I was told that during the Trump era there was a war on reporters. By gosh, they were right! And it went on before that.
When air defenses fall to cheap, low, and slow.
Drones help us keep an eye on the Russians in Europe.
Canada's new frigate will be much more expensive than anticipated. And wow! That "frigate" is as heavy as one of our aging missile cruisers.
I noted this last week. But it bears repeating that when a victim class of "systemic racism" can basically be promoted from victim to non-victim class, there is no systemic racism. There is just a system with rules that can be followed for success. Racism exists. From lots of people. But the system? No. If it was really a system of racism you'd think the system would have prevented the election of an African-American president. Twice. Tip to Instapundit.
It takes a village to raise a child.
Huh: Apparently "roughly a third of military personnel are declining to be immunized" for the Xi Jinping Flu. Our troops have a choice? Times have changed. I recall being marched over to get jabbed in a fleshy part of the body without any approval requested when an outbreak of something happened on the base. I don't even remember being told just what the heck the shot was supposed to prevent.
Yes, I'm really against civil forfeiture laws. They should at least require a criminal conviction. And I'm still not sure they are proper given that the statutes provide for punishment already. And if some form of civil forfeiture is allowed, all money should go to the general fund so police don't have incentive to take private property.
The Zumwalt destroyers really do look like advanced test beds with secondary combat roles.
Well, this is prudent and no effort is too much given China's ambitions: "Vietnam has continued to beef up its outposts in the disputed South China Sea with improved fortifications and infrastructure, although the scale of its activities is modest compared to that carried out by China, according to a new report." Why more of that isn't going on is beyond me.
Lebanon is looking worrisome and unstable as opposed to just worrisome.
Well that's new: "Security forces battling a decades-long insurgency in Indian-controlled Kashmir are alarmed by the recent arrival in the disputed region of small, magnetic bombs that have wreaked havoc in Afghanistan." I guess Pakistan has new toys it wants to share with friendly terrorists.
Earlier I wondered if reports of this slaughter in Ethiopia were true. Apparently it is true. The killers went way out of their way to kill. Monsters still stalk the Earth. Have no doubt. My retribution of choice is the JDAM rather than the ICC, which at best might punish someone when they are elderly and about to die anyway.
Will Italy be a military power in the Mediterranean Sea? I'm more interested in whether it will be a NATO military power or a provincial force in the EU imperial army.
It's come to the point where DeBlasio is saying "Thank God for Cuomo!" It couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
This is a dangerous path for America.
Tick tock. BOOM! Bombshell!! The walls are closing in!!! It really does sound amazingly familiar, eh? Tip to Instapundit. But as I've said, the difference between conspiracy theories on the left and right is simple: The media embraces the former and marginalizes the latter.
Strategypage says that recent Israeli air strikes around Damascus against Iranian targets were retaliation for that ship strike in the Gulf of Oman. Interestingly, Iran has dug in so deep in Syria that Assad would have trouble turning against Iran. And very interesting, Assad and Israel plus Turkey and Israel are working to repair relations.
Let's play What Is and What Is Not an Insurrection?! And if you decide it is, go to round 2 of "Is it a good or a bad insurrection?"! Isn't it amazing that of all the possible insurrections, only the January 2021 Capitol Building riot--which is worthy of condemnation and prosecution, of course--is worthy of cracking down on unrelated political opponents?
Our Iraqi allies continue to make "good" jihadis: "Despite concerns that the sharp drawdown of international troops over the past year might negatively impact counterterrorism activities, Iraq has announced the killing of several high-level commanders and operatives since late January." It is amazing how easily our victory in Iraq is overlooked.
The Biden administration authorized $125 million in military aid to Ukraine. Good.
Hundreds of Nigerian girls were released by their captors. Apparently the captors drew too much attention to get away with this. Good. Later, I see my publicity suspicion was accurate. The corruption that enables mass kidnappings was able--in this case--to get a release. When the publicity dies down, the usual arrangement will return.
Huh: "Former President Donald Trump’s time in power damaged the image of the United States among ordinary Russians, according to one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s strongest critics." It's almost as if Trump wasn't a puppet of Putin and actually acted to block Russia's threats to NATO. And you can't forget the impact of the Resistance in needlessly dividing America to the detriment of our image abroad in general.
Does the 2015 Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act (INARA) make it too difficult for Biden to create Iran Nuclear Deal 2.0? That would be nice. I was upset that the act inverted the Senate treaty approval process by requiring a 2/3 vote to reject rather than approve the Iran Nuclear Deal. Could the act ultimately be useful?
