Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are glad to see Secretary of State nominee Mike Pompeo win the vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, thanks to a change of heart by Rand Paul and Democrat Chris Coons bailing out the poor leadership of Chairman Bob Corker. They also recoil at the Toronto attack carried out by a van driver, who sped a mile down city sidewalks, killing 10 and injuring 15. They marvel at how easily the media moved on to different stories since the weapon wasn’t a gun and there’s no immediate link to jihad. And they rail against the British government for trying to stop the parents of Alfie Evans from seeking additional opportunities to save their son’s life, a truly frightening result of government expansion.
Terrorism
Terror Attack Fizzles, CNN’s Big Mistake, ‘Christmas’ Controversy
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America shudder at the attempted terrorist attack in New York City but are glad this particular ISIS sympathizer only injured himself. They also slam CNN for not only failing to verify the information from its sources in its supposed Wikileaks bombshell but for failing to be the first to correct its mistakes and then saying its reporters did everything right. And they roll their eyes as leftists get bent out of shape because U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley wished CNN’s Jake Tapper, who is Jewish, a Merry Christmas.
Tax Cut Bill Revealed, Trump’s Execution Tweets, Northam’s Epic Flip-Flop
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America largely cheer the House Republican tax plan, which cuts business and individual tax rates, kills the death tax and simplifies the system. They also sigh as President Trump tweets out his desire to see this week’s Manhattan terrorist face capital punishment, a public statement many Americans agree with but could complicate federal prosecution of the murderer. And they highlight the latest development in Virginia Democrat Ralph Northam’s no good, very bad week, as the candidate for governor flip-flops and suddenly supports banning sanctuary cities in Virginia.
Horror in Vegas, Attack Quickly Turns Political, Honoring the Heroes
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America react to the horrific attack in Las Vegas that left at least 58 people dead and more than 500 wounded. They also slam the endless politics as so many activists – and politicians themselves – immediately declare the Las Vegas shooting to reinforce their political cause long before the facts are in. And they join President Trump in applauding the heroism of the first responders, saved countless live with their rapid response.
Closing the Embassy in Cuba? Refugee Bomber in London, College Park’s Shame
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud the Trump administration for considering a full closure of the U.S. embassy in Cuba in response to the bizarre sound wave assaults on U.S. diplomats in Havana and urge officials to follow through on the idea. They also discuss the revelation that the London tube bomber was a teenage refugee just three years ago and why extreme vetting makes perfect sense. And they get a kick out of College Park, Maryland, council members having to admit they actually didn’t vote to allow illegal immigrants to vote in local elections because they didn’t know their own charter.
Berkeley Stays Calm, Harvard’s Manning Mistake, Terrorism in London
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America are happy to see Ben Shapiro was able to give his speech at Berkeley without incident in the auditorium and minimal unrest outside, which this year counts as very good news. They also unload on Harvard for offering convicted spy Bradley Manning, who now identifies as Chelsea Manning, a position as a visiting fellow, and only rescinding the offer after the intelligence community denounces the move. And they groan as a terrorist attack on the London tube injures 22 people and suggests terrorists there might be changing their tactics.
Trump’s Troubling Response, The ‘But Obama’ Defense, Media Misdirection
David French of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America address the horrific violence in Charlottesville over the weekend. David and Greg criticize President Trump’s failure to condemn the specific white supremacist and Neo-Nazi groups that led the marches and the connection of the man who committed the vehicular homicide– particularly when the president has a history of getting specific with other targets. They also groan as far too many on the right deflect from President Trump’s stumbles by pointing out egregious mistakes President Obama made along similar lines – mistakes the same people roundly condemned. And they ridicule the news media for grossly manipulating terrorism statistics to suggests right-wingers kill more Americans than Islamic radicals and for relying on the far-left Southern Poverty Law Center to decide who is a right-wing extremist.
ISIS Defeat Spawns New Threats
The U.S. and other coalition partners are celebrating the defeat of ISIS in Mosul, but a prominent national security expert says the victory is actually jump starting the most dangerous part of the ISIS strategy and paving the way for Iranian domination of Iraq.
“The global Coalition fighting ISIS congratulates Prime Minister al-Abadi and the Iraqi Security Forces on their historic victory against a brutal and evil enemy,” stated Lt. Gen. Stephen J. Townsend, commanding general of Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve.
“Make no mistake; this victory alone does not eliminate ISIS and there is still a tough fight ahead. But the loss of one of its twin capitals and a jewel of their so-called caliphate is a decisive blow,” he added.
On Monday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi went to Mosul to declare victory in the eight-month-long battle to take back Iraq’s second-largest city from the Sunni radicals. The win comes just three years after Iraqi forces humiliated themselves by throwing down their weapons and taking off their uniforms as ISIS advanced.
Retired U.S. Navy Captain Chuck Nash says U.S. involvement played a key role.
