Traitor Bowe #Bergdahl Set to Return to the United States

At CNN, "Bowe Bergdahl returning to U.S. for more treatment after release."

Laura Ingraham Helped Propel Dave Brat's Campaign — #VA07

Laura Ingraham slams sham tea party "patriot" Jenny Beth Martin at the clip below.

And boy, Ingraham really racked up the creds with this insurgent win out of Virginia's 7th congressional district.

Even the far-left New York Times pumped and praised her impact on the race, "Potent Voices of Conservative Media Propelled Cantor Opponent: David Brat Was Aided by Influential Figures Like Laura Ingraham":

If Eric Cantor needed evidence that his political career was in real trouble, all he had to do was look outside his living room window one night last week. At a stately country club about half a mile from his home in the affluent Richmond suburb of Glen Allen, so many people had come to see the radio talk show host Laura Ingraham stump for Mr. Cantor’s opponent in the Republican primary, David Brat, that the overflow parking nearly reached his driveway.

Ms. Ingraham was so taken aback at the size of the crowd — inside the clubhouse, hundreds of people crammed onto staircase landings, leaned over railings and peered down at her from above — she wondered aloud what was really going on.

“We all looked at each other, saying, ‘He could totally win,'” Ms. Ingraham said in an interview. “I’ve had two moments in American politics in the last 15 years where I knew there was a big change afoot. One was when I left the Iowa caucuses in 2008. I walked out of there and said to a friend, ‘Barack Obama is going to win.’ And the other was when I left that rally last Tuesday.”

Few people did more than Ms. Ingraham to propel Mr. Brat, a 49-year-old economics professor who has never held elected office before, from obscurity to national conservative hero. And few stories better illustrate how his out-of-nowhere victory was due in large part to a unique and potent alignment of influential voices in conservative media.

Crucially, voices like Ms. Ingraham’s combined with shoe-leather, grass-roots campaign work by a highly organized local conservative movement to fill a void left by the absence of support from national Tea Party organizations and boldface Republican Party names.

Mr. Brat may have been turned away when he asked for financial support from well-funded conservative groups, and he was largely ignored by the national and local news media, which considered Mr. Cantor, the No. 2 Republican in the House, a shoo-in. But he was a known quantity to the loyal audiences of radio personalities like Ms. Ingraham and Mark Levin, a Reagan aide and a revered figure in the conservative movement, and Breitbart.com, the website founded by the provocateur Andrew Breitbart.

Together, Mr. Levin and Ms. Ingraham reach nearly 10 million people each week. And the Breitbart sites log 60 million page views each month. Those audiences are heavy with engaged, politically motivated voters who turn out in Republican primaries — the kind of voters who came out for Mr. Brat on Tuesday.  “Of the 70,000 voters yesterday in Virginia, I am sure 95 percent go to Drudge, Breitbart, Mark Levin or Laura Ingraham every day, multiple times a day,” said Stephen K. Bannon, who wears many hats as a radio host, a filmmaker and the executive chairman of Breitbart.

More.

FLASHBACK: "Jenny Beth Martin Makes More the $450,000 Annually as National Coordinator of Tea Party Patriots!"

#Obama Regime Knew About Secret #VeteransAdministration Wait Lists for Years

Of course they knew. It's all lies with this White House, and they simply do not care.

At the Daily Caller, "Obama Administration Knew About VA's Secret Wait Lists for Years."

Joseph Biden in 2010: #Iraq Will Be 'One of the Great Achievements' of Obama Administration

Via Breitbart.

And Twitchy, "‘Oh, man’: This Biden flashback on Iraq is nothing short of ‘brutal’ [video]."

Oh, man. This clip. https://t.co/yTVKFiEQrt

— John Ekdahl (@JohnEkdahl) June 12, 2014

Ironically, had the administration gotten a SOFA, it would have been one of their greatest achievements. Now, they've just squandered everything, put the U.S. and all of our allies in danger, because "the tide of war is receding" bullshit.

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.