Shameful Capitulation

With Senators Like These, Who Needs Mullahs?

So when Iran acquires nuclear weapons in a couple of years (which they will do easily thanks to the "deal" with the Iranian mullahs, which cleared its final hurdle in the Senate yesterday), and uses them to carry out its repeated threats to destroy Israel (and, eventually, America), there will be plenty of blame to go around. The lion's share of it will belong to President Obama, of course, since he spearheaded the drive to bring about the cherished progressive goals of ending U.S. "hegemony" in the Middle East and the end of the "apartheid" state of Israel.

But he couldn't have done it without the cooperation of Republicans in the United States Senate. And they were certainly able to sink to the occasion, enabling President Obama's deal to bypass the usual checks and balances provided for in the U.S. Constitution.

"Why yes, I am as dumb as I look. Thanks for asking!"

The genius behind this debacle is Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee. It was his
bill that reversed the usual supermajority requirement for Senate approval of international agreements.

Almost immediately after it passed, it became obvious that Senator Corker and his bill had become irrelevant to the advancement of the deal with Iran. It was barely a speed bump, in fact.




But by signing the bill into law, President Obama got what he wanted: A process which guaranteed that as few as 34 senators could ensure the deal's passage (that's the number needed to sustain an Obama veto of any deal-killing Senate resolutions). Yesterday, Senator Barbara Mikulski of Maryland (who is, conveniently, retiring and will never again have to face voters) became the 34th vote he needed.

I spent much of my life hearing that the conflict between the United States and the former Soviet Union would continue into perpetuity. It was the conventional wisdom that the Berlin Wall would never come down.

I am grateful that those predictions proved false, of course, but it makes me leery of predictions that Iran will never acquire nuclear weapons, and that even if they did they would never use them against Israel or the United States. The track record of progressive Conventional Wisdom does not inspire confidence.

I just hope that when Iran gets its nukes there is enough time to write the history of Obama's folly before the bombs start to drop...

Things That Make Me Happy: Prodigal's Return Edition

Alex hits a sacrifice fly to right to score the Royals' first run.

All-Star and Gold Glove left fielder Alex Gordon returned to the lineup for my beloved Kansas City Royals last night, his first action in the major leagues since his leg injury on July 8.




Alex was 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored, but the Royals lost the first game of this nine-game homestand, falling 6-5 to the Detroit Tigers.

"This is going to turn out to be MY fault somehow, isn't it?"

You DID use the "P" word the other day, and they haven't won a game since, so Yes, it's your fault...

Chess Update

Grandmaster Levon Aronian

The Third Annual Sinquefield Cup chess tournament wrapped up yesterday at the Chess Club and Scholastic Center of St. Louis. Former World No. 2 Grandmaster (GM) Levon Aronian of Armenia, who dropped out of the top 15 in the rankings for awhile after a terrible 2014 season, continued his recent resurgence by winning clear first place with a score of 6/9, a full point clear of the rest of the field. It was a strong performance, and Levon is back up to No. 7 in the world rankings.





World No. 1 and current World Champion GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway finished 5/9 and claimed second place on tie-breaks over U.S. GM Hikaru Nakumura, who also finished at 5/9. GM Nakumura's showing in St. Louis moved him from No. 4 to No. 2 in the world rankings. He is the highest-rated U.S. player ever, and the 7th-highest of all time.

"My future's so bright I gotta wear shades!"

A Key Part of Growing Up

From the marvelous comic strip Zits, by Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman, which you should read every day, as I do.

Until Next Time...

It won't be long before summer is officially over but it is still with us for awhile longer, and these warm days put me in mind of some great music. One such tune is "Summertime," composed by George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward for the opera Porgy and Bess, which had its Broadway debut nearly 80 years ago, on September 30, 1935.

In 1959, jazz legends Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald released their album Porgy and Bess, a recording of selected songs from Gershwin's opera. The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2001. Today's send-off is their rendition of "Summertime." Enjoy...