01/17/16

The Council Has Spoken! Our Watcher’s Council Results – 01/17/16

Condensed version of Obama’s SOTU

The Council has spoken, the votes have been cast and the results are in for this week’s Watcher’s Council match-up.

When you ask people, “What’s America’s longest war?” they usually answer “Vietnam” or amend that to “Afghanistan,” but it’s neither. America’s longest war is the war on drugs. – Don Winslow, The Cartel

Poor Mexico. So far from G-d, so close to the United States. – Former Mexican Presidente Porfirio Diaz

El que impuesto está a perder, hasta lástima es que gane” (If someone has decided to lose, it would be a pity if he wins) – Mexican proverb

Fausta Rodríguez Wertz's profile photo

This week’s winning essay comes from Fausta’s blog, Mexico: El Chapo’s notes from underground, VIDEO. By now, Sean Penn’s infamous sojurn in Mexico to interview cartel boss El Chapo is common knowledge, but Fausta takes us behind the headlines with an fascinating in-depth look at how it happened and the aftermath that saw El Chapo recaptured… at least for now. Here’s a slice:

Penn first met in person with El Chapo’s son under Chavista Cartel de los Soles protection in Venezuela’s Margarita Island.

El Chapo snuck out of the house during the Mexican Marines’ raid through a tunnel, bring us today’s Capt. Louis Renault moment:

‘El Chapo’ Nearly Foiled Capture With Another Tunnel. Mexican Marines took nearly 90 minutes to find the drug lord’s tunnel

“Video published Monday by Mexican broadcaster Televisa revealed details of the secret tunnel used by Mr. Guzmán to slip away from marines as they stormed a house he was using in the coastal city of Los Mochis. He was arrested hours later trying to leave the city in a stolen car.

The tunnel was hidden behind a closet mirror, featured a secret switch hidden in the ceiling, and had electricity and wooden planks covering the walls, the images showed. Marines took nearly 90 minutes to find the tunnel and open the access, giving him a big head start.

Mr. Guzmán, the world’s most notorious drug lord and leader of the Sinaloa cartel, has a long history with tunnels. He is widely credited with pioneering the use of tunnels to ferry drugs across the U.S.-Mexico border, and used tunnels in recent years to elude capture as Mexico’s most-wanted criminal. He then famously used a mile-long tunnel to escape from prison last July.”

Were he living, Dosto may have something to say on Chapo’s underground tendencies.

By now, shouldn’t Chapo (Shorty) be named El Topo (Mole)?

But I digress.

Here’s Televisa‘s coverage (in Spanish). Here’s the video from the Marines’ unit commander’s go-pro camera.

Anonymous Mexico released an embeddable version,

While the house was raided.

Much more at the link.

In our non-Council category, the winner was Sultan Knish – The Tribal War With Islam submitted by The Independent Sentinel.

Here are this week’s full results:

Council Winners:

*First place with 2 1/3 votes! – Fausta’s Blog – Mexico: El Chapo’s notes from underground, VIDEO
Second place *t* with 2 votes – The Noisy Room – Europe Braces Itself For Terrorism As Germany And Other Countries Experience Sexual Jihad Firsthand From Rapefugees
Second place *t* with 2 votes – Bookworm Room – Obama’s Middle Eastern policy is a bad replay of Woodrow Wilson’s post WWI efforts (and we know how that ended)
Third place with 1 2/3 votes – The Razor – What Amazon Prime’s Transparent Teaches About Feminism
Fourth place with 1 vote – The Right Planet – Breaking Red: The Truth about Dalton Trumbo and the Hollywood Ten
Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – The Independent Sentinel – Democrats Invite Terror-Tied Islamists to the State of the Union to Send a Message
Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – Puma By Design – Obama Campaigning for Next Job – Leader of the New World Order
Fifth place *t* with 2/3 vote – Joshuapundit – Rise And Shine – Some Thoughts For The New Year
Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote – Nice Deb – Video: FBI Probe Into Clinton Emails Expanded To Look Into Clinton Foundation Malfeasance
Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote – VA Right! – Bill Bolling: A Case Study in Classic Delusional RINO-ism
Sixth place *t* with 1/3 vote – The Glittering Eye – These Are Our Political Leaders

