Chaos in #Brazil at World Cup Soccer

At U.S. News and World Report, "Brazilian Protesters Draw Harsh Penalties Before World Cup Opener." And Huffington Post UK, "World Cup 2014: Violent Clashes In Sao Paulo Mar Tournament Opening."



More at the Atlantic, "'There Will Be No World Cup': What's at Stake in Brazil."

WaPo Leftist David Ignatius Blasts Obama's Foreign Policy

Ignatius is the classic "liberal" foreign policy pundit and he just blasts the White House as completely out of touch while the world burns.

He begins by giving a shout out to Daniel Henninger's piece today at WSJ, "While Obama Fiddles."

But listen to Ignatius.

Hillary Clinton's 'Favorability' Collapsing Amid Lies and Chaos

Her ratings are now lower than they were in 2008, when she first ran for president.

At Gallup, "Smaller Majority of Americans View Hillary Clinton Favorably":

The latest findings come from a Gallup poll conducted June 5-8. Though Clinton has said she will not announce whether she'll run for president until at least later this year, her latest book has been widely framed as a preamble to another presidential bid and a move typical of White House hopefuls.

Clinton already has the support of many elected officials and Democratic Party representatives if she chooses to run. Americans have named her their Most Admired Woman 18 times. Clinton's current favorability rating is the lowest it has been since August 2008 (54%), when she was preparing to deliver a speech at the Democratic National Convention endorsing then-Sen. Barack Obama, who defeated her in a hard-fought primary battle for the party's 2008 presidential nomination.

Clinton enjoyed quite favorable ratings for some time, but her public support is flailing right along with the Democrat Party brand. That's the trend to watch going into November and 2016. Americans will grow increasingly tired of the lies and the Democrat anti-Americanism they see right on the White House lawn. It's shocking. But the public's awakening.

Added: From Louise Mensch, "Don’t Look Now, But Hillary’s Numbers Are Sliding."

Iran's Revolutionary Guard Deployed Against ISIS Forces in #Iraq

The Wall Street Journal's been amping up the Iraq coverage, seen at my tweet below.

And here's more at WSJ, linked through Blazing Cat Fur, "Iran Deploys Forces to Fight al Qaeda-Inspired Militants in Iraq: Iranian Revolutionary Guard Forces Helped Iraqi Troops Win Back Control of Most of Tikrit, the Sources Said":

Dramatic front-page coverage at today's @WSJ. pic.twitter.com/9objueoBqE

— Donald Douglas (@AmPowerBlog) June 12, 2014

BEIRUT, Lebanon—Iran has deployed Revolutionary Guard forces to fight al Qaeda-inspired militants that have overrun a string of Iraqi cities, and it has helped Iraqi troops win back control of most of Tikrit, Iranian security sources said.

Two battalions of the Quds Forces, the elite overseas branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps that have long operated in Iraq, have come to the aid of the besieged, Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, they said.

Combined Iraqi-Iranian forces had retaken control across 85% of Tikrit, the birthplace of former dictator Saddam Hussein, according to Iraqi and Iranian security sources.

They were helping guard the capital Baghdad and the two cities of Najaf and Karbala, which have been targeted by the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham, an al Qaeda offshoot whose lightning offensive has thrown Iraq into its worse turmoil since the sectarian fighting that followed the 2003 U.S. invasion of the country.

Tehran has also positioned troops along its border with Iraq and promised to bomb rebel forces if they close within 100 kilometers, or 62 miles, from Iran's border, according to an Iranian army general.  In addition, it was considering the transfer to Iraq of Iranian troops in Syria, if the initial deployments fail to turn the tide of battle in favor of Mr. Maliki's government.

The Iraqi government has asked the U.S. to carry out airstrikes and to speed up the delivery of promised weapons, which raises the prospect of both the U.S. and Iran lending support to Mr. Maliki against ISIS insurgents, who are seeking to create a caliphate encompassing Iraqi and Syrian territory.

General Qasim Sulaimani, the commander of the Quds Forces and one of the region's most powerful military figures, traveled to Baghdad this week to help manage the swelling crisis, said a member of the Revolutionary Guards, or IRGC.

Qassimm al-Araji, and Iraqi Shiite lawmaker who heads the Badr Brigade block in the country's parliament, posted a picture of him and Mr. Sulaimani holding hands in a room in Baghdad on his social-networking site with the caption, "Haj Qasem is here," reported Iranian news sites affiliated with the IRGC on Wednesday. "Haj Qasem" is Mr. Sulaimani's nom de guerre.