Global Britain and the Royal Navy: A secure sea-based nuclear deterrent. A thin forward naval presence, a carrier strike group, and commandos. More informed discussion from the source than my impressions.
This is outrageous. And yes, while it is state administered, the problem extends back to the Trump administration.When you throw money at a problem, problems flock to the money.
Unrest in Iran's southeast. I have no idea if it is from al Qaeda as Iran claims.
How could this be? "'The Syrian government still has not come clean about its chemical weapons production, use and storage, which means it still poses a threat to its own civilians, as well as to international peace and security,' said al Khatib, of Syrian Archive. 'It must be held accountable.'" I could have sworn that the glorious Syrian chemical weapons deal of 2013 hammered out by Kerry and Lavrov resolved all of that chemical weapons arsenal stuff.
It takes a locked down village to raze 3 million children. As far as the teacher unions are concerned, the children are acceptable collateral damage to have a long paid vacation and to extort money out of the federal government. Indeed, they are a bonus. How many years in the future will the unions demand more money to "fix" the problem they created? Tip to Instapundit.
Did China attack India's power grid last fall? The evidence is uncertain. If China did it, it can't be proven. And I have to admit that politicians have an incentive to blame foreigner cyber-attacks. If China didn't do it, the worry that China could do it is real, however. What would we do in India's spot? America is higher on China's threat index than India. At what point does China think it could get away with a similar attack on America? I mean, if China did it. Of course.
Screw the DNA evidence: "A woman was busted for a home invasion in Oklahoma — thanks in part to “Cheeto dust” found in her teeth, authorities allege." was the Cheeto Scene Investigation (CSI) unit called in? Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all week. Tip your servers.
China is building a parallel global system under their "Silk Road" marketing brand. Increasingly backed by their iron fist Silk Road. America must defend the existing system to prevent China's system from supplanting it. Much of the discussion is out of my lane. But it is interesting.
The Coast Guard continues modernizing.
Good news from the LCS using the surface warfare mission package, including Naval Strike Missile.
Is Africa making progress toward rule of law and democracy? Good if true.
We are playing with fire by spending so much federal money that we don't have. Why yes, I am worried about reigniting inflation, now that you ask. Inflation is the killer of the middle class. The poor have little room to fall and the wealthy have room to maneuver and profit even in an inflationary world. And if you cripple the middle class, you risk democracy as those people see what their life-long efforts built evaporate under inflation. A dictator from the left or right who promises to protect their economic position and social status will gain traction in that fertile ground of fear and looming personal disaster.
Prepare for the sound of crickets from the institutional media over this excellent question: "Is Joe Biden a Nazi? I only ask because he’s doing a lot of the same things that the previous incumbent of the White House did, and that guy was always being called a Nazi." Tip to The Morning Briefing.
This is good news on election integrity in Michigan. But it would be better to have confidence in the process when the election result is announced rather than four months later. And as I said before, I was not worried about state-level corruption or fraud. Wayne County is a different matter altogether.
Texas takes point: A decision by Texas to end lockdowns and a mask requirement is not the same as requiring people to mingle with other people or forbidding the wearing of masks. The choice is merely there again for people--and businesses--to decide their tolerance for risk. At this point that seems like the right call. And if the government decision is wrong, it can be changed. But fingers crossed!
I like this idea: gradually and quietly increase America's military presence on Taiwan. Small "salami slice" increases will be difficult for China to rage about. And eventually it will be a real deterrent to China.
Honestly, how could you expect Democrats to be enthusiastic Biden supporters? Biden's campaign appeal was that he was not Trump. Trump is not the president. Basis for enthusiasm is now gone, too.
I mentioned this outrage of pandemic relief spending last week. Tar. Feathers. Figuratively, naturally.
The Marine Corps insults Russia: "The Marine Corps commandant has for the first time put Russia alongside Iran, North Korea, and extremist groups as areas that will “continue to pose threats,” while elevating China to the undisputed top of threats facing US policy makers." Given that the Marines have rejoined the fleet, that makes sense. It's still gonna leave a mark on Russia which still wants to be the Big Bad.
The EU will look at internal national border impediments to moving allied military units across Europe. That's a problem and the EU should finally address this recognized problem. And the US wants to be part of that. Since American forces are the main source of military units to reinforce Europe that should be a no-brainer. But it's the EU, so who knows?
