Insight

“One cannot wage war under present conditions without the support of public opinion, which is tremendously molded by the press and other forms of propaganda.” —General Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964)

Political Futures

“It’s not that the public thinks Jan. 6 was no big deal. Significant majorities believe it was a terrible event and that those who took part in the violence should be prosecuted. … But the problem is, the story has been told before — many times and at great length. And people have reached conclusions about what happened. … The Democrats’ biggest problem is that the midterm elections will not be about Jan. 6. They are about President Joe Biden’s and the Democratic House and Senate majorities’ handling of the problems facing America in the last two years. If the polls are to be believed, and they are extensive, then people are ready to change control of the House, and perhaps the Senate. Their opinion of Biden’s job performance, with an approval rating currently in the low 40s, will be a part of their decision-making process. And one thing that very likely will not be a part of that decision-making is the work of the Jan. 6 committee.” —Byron York

National Security

“[A nuclear deal] is likely to make Joe Biden the No. 1 funder of terrorism in the world. Iran is the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world. They deliberately target American citizens for murder. And Joe Biden, for whatever reason, is eager to fund terrorists trying to murder Americans.” —Senator Ted Cruz

“What Putin thought would be a quick win has turned into a century-defining disaster and potential quagmire. And yet, this is not the time to pat ourselves on the back. Greater dangers lie ahead — for Ukraine, but for America and the world, too. Policymakers need to understand that Putin’s risk tolerance will be higher now than it was a month ago, or even a week ago. Authoritarian dictators rarely retire peacefully. Moreover, every major Russian change of government was preceded by defeat in war. Faced with failure, Putin will likely escalate the conflict — bomb more civilians, target international aid corridors, ramp up his cyberwarfare — to regain bargaining power. … It’s impossible to predict how the conflict in Ukraine will play out. Too much of it is in the hands of one man, a man who, against reason, continues to send Russian sons to die for a meaningless cause. One thing is certain, though — that man cannot achieve true victory. The Biden administration must continue to make that clear, in the hope that Putin will eventually acknowledge he has lost.” —Senator Marco Rubio

Re: The Rainbow Mafia

“Some Republicans have been wary of taking on the woke corporations that often serve as the tip of the spear in the progressive culture war. … But [Ron] DeSantis didn’t cave. … And then? He won. Rather than lean into the fight, [Disney CEO Bob] Chapek announced that Disney would be ‘pausing all political donations in the state of Florida.’ … DeSantis’s courage actually de-politicized the company. Go figure. The episode — and the subsequent polling numbers supporting the Republican position — should give the GOP a playbook for confronting woke ideology going forward. Standing up to bullies is popular. The sooner Republicans realize the American people are behind them on this issue, the better.” —Nate Hochman

“Disney wants your kindergartner to learn to be trans while they traffic kids. Nickelodeon Jr. ran a whole LGBTQ campaign for your kids. So did Sesame Street. It’s time to start being VERY wary of any ‘kids’ organization.” —Jesse Kelly

Emerging From Witness Protection

“We have to be careful that if we do see a [COVID] surge … that we’re flexible enough to reinstitute the kinds of interventions that could be necessary to stop an additional surge.” —Dr. Anthony Fauci

Non Compos Mentis Awards

“We have a crisis of missing and murdered indigenous and black women in the United States. Today I want to discuss part of this crisis that is all too often overlooked, but whose evidence shows that there’s a very meaningful connection here, the correlation between fossil fuel extraction sites and abductions and murders of indigenous women across the United States.” —Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez

“Hate to tell you, but in a way, everyone is trans. … If you subtract the aim of becomingness from competition just because you’re afraid of a Lia Thomas and make it strictly about the chance to win a prize, then you might as well go to an amusement park and shoot a squirt gun at a clown face because it will have about as much meaning.” —Washington Post columnist Sally Jenkins

And Last…

“Lia Thomas spent 21 years of his life as a man. Said he is now a woman and in less than a year became a national champion in women’s swimming. And as a society, we’re supposed to accept this as totally okay?” —Greg Price