I'm not saying that Obama is doing anything well w/ Iraq but the war there, started by his brother and their neocon policy advisers, is what toppled Saddam in the first place and set this whole thing on a crash course that inevitably played out the way it did. Point is, they're using the supposed success of the surge as a way to cover the complete failure of the entire policy that started the conflict to begin with. At least Bush Sr. realized that toppling Saddam was going too far which is why he stopped his conflict short. That said, the surge could only remain successful if you were gonna keeps a stable number of troops there long into the future or forever. Our troops should never have been over there to begin with and certainly not any longer than they should be after this thing was over.

Way to go w/ the change. I like Ted but I expected him to embrace a more libertarian tone when dealing w/ privacy and foreign policy but he seems reticent to doing so. As it is, Rand has been polling the best against Hillary and he's gonna be staking out more territory going forward making his numbers that much better for independent support.

They're trying to create a meme that he's screwed now and hopefully get the majority or more of their viewers to buy into it. There's lots of good comments under that article that shows this may be backfiring. The problem w/ upside down attempts to make someone look bad is that they become over the top and thus ruins their own credibility in the process. However, this type of reporting does work on the aging retirees in the 70s and 80s who always vote and have always been used to getting their info from tv.

Howard Kurtz kind of defends Rand too

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=141&v=QWIT08zo0Ns

Good talk about Rand in a great way. Good show atm.

So true, caucuses are the way around the establishment's buying of votes in primaries by shelling out their money to spread disinfo and phony election info to the those that watch tv and get caught up in mailers. Caucusing forces people to show up and hang out to draft their vote rather than the primary where they just cast a vote and move on. You want very little low info voters participating and this caucusing should happen in every state.

These neocons are hell bent on showing off the "Iraq Surge" as the policy that made the Iraq war worthwhile and beneficial. They got no other PR for this shit-show than this surge. I'm sick of it and hope generic republicans don't fall for it.

BOMBSHELL! HILLARY CLINTON CONFESSES: ‘I’M AN ALCOHOLIC!’

Presidential contender Hillary Clinton is hiding a devastating health issue from voters – she’s an alcoholic and secretly went to detox before announcing her run for the White House. Get more about Hillary’s shocking confession, her medical issues -- and SEE a shocking photo showing why she’s not fit to run America.

http://www.globemagazine.com/content/bombshell-hillary-clinton-confesses-%E2%80%98i%E2%80%99m-alcoholic%E2%80%99

Bernie Sanders Explains Why "Socialist" Isn't a Dirty Word - Late Night with Seth Meyers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFAq-4Vv5c0

Ted Cruz knocks Scott Walker's immigration position

LAS VEGAS — Sen. Ted Cruz on Friday took a shot at rival presidential contender Scott Walker for comments the Wisconsin governor has made regarding immigration policy.

Cruz opposes comprehensive immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for the estimated 11-12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. But the Texan is a big proponent of legal immigration and making adjustments to U.S. law that would facilitate more legal immigration. He criticized Walker for suggesting that he supported limiting legal immigration if it has a negative impact on the wages of American workers.

"There is considerable bipartisan agreement outside of Washington that we need to improve and streamline legal immigration so that we can remain a nation that welcomes and celebrates legal immigrants," Cruz said in an interview with the Washington Examiner during a brief campaign swing through Las Vegas.

"I think it is a mistake for any politician to on the one hand embrace amnesty, embrace a pathway to citizenship for those who are here illegally, and on the other hand seek to restrict or punish legal immigrants," Cruz continued. "I am the son of an immigrant who came legally from Cuba. [President Ronald] Reagan referred to legal immigrants as Americans by choice and there is no stronger advocate of legal immigration in the U.S. Senate than I am."

"I think the right approach is to secure the border, follow the rule of law and embrace and improve legal immigration," Cruz said.

Walker has conceded a change of heart on immigration policy as he gears up to launch a 2016 presidential bid. The governor, 47, previously supported a pathway to legal status for illegal immigrants. Now he is opposed. Supporting a pathway to legalization or citizenship could be problematic for a Republican candidate seeking his party's White House nomination.

But in a recent interview with conservative talk show host Glenn Beck, Walker appeared to move farther to the right on immigration than even amnesty hawks like Cruz. Here's what Walker said, as reported by Breitbart.

"In terms of legal immigration, how we need to approach that going forward is saying — the next president and the next congress need to make decisions about a legal immigration system that's based on, first and foremost, on protecting American workers and American wages, because the more I've talked to folks, I've talked to Sen. [Jeff] Sessions [R-Ala.] and others out there — but it is a fundamentally lost issue by many in elected positions today — is what is this doing for American workers looking for jobs, what is this doing to wages, and we need to have that be at the forefront of our discussion going forward."
...

