The Patriot Post® · Monday Short Cuts

The Gipper: “[N]o arsenal or no weapon in the arsenals of the world is so formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”

Upright: “Two mysteries need to be solved, and if it takes a formal congressional investigation, then so be it. The first is whether there were indeed unusual Russian contacts with the Trump campaign and transition, and whether they suggest an unhealthy relationship between the president and Russia. The second is: Who is listening to, and leaking information to the press about, not only Mr. Flynn’s conversations but the president’s phone calls with foreign leaders? And what is their motive?” —Peggy Noonan

Slippery slope: “Multiple reports show that my former colleagues in the intelligence community have decided that they must leak or withhold classified information due to unsettling connections between President Trump and the Russian Government. Said an intelligence officer: ‘I know what’s best for foreign policy and national security. … And I’m going to act on that.’ … One small problem. The intelligence officer quoted above was actually Aldrich Ames, a CIA traitor whose crime of treason in the 1980s and 1990s resulted in the compromise of more than 100 assets.” —Bryan Dean Wright in “I’m a Democrat (and ex-CIA) but the spies plotting against Trump are out of control”

Dezinformatsiya: “How Can We Get Rid of Trump?” —NY Times’ Nicholas Kristof

Friendly fire: “[Failing to enforce Syria’s red line] was a colossal mistake from a strategic standpoint.” —Jim Jones Jr., national security adviser to Barack Obama

Non Compos Mentis: “As a New Yorker, I’m a Muslim. I’m Jewish. I’m a refugee. I’m black. I’m gay. I’m poor. I’m homeless. #IAmAMuslimToo.” —New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo

And last… “‘Trump’s so mean to the press,’ shrieked those who were silent as Obama prosecuted leaks, spied on AP & Rosen, and tried to jail a reporter.” —@hale_razor