If You Are Not Nervous About The Upcoming Election...

If you are not nervous about the impending Presidential election I envy and applaud you.

But for the rest of us (the Trembling Majority?), David Sanger of the Times presents a new concern that should easily crack anyone's Top 100 list of potential electoral disasters. As a disclaimer, I should add that when the White House wants an authoritative, sympathetic source to present their spin on international events they seek out Mr. Sanger. So this article is a lightly-edited press release rather than hard-hitting investigative journalism, but still - it is interesting to know what the Administration wants us to believe. Here we go, on cyberwar and the many complexities of a US response:

U.S. Wrestles With How to Fight Back Against Cyberattacks

ASPEN, Colo. — It has been an open secret throughout the Obama presidency that world powers have escalated their use of cyberpower. But the recent revelations of hacking into Democratic campaign computer systems in an apparent attempt to manipulate the 2016 election is forcing the White House to confront a new question: whether, and if so how, to retaliate.

So far, the administration has stopped short of publicly accusing the Russian government of President Vladimir V. Putin of engineering the theft of research and emails from the Democratic National Committee and hacking into other campaign computer systems. However, private investigators have identified the suspects, and American intelligence agencies have told the White House that they have “high confidence” that the Russian government was responsible.

Less certain is who is behind the selective leaks of the material, and whether they have a clear political objective. Suspecting such meddling is different from proving it with a certainty sufficient for any American president to order a response.

Because Obama is far too calm and reflective, don'cha know? I don't think game theorists recommend extreme predictability as a winning strategy, but I am not a genius like Obama either.

Oh, yeah, Obama is a visionary as well, as per this vignette from 2009:

While setting up his new administration, he was also learning the dark arts of cyberwar, descending into the Situation Room to oversee a complex American-Israeli offensive operation to disable Iran’s nuclear centrifuges. He expressed concern to his aides that the operation would help fuel the escalation of cyberattacks and counterattacks.

Right, because no one else anywhere realized that computer power was more widely available than nuclear power. Whatever. On to the new concern:

At the event in Aspen on Saturday afternoon, Lisa O. Monaco, Mr. Obama’s homeland security adviser, sidestepped specific discussion of the D.N.C. hacking but acknowledged that the administration might soon have to consider whether the United States’ electoral system constitutes “critical infrastructure,” like the power grid or the cellphone network.

“I think it’s a serious question,” she said, especially if there is “coercion, destruction, manipulation of data.” Ms. Monaco noted that whenever the United States thinks about retaliation, “the danger of escalation and misinterpretation is such that we have to be responsible about it.” But she also said that if an event were serious enough, “we have to be very clear we will respond.”

The cost of doing nothing could be high. As the United States and other nations move to more electronic voting systems, the opportunities for mischief rise. Imagine, for example, a vote as close as the 2000 presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore, but with accusations about impossible-to-trace foreign manipulation of the ballots or the vote count, leaving Americans wondering about the validity of the outcome.

Oh, brother. Florida 2000 becomes Florida/Ohio/Pennsylvania 2016? With a 4-4 Supreme Court unable to swing the result to Hillary? And who among us honestly believes that Obama, Lynch and the establishment Republicans running the FBI could investigate an election-tampering scheme and conclude that Hillary was the beneficiary and Trump won the election? Well, never ask a rhetorical question - I am confident that Democrats and establishment Republicans would insist that their investigation was fair and balanced, but in a close election, the half of the voters that went for Trump won't buy it.

Of course, if Russian manipulation secretly swings the election to Hillary this will get as much attention from the DoJ as Lois Lerner of the IRS. And whoever wins, the hint of Russian meddling makes it possible that the losers will not accept the legitimacy of the "winner", leaving our next leader in charge of an even-more divided country.

Our leaders and institutions have lost their credibility and the Russians may be inclined to exploit that. Yike.

MADMAN ACROSS THE WATER: Let me just snip a fair-use excerpt form the Foreign Policy link above:

Madman in the White House

Why looking crazy can be an asset when you’re staring down the Russians.

...

Nixon wanted to impress upon the Soviets that the president of the United States was, in a word, mad: unstable, erratic in his decision-making, and capable of anything. The American commander-in-chief wanted the Kremlin to know that he was willing to escalate even localized conventional military conflicts to the nuclear level. Kissinger understood: "I’ll tell [the Soviets] tomorrow night," he vowed. The national security advisor even rehearsed for the president specific lines from the good cop/bad cop routine he intended to put on. "The more we do now," he would tell his Soviet interlocutor, "the better." He was akin to saying: On the shoulders of reasonable men, like you and me, rests the responsibility of preventing a madman, like Nixon, from taking things too far.

