The Commentariat -- February 8, 2016

Afternoon Update:

Could you let go of my breast, please? -- WCBS reporter Marcia Kramer, to a Secret Service agent protecting Donald Trump, at a Manchester, New Hampshire, hotel

Ashley Parker & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: Oooh! Marco Rubio & MSNBC host Joe Scarborough are having a feud! "In an election season marked by animosity, egos and insults, this feud ... follows two men from the swamps of Florida politics to a presidential cycle in which Mr. Rubio, 44, has emerged as a leading candidate, and Mr. Scarborough, 52, as one of his fiercest critics.... In an interview Saturday, Mr. Scarborough could not hide his disapproval of Mr. Rubio, describing him as 'programmed' and 'risk averse.' And after Mr. Rubio's debate performance on Saturday appeared to validate his critique, Mr. Scarborough took something of a victory lap. 'I've been criticized for saying Marco looks too robotic, too prepackaged, and too young,' he wrote in a text message. 'But everything I've said alone for months is now being repeated this morning by everyone else in the political world. My critiques weren't personal: they were right.'"

*****

Presidential Race

Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Bill Clinton =uncorked an extended attack on Senator Bernie Sanders on Sunday, harshly criticizing Mr. Sanders and his supporters for what he described as inaccurate and 'sexist' attacks on Hillary Clinton.... What began as a testimonial to Mrs. Clinton's leadership and a statesmanlike lecture on her approach to issues evolved into an angrier recitation of grievances against Mr. Sanders and his fervent supporters." ...

     ... Annie Karni of Politico has more on Bill Clinton's attack on Sanders. ...

     ... Greg Sargent: "... one has to hope this latest episode is not a harbinger of more to come along the lines of what we saw in 2008. Hillary and her campaign have worked hard to avoid being tagged as the establishment candidate who believes she's entitled to a coronation.... But if the goal is to dispel that narrative, it won't be helpful to have an ex-president who also happens to be your husband angrily ridiculing and belittling the appeal of a spirited challenger who has engaged millions of young voters into the political process in a way you haven't." ...

... Steve Friess of the Washington Post: "... Hillary Clinton made a quick detour Sunday afternoon from the campaign trail in New Hampshire to express her outrage directly to the residents of ... [Flint, Michigan,] over the scandal that poisoned their municipal water supply.... She takes credit for goading the Republican governor to accept federal help...." ...

... Chas Danner of New York: "The Democratic National Committee and host CNN announced on Sunday that the March 6 Democratic debate between Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will be held in Flint, Michigan. The choice is meant to draw attention to the plight of the city...."

... Alan Yuhas of the Guardian: "The feminist writer Gloria Steinem apologized on Sunday for remarks about young women who support Bernie Sanders, not long after Hillary Clinton defended Madeleine Albright over her comment that there is 'a special place in hell' for women who do not support Clinton. Steinem posted her apology to Facebook, writing that she 'misspoke' on Friday when ... [she] said women 'get more activist as they grow older. And when you're younger, you think: "Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie."'... 'Madeline has been saying this for many, many years,' Clinton said [on "Meet the Press" Sunday]. 'She believes it firmly, in part because she knows what a struggle it has been, and she understands the struggle is not over.'" ...

... Greg Grandin of the Nation on Hillary Clinton's long, friendly relationship with Henry Kissinger, the architect of policies that led to "3, maybe 4 million deaths." One thing to bear in mind is that diplomats, including secretaries of state, are obliged to say nice thing about people they hold in contempt. Look at Grandin's piece for evidence of a continuation of Kissinger's policies & philosophy, not for the nice things Clinton & Kissinger have said to & about one another.

Andy Borowitz: "Scandal rocked Bernie Sanders's Presidential campaign on Friday as the candidate was forced to admit that he received free checking from several big banks."

Bradford Richardson of the Hill: "The Iowa Democratic Party on Sunday updated the results of the Iowa caucuses after discovering discrepancies in the tallies at five precincts, but the final outcome remains unchanged.... Hillary Clinton still places first in the caucuses with 700.47 state delegate equivalents, or 49.84 percent, the party said in a statement. Primary rival Bernie Sanders comes in second with 696.92 state delegate equivalents, or 49.59 percent. The total net change gives Sanders an additional 0.1053 state delegate equivalents and strips Clinton of 0.122 state delegate equivalents. Former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, who dropped out of the race after the caucuses, also received an additional 0.0167 state equivalent delegates."

CW: Somewhere in this great land, possibly in New Hampshire corner of it, the Marco puppetmaster, whoever he may be, is kicking himself for telling Marco, "Whatever happens in the debate, stay on message." ...

... Philip Rucker & Robert Costa of the Washington Post: Marco Rubio's "GOP rivals argued Sunday that the debate undercut the central case for Rubio's candidacy -- that his political agility and youthful, charismatic persona make him best positioned to challenge the Democratic nominee. And they claimed a renewed -- and seemingly justifiable -- rationale to soldier on past New Hampshire, which would mean that the mainstream Republican vote would probably continue to splinter among several candidates."

