Upright: “Overall, history is not bending toward happy acceptance of ever larger government at home, nor is it moving toward submersion of national powers and identities into large and inherently undemocratic international organizations. The nation-state remains the focus of most people’s loyalties, and in a time of economic and cultural diffusion … big-government policies designed for an age of centralization have become increasingly dysfunctional.” —Michael Barone

Braying Jenny: “It is now clear that so-called fake news can have real world consequences. This isn’t about politics or partisanship. Lives are at risk. … It’s a danger that must be addressed and addressed quickly.” —Hillary Clinton, who of course has regulations in mind

Speaking of fake news: “Another former general in the Trump circle is receiving new attention. His National Security Adviser-designate, Mike Flynn. Flynn’s son was fired by the Trump transition … for passing on a fake news story via Twitter. But his dad, the retired Army three-star general has passed on some gems himself.” —Brian Williams, a veteran “journalist” fraudster

Surprise! “The ability of ISIL to not just amass inside of Syria, but then to initiate major land offensives that took Mosul, for example, that was not on my intelligence radar screen.” —Barack Obama

Blame Bush: “[W]e refused to repeat some of the mistakes of the 2003 invasion that have helped to give rise to the organization that became ISIL in the first place.” —Barack Obama

Because common sense prevailed: “If you ask me where has been the one area where I feel that I’ve been most frustrated and most stymied, it is the fact that the United States of America is the one advanced nation on Earth in which we do not have sufficient common sense gun safety laws.” —Barack Obama

And last… “[T]he one group in America refusing to do any post-election self reflection is the media. Convinced of their righteousness, they will continue to hold Trump voters in bitter contempt; they will continue to suggest Republicans are conspiracy theorists while peddling their own fake news and conspiracies as true; and they will refuse to admit they got anything wrong in 2016. Reporters used to report what happened. Now they tell us what to think and resent like hell that any of us might think differently.” —Erick Erickson