Oracle Team USA Rallies for Historic America's Cup Win

At LAT, "Team USA rides a comeback wave to America's Cup victory":

SAN FRANCISCO — The end came with a burst of speed and a charge across San Francisco Bay.

As the sleek, massive American catamaran sprinted upwind, tactician Ben Ainslie called to his crew mates.

"This is it," he hollered. "This is it."

Defending champion Oracle Team USA easily beat challenger Emirates Team New Zealand on a bright Wednesday afternoon to complete one of the greatest comebacks in sports history and win the 34th America's Cup.

Down eight races to one and facing elimination for the better part of a week, Oracle managed a string of victories to reach a winner-take-all finale and prevail, 9-8, in the longest, closest series in 162 years of Cup history.

"We faced the barrel of the gun at 8-1," Oracle skipper Jimmy Spithill said of his 11-man crew. "What did these guys do? They didn't even flinch."

For Emirates, the final day was a disheartening end to nearly three weeks of racing that saw wild momentum swings and the rival boats crisscrossing and bumping at up to 50 mph as if they were stock cars.

"The Oracle boys just found another couple of gears through the regatta," Emirates tactician Ray Davies said. "Hats off to them."

Only twice before in the Cup's history had the competition come down to a deciding race. British sailing historian Bob Fisher could not recall such nip-and-tuck battles throughout a series.

"There were lead changes," he said. "We haven't seen lead changes at the America's Cup for years and years."

Emirates took an early lead when Oracle wobbled at the first mark, its twin bows plunging into the water, sending up plumes of spray. "Thought we'd keep it exciting for you guys," Spithill later quipped.

The American boat soon made up the difference, showing impressive acceleration on the upwind stretch that had once proved so frustrating.

The race was decided on that third leg, Oracle opening a lead it would never relinquish, crossing the finish line 44 seconds ahead.

More video, "America's Cup 2013: New Zealand defeat is 'very hard to swallow'."

Heroes of Kenya Siege

A couple of stories.

At Britain's ITN, "Incredible footage: Hero policeman saves terrified family in Kenya mall siege (VIDEO)."

And at the Telegraph, "Revealed: American family rescued by Muslim hero of attack on Kenya's Westgate mall."

Obama Adviser Dan Pfeiffer: We're Not for Negotiating With People With a 'Bomb Strapped to Their Chest'

Profiles in Democrat civility.

At Twitchy, "Adviser Dan Pfeiffer likens GOP to ‘people with a bomb strapped to their chest’."

Instead of negotiating with the democratically-elected opposition, the Democrats attack Republicans and terrorists and hostage-takers.

Seriously, people who aren't normally affected by such childish rhetoric are taking exception. Infantile ideological games. You have to roll your eyes after a while. The adults will be back in charge in due time.

U.S. Sees Direct Threat in Attack at Kenya Mall

Wow.

And I thought we had "decimated" al Qaeda.

Hardly, according to the New York Times:

NAIROBI, Kenya — Viewing the deadly siege at a shopping mall in Kenya as a direct threat to its security, the United States is deploying dozens of F.B.I. agents to investigate the wreckage, hoping to glean every piece of information possible to help prevent such a devastating attack from happening again, possibly even on American soil.

For years, the F.B.I. has been closely watching the Shabab, the Somali Islamist group that has claimed responsibility for the Nairobi massacre and recruited numerous Americans to fight and die — sometimes as suicide bombers — for its cause.

The Shabab has already attacked most of the major actors trying to end the chaos in Somalia — the United Nations, Uganda, aid groups, the Somali government and now Kenya. The United States has spent hundreds of millions of dollars bankrolling anti-Shabab operations for years, and there is growing fear that the group could turn its sights on American interests more directly, one of the reasons the Obama administration is committing so many resources to the investigation in Kenya.

“We are in this fight together,” said Robert F. Godec, the American ambassador to Kenya. “The more we know about the planning that went into this, the way it was conducted, what was used, the people involved, the better we can protect America, too.”