Sabrina Siddiqui of the Guardian: "Marco Rubio on Sunday defended his performance in Saturday night's Republican presidential debate, in which he was widely panned for coming off as scripted in a tense exchange with Chris Christie.... 'Actually, I would pay them to keep running that clip, because that's what I believe passionately,' Rubio said, reiterating once more his point about Obama deliberately harming the country." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... There's No There There There. CW: Here's what Marco Marco Marco doesn't get or is pretending he doesn't get): if your schtick is to accuse the POTUS of subversive activity or whatever, then you have to find more than one way to say it; you have do say he did this & he wants to do that. You have to have some facts or at least some made-up crap to back up your assertion. All MMM has is a couple of canned applause lines asserting that President Obama is a malevolent force. A not-too-bright child can handle that (and be just as cute spouting his lines). There's no evidence that Marco even knows, beyond his prepared material, what awful things Obama is supposed to have done. ...

... "Software Glitch." Paul Krugman: "While Mr. Rubio did indeed make a fool of himself on Saturday, he wasn't the only person on that stage spouting canned talking points that are divorced from reality. They all were, even if the other candidates managed to avoid repeating themselves word for word.... The truth is that the whole G.O.P. seems stuck in a time loop, saying and doing the same things over and over. And unlike Bill Murray's character in the movie 'Groundhog Day,' Republicans show no sign of learning anything from experience.... The whole G.O.P. seems stuck in a time loop, saying and doing the same things over and over. And unlike Bill Murray's character in the movie 'Groundhog Day,' Republicans show no sign of learning anything from experience." ...

     ... CW: While he's at it, Krugman manages to praise Hillary & get in a dig at Bernie. ...

... Kevin Drum thinks Marco Marco Marco's debate performance may have ended his career. CW: He sure got a long way on platitudes & attacking absent opponents. ...

... "... Maybe His Ventriloquist Was Stuttering." Charles Pierce: "The general hilarity has tended to obscure what Rubio actually was saying. (And saying, and saying, and saying...) He was accusing the president of monumental and deliberate acts of subversion in office. This is a stunning charge, especially from a one-term pipsqueak whose memory banks jam whenever he steps an inch beyond his actual depth." CW: Haven't read that point elsewhere, & it is well-taken. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... CW: One thing Marco Marco Marco reminds us of is, if not the low intelligence quotient of our billionaire class, then the low IQ that class of greedy bastards is willing to put into the White House to endanger all Americans & everybody else who gets in our way. This isn't the first time we've been provided a stark reminder that many a billionaire is a numbskull or worse -- for some reason the 2000 election comes to mind -- but when the billionaire who has been leading the GOP presidential race has been exposed as a featherweight fascist, the favored candidate of the uber-rich has proved to be a Doofus! & big money geniuses' second runner-up is poor Johnny Johnny Johnny One-Note, it's impossible not to notice that many of those billionaires & multi-millionaires need assistants to help them put their pants on one leg at a time. ...

... AND, Once Again, the GOP Establishment Bets on a Lame Horse. Brian Beutler of the New Republic: "At Saturday night's debate, Republicans wanted Marco Rubio to soar and Donald Trump to stumble. The opposite happened."

The Apogee of the Bully. Ryan Lizza of the New Yorker: Chris "Christie was gleeful on Sunday. In the morning, he appeared on CNN's 'State of the Union' from Manchester, New Hampshire. He bumped into Hillary Clinton in the green room. They shook hands and she congratulated him on his debate performance. 'I'll see you in the fall,' Christie told her as she departed.... During a swing around [New Hampshire], Christie was throwing punches in every direction. During his ninety-minute event in Hampton, he ridiculed Donald Trump, John Kasich, Jeb Bush, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio." ...

I think that the anointment [of Rubio] is now over, so that changes the entire race.... I am ready to roll right into South Carolina. -- Chris Christie, yesterday ...

... Chrisco Made the Snowplows Run on Time. Steve M.: "But what was Christie saying here? He was saying that being required to deal with strictly domestic problems makes him more qualified to be president that a U.S. senator, even though senators deal with foreign as well as domestic policy. He was saying that getting the streets plowed is all the job experience a potential president needs." CW: Read the whole post. I haven't seen this point made elsewhere, either. But I do think Steve is right to compare Christie's "qualification" for POTUS with Scott Walker's (remember him?) well-covered gaffe in which he claimed he could handle ISIS terrorists because he had "taken on 100,000 protesters" (mostly schoolteachers!). (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... E. J. Dionne has quite a different take: "It's not clear what Christie did for his own candidacy, but he performed a service by reminding his party that running a government is serious work and ought to be respected. That this was revelatory shows how far contemporary conservatism has strayed from the essential tasks of politics."

Bradford Richardson: "Following attacks from primary rival Jeb Bush about his past use of eminent domain..., Donald Trump on Sunday accused the Bush family of using the practice to build a baseball stadium in Texas. 'Eminent domain is a very important thing,' Trump said on ABC's 'This Week.' 'Jeb Bush doesn't understand what it means, and if you look into the Bush family -- I found this five minutes ago -- they used eminent domain for the stadium in Texas, where they own, I guess, a piece of the Texas Rangers.'" ...

... CW: Here's a little history on that, from Dan McGraw of Reason (May 2005): "

One of the most famous eminent domain cases involved ... baseball's Texas Rangers, at the time owned by George W. Bush. [The Rangers] convinced local voters to approve a 1991 tax increase that helped build a new $191 million stadium. The city of Arlington used eminent domain to acquire the property from hundreds of private owners, claiming that the stadium was a 'public use.'.... Several property owners were lowballed, and court decisions increased their take. (The city, not the team, was responsible for the larger payments. The compensation for one 13-acre plot was increased from $877,000 to $5 million, for example.)