It wasn’t the first time the national security advisor had been exposed to the strategic potential of madness. The concept had originated, amid the nuclear anxieties of the 1950s, in the academic circles Kissinger had formerly inhabited. It was a product of game theory, a mathematic discipline — often applied to national security policymaking — that can be used to assess competitive situations and predict actors’ choices, based on prior actions by their competitors. Kissinger himself had endorsed the concept in his writings, as a professor of international relations at Harvard, a full decade before he came to the White House. "The more reckless we appear [the better]," he told Nixon that afternoon, "because after all, Mr. President, what we’re trying to convince them of is that we are ready to go all the way."

In his post-Watergate memoir The Ends of Power, former White House chief of staff H.R. Haldeman wrote that his boss’s use of the strategy was hardly unconscious. "I call it the Madman Theory," Haldeman recalled the president telling him. "I want the North Vietnamese to believe I’ve reached the point where I might do anything to stop the war. We’ll just slip the word to them that, ‘for God’s sake, you know Nixon is obsessed about communism. We can’t restrain him when he’s angry — and he has his hand on the nuclear button,’ and Ho Chi Minh himself will be in Paris in two days begging for peace."

Comments

[henry]

Doom

[Frau Nie Wieder Clinton]

My mood spelled backwards is DOOM, henry...

[buccaneer morgan]

Heh der untergang, Sanger was the one they leaked stuixtnet which begat flame.

[Frau Nie Wieder Clinton]

Just for trivia hell-uv-it, I offer this:

In the late 1940s and early 1950s, when actor Martin Landau was a cartoonist, he worked as Edson's assistant on The Gumps, eventually drawing the Sunday strips for Edson.

[Jack is Back!]

henry,

I thought DOOM was copyrighted and trademarked?

Frau, great trivia find. I thought Andy Gump and The Gump's were by Sydney Smith?

Weather in the Metro complex all the way out to Montauk is very iffy today. Just watch the PGA to see what I mean.

[Jack is Back!]

This is what I am seeing on all the lefty blogs and news outlets. They think this is the defining turning point and looks like they will pile on Trump and see if this thing has more legs than all the other false outrages.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/khizr-khan-responds-to-the-latest-from-trump-what-he-said-originally--that-defines-him/2016/07/31/450f78dc-56d6-11e6-b7de-dfe509430c39_story.html

[buccaneer morgan]

Hadn't the hack of the dnc and the data dump happen last month?

[Threadkiller]

If you are not nervous about the impending Presidential election I envy and applaud you.

I've been sleeping like a baby, TM.

[Michael (fpa Patriot4Freedom)]

Many thanks to Frau for her wonderful post last night ('Gun' thread at 11:37 P.M.) that listed the supporters of 'Constitution 2020.'

One of the proponents, #7 on the list of supporters, was listed as "7. State Action in 2020 - Mark Tushnet, Harvard Law School."

Mark C. Tushnet, a professor at HLS, who lives in Washington, D.C. was featured in a WaPo article last May that called for Christians to be treated by the left (Democrats and 'progressives') like Nazis.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/may/10/harvard-professor-start-treating-christians-nazis/

A more in-depth explication of his legal views (and the source for the WaPo article) can be found here - but be forewarned, you won't recognize his vision of judicial activism as anything that should be allowed in America:

http://balkin.blogspot.com/2016/05/abandoning-defensive-crouch-liberal.html

[henry]

Anyone can claim copyright JiB, doesn't make it valid.

[boris]

Seems to me the exploitable flaw:

Khan attacks Trump for wanting to keep Muslims like the extremists who killed his son out of the country. Apparently Khan prefers them to Trump.

Americans were not impressed with the "High Principles" that led Dukakis to assert he would oppose the death penalty for a criminal who raped and murdered his wife.

Americans go WTF?

[Skeptical Voter]

Ah dear old Hillary; the old scold with matched saddlebags under her eyes now has a matched set of conspiracies. The vast right wing conspiracy has now been joined by Vladimir Putin's vast left wing conspiracy. So the Hildebeest has a balanced platform at last.

That said (and it's nice to know that the MSM is now all atwitter with the idea that Putin is trying to steal a US election) the Russkis are rank amateurs when it comes to stealing elections. Landslide Lydon had some interesting voting results in the 1948 Texas Senatorial elections. JFK got into office in 1960 when the dead literally rose from the Chicago graveyards and went to the polls for him.