Less than a day after the bloody standoff ended, more than 20 F.B.I. agents wearing flak jackets and helmets were combing through the wreckage strewn across the steps of the mall. Dozens more agents will be headed to Nairobi, American officials say. Some of them are members of the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force squad that investigates extremist groups operating in the Horn of Africa, a law enforcement official said.

Over the next few days, agents, including a full Evidence Response Team, will be collecting D.N.A., fingerprints and other biometric information, poring through surveillance footage and examining guns, laptops, cameras and computers — anything to gain insights into how the attack was carried out and the hierarchy, planning and structures behind the group, especially if they have any ties back to the United States.

American officials are mindful that Kenya, one of its closest allies in Africa, has become a precarious buffer zone between the United States and Islamist militants who have declared foreigners legitimate targets in their war.

More at the link.

And also, "A Shaken Kenya Is Hit by 2 More Deadly Attacks by Militants."

No surprise. These murderers are doing exactly as they've promised. At the Times of Israel, "Al-Shabab vow to continue attacks on Kenya."

The #ObamaCare Death Toll Rises

From Michelle Malkin, "Obama Lied, My Health Plan Died":

Like an estimated 22 million other Americans, I am a self-employed small-business owner who buys health insurance for my family directly on the individual market. We have a high-deductible PPO plan that allows us to choose from a wide range of doctors.

Or rather, we had such a plan.

Last week, our family received notice from Anthem BlueCross BlueShield of Colorado that we can no longer keep the plan we like because of “changes from health care reform (also called the Affordable Care Act or ACA).” The letter informed us that “(t)o meet the requirements of the new laws, your current plan can no longer be continued beyond your 2014 renewal date.”

In short: Obama lied. My health plan died...

Continue reading.

And ICYMI, "'You Can Keep Your Plan' — The Left's #ObamaCare Lies."

After 20-Plus Hours, Senator Ted Cruz Still Going Strong Against #ObamaCare

I wasn't expecting this.

But I've already dropped my kid off at school, and after a long night, Senator Cruz is still speaking as this blog entry goes live.

See the Washington Post, "After 20-plus hours, Sen. Cruz still talking in an effort to defeat Obamacare":

By 5 a.m., the length of Cruz’s marathon discourse — he is not allowed to leave the Senate floor, even for a bathroom break — had surpassed lengthy filibusters by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) in March and the late Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) in 1964. He earned a lead spot on all three network morning news shows, acknowledging that he was “a little bit” tired but still looking remarkably fresh. The television anchors dubbed Cruz’s effort a “talk-a-thon,” even as they explained to viewers that his effort would not derail the legislative process.

Just before 9 a.m., Cruz told the near-empty chamber — and C-Span II viewers — that he had been reviewing a bit of the libertarian writer Ayn Rand’s literature overnight. He then started reading from “Atlas Shrugged.”


The Cruz talk-a-thon was the latest example of the increasingly stark division among Republicans, both on Capitol Hill and nationally. The Texas newcomer, just 42 and nine months into his first term in office, is carrying the banner for conservatives who urge a take-no-prisoners approach in confronting the president, even if it means shuttering the government.

But the move angered senior Republicans, who complained that Cruz and the other junior senators pushing this strategy did not understand the wounds the GOP suffered during the mid-1990s shutdown battles with President Bill Clinton. Back then, the party controlled both the House and Senate, a luxury compared with its tenuous majority in the House today.

He's still talking, via C-SPAN, "Sen. Cruz Continues Floor Speech; Senate Procedural Vote on CR Later Today."

Also at Free Beacon, "Ted Cruz Talks ‘Star Wars’ On The Senate Floor." And see Memeorandum.

Confessions of Pop's Wildest Child

There's a method to her madness.

Seriously.

Since twerking the VMAs it's been Miley 24/7.

At Rolling Stone, "Miley Cyrus: She knows what you think about her – and she totally doesn't care."

