May 14, 2018 -- T+6

Updates

Later, 1:34 p.m. CDT: television interview -- Hillary looks very, very fragile -- her response to recent Trump successes: "Trump is hard to follow." LOL. 

Later, 1:32 p.m. CDT: wow, the alt-left media will have trouble reporting this one -- Chuck Schumer praised Donald Trump --

In a rare moment of agreement with President Trump, Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Monday praised the president for moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

“In a long overdue move, we have moved our embassy to Jerusalem. Every nation should have the right to choose its capital,” Schumer said in a statement. “I sponsored legislation to do this two decades ago, and I applaud President Trump for doing it.”

Later, 9:26 a.m. CDT: thank goodness for the Drudge Report. It links articles from all sources, but mostly the big geopolitical news comes from the NY Times and the Washington Post. With the Drudge Report I can get the headlines and don't have to read the "spin." It is amazing how far the LA Times has fallen. I religiously check headlines at the Drudge Report, and geopolitically, the links are NY Times and Washington Post. I seldom see links to the LA Times.

Original Post 

Wow, does anyone know this?

This tells me all I need to know about Joe Lieberman. What a great guy.
 
This is really quite cool. The mainstream media suggests that the Mideast is about to blow up with the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem. Wow! Things moved fast. How many presidents have promised to move the US embassy to Jerusalem? I've lost count. I've lost the bubble on this, but if I recall correctly the US Congress (that would be both the House and the Senate) and every US president in modern history has supported a US embassy in Jerusalem.

Never happened.

John McCain (from his own website -- which will disappear in a few months):

Washington, D.C. ­– U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today on President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel:

“I have long believed that Jerusalem is the true capital of Israel. However, issues surrounding the final and permanent status of Jerusalem must ultimately be resolved by Israelis and Palestinians as part of an internationally supported peace process. That is why today's policy announcement, as well as any future relocation of the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, should be part of a comprehensive diplomatic strategy in coordination with regional partners to achieve peace and security between Israelis and Palestinians.”

And that, folks, is the difference between John McCain and Donald Trump. John had his beliefs, but failed to lead. President Trump led. With John, Obama, and Hillary, we get talking points, policy papers, speeches. With Trump, we get action.

John McCain is in "good" company (LOL):

Charles Schumer:

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer advised President Trump to declare Jerusalem the "undivided" capital of Israel ahead of Trump's expected announcement on the matter this week, the New York Democrat told The Weekly Standard on Tuesday. The White House said Tuesday that Trump will announce that the U.S. will recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, but will delay moving the embassy from Tel Aviv. 

Nancy Pelosi:  

Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish homeland.  But in the absence of a negotiated settlement between Israel and the Palestinians, moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem now may needlessly spark mass protests, fuel tensions, and make it more difficult to reach a durable peace.

Rachel Maddow? Snarky.

T+6. See the Daily Note.

Less than eighteen months on the job, and President Trump has a US embassy in Jerusalem. Just as he promised. Another campaign promise kept. Obama? Hillary? We would have gotten another speech supporting the move, "but now is not the right time."

But I digress. The mainstream media suggests that the Mideast is about to blow up with the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem.

So, what's new? The mideast is always ready to blow.

Whenever I read the Mideast is about to blow, I immediately check the market. If we're headed for WW III, the market will collapse. Where is the Dow today? After a week of great gains, the Dow is up another 100 points today.

Oil? It should be surging. Everyone says we're headed for $100 oil and now rockets are headed for Saudi oil export terminals. What is WTI doing? Up 14 cents. Repeat, WTI is up 14 cents on $70-oil. I must be missing something.

Certainly Jared and Ivanka wouldn't be in Jerusalem if things were about to blow. Or would they. I know Hillary's plane landed on some runway while under fire. She had to run in her flats, holding on to her hat, ducking and weaving, trying to avoid gunfire while scrambling to the terminal. At least that's how she recalled things. Something tells me Jared and Ivanka are walking in, much more dignified.

Something tells me this is the "big picture": the IDF has things under control if the event remains "local." But if Syria, Iran, or others want to get involved, the US Navy; the US Air Force; and, a few good US Marines are covering Israel's flank(s).

Wow, what a great time to be alive. We actually have a president who has kept his promises. And his promises align with 75% of Americans. Even though polls show only 49% of Americans approve of Trump. I guess it just depends on whom you ask.

Singapore next month.

North Korea is dismantling their nuclear program -- including the hardware -- a month early -- before the summit even begins. In the past -- think Vietnam, Paris, Kissinger -- we had the summit and all the promises, and then the can was kicked down the road. Again. How long did Kissinger and his counterpart discuss the shape of the table?

Now, on to Singapore.

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The Literature Page

A reader suggested Tai-Pan. I am now reading it. Loving it. Got my copy at Powell's in Portland.

If one wants to get up to speed regarding the modern history of China and Asian geography in general, read The Opium Wars and Tai-Pan. 

It is amazing how much "stuff" in Tai-Pan and the opium wars is "transferable" to the Mideast.

I hope the Nobel Peace Prize, 2019, goes to Kim-Xi Moon.

That would mean the Nobel Peace Prize, 2020, goes to Jared, Ivanka, and Don. LOL.