Africa's Ebola Virus Only a Plane Ride Away from U.S.A.

At USA Today, "EBOLA VIRUS RAPIDLY SPREADING IN WEST AFRICA."

Ebola, which is spreading wildly in West Africa, is just a plane ride away: http://t.co/jFYYG7oNqQ (Youssouf Bah, AP) pic.twitter.com/Bi5vQFLPac

— USA TODAY (@USATODAY) July 29, 2014

Naftali Bennett: IDF Operation 'Ripping Hamas Apart'

At Arutz Sheva, "Bennett: IDF Operation Must Bring Hamas 'To Their Knees'":

Economics Minister says war with Gaza terrorists 'ripping Hamas apart' and must go all the way; urges public to support PM's efforts.

Earlier Tuesday Bennett linked Israel's war with Hamas and Islamic jihad to the wider struggle against radical Islam.

“Radical Islam seeks to erase the Jewish state from the face of the earth,” he explained. “They do not seek a strip of land or a Palestinian state. Only our annihilation. [Ayatollah] Khamenei in Iran. Nasrallah in Lebanon. Haniyeh in Gaza. Meshaal in Qatar. All of the jihadist arms that are waiting to see how we respond."

Nick Slams Andi for 'Making Love to Him' on Bachelorette Final Rose (VIDEO)

I never liked Andi after last season's the Bachelor with Juan Pablo. She seems like a bitch to me. But my wife wanted to see this season's finale of the Bachelorette, and it took a dishy turn when Nick called her out for having no-commitment sex.

At Us Magazine, "VIDEO: Bachelorette After the Final Rose Recap: Andi Dorfman's Runner-Up Confronts Her About "Making Love" to Him."

shoutout to nick for throwing andi under the bus on after the final rose 👏 #attaboy

— bri dempsey (@bri_not_bree) July 29, 2014

Sarah Palin Launches Her Own Television Channel

At the Los Angeles Times, "Sarah Palin launches online channel."

Democrat Natalie Tenant Turns Out the Lights at the Obama White House: 'Where do they think their electricity comes from?'

From Chris Cillizza, at the Washington Post, "One of the most anti-Obama ads of the election is being run by a Democrat in West Virginia."

It's not easy being a Democrat in West Virginia these days. President Obama is deeply unpopular in the state -- thanks, at least in part, to his recent push to cut emissions at coal plants. Natalie Tennant, the party's longshot nominee for the state's open Senate seat knows it-- and in her first ad of the campaign she is doing everything she can to make clear she and Obama aren't too friendly...

And from Patricia Murphy, a the Daily Beast, "Red State Democrats Ditch Obama":

In West Virginia Senate candidate Natalie Tennant’s latest ad, she hits a switch, plunges the White House into darkness, and promises, “I’ll make sure President Obama gets the message” on the importance of the West Virginia coal industry to the rest to the rest of the country.

But what Tennant does not mention is that she is a Democrat running to replace retiring Sen. Jay Rockefeller, a detail probably best left unsaid in a state where President Obama’s latest approval rating was just 25 percent, the second-lowest of any state in the country...

Ouch.

'The Military Occupation of Gaza Can Continue Until the Military Threat Is Over...'

A great commentary from Alan Dershowitz.

And why is Marc Lamont Hill still on TV? God, I don't think I've ever heard him say an intelligent thing. And screw Peter Beinart. He's a freakin' embarrassment to decency. No, to humanity. Sheesh.

ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Apologizes for 'Provocation' Comments (VIDEO)

Truth Revolt reports:

Friday Stephen A. Smith made the grave mistake of attempting to discuss domestic violence as a male on live television, cautioning against coming to conclusions about Ray Rice’s apparent abuse of his then-fiancé, now-wife without full knowledge of the event.

“In Ray Rice’s case, he probably deserves more than a two-game suspension, which we both acknowledged,” said Smith. “But at the same time, we also have to make sure that we learn as much as we can about elements of provocation. Not that there’s real provocation, but the elements of provocation...”

And at the Other McCain, "An Ill-Advised Apology":

This is another sad example of the harmful impact of feminism’s totalitarian impulse to suppress dissent. Anyone who has seriously studied domestic violence knows that, in many cases, bad relationships are characterized by toxic emotions on both sides. You’ve got two people with uncontrollable tempers — often drugs or alcohol are involved, and often one or both partners were raised in households where abuse and violence were a problem — and when they get into an argument, the argument turns into a physical fight.

