Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair previously gave testimony to an investigative panel of Parliament regarding the decision-making in/around the 2011 overthrow of Libyan leader Muamar Gaddafi.  Blair was acting as an intermediary trying to resolve the crisis.  As a result of that testimony a transcript of a February 25th, 2011, phone call has also been released.

It is important to remember on the date of this phone call, the U.S. decision to intervene in Libya was very much undecided.   U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was working with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and U.K Prime Minister David Cameron.

President Obama was specifically, and at the time, notoriously, absent from publicly commenting one-way or the other.  Pressure was building on the White House to weigh in on the Libyan issue.  The interventionist activity was the original construct of Secretary Hillary Clinton, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, and Senior White House adviser Samantha Powers. (more…)

Tonight at 7:00pm Eastern Donald Trump holds a rally in Burlington Vermont at the Burlington-Flynn Center for the Performing Arts.   A considerable amount of local and national controversy about this specific venue/event has been stirred by the MSM:

Live Stream Link #1, and Live Stream Link #2, and Live Stream Link #3

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Senator Ted Cruz entire campaign is built around his projection as “the most consistent conservative”.  This video does not show consistency.  The topic is “birthright citizenship”:

Apparently the U.S. Constitution became much more flexible between 2011 and 2015.

In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “2016 Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Presidential Race and/or any of the candidates therein.

This thread will refresh daily and appear above the Open Discussion Thread.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. THY WILL BE DONE, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but DELIVER US FROM EVIL.

For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, forever and ever. Amen †

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The cycle of abuse is:  “Tensions building”, then the “abusive action” then a “period of reconciliation and apology”, followed by a period of “peace and calm”. Then the tensions begin building again…..   Wash, rinse, repeat.

As the years inside the cycle of abuse continue, the abused look forward to the space between the beatings -and- simultaneously learn how to exit the beating phase as quickly as possible.

Yesterday our GOPe abusers entered the “reconciliation and apology” phase.  Cue the Paul Ryan Video:

If you have spent any significant amount of time here, you’ll note something brutally obvious.  Everything Speaker Paul Ryan is saying the GOPe are doing now, ie. “repeal ObamaCare” and “defunding Planned Parenthood” and “actually putting something on Obama’s desk”….. is something they could have done at any time throughout 2015.

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A long (two part) interview with CNN’s Wolf Blitzer and republican candidate Donald Trump.

The first segment includes topics of North Korea, China and Ted Cruz’s eligibility:

Part two includes issue topic of Saudi Arabia and the middle-east: (more…)

The latest PPP poll (full pdf below) from New Hampshire reflects a considerable shakeup behind Trump.  Candidate Donald Trump remains at the top holding a significant lead more than double the next competitor, Rubio.

The various wings inside the Deathstar GOPe are now left with factional fighting among themselves – Trump has split the splitters. Rubio attacks Bush who attacks Christie who attacks Kasich who attacks Rubio who attacks Kasich who attacks Christie who attacks Bush etc…

However, with that: Marco Rubio, Chris Christie, John Kasich and Jeb Bush have now surpassed a falling Ted Cruz (dropped 3 points from prior PPP poll), and Ben Carson is down in the Fiorina bracket of irrelevance:

(Via PPP Polling) […]  The candidates with the biggest gains since our last poll in early December are Bush (up 5 points from 5% to 10%), Rubio (up 4 points from 11% to 15), and Kasich (up 3 points from 8% to 11%). Bush and Kasich have also had notable gains in their favorability ratings.

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