The Patriot Post® · Friday Short Cuts

Letting the Cat Out of the Bag

“Every day gets better for us. It’s because we’ve thought about this long in advance.” —Senate Democrat Leader Chuck Schumer on his government shutdown

Village Idiots

“ICE? Let’s get ICE off our streets and into our beverages, man. This aggression will not stand.” —actor Jeff Bridges

“[Charlie Kirk] was shot while defending guns. … As a human, you have to admit that is an incongruous, funny thing that happens.” —"comedian" Trevor Noah

Credit Where It’s Due

“If we see those remaining hostages freed and Israel begin its withdrawal, it is a remarkable achievement, and President Trump most certainly deserves credit for his role.” —ABC’s Martha Raddatz

“I can remember, in the month or so after October 7, an Israeli senior official saying to me, ‘We are so disoriented and traumatized by this war. The United States is going to have to make decisions for us.’ Joe Biden could never do that. And Donald Trump was able to do it.” —The Washington Post’s David Ignatius

“If [President Trump] brings the Ukrainian war to its end, I will be the Democrat leading the committee for his Nobel Peace Prize.” —Sen. John Fetterman

Upright

“The Biden and the Obama administrations had a series of perpetual red lines that were made to be breached, and in the Middle East, you can’t do that. Nobody took them seriously. In the Middle East … people look at you and they ask, ‘Does this guy mean what he says? Does he have the courage of his convictions?’ And with President Trump … that’s a guy that means what he says, that you should pay attention to. And only President Trump, in probably the history of the presidency and their interactions in the Middle East, has the credibility to do something like this.” —former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman

“Simple fact is Trump has a better record on the Mid East than any president in living memory, and it’s not a close call.” —Buck Sexton

Re: The Left

“Not only is supporting [Jay] Jones morally abhorrent; it’s also politically toxic. Still, he hasn’t lost a single Democrat endorsement. And why would he? They agree with him!” —Michael Knowles

“Even if one assumes that [Jay] Jones would not actually put a bullet in the brain of a political opponent, it is reasonable to ask what he would do if someone else did.” —Laura Hollis

“For the law to deny a therapist, or anyone else, the right to share a message that goes back 2,000 years and has been responsible for altering the lives of billions of people — and still does today — would impose secularism as the state religion and deny individuals the right of choice, which is sacred to the secularists when it comes to abortion.” —Cal Thomas

For the Record

“We saw record recruitment in 2025, Mr. President. The first two weeks of … FY 2026 already blows it out of the water. In fact, reenlistment has already met its year-long goal in the Marine Corps.” —Secretary of War Pete Hegseth

“I was in Portland … and met with the governor, met with the mayor, met with the chief of police and the superintendent of the highway patrol. They are all lying and disingenuous and dishonest people. Because as soon as you leave the room, then they make the exact opposite response.” —DHS Secretary Kristi Noem

“For Democrats and many Republicans, getting government out of health care in exchange for a true, robust and competitive private sector model — resulting in lower prices, better quality and greater accessibility — is a nonstarter. Health care, after all, ‘is a right.’” —Larry Elder

“The fact Democrats shut down the government over demands for more Obamacare subsidies proves what a fraud the ‘Affordable Care Act’ always was.” —Gary Bauer

“The GOP has not managed to impose any political consequences on the party that sought and secured the government shutdown.” —Noah Rothman

And Last…

“[Chuck Schumer’s] relationship with the truth is very casual. The truth is that this is a political shutdown. Senator Schumer is … nervous as a pregnant nun about losing his reelection to the socialist wing of his party.” —Sen. John Kennedy