Doesn’t anybody watch C*O*P*S? The police show up in response to a domestic disturbance call, and they encounter the scruffy tattooed brute and his foul-mouthed tattooed live-in girlfriend.
Both of them are bad drunk, and the police have to question them separately to try to figure out what actually  happened: How did it start? Who hit who? Each partner points the finger of blame at the other, and the police have to sort out the evidence and testimony. Has one or the other partner got a bruise or a busted lip? Does one of them admit doing something that can be considered assault?

Most of the time, it’s the guy who gets handcuffed and put in the back of the patrol car, but as you watch these  C*O*P*S episodes — unedited, unstaged — quite often your sympathy for the female victim is tempered by the fact that (a) she had, after all, chosen to move in with this wretched boyfriend, and (b) she’s not exactly a meek and helpless type. She’s drunk, she’s got a Marlboro hanging out of her mouth, and she’s cussing like a sailor. Lowlife women have a habit of gravitating toward lowlife men, and the fact that their relationships are fraught with ugly violence is an unfortunate but predictable reality. It is what it is.

Here's the "offending" segment: "Stephen A. Smith to Women: ‘Don’t Do Anything to Provoke’ Men Into Beating You."

Michelle Nunn Campaign Strategy Memo

Well, this is interesting.

At the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Embarrassing leaked campaign memo spells out Nunn's strategies, vulnerabilities."

And at National Review, which first reported on the memo, "Michelle Nunn’s Campaign Plan." A Scribd version of the memo is at the link. (Via Memeorandum.)

William Jacobson has an analysis, at Legal Insurrection, "Michelle Nunn’s Campaign Plan is “Confidential, Proprietary,” and 100% on the Internet."

Michelle Nunn is a terrible candidate. And her opponent David Perdue is a very formidable Republican who comes from a respected family with a long line of political experience and elected office.

And Michelle Nunn is supposed to be one of the Democrats' best shots to pick up a Republican-held seat? Good luck with that.

100 Years Ago Today: Austria-Hungary Declares War on Serbia

When I was going to sleep last night, actually early this morning because it was after Midnight, I noticed it was July 28th, and I thought about that for second. One hundred years ago. Wasn't that the start of World War One? Then I googled it: July 28 1914. Nothing dramatic at the results, besides a few newspapers with WWI coverage.

Then this morning, after I got up and starting web surfing, I checked over at RealClearHistory for more. Seen there:

* Samuel Chi, "Top 10 Battles of World War I."
* David Reynolds, "How WWI Shaped Our World."
* Alan Taylor, "The Great War: A History in Photos."

Plus, commentary at Grim's Hall, "100 Years ago today..."

I'll have more blogging later...

Monday #Rule5

Well, here's a babe-blogging break from all the global "tranquility."

At Theo Spark, "Benghazi Black Friday Bedtime Totty..."

Also at Blackmailers Don't Shoot, "Rule 5 in Honor of Comic-Con 2014."

And Dana Pico, "Rule 5 Blogging: Hot Active Duty Babes!"

At the Other McCain, "Rule 5 Sunday: Mind the Gap."

90 Miles, "Morning Mistress."

And at Daley Gator, "DALEYBABE ERIN KARPLUCK."

Your Crazy Uncle Bubba, "Face Time!"

The Daily Smug, "William F Buckley Jr & Saul Alinsky - Mobilizing the Poor."

And SDA, "An Exceptionally Long Strike on Canada's Left Coast."

At Soylent, "Bath Night Bubblicious."

Bob Belvedere, "Rule 5 Flashback: Sarah Willis."

See the Nug, "Hot Girls at Random!"

At Drunken Stepfather, "JESSICA LOWNDES SELF SHOT BIKINI SHOOT OF THE DAY."

And Pirate's Cove, "If All You See……is a horrible flooded Earth due to Someone Else using a hair dryer, you might just be a Warmist."

The Hostages, "Big Boob Friday."

At Doubletroubletwo, "Random Hotties ... Enjoy :-)."