At stake for Iran in the current tumult in Iraq isn't only the survival of an Shiite political ally in Baghdad, but the safety of Karbala and Najaf, which along with Mecca and Medina are considered sacred to Shiites world-wide.

An ISIS spokesman, Abu Mohamad al-Adnani, urged the group's Sunni fighters to march toward the "filfth -ridden" Karbala and "the city of polytheism" Najaf, where they would "settle their differences" with Mr. Maliki.

More.

Iraq Update: Widespread Executions as ISIS Pushes on Baghdad; Retreat in Mosul After Iraqi Air Force Assault; Kurds Retake Kirkuk

I'm getting caught up on the news.

See London's Daily Mail, "The battle for Baghdad is nigh: Thousands of men answer Iraqi government's call to arms as ISIS jihadists bear down on capital."

At Telegraph UK, "Iraq crisis: al-Qaeda militants push towards Baghdad in sight - live."

And the BBC, "Iraq delays vote on emergency as crisis spreads." This morning's viral summary execution below at 1:25 minutes:



More at Al Alam, "Iraqi air force bombs militants positions in Mosul: TV." And Jawa Report, "War Porn: Iraqis Strike ISIS Convoy."

Also, at Bloomberg, "Iraq Battles Islamists in Saddam’s Hometown, 80 Miles From Baghdad."

More at the Clarion Project, "UPDATE: ISIS Marches on Baghdad With No Visible Opposition."

And Bill Roggio, at Long War Journal, "ISIS' advance halted at Samarra."

Over at the Wall Street Journal, "Kurdish Forces Take Control in Northern Iraqi City of Kirkuk: Move Comes as Forces of the Shiite-Dominated Government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Abandon Posts and Flee, Provincial Official Says." And Guardian UK, "Iraqi Kurdish forces take Kirkuk as Isis sets its sights on Baghdad."

From Eli Lake, at the Daily Beast, "Iraq’s Terrorists Are Becoming a Full-Blown Army."

And at the New York Times, "Where ISIS Is Gaining Control in Iraq and Syria."

Expect updates throughout the day.

#Iraq Drama Catches U.S. Off Guard

At WSJ, "The Quickly Unfolding Drama Prompted a White House Meeting Wednesday of Top Policy Makers and Military Leaders":

WASHINGTON—At a closed-door gathering of Gulf states in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in May, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and his Arab counterparts all signaled agreement on one thing for the first time: Islamist forces seizing territory in Syria and Iraq had become a regionwide menace that can't be ignored.

What they didn't agree on was what to do about it, U.S. officials said.The fall this week of the Iraqi cities Mosul and Tikrit to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham rebel group shows how the insurgent threat is outpacing the response and posing a challenge to President Barack Obama's approach of limiting U.S. involvement in foreign conflicts.

The quickly unfolding drama prompted a White House meeting Wednesday of top policy makers and military leaders who were caught off guard by the swift collapse of Iraqi security forces, officials acknowledged.  State Department and Pentagon officials have long warned about ISIS's desire to create an Islamic state based in the Sunni-dominated parts of Iraq and Syria.

Now, current and former officials say Washington's options for helping the Iraqi army fight back are limited—both because the threat in Iraq is so entrenched and because the U.S. hasn't invested in building up moderate allies on the Syrian side of the border.

U.S. military leaders said they had thought that Iraqi security forces' efforts would be enough to slow ISIS's advance. But those assumptions were proven wrong when Iraqi troops largely abandoned their posts.  The loss of Mosul, the second-largest city in Iraq, was a strategic blow and the U.S. doubts the Iraqi military will be able to take it back soon, the officials said.

Top State Department officials long argued that the civil war in Syria was the root cause of ISIS's rise because it gave them a haven in which to operate and recruit. They said the U.S. won't make headway unless ISIS is contained on both sides of the porous Iraqi-Syrian border.

Pentagon officials believe that Baghdad is unlikely to fall under the current onslaught because it is a heavily-guarded stronghold of the Shiite-dominated Iraqi government. But they noted that other Sunni extremist groups, like the remnants of the vanquished Sunni Baathist movement, have allied themselves with ISIS, adding to their power and building on its momentum.