The stadium clearly benefited the Rangers' owners more than anyone else: Bush turned his initial $600,000 investment into $15 million when the team was sold in 1999. But it has produced little of the promised economic benefit to Arlington, and there has never been a real 'public use' factor aside from baseball fans' paying their money to see games.

Katie Glueck of Politico: "Ted Cruz on Sunday said he opposes requiring women to register for a potential draft, breaking with Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush and Chris Christie, all of whom indicated support for opening up the Selective Service to women during Saturday night's debate." ...

... the idea that their government would forcibly put them in a foxhole with a 220-pound psychopath trying to kill them doesn't make any sense at all. -- Ted Cruz, on forcing women, specifically his daughters, to register for a draft

CW Translation: U.S. soldiers are fat psychopaths who routinely kill American women.

CW: If you suspect a racist subtext here, I'm with you.

Other News & Opinion

AP: "President Barack Obama is asking Congress for more than $1.8 billion in emergency funding to help fight the Zika virus. In an announcement Monday, the White House said the money would be used to expand mosquito control programs, speed development of a vaccine, develop diagnostic tests and improve support for low-income pregnant women."

Michael Wines & John Schwartz of the New York Times: "The crisis in Flint, Mich., where as many as 8,000 children under age 6 were exposed to unsafe levels of lead after a budget-cutting decision to switch drinking-water sources, may be the most serious contamination threat facing the country's water supplies. But it is hardly the only one. Unsafe levels of lead have turned up in tap water in city after city -- in Durham and Greenville, N.C., in 2006; in Columbia, S.C., in 2005; and last July in Jackson, Miss., where officials waited six months to disclose the contamination -- as well as in scores of other places in recent years."

Beyond the Beltway

Sarah Kaplan of the Washington Post: "Five top officials in Crystal City, Tex., were arrested Thursday under a federal indictment accusing them of taking tens of thousands of dollars in bribes and helping the operator of an illegal gambling operation.... The indictment swept up the city's mayor, mayor pro tempore (who both have city council votes) and a council member, as well as the city manager, a former city council member and the alleged gambling operator, Ngoc Tri Nguyen.... A fourth person on the city council, Marco Rodriguez, was arrested last month on human smuggling charges."

Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "The Chicago police officer who fatally shot a black 19-year-old and an unarmed bystander in December has filed a lawsuit seeking more than $10 million in damages from the teenager's estate, an unusual legal approach based on a claim that the young man's actions leading up to the gunfire were 'atrocious' and have caused the officer 'extreme emotional trauma.'"

The Commentariat -- February 7, 2016

Afternoon Update:

Sabrina Siddiqui of the Guardian: "Marco Rubio on Sunday defended his performance in Saturday night’s Republican presidential debate, in which he was widely panned for coming off as scripted in a tense exchange with Chris Christie.... 'Actually, I would pay them to keep running that clip, because that’s what I believe passionately,' Rubio said, reiterating once more his point about Obama deliberately harming the country." ...

... "... Maybe His Ventriloquist Was Stuttering." Charles Pierce: "The general hilarity has tended to obscure what Rubio actually was saying. (And saying, and saying, and saying…) He was accusing the president of monumental and deliberate acts of subversion in office. This is a stunning charge, especially from a one-term pipsqueak whose memory banks jam whenever he steps an inch beyond his actual depth." CW: Haven't read that point elsewhere, & it is well-taken. ...

... Chrisco Made the Snowplows Run on Time. Steve M.: "But what was Christie saying here? He was saying that being required to deal with strictly domestic problems makes him more qualified to be president that a U.S. senator, even though senators deal with foreign as well as domestic policy. He was saying that getting the streets plowed is all the job experience a potential president needs." CW: Read the whole post. I haven't seen this point made elsewhere, either. But I do think Steve is right to compare Christie's "qualification" for POTUS with Scott Walker's (remember him?) well-covered gaffe in which he claimed he could handle ISIS terrorists because he had "taken on 100,000 protesters" (mostly schoolteachers!). ...

*****

Presidential Race, Infotainment Tonight Edition

Patrick Healy & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Senator Marco Rubio of Florida was hammered as callow, ambitious and lacking in accomplishment during the Republican presidential debate here on Saturday night, as Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey led an all-out assault to try to halt Mr. Rubio’s growing momentum ahead of the critical New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. Mr. Rubio ... looked rattled at times and faltered as he pushed back with scripted lines about President Obama that Mr. Christie mocked mercilessly." ...

... The New York Times' transcript of the debate is here. And here's the Washington Post's annotated transcript. ...

... Cute Talking Wind-up Doll Gets Stuck on Anti-Obama Soundbite. Michael Barbaro of the New York Times: "Mr. Christie ... derisively called Mr. Rubio nothing more than a programmed deliverer of polished-sounding lines. Seconds later, Mr. Rubio seemed to prove Mr. Christie right.... Pressed to prove that ... he had the experience and skills to be president, Mr. Rubio instead pivoted quickly to a well-rehearsed argument about President Obama’s liberal agenda.... But Mr. Christie had instructed the audience to listen for what he dismissively called the 'memorized 25-second speech,'...' When it was his turn to reply, Mr. Rubio — inexplicably — seemed to fulfill Mr. Christie’s prediction, repeating the main idea of that same memorized-sounding speech about Mr. Obama. Almost word for word.... Mr. Christie pounced. 'There it is,' he said icily, turning to Mr. Rubio and jabbing his finger at him. 'There it is, everybody.' Egged on by Mr. Christie’s mocking interruptions, the crowd began to boo Mr. Rubio." ...

