The Front Page Cover
2016 The turth is the gold of today
Featuring:
The GOP Gets The Iran Prisoner Swap Wrong
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER
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Who Is the True Heir to nObama?
Bernie Sanders and Hilly Clinton continued to draw differences with each other Monday night at a forum in Des Moines — a last attempt to sway voters in Iowa days before the caucuses. Sanders said in order to make this nation a social democracy that wages war against the rich, he wants to bring back "the era of big government," and cause government spending to increase about 10 times the amount the government planned to spend on nObamaCare. Meanwhile, Clinton painted herself as a "proven fighter" (though she would be more honest to describe herself as a morally ambiguous anti-hero) who will, somehow, do what Barack nObama didn't and work with Republicans. A fighter who wants to bury the hatchet. Ironic.
As for nObama, it's pretty clear his choice for an heir is his former secretary of state. "[The] one thing everybody understands is that this job right here — you don't have the luxury of just focusing on one thing," he told Politico in an interview about the Democrat primaries. But nObama's pick is a pragmatic one. Clinton will preserve what nObama created. Sanders wants what nObama originally envisioned. Commentator Charles Krauthammer said, "Sanders is the one who wants to achieve the ultimate dreams of nObama over the ones he couldn't. He was the one who openly said he would prefer a single-payer system like the Canadian system, he obviously wasn't able to achieve it. Sanders is the one you would expect to be his ideological heir." And thus, Democrats continue their slow, incremental push toward ever more socialism. -The Patriot Post
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Clash of Billionaires: Donald vs. Michael Hey ho! Welcome to the 2016 elections, where everything is a clamorous tumult and past conventions don't matter. For at least 100 years, third-party runs for the White House ended up splitting votes so the candidate with the minority views gained power. But former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is testing the water for a third-party run. And it's not the craziest thing to say that the man who launched a regulatory crusade against salt and big soda cups while mayor of the Big Apple just might do well. "Mr. Bloomberg is a serious man who wouldn't waste his money or time if he didn't sense an opportunity,"wrote The Wall Street Journal's editorial board. "If we've learned anything so far in this tumultuous election season, it's that the electorate is volatile enough that anything can happen."
Bloomberg is a lifelong liberal Democrat who claimed "Republican" status for his first NYC mayoral run, but is now back in his Demo comfort zone. (Shades of Donald Trump...) He is most loathed by conservatives for his persistent assault on the Second Amendment via his Every town for Gun Safety organization. He also is an abortion and homosexual marriage advocate, along with a long slate of other leftist social agendas, and, as you recall, was the most outspoken supporter of the "ground zero mosque." Bloomberg is flush with potential campaigning cash, as he has about nine times the wealth of Trump and has strong Wall Street connections. "He'd be able to tap into the anti-establishment fervor roiling both parties," blogger Ed Morrissey wrote, "and add in his extensive executive experience in both the private and public sectors, something which none of the current top contenders offer at the moment." The prospects of Clinton, Sanders, Trump and Bloomberg candidacies all pose a perilous threat to Liberty.
Trump has described Bloomberg as "a friend of mine over the years," saying Bloomberg "called me to help him out." Last fall, Bloomberg joked, "I've always said that the country is not ready for a divorced, Jewish billionaire from New York City. But after watching a divorced, Christian billionaire from New York City shoot to the top of the polls ... I've decided to become a candidate." Maybe he wasn't joking. For the record, if Bloomberg runs and none of the candidates secure an outright electoral college victory, then the election would be decided by the Republican majority in the House. -The Patriot Post
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With Budget Problems Looming, Fewer Americans Care The Congressional Budget Office released a report on the future of the federal government's budget and the projections aren't good. In 10 years, the federal government could hold a $30 trillion pile of debt, the Washington Times reports. That means any meager gains in fiscal responsibility made under the Republican Congress tugging on the purse strings to reduce the deficit will vanish. During the nObama administration, the amount of money the government spent while exceeding its budget declined, though it helps that he quadrupled the deficit before lowering it. In the 2015 fiscal year, we had a deficit of "only" $439 billion. But in the 2016 fiscal year, that number is supposed to climb to $544 billion, and the CBO sees more fiscal irresponsibility in the future. The solution includes searching for candidates with the fiscal chops to tackle the problem. However: "Voters care more about the economy and terrorism, and there's good sense to that," The Wall Street Journal editorial board opined. "The deficit will never vanish without faster economic growth, and the various tax reform plans that Republicans are offering would spur growth. By all means let's debate growth." But that might not be enough. For a dramatic shift in deficit reduction, the nation needs to take a difficult look at programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, the programs contributing most to the national debt, according to The Heritage Foundation's Romina Boccia. Tax hikes and budget cuts are only temporary fixes; what this nation needs is reform. -The Patriot Post
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Hilly Clinton Choking At Event-
More Evidence She’s Unfit?
