David Petraeus Still Moving Up in My Esteem

First, he comes out as a voice of reason on guns. Searching for that, I came across another post where he expressed less than unabashed fealty toward the the state of Israel. It's hard to believe the Right was gaga over the idea of running him for president at one time. Here's his latest bit of sacrilege. 

The Democrats' report states that the cause of the attacks "remains unclear to this day," quoting testimony by David Petraeus, in which the former CIA director says, "To be candid with you, I am not sure that the amount of scrutiny spent on this has been in the least bit worth it."

What Cal Jillson says:

“The Benghazi report is still critically important to the true believers on the Republican side, who, no matter what, will believe that Hillary Clinton didn’t do everything she might have done” to save American lives, says Cal Jillson, a political scientist at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.

As for sane people:

But for most voters, Benghazi is old news, and a complicated story that has been highly politicized by Clinton’s opponents.

On the eve of the hearing, 3 in 4 Americans believed the select Benghazi panel was politically motivated, according to a CNN/ORC poll. 

Enough Benghazi, lets move on the e-mails. Yeeha!

A Post About Michelle Obama

Since I'm tired of the election and it's still a distant 4 months away, I was so happy to see this story. And I hope you are, too.

The Obama women are on the road again, this time in North Africa and Spain. Michelle, Sasha, and Malia are in North Africa for a six-day tour to highlight education, especially for girls, as the United States Agency for International Development commits $27 million to President and Ms. Obama's Let Girls Learn initiative.

I suppose this would have been bigger news if the president had been along or if they could get Trump to trash the effort. Have great hopes for a future Michelle Obama presidency. 

Liberal Media Says Trump Support is Dropping

No, really, I am linking to the "liberal media."

As the hard-fought general election gets underway, Trump’s political standing is on dangerous ground. Fifty-six percent of the public at large say the celebrity business mogul stands against their beliefs, while 64 percent say he does not have the necessary credentials to be president. Fifty-six percent feel strongly that he is unqualified.

Nearly one-third of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say Trump is unqualified for office, and 18 percent say he does not represent their beliefs, exposing fissures in the GOP base.

Underscoring these doubts, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) refused when pressed Sunday to say whether he thought Trump was qualified.

Seventeen days until the Republican convention, minus 4 for the holiday weekend equals less than two weeks until that bloodletting. Mike Ditka will not be speaking, unless you get your news from the Free Beacon. Soon we should know whether John Miller will be the running mate.

I might suggest someone from ISIS could fill that speaking slot that opened up when Iron Mike dropped out.

In some quarters of the dark internet, where supporters of the Islamic State and other extremist groups linger, the presumptive GOP nominee has emerged a rallying point of sorts. To them, he is the “perfect enemy,” as one Islamic State defector told a researcher interviewed by TPM, and they are using his posturing to advance their own agenda, according to another analyst. 

This Election Season Cannot Possibly Get Better

But, I can still hope. Thank you, Josh Marshall.

Yesterday, Caitlin MacNeal reported that Donald Trump had been bombarding MPs from the United Kingdom with fundraising emails asking for money to fund his campaign against "Crooked Hillary." Then last night I reported that Trump and his sons have been upping the ante and sending emails to every member of the parliament of Iceland also asking for money.

I got dibs on the word "spampaign." Portmanteaus are so cool.

UPDATE: I'm so glad Josh Marshall is following this. I've yet to see it reported elsewhere.

Two watchdog groups, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21, said they will file Wednesday a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, arguing that the Donald Trump campaign has broken federal law by sending fundraising emails to foreign elected officials.

The old saw is that ignorance, of the law or otherwise, is not an excuse. We'll see. 

LOSER!

Two from Josh Marshall, just for fun. I read the title was hoping someone had already asked. That's for future fun!

At some point in the not distant future, some reporter - probably a not altogether pleasant one - will ask Trump: "How does it feel to be losing so badly? Just on a personal level? Does it hurt? Do regret getting into this?" It won't be pretty because Trump's ego is fragile. From there I suspect you'll see it cropping up in campaign attacks from every direction.

And as Marshall points out, he's not only losing, he's got two women making scathing attacks on his ego. 

Next up.

For all the ups and downs, look at this chart to see the basic stability of the presidential race.

Infringing Second Amendment Rights of Spousal Abusers

Oh Heavens! And 6-2 at that.

"We treat no other constitutional right so cavalierly," said Justice Thomas in his dissent. "In construing the statute before us expansively so that causing a single minor reckless injury or offensive touching can lead someone to lose his right to bear arms forever, the court continues to relegate the Second Amendment to a second-class right." 

Lucky the US Congress doesn't treat it as a second-class right. Hard to believe that even in death, Scalia still has his hand far enough up Thomas' ass to work his mouth.

Should've gone to Chas. Pierce's first. Better late than never.

"Non-consensual touching" is nice, I think. Sonny Liston once engaged in that professionally, I believe.

Letter From Aaron

Dear Kevin, I’d like to introduce you to Mike Derrick.  If you haven’t met him yet, he’s running for Congress here in NY-21… something I know a thing or two about. Mike grew up and went to school in Peru, NY – a few exits up the Northway from us in Elizabethtown.  After graduating from West Point in 1985, he spent 28 years in the U.S. Army, serving as a combat infantry officer, senior commander, West Point professor, and diplomat. During that time, he left the active Army for five years to become a stay-at-home-dad of four children while his wife, Kathy, finished her Army career. Mike has lived in three foreign countries, ten U.S. states, and now has returned home to the North Country to serve again. I’ve gotten to know Mike Derrick over the last year. We have talked at length about our shared hopes for the country and for this place we call home.  We have hiked in the wilderness together and agreed about the ways that protecting our environment will help grow and nurture our local economies; we have talked about our parents and our children and lamented the ways that the American dream has become more out of reach for so many; and we have commiserated about the process of our politics. As I see Mike’s name get dragged into the kind of name-calling and mischaracterizations we’ve become accustomed to in today’s campaigns, I reflect again about the culture and strategies that lie behind all this. Everywhere, it seems, the politics of divisiveness holds sway. Mike’s character couldn't stand in bolder contrast. He is a man of integrity and sound competence. His approach is thoughtful, inclusive and cognizant of history.  When Mike speaks about foreign policy, and the decisions we’ve made to put American lives at risk, he does so with direct knowledge of the consequences of our choices. And when he speaks about our home in the North Country, he does so with the kind of passion that comes from a lifelong connection. Carolyn, Eloise, and I have spent time at his home with his family and he has visited us in E’town. We know his sister and her family in nearby Keene, and have met his mother, who lives in Saranac Lake.  I call him my friend, and I couldn’t be happier to see him running for this seat. That’s why I’m endorsing Mike.  In this difficult year of hard choices, I cannot think of a better candidate who embodies what we need in a proven public servant.   Please take a few minutes to visit his website.  Learn more about his background and his vision for the North Country.  He’s been tirelessly traveling this district, so next time he’s in your area, meet him and get to know him.  Join his campaign, lend your voice, and support him however you can.  Thank you, Aaron Aaron G Woolf Elizabethtown NY Yes, I'm aware that I'm not the only one who received it. Susan Spieth may have as well.