And I'm mindful of a close race for Governor in Washington State a dozen or so years ago. Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Dino Rossi had a narrow, but clear margin of victory over Democrat Christine Gregoire. The Dems called for a recount; on the first recount Rossi was still the winner; the Dems called for another recount, Rossi was still the winner. In the meantime boxes of previously uncounted ballots miraculously appeared (like the Rose law firm billing records) in the bowels of the registrar of voters office in King County (that's Seattle to you non Washington state residents). I think it took six recounts--and I don't know how many "found" boxes of ballots, but Christine was finally declared the winner. Unlike the Florida votes (where every recount showed Bush the winner over Gore) the King County Dems just kept counting and recounting until the "results came out right"--or in Governor Gregoire's case, "left".

Yeah--compared to the Dems Putin is a punk in the vote stealing category.

In fairness to Washington State, I will say this. The last Seattle resident to cast a vote for a Republican probably died at about the time the passenger pigeon became extinct. So it is no surprise that a box of King County ballots (whether legitimately cast and counted--or miraculously found on a shelf where they had been left by accident) will contain nothing but Democrat votes. Find enough of those missing King County ballot boxes, and all of a sudden you have a Democrat elected to office.

[James D.]

The cost of doing nothing could be high. As the United States and other nations move to more electronic voting systems, the opportunities for mischief rise

Fortunately, there's a very simple technological fix for this: paper ballots.

[Jack is Back!]

henry,

Sorry, I had you confused with MarkO.

The media onslaught has begun in earnest now. They got what they wanted all along: Hillary and a "loose canon", misogynist, xenophonbic, "jagoff" Trump. Licking their chops. Expect more manufactured personal insults to slice and dice the thin-skinned one for responses they can use to degrade him further.

[Theo]

Polls appear to show that Rodham is getting a convention bounce. This should not be a surprise.

[boatbuilder]

This Sanger scholar seems to have conveniently forgotten that JFK's actual madness in foreign policy (Cuban Missile Crisis) came about as the result of not knowing what they were dealing with until it was almost too late. We seem forever doomed to repeat ourselves.

Also now that it seems beyond doubt that the current administration at the highest levels has been (to be charitable) cavalier with our classied info electoral manipulation might be the least of our problems.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

How to avoid cyberwarfare?
Simple; unilaterally surrender by putting all your secrets on unsecured servers so there isn't any war necessary.

Seemingly not a winning issue for the Benedict Clinton 2016 campaign.

Now, if you really want Hillary to keep info secret you strip the (C) off the classified stuff and stamp "Rose Law Firm Billing Records" on them.

[daddy]

If You Are Not Nervous About The Upcoming Election...

.

[squaredance]

Am I completely out of it? This Khan business seems like a really bad idea for the Dems.

Does it not just work with the die hard core?

Forget the obvious when it comes to fly over country and the independents. Does this play with minorities? Do Hispanics care how Muslim soldiers are treated?

Does this not open them up to some really bad attacks?

I do not get why they think that this is a "turning point"?

[Frau Steingehirn]

Michael, I shared the Constitution in 2020 stuff because when Mark Levin and a zillion Marxist academics both support an Aticle 5 convention, I was puzzled. rse, on the other hand, is *not* puzzled.

Thank you for your contribution today @ 10:45.

[daddy]

Am I completely out of it? This Khan business seems like a really bad idea for the Dems.

I suppose it's in how the Media plays it up. If they play it like the BBC: Fury as Trump mocks Muslim soldier's mother Ghazala Khan They'll do damage to Trump.

If they play it like CNN just did: Muslim Dad Khizr Khan Tells CNN Terror ‘Has Nothing to Do with Islam’ then it'll reveal to everyone just what a moron Khan is, and it'll hurt the Dems.

[GUS]

"in an apparent attempt to manipulate the 2016 election."

How do we say in this country??? BULLSHIT.

Hackers hack because they are hackers. Thousands of reasons, MILLIONS of opportunities.

Rodham was begging the entire world to hack her fat ass. She got exactly what was to be expected.
Leave the fucking bank doors unlocked and you'll find more than paper clips missing in the a.m..
The Russians, the Chinese, the North Korean, and every nefarious country with a bone to pick, has hacked or attempted to hack RODHAM and her sexual predator husband, BECAUSE THEY CAN. There are millions of hackers who do this crap for sport also. The DNC is a gaggle of disgusing pigs. That was exposed because they e-mailed stuff and were not secure enough to thwart hackers.
THESE FUCK-UPS want to be YOUR MASTER.

[squaredance]

"I suppose it's in how the Media plays it up. If they play it like the BBC: Fury as Trump mocks Muslim soldier's mother Ghazala Khan They'll do damage to Trump."

But how much damage can they do? Don't they have to stand in a pro-muslim corner? Is there even a meaningful plurality of voters that care about Muslims? Seems to me my question still stands.

(Oh, and the non left British voters are sick to death of Muslims and the establishment's support for them, including the BBC, so I am not sure that that has anything to do with anything. The UK and the EU may well act against their Islamification than the USA will, and it will not be pretty).