Non-Council Winners:

*First place with 2 votes! – Sultan Knish – The Tribal War With Islam submitted by The Independent Sentinel
Second place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – Mark Steyn – Notes on a Phenomenon submitted by The Noisy Room
Second place *t* with 1 2/3 votes – John Schindler/NY Observer – Hillary’s EmailGate Goes Nuclear submitted by Nice Deb
Third place *t* with 1 1/3 votes – Jeremy Choate/Zero Hedge – One American’s Rage Spills Over: Dear Liberal… Here’s Why I’m So Hostile submitted by The Razor
Third place *t* with 1 1/3 votes – Elizabeth Price Foley/Instapundit – Is Ted Cruz a Natural Born U. S. Citizen? submitted by The Glittering Eye
Fourth place *t* with 2/3 votes – Dana Loesch – A Thorough Fisking of Obama’s Executive Orders on Gun Control submitted by The Right Planet
Fourth place *t* with 2/3 votes – Richard Fernandez/PJ Media – Stand by for Collision submitted by Fausta’s Blog
Fourth place *t* with 2/3 votes – Roger L. Simon – In Your Heart, You Know He’s Right: Trump and Muslim Immigration submitted by Joshuapundit
Fourth place *t* with 2/3 votes –Breitbart – Marco Rubio: I ‘Absolutely’ Support Tuition Discounts For Illegal Alienssubmitted by VA Right!
Fifth place *t* with 1/3 vote – Jesse Rosenfeld/Daily Beast – Russia Is Arming Hezbollah submitted by GrEaT sAtAn”S gIrLfRiEnD
Fifth place *t* with 1/3 vote – Kevin Williamson/NRO – Mrs. Clinton Is Professor Clicksubmitted by Bookworm Room
Fifth place *t* with 1/3 vote – Benjamin Weingarten/City Journal – See No Islam, Hear No Islam submitted by The Watcher

See you next week!

Make sure to tune in every Monday for the Watcher’s Forum and every Tuesday morning, when we reveal the week’s nominees for Weasel of the Week!

And remember, every Wednesday, the Council has its weekly contest with the members nominating two posts each, one written by themselves and one written by someone from outside the group for consideration by the whole Council. The votes are cast by the Council and the results are posted on Friday morning.

It’s a weekly magazine of some of the best stuff written in the blogosphere and you won’t want to miss it… or any of the other fantabulous Watcher’s Council content.

And don’t forget to like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter… ’cause we’re cool like that, y’know?

01/17/16

Will the Farsi Island incident turn out to be a Cover-up like Benghazi?

By: Wallace Bruschweiler and William Palumbo
Dr. Rich Swier

Since Tuesday’s capture of U.S. Navy sailors by the Iranians, many questions have emerged that call into question the official story of events. Knowing the history of the Obama administration, including the Arab Spring and the infamous attack and cover-up Benghazi “incident,” is it fair to assume that the White House is again deceiving the American public?

After five years. This graphic details the results of the Arab Spring. An increase in failed states and autocracies.

In light of yet another disgraceful situation that humiliated our country and military, below are some vital and important questions to ponder (forget political correctness!):

Was this event coordinated to coincide with Obama’s final State of the Union, which conspicuously did not mention the sailors in Iranian custody?
Did John Kerry foresee that when the Iranians released the sailors it would provide good publicity for the Iranian nuclear deal that he negotiated with his Iranian family-related “buddy,” Javad Zarif? Wasn’t it, like John Kerry said, “a good story for both of us”?
Did, as Rep. Louis Gohmert mentioned, the White House indicate to the Iranianswhere to find the two boats and apprehend (“help”) the sailors? Did they have “mechanical problems,” or was it sophisticated jamming of their GPS?
Were the boats truly navigating in Iranian-controlled waters? If so, how did all of their various navigational systems fail simultaneously?
Is the entire chain-of-command, leading up to Defense Secretary Carter’sinsistence that the sailors were faced with a “navigational error” and/or mechanical failure, part of a Machiavellian cover-up?
Could those ten sailors have been regarded as hostages and collateral for the frozen Iranian funds?
Was the subsequent strangely-timed prisoner swap between the Obama administration and Iran a further diversion designed to change the attention and conversation away from the highly suspicious related facts of the Farsi Island incident?