Yet another woke exception to lockdown fervor. Given that Democrats seem to think that only Republicans can spread the Xi jinping Flu, I'm thinking Republicans should go to the head of the vaccine line.
So, you remember the 2-minute progressive hate about the CPAC conference stage, right? Nazis! Haters!! Killllllll!!! We haven't gone ahead on too many new outrages to forget it have we? Well, the company that designed the stage is a liberal and pro-Biden company. Hahahahaha! Wow, Nazis really are everywhere. I can hardly wait for the next manufactured outrage. Next!
Did Iran carry out an eco-terror attack on Israel's Mediterranean Sea coast?
This Navy maintenance issue didn't pop into existence with Biden's inauguration. And it isn't just about the Xi Jinping Flu pandemic. I know that a lot of things slid under Obama. And I know the rust is cosmetic and not a matter of function. But why didn't Trump's Department of Defense fix this? And does it indicate deeper problems? Later, I see it may. This is a problem Trump didn't fix: "Navy ship readiness has trended down over the past three years, with
many ship systems on surface ships and submarines, in particular,
showing lower readiness scores in Fiscal Year 2020 compared to the
recent average, according to the Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV)
annual report released today." How likely is that it will get better now?
Did America waster money in Afghanistan projects? Money is ammunition. A major part of building projects was employing people, I'm sure. I'm not that concerned about "waste" as long as it was effective. Issue a report on that and I'll pay attention.
Huh: "China appears to be moving faster toward a capability to launch its newer nuclear missiles from underground silos, possibly to improve its ability to respond promptly to a nuclear attack, according to an American expert who analyzed satellite images of recent construction at a missile training area." The article highlights America as a potential threat. But America isn't going to nuke China over Taiwan. However, Russia might not be appeasing China any more in five short years. If China decides that is the time to make a move on parts of Russia's Far East, China doesn't want Russia to be able to threaten massive nuclear strikes on China. So China had best start preparing for that day, eh? For the record, I doubt that China's nuclear arsenal is as small as we think it is.
The idea that Trump supporters think he will return to office on March 4 is BS. I write this before that day but I have no doubt I won't have to revise this before Sunday night publication. QAnon is an oddity Democrats are oddly obsessed with and not a justification for keeping troops in Washington, D.C. People on the left have gone nuts with paranoia and visions of retribution against non-existent threats. And worse, the National Guard props for this Democratic Party Insurrection Porn have become cannon fodder. [LATER:] The day after, we see that nothing happened. Shocking, I know. But the National Guard will remain to stop mythical security threats from the people. This is wrong in so many ways.
Whatever. Tip to Instapundit.
I remain perplexed that Trump left office after losing the 2020 election, didn't set up concentration camps for minorities, didn't start World War III, or didn't even turn America over to the Russians. But don't you dare call our media "fake news."
Worst. Insurrection. Ever: "A top FBI counterterrorism official testified on Wednesday that no
firearms were recovered during arrests of rioters who breached the U.S.
Capitol on Jan. 6." Tip to Instapundit. In related news, if you don't prosecute insurrectionists, did an insurrection happen?
Media "fact check." I wouldn't be so utterly frustrated with Democrats twisting reality if the media didn't back the Democrats so ... enthusiastically. I expect Democrats to be biased. Just as I expect Republicans to be biased. I expect the media should report on the news and not back their side's bias only. Which is the really frustrating part. I wonder how much of our political division can be put on media bias rather than political differences? Of course, the mechanism is different for Democratic partisanship. In that case the media constantly tells Democrats that Republicans are always wrong and evil for not admitting it.
The Suwalki Corridor logistics bottleneck. Which is why the first thing NATO should do if Russia invades the Baltic states is conquer Kaliningrad. I've written posts repeatedly on that.
With the Biden administration signaling its eagerness to cut a deal with Iran on nukes, you had to know North Korea would want some of that sweet diplomatic action: "North Korea may be trying to extract plutonium to make more nuclear weapons at its main atomic complex, recent satellite photos indicated, weeks after leader Kim Jong Un vowed to expand his nuclear arsenal."
The final crash of Pelosi's clown car Impeachment 2: Now It's Personal. Wow. That's a lot of stupid.
"EXPLAINER: What to look for at China's annual Congress[.]" I'm confused. Don't we already know that Pelosi and Schumer will be in charge?
And you wonder why Hillary Clinton set up a private email server while secretary of state and purged emails en masse to avoid this sort of thing? "Judge Orders Biden State Department to Turn Over Psaki Email Pertaining to Big Iran Lie" from the Obama administration.
