Author Quick Hits
- William Jacobson: "THE END - It's strange to see Obama leave office. I started Legal Insurrection three weeks before the 2008 election. Our entire blog life has been about -- in varying degrees -- Obama. I'm glad to see him go, but it will be strange not having Obama to kick around anymore."
- Kemberlee Kaye: "I've been critical of Trump from day one. That won't change. He's a politician and they're never to be trusted. But it's refreshing that the tone of the incoming administration is one that loves our country and sees her for the good she is rather than shaming her for her shortcomings. That much is a welcome change."
- David Gerstman: "So, as Mark Finkelstein blogged, there are anonymous sources trashing Gov. Nikki Haley's foreign policy knowledge. I thought here prepared remarks were quite good. UN Watch put together her greatest hits from that opening statement. On the other hand, few people were better prepared for the job than Samantha Power, who made her name by writing a book blasting the West for failing to stop genocides in Kosovo and Rwanda. But as UN Ambassador to the UN, Power was a political hack. She was reduced to tweeting her outrage. The one time she could have made a difference she voted for the nuclear deal with Iran, enabling Iran's aggression leading to even greater carnage in Syria. When push came to shove, Power did not stand on her principle of "responsibility to protect," and enabled the murderous Iranian regime. What if she had resigned instead of casting the U.S. vote for UN Security Council resolution 2231 implementing the nuclear deal? Obama might have had her replacement cast the vote instead, but it may have awakened journalists who were sleepwalking through the Obama administration that something was very wrong with the deal. Instead, Samantha Power put politics ahead of principle. Sure Power knew foreign policy, but it's hard to imagine anything Nikki Haley doing being as destructive as Samantha Power's rubber stamp of Obama's disastrous foreign policy."
- Leslie Eastman: "By the time you read this blurb, I will have opened my bottle of champagne and will be binge-watching the Inauguration festivities. I hear the flavor is reminiscent of liberal tears. Every day that Obama is no longer President will be a little brighter and warmer. However, there is one positive legacy that Obama has left behind: The networks and friendships between conservatives. I will forever be grateful and inspired by my Tea Party compatriots who have supported me, Silvio Canto who has made me his executive producer for his conservative blogtalkradio.com show, and Professor Jacobson who took a chance on a mom with a computer and a cup of coffee and let me join the Legal Insurrection team. I suspect we will soon be busier than ever!"
- Mark Finkelstein: "After Trump won the nomination, I wasn't sure that he would have the guts to be as aggressive versus Hillary as he was with his Republican primary opponents. He was, and more. When he won the election, I was concerned he'd fill his cabinet with cronies and hangers-on. Instead, he assembled arguably the most conservative cabinet in history. And even as President-elect, he has been as bold and assertive as any president in living memory. So now, I have no doubt that he will aggressively attempt to implement his agenda. If he does, he stands to be one of the most successful presidents ever. The stakes are huge for America."
- Miriam Elman: “In his first press conference yesterday, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said than an announcement on Trump’s campaign pledge to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem is coming soon: ‘Stay tuned.’ This is encouraging, as it comes directly after Trump himself noted in an interview this week with the Israeli newspaper Israel HaYom that he ‘always keeps his promises.’ In a recent post, we questioned whether Trump would capitulate to the many intimidating threats that have been issued over the prospect of the embassy move. As we noted, any violence that occurred—if it happened at all (most of the dire warnings are greatly exaggerated) —would be unjustified, and should never be legitimated. In moving the embassy, President Trump would be sending a strong message: U.S. foreign policy will no longer be dictated by those who would threaten us and our allies. For more on how moving the embassy would right a historic wrong done to an ally and potentially advance the prospects for peace, see my earlier post. See also Robert Satloff’s excellent coverage of the issue in his comprehensive report published this week by the Washington Institute.”
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