Clueless Republicans Don't Realize It's the Democrats Who Have the Problem

From PJ Media via H/T at Instapundit:

It is the Democrats, not the Republicans, that have the problem, but you wouldn't know it if you watched, say, The Kelly File or had your Internet perpetually wired to National Review or The Weekly Standard, where the writing is as elegant as the thinking, these days, is often fuzzy. The Democrats are fighting a real war of ideas, disreputable though those ideas may be, while the Republicans fight a status war among themselves, a battle over control, not, except in the margins, over ideology.

Simon may be on to something.

Brilliant Fools -- The Short Story of America’s Liberal Elite

From National Review:

For men like Rhodes, his “entire job” (according to former speechwriter Jon Favreau) was assisting in a “larger restructuring of the American narrative.” In other words, Obama and Rhodes and Jarrett had a new story to tell about our nation and the world; all facts and circumstances were shaped to fit that story. And so — to use one illustration from the piece — Iran’s capture and humiliation of American sailors wasn’t really a story of American weakness but in reality a story of American strength.

There is nothing unique about Rhodes. In fact, he’s a perfect stand-in for America’s arrogant, incurious elite — the class of brilliant fools who populate the upper echelons of government, academia, and media.
.....................

That’s the left elite in a nutshell. Their virtue is presumed, their critics are despicable, and a self-flattering story always trumps the truth.

Which is why Hillary can't be allowed to become President!

Clinton Was Never Intended to Be the Democrat Nominee

From The American Thinker Blog:

Here is my reasoning: realizing that the evidence against her could rise to the level of treason, Secretary Clinton has struck a bargain with the Obama White House that in return for bowing out at or near the convention, she will receive a full pardon in order to ensure that she will never see the inside of a prison cell.

She takes the slings and arrows, exhausting the opposition research budgets of Republican campaigns, leaving V.P. Biden and Sen. Warren largely immune from scrutiny during these long months of primaries and caucuses.

By the time she begs off the nomination, citing medical issues, the Republicans will have barely three months to investigate and counter the actual nominees, Biden and Warren.

Those among the electorate who are itching to make history with a female president will believe themselves to be doing precisely that by voting for a Biden/Warren ticket, albeit with a four-year "on-the-job training" period.

Elizabeth Warren is easily as "progressive" as Clinton (likely having more in common with Bernie Sanders) but doesn't carry the ethical corruption baggage that engulfs the wife of Monica Lewinsky's ex-boyfriend.

Joe Biden doesn't carry the intellectual heft necessary to attain the presidency as a stand-alone candidate, but teamed with a soon to be historical figure in Warren, his star shines far more brightly.

Clinton avoids prison and walks away with hundreds of millions in campaign donations. Obama gets a third term via Biden, and Democrats everywhere get to gush about their tolerance and forward thinking by electing the first female vice president/president in waiting.

This is about as Machiavellian as you can get and highly plausible.

White Lies Matter

From National Review:

Over the course of three decades in public life Hillary Clinton has misspoken and misled the public and mismanaged herself and her team to such a degree that voters cannot help noticing. Yes, many of her falsehoods are white lies. But white lies accumulate. They matter. Not only do they harm the truth. They are turning Clinton into one of the least popular candidates in history.

Since 1998 Clinton has blamed her poor reputation on the vast right-wing conspiracy. Whitewater, Travelgate, Filegate, the health-care disaster — it was all the fault of the Republicans. What’s forgotten is that Clinton has been lying in the service of her ambitions — most notably by protecting her husband from the truth of his infidelities — since long before Bill ran for president. Nor can she blame conservatives for her failure to win the Democratic nomination eight years ago. Hillary can’t help being secretive and deceptive. It’s her nature.

As William Safire once said, Hillary is a pathological liar, she just cnn't help it.

The Week in Pictures -- Tax Day Edition

From the guys at Powerline Blog:

The Week in Pictures -- March Madness Edition

From the guys at Powerline Blog:

The Week in Pictures -- Michael Ramirez Edition

From the guys at Powerline Blog:

Source -- Clinton IT specialist revealing server details to FBI, 'devastating witness'

From Fox News via H/T at Instapundit:

Former Hillary Clinton IT specialist Bryan Pagliano, a key witness in the email probe who struck an immunity deal with the Justice Department, has told the FBI a range of details about how her personal email system was set up, according to an intelligence source close to the case who called him a “devastating witness.”