Also at the Other McCain, "Obligatory ‘Miley Cyrus Topless’ Post."

Al Qaeda's Minnesota Recruiting Blows Lid Off Obama's 'Tide of War is Receding' Propaganda

From Katherine Zimmerman, at the Wall Street Journal, "Al Qaeda's African Surge Threatens the U.S." (via Google):

On Tuesday, after a four-day siege by terrorists who murdered at least 67 people, the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi, Kenya, still appeared not to have been secured by government forces. The attack by more than a dozen heavily armed members of the Somalia-based al Shabaabterrorist group—including reportedly several Americans—was a thoroughly planned operation. Teams of the al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists entered the mall's first and second floors in a two-pronged attack. The terrorists lined up hostages, separated Muslims from Christians and others, then tested the self-proclaimed Muslims on their knowledge of Arabic and Islam. Those who failed were shot, children included. The militants then settled in with the surviving hostages to repulse attempts to extract them.

Who are these terrorists? Al Shabaab—in Arabic, "the youth"—traces its roots to the militant wing of the Islamic Courts Union, an Islamist political movement that rose to power in Somalia in 2006. A U.S.-backed Ethiopian invasion of Somalia in December 2006 toppled the ICU, whose leaders fled. But al Shabaab remained and rapidly consolidated power as the dominant insurgent force. When less capable African Union peacekeepers replaced Ethiopian troops, al Shabaab recaptured much of southern and central Somalia by 2009.

There they might have remained if not for a United States- and United Nations-backed effort to beef up the African Union force. A far more robust and battle-tested Amisom (the African Union Mission in Somalia) pushed back al Shabaab, and by September 2012 the group had lost the strategic town of Kismayo, and with it much of al Shabaab's revenue and reputation.

What followed is essential to understanding the resiliency of local Islamist extremist groups and the evolution of al Qaeda. As al Shabaab began losing ground in Somalia, a leadership battle ensued between those who wanted to be part of a global Islamist movement and others with more parochial aims. In 2012, al Shabaab declared itself part of al Qaeda, eliminating dissenters through assassination.

Al Shabaab's decision to relegate the fight for Somali territory to secondary status was a major change. A group that had espoused more limited aims was suddenly abandoning its desire for local power in favor of a more idealized global fight. It is this model that is propelling al Qaeda, allowing the Islamist network to spread in Syria, Sinai, Iraq, Libya and Yemen.

Groups like al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, Ansar al Shariah in Libya, Ansar Beit al Maqdis in the Sinai, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, and al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have metastasized from local to networked global al Qaeda groups. Al Shabaab is following al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which first hit Saudi targets and then moved on to the United States.

Yet the U.S. government insists on calling al Shabaab a local, Somali threat, playing down the potential threat to the U.S. The Obama administration has clung instead to the narrative that al Qaeda is on the "path to defeat" and its remnants are "lethal, but less capable," as President Obama put it in May.

A major tip-off in al Shabaab's transformation was its effort to recruit Americans. According to U.S. officials, 50 or so U.S. citizens have made their way to Somalia since 2007 to join al Shabaab. This includes members of the Somali diaspora and non-Somalis, such as Syrian-American Omar Hammami, who called himself Abu Mansur al Amriki, aka "the American," before he was killed earlier this month in Somalia, the victim of an internal dispute.

American Somalis began joining al Shabaab to fight the Ethiopians in 2007. Insight into its recruitment has come from the courtroom testimony of individuals who were arrested for providing material support to al Shabaab upon returning from Somalia: A local recruiter would promise vulnerable Muslim youths in the U.S. entry to paradise if they fought the Christian invaders. The youths would slip away for the trip to Somalia, often without the knowledge of their families....

