The Patriot Post® · Friday Short Cuts

For the record: “I support the president, and I applaud what he’s done. More than any other president in my lifetime, this president has respected and restrained his use of commander-in-chief power afforded to him under Article II of the Constitution.” —Sen. Mike Lee

Observations: “We have become unable to rouse ourselves to take public problems seriously unless we can persuade ourselves that they present immediate and utterly apocalyptic dangers. As a result, we can’t focus on the routine demands of self-government, or on the longer-term preconditions for a thriving society. This perverse and frenzied myopia — call it hellscape short-termism — stands in the way of a functional American politics.” —Yuval Levin

Political futures: “It’s kind of unreal when you think about it. Democrats spent the last two months free-falling in the polls ‘cause of their dumb impeachment, and now their recovery plan is to attack Trump for killing a terrorist. Genius.” —Jesse Kelly

Dezinformatsiya: “I think it’s difficult for most people in the United States and outside of Iran and perhaps the region to grasp the unique place and role that General Soleimani played in Iran and in regional politics. … To be clear, there were plenty of Iranians who did not love or respect General Soleimani, but there were activists, there were opposition figures who had been jailed by the regime who attended. And when I asked them, 'Why are you there, why are you going?’ the response was, ‘General Soleimani protected our national security. He transcended politics. He was a national hero.’” —New York Times’s Farnaz Fassihi

False equivalency: “When Princess Diana died … there was a huge emotional outpouring. … Elvis Presley in our culture. It turns out that this general [Trump] killed was a beloved hero of the Iranian people. … There’s no American emotion in this case, but there’s a hell of a lot of emotion on the other side. Should our leaders know what they’re doing when they kill somebody?” —MSNBC’s Chris Matthews

The BIG Lie: “We are concerned that the senators will not be able to live up to the oath that they must take to have an impartial trial.” —House Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Braying jenny: “I’m not holding [impeachment articles] indefinitely. I will send them over when I’m ready.” —Nancy Pelosi (“Speaker Pelosi has managed to do the impossible. She has created growing bipartisan unity — in opposition to her own reckless games with impeachment.” —Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell)

Trump Derangement Syndrome: “Innocent civilians are now dead because they were caught in the middle of an unnecessary and unwanted military tit for tat. My thoughts are with the families and loved ones of all 176 souls lost aboard this flight.” —Pete Buttigieg

Non compos mentis: “I think every time … I hear of conversations around war, I find myself being stricken with PTSD. And I find peace knowing that I serve with great advocates for peace and people who have shown courage against war.” —Rep. Ilhan Omar

And last… “If you’re blaming the United States because Iran shot down a commercial airliner, you are a lying hack whose lies and hackery are in service to a foreign enemy. You are an embarrassment to this country and the rest of us are ashamed of you.” —Matt Walsh