... Boy in the Bubble. Philip Rucker & Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: "Rubio repeated similar phrasing two more times more during the night.... It was a difficult night for the freshman senator, who has shown himself in the previous seven debates to be an agile and prepared performer but had never faced such an onslaught from Christie and Bush":

     ... Amazing to behold. ...

... "Marco Malfunctions." McKay Coppins of BuzzFeed: "In a high-profile stumble three days out from the New Hampshire primary, a rattled-looking Marco Rubio retreated from an aggressive grilling during Saturday’s debate in a strange way: by reciting the same line at least four times.... In the post-debate spin room, rival campaigns rushed to pronounce brutal judgements of Rubio’s shaky performance.... Surrogates for both Christie and Jeb Bush, speaking on condition of anonymity, suggested Saturday night they had already heard from Rubio donors now signaling an openness to shift their allegiances just days before the primary." ...

... "Rubio Chokes." Shane Goldmacher of Politico: "Marco Rubio knew exactly what he was doing on Saturday night. Marco Rubio knew exactly what he was doing on Saturday night. Marco Rubio knew exactly what he was doing on Saturday night." ...

... Chas Danner of New York posts some Twitter reactions to Rubio's "jammed CD-Rom." ...

... "Stuck on Repeat." Steven Shepard of Politico: "Marco Rubio was stuck on repeat Saturday night, and it threatens his momentum in the New Hampshire primary. The Politico Caucus – a panel of operatives, strategists and activists in the early-nominating states – overwhelmingly judged Rubio the loser of the final debate before the first-in-the-nation primary." ...

... Elias Isquith of Salon: "... perhaps more than any other single traditional element of a presidential campaign, the response to debates — especially primary debates, and especially primary debates on a Saturday night — is influenced by the media. Sometimes it’s a negative influence, granted.... And the media, I promise you, is going to be obsessed with this first, most dramatic Christie-Rubio confrontation. Because not only does it make for good television and good copy..., but it’ll make for great late night jokes and 'Saturday Night Live' skits, too. That’s thanks, in part, to its already fitting a pre-established narrative. Christie, the bully you like despite yourself; Rubio, the young, handsome and über-ambitious empty suit.... If nothing else, it showed that professional bullies like Chris Christie can provide a valuable public service every now and then."...

... Steve M., writing before the debate, opined that the media would pull Rubio through, "in large part because the mainstream media hates both Democratic candidates and will embrace Rubio as a likable fratboy-turned-dad, just the way the press embraced George W. Bush in 2000." Steve relied on a hagiographic piece by Barbaro & Jeremy Peters of the Times. CW: Maybe Marco's debate performance shattered the media's man-crush. Barbaro, at any rate, seemed to take a bit of reportorial glee in Marco's big fail. For the moment, at least. On the other hand, political reporters, more than poets (sorry, T. S. Eliot )have an urgent mandate to "make it new," so after this round of Marco-guffawing, we may encounter a period of "he's alive!" stories, particularly if Marco does all right in the New Hampshire primary, followed by the fawning coverage Steve predicted. ...

... Rucker & Kranish, Ctd. "Asked by co-moderator David Muir whether he supported the use of eminent domain, [Donald] Trump said that he did. 'The Keystone Pipeline, without eminent domain, it wouldn’t go 10 feet, okay? You need eminent domain,' Trump said, adding that 'without eminent domain, you don’t have roads, highways, schools, bridges or anything.' But [Jeb!] Bush interjected to call out Trump for blurring the differences between eminent domain for public and private use. 'What Donald Trump did was use eminent domain to try to take the property of an elderly woman on the strip in Atlantic City,' Bush charged. 'That is not public purpose. That is downright wrong.' From there, Trump and Bush shouted over each other.... Belittling Bush, Trump held his index finger over his lips and said, 'Let me talk. Quiet.' The audience booed Trump":

CNN's Tom Foreman has had enough of Ted Cruz's lie:

... Not Ready for Prime Time. The intro was hilarious:

Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "It’s the final Republican presidential debate before voters in New Hampshire head to the polls on Tuesday. Donald J. Trump has decided to take part. Carly Fiorina has been excluded. Since the most recent debate last week, the Republican race has been reordered by the results in the Iowa caucuses, with Senator Marco Rubio on the rise, Gov. Chris Christie on the ropes and Mr. Trump fighting to stay atop the polls. Here’s how to tune in to the Saturday night action.... ABC will air the debate on its network with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern time and the candidates taking the stage about 15 minutes later." ...

... CW: As part of my personal anger management program, I'll wait & read all about it in the late-night editions. I admire those of you who have the fortitude to watch & listen without wrecking stuff around the house. Realty Chex Courage Awards to those of you whose teevees are still intact at the end of the debate. ...

Kyle Cheney of Politico on the "11 most explosive moments of the GOP debate."

Fiorina's Revenge:

Alex Isenstadt of Politico: "Many donors and influential supporters [of Jeb!], bound by a deep and longstanding connection to the patrician clan, say they will remain with Bush no matter what. Yet others, deeply distressed by the rise of Donald Trump and Ted Cruz and eager for the Republican Party to rally around a mainstream candidate with viability, say they have come to terms with Bush’s long odds and the possibility they will eventually get behind someone else."