Rick Wells.
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Taxpayers Targeted at Higher Rates
Under Democratic Presidents
Joe Schoffstall
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John Koskinen
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Hundreds Of Millions Lost Playing nObama’s
Green Car Roulette
Rick Wells.
{constitutionrising.com} ~ The record for nObama’s many “green” energy investments is one of failure in a realm which is structured in a manner which should make it incredibly easy to succeed... The risk is largely placed upon the American taxpayer though grants, start up funding and subsidies. With that favorable economic environment, you’d almost have to be trying to fail, to be involved just to get your hands on the front end money in order to book a loser. We’re all familiar with Solyndra, but the electric car business is also a great way for nObama and his raiders to fleece the American people. Of course there’s absolutely no justification for him playing auto mogul with our money, but he’s the dictator so he’ll do what he wants. Just let us try and stop him. He’s got “justifications” based upon the number of jobs he’s building and other empty arguments that convince the stupid among us. The government isn’t our investment arm and we shouldn’t be the captive investors. It’s not his money.
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South Carolina Democrat Withdraws
Support for Hilly Clinton
Morgan Chalfant
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Sen Jeff Sessions Was Censored...
htt Rick Wells.
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Answer: Who Really Is Guilty
of Hijacking Islam?
Lt. Colonel James G. Zumwalt, USMC
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Hilly Clinton Faces Legal and Political Obstacles
in Presidential Bid
Roger Aronoff
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No Cure Or Vaccine – Zika Virus Targets
Infants With Brain Damage,
Exploding Across Americas
> Rick Wells.
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DeLay’s “Friends” say FBI won’t
Delay Hilly Indictment
Andrew McNealy
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Social Security Inching Its Way Toward
Bankruptcy, Says CBO
Bob Adelmann
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The GOP Gets The Iran Prisoner Swap Wrong
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER
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And in denouncing the swap, they were wrong. True, we should have made the prisoner release a precondition for negotiations. But that pre-emptive concession was made long ago among many others, such as granting Iran in advance the right to enrich uranium. The remaining question was getting our prisoners released before we gave away all our leverage upon implementation of the nuclear accord. We did.
And in denouncing the swap, they were wrong. True, we should have made the prisoner release a precondition for negotiations. But that pre-emptive concession was made long ago among many others, such as granting Iran in advance the right to enrich uranium. The remaining question was getting our prisoners released before we gave away all our leverage upon implementation of the nuclear accord. We did.
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Republicans say: We shouldn’t negotiate with terror states. But we do and we should. How else do you get hostages back? And yes, of course negotiating encourages further hostage taking. But there is always something to be gained by kidnapping Americans. This swap does not affect that truth one way or the other.
Republicans say: We shouldn’t negotiate with terror states. But we do and we should. How else do you get hostages back? And yes, of course negotiating encourages further hostage taking. But there is always something to be gained by kidnapping Americans. This swap does not affect that truth one way or the other.
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And here, we didn’t give away much. The seven released Iranians, none of whom has blood on his hands, were sanctions busters and a hacker, and sanctions are essentially over now. The slate is clean.
And here, we didn’t give away much. The seven released Iranians, none of whom has blood on his hands, were sanctions busters and a hacker, and sanctions are essentially over now. The slate is clean.
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But how unfair, say the critics. We released prisoners duly convicted in a court of law. Iran released perfectly innocent, unjustly jailed hostages.
But how unfair, say the critics. We released prisoners duly convicted in a court of law. Iran released perfectly innocent, unjustly jailed hostages.
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Yes, and so what? That’s just another way of saying we have the rule of law, they don’t. It doesn’t mean we abandon our hostages. Natan Sharansky was a prisoner of conscience who spent eight years in the Gulag on totally phony charges. He was exchanged for two real Soviet spies. Does anyone think we should have said no?
Yes, and so what? That’s just another way of saying we have the rule of law, they don’t. It doesn’t mean we abandon our hostages. Natan Sharansky was a prisoner of conscience who spent eight years in the Gulag on totally phony charges. He was exchanged for two real Soviet spies. Does anyone think we should have said no?
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The one valid criticism of the Iranian swap is that we left one, perhaps two, Americans behind and unaccounted for. True. But the swap itself was perfectly reasonable. And cleverly used by the administration to create a heartwarming human interest story to overshadow a rotten diplomatic deal, just as the Alan Gross release sweetened a Cuba deal that gave the store away to the Castro brothers.
