This Is When We Need A Blunt-Tweeting, Take-No-Prisoners Approach To Geopolitical Threats -- December 4, 2018

Red lines in the sea won't work. Link here. Aircraft carrier en route. Doesn't this happen every Christmas -- sailors deployed; miss another Christmas with their families?

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The Camille Paglia Page

Regardless of one's thoughts/feelings about Ms Camille Paglia, this is some pretty good writing. If she spoke these words extemporaneously during an interview, she is absolutely incredible.

I hope we never lose the link in the ethernet.

Somehow I almost get the feeling Paglia likes Trump's style if not his politics.

Most noteworthy (and most important): she did not mention "Beto." Not mentioning Beto suggests to me that Beto remains a Texas / Californian phenom and is on no one's radar scope outside of Texas. From the linked article:

If the economy continues strong, Trump will be reelected. The Democrats (my party) have been in chaos since the 2016 election and have no coherent message except Trump hatred. Despite the vast pack of potential candidates, no one yet seems to have the edge.

I had high hopes for Kamala Harris, but she missed a huge opportunity to play a moderating, statesmanlike role and has already imprinted an image of herself as a ruthless inquisitor that will make it hard for her to pull voters across party lines.

Screechy Elizabeth Warren has never had a snowball’s chance in hell to appeal beyond upper-middle-class professionals of her glossy stripe. Kirsten Gillibrand is a wobbly mediocrity. Cory Booker has all the gravitas of a cork. Andrew Cuomo is a yapping puppy with a long, muddy bullyboy tail. Both Bernie Sanders (for whom I voted in the 2016 primaries) and Joe Biden (who would have won the election had Obama not cut him off at the knees) are way too old and creaky.

To win in the nation’s broad midsection, the Democratic nominee will need to project steadiness, substance, and warmth. I’ve been looking at Congresswoman Cheri Bustos of Illinois and Governor Steve Bullock of Montana.

As for Hillary, she’s pretty much damaged goods, but her perpetual, sniping, pity-me tour shows no signs of abating. She still has a rabidly loyal following, but it’s hard to imagine her winning the nomination again, with her iron grip on the Democratic National Committee now gone.

Still, it’s in her best interest to keep the speculation fires burning. Given how thoroughly she has already sabotaged the rising candidates by hogging the media spotlight, I suspect she wants Trump to win again. I don’t see our stumbling, hacking, shop-worn Evita yielding the spotlight willingly to any younger gal.

That's a very good point and at risk of sounding sexist that sounds exactly right: Hillary would rather have Trump be re-elected than have a woman other than herself (Hillary) become president. I'm not even sure Hillary even wants any other woman to be among the top three or four Democratic nominees.

I wonder if Bill's heart is really in the "Bill and Hillary" tour? Is it only his loyalty to the woman who stood by his man?

Stand By Your Man, Tammy Wynette   I've talked with several Beto supporters and none of them could tell me what his message was or what his policies are.