2016 March 23^rd

One year ago today Senator Ted Cruz announced his bid for the presidency; it was in a speech at Liberty University. A year ago my blog was about his coming out party. Now he is the Republican establishment’s hope to beat Donald Trump for the party’s nomination as President. Some choice!

Following the massacre in Brussels, Cruz insists that he would increase police patrols in Muslem neighborhoods and “monitor” them “before they become radicalized.” Cruz has tapped Frank Gaffney as his advisor. This is the same guy that accused President Obama as being the first Muslim President and Justice Elena Kagan as supporting Sharia Law; in short he’s not altogether up on current events.

Then Trump gives us his national security advisor, Dr. Victoria Coates, whose doctorate is in art history. Dr. Coates was an advisor to Donald Rumsfeld on his recent memoir “Things Known and Unknown.” (You might remember that this Rumsfeld was the same guy who presented a birthday cake to America’s good friend Saddam Hussein in 1983.) Other than a working relationship with this hawkish former Secretary of Defense, Coates has no background at all in military matters. So for their prime counsellors on military defense, Donald Trump tells us that he “is speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain.” The other prime Republican Presidential candidate, Cruz, will rely on an art historian….And now onwards and upwards dear friends!

This morning Joe Scarborough was in a prolonged fit of pique. His angst was, once again about President Obama who had the temerity to stay in Cuba watching a baseball game even after the awful events in Brussels. (There was an insult comic named Don Rickles who, on seeing Frank Sinatra in his audience, leaned across the footlights and said “Hi Frank why don’t you hit somebody?” This was seen as daring because Sinatra was known nearly as much for his belligerence as for his voice.) Scarborough was joined by “America’s Mayor” Rudy Giuliani who must always be trotted out for a viewing when there is a terrorist event against a city. Giuliani was also fulminating against the fecklessness of the President who he takes every opportunity to criticize.

It was obvious that these men thought that President Obama should have immediately returned to the White House Situation Room, alerted the 101st airborne division and invaded somebody. For Scarborough and Giuliani it wouldn’t much matter who just as long as we show we won’t put up with these attacks. Fortunately for the country Rudy Giuliani never made it past Florida in the Republican Primaries of 2008 and Joe Scarborough now coins cash as a right wing talk show host.