Last month, al Shabaab released a video featuring what it called its "Minnesota Martyrs." Minnesota is home to the largest U.S. population of Somalis. The 40-minute video, the first in a promised series, featured three Americans. The video glorified the three young men, saying they had given their lives on what is now a global battlefield. Although some within the group may see Africa as their battleground, those who have cemented the relationship with al Qaeda understand that jihad stretches from Morocco to the Philippines, from Tanzania to Iraq. And as al Qaeda leader Ayman Zawahiri has made clear, to the United States.

If reports now surfacing regarding Americans involved in the Nairobi attack—al Shabaab's response to the Kenyan military presence in Somalia—are confirmed, it will be difficult for the Obama administration to continue claiming that al Shabaab is purely local. The terror group has the means for a major attack, and al Qaeda's focus on the U.S. provides the motive...

RTWT at Google.

Also at CBS, "Kenya mall attack terrorists included "two or three" Americans, Kenyan foreign minister Amina Mohamed says."

Related: At the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Slick video rekindles fears that Al-Shabab is recruiting Minnesotans."

#Nairobi Attack May Bolster al-Shabab in Jihadists' Eyes

Here's an excellent report at the Washington Post, "Kenyan officials say Nairobi mall siege is over; attack may bolster al-Shabab in jihadists’ eyes."

And from last night's CBS Evening News:

Iran Rebuffs U.S. Offer to Meet

At the Wall Street Journal, "Iran Applies Brakes to U.S. Mideast Plans: Tehran Decides Against Meeting of President at U.N.":

UNITED NATIONS—President Barack Obama argued the U.S. case before world leaders for resolving the Middle East's deepest conflicts, but pushback from Iran dimmed hopes that had been building for a rapid leap forward.

Iranian President Hasan Rouhani's decision against meeting Mr. Obama—or even exchanging a handshake—at the U.N. General Assembly in New York on Tuesday soured what American and European officials had hoped would mark an advancement in efforts to wind down tensions.

Mr. Rouhani followed that rebuff with an address to the U.N. in which he aired his hopes for reconciliation while holding firm on Iran's right to enrich uranium and criticizing some aspects of American foreign policy, including economic sanctions on Tehran.

Mr. Obama's address earlier on Tuesday was framed as an explanation of his approach to the Middle East and how he plans to engage the region for the remainder of his time in office.

"Some may disagree, but I believe that America is exceptional" because of its willingness to get involved in the outside world, he said—a direct rebuke to criticism by Russian leader Vladimir Putin of Mr. Obama's call for action in Syria.

The president posed the Syrian civil war as a test for the world body—urging a Security Council resolution this week demanding the dismantling of Damascus's chemical-weapons arsenal—and called on Russia and Iran to use their influence with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to force a political process to end the conflict.

Some U.S. officials see a potential thaw with Iran as a way to gain leverage in bringing a resolution to the Syrian civil war and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Continue reading.

Also, "Transcript and Video: Obama’s Remarks at United Nations."

Intense Speculation on Whereabouts of British 'White Widow' Samantha Lewthwaite

Authorities and the press still haven't got a clue on the whereabouts of Samantha Lewthwaite, to say nothing of whether she was involved in the Westgate massacre.

Robert Stacy McCain gave us an update this morning, "Terrorist ‘White Widow’ Killed in Kenya?"

We still don't know, actually. It's paroxysms of anticipation at this point.

See the Australian, "Hunt intensifies for 'White Widow' as Kenyan president declares victory against shopping centre terrorists":

A SHOP worker has described how a woman resembling the 'White Widow' sprayed bullets in her direction during the terrorist attack on a Kenyan mall.

The witness says she was cowering under boxes when an AK-37-wielding, pale-skinned woman with long dark hair locked eyes with her.

She then opened fire from a balcony.

The witness, named only as Caroline, told the Daily Mail she managed to escape unharmed as the terrorists advanced through the Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi.

"She was high up but not far from me, close enough that I saw her looking along the floor where I was until she saw me," Caroline said.

"She stopped and aimed at me and then opened fire."

The shop assistant said the woman was wearing a baggy black top and had long black hair.