The source said Pagliano told the FBI who had access to the former secretary of state’s system – as well as when – and what devices were used, amounting to a roadmap for investigators.

"Bryan Pagliano is a devastating witness and, as the webmaster, knows exactly who had access to [Clinton's] computer and devices at specific times. His importance to this case cannot be over-emphasized," the intelligence source said.

So are we going to see Hillary, Huma, or Cheryl Mills being "frogged marched" to jail?

What Pagliano’s Immunity Deal in the Clinton Email Scandal Reveals

From The American Thinker Blog:

The revelation that former Clinton aide Bryan Pagliano was given immunity by the Justice Department in the former Secretary of State’s email scandal has led to a kaleidoscopic array of interpretations, a true Rashomon moment. Democrats see the granting of immunity of the last step in a process of clearing the Clinton of wrongdoing. Some conservative commentators see the immunity grant as proof that a federal grand jury has been convened with dire consequences for the putative Democrat presidential nominee. It is impossible to say for sure which interpretation is true, but an objective legal view suggests that this development is more likely to bode ill for Clinton than be the first step of her exoneration.

From Pantsuit to orange jumpsuit.

FBI professionals ‘will be angry’ if no indictment recommendation is made

From Hot Air:

In a story published Thursday, Catherine Herridge of Fox News added incrementally to what we know about the ongoing investigation, but the buried lede may be word of the current mood at the FBI. Herridge quotes an unnamed source with knowledge of the investigation who tells her career professionals at the FBI, “will be angry and walk off if no indictment recommendation is followed through.”

That certainly makes it sound as if some portion of the FBI–presumably those with knowledge of the case–think there is enough evidence to recommend prosecution (of someone). They wouldn’t be ready to “walk off” unless they were pretty certain the evidence supported their conclusion. And, reading a bit more between the lines, it seems there is some impatience in the ranks to go ahead and conclude the matter in the way these professionals have already concluded is warranted.

At some point the FBI needs to either move on the recommendation for prosecution or announce they won’t be recommending any prosecution. A recommendation to prosecute someone close to Clinton would not knock her out of the race but it would add to public’s doubts about her overall honesty. And of course if the recommendation were to target Clinton herself that would be a game-changer which could swing votes toward Sanders or convince someone on the sidelines that now is the time to jump in the race. Whatever the case, it would be better to have the information out sooner rather than later.

Frog march!

The Week in Pictures -- Peak Trump Edition

From the guys at Powerline Blog:

Sanders supporters revolt against superdelegates

From Politico via H/T at Instapundit:

Remember, Hillary had the superdelegates sewn up in 2008, too, until she didn’t anymore.

But isn’t it funny to see Sanders fans so upset that the delegates he worked so hard to win are being . . . redistributed to someone else?

Ohh, the irony........

After Crushing Defeat, DNC Quirk Still Gives Hillary More New Hampshire Delegates Than Sanders

From The Daily Caller:

Though Bernie Sanders won the New Hampshire primary in a landslide over Hillary Clinton, he will likely receive fewer delegates than she will.

Sanders won 60 percent of the vote, but thanks to the Democratic Party’s nominating system, he leaves the Granite State with at least 13 delegates while she leaves with at least 15 delegates.

New Hampshire has 24 “pledged” delegates, which are allotted based on the popular vote. Sanders has 13, and Clinton has 9, with 2 currently allotted to neither.

But under Democratic National Committee rules, New Hampshire also has 8 “superdelegates,” party officials who are free to commit to whomever they like, regardless of how their state votes. Their votes count the same as delegates won through the primary.

Is there any doubt the system is rigged for Hillary?

Watergate's Carl Bernstein on Hillary

From The Daily Caller:

“The vast right-wing conspiracy didn’t put the server in her damn closet. She’s going to have to get by this thing, and she’s going to have to acknowledge a terrible misjudgment it seems to be here.”

Will anyone from the Drive-By Media ask her that question?