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/ted-cruz-knocks-scott-walkers-immigration-position/article/2563591

Graham's entry into race could help Rubio, hurt Paul

Graham’s bid is designed to push the muscular foreign policy approach that he and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), his close ally, have advocated for years.

“That’s a tried-and-true, time-tested method of getting your pet issue into the conversation. If Lindsey were from Kansas, I don’t think many people would care, but because he’s from South Carolina, and that will alter the dominoes in the early primary, people have to pay attention to him,” said Rich Galen, a GOP strategist.

He is running as an antagonist to fellow Republican Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), who criticizes hawks in his own party for the rise of ISIS and wants to shut down the National Security Agency’s bulk telephone data collection program.

Graham has called for 10,000 American “boots on the ground” to stop the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, demanded that Iran renounce terrorism as part of any final nuclear deal, and pronounced himself “glad” that the NSA is collecting phone records.

“It contrasts two longstanding trends that have been with the Republican Party a hundred years. The Republican Party has always been a leader on national security, foreign policy and defense. On the other hand, there’s always been a libertarian streak to it, and even at one point an isolationist streak,” said former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, who was chairman of the 9/11 Commission.

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Paul’s rival, could wind up as the biggest beneficiary of Graham’s candidacy. His national security and immigration positions mirror Graham’s and he is focusing his resources on South Carolina, viewing it as a springboard to Florida, a pivotal winner-take-all primary state.

Graham jumps into the contest at a time when GOP voters are increasingly concerned about national security and the growing strength of Iran and ISIS.

More...http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/243511-grahams-entry-into-race-could-help-rubio-hurt-paul

Lindsey Graham's Got a Simple Platform: War!

Just when the US presidential contest needed a real macho man candidate, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) today threw his camouflaged hat in the ring. The Senator is staking it all on the proposition that after 14 years of fighting a global war on terror that has produced nothing but more terror, what Americans really want is eight more years of turbocharged world war under Comandante Graham.

"Radical Islam is running wild," said Graham today, but "I'm afraid some Americans have grown tired of fighting them."

Graham is disgusted that the American people are going weak-kneed about war, and he won't give an inch. Forget that the US war on Iraq was the reason that "radical Islam is running wild." Graham is holding firm to the idea that attacking Iraq was a very good thing.

It was a defensive war, he claimed last month. After all, Saddam was firing on US planes as they bombed Iraq! He first made that claim before the war, in response to then-Rep. Ron Paul's claim that Iraq had not attacked us. To Graham, it is aggression if you shoot back at an American plane that has flown thousands of miles to bomb you.

Saddam was "denying UN weapons inspectors access to sites where we thought there would be weapons of mass destruction," he also told Wolf Blitzer in the same interview. But we have known for years that this is untrue, a lie often used at the time by President Bush to justify the war. The inspectors were in Iraq and working right up until President Bush told them to leave because he was going to start bombing.

The mess in Iraq is all Obama's fault, says Graham. If we had never left, Iraq would be well on the road to being the democratic nirvana that the neocons promised before the attack.

What is to be done now? Graham wants to re-invade Iraq and to invade Syria:
We're going to have to send some of our troops back over there, to partner with Iraqis and Arab armies to make sure these radical islamists don't hit us here at home. There is no easy way forward. There no way to win the war without some of us being over there doing the fighting so they don't hit us here at home.
How many troops?

"About 10,000. I think about 10,000."

More...http://ronpaulinstitute.org/archives/neocon-watch/2015/june/01/lindsey-grahams-got-a-simple-platform-war/

Clinton to autograph seeker: ‘Go to the end of the line’

An eager autograph seeker was ready for Hillary -- but Hillary Clinton apparently wasn't ready for her.

In a seemingly awkward encounter captured on video, the Democratic presidential candidate tells a woman seeking an autograph to "go to the end of the line."

The clip was captured by a tracker -- operatives who trail candidates in search of potentially embarrassing footage -- during a recent campaign stop in New Hampshire, and posted on Vine by the conservative America Rising PAC. In it, Clinton is seen walking by a receiving line of supporters outside the popular Smuttynose Brewery. One of them approaches her to ask for her signature.

"Sign this please?" she asks.

Clinton responds, "If you go to the -- go to the end of the line."

She again says, "Why don't you go to the end of the line."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2015/06/02/clinton-to-autograph-seeker-go-to-end-line/

Hillary truly brings Orwell's 1984 to life in so many ways. She's so fake and stages pretty much all of her appearances on the campaign trail. Sadly, most of the people that would support her don't realize the shell game she is playing on them at this point. Heard on the radio earlier that her support among women has taken a nose dive. The democrats are in very rough shape watching this bitch just crumble because of her audacity and corruption. The heavens aren't shining brightly upon her anymore and it must be a pain in the ass working for her because liars and thieves don't make for good bosses as the work load has to become more and more creative to defend her.