Knuckledraggin', "Guess which girl will never drown."

Odie has, "More Blondishness ~OR~ Rule 5 Woodsterman Style."

And from Proof, "Friday Night Babe: Coco Ho!"

See the Chive, "Turn that frown upside down, we’ll Find Her (38 Photos)."

And at Egotastic!, "Jessica Alba Wins Comic-Con Hottest Looker (She Wins Hottest Looker Everywhere)."

VIDEO: Five IDF Soldiers Killed in Gaza as Netanyahu Rejects U.N./Hamas Cease-Fire Call

At the Jerusalem Post, "Five IDF soldiers killed in Gaza as army death toll rises to 48."

Also at Arutz Sheva, "Names of Four Killed Soldiers Released," the Times of Israel, "4 soldiers killed in mortar attack, as PM says Gaza op goes on, vows to counter tunnels."

Four soldiers were killed by a mortar shell. A fifth died while fighting inside Gaza.

Poll: Young People Say Israel 'More to Blame' for Gaza War, Leftists Torn Between Israel and Hamas!

Young people are completely FUBAR, with almost 3-in-10 saying Israel is to blame:

Among Americans under 30, 29% say Israel is most responsible for the current violence compared with 21% who blame Hamas. Pluralities of all other age groups lay more blame for the violence with Hamas, than Israel.

Of course, conservatives and independents put the blame squarely where it belongs: on Hamas.

At Pew, "Hamas Seen as More to Blame Than Israel for Current Violence: Deep Partisan Divide in Reactions to Mideast Fighting."

Polarized reactions to Mideast conflict: 60% of Reps say Hamas is mostly responsible for violence vs 29% of Dems. http://t.co/KKrgR206iZ
— Carroll Doherty (@CarrollDoherty) July 28, 2014

And those poor leftists are torn --- torn! --- between blaming Israel and Hamas:

Liberal Democrats are evenly divided with 30% blaming Israel for the violence and 30% blaming Hamas. Conservative Republicans give more blame to Hamas than Israel by a wide 70%-6% margin.

PHOTOS: Hamas' Useful Idiots Stage 'Die-In' Protest Against Boeing in Seattle

These idiots might as well go to Gaza, where Hamas would use them as human shields.

At KING 5 News Seattle, "Israel protesters conduct 'die-in' outside Boeing."

And on Twitter:

Jewish activists blocking @Boeing HQ in protest of #Gaza massacre covered on @KIRO7Seattle : http://t.co/zQHgwtG1Yh

— Liza (@lizaveta9) July 28, 2014

Pro-#Palestinian protesters stage 'die-in' outside Seattle #Boeing offices http://t.co/pK8ZaFdFrX #Israel #Gaza pic.twitter.com/ffRptmB06z

— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) July 28, 2014

Protesters dressed all in black have been lying in the road to prevent access to the Boeing parking lot. http://t.co/eB7Mp42wO8

— The Stranger (@strangerslog) July 28, 2014

Three hours locked down outside war-profiteer Boeing in Seattle. We stand with #Gaza. #BDSBoeing pic.twitter.com/tbU9154m5u

— JVP-Seattle (@JVPSeattle) July 28, 2014

Stop the one-sided war of death and destruction. Solidarity to #gaza from Seattle. #BDSBoeing #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/lGFUBQR7Cs

— JVP-Seattle (@JVPSeattle) July 28, 2014

Protest and blockade of Boeing by Jewish Voice for Peace. #bdsboeing #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/n2ocbNo0JV

— Alex Garland (@AGarlandPhoto) July 28, 2014

People locked together blocking entrance to Tukwila Boeing facility involved in manufacture of weapons used in Gaza pic.twitter.com/xOEbRxKUMs

— Ansel (@Ansel) July 28, 2014

Brave @JVPSeattle & allies locked down to stop Israeli war machine. Boeing profits from war on civilians #bdsboeing pic.twitter.com/KYwrh9DBFJ

— Matt Weiner (@walkingbassist) July 28, 2014

For real peace take the profit of out violence. #bdsboeing #bds #gaza pic.twitter.com/krFwbCVxWT

— Matt Weiner (@walkingbassist) July 28, 2014

.@JVPSeattle says: Stop killing civilians now. #bdsboeing #bds #GazaUnderAttack pic.twitter.com/SFDGipzvqg

— Matt Weiner (@walkingbassist) July 28, 2014

Caroline Glick: John Kerry Pushing Hamas Cease-Fire Proposal While Waging Economic Warfare on Israel

Man, she's on fire. Secretary Kerry is pushing as "a cease-fire that allows Hamas to regroup."

