The announcement of The United States drawing down troop deployment from Northern Syria – with the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia sending in replacements to bolster the region, highlights a much larger backstory.

President Obama’s February ’09 Cairo speech began a sequence of events that led to what was called the “Arab Spring“; factually an extremist uprising.  Bolstered by the resulting chaos the Muslim Brotherhood rose to power in Egypt behind Mohammed Morsi.
However, a majority of the Egyptian people rejected President Morsi’s sharia governance, and asked a well respected General Fattah al-Sisi to step in.  Accepting the request of a desperate people Sisi removed Morsi, disbanded the Muslim Brotherhood and went on to win a landslide election in 2014.   The leadership of the Brotherhood fled to Qatar.
President Obama and his policy team was not happy with this outcome.  Obama supported Morsi, not al-Sisi.  Another person who was not happy, was Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who also supported Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood.
Undeterred, and understanding the need for urgency, Egyptian President al-Sisi then began a long process of confronting extremism.  Sisi destroyed the Hamas terror tunnels on the border between Egypt and Israel; and, despite the anxiety expressed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Sisi brokered an interim peace agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Israelis.
(more…)

Glory to God in the highest, the Greater Doxology, is the song the angels sang at Christ’s birth. Perhaps no other song, no other phrase, so greatly expresses the joy of the moment.
I love all the children in this video. One of my favorite memories of Christmases past is that of our sons placing baby Jesus in the manger after coming home from Midnight Mass.
Our nativity always had an empty manger until Christmas, as a way to help our sons remember and anticipate the birth of our savior. Now we still follow that tradition and have a grandchild place Jesus in the manger.
May all hearts be opened as the moment we celebrate, remember, treasure, and rejoice in comes closer.  May we unite in this ancient call to our God as we celebrate His gift to all mankind.

In an effort to keep the Daily Open Thread a little more open topic we are going to start a new daily thread for “Presidential Politics”. Please use this thread to post anything relating to the Donald Trump Administration and Presidency.

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

President Trump Twitter @POTUS / Vice President Pence Twitter @VP

Sarah H Sanders Twitter @SHSanders45

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 †

U.S. Senator Rand Paul (KY) appears on CBS Face-the-Nation to discuss the appropriations conflict, border security and his support for President Trump’s decision to withdraw troops from Syria and Afghanistan.

.
Anyone else notice not a single media network even casually mentioning the First Step Act and prison reform legislation passed last week.
(more…)

This is rich.  Here’s the Comey tweet:

Here’s the actual federal Pay Schedule:

Former FBI Director James Comey is a liar.
If he’d lie about a little thing; what else would he lie about?….
 
 

Defense Secretary James Mattis wanted us to stay in Paris accord. Trump said no. Mattis wanted us to stay in the Iran deal. Trump said no. Mattis wanted less pressure on NATO. Trump said no. Mattis wanted to keep soldiers in Syria. Trump said no.  Mattis wanted to hang around until February… Trump said no.

…President Donald Trump on Sunday pushed the Pentagon chief out the door two months earlier than planned (read more)

(more…)

Representative John Ratcliffe discusses ongoing congressional appropriations battle and his interview last week of James Comey.
Mr. Ratcliffe points out that congressional investigators have taken the inquiry into the DOJ and FBI corruption as far as possible; it is now up to the DOJ to hold those corrupt officials accountable for weaponizing their offices.

(more…)

Representative Mark Meadows (R-NC) appears with Maria Bartiromo to discuss the ongoing appropriations battle between President Trump and open-border democrats.

(more…)

OMB Director and incoming White House Chief-of-Staff Mick Mulvaney appears on Fox News Sunday to debate the insufferable gatekeeper for the swamp, Chris Wallace.  Topics include: border security and the government non-shutdown; exiting Defense Secretary James Mattis and the end of U.S. combat presence in Syria; and the economy.

(more…)