If you can program police robots to obey the constitutional rights of the people then we'd be in a better spot in the US. Yet, those in charge of the programming would have the state as their benefactor and likely, things in the policing community would remain the same or revert back to it at some point.

I don't see what the problem is here when the time tested method of shelling out foreign aid to get the target to do your bidding tends to work. It worked in Egypt and Libya for decades and this outfit pales in comparison to the aforementioned countries. In fact, I've never heard of Gambia until now.

Ron Paul speaks his mind on Trans Pacific Partnership, foreign policy, and his son’s chances for winning the Republican nomination. Interviewed by Larry King on RT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=103&v=Cpq5DMB8_-4

BBC: Could Rand Paul inspire the UK government?

Senator Rand Paul has caught the world's attention and infuriated his own party by taking on one of the most powerful forces imaginable - the US security apparatus.

Behind the drama there are deep currents, a tale of sex, drugs, violence and conservatism.

Senator Paul has, almost single-handedly, blocked the extension of the Patriot Act, seen by its opponents as the USA's very own snooper's charter.

It takes some guts to stand in the way of the US spy agencies, if only for a short while.

More...http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32972880

SEN. RAND PAUL SWEEPS POLLS, FARES BEST WITH INDEPENDENTS AGAINST HILLARY CLINTON

GOP presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) swept the competition in recent polls, which also indicates he is the best Republican candidate to go head to head against likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

In fact, independent voters — often the votes that swing an election one way or the other — overwhelmingly prefer Paul over Clinton, according to a previous Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll. “Unlike the other Republicans, Mr. Paul significantly outpolled Mrs. Clinton among independent voters, by 45%-37%, reported The Wall Street Journal.

Not only are polls indicating independents overwhelmingly support Paul, but so do several national surveys comparing him to fellow GOP candidates in key states.

An ABC/Washington Post Poll has Paul tied for first place in the Republican primary with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who is not yet an official candidate but is expected to announce later this summer.

Paul is tied for second with fellow GOP candidate Dr. Ben Carson for the Iowa caucus in a Bloomberg/Des Moines Register Poll.

Paul is faring well in New Hampshire, where the top Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton has spent much of her time campaigning.

Bloomberg Politics/Saint Anselm New Hampshire Poll has Paul in first place for the New Hampshire primary.

“A recent PPP Poll showed Sen. Paul is in first place in the New Hampshire Republican Primary and performs best against Hillary compared to all other candidates,” touted Paul’s campaign in an email to supporters.

Not only is Paul in first place in New Hampshire, but he is also in first in the state of Washington.

Independent voters also have Paul leading Clinton in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa and Pennsylvania.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/06/02/sen-rand-paul-sweeps-polls-fares-best-with-independents-against-hillary-clinton/

Senate passes NSA reform measure - No Amendments under Amash Threat

The Senate approved on Tuesday a bill to reform National Security Agency domestic surveillance programs, ending a drawn-out showdown on Capitol Hill that saw counterterrorism provisions expire.

The vote was 67 to 32.

The bill, which passed the House nearly three weeks ago, now heads to President Barack Obama, who has pledged to sign the bill.

Senate passage on Tuesday came only after members defeated a series of amendments pushed by Senate Republican leaders they said would toughen the House version.

That move drew heavy fire from supporters of the current bill and from GOP House leadership, who warned the proposed changes wouldn't pass muster in the House.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell conceded Thursday before the vote that those efforts were "an uphill battle."

Any changes in the Senate would require the bill go back to the House for another vote, while passage of an identical bill could go straight to President Barack Obama, who has urged the Senate to pass the USA Freedom Act.

Paul had also planned to offer up his own set of amendments that would push Freedom Act reforms to the NSA even further. Paul ultimately will not get a vote on his amendments, though, but said he will not press his case.

"I think we're about done," he said when asked if he would hold up final passage.

But any changes out of the Senate would galvanize Paul's allies in the House who have said amendments would prompt them to offer up changes of their own.

"If even one comma changes, we have a lot of people on our side of the Capitol who would like to offer our own amendments," Amash said.

Amash insisted that members across the House Republican conference believe "any changes will be a deal breaker."

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/06/02/politics/senate-usa-freedom-act-vote-patriot-act-nsa/

Nevada Stays With Caucus System in Blow to Jeb Bush

Nevada is keeping its caucuses for selecting presidential nominees, a blow to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and other contenders who hoped to shift the early-voting state to a system of primaries.

Caucuses are considered favorable to candidates who have a network of highly motivated activists, such as Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.

Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval, who has met with Bush, backed legislation to change to a primary, but the bill never came up for a vote before the Legislature adjourned Monday night. It was the subject of frantic horse-trading and lobbying in the state capitol in Carson City until the final minutes of the session.

The state's Republican Lt. Gov. Mark Hutchison, chairman of Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's 2016 presidential campaign in Nevada, had pushed for the bill.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/nevada-stays-caucus-system-blow-jeb-bush-31475619