I still do not get this strategy. It seems so stupid to me--makes me think I am not paying attention to something.

Perhaps they are trying to goad Trump into some other position? Are they testing him to see how rough he will go in a comeback? If I were him, I would just press harder on the pro-muslim policies and tactics of this Administration.

Really, it sounds like something hatched up by a lot of young, "Strategists" who have no understanding of the Nation outside of Brooklyn. In fact, I do not think it will even work in Brooklyn.

Again, it seem idiotic to me.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

SD,
Other than muslims and lefty Dems nobody wants more muslims in the US. Period.
Why would anyone? What do muslim immigrants bring that non muslims can't minus the crazy-ass religion?
The fact is we have to depend on muslim immigrants to live contrary to their religion to be good citizens. If they are sharia compliant muslims they cannot be good citizens.

The greatest thing Trump has going for him is the bubble the DC whores live in, which seemingly is impervious to how most of us are feeling.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Good question in the comments at Powerline;

"Speaking of bigotry, what are the Khans' positions on the Democrats' most important issues: gay marriage and transgender rights to use the little girls' room?"

[JM Hanes]

Clinton Unifies Democrats Around Failed Ideas in her DNC speech:

In spite of the baggage surround the “It Takes a Village” phrase, Clinton’s words were an inspiring and unifying picture of American civil society envisioned by our Founders and consistently celebrating on this site [OpportunityLives] in features like the “Comeback” documentary series.

The problem with Clinton’s speech, and today’s Democratic Party, is that instead of encouraging civil society they constrict and suffocate civil society. In practice, Clinton’s village is a dystopian world of minders, regulators and tax collectors. And it’s a place where the rules don’t apply to the rulers.

This is the point that we need to get across to younger voters, who are attracted by her inclusive rhetoric.

[squaredance]

Iggy: so you agree with me on this?

[GUS]

Ig 12:00, exactly. Why the hell do I want more Muzzlims in America?? Some half assed bleeding heart libtard bullshit, not withstanding.
I recognized from DAY 1, what Obama was doing. He was trying to change the very make-up/fabric of American society. I'd see people try to debate immigration policy, vis a vis, the Southern Border, and I'd hear Obama and his fucking hacks lie and lie and lie and lie. I'd say simply.........HE WANTS THEM HERE. Well the same is true about Muzzzzzlims. HE WANTS THEM HERE. Both of the LOSERS DADDIES that dumped Obama and his lovely Mom, were Muzz. Opie is not emotionally balanced. He has serious DADDY issues. We do not need nor does America want more Muzzlim immigration.

[clarice]

Iggy--your 11:33 may be your best, and that's saying a lot.

[GUS]

JMH. I watched about 2 minutes of Chrissssssy Wallace interviewing Rodham. He shit is stale and old. She is soooooooooo proud of her public service and she has a record of accomplishment.

TOTAL BULLSHIT.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Wallace lives up up to his Fox interviewing standard - protect Hillary and the Dem's with squishy softball questions while bashing Trump and his supporters with snide remarks and false accusations.

Hillary would never agree to an interview with Fox Business star Lou Dobbs...

[Captain Hate]

A life in public service should be an automatic disqualifier and I think for a lot of people it is.

[JM Hanes]

Dana Milbank:

In the hall, I had the feeling that Clinton was trying to enjoy giving the speech to an audience pretending to like it….

Each time the crowd would get fired up by a put-down of Trump, it would be anesthetized a moment later by a laundry list of policy priorities: Social Security, Wall Street reforms, climate change, the economy, infrastructure spending, technology, clean energy, manufacturing, small business credit, student debt, college tuition, trade schools, women’s rights, workers’ rights, LGBT rights, civil rights, disability rights.

About halfway through I think she just lost the thread completely. I know I did.

[GUS]

JMH, she was just reading a list for the FREE SHIT ARMY.

[squaredance]

Certainly CH, but it is absurd to say that Hillary has had anything approaching a "life in public service".

SHee was put through by the Dem NY political machine in her Senatorial bid. I can tell you that in NY is was a forgone conclusion that she would get it no matter what. There was hardly any enthusiasm for her other than inside the Dem machine, and even then it was more or less pro forma. She was a terrible Senator so far as NY goes, even in the most narrowest and parochial senses of the term. She did not do much good for anyone in the State, and that includes her constituents.

We all know the story with her "tenure" as SoS, and how she got there.

So she has really less then a decade as a "public servant", she got her positions because she was the wife of Bill Clinton, and being so allowed her to build a corrupt power-base based of fear, bribery and patronage. She did nothing in either role but peruse personal ambitions of the rankest sort.

That even a 3rd of the country thinks that this person deserves any sort of power, let alone believes her lies, shows how low we have fallen.

