was myself an intern on the Huntley-Brinkly Report, if only for a brief period.  NBC News has slipped and become less professional.  Has the bulb gone on over someone's head?

April 7, 2012       Permalink

TROUBLE IN ACADEME – AT 10:02 A.M. ET:  We've cautioned here many times that our side does not pay enough attention to what our own children are being taught.   We do not have your father's educational system.  We have an educational system that is largely a legacy of the hopeless sixties generation.  The result?  We have a young population that has been carefully taught to reject the fundamental values of this country and civilization.

From the Washington Times:

The Pew Research Center released a study in December showing that more Americans age 18 to 29 have a favorable view of socialism over capitalism. In fact, this demographic has a net positive view of socialism (49 percent positive to 43 percent negative) and net negative view of capitalism (46 percent positive and 47 percent negative). When Pew released an earlier version of the same study two years ago, this demographic’s views on socialism were exactly the opposite (43 percent positive and 49 percent negative).

Clearly, more than one’s college education goes into one’s opinions on economic systems. But just as clearly, few would deny that a college graduate’s opinions are shaped during his or her four years at college - that’s why they’re called the formative years. So when we engage in a spirited debate about the liberal dominance of college, let’s also remember that there are real-world consequences to this imbalance within academia.

For the 18-to-29-year-olds who have a favorable opinion of socialism, what else does that tell us about them? Can one view socialism favorably and still believe in America’s democratic free-market system? Would these young adults be able to articulate why the social democratic states of Europe and around the world failed to keep pace with the United States in the latter half of the 20th century?

This is the dilemma that confronts a nation whose youths don’t understand or appreciate what underlies our prosperity. The recent Occupy Wall Street protests presented the perfect irony of this generation and its confusion. While decrying the evils of capitalism, the protesters organized their marches via social networks and mobile devices that were the products of capitalism. No government agency or grant created Twitter or the iPhone.

COMMENT:  Well said.  Capitalism isn't by any means a perfect system, but it's a lot more perfect than socialism, which inevitably leads to decay and dullness.  Leftist commentators like CNN's hopeless Fareed Zakaria are mightily impressed that a socialist country like Sweden has a cabinet minister for "innovation."  That's nice.  But where's the innovation?  Most socialists rarely ask for results.

Our young people didn't get their economic ideas from home.  They got them from school.  And these schools are being subsidized by taxpayer dollars.  Maybe a dose of capitalism would help them.

April 7, 2012        Permalink

CHARMED, WE'RE SURE – AT 9:41 A.M. ET:  During the Cold War the old Soviet Union would go on a periodic "charm offensive," sending smiling diplomats, journalists, and the Bolshoi Ballet to these shores to try to convince us that the reds were just sweet old misunderstood Russkies.  There were plenty of leftists and peaceniks who would fall for it.

Others, having learned well the value of a smile, are now trying the same technique.

This past week, members of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood visited Washington and assured the U.S. that they were, well, just fellas.  They pledged not to upset the Egypt-Israel peace treaty and assured us that they wanted a warm, even cozy relationship with the Great Satan.  Immediately, Obama released some foreign-aid money to Egypt that he'd been holding back.  The charm offensive was launched only a week after the Brotherhood betrayed an earlier pledge not to run a candidate in Egypt's presidential election, and decided to do so.  So much for their word.

Now it's Iran's turn.  Iran is now launching its own version of the charm offensive, although with fewer smiles.  It takes time to learn the techniques.  Consider:

TEHRAN, Iran – A prominent Iranian lawmaker says Iran has the knowledge and scientific capability to produce nuclear weapons but will never do so.

Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghadam says Iran can easily produce the highly enriched uranium that is used to build atomic bombs but it is not Tehran's policy to go that route.

Moghadam made the comment in an interview with the parliament's news website, icana.ir, late Friday. His views do not represent the Iranian government's policy. It is the first time that a prominent Iranian politician has publicly stated that Iran has the technological capability to produce a nuclear weapon.

The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.

COMMENT:  Even thought the story says that the gent's statement doesn't represent government policy, the Iranian regime often uses "lawmakers" to launch trial balloons.

We reported here on a David Ignatius (Washington Post) column claiming that Obama, working through his pal Erdogan, the Islamist president of Turkey, has offered to leave the Iranian nuclear program alone as long as Tehran can prove it isn't working toward nuclear weapons.  It makes me uneasy.  How would we actually know?  A deal would allow our sometimes laughable "intelligence" community to interpret Iran's actions, and the state of its science.  Why do I think that "interpretation" would fit White House needs? 

Beware the charm.  The best charm offensives I've ever seen were in Hollywood.  After you got the charm you got the knife.  

April 7, 2012       Permalink