Recent events in Iraq show the potential risks of the administration's foreign policy approach. In a speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point last month, Mr. Obama outlined a policy that favors a lighter U.S. military footprint and, where possible, calls for regional allies to take the lead in fighting terrorist threats in their backyards, so American troops don't have to.

But allies have grown to expect the U.S. to take the lead in counterterrorism efforts around the world, officials say, particularly in the Gulf. "Are they willing to step up?" a senior U.S. official said. "It is possible we are victims of our own leadership."

Still more.

Civil Rights Groups Allege Mistreatment of Illegal Aliens Warehoused in Arizona

Yeah, well, I'm just all torn up about this.

At Fox News, "Civil Rights Groups File Complaint Alleging Over 100 Cases of Child Abuse On the Border."

It's the ACLU, among others, so you can see what this is all about.



And at Poor Richard's, "Obama is Using a Cloward-Piven Scheme to Collapse Immigration System with Thousands of Children."

Hillary Clinton on Taliban 5: 'These Five Guys Are Not a Threat to the United States...'

The mind boggles, via Pat Dollard.

Watch: "Hillary Clinton: Taliban 5 Not a Threat to U.S."

Turkish Diplomats Kidnapped in #Iraq

At Astute Bloggers.

And at Bloomberg, "ISIL Extends Gains in Iraq, Takes Turk Diplomats Hostage."

'We Could Be Witnessing the Start of a Long Civil War...'

An outstanding report, from NBC's Richard Engel:



And at Telegraph UK, "Iraq at risk of civil war as al-Qaeda-led uprising pushes to within striking distance of Baghdad."

Helicopters on the Roof — #Iraq

From Mark Steyn.

US Embassy in Baghdad readies for its Saigon moment - for the helicopters on the roof, and the executions of the "friends" they left behind.

— Mark Steyn (@MarkSteynOnline) June 12, 2014

And see Noah Rothman, at Hot Air, "As militants advance in Iraq, U.S. Embassy in Baghdad readies evacuation."

#Democrat Congresswoman Jackie Speier: Taliban Not Terrorists, 'Part of the Fabric of Afghanistan...'

I saw parts of this clip on O'Reilly yesterday, and "facepalm" just doesn't quite capture the astonishment.

This woman is a United States Representative?

From Noah Rothman, at Hot Air, "Dem Rep.: Taliban aren’t ‘terrorists,’ they’re ‘part of the fabric of Afghanistan’."

Doe-Eyed Jen Psaki: ISIS in #Iraq and Syria 'Entirely Different Situations'

Well, folks thought she was on the way out there for a bit, but bless her heart she still has jaws dropping all over Foggy Bottom.

Jennifer Garner Cancels Family Summer Vacation After Latest Ben Affleck Gambling Meltdown

The dude got kicked out of Caesars Windsor Hotel and Casino in Windsor, Ontario.

No casino wants him, apparently. He's a card-counter.

At London's Daily Mail, "Ben Affleck hit by claims he was kicked out of ANOTHER casino... as 'Jennifer Garner is fed up with his gambling'."

She's a smokin' babe.

Lupe Fiasco Doubles-Down, No Regrets for Slamming Obama as the 'Biggest Terrorist'

Well, there remain a few courageous folks out there in entertainment la-la land. The dude was basically blacklisted.

At Politico, "Lupe Fiasco: No regret for ‘terrorist’ line."

Eric Cantor's Home Style — #VA07

An outstanding piece, from Sean Trende, at RealClearPolitics, "What Cantor's Loss and Graham's Win Mean":

In his political science classic, “Home Style: House Members in Their Districts,” Richard Fenno hypothesized that members of Congress have three goals: re-election, power in Washington, and enacting policy preferences. To pursue the second two goals, a member must achieve the first, and to do that, he or she must adopt a style that suits the district. If these images are not consistently reinforced, the incumbent will have trouble. Crucially, Fenno notes that the adoption of an effective home style involves a two-way communication process: Telling the constituents about oneself, but also listening to constituents. With the benefit of hindsight, we can probably apply this model to explain most of the Tea Party wins and losses over the past few years.

I have yet to read anything suggesting that Cantor had a good home style. His staff is consistently described as aloof, and his constituent service is lacking. This is consistent with my experience. Anecdotes are not data, but after passage of the Affordable Care Act, I called his office with a question about what autism therapies for my son would now be covered (I lived in Cantor’s district for six years). I never heard back. This surprised me, as constituent questions rarely go unanswered. I never once saw Cantor, not at county fairs, not at school board meetings, and not in the parades that would sometimes march past our house (we lived on a major thoroughfare). This isn’t to say that Cantor never did these things, only that they weren’t frequent enough to register; he wasn’t the stereotypical Southern politician whose face showed up at every event.