If she get the prize based on this sort of nonsense, then there was not much to save in the first place. The GOP should be shouting this out on every street corner, not waiting in the shadows in the hopes Trump fails.

[GUS]

Capn. What is Rodhams history of public service.
Being legally married to a Governor, Attorney General and President who was banging anything who would let him, and some who didn't let him??
Carpetmunching......errrrr...Carpetbagging into NY to run under he name CLINTON. And a 4 year stint as a completely incompetent Sec/State?
This is PUBLIC SERVICE and along the way SHE and her Rapist husband collect a couple hundred MILLION DOLLARS?? This is PUBLIC SERVICE???
And boy does she fight for THE CHILDREN.

[Captain Hate]

Watching the clips of her speech today for the first time, her dress and hair looked nice but she had a look on her face and sound in her voice like the dotty elementary school teacher hectoring a child which she mistakenly believed did something wrong.

[GUS]

Capn, Rodham reads the shit that is written for her to read. Other than that, no one would hire the bitch to wash their windows.
She's as dishonest a character as this nation has ever seen. She makes Kerry look competent.

[squaredance]

I thought the Dress was bizarrely funny: sort of Chairman Mao by way of Martha Stewart.

The whole thing was like watch a meeting of some regional Soviet of the USSR where they were reading out the latest diktat out of Moscow. It is really pathetic that this is the best that the Dems can do.

Between the Clintons and Obama what was left of decency in the Democrats have be thoroughly debased and corrupted.
A Clinton loss would actually be a blessing to them. They could but them and Obama behind them and begin to face up to what they have become.

[Captain Hate]

Sorry, Gus, but nobody makes Clutch Cargo look competent at anything, particularly bike riding or wind surfing.

[Johns_Creek_Bill]

Why the Trump-Khan kerfuffle is a gaff by Trump.

To win the election one must get about 65M votes.

There are currently about 18M to 25M undecideds. These voters are primarily non-ideological. These voters almost uniformly hold negative opinions on both Trump and Clinton.The winner of these votes will be the one who can make the other candidate more unlikable to those voters.

Trump loses days and voters when he is the issue. He wins days when Clinton is the issue.

Given his history of responding to any attack, if I am Clinton my strategy is to have surrogates do nothing but insult Trump's business acumen, intelligence and temperament. The odds are he will waste time responding to the Paul Begalas and Michael Bloombergs of the world instead of going after Hillary.

On another Topic - Mark Cuban reminds me of a younger Donald Trump - I wish he would go away too!

[Captain Hate]

squaredance, I keep waiting for the donks to reach a reality check moment where they jettison the grifter scum but it never happens.

[jimmyk]

Been traveling and a bit out of the loop. Not sure how Trump came to be facing off with Mr. Khan, but did I miss where Hillary agreed to speak with Sean Smith's mother? (Rhetorical question.) I saw on the last thread where she trashed Mrs. Smith, but I guess doesn't have the guts to do so face to face.

[squaredance]

CH: They may have chased anyone capable of sch reflection out of the Party already.

I had an interesting chat with the mayor and a politico of a smaller Midwestern city not long ago. I spent a couple of years there as a youth. It is fairly typical of flyover country.

They said something like this: It used to be disagreements about public spending. taxation etc., but morally one could not really te;l much difference between the parties. But now it is as though they are from different planets.

They were talking about local and sate politics mostly. They where not ideologues or anything approaching "Movement conservatives".

I thought it was a telling comment, and in line with my own experience over the years.

[Jack is Back!]

Hillary's "public service" record [from a widely distributed email].

When Bill Clinton was president, he allowed Hillary to assume authority over an attempt to health care reform. Even after threats and intimidation, she couldn't get a vote in a Democrat controlled US Congress. This fiasco cost the American taxpayers about $13 million for studies, promotion, and other efforts.

Then, President Clinton gave Hillary authority over selecting a female attorney general. Her first two selections were Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood -both were forced to withdraw their names from consideration.

Next, she chose Janet Reno - husband Bill described her selection as "my worst mistake."

Some may not remember that Reno made the decision to gas David Koresh and the Branch Davidian religious sect in Waco, Texas resulting in dozens of deaths of women and children.

Husband Bill allowed Hillary to make recommendations for the head of the Civil Rights Commission. Lani Guanier was her selection. When a little probing led to the discovery of Ms. Guanier's radical views, her name had to be withdrawn from consideration.

Apparently a slow learner, husband Bill allowed Hillary to make some more recommendations. She chose former law partners Web Hubbel for the Justice Department, Vince Foster for the White House staff, and William Kennedy for the Treasury Department.

Her selections went well: Hubbel went to prison, Foster (presumably) committed suicide, and Kennedy was forced to resign.