At first, on the surface, this sordid affair is not unlike another major scandal of the Obama administration: Benghazi. Again, consider some important questions:

Isn’t one leading theory of what the terrorists were hoping to achieve in Benghazi the kidnapping of Ambassador Chris Stevens, so that he could later be swapped for the so-called Blind Sheikh, a well-known Egyptian terrorist?
Wasn’t the terrorist mob in Benghazi recorded screaming “Don’t shoot! Morsi sent us!” as they approached the compound?
Didn’t Ansar al-Sharia, an Iranian-backed terror group, claim responsibility for the Benghazi attack?
Wasn’t then U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, trumpeting that a video caused of the attack?
Didn’t all these facts point to the manipulation performed by the genius puppet master, Iranian-born Valerie Jarrett?

Now that the Farsi Island incident is over and with the focus shifting to the latest prisoner swap, who will be the “schmuck” that throws their hands up and screams “What difference, at this point, does it make?”

01/17/16

Cruz Takes High Road — SC Conservatives Boo Trump After He Takes Cheap Shots at Ted Cruz

By: Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

Donald Trump had a literal meltdown and attacked Ted Cruz on Twitter. Not good. I guess the honeymoon is over. Too bad, they would have gone well together. Ted Cruz mocked him for it. His retort was epic:

So, the gloves have come off and now Trump is slinging mud as fast as he can. He’s claiming Cruz is not a US citizen which is just ludicrous. He’s claiming that Cruz took loans he has not declared, which is also not true. Trump says that Cruz is bought and paid for by Goldman Sachs. Why? Because his wife used to work there? Also bull crap. I used to work for Lionel, Sawyer and Collins and Harry Reid doesn’t own me. Ted is living rent free in Trump’s head and it is driving him nuts. Everyone knows what Cruz meant on New York values… he was referring to commies like de Blasio and Bloomberg. Get a grip man before you implode.

Mark Levin has staunchly defended Ted Cruz, pointing out the obvious, that he is indeed a US citizen. Now, he’s coming to his defense again on this New York nonsense. Levin said that you have to be out of your mind to believe that Ted Cruz was trashing the police, firefighters or any emergency personnel in New York. There is no one out there that respects New Yorkers and what happened on 9/11 more than Ted Cruz does. As I just said, he’s referring to the values of New York liberal Progressives that run the state.

When Trump brought up 9/11 in response to Cruz’s explanation on this, Levin said he actually started to cringe. Levin asked what the World Trade Center has to do with anything? It’s something he’d expect a liberal to say because it has nothing to do with Ted Cruz’s point.

Evidently, Trump thinks the birther angle got him some traction and he is doubling and tripling down against Cruz because the poll numbers in Iowa favor Ted. He was roundly booed in South Carolina when he started taking cheap shots at Cruz. I’ve never seen a crowd turn on Trump for attacking another candidate, but they sure as heck did in South Carolina. The rally was held in Myrtle Beach, SC. Donald Trump attempted to attack Ted Cruz using a New York Times hit piece and was booed by the crowd. Watch and see for yourself:

From TedCruz.org:

NBC News: Donald Trump Booed By Conservative Crowd After Attacks on Ted Cruz

Among conservatives, Donald Trump can typically do no wrong — until he attacks Ted Cruz.

On Saturday, Trump drew boos from a grassroots conservative crowd during remarks at the South Carolina Tea Party Coalition Convention for his attack on Cruz’s previously undisclosed loans.

“You give a campaign contribution to Ted Cruz, you get whatever the hell you want,” he said, before boos erupted from the crowd.

Trump went on as the boos grew louder: “Say whatever you want, it’s okay, he didn’t report his bank loans. He’s got bank loans from Goldman Sachs, he’s got bank loans from Citibank, folks, and then he acts like Robin Hood?”

