The Patriot Post® · Boeing and the Mullahs
I was furious to see [yesterday’s] report that Boeing is in talks to sell commercial aircraft to the Islamic Republic of Iran. I suppose you can make the case that this will help American workers. But it also increases the chances that other Americans will have to die in the future in combat to stop an increasingly aggressive Iran.
Just a few weeks ago, Iran seized U.S. sailors, humiliated them and used it for the regime’s propaganda purposes. Tehran test-fired missiles with the words “Israel must be wiped off the face of Earth” inscribed on the missiles. Iranian terrorist networks are directly responsible for the deaths of U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
And this is a regime with which Boeing wants to do business?
Maybe I’m just imagining it, but I thought there was a time in America when patriotism meant that families raised their children to believe it was noble to serve in the military and corporate leaders believed it was noble to reject profits that came from doing business with our enemies.
But I can understand why today’s corporate bosses might be confused. Last week, President Obama chided Iran’s mullahs for threatening Israel, saying, “When they launch ballistic missiles with slogans calling for the destruction of Israel, that makes businesses nervous.”
I would have thought that the president might be more concerned by how upset the people of Israel were, not business leaders, since he is giving the ayatollah and his terrorist henchmen access to $100 billion while they test new missiles.
While the deal is for civilian aircraft, those planes can easily be used as troop transports. We’ve done that too. We also saw on the morning of 9/11 how they could be turned into weapons of mass destruction.
Ryan Rules Out A Run
Speaker Paul Ryan tried again [yesterday] afternoon to squash speculation that he might be a presidential candidate this fall. Speaking at the Republican National Committee headquarters […] Ryan said, “Let me be clear: I do not want, nor will I accept the Republican nomination.”
Addressing the delegates directly, Speaker Ryan said, “If no candidate has a majority on the first ballot, I believe you should only choose a person who actually participated in the primary. Count me out.”
The Battle Of New York
New polling shows that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are poised for big wins in next week’s New York primaries. The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows Trump leading his closest competitor by a whopping 33 points!
In an interview with USA Today columnist Kirsten Powers, Donald Trump was asked about who he sees in his cabinet and as a potential running mate. Here’s what he said:
“There are people I have in mind in terms of vice president. I just haven’t told anybody names… I do like Marco [Rubio]. I do like [John] Kasich… I like [Scott] Walker actually in a lot of ways. I hit him very hard… But I’ve always liked him.”
Meanwhile, among New York Democrats, Hillary Clinton enjoys a 14-point lead over Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Sanders has been on a roll lately — scoring wins in seven of the last eight contests. Numerous reports indicate that Hillary Clinton’s campaign is going “all in” for a “decisive” victory in the Empire State.
There is growing pressure from the Democrat establishment for Clinton to strike back and put down the Sanders rebellion or “revolution” as he likes to call it. Some Democrat strategists worry that even a close Clinton win — within 10 points — could undermine her standing with super delegates and party activists.
Cruz In California
With New York voting next week, a number of commentators wondered why Sen. Ted Cruz was on the other side of the country campaigning in California. The reason is that for the first time in decades, the Republican presidential nomination may come down to the state that gave us Ronald Reagan.
California is one of the last states to vote — on June 7th. It also has the most delegates. Recent polling shows the contest in the Golden State is very competitive — Donald Trump leads Senator Cruz by just seven points.
But most of California’s convention delegates will be awarded not to the winner of the state-wide vote, but to the winner of each congressional district. California is a very diverse state with some very conservative areas where Senator Cruz could do quite well.
Obama’s Influence
President Barack Obama granted an extraordinarily rare interview to Fox News that aired this past Sunday. During the interview, he exonerated Hillary Clinton while attempting to reassure Americans that the investigation into former Secretary of State Clinton’s private email server would be completely independent.
Referring to the email server, Obama said, “Here’s what I know: Hillary Clinton was an outstanding secretary of state… I continue to believe that she has not jeopardized America’s national security.”
When pressed about the investigation, the president said this:
“I do not talk to the attorney general about pending investigations. I do not talk to FBI directors about pending investigations… I guarantee that there is no political influence in any investigation conducted by the Justice Department, or the FBI, not just in this case, but in any case. Full stop. Period.”
Does anyone seriously doubt that the attorney general and FBI director did not see that interview or were not briefed by their assistants?
Of course, Obama doesn’t have to pick up the phone and call the attorney general or the FBI director to influence them privately. They can get their marching orders directly from his public statements.