"I can't remember very much, but I remember she had pale skin," she said.

This witness account is but one of several reporting a white female among terrorists who attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi at the weekend, killing 61 civilians and six security forces. Some 175 were injured in the attack, including 62 who remain in hospital.

She is being linked to Briton Samantha Lewthwaite, an extremist Muslim convert who has been dubbed "The White Widow" by British media.

The timing of the attack has been linked to the trial of a British man on bomb-making charges who is believed to be a friend and associate of Lewthwaite.

Jermaine Grant, of east London, and his wife Warda Breik were arrested when police raided their Mombassa home and allegedly found bomb-making materials.

Both have been charged by anti-terrorism police for possessing explosive materials and conspiring to commit crimes. Both have denied the accusations.

Lots more at the link.

And see the Belfast Telegraph, "White Widow Samantha Lewthwaite could be among dead terrorism suspects who attacked a Nairobi shopping mall in Kenya."

It's still speculation. We won't know for sure until the dead terrorists are identified or the woman's whereabouts are verified.

BONUS: At Telegraph UK, "Kenya attack: White Widow Samantha Lewthwaite was 'a lovely young girl' (VIDEO)."

Ted Cruz Takes to Senate Floor: 'I intend to speak in support of defunding #ObamaCare until I am no longer able to stand...'

Mandy Nagy has the live feed, at Legal Insurrection, "WATCH LIVE: Cruz “filibusters” to #MakeDCListen on defunding ObamaCare."

Plus see all the debate on the floor debate at Memeorandum.

'Lady'

With the exception of one or two below at the playlist, I've previously posted most of these songs from yesterday morning's drive time. Styx is not my favorite, although I confess to listening to "The Grand Illusion" (LP) all the time in high school ("Miss America" is particularly good). (On Facebook here.)

A great drive-time set, in any case, at The Sound L.A.

Today's my long day and I'm going out tonight with my family, so I'm not sure when blogging's going to kick back up. Until then, God bless...

You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet --- B.T.O. 08:18 AM

I Wanna Be Sedated --- Ramones 08:16 AM

Gimme Shelter --- The Rolling Stones 08:10 AM

Maggie May --- Rod Stewart 08:05 AM

Let My Love Open the Door --- Pete Townshend 08:02 AM

Lady '95 --- Styx 07:59 AM

Hold On Loosely --- 38 Special 07:55 AM

Suzie Q --- Creedence Clearwater Revival 07:50 AM

My My Hey Hey --- Neil Young 07:47 AM

With a Little Help From My Friends --- The Beatles 07:39 AM

Hit Me With Your Best Shot (Live) --- Pat Benatar 07:36 AM

The Evil of Global Jihad

From Tom Rogan, at National Review:

Nairobi’s Westgate mall is more than a retail center. It’s a social hub — a space for shared enjoyment and community celebration. It’s also a place for kids. In fact, a children’s event was taking place on Saturday. Then the jihadists turned up and turned it into a death trap. And that’s not all they did this weekend.

Rampaging through a mall.

Attacking a funeral in Iraq.

Blowing up worshipers in a Pakistani church.

This weekend has verified the identity of the global jihadist movement: a death cult that finds spiritual unity in the murder of innocents.

Let’s be clear. Westgate was attacked for two reasons. First, in its public character, the mall offered al-Shabab an opportunity to spread terror across all of Kenyan society. Second, packed with families, Westgate offered the terrorists hundreds of strategic pawns. In its killing sprees, al-Shabab seeks a new regional understanding: that its resolve is supreme above all others. That unless its adversaries yield, more Westgates will follow.

At a basic level, al-Shabab’s strategy is far from original. By definition, terrorism involves the deliberate cultivation of fear as a political tool.

Yet modern Salafi Jihadism takes this dynamic to an unprecedented level. It has the instinctive reflex toward unrestrained brutality. Gratuitous violence guarantees attention. Think about the Iraq war. The image of masked assailants sawing off the heads of bound and terrified prisoners is seared indelibly into our memory.

