2016 Elections

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Should Hillary have seen the Benghazi attack coming? A question she avoided in the debate

“But American citizens did lose their lives in Benghazi.” – Anderson Cooper, CNN

During the Democrat presidential debate, Anderson Cooper addressed Hillary Clinton with, “Secretary Clinton, on the campaign trail, Senator Webb has said … the attack on the U. S. consulate in Benghazi was inevitable. Should you have seen that attack coming?”

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(Ramirezcartoon)

Avoiding the question, Clinton went into a lengthy harangue talking about Gadhafi, the Libyan people, our European allies, smart power, and the fact that we did not put a single American soldier on the ground in Libya, before Cooper was forced to interrupt.

“But American citizens did lose their lives in Benghazi,” he said.

“But let … I’ll get to that. But I think it’s important since I understand Senator Webb’s very strong feelings about this, to …” Clinton continued, with no response to the loss of lives at Benghazi. Continue reading →

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Sanders helps Clinton white-wash e-mail scandal

“I think the American people are sick and tired of hearing about your damn e-mails.” – Rep. Bernie Sanders (D-VT).

There stood Sanders, looking like an angry curmudgeon, who has said he wants to stop the corruption in government; defending Hillary Clinton’s e-mail scandal as a mere nuisance people are tired of hearing in the campaign.… read more

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Democrats still want to kill Gowdy’s Select Committee on Benghazi

How often have you heard a Democrat exclaim that there have already been six (or more) hearings on Benghazi and in each case former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been exonerated? It’s usually followed by a statement decrying the millions of dollars that have been spent to pin it all on Hillary Clinton.

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For insight on Rep. Trey Gowdy and his Select Committee on Benghazi, read the Wall Street Journal article referenced in this blog. (rickwells.us)

“It is true that other panels conducted Benghazi inquiries. It is equally true they failed to interview dozens of key witnesses, failed to access all information and inexcusably missed Clinton’s exclusive use of private email on her personal server for official business,” wrote Rep. Trey Gowdy, Chairman of the Select Committee on Benghazi, in a USA Today op-ed yesterday. His committee has reviewed some 50,000 documents not seen in the other investigations. Continue reading →

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The drip, drip, drip of scandal around Hillary continues

While Hillary Clinton’s e-mails dribble out, the FBI continues its investigation surrounding her e-mails and information on “pay for access,” to the secretary of state or the possible next president through Clinton foundation contributions, a new scandal has surfaced.

Clinton personally signed-off on the deal in 2012 that let her top aide, Huma Abedin, simultaneously work for the State Department and a private New York firm, the Teneo Group, with deep ties to the Clinton family.… read more

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Hillary flip-flops on trade pact

If ever there was an example of a politician putting a finger in the air to see which way the political wind is blowing, it was obvious when Hillary Clinton, speaking on the Pacific Trade Agreement said, “I can’t support this agreement.”

This is the same Hillary Clinton, who as secretary of state, backed the pact, calling it the “gold standard” for trade deals during her 2012 trip to Australia.… read more

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Hillary Clinton’s naivete. Part 2

In my Aug. 21, post, “Did Hillary Clinton’s naiveté unintentionally tip off Benghazi attackers?” you may recall my asking rhetorically, how did she carry out the normal day to day business of secretary of state not knowing what was and wasn’t classified, regardless if it was marked as such or not.

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(Cartoon courtesy of cleveland.com)

We now know that some 400 documents provided in the sporadic State Department dump were later classified. They contained information on the Iran nuclear discussions, spy satellites and drone strikes. Does anyone believe that Hillary Clinton had no idea these documents were classified? And as I stated in August, even her itinerary should have been considered classified.

“The Clinton team contends that these emails were not stamped classified until after the fact,” writes Kimberly Strassel in the Wall Street Journal, “But intelligence experts note many were ‘born’ classified – that is, the nature of the information required that they be handled as classified from the start.” My point, but better stated. Continue reading →

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Remember the “outsider” who proved Obama wrong?

“The Cold War’s been over for 20 years.” – President Obama, 2012 Debate

That was President Obama’s snarky, arrogant response to Mitt Romney’s belief that Russia was the biggest geopolitical threat facing America. “When it comes to our foreign policy, you seem to want to import the foreign policies of the 1980s …” he added.

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President Obama mocked Mitt Romney for his stance on Russia during the 2012 debates. ( museumofuncutfunk.com/AP Al Goldman)

Of course, we know that while warning Americans about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intentions to reassert his power, particularly over Ukraine, Romney did not dismiss the threat of Al Qaeda and Iran.

And remember when Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin was mocked during the 2008 campaign when she said, “After the Russian army invaded the nation of Georgia, Senator Obama’s reaction was one of indecision and moral equivalence, the kind of response that would only encourage Russia’s Putin to invade Ukraine.”

“This is a far-fetched scenario,” wrote Blake Hounshell, then the editor of the elite Foreign Policy magazine, as he dismissed Palin’s statement as “strange.” Continue reading →

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The conservative frustration factor

In June 2014, Tea Party-backed Dave Brat soundly defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), 56-44. There were reports that it was “one of the most stunning losses in modern House politics,” indicating that the loss “upends the GOP hierarchy.”

Cantor was seen by many to be the successor to Speaker John Boehner when he decided to retire.

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(Graphic courtesy universalfreepress.com)

Currently, polls show that voters are favoring a group of ”outsiders” – Trump, Carson, Fiorina and Rubio – in the race for the Republican nomination for president. I include Rubio because he’s on his way out with a plan not to return to the Senate.

Finally, last week, Speaker Boehner calmly says he woke up and simply decided it was a good day to announce his retirement. Do you believe that? Continue reading →

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When are we going to say ‘no’ to café standards?

For years, I have written critical pieces about the government’s interference in automobile and truck manufacturing by introducing strict emission goals. And at the same time, I have been critical of the manufacturers for caving to the heavy hand of government.

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Cartoon courtesy of mtcave.blogspot.com.

The recent tests that caught VW cheating to meet U.S. emissions goals for nitrogen oxide shouldn’t surprise anyone, and if you think VW is the only manufacturer looking for ways to meet the emission standards, you’re dreaming. Keep in mind that emission goals are just part of their problem; manufacturers also need to produce a safe, well-performing car that the public can afford to purchase without a government subsidy. Continue reading →