“The United States has been back in there. We’ve been training. I know some of the special forces people who have been over there and did a fantastic job. Now they’ve got some good, solid leadership in the junior officer and middle ranks and they’re still working on some of the senior ranks,” said Nash.
But as ISIS rapidly loses control of territory in Iraq and Syria, including control of the supposed capital of the caliphate, Nash says the West is about to see the evolution of the group that presents the most danger to us.
“It’s a big deal. That’s going to hurt their recruiting efforts somewhat, but what they’re doing is going into ISIS phase three,” said Nash.
He says the first phase was to build up up troops from the former Al Qaeda in Iraq into a large fighting force and the second phase was to expand the territory of the caliphate. Now that those gains are being quickly rolled back, Nash suspects we’ll see more of the latest strategy from ISIS.
“Phase three is, ‘What happens when we lose that ground? How do we reinvent ourselves?’ What’s happening is they’re sending hundreds of these foreign fighters back to their countries of origin and the countries of origin are taking them in. So they’re going to metastasize this,” said Nash.
As horrific as the ISIS control over parts of Iraq and Syria have been, Nash says we knew where to find them and kill them. He says this dispersion strategy makes the job of free societies a lot harder.
“At one point, it was a cancer but it was a tumor, it was observable. We could see it growing, but it was localized. Now as they lose and they go into phase three, that cancer is going to metastasize,” said Nash.
He says the means Islamic radicals are going back to their home counties and the leaders of those countries are rolling out the red carpet.
“Now they’re going to be among us and what are they going to do? The whole vehicle into crowds, the knifing attacks and all that, and it won’t take long until the bombs start going off either. This is a very dangerous phase, which is why these governments are near suicidal by allowing these people back into the countries,” said Nash.
Back in Iraq, it’s not just better trained Iraqi soldiers who are defeating ISIS. He says the best fighters are actually a combination of Iranian Quds forces and various Shia militias from the southern part of Iraq.
Nash says Iran and it’s satellites are not just fighting to uproot ISIS, but because Tehran has visions of dominating the region.
“The Iranians are looking to connect the Persian Iran, the Shia Iran, through Shia Iraq, through and into Syria and Lebanon where they have Hezbollah. They’re looking at what’s been termed the Shia crescent, that now covers an arc spanning from the east in Iran all the way westward to the Mediterranean,” said Nash.
Given the Shia domination of Iraq’s government, Nash suspects there will be little resistance in Baghdad to doing Iran’s bidding.
“When we deposed Saddam Hussein, that opened the door for the Iranians and now the Shia population vastly outnumbers the Kurds and the Sunnis. So it is a Shia country and it is a Shi’ite government and it is aligned with Iran,” said Nash.
However, Nash believes that Iraq can be convinced to take a different course, premised on the boundless economic potential of remaining fiercely independent.
On a trip to Iraq shortly after Hussein was deposed, Nash and others received a briefing on the economic possibilities resulting from Iraq’s location at the fertile crescent and their vast oil reserves.
“The reason is because of Mesopotamia. [The briefing officer] said, ‘This is the richest soil, the rainfall and the water from the Tigris and the Euphrates could be the breadbasket of southwest Asia and the Middle East. Add in oil, and all of a sudden you have a monster of an economy,” said Nash.
Nash says there’s an obvious foot in the door for the President Trump and our allies by showing a willingness to partner with Iraq in rebuilding Mosul and other cities devastated by ISIS.
“He needs to engage the Iraqi government and let them know when they come out of this that the United States is willing to trade and continue to work with Iraq to help them re-establish,” said Nash.
Airport Stabbing
A policeman was stabbing in a Michigan airport Wednesday, and authorities are investigating the assault as a possible terrorist attack. According to NBC News, the officer was stabbed in the neck at the Bishop International Airport in Flint by an assailant who reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack. Police neutralized the attacker who was then taken away in handcuffs. The officer is now in stable condition at a local hospital. Michigan Governor Rick Snyder reacted to the stabbing in a tweet, saying “As we wait to learn more about the incident at Bishop Airport, please keep the attacked officer in your thoughts and prayers.” The airport reported that all other passengers were evacuated safely and that the building is currently closed until further notice. This is the second incident to trigger an evacuation at the Flint airport this month.
May Tougher on Terror, Known Wolf Overlooked, Trump’s Travel Ban Tweet Storm
Jim Geraghty of National Review and Greg Corombos of Radio America applaud British Prime Minister Theresa May for a much tougher statement following the London Bridge terrorism attack, while acknowledging the difficult free speech debate that is sure to follow. They also contemplate terror suspect profiling after one attacker appeared in the documentary “The Jihadis Next Door” and attempted to radicalize children in a local park, yet police let him go after questioning. And they express frustration over President’s Trump’s latest Twitter tirade over his travel ban.