Of course, this raises a key question: How do the jihadists excuse their atrocities?

In the blend of theocratic absolutism and perverse consequentialism. From the jihadist perspective, their violence is justified in the service of God’s intrinsic will.

Grappling with this notion of ordained will is crucial. It affords us insight into the existential rigidity with which these terrorists regard the world. In short, Salafi Jihadists claim that the price of peace is our non-interference — they hint that our acquiescence will buy us our safety. They’re lying. Theirs is an ideology with a supra-national (and, as they see it, divine) pursuit — a global caliphate of absolute power.

Still more at the link.

And see Robert Spencer, "Jihad in Kenya."And Daniel Greenfield, "In the Name of Islam."

British 'White Widow' Killed as Security Forces Storm #Westgate Mall?

Reports are unconfirmed.

Here's London's Daily Mail, "Has British 'White Widow' been killed in final assault on Kenyan shopping mall? Body of white woman terrorist is found at scene."

But see the Guardian UK, "Kenya siege: UK officials investigate claims Britons were involved in attack."



More, from @ColorMeRed on Twitter, "Belfast Telegraph Front Page Tues Sep 24: Security services hunt down White Widow over Kenya massacre."

Video: Special Forces Storm #Westgate Mall in Nairobi

From KTN Kenya.



PREVIOUSLY: "Reports: Kenyan Forces Secure #Westgate Mall."

Reports: Kenyan Forces Secure #Westgate Mall

It's hard to know what's going on. Up-to-date information is sketchy, and I'm linking this stuff below provisionally. I'll be checking around for more information, especially on the identities of the assailants.

Until then, a number of reports are claiming the siege has come to an end and security forces have the mall under control.

Here's Agence-France Press and Telegraph UK on Twitter:

Kenya troops have #Westgate mall 'under control' after three day bloodbath http://t.co/OyjAG3VrJx via @YahooNews

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) September 23, 2013

.@interiorKE says Kenyan security forces are now in control of #Westgate mall. Follow here for the latest http://t.co/mK4zNG4vT6

— Telegraph World News (@TelegraphWorld) September 23, 2013

And at the Wall Street Journal, "Kenyan Mall Siege Enters Third Night: Security Forces Mount Assault as Details on Attackers Begin to Emerge":

NAIROBI, Kenya—The standoff at a popular shopping mall here entered its third night on Monday, as sketchy details began to emerge about the assailants, among them a Caucasian-looking woman in a head scarf.

The woman, said a Western security officer briefed on the assault, fired on shoppers with an assault rifle as they fled and dove for cover. Most of the other attackers remain unidentified.

Meanwhile, on Monday afternoon, Kenyan security forces mounted a major assault in an effort to free the more-than-40 people still believed to be inside. Gunfire and explosions erupted as the operation started, accompanied by a black plume of smoke billowing into the air.

Kenyan officials said they had been able to free almost all of the civilians inside, but declined to give a figure.

At least 62 people have been killed in the three-day siege that started on Saturday, after armed assailants rushed into the mall from three entrances and opened fire on those inside.

At least two attackers were killed and 10 people have been arrested in Kenya for questioning in connection with the assault, police said.

The account of female militants jibes with witnesses who said they saw women taking part in the assault.

One man said he saw three women among the assailants that came in and out of the supermarket storeroom in which he was hiding. Interior cabinet Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku said Monday that some militants had disguised themselves women, without explaining why.

Meanwhile, Kenya's military, which is taking part in the counterassault on the mall, confirmed that the assailants came from a number of countries, although an official declined to disclose details in a briefing with reporters Monday.

"We have an idea who these people are, and they are clearly a multinational collection from all over the world," said Maj. Gen. Julius Karanja, the chief of general staff for the Kenyan military.

The Somali al-Shabaab militant Islamist group claimed responsibility for the attack but didn't provide details on the assailants.

