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Comey & Plame, spinning away on Scooter Libby

May 10, 2018  •  New York Daily News

There are many ways to lie. The simplest is to assert something that is patently false. But a more insidious, effective way is to ignore facts that contradict one's narrative.

Consider the reaction of former FBI Director James Comey and former CIA employee Valerie Plame to President Trump's recent pardon of I. Lewis (aka Scooter) Libby. In 2007, Libby, who had been Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, was convicted of perjury and obstructing justice during the investigation of how Plame's identity had been leaked to the press four years earlier. In pardoning Libby, Trump declared he had been unjustly prosecuted.

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Trump's Iran deal move splits America from its European allies -- that's a problem

May 9, 2018  •  Fox News

President Trump's unilateral withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal has driven yet another wedge between Washington and its closest European allies – a longstanding goal of Iranian policy and a major gift to Russia.

The decision announced Tuesday by President Trump flouted public appeals from French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson. All of them came to Washington in recent days to plead with President Trump not to walk away from the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

The Europeans argued that abrogating the agreement threatens the solidarity of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and a united front against Russia.

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Humorless
A lame monologue overshadows an important cause

April 30, 2018  •  City Journal

Was Michelle Wolf funny? Half of America, or at least those who watched the White House Correspondents Association dinner on C-Span, apparently found her shtick hilarious. Her Twitter followers doubled overnight. The other half of the TV-viewing public, particularly those watching President Trump in another Washington (a township in Michigan), were offended. Wolf's "take no prisoners" (particularly Republican prisoners) routine only reinforced what the president told the faithful at his competing rally on Saturday night. "These people," he said of the 1,000-plus journalists who would gather in the Hilton ballroom half a country away (or by implication, all journalists), "they hate you."

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Trump says 'Mission Accomplished' in Syria but his broader strategy is still hard to discern

April 15, 2018  •  Fox News

President Trump was able to declare "mission accomplished" by tweet just hours after a missile attack by the U.S., Britain and France struck three key chemical weapons facilities in Syria early Saturday because the strike was limited, clearly defined and multilaterally endorsed.

And the attack was aimed at a single vital objective: restoring an increasingly ignored red line against the use of chemical weapons.

The attack was not aimed at toppling the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, who continues to share the U.S. goal of defeating the Islamic State terrorist group. Nor did it target Syria's enablers, Iran and Russia, both of whom have a significant troop presence and other assets in Syria.

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Belated Justice for Scooter Libby

April 14, 2018  •  City Journal

Justice deferred may be justice denied, but for I. Lewis ("Scooter") Libby, former Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff, who was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in 2007, President Donald Trump's pardon on Friday, however belated, was welcome. For me, too.

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