In short, Cantor seemed more focused on the second and third goals of a politician -- power and policy -- to the detriment of the first. I am guessing he didn’t realize he might have a problem until he was booed at a district meeting a month ago. If he’d run scared, the result might well have been different. But he didn’t, and he lost. This is really the big-picture message for GOP incumbents. You don’t have to remake yourself into a Tea Partier. But you do have to care.

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki Rallies Shiite Militias to Defend Iraqi Government

Well, he's gonna have to rally something.

At Bloomberg, "Maliki Turns to Militias to Halt al-Qaeda Onslaught."

Pragmatism, Obama and the #Bergdahl Swap

From Caroline Glick, at the Jerusalem Post:

For nearly six years, Obama and his supporters have managed to fend off allegations that his foreign policy is even more ideological – and far more radical – than Bush’s by channeling the public’s aversion to pie-in-the-sky rhetoric and obfuscating facts.

US President Barack Obama is an artist of political propaganda. Both his greatest admirers and his most vociferous opponents agree that his ability to manipulate public opinion has no peer in American politics today.

So how can we explain the fiasco that is his decision not only to swap five senior Taliban terror masters for US Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, but to take ownership over the decision by presenting it to the American people in a ceremony with Bergdahl’s parents at the White House Rose Garden? Clearly Obama overreached. He misread the public’s disposition.

This much is made clear by the immediate criticism his actions received from the liberal media. It wasn’t just Fox News and National Review that said Obama broke the law when he failed to notify Congress of the swap 30 days prior to its implementation.

It was CNN and NBC News.

MSNBC commentators criticized the swap. And CNN interviewed Bergdahl’s platoon mates who to a man accused him of desertion, with many alleging as well that he collaborated with the enemy. It was CNN that gave the names of the six American soldiers who died trying to rescue Bergdahl from the Taliban.

What was it about the Bergdahl trade tipped the scales? Why is this decision different from Obama’s other foreign policy decisions? For instance, why is the public outraged now when it wasn’t outraged in the aftermath of the jihadist assault on US installations in Benghazi on September 11, 2012, in which US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were murdered? Politically, Obama emerged unscathed from failures in every area he has engaged. From Iraq to Iran to Syria to Libya to Russia and beyond, he has never experienced the sort of across the board condemnation he is now suffering. His political allies and media supporters always rallied to his side. They always explained away his failures.

So what explains the outcry? Why are people like Senator Dianne Feinstein, who have been supportive of Obama’s nuclear appeasement of Iran, up in arms over the Bergdahl swap? There are three aspects of the Bergdahl deal that distinguish it from the rest of Obama’s foreign policy blunders....

Obama’s success in getting away with serial foreign policy failures, and his success in hiding the radical ideological basis of his decisions has always owed to his supporters’ ability to plausibly deny both the failures and the ideological motivation for his actions.

His Rose Garden announcement made such spin all but impossible. Americans are not particularly interested in foreign policy. But there are a few things that they won’t buy.

They won’t buy that a man who comes to the White House sporting a Taliban beard and praising Allah in Arabic is a normal American father.

They won’t buy spin that describes a deserter as an exemplary soldier.

They don’t want to free five senior terrorists and mass murderers in order to buy Bergdahl’s release.

In believing that the public would side with him and Bergdahl and Bergdahl’s dad against critics of the deal, Obama showed that for all his propaganda prowess, he doesn’t understand the public...

Keep reading.

Emma Kuziara Fancy Lingerie

At Egotastic!, "Humpday Huzzah! Emma K Strips Out of Her Prom Dress."

Lt. Col. Ralph Peters: 'In the Middle East, the United States Is Now In its Weakest Position Since 1945...'

Lt. Col. Peters on the O'Reilly Factor earlier, via the Right Scoop, "Ralph Peters: The US is weakest in the Middle East since 1945, Al Qaeda is stronger than ever."

"The jihadis are winning..."

30,000 Iraqi soldiers in #Mosul could not stop 800 fighters from the Islamic State. This is truly Allahs Rahmah #ISIS pic.twitter.com/E9KXeoABM4

— Abu Umar (@AbuUmar8246) June 12, 2014