Home Of The Free
Trump/Pence are winning so much they don't have enough hours in the day. Now they are winning at 3:00 AM!
It was an incredible sight to see Kim Hak Song, Kim Dong Chul, and Kim Sang Duk -- U.S. citizens freed from North Korea -- being welcomed home by President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Pence and Mrs. Pence in the wee hours of the morning.
You'd have to be a raw partisan to not feel joy and a sense of thankfulness to the president of the United States for securing their freedom. These men certainly made their gratitude clear. When they were released, they issued this statement:
"We would like to express our deep appreciation to the United States government, President Trump, Secretary Pompeo, and the people of the United States for bringing us home. We thank God, and all our families and friends who prayed for us and for our return. God Bless America, the greatest nation in the world."
I guarantee you these men will not be taking a knee during our national anthem!
So far, at least 14 American hostages have been freed during Trump's presidency.
The most notable prisoner brought home under Obama was Bowe Bergdahl, an Army deserter who abandoned his post in Afghanistan. He was court martialed and dishonorably discharged.
As we celebrate today's return of three Americans from North Korea, I believe it is important to remember Otto Warmbier and his parents. In the eight years before Donald Trump, Obama was pursuing so-called "strategic patience" with North Korea.
While we kept waiting and doing nothing, North Korea kept pursuing a nuclear weapons program. And during the Obama years, Otto Warmbier was subjected to unimaginable abuse. Sadly, he came home with brain damage and died soon afterwards. But at least Donald Trump got him home.
As for the upcoming summit with North Korea, I can't think of anyone better to be at the table negotiating with Kim Jong Un than the president we have now.
Trump Delivers
One of the things that I grudgingly admired about Barack Obama was that he was "all in" on his agenda. He didn't get tunnel vision. He did not allow "business as usual" in Washington to limit his "to do list."
The Obama Administration was often doing ten things at once. It was attacking on every front, frequently leaving opponents shell shocked, not knowing which way to turn next or which crisis to address first.
Donald Trump is following the same pattern. Think about it:
He withdrew from the Iranian nuclear deal.
He passed a massive tax cut.
He has freed prisoners from North Korea.
He is opening the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.
He is renegotiating NAFTA.
He is preparing for a summit on denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.
He repealed Obamacare's individual mandate.
He is sending troops to the border.
He is regularly rolling back excessive regulations.
He has nominated dozens of conservative judges, including Justice Gorsuch.
Today he announced that five top ISIS leaders have been captured.
Smearing An Honorable Man
The long knives are out today for Vice President Mike Pence. Columnist George F. Will, who once was a conservative favorite, wrote a nasty hit piece on the vice president in today's Washington Post.
I won't dignify Will's remarks by quoting them directly. His main point, however, appears to be that Vice President Pence stands too loyally with President Trump. But the real problem Will has is that he can't stand President Trump or the millions of "deplorables" in Middle America who voted for him.
The second attack today came from former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough. Referring to the Mueller investigation, the vice president told NBC, "In the interest of the country, I think it is time to wrap it up."
At least half the country agrees. In fact, according to a new CBS poll, 53% of Americans now believe the Mueller probe is "politically motivated." Only 44% think the ongoing investigation is justified.
But Scarborough, host of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," immediately suggested that Pence knows something or is implicated himself.
At 3:00 AM this morning, when "Morning Joe" and "Whiny Will" were snug in their beds, Vice President Pence was at Andrews Air Force Base, by President Trump's side, welcoming home three Americans from a North Korean gulag. Enough said.
Tehran's Tentacles Of Evil
The inherent dangers of the Iranian occupation of Syria became obvious last night. Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces fired 20 rockets at Israeli positions along the Golan Heights.
Israel hit back hard, striking more than 50 Iranian targets. Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the IDF attacks had wiped out "nearly all" Iranian military sites in Syria. He vowed that future Iranian attacks on Israel would be answered with the "strongest possible force."
Today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared:
"Iran crossed a red line and we reacted accordingly. The IDF conducted a very extensive attack on Iranian targets in Syria. . . We are in the midst of a continuous battle and our policy is clear: We will not allow Iran to entrench itself militarily in Syria. . .
"The international community needs to prevent Iran's Quds Force from entrenching itself in Syria. We need to unite to cut its tentacles of evil spreading there and everywhere."
The Times of Israel reports, "The exchange was the largest-ever direct clash between the Iranian forces and the IDF, and appeared to be the largest exchange involving Israel in Syria since the 1973 Yom Kippur War."
In Washington, the Trump Administration made it clear that America stands with Israel. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said:
"The United States condemns the Iranian regime's provocative rocket attacks from Syria against Israeli citizens, and we strongly support Israel's right to act in self-defense. The Iranian regime's deployment into Syria of offensive rocket and missile systems aimed at Israel is an unacceptable and highly dangerous development for the entire Middle East."
Vice President Mike Pence tweeted: "We stand by Israel's right of self-defense to protect its nation, its people, and its sovereignty."