Yeah, INDOPACOM needs a lot of work: "The United States is 'in catch-up mode' to restore its deterrent and fighting capability that increases the size of the Navy’s fleet to compete with China in the Indo-Pacific, a former White House national security adviser told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday." You'd think that we'd be further along given the loudly proclaimed "pivot" to the Pacific under Obama. But you'd be wrong.
Peak Stupid climbs higher in higher education. Should there be a separate Peak Stupid measure for colleges the way they have a separate (higher) inflation index? Tip to Insanity Wrap.
Hahahaha! Again, via Insanity Wrap.
Pay no attention to the man in front of the curtain!
Last week I mentioned Nigeria's decision to fight piracy in the Gulf of Guinea. Strategypage has more. If AFRICOM had The AFRICOM Queen, as I described in Military Review, the vessel could sail the waters of the region to help out.
If this is what we're supposed to panic about now, I'm really done with these people.
Huh: "The United States accused Syrian President Bashar Assad and his close ally Russia on Thursday of trying to block all efforts to hold Damascus accountable for using chemical weapons during attacks on civilians." You can't seriously be surprised. Maybe a new and improved Syria Chemical Weapons Deal 2.0 will join a Iran Nuclear Deal 2.0 to revive the glories of Smart Diplomacy!
Germany will send a frigate to the INDOPACOM region and sail the South China Sea in defense of freedom of navigation. The State Department applauded that decision. That's good. Don't get me wrong. I appreciate that recognition that China is a problem. But I'd be far happier with Germany if it focused on controlling the Baltic Sea and North Sea.
An economic crisis and political paralysis in Lebanon.
Why on Earth wouldn't America put Aegis Ashore on Guam?!
The simmering Russia-Ukraine war in eastern Ukraine is bubbling a bit more.
An American B-1 bomber flew over the Baltic states in a visible reassurance mission.
The special relationship lives! I will give the Biden administration credit for this apparent rapid reversal of my (and others) expectation that his administration would demote Britain to deal with the European Union. And as always, I'll say that engagement with Europe shouldn't mean engagement with the European Union. They're different concepts entirely.
Okay, the promise of the 21st Century is starting to feel real. Private space companies and now injectable robots to fight cancer? Tip to Instapundit.
Are we or aren't we at war with jihadis? "U.S. Africa Command now needs White House approval to launch airstrikes
against militants in Somalia as the Biden administration weighs whether
to put limits on commanders for authorizing attacks, The New York Times
reported this week." Jihadis who would otherwise be made into good jihadis will now survive if they aren't vulnerable long enough for the White House to approve the target of opportunity.
I had the most amazing slip and technical fall on the ice Saturday morning. I was walking along not paying attention at all. My mind is already on spring mode despite the low temperatures stubbornly lingering on. My left foot hit a patch of ice and slipped out to my front. My arms shot out to my side keeping me upright as I bent my right knee, which gently touched the ice. And that's where my fall ended. I then stood up from that position as if I needed to receive the applause of the rapturous crowd. But nobody gave me a bouquet of flowers. There was no barrage of camera flashes. Nobody even saw it! I hate it when that happens.
Perspective on the Capitol Building riot--not "insurrection."
The demand for abusive racially based police behavior clearly exceeds the supply. With an added bonus that the young man clearly didn't fear the police would actually harm him. Via Instapundit.
South Korea wants to enter the high-end fighter producer market.
Not too many years ago, bars had (and many may still have) a drink called "the Irish car bomb." I did not retire to my fainting couch. Endorsed:
I don't like the current Catholic pope very much, but his visit to Iraq to support the country's Christians is commendable. Hopefully he watches them after and also in the region.
Nothing to see. Move along. Tip to The Morning Briefing.
The pretext will never end. As I wrote recently, "Democrats will find lots of dumb excuses to keep troops garrisoning Washington, D.C. forever. Next month it will be the anniversary of the Iraq War. Then tax day. The month after, Memorial Day. Then Flag Day. Then Independence Day. And August? Well, just in case. It is one of those months without an (R) in it. Symbolic? Then we're up to 9/11, so duh. And more fences and more barbed wire each month, I suppose. It looks like a coup really took place. But I'll only really worry if VP Harris starts sporting an Army uniform and sunglasses." Tip to Instapundit.
The Democratic war on blue collar people.