Many younger votes will have no knowledge of "Travelgate." Hillary wanted to award unfettered travel contracts to Clinton friend Harry Thompson - and the White House Travel Office refused to comply. She managed to have them reported to the FBI and fired. This ruined their reputations, cost them their jobs, and caused a thirty-six month investigation. Only one employee, Billy Dale was charged with a crime, and that of the enormous crime of mixing personal and White House funds. A jury acquitted him of any crime in less than two hours.

Still not convinced of her ineptness, Hillary was allowed to recommend a close Clinton friend, Craig Livingstone, for the position of Director of White House security. When Livingstone was investigated for the improper access of about 900 FBI files of Clinton enemies (Filegate) and the widespread use of drugs by White House staff, suddenly Hillary and the president denied even knowing Livingstone, and of course, denied knowledge of drug use in the White House.

Following this debacle, the FBI closed its White House Liaison Office after more than thirty years of service to seven presidents.

Next, when women started coming forward with allegations of sexual harassment and rape by Bill Clinton, Hillary was put in charge of the "bimbo eruption" and scandal defense. Some of her more notable decisions in the debacle were:

She urged her husband not to settle the Paula Jones lawsuit. After the Starr investigation they settled with Ms. Jones.

She refused to release the Whitewater documents, which led to the appointment of Ken Starr as Special Prosecutor.

After $80 million dollars of taxpayer money was spent, Starr's investigation led to Monica Lewinsky, which led to Bill lying about and later admitting his affairs. Hillary's devious game plan resulted in Bill losing his license to practice law for 'lying under oath' to a grand jury and then his subsequent impeachment by the House of Representatives.

Hillary avoided indictment for perjury and obstruction of justice during the Starr investigation by repeating, "I do not recall," "I have no recollection," and "I don't know" a total of 56 times while under oath.

After leaving the White House, Hillary was forced to return an estimated $200,000 in White House furniture, china, and artwork that she had stolen.

What a swell person - ready for another four or eight years of this low-life fool?

Now we are exposed to the unsecure keeping and attempted destruction of beyond Top Secret emails while Hillary was US Secretary of State and the "pay to play" schemes of the Clinton Foundation. What "shoe will fall" next.

[GUS]

Johns Creek. When TRUMP goes away. You get RODHAM.

Bon appetit.

[BeenThereDoneThat]

Here's another Hillary twisted tale that simply does NOT surprise...

http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2016/07/wow-hillarys-tearjerker-handicapped-girl-wheelchair-dnc-speech-lie/#st_refDomain=t.co&st_refQuery=/pQDcfChTYY

DJT should offer a reward to anyone finding a paragraph in Hillary's convention speech that was truthful.

[Threadkiller]

There are currently about 18M to 25M undecideds

Where does this number come from?

Does the source also have a head count of how many Chick-fil-A voters have decided to vote this go around?

[GUS]

So we have Monty Hall and we have RODHAM and we have TRUMP.

We know the disgusting criminal BITCH is behind door #1, and we know the bombastic, uncouth, Caddy shack Rodney Dangerfieldesque, big mouthed TRUMP is behind door #2.

Which door do you NEVER TRUMPERS choose???

Pretty fucking simple, unless you're an ass clown.

Please read JIB's 1:26 and get back to me.

[Momto2]

Johns Creek Bill - It's really too bad that Trump has such poor campaigning skills and instincts. If only he was in tune with the voters like say....Jeb! or Mitt or McCain! /s

I do agree about Mark Cuban going away....

[GUS]

But but but Mark Cuban has lived a life of Public Service and has fought for the children,
Unlike Trump who has never created a job yet.
Damn him, his Damned Chinese ties of SUMPTING.

[clarice]

http://www.breitbart.com/jerusalem/2016/07/31/exclusive-nsa-architect-agency-clintons-deleted-emails/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social

Ta dah

[Threadkiller]

Snark Tank

[daddy on iPad at Cafe le Notre dame]

Current Headline from a French Paper:

"Corpses, excrement, litter:
welcome to Rio Olympic sailing venue"

Agence France-Presse, by Staff

I'm thinking "Corpses, excrement, litter" might be a good name for a rock band.

[Threadkiller]

"Corpses, excrement, litter"

[Miss Marple 2]

I side with squaredance and Iggy on this. Frankly, most Americans would like them all to either assimilate or leave.

I never thought much about this prior to 2001, but honestly, the numbers have increased every year and every year we have increased worry about security.

[daddy on iPad at Cafe le Notre dame]

During the Obama Elections his books were front and center in the book shops in London and Paris. So far this election Hillary's books are nowhere to be seen. Just browsed Shakespeares in Paris and Hill's should have been veryprominant in the Windows, but it was totally missing in action.

