As the Manchin-Toomey bill for broader (not universal) background checks for gun sales appears headed for defeat, Sen. Ted Cruz (Tea Party-Texas) admits that the bill wouldn’t create a federal gun registry:
“I don’t disagree that on its face, the currently pending legislation does not purport to create a national gun registry.”
Indeed, the bill provides a 15-year felony sentence for any government official who keeps such records.
The Senate has just approved John Kerry’s nomination to be Secretary of State.
The vote was 94-3. GOP Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, both of Texas, and James Inhofe of Oklahoma voted against him. I guess they were holding out for John Bolton.
Those who oppose Chuck Hagel for DoD, and either whisper or shout that he is anti-Israel/anti-Semitic are really saying that to be pro-Israel, you have to support absolutely everything that Benjamin Netanyahu wants and stands for.
It’s like saying that you’re anti-American unless you support the GOP or anti-British unless you support the Tories.
Suddenly support for Israel is limited to support for its far right.
By this bizarre standard there are a whole lot of folks in Israel and politicians in its Knesset who are anti-Israel and anti-Semitic.
Senators like John McCain and Lindsey Graham and newbie Ted Cruz are afraid of Hagel. They want to stay in Afghanistan forever, and they know that Hagel will argue to get out sooner than the end of 2014, which is what this war-weary country wants.
Now sometimes being war-weary doesn’t mean you’re right, sometimes you have to suck it up and stick it out, but in this case, the mood of the country matches the strategic reality that we have nothing to gain by staying longer in Afghanistan.
The Hagel haters also fear that he will be an effective spokesman for making DoD more efficient. They can see him on the Sunday talk shows convincingly arguing that some weapons systems can be eliminated, that the defense budget can be cut without making us less safe. They can see him authoring cogent op-eds that will sway opinion leaders.
I am excited about the combo of Hagel at DoD and Brennan at CIA. Brennan is our Drone Guy, and he and Hagel will continue to fight the War on Terror the way it needs to be fought, with more drones and special forces, not tens of thousands of troops stuck manning mountain outposts while Al Qaeda finds other homes.
As Al Qaeda and its affiliates move and spread, we have to be as flexible as they are. We had as many drone strikes in Yemen in 2012 as we did in Pakistan because we are taking the fight to the enemy. There is talk of drone strikes in Mali (and maybe they are happening as I write this) because that’s where Al Qaeda is.
Obama, Hagel, and Brennan get it. They see the big picture of how everything fits together. They see the importance of our relationship with Pakistan, frustrating and infuriating as it is. They see how the war in Iraq destabilized the region and upset the balance of power by taking away Iran’s biggest rival and constraint. Now Iran and Iraq are friends, and Iran is freer to pursue its dreams of hegemony in the region. Hagel is a realist like Bush 41, who recognized that we should kick Iraq out of Kuwait, but not continue to Baghdad because we were better off with Saddam Hussein in power.
Check out Politico‘s top story this morning, “Sarah Palin: Senate kingmaker.” From David Catanese’s article:
“Riding a four-endorsement winning streak in Republican Senate primaries this year, the former Alaska governor swept into a blueberry patch outside Kansas City this weekend looking to apply her Midas touch to the latest fortunate recipient. This time it’s Sarah Steelman, a former state treasurer running in a fractured Missouri Tuesday primary to decide who gets to take on vulnerable Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill in November.
“At least that was the case before Palin’s arrival and the ensuing glut of media exposure for Steelman.
“A win would only enhance Palin’s reputation as the most powerful down-ballot force in Republican politics.
“’She’s a rock star right now in Republican Senate primaries. She’s hit a pretty strong streak,‘ said Scott Bensing, a former executive director of the National Republican Senatorial Committee. ‘She gives the impression that she has deeply held beliefs she’s willing to take on water for and doesn’t really care what her critics think. She comes off resolute and principled.’
“Palin’s victory roster this cycle includes Indiana’s Richard Mourdock, Nebraska’s Deb Fischer, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and Texas’ Ted Cruz, who shattered expectations Tuesday with a 14-point win in a runoff against Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.
“No other conservative icon or entity matches her record.” Emphasis added.
Sarah Palin, bringing the craziest of the crazies to our Senate, earning IOU’s for herself to be collected, oh, I don’t know, maybe in 2016 0r 2020. Thanks a lot, John McCain, you foolish old goat.
Tea Party favorite Ted Cruz won the runoff to be the GOP Senate nominee in Texas against establishment favorite Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.
If you’re not familiar with Cruz, let me mention that Sarah Palin endorsed him, and that’s about all you need to know.
Cruz and Dewhurst had the same positions on the issues (as far-right as you can go without falling off the edge), but Cruz articulated those positions in a way more pleasing to the bat-shit crazy contingent’s ears.
Another bad day for sanity in this country.
Embattled Farmers 