I think we need a new investigation in collusion with foreigners to harm America. Tip to Instapundit.
Huh: "Scandals reveal Cuomo known by New Yorkers to wider nation[.]" So what that reporter is telling us is that somehow all the national news about Cuomo up until a week ago somehow missed that Cuomo, ah, likes the young ladies, is authoritarian and abusive, and oh yeah sent tens of thousands of old people to their deaths while concealing his role. Somehow Americans' positive impressions of Cuomo "were formed." Nice passive tense there, media. I wonder what mechanism transmitted those positive impressions? Quite the mystery. But it isn't fake news.
Yet somehow Western feminists aren't the most stalwart supporters of the war against jihadi terrorists and Islamist extremism: "Women in Afghanistan worry peace accord with Taliban extremists could cost them hard-won rights[.]"
I've never been a fan of Glenn Greenwald. But as the Democrats go even more Resistance-insane despite controlling the presidency and Congress, any port in a storm, as the saying goes. Yeah, the March 4 QAnon uprising was predictably BS, as I wrote earlier in this data dump. Greenwald likens the permanent garrison state justifications to cult thinking rather than just dumb excuses as I also wrote above in this data dump. But the result is the same. For God's sake, the threatening "chatter" they are hearing is in their own heads. The left has proven unable to see all the Antifa/BLM riots that started last spring and continue in Portland; but they keep seeing right-wing insurrections. Tip to Instapundit.
Huh. ISIL will shut the ef up about China's genocidal campaign against Moslem Uighurs. To be fair to ISIL, it's safer to accuse America of Islamophobia, where a Moslem refugee can become a member of Congress even as she condemns America, and justify that violence. And to survive that conflict, apparently.
I hate to defend Amazon these days, but God, people are stupid:
"The U.S. Army’s Armored Multi-Purpose Vehicle Can Do Everything[.]" Well of course it can. As the article notes, it replaces the ancient M-113, which could do everything. Without much armor. But it did everything.
Saudi Arabia has essentially launched an economic struggle against its ally the UAE. I wonder what that does to the already divided effort to defeat Iran and the Houthi in Yemen.
Egypt is reaching out to improve relations with Sudan. Which would be helpful if Egypt wants to put direct military pressure on Ethiopia over its massive GERD Nile River dam. Ethiopia's military operations against Tigray separatists are alienating Sudan, so the ground is fertile.
The Mars Perseverance rover made its first test drive. So far, so good.
San Francisco will see more of this. And in a few years leftist academics and activists will point to how the areas are "under-served" by big corporations. And blame some "ism" for that. The funny thing is, in some ways it is logical to increase the threshold of a felony. $50 or $100 was a big deal many decades ago--or a century ago--when first established as the starting point for a felony in state statutes. But if the authorities don't consider it worth prosecuting and punishing when the crime is "only" a misdemeanor, you defeat the purpose of trying to make felony convictions on par with what they were punishing a century ago. And so stores flee. And customers have no place to shop. Bravo! Tip to Instapundit.
Over the years I've noted that I've been against the militarization of our police. It troubled me and seemed odd even as our military was hobbled more and more, expected to act more as police than a military. But then the Antifa and BLM riots erupted in 2020. And Democrats cheered the rioters on, denied riots were even happening, refused to prosecute the rioters, and demonized the police trying to cope. So my worry about militarized police was replaced by relief that the police had a chance against the mobs with equipment that actually allows them to fight rioters without lethal force. My base view won't come back until I see proof that the rioters are being pursued, arrested, prosecuted, and sent to prison in sufficient numbers to deter those riots. Until then, the police need the military surplus equipment they've gotten.
While this article has good points about the British army being too small, he is wrong about ground forces being immune to the technology trends that reduce manpower needs for a navy or air force. Ten thousand men controlled a front far smaller than 10,000 troops today. Troop density on a battlefield is way down. Because of technology. Mind you, technology doesn't have much effect on the need for numbers in counterinsurgency operations. But paramilitary, police, and militias can add to that requirement for numbers, as I frequently discussed about the Iraq War.
Protected the capital from what? Pedestrian traffic? "National Guard troops to receive ribbons for protecting nation’s capital[.]" I'd be ashamed to wear that medal. Worse than being stolen valor, it is faux valor.
