The Patriot Post® · Friday Short Cuts

Insight: “We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people.” —John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

Friendly fire: “The sacrifice, I think, is profound: An extremely important counterterrorism partnership was lost, and a terrorism state is now upon us. Enormous gains for women, for the rule of law, for democracy, for human rights. Mass displacement. The Afghans remade their society. We didn’t do it, they did. It was our withdrawal, I’m afraid, that has unmade their society — and what have we gained for this?” —Democrat Congressman Tom Malinowski

“Throughout Trump’s presidency, a slew of retired military and intelligence officials attacked him for one reason or another. We were told over and over again that Trump was going to start a war with Iran, North Korea or China, and that he colluded with Russia. Well, Trump was the first president in decades not to start a war. He achieved historic peace deals between Israel and several Arab nations. And the Russia collusion story was a hoax created by the Clinton campaign, the DNC and their Deep State allies. Here’s the irony: With Milley’s assistance, Biden just implemented an Afghan withdrawal so poorly executed, it emboldened our enemies and demoralized our allies and, thus, made the world a more dangerous place.” —Gary Bauer

“One of the most fundamental things our founding fathers gave us was the principle of civilian control of the military. If Bob Woodward’s revelations about General Milley prove to be true then it would seem that he has personally violated that principle and must be held accountable. This is neither a Republican nor Democrat issue. It’s a constitutional issue that must be dealt with. Every man that enlists in the Army takes an oath to obey the orders of the President and the officer appointed over them. Milley has apparently breached that oath.” —Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin (Ret.)

Nothing to see here… “I have confidence in General Milley.” —Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin

Leftmedia/Democrat mouthpiece I: “Apparently it was a betrayal for Milley to reassure China that Trump wasn’t crazy enough to go to war with them.” —New York Times’s Peter Baker

Leftmedia/Democrat mouthpiece II: “Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s [Met Gala] attendance — and [‘Tax the Rich’] dress — provided easy fodder for her most reliably triggered critics.” —New York Times

Grand delusions: “Congratulations to Governor Gavin Newsom on defeating the recall vote. This vote is a resounding win for the approach that he and I share to beating the pandemic: strong vaccine requirements, strong steps to reopen schools safely, and strong plans to distribute real medicines — not fake treatments — to help those who get sick. The fact that voters in both traditionally Democratic and traditionally Republican parts of the state rejected the recall shows that Americans are unifying behind taking these steps to get the pandemic behind us.” —Joe Biden

Grand delusions II: “[This week was] a win for the bold agenda put forth by President Biden, Governor Newsom, and Democrats in Congress to build our country back better, deliver on their promises, and get our country back on track. … Governor Newsom provides the smart, capable and focused leadership necessary to keep Californians safe and build the state’s economy back better amid the COVID-19 pandemic. He has a strong record of delivering for the people of California and I look forward to watching him continue that critical work as governor.” —DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison (“Gavin Newsom was rescued by two presidents, radical left-wing Washington, D.C. politicians, and campaign spending in excess of $50 million. None of it was used to defend Newsom’s numerous failures, but instead to create ridiculous and false narratives to protect him.” —California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson)

Rabble-rouser: “I said this many, many times on the campaign trail: We may have defeated Trump, but Trumpism is not dead in this country." —California Governor Gavin Newsom

Clear as mud: "They want you to think that when we talk about rich, we’re talking about a doctor or a lawyer instead of someone with hundreds of millions of dollars, if not billions of dollars. That’s what we mean by ‘rich.’” —Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

Non compos mentis I: “We begin … with a message to Republicans: Okay, we get it! COVID is the precious and you love it. You love COVID so much you want it to spread into schools, at the office, in the Walmart, on the cruise ships, and at the club. That great spongy ball with the red spikes? You want it pumping through your veins.” —MSNBC’s Joy Reid

Non compos mentis II: “The people who are not getting vaccines, who are believing the lies on the Internet instead of science — it’s time to start shaming them … or leave them behind. Because they’re keeping the majority of Americans behind.” —CNN’s Don Lemon

And last… “If it was really about saving lives, our government would fully embrace an all-of-the-above approach to COVID. Instead, it’s ‘get vaccinated or else.’ Total submission over saving lives.” —Lisa Boothe