"Gloria Steinem and Madeleine Albright Scold Young Women Backing Bernie Sanders." Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "While introducing Mrs. Clinton at a rally in New Hampshire on Saturday, Madeleine Albright, the first female secretary of state, talked about the importance of electing the first female president. In a dig at the 'revolution' that Mr. Sanders often speaks of, she said that the first female commander in chief would be a true revolution. And she scolded any woman who felt otherwise.... Explaining how women tend to become more active in politics as they become older, [Gloria Steinem] suggested younger women were just backing Mr. Sanders so that they could meet young men. 'When you’re young, you’re thinking, "Where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie,"’ Ms. Steinem said.... [Bill] Maher recoiled. 'Oh. Now if I said that, "They’re for Bernie because that’s where the boys are," you’d swat me.'”

Women are more for [Clinton] than men are.... First of all, women get more radical as we get older, because we experience.... Not to over-generalize, but ... men tend to get more conservative because they gain power as they age, women get more radical because they lose power as they age. And, when you’re young, you’re thinking, where are the boys? The boys are with Bernie.... -- Gloria Steinem, Friday

... chalking young women’s politics up to their desire to meet boys actually is a profoundly sexist thing to do. (It’s also the case that people don’t appear to radicalize, or change much at all politically, strictly due to age.) It’s just too bad that insight had to come from Bill Maher instead of Gloria Steinem.... If Steinem has radicalized with age, her remarks about young women’s politics certainly don’t show it. -- Elizabeth Bruenig of the New Republic

... Tone-Deaf. Janell Ross of the Washington Post: "... despite the predictability of ... [some major criticisms of Hillary Clinton], she often responds to questions and critiques of them in precisely the wrong way. Many times, it seems that Clinton makes them worse -- even far worse. Clinton has, since almost the start of her 2016 presidential campaign, demonstrated a remarkable capacity to escalate rather than effectively address or resolve any question, critique or challenge if the matter at issue is about her." ...

... David Herszenhorn of the New York Times: "Emails released last week by the State Department that were found on Mrs. Clinton’s private server show that she was keenly interested in the administration’s push to win passage of the health care law.... The email messages show that throughout the fall of 2009, as the health care push entered a decisive phase, Mrs. Clinton lobbied some members of Congress for votes and even debated sometimes-esoteric policy proposals with aides, some of whom had worked with her in the White House when she was first lady.... Congressional officials who worked on the Affordable Care Act said that Mrs. Clinton was an important and effective advocate." ...

... Maureen Dowd, Well-Paid Professional Clinton-Basher, does a relatively even-handed (for MoDo) job of bashing Hillary Clinton in Sunday's column: "Bernie Sanders may be a dead ringer for Larry David, but Hillary is running the 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' campaign. She can’t fire up young voters by dwelling on what can’t be done in Washington and by explaining that she’s more prose than poetry." ...

... Conservo-columnist Kathleen Parker of the Washington Post: "As speaking fees go, Hillary Clinton’s allegedly scandalous $200,000 per engagement is chump change compared with Donald Trump’s $1.5 million." One problem with Parker's argument: besides Trump & Chelsea Clinton, the other well-paid speakers she cites are former government bigwigs. This is not to suggest that they have no influence over government affairs, but at least they have to lobby in one way or another to get their preferences enacted into laws or woven into regulations. Moreover, I don't think Clinton would get far with the argument, "I'm at least as ethical as Donald Trump."

Bernie initially came out like this was a Republican attack and was extremely defensive about it.... [Sanders’] impulse is to stick up for the little guy — and the V.A. serves a lot of little guys. But he is no dummy. He quickly realized the V.A. was lying, and he turned right around and was all over them. -- Dr. Sam Foote, one of the primary whistleblowers of V.A. hospital delays ...

... Steve Eder & Dave Philipps of the New York Times: "Despite mounting evidence of trouble at the Department of Veterans Affairs, Senator Bernie Sanders, then the chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, initially regarded the complaints as overblown, and as a play by conservatives to weaken one of the country’s largest social welfare institutions.... Mr. Sanders eventually changed course, becoming critical of the agency and ultimately joining with Senator John McCain, the Arizona Republican, and other colleagues to draft a bipartisan bill to try to fix the veterans health care waiting list.... But a review of his record in the job also shows that in a moment of crisis, his deep-seated faith in the fundamental goodness of government blinded him, at least at first, to a dangerous breakdown in the one corner of it he was supposed to police.... Mr. Sanders, who had served on the committee for six years before he became its head, was quick to defend the agency and slow to aggressively question V.A. officials and demand accountability. His major objective as chairman was to expand the menu of veterans benefits." ...

... Finally, a convincing explanation of why Bernie lost Iowa by .2 percent:

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Jordan Sargent of Gawker: "On the night that the Republican debate in New Hampshire opened with the candidates unable to follow basic instructions, the liberal end of the political spectrum offered up something that at least aimed to be intentionally funny: Bernie Sanders’ expected cameo next to his new impersonator, tonight’s SNL host Larry David":

... CW: I've marveled at President Obama's ability to do comedy (it ain't as easy as it looks), but Sanders has got talent, too. ...