I hate the whole RINO accusation. It is not better to be pure than large enough to be a governing party. As I've often said on this, why alienate 60% allies by making them 100% foes? Don't let Republicans become a mirror image of the woke-infested Democrats who push Peak Stupid ever higher on their side's quest for purity. Perhaps I'm wrong, but more moderate Republican officials seem far more likely to abandon the party when under attack that more moderate Democrats who are attacked by their left. Perhaps the media has something to do with that. Or maybe my impression is wrong.
Welp, another "stimulus" package. A trillion here and a trillion there ...
"No news conference. No Oval Office address. No primetime speech to a joint session of Congress." This is all just "keeping control of the daily message." Um, no. This is the friendly media letting Biden get away with controlling the daily message. Worse, it is the friendly media amplifying the daily message and considering themselves unworthy of having Biden's shadow fall across them.
Oh good, the Xi Jinping Flu variant in Europe is more contagious and more deadly. But does Europe's slow vaccination program mean America doesn't have as much to worry about? Britain saw a winter surge from the variant and then a big decline. Don't know what to make of it.
I suspect the Israelis update their Iran attack plans all the time. So this warning is really to rein in Biden's outreach to Iran. On the other hand I have no doubt Israel would strike Iran's nuclear facilities if they had to. And Israel would have Saudi support. But maybe Israel would settle for hitting Hezbollah hard and daring Iran to scuttle the Biden outreach in response.
At least Biden mentioned China's human rights abuses to Xi Jinping--even if Biden didn't mean it. Biden won't even mention Iran's human rights violations--despite telling Xi that our culture requires at least mentioning human rights. Oh, and this addresses a pet peeve of mine. I hated it when people on the left said--wrongly--that American support for dissidents "taints" the dissidents and just causes people to rally around the regime: "It was during the Trump maximum pressure campaign that the demands of the Iranian people—as manifested by protest slogans, dissident letters, social media discourse, and more—traversed unmistakably to an absolute opposition to the totality of the regime and the demand for its wholesale removal. Contrary to the warning of those who supported the Iran deal and opposed the maximum pressure strategy, crippling sanctions did not cause the people of Iran to rally behind the regime’s flag. It caused them to revolt against it." Too late. It's Glorious Reset for those dissidents. Tip to Instapundit.
Yeah, 17,000 earthquakes in a week sounds like reason to worry. Who had volcano on their Xi Jinping Flu pandemic Bingo card March 2021 square?
This article speaks of exploiting China's demographic, geographic, and split land-sea ambitions; as well as problems projecting power out to sea past potential obstacles. Where we have allies. As you can see, I've touched on all of those issues. Also, free societies can go on offense where it really hurts. Don't panic about China. Just work the problem.
The Russians get worse at building submarines while the Chinese get better. I imagine Russian-Chinese friendship ends the moment China can no longer extract useful technology from the Russians.
I'm eager for the end of mask mandates. Not because I think masks are worthless. Worn properly they help to some degree. And depending on what kind of mask. The Cold War Army drilled the use of gas masks and protective gear into me. I was pro-mask when the authorities were saying masks weren't needed by non-medical people. I still feel that way. I used them despite that advice. But I don't want to be told I must wear them. Not anymore. It's sheer madness. We're at the point we should be able to judge our own needs.
Why taxpayers support these people is beyond me. Tip to Instapundit.
Charles Blow is a moron. Seriously. I saw him speak in Ann Arbor not long after Trump won the 2016 election. My daughter had to view a political event for a class, and she chose Chuck. Why yes, I do love my daughter dearly. It was more like a religious revival meeting. And I was honestly shocked at how weak his case against Trump was. I was prepared to have to really work up defenses in my head to the charges leveled by a famous columnist. But his speech was weak and just preaching to the choir. Trump was awful to lots of different people but because he was also awful to a few minorities and women it proved Trump hated minorities and women. The argument was as laughable as it was embraced by the audience. As I noted to my daughter as we walked to my car, if that was the best the anti-Trump people could put up, they're just a joke.
I doubt that Biden's effort to negotiate peace with the Taliban will work better than Trump's. But I am confident that if America retreats in disorder from Afghanistan, the media will call it a glorious success.
Negligence: "At least 17 people have died and hundreds more have been injured in a series of explosions in Equatorial Guinea, the health ministry says."
Joint American-South Korean military drills scaled back by Trump to encourage peace momentum continue to be scaled back because of pandemic worries. Officially. But scaled back exercises aren't encouraging North Korea to be more cooperative. Didn't we just move toward North Korea's position by worrying that resuming normal exercises will provoke North Korea?
By the left's definition, teachers unions are systemically racist. Tip to Instapundit.