The Week in Pictures -- Happy Birthday, Gipper Edition

From the guys at Powerline Blog:

FBI Trying to Get Confidantes to ‘Turn on Hillary’ to ‘Save Their Own Skin’

From Breitbart's Big Government:

On Friday’s Breitbart News Daily, author Ed Klein said all of Hillary Clinton’s top confidantes may face jail time because of Clinton’s email scandal and are distancing themselves from the Clinton campaign because they do not want to damage her chances of winning the White House.

Klein told host and Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon that three of Clinton’s closest advisers—Huma Abedin, Cheryl Mills, and Jake Sullivan—have all been notified that they are going to be interviewed about the email scandal.

Klein said what the FBI is after is “somebody to turn on Hillary and blab in order to save their own skin” and Sullivan, who has not been with Clinton as long as Abedin and Mills, is the “weakest link in the chain.” Sullivan was one of Clinton’s top foreign policy advisers at the State Department.

Standard FBI process, work your way up the food chain.

The Week in Pictures -- Trumpless Debate Edition

From the guys at Powerline Blog:

What Happens if Hillary Isn't Indicted?

From PJ Media via H/T at Instapundit:

So we are left with the equation of what happens if Hillary isn't indicted?

The most obvious part is that the rule of law will have, for all intents and purposes, ended in the United States. Equal justice flew out the window. How does the public react to that? A good portion of it will roll over, but a certain percentage will not. Their reactions will be contingent on a number of things -- whether Clinton is elected anyway (unlikely at this point, but possible), the steadfastness of opposition politicians and media, etc.

But in the final analysis, a democracy cannot exist without the consent of the governed. For that percentage in opposition, consent will have broken down pretty much completely. Then what? Civil war? That's perhaps a bit excessive, but civil wars can be of various types and evolve in different ways. All kinds of things could break down, which could result in anything from general disobedience to the law to mass tax refusal. Millions would no longer respect the system.

Loretta Lynch, Obama, et al, are actually facing a giant tinderbox, whether they know it or not. This is not your average Yogi Berra fork in the road. People fixate these days on the Black Lives Matter movement or on "social justice" activism on campus that is dominated by self-described "progressives" appalled by "microagressions" and such like. But what if the American heartland rebels? Left-wing rebellion in our culture has always been dependent on the center holding; it's a kind of play rebellion, college kids taking over a park while daddy pays their allowance. But suppose daddy started to rebel? That would be, as the saying goes, a whole other ball of wax.

Scary.

Why Hillary’s EmailGate Matters -- In casually disregarding basic security, Secretary Clinton harmed our country and helped our adversaries.

From The Observer via H/T at http://pjmedia.com/instapundit/225327/:

All this angers Americans with experience in our military and intelligence services who understand what Ms. Clinton and her staff did—and that they would be held to far harsher standards for attempting anything similar. They know that brave Americans have given their lives protecting Top Secret Codeword information. They know that in every American embassy around the world, our diplomatic outposts that worked for Hillary Clinton, Marine guards have standing orders to fight to the death to protect the classified information that’s inside those embassies. That Hillary Clinton gave similar information away, by choice, is something she needs to explain if she expects to be our next Commander-in-Chief.

Her disregard wasn’t casual. It was a conscious and involved scheme to avoid the Freedom of Information Act, and possibly also Obama Administration scrutiny of her actions. She put the nation as a whole at risk, along with individual lives of intelligence sources, for political reasons: to avoid accountability.

Especially, since she considers herself ABOVE the law and accountability.

Hillary Thinks It’s A ‘Great Idea’ To Appoint Obama To The Supreme Court

From The Daily Caller:

Hillary Clinton says it would be a “great idea” to appoint President Obama to the Supreme Court.

Tuesday, during a campaign rally in Decorah, Iowa, Clinton looked gleeful when asked if she would consider appointing Obama to the bench, for life, saying, “Wow, what a great idea. No one has ever suggested that to me, I love that, wow.”

This comment alone should disqualify Hillary for President. The Dear Leader has made decision after decision that he claims are Constitutional, only to be shot down by SCOTUS 9-0 time after time. He was NOT a Constitutional Law Professor, but a lecturer.