[Beasts of England]

And speaking of Muzzies, has Lynch found the wife of the Orlando terrorism attack yet? Is she still on 'travel'?

[Buckeye]

I'm thinking "Corpses, excrement, litter" might be a good name for a rock band.

That got a laugh outta Mrs. Buckeye daddy.

[daddy on iPad at Cafe le Notre dame]

What do u call supporters of the Clintons?

[Miss Marple 2]

daddy,

You win!

LOL!

[Buckeye]

Yesterday I was driving toward campus on Olentangy River Road, aka Muzzie Lane.

Some punk in a MB C240 blew past me going at least 80 (35mph zone), windows open, blaring some ME music.

When I caught up with him at the next light I couldn't help but notice the Iraq flag hanging from his rear view mirror. Assimilation my ass.

More refugees? I'll pass.

[daddy on iPad at Cafe le Notre dame]

Is this story getting play over in the states today?

Headline: Panic as 77 passengers and crew evacuated from
a ferry in Marseille after 'explosion' heard 24
hours after soldiers drafted in to every*
Daily Mail [UK], by Anthony Joseph

[Miss Marple 2]

First I heard of it, daddy.

Will go search and see what's being covered here.

[Miss Marple 2]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3716710/77-terrified-passengers-crew-flee-ferry-Marseille-explosion-heard.html

Story says they "think" it was unexploded WWII ordinance which went off.

Seems fishy, but what do I know.

[Johns_Creek_Bill]

GUS - I will not defend Clinton. As I have said before this election is is like choosing between Stage 4 Ass Cancer of Stage 4 Brain Cancer - either way you are a dead man walking.

My interest in the election now is like my interest in the Super Bowl when I have no dog in the hunt, although I am starting to warm to the idea of Trump for the entertainment value alone.

TK - I get 18M to 25M undecideds by taking 15% to 25% of the total electorate of 130M. 25M is probably on the high side, however, with the high negatives for both candidates there have to be a high number of people who are supporting one candidate or the other that could be persuaded to stay home.

[Frau Steingehirn]

JMH - that Clinton Village is Soros's Open Society.

In the remaking of American minds, "fair" was the tool: homosexual marriage, social justice, economic justice, education reparations, "our" entitlements. All grew out of a lack of fairness.

Of course, we need supervisors, experts, and noted scholars to drive the country to "greater fairness."

[boris]

"choosing between Stage 4 Ass Cancer ... "

Let's see ... rich, famous businessman vs Benghazi, national security failure, extortion, bribery, graft, rape, felonies ...

Priority FUBAR IMO.

[Jack is Back!]

MM,

I can believe unexploded WW2 ordinance. Happens a lot in Holland and parts of Belgium.

When I was in Balikpapan on a refineray project, we lost 2 guys and injured several others as we were dredging the intake for our service water system. A sea mine from 40 years prior. The boss shut down all dredging and the Indonesian navy came in and swept the River and bay. Found 6 more mines.

I am going with Calais for the next shoe. The muzzies do not want to f**k with the Corsicans of Marseille. Believe me. It is a war they can't win. No such thing as a Corsican POW camp.

It is definitely a possibility.

[Buckeye]

JCB

You have a dog in the hunt. 2 or 3 LIBTARDS on the SCOTUS will be far worse than Ass Cancer.

[Frau Steingehirn]

I'll take the possible continuing embarrassment of a Roger Dangerfield over the known rotting, destructive and amoral Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Even commie Bernie would be better.

[Frau Steingehirn]

JiB - Would any Corsicans want to immigrate to the US?

[Theo]

It is always gut wrenching to hear the story of a parent who has lost a son or daughter in war. It has to be terrible for all of them.

But we must recognize that some of them are more worthy of respect than others.

Cindy Sheehan was an "absolute moral authority." Khizr Kahn is a brave man speaking eloquently. Patricia Smith on the other hand is just a dupe being exploited by evil people to cynically try to make political capital out of a personal tragedy.

[Jack is Back!]

Frau,

They are hear disguised as Russians in Brighton Beach:)

daddy,

Cafe Notre Dame has terrific Onion soup and Croque Monsuers. Goes well with beer:)

[Jack is Back!]

...here...

[Jack is Back!]

Theo,

I know you think you contribute here but you are a completely morally corrupt asshole. There is a rock out there missing a resident. Find it.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--Iggy: so you agree with me on this?--

Sorry, was off to church before I could answer.
Yes, I agree SD.
I also have around to the idea it is not so much thin-skinned reaction as it is calculation on Trump's part when he needles someone.

[boris]

Theo was being sarcastic.

In these times it's a bit harder to detect.

