Tuesday, April 29, 2014

GOP senators demand explanation for Benghazi talking points

Three leading Republican senators are calling on the Obama administration to identify who briefed former U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice in advance of her Sunday show appearances where she blamed a video for the Benghazi attack.
Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., and John McCain, R-Ariz., wrote to leaders on the House and Senate Foreign Relations committees asking them to compel the administration to explain the "taking points."
In the letter first obtained by Fox News, the senators cite the recent testimony of former CIA acting and deputy director Michael Morell before the House Intelligence Committee, where he said it was Rice, not the CIA, who connected the obscure Internet video to the deadly Sept. 11, 2012 attack. 
"How could former Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, during the five Sunday talk shows on Sept. 16, 2012, claim that the attacks on our compounds were caused by a hateful video when Mr. Morell testified that the CIA never mentioned the video as a casual factor and made no reference to the video in any of the multiple versions of the talking points?" the senators wrote.
Given the CIA was not the source of the video explanation, according to Morell, lawmakers want to know whether State Department or White House personnel were involved in the Rice briefings in advance of the 2012 talk shows. 
Rice is now the president's national security adviser. Some lawmakers believe it would be difficult for Rice to now assert executive privilege because her previous job as U.N. ambassador required Senate confirmation.
In the letter, the lawmakers also questioned Rice's statements about security at the Benghazi compound that were "clearly misrepresentations of the facts."
"Ambassador Rice also falsely asserted that Al Qaeda was decimated. Who briefed her about Al Qaeda's activities in Libya?" the lawmakers wrote. 
"If we are to avoid future terrorist attacks like the one in Benghazi, we must answer these and many other unanswered questions," the senators added. 
Fox News' Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Sanctions

Political Cartoons by Jerry Holbert

Affirmative action lawyer calls Supreme Court decision on Michigan schools 'racist'

The civil rights lawyer who argued unsuccessfully before the Supreme Court to end Michigan’s affirmative action ban repeated Sunday that the high court’s decision was “racist.”
“This is a racist decision that takes us back to an era of state’s rights,” civil rights attorney Shanta Driver told “Fox News Sunday.” “This decision cannot stand.”
The high court’s 6-2 decision Tuesday upheld a voter-approved change to the Michigan Constitution in 2006 that forbids the state's public colleges to make race, gender, ethnicity or national origin a factor in college admissions.
“The old Jim Crow [law] is now the new Jim Crow.”- Shanta Driver
The basis of the case was the 1995 decision of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor to reject the application of Jennifer Gratz.
Gratz, who is white, told “Fox News Sunday” that she found it “unbelievable” that a decision that prohibits race discrimination could be perceived as “racist.”
She also said she challenged the school’s decision because it was based on “skin color,” not because her enrollment application was rejected.
Driver argued that minorities typically attend under-performing schools, which put them at a disadvantage compared to students at better, suburban schools. And minority students have less power, compared to athletes or children of alumni, for example, to get accepted into universities, she said.
“The old Jim Crow [law] is now the new Jim Crow,” Driver said.

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Will Rogers

Will Rogers once said "A remark generally hurts in proportion to its truth."

Mia Love wins GOP nomination for Utah seat

Rising Republican star Mia Love comfortably secured her party’s nomination to replace retiring Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, on Saturday, putting her one step closer to becoming the first black female Republican elected to Congress.
TheHill.com reports that the former Saratoga Springs, Utah, mayor brought in over 78 percent of the vote at the local Republican convention, with competitor Bob Fuehr coming second with approximately 22 percent of the vote.
"Mia Love has been a tireless advocate for hardworking Utah families throughout her career and will bring this same dedication to Congress,” said National Republican Congressional Committee chairman Greg Walden in a statement Saturday evening.
“With Jim Matheson's retirement, Republicans are poised to pick up this congressional seat and there is no better candidate to lead the charge than Mia Love,” the statement read.
Love, who became a national party favorite after her speech at the 2012 Republican National Convention, will face off against Democrat Doug Owens – who picked up 98 percent of the vote at the Democrat convention.
The suburban Salt Lake City district is seen by many as a likely pickup for the GOP, with presidential nominee Mitt Romney carrying the district by 37 points in 2012.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/04/26/mia-love-wins-gop-nomination-for-utah-seat/?intcmp=HPBucket 

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