... Sam Frizell of Time: "At the end of their screen time together, David turns to Sanders and asks him how the campaigning in New Hampshire is going. Sanders repeats David’s signature Curb Your Enthusiasm line. 'It’s pretty, pretty, pretty good'....”

Beyond the Beltway

Anne Blythe, et al., of the (Raleigh) News & Observer: "A federal court panel ruled late Friday that two of North Carolina’s 13 congressional districts were racially gerrymandered and must be redrawn within two weeks, sparking uncertainty about whether the March primary elections can proceed as planned. An order from a three-judge panel bars elections in North Carolina’s 1st and 12th congressional districts until new maps are approved. Challengers of North Carolina’s 2011 redistricting plan quickly praised the ruling, while legislators who helped design the maps said they were disappointed and promised a quick appeal."

If President Trump finds himself seeking some like-minded Supreme Court nominees, he need look no further than the Wisconsin State Supreme Court. Laboratories of democracy, my ass (foot, eye).

What you are looking at in the picture below is not a flashy display in a Rodeo Drive boutique. It is not even boxes & bags from some of the world's top luxury retailers. Nope, it is a remarkable display of l'art de fondant. It is an elaborate birthday cake:

CW: While I am only speculating, I would guess that the cake was accompanied by gifts of the real things. Who might give such gifts? Who might order such a cake? Just last week? Take it away, Scott Lemieux: "Today in the New Gilded Age, I present you with the cake Michigan’s governor, who you may remember from such hits as 'lying about my support for right-to-work laws' and 'utter indifference about the citizens of Flint being poisoned by the town’s water supply' — presented to his wife." I know there are a lot of contenders for Most Hated Person in America (Martin Shkreli, Ted Cruz), but Rick Snyder just secured his spot near the top of the pack. These people really can't see themselves as others see them.

News Ledes

New York Times: "Robin Chandler Duke, a rags-to-riches grande dame who married an ambassador and became one of America's best known advocates for women by championing reproductive rights and international family planning, died in Charleston, S.C., on Saturday. She was 92."

New York Times: "Defying warnings of tougher sanctions from Washington, North Korea launched a rocket on Sunday that Western experts believe is part of a program."

The Commentariat -- February 6, 2016

Norman Schwartz of the New York Times: "After years of scant real gains despite steadily falling unemployment and healthy hiring, wages picked up significantly last month, a sign the job market could be tightening enough to force companies to pay more to attract and retain employees. The half a percentage point increase in average hourly earnings in January was the brightest spot in a generally positive Labor Department report on Friday, which showed job creation slowing from the white-hot pace of late 2015 even as the unemployment rate fell to an eight-year low of 4.9 percent.... President Obama ... said the jobs numbers were further signs of progress":

I know that's still inconvenient for Republican stump speeches as their doom and despair tour plays in New Hampshire. I guess you cannot please everybody. -- President Obama, during yesterday's White House press briefing ...

Sarah Wheaton of Politico: "The White House delivered a low blow on Friday, accusing congressional Republicans who are denying the president a chance to pitch his budget of pulling a 'Donald Trump.' The raw feelings stem from the House and Senate Budget committees' announcement on Thursday that they won't invite Obama's budget director to Capitol Hill to discuss the administration's final several-hundred-page proposal, which is to be released on Tuesday. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Republicans' refusal to play ball was just as bad as Trump's refusal to take part in the last GOP debate after getting into a nasty spat with Fox News. 'They're just not going to show up,' Earnest said during the daily briefing, adding that the maneuver smacked of a 'Donald Trump approach' to the debate over spending priorities."

An Extraordinary Friday Afternoon Docu-dump. Charlie Savage of the New York Times: "The Pentagon on Friday released 198 photographs from detainee abuse investigations in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. The pictures, taken more than a decade ago during the Bush administration, consist largely of close-up views of scrapes and bruises on detainees' bodies. However, the military is continuing to block the disclosure of about 1,800 other photos from the same criminal investigations, saying that their release would endanger American service members serving abroad. The photographs are a focus of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit filed in 2004 by the American Civil Liberties Union in the wake of the Abu Ghraib prison torture scandal." The photos are here (slow-loading pdf).

Capitalism Is Awesome, Ctd. Hey, remember how the WalMart behemoth killed off local businesses, especially in small towns? Well, now, with its mass closings, Lydia DePillis of the Washington Post reports, there's a realistic fear the loss of revenue & convenience will shut down the towns themselves. "A Washington Post analysis of the stores on the closure list shows that they are in relatively lower-income, less dense census tracts.... Most of the Walmart locations being shuttered are in the Southeast." CW: So screw you, Real America.

Krishnadev Calamur of the Atlantic: "Twitter says that since the middle of last year it has suspended 125,000 accounts 'for threatening or promoting terrorist acts, primarily related to ISIS.'... Twitter added it works with law-enforcement agencies when appropriate and partners with groups that work to counter extremist content online...." Twitter's announcement is here.

Mitch Smith of the New York Times profiles the Virginia Tech team whose persistence helped expose the toxicity of Flint, Michigan's, city water supply.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Liberals Should Not Be Debate Moderators. Howard Kurtz of Fox "News": "Rachel Maddow did a pretty good job in questioning Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders at MSNBC's Democratic debate last night. But she shouldn't have been on that stage as a moderator, sitting next to Chuck Todd, NBC's political director and moderator of 'Meet the Press.'... She is an unabashedly liberal commentator who rips the Republicans every night on her program. She should not have been put in that position." CW: But IOKIYAR. Every single Fox "News" moderator of every Fox debate has been a conservative, except all the ones who are ultra-conservatives.