She will get your blood boiling.

Stay with the video. Caroline's the best! The left is "opposed to Israel's existence."

My Capitol Hill briefing last Friday on war in Gaza and significance for regional events and Israeli strategy. https://t.co/xjY9kk2qSm

— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) July 28, 2014

Caroline Glick Interview on Steve Malzberg Show

Caroline comments on John Kerry's "incredible contempt for Israel."

Interview on Steve Malzberg show yesterday on the new war against Israel and John Kerry's contempt for Israel. https://t.co/GryX4KHB3U

— Caroline Glick (@CarolineGlick) July 23, 2014

CBS News/New York Times Battleground Tracker: Republicans Positioned to Take Senate in November

100 days out. That's the mantra this week as we're just over three months away from the November election, and the consensus view is that the GOP is well-positioned to take the Senate, although a number of races are extremely tight and things could change.

At CBS News, "Republicans narrowly favored to capture Senate in November."

Dr. Gina Gentry Loudon's 18-Year-Old Daughter Lyda Loudon Dating 57-Year Old 'Ray Donovan' Star Steven Bauer

Hat Tip: Wombat Socho at the Other McCain, "LIVE AT FIVE: 07.28.14."

At Us Magazine:

ICYMI: 57-year-old Scarface actor Steven Bauer is dating 18-year-old Lyda Loudon http://t.co/sIIByzont3 pic.twitter.com/aHuCFi0BzT
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) July 28, 2014

She's the daughter of Dr. Gina Loudon, of whom I've had some disappointment of late. Recall, "#Murrieta Protesters @CassandraRules and @BeautifulChaosJ Spew Lies and Hatred, Not 'Civility'."

My 18-year-old son was shaking his head, saying, "I'm all for freedom." So there's that.

#GOP Senate Prospects Brighten: Strong Candidates, Obama's Sagging Approval Expand Party's Map

At the Wall Street Journal, "Prospects Brighten for Republicans to Reclaim a Senate Majority" (via Google):

With 100 days to go until the midterm election, unexpectedly strong bids by several Republican candidates and President Barack Obama's continued sagging approval ratings are boosting GOP chances of capturing a Senate majority.

A battery of recent polling shows Republican candidates mounting competitive bids for at least 10 Senate seats now held by Democrats, including in Iowa and Colorado, states that have been leaning Democratic in recent years. Many Republican candidates have narrowed their opponents' fundraising advantage, according to the latest campaign-finance reports. And a series of international crises has dealt the president some of the lowest approval marks of his second term, weighing on his party's candidates.

"A lot of times, a party has to run an inside-straight to win the majority," said Stuart Rothenberg, editor of the nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report who handicaps congressional campaigns. "Instead of having five cards in their hand, the Republicans have about 10."

The GOP needs a net gain of six seats for a majority in the Senate, which now has 55 Democrats and allied independents. Republicans have long been expected to contest seven Democratic-held seats in states that voted for Mitt Romney in 2012. But now the GOP is also waging solid campaigns in at least three states that backed Mr. Obama.

Still, Democratic incumbents have remained resilient after weathering millions of dollars in negative advertising. North Carolina Sen. Kay Hagan, for example, holds a narrow lead in publicly available polling after absorbing $18 million in negative ads, far more than the amount spent on ads supporting her, her campaign said. Democratic prospects also are making serious bids for Republican seats in Georgia and Kentucky, the only two GOP-held seats that are thought to be possible Democratic pickups this year.

But Republicans are favored to win Democratic seats in Montana, South Dakota and West Virginia, and GOP challengers are pushing incumbent Democrats to the brink in Alaska, Arkansas and Louisiana, as well as North Carolina. Races for Democratic seats in Colorado and Iowa are now genuine tossups, with some analysts saying the same of Michigan.