A list of purported attackers, including Europeans and Americans, appeared to have come from a Twitter account not sanctioned by the group. The list couldn't be independently verified.

The security forces also appeared to be growing to include international participants. Israeli forces joined Kenyan troops pursuing the militants inside the mall on Monday, said witnesses.

The Israeli government declined to comment on their presence and Kenyan officials continued to stress that the rescue was a purely Kenyan operation.

There are a number of Israeli-owned shops in Westgate and the mall itself is at least partially Israeli-owned.

More at that top link.

I'll be updating throughout the night.

Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union Wins Triumphant German Election

Chancellor Merkel was reelected to a third term.

At the New York Times, "Merkel Re-Elected in Show of Strong Support for Party":

BERLIN — Chancellor Angela Merkel scored a stunning personal triumph in Sunday’s national elections in Germany, becoming the only major leader to be re-elected twice since the financial crisis of 2008 and winning strong popular endorsement for her mix of austerity and solidarity in managing troubled Europe.

Although final vote tallies were not expected until Monday, the surprising show of strength for the chancellor and her center-right Christian Democrats — even their own polls had not suggested such a result — might just translate into an absolute majority, according to exit polls by both major German television stations. That is something no German chancellor has achieved since Konrad Adenauer in 1957.

Ms. Merkel, 59 and a physicist raised in Communist East Germany, was unusually buoyant when she appeared before supporters, who chanted “Angie! Angie!” and gave her two whole minutes of applause at party headquarters. She exuberantly thanked voters, campaigners and her husband, the quantum chemist Joachim Sauer. Mr. Sauer, who tends to shun the limelight, stood at the side of the stage, acknowledging the jubilation of her fans.

Later, during a raucous celebration at her party headquarters, Ms. Merkel clapped and sang along with the crowds but reminded them, “Tomorrow, we work.”

For all her success, it is not clear how Ms. Merkel will govern in her third four-year term. Her allies for the past four years, the business-minded Free Democrats, were expected to lose their place in Parliament, missing the 5 percent cutoff. And a narrow majority would be unstable — risking defeat in crucial parliamentary votes needed to pass more aid or credits for troubled economies.

So the most likely course is that Ms. Merkel will enter a grand coalition with the No. 2 party nationally, the center-left Social Democrats.

Continue reading.

Also at Der Spiegel, "Election Triumph: Merkel Victorious But Faces Tough Talks, and "Merkel Country: Trouble Ahead for Triumphant Queen Angela."

More, "Wiped Out: Free Democrats Reel from Election Fiasco," and "Grand Coalition? Social Dems Deflect Talk of Merkel Alliance."

Plus, an analysis at the Economist, "Angela Merkel's bittersweet triumph."

Jihad in Kenya: Photos

At Pamela's, "PHOTOS: JIHAD IN KENYA, DEATH TOLL HITS 68 IN MUSLIM MASSACRE AT WESTGATE MALL."

And at BNI, "UPDATE NAIROBI ISLAMIC TERRORIST MALL ATTACK: 59 dead, 175 wounded, terrorists still holding hostages, Israeli Security Forces arrive to help."



And then see FrontPage Magazine, "UK PM Says Terror Attack Carried Out for Islam has Nothing to do with Islam" (via Blazing Cat Fur).

Boy, that David Cameron. He's a regular riot.

Don't Wave the White Flag of Surrender — Sarah Palin Slams Cannibalistic RINOs on #DefundObamaCare

Sarah Palin's laying down some major support for Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee.

She references her Big Government piece today at the clip, "Sarah Palin: Americans Are Fed Up with #ObamaCare."



And see William Jacobson, "What are the Republican doughboys afraid of?"

Also at Twitchy, "‘See your filthy paw prints, Rove’ Who sent oppo research on Ted Cruz to Chris Wallace?", and "Sarah Palin to Chris Wallace: Expose which GOPers are trying to ‘trash Sen Cruz’."