Weird Headline of the Week: "Wife crashes her own funeral, horrifying her husband, who had paid to have her killed. Sarah Kaplan of the Washington Post: "The husband, Balenga Kalala, ultimately pleaded guilty and was sentenced to nine years in prison for incitement to murder, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp. (the ABC)." The hitmen Kalala hired kidnapped his wife but let her go.

Presidential Race

Politico photo.... This Poitico slide show, titled "Bernie's Vermont," is kind of amusing. CW: I like the guy who says, '"I don't agree with handouts. Except for veterans. People have to work for what they get. Veterans can get whatever they want, but that's all I'll give.' [He] is a Vietnam vet who ... frequently visits the White River VA Medical Center...." He sells maple syrup at a roadside stand. I doubt he's "giving" much to federal coffers today. Everybody's a special interest.

Gail Collins with a few of the things we can all agree on; for instance, "Rick Santorum is the worst friend in the world.... We are enjoying the idea that Donald Trump screwed up the deal.... Hillary Clinton should not have given those speeches for Goldman Sachs.... Jeb Bush is the worst campaigner in the history of campaigns." ...

... CW: Collins also thinks "It's kind of pathetic they're not letting Carly Fiorina into the Republican debate." I disagree. Her exclusion (because of her low polling) is a reminder that half of the candidates in the Democratic race are a woman & none of the viable candidates on the Republican side is. And the little kerfuffle that surrounded Fiorina's exclusion is a reminder that (a) female Republican candidates suck ( Michele Bachmann), & (b) even the Republican base has figured that out.

Eliza Collins of Politico: "The Democratic race has dramatically tightened, according to a new Quinnipiac University national poll out Friday that shows Hillary Clinton with a razor-thin lead over Bernie Sanders. Clinton leads Sanders 44 percent to 42 percent, well within the margin of error of the poll, which was conducted after the Iowa caucuses." CW: Remember that national polls aren't particularly dispositive. In October & November, Ole Doc Ben was leading in some GOP national polls. Last heard from, he was in Florida darning his socks & comparing Ted Cruz to Hillary Clinton.

Yamiche Alcindor of the New York Times: "Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont plans to travel to New York this weekend to appear on 'Saturday Night Live,' interrupting his campaign in New Hampshire for some national television exposure, according to a senior campaign official. Larry David, who has played the senator several times on the show to wide acclaim, will host the episode and interview Mr. Sanders." ...

... This is worth reprising (except for the faggy portrayal of Anderson Cooper, which is both insulting & inauthentic):

Philip Rucker, et al., of the Washington Post: Hillary "Clinton is using the closing days of the New Hampshire campaign to set the tone for the contests in Nevada and South Carolina, as well as the dozens of big-state primaries and caucuses that follow in March and beyond."

Steven Myers & Mark Mazzetti of the New York Times: "... a battle has played out between the State Department and the intelligence agencies -- as well as Congress -- over what information on Mrs. Clinton's private server was classified and what was the routine business of American diplomacy.... At the center of that argument ... is a 'top secret' program of the Central Intelligence Agency that is anything but secret. It is the agency's long effort to track and kill suspected terrorists overseas with armed drones, which has been the subject of international debates, numerous newspaper articles, television programs and entire books. Obama administration's decision to keep most internal discussions about that program -- including all information about C.I.A. drone strikes in Pakistan -- classified at the 'top secret' level has now become a political liability for Mrs. Clinton's presidential campaign." ...

Senator Sanders is the only person who I think would characterize me, a woman running to be the first woman president, as exemplifying the establishment. -- Hillary Clinton, during Thursday's Democratic debate ...

... Danielle Allen of the Washington Post: "The problem with the remark is obvious. Clinton does not merely exemplify the establishment. She and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, are the Democratic Party establishment. We're in the realm of description, not characterization. That candidate Clinton could deliver her line with a straight face goes to the heart of her trustworthiness problem." ...

... In her column, Allen refers to this New York Review of Books article by Simon Head. Head details, based largely on previous reporting, some of it linked on the Commentariat contemporaneously, the Clintons' web of financial contributors.

Jennifer Jacobs of the Des Moines Register: "Iowa Democratic Party officials are reviewing results from the Iowa caucuses and making updates where discrepancies have been found. Party Chairwoman Andy McGuire the day after Monday's caucuses said no review would be conducted, and that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's narrow victory over Bernie Sanders was final. But as errors are being discovered, the final tally is being changed, party officials confirmed to the Des Moines Register on Friday." ...

... Ben Jacobs of the Guardian: "In the Iowa Democratic party's chaotic attempt to report caucus results on Monday night, the results in at least one precinct were unilaterally changed by the party [from Sanders to Clinton] as it attempted to deal with the culmination of a rushed and imperfect process overseeing the first-in-the-nation nominating contest.... The shift of one delegate at a county convention level would not have significantly affected the ultimate outcome of the caucus, but rather, it raises questions about the Iowa Democratic party's management of caucus night. The Iowa Democratic party had long been plagued with organizational issues around the caucus and failed to find hundreds of needed volunteers to oversee individual precinct caucuses just over a week before Monday.... Although Andy McGuire, the chair of the Iowa Democratic party, is a longtime Clinton supporter whose license plate once read HRC 2016, no one familiar with the issue has accused the error of being a partisan process. Instead, they have blamed simple mismanagement." ...