The one valid criticism of the Iranian swap is that we left one, perhaps two, Americans behind and unaccounted for. True. But the swap itself was perfectly reasonable. And cleverly used by the administration to create a heartwarming human interest story to overshadow a rotten diplomatic deal, just as the Alan Gross release sweetened a Cuba deal that gave the store away to the Castro brothers.
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The real story of Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016 — “Implementation Day” of the Iran deal — was that it marks a historic inflection point in the geopolitics of the Middle East. In a stroke, Iran shed almost four decades of rogue-state status and was declared a citizen of good standing of the international community, open to trade, investment and diplomacy. This, without giving up, or even promising to change, its policy of subversion and aggression. This, without having forfeited its status as the world’s greatest purveyor of terrorism.
The real story of Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016 — “Implementation Day” of the Iran deal — was that it marks a historic inflection point in the geopolitics of the Middle East. In a stroke, Iran shed almost four decades of rogue-state status and was declared a citizen of good standing of the international community, open to trade, investment and diplomacy. This, without giving up, or even promising to change, its policy of subversion and aggression. This, without having forfeited its status as the world’s greatest purveyor of terrorism.
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Overnight, it went not just from pariah to player but from pariah to dominant regional power, flush with $100 billion in unfrozen assets and virtually free of international sanctions. The oil trade alone will pump tens of billions of dollars into its economy. The day after Implementation Day, President Hassan Rouhani predicted 5 percent growth — versus the contracting, indeed hemorrhaging, economy in pre-negotiation 2012 and 2013.
Overnight, it went not just from pariah to player but from pariah to dominant regional power, flush with $100 billion in unfrozen assets and virtually free of international sanctions. The oil trade alone will pump tens of billions of dollars into its economy. The day after Implementation Day, President Hassan Rouhani predicted 5 percent growth — versus the contracting, indeed hemorrhaging, economy in pre-negotiation 2012 and 2013.
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On Saturday, the Iranian transport minister announced the purchase of 114 Airbuses from Europe. This inaugurates a rush of deals binding European companies to Iran, thoroughly undermining nObama’s pipedream of “snapback sanctions” if Iran cheats.
On Saturday, the Iranian transport minister announced the purchase of 114 Airbuses from Europe. This inaugurates a rush of deals binding European companies to Iran, thoroughly undermining nObama’s pipedream of “snapback sanctions” if Iran cheats.
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Cash-rich, reconnected with global banking and commerce, and facing an Arab world collapsed into a miasma of raging civil wars, Iran has instantly become the dominant power of the Middle East. Not to worry, argued the administration. The nuclear opening will temper Iranian adventurism and empower Iranian moderates.
Cash-rich, reconnected with global banking and commerce, and facing an Arab world collapsed into a miasma of raging civil wars, Iran has instantly become the dominant power of the Middle East. Not to worry, argued the administration. The nuclear opening will temper Iranian adventurism and empower Iranian moderates.
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The opposite is happening. And it’s not just the ostentatious, illegal ballistic missile launches; not just Iran’s president reacting to the most puny retaliatory sanctions by ordering his military to accelerate the missile program; not just the videotaped and broadcast humiliation of seized U.S. sailors.
The opposite is happening. And it’s not just the ostentatious, illegal ballistic missile launches; not just Iran’s president reacting to the most puny retaliatory sanctions by ordering his military to accelerate the missile program; not just the videotaped and broadcast humiliation of seized U.S. sailors.
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Look at what the mullahs are doing at home. Within hours of “implementation,” the regime disqualified 2,967 of roughly 3,000 moderate candidates from even running in parliamentary elections next month. And just to make sure we got the point, the supreme leader reiterated that Iranian policy — aggressively interventionist and immutably anti-American — continues unchanged.
Look at what the mullahs are doing at home. Within hours of “implementation,” the regime disqualified 2,967 of roughly 3,000 moderate candidates from even running in parliamentary elections next month. And just to make sure we got the point, the supreme leader reiterated that Iranian policy — aggressively interventionist and immutably anti-American — continues unchanged.
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In 1938, the morning after Munich, Europe woke up to Germany as the continent’s dominant power. Last Sunday, the Middle East woke up to Iran as the regional hegemon, with a hand — often predominant — in the future of Syria, Yemen, Iraq, the Gulf Arab states and, in time, in the very survival of Israel.
In 1938, the morning after Munich, Europe woke up to Germany as the continent’s dominant power. Last Sunday, the Middle East woke up to Iran as the regional hegemon, with a hand — often predominant — in the future of Syria, Yemen, Iraq, the Gulf Arab states and, in time, in the very survival of Israel.
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And we’re arguing over an asymmetric hostage swap.
And we’re arguing over an asymmetric hostage swap.
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