This year's map clearly favors the GOP even as Democrats continue to lead on the question of which party Americans would rather see control Congress, according to a compilation of polls by the website Real Clear Politics. The Republican Party also remains far less popular than the president or the Democratic Party, public-opinion surveys show, particularly among women.

But Republicans this year are betting on an anti-Obama message, linking Democratic candidates to a president who is unpopular in many of the battleground states. Democrats, meanwhile, are doing what incumbents typically do when facing a negative election environment: building campaigns around local issues and reminding voters of all the things they do in Washington to help people back home.

Republicans have been here before. In each of the past two elections, the party failed to capitalize on a favorable map to recapture the majority. And to win this year, Republicans would likely have to do something the party hasn't done since 1980: beat more than two incumbents.

Sitting Democratic senators in the four most competitive battlegrounds—Alaska, Arkansas, Louisiana and North Carolina—remain at risk but carry financial advantages and, in three cases, family names that are identified with long service to the state. Polls show close contests in each race, and all four Democrats ended June with more money in their campaign accounts than the Republicans running against them, according to Federal Election Commission data.

"All of these red-state Democrats knew they would have difficult campaigns. They've prepared for difficult campaigns, and they're all experienced politicians," said Democratic pollster Mark Mellman, who is working for Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu. "They all have a path to win."

By the end of June, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee had raised $25 million more than its Republican counterpart, allowing the committee to spend freely on television ads and turnout opeartions. Democrats in seven of the 10 most competitive races also ended June with more money than their Republican rivals.

But the edge is diminishing in some states. In Colorado, where Democratic Sen. Mark Udall is defending his seat, Republican Rep. Cory Gardner trails in cash on hand by $2.3 million, according to campaign-finance reports. That gap is smaller than the $3.8 million lead that Mr. Udall held at the end of March.

There's a great graphic at the click through.

It think they'll do it. Republicans will take the Senate. They'll at least get the six seats needed for the majority. And if current events continue to dog the president, I expect they'll get more than that. The only bummer here is that Kay Hagan's looking stronger than I'd hoped for, but what can you do? It's gonna be good.

PREVIOUSLY: "Odds of a GOP Wave."

Professor Fernando Guerra: Local Governments Step Up as Obama Has "No Coherent Policy' on Border Invasion

I've never met him, but Dr. Guerra's a Professor of Political Science and the Director of the Thomas and Dorothy Leavey Center for the Study of Los Angeles at Loyola Marymount University.

He's got a good analysis --- especially on Obama's FUBAR border (non)policy --- although I disagree on the impact of the border invasion on the political mobilization of parties' core constituencies. Sure, the Republican base is already fired up, but I don't see how the border invasion increases Democrat Party mobilization. The Dems already have a huge enthusiasm gap going into November. And polls have shown a significant increase in support for greater border security, a trend that's put the Democrats on the defensive. See National Journal, "Immigration Isn't A Slam-Dunk Issue for Democrats Anymore."

But we'll see.



Also, at NewsMax, this sounds about right to me, "Dick Morris: Border Crisis Could 'Wipe Out' Democrats in Midterms."

Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism: A Global Contagion of Hatred Is Now Breaking; It's Fully Encapsulated by the Left

The global left right now is engaged it what is being called the most violent campaign of anti-Semitism since the 1930s.

I've been on top of these developments for weeks, as has Professor William Jacobson. See, "Anti-Semitism on open display in the name of anti-Zionism."

Meanwhile, that ghastly hate-driven troll Walter James Casper tweets a defense of the global left's anti-Semitism. As always with Repsac hate-troll, it's just "a few bad apples," as it always is when the left's hatred and ideological violence is on display.

Of course Repsac's a liar. Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism. The global campaign is anti-Jew, because no other state is singled out for the same demonization and deligitimation as Israel. Apartheid exists literally across the Arab world, but only Israel is attacked as an "apartheid state." No other country in the world is subject to an ongoing genocidal campaign of extermination. If you're on the side of the global left, you're on the side of the left's hoped-for Holocaust.

It's anti-Semitism straight up, and Repsac3's down with it:

Disagreeing with 1+ Israelis because of what they do (as opposed to who they are) does NOT make one an anti-Semite. pic.twitter.com/aDi3Mg6pYj

— W. James Casper (@repsac3) July 18, 2014