     ... Charles Pierce: "In the old days, when Democrats knew how to do politics right, a change like this would have required a substantial bribe of whiskey and strippers, as well as a decent county job for the idiot nephew of the county chairman."

Jack Shafer of Politico Magazine: The press should stop treating Chelsea Clinton as if she's still the teenaged daughter of the POTUS. "Today, Chelsea serves as vice chair of the politically controversial Clinton Foundation, which has raised $2 billion since 2001. She's a board member at Barry Diller's IAC (paid a reported $300,000 a year, plus stock awards). She charges $65,000 per speech."

The Swindler. Nicholas Confessore & Sarah Cohen of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump once boasted that he could someday be the only person to turn a profit running for president. He may be closer than anyone realizes. Mr. Trump's campaign spent just $12.4 million in 2015, according to disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission, millions less than any of his leading rivals for the Republican nomination. More than half of Mr. Trump's total spending was covered by checks from his supporters, who have thronged to his stump speeches and bought millions of dollars' worth of 'Make America Great Again' hats and T-shirts. About $2.7 million more was paid to at least seven companies Mr. Trump owns or to people who work for his real estate and branding empire, repaying them for services provided to his campaign." ...

It's very important. February 9. You've got to get out and vote. Don't think we're going to win, don't think we're going to win. Just go out... No matter how you feel, I don't give a damn. You've got to go out, you've got to get out of bed, you've got to vote. -- Donald Trump, Thursday, at a Portsmouth, New Hampshire rally ...

... The Great White Wimp. Mr. Trump Regrets He's Unable to Rally Today. Charles Pierce: "As unexpectedly heavy snow hit southern New Hampshire [Friday] morning, Trump's campaign sent out this release: 'Due to the weather and the airports being closed, Mr. Trump is unable to attend today's Town Hall at the Londonderry Lions Club.' Understandable, except for the fact that the airports weren't closed this morning.... The man who has promised to 'beat the shit' out of anyone who attacks America has been shovel-whipped by six inches of snow." ...

... CW: Not only that, the snowstorm had been predicted for at least a week. Londonderry is in the populous southeastern part of the state. There are hotels around those parts, & the roads were open.

... Scott Bronstein & Drew Griffin of CNN: "New Hampshire voters may be stunned to hear the latest robocall asking for their vote; it's from white nationalists with a simple, disturbing message. 'We don't need Muslims. We need smart, educated, white people,' according to the male voice on the calls, which began Thursday night and urge voters in New Hampshire to vote for Donald Trump. Three white nationalist leaders have banded together to form their own super PAC in support of Trump, even though Trump doesn't want their support."

Dana Milbank rips Ted Cruz, beginning with convincing evidence that Cruz's dismissive term "New York values" is an anti-Semitic dog-whistle. "Cruz has Joe McCarthy's knack for false insinuation and underhandedness. What sets Cruz apart is the malice he exudes." CW: I would add to Milbank's evidence. Cruz's campaign manager Jeff Roe used the same tactic against Democrat Kay Barnes in a Congressional race: Barnes favored same-sex marriage; Roe's candidate Sam Graves (who won the election in a landslide) accused Barnes of having "San Francisco values," though Barnes (as far as I know) had no connection to San Francisco. ...

     ... BTW, Arlette Saenz of ABC News reported earlier this week that "Sen. Ted Cruz's attack on Donald Trump's 'New York values' helped secure him a victory in the Iowa caucuses Monday...." ...

... Looks Like Ted Is the Most Hated Man in His Hometown, Too. Mary Jordan of the Washington Post: "... in the city where Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas was born [Calgary, Alberta], many Canadians give less than a hockey puck about whether their native son is eligible to be the U.S. president. Many of them are just glad he's not running for anything in Canada.... Many here are bingeing on the U.S. election as if it were an addictive TV drama.... Harry Sanders, a local historian in Calgary, said if Cruz ever comes back to see where he was born, he should know that his big show of renouncing his Canadian citizenship in 2014 as he prepared for his presidential bid is remembered. 'He treated it like some stain that he had to get removed,' he said. 'That got Calgarians' attention.'" CW: I doubt if the mayor of Calgary, who is Muslim, will be giving Ted a key to the city. ...

... MEANWHILE, Ellie Shechet of Jezebel went looking for Friends of Ted from his undergraduate days. She didn't find many, but most of those she interviewed were horrified by the idea of a Cruz presidency.

Way Beyond the Beltway

Esther Addley, et al., of the Guardian: "A UN panel may have found that Julian Assange is subject to 'arbitrary detention' and called for him to be allowed to walk free, but the WikiLeaks founder remains ... inside Ecuador's London embassy and locked in a three-nation war of words. Britain and Sweden immediately rejected the UN report.... The British foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, described the findings as 'ridiculous' and the Australian as a 'fugitive from justice'.... The Swedish government ... has insisted the report changes nothing, and that it cannot interfere in an independent prosecutor's ongoing attempt to extradite Assange for questioning over an allegation of rape dating from 2010, which he denies. Meanwhile, for Ecuador ... the findings meant it was time for the two countries to allow Assange to walk free, and to compensate both him and them for the lengthy period he has been holed up in one of its [embassy's] few rooms."