[Beasts of England]

If they're both Stage 4 cancer, then I'd like to know how you think they're equivalent. Trump has shown good instincts by choosing Pence, and I expect him to do the same with his other appointments. Trump's will be better for the courts, the AG, head of the NSA, CIA, FBI, EPA, et cetera. Or, said another way, only one represents Stage 4 cancer; and if you claim otherwise, you'll have to make a convincing argument, not merely an assertion.

[Buckeye]

In Theo's defense, humor, regardless of type, is a real struggle for the guy.

[daddy on iPad at Cafe le Notre dame]

Here's another "Public Servant" like Hillary: UK Mail headline:

"Bitter' Kerry Kennedy uses charity named for her father 'to travel and party with celebrities and she has become unhinged'
Kerry Kennedy, 56, is the president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights
She is a Brown and BU educated 'human rights activist and lawyer'
Charity paid her $357,340 in 2014 and she travels business class and stays in four star hotels"

Who knew philanthropy was so lucrative?

[Robert Winkler Burke]

The solution is to defund the Global Progressive Agenda from K-12, university, law-journalism-film schools; replacing the anti-Republic pedagogy with Western Enlightenment.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Since I was a bit of a pill to Theo a thread or two ago on the sense of humor front I thought his snark on the Dem double standard pretty good.

[Truthbetold5]

Melania Trump like you’ve never seen her before

http://nypost.com/2016/07/30/melania-trump-like-youve-never-seen-her-before/

[Buckeye]

JiB

Buckeyette is being sent to a supplier "get together" at the Ritz, Amelia Island in September

Golf or deep sea fishing option available one of the days. She is a good player but a bit intimidated by the course's reputation.

Have you played it? Thoughts?

[jimmyk]

They never can quite pull off the patriotism facade:

http://theamericanmirror.com/photo-clinton-campaign-confiscates-american-flags-throws-floor/

[Frau Steingehirn]

"Who knew philanthropy was so lucrative?"

...and could land you in the WH?

Theo & snark? I agree, Iggy. It was a surprise but way up there. JOM rubs off. Soon we'll all type like Clarice and post like narciso.
NTTAWWT!

[still lurking]

Posted by: Beasts of England | July 31, 2016 at 02:57 PM

I find the whole comparison by Johns_Creek_Bill distasteful.

The critical test was 2012-we failed.

[still lurking]

"Soon we'll all type like Clarice and post like narciso."

Yikes!

[Beasts of England]

Photos of Melania wearing nothing but pumps? I'm terribly offended!!

But I bookmarked the page so I can be re-offended later today...

[boris]

I'd vote for her twice.

[Captain Hate]

Bitter' Kerry Kennedy uses charity named for her father 'to travel and party with celebrities and she has become unhinged'

After cuckolding Andy Cuomo this is an automatic.

[Jack is Back!]

Buckeye,

Haven't played the Plantation in a few years. Intimidating from the tips but not from the forward tees. its always the wind and unless you play seaside Florida course with TiffEagle bermuda greens you will suffer some in controlling trajectory and putting but it will be fun.

I like the Verandah for food. Been a while though.

[Buckeye]

So Beasts. You going to share the URL?

[JM Hanes]

clarice:

After reading that Breitbart headline ("NSA Whistleblower: Agency Has All of Clinton’s Deleted Emails") I was pretty disappointed to discover that's just the opinion of a guy who retired from the NSA in 2001. I really wish they wouldn't do that, because it's sort of like crying wolf at this point. The ostensible fact that the F.B.I. can access NSA databases, tells us nothing about whether or not Hilary's missing emails are actually there for the asking.

I do recall someone asserting that the F.B.I. itself, did, in fact, have all of Hillary's emails (or copies thereof) in their possession, or had seen them all. It's my impression that it was a credible source, but I never saw that claim anywhere again. Ironically, I've clipped so many stories on the subject that searching my own files for that kind of detail is a nightmarish prospect.

Did anyone watch or read the entirety of Comey's testimony about declining to prosecute? I meant to look it up, but just haven't gotten around to it.

[Beasts of England]

TBT's 3:12 link to the NY Post.

[Old Lurker]

Show me any hetero male who would not vote for Trump based on that picture alone.

[JM Hanes]

Johns_Creek_Bill:

"My interest in the election now is like my interest in the Super Bowl when I have no dog in the hunt"

Whatever lets you sleep at night, eh?

[Buckeye]

Roger that.

[clarice]

I read it but I don't recall if he addressed that.

I don't think the ex-NSA guy is wrong when he said they curely have the emails--her server was entirely unsecured and they surely picked up and store it all.
I also think it's not tntirely beyond the pale to suggest the leak to Assange didn't come from a disgruntled intel worker.