Trump was less than popular at that gathering. It looks like he hit a brick wall there. The strategy to go after Cruz this way was badly considered. He calls Cruz a nice guy over and over as he campaigns, but that just changed as well. On ABC this morning, Trump said Cruz is a ‘nasty’ guy that nobody likes. That’s stepping over the line even for me. You won’t find a nicer or more Godly man than Ted Cruz. By all accounts, he is a kind and genuinely good man. He’s not liked because he won’t compromise his principles and he believes in the Constitution. Going on ABC that way is hitting below the belt and is not the mark of a leader with character.

From Donald Trump:

‘Look, the truth is, he’s a nasty guy. He was so nice to me. I mean, I knew it. I was watching. I kept saying, “Come on Ted. Let’s go, okay.” But he’s a nasty guy. Nobody likes him. Nobody in Congress likes him.

‘Nobody likes him anywhere once they get to know him. He’s a very – he’s got an edge that’s not good. You can’t make deals with people like that and it’s not a good thing. It’s not a good thing for the country. Very nasty guy.’

He added: ‘He’s a total hypocrite.

I’m trying very hard here not to get really ticked off. Funny how Trump thought Ted was a friend and a great guy until he rose in the polls and looked like he would take Iowa. Even after his ‘New York’ comment, he won the New York Straw Poll:

Here’s how CNN reported Cruz’s response to Trump’s venomous attacks:

Cruz declined to comment on the Times report when asked by a CNN reporter during an appearance in Columbia, South Carolina on Friday. But speaking to reporters at a church not far from Charlotte on Saturday, Cruz, who once declined to attack Trump, shed any caution he may have had about laying into his top rival.

“I would note that Donald’s record does not match what he says as a candidate,” Cruz said, gamely tackling questions he routinely swatted away for seven months.

Cruz also aggressively ridiculed Trump’s obsession with the latest opinion surveys, saying that Trump’s attacks on Twitter come because he is “dismayed” about a recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll showing a competitive race.

“I imagine it pulled him out of bed this morning and send him tweeting and tweeting and tweeting,” he said. “I think in terms of a commander in chief, we ought to have someone who isn’t springing out of bed to tweet in a frantic response to the latest poll.

Cruz referred repeatedly to an interview Trump did with NBC News’ Tim Russert 17 years ago, in which he defines his “New York values” as distinct from “Iowa values.” Cruz said those values — pro-abortion rights, including supporting partial birth abortion and pro-gay marriage — explained Trump’s world view. And he dredged up the former Democrat’s donation history to some of the state’s leading politicians, including Hillary Clinton.

“Given the fact that for much of his life, Donald was financially supporting those politicians — writing checks to Hillary Clinton, writing checks to Andrew Cuomo — it is a fair inference that he supports their policies,” Cruz said.

The Texas senator, then asked for some differences on national security between him and Trump, offered that was unaware of what Trump’s foreign policy is.

“To be honest, I don’t know what Donald’s position is,” Cruz said.

Everyone needs to take a breath here. This is exactly what the leftists and the RINOs want guys. For you to be at each other’s throats. Trump is floating Scott Brown as a VP now. Seriously? Brown is a Progressive and a stone cold stupid pick for VP. We are getting close to the Iowa caucus and I still expect Ted Cruz to win it. Trump needs to consider his attacks, words and choices out there very carefully now. Run on the issues, not each other and lay off the Twitter attacks. I’ll leave you with what Mark Levin had to say – he nailed it:

Either cut the crap – your accusations this morning that Cruz is Canadian, a criminal, owned by big banks etc. – or you will lose lots and lots of conservatives. Save the liberal New York City bully tactics for the New York City liberals. Put down your computer keyboard for a few hours, think before you tweet, and collect yourself. You’re not politically invincible, regardless of the polls and media. I am already hearing more and more people getting fed up with the low road you’re taking against Cruz, which has obviously intensified this morning. You don’t need to attack his honor or attempt to smear his reputation. You can leave that to Mitch McConnell and the New York Times. Engage on real and substantive issues that matter to the country. Like I said, my friendly advice.