The Patriot Post® · Friday Short Cuts

For the record: “I saw no smoking-gun evidence of collusion before I left the government, and I still haven’t.” —former Obama DNI James Clapper

Re: the Left: “Is Trump wrong to say Pelosi ‘loves MS-13’? Sure. But with her deceitful attack, she gave him the pretext to make that claim. There is a lesson here for Democrats: Trump says enough outrageous things that Democrats shouldn’t have to make them up. When the president has you defending the ‘dignity and worth’ of MS-13 members, you’re doing something wrong.” —Marc A. Thiessen

Self-evaluation: “Trump gave his critics reason to associate him with [Roseanne] Barr by calling her to congratulate her on her show and eagerly trumpeting its success. Trump’s boosterism was typical of him — it’s all about the ratings — but also reflects an endemic weakness of the Right. Conservatives disdain celebrities, but dangle a C-list celebrity with a few rightward leanings in front of us and he’s immediately awarded a speaking slot at the next Republican convention. We have low regard for pop culture, but crave its validation.” —Rich Lowry

Food for thought: “You know, I meet young people, and they want to act and they want to be famous, and I tell them, when you get to the top of the tree, there’s nothing up there. Most of this is nonsense. Most of this is a lie. Accept life as it is. Just be thankful to be alive.” —Anthony Hopkins

Alpha Jackass, part I: “You know, Ivanka, that’s a beautiful photo of you and your child, but let me just say, one mother to another, do something about your dad’s immigration practices, you feckless c—t. He listens to you. Put on something tight and low-cut and tell your father to f—ing stop it.” —Samantha Bee

Alpha Jackass, part II: “I like Samantha Bee a lot, but she is flat wrong to call Ivanka a c—t. C—ts are powerful, beautiful, nurturing and honest.” —Sally Field

And last… “The Roseanne and Samantha Bee scandals aren’t comparable. Roseanne wrote something on Twitter and her show was immediately cancelled. In the case of Samantha Bee, an entire network’s legal and editorial team knew exactly what Bee would say, approved it, and broadcast it.” —Sean Davis