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March 2015

Ted Cruz, Supreme Court term limits, AGW-caused prostitution, O'Malley threatened (or offered a job?)...

It was a classic Friday night document dump -- information released after the daily news cycle had ended on a Friday, and a long two-plus days until the Monday news cycle started. It's a tactic we are used to seeing from politicians disclosing bad news. It's not a tactic people expected to see from the Virginia State Bar, a government agency operating under the authority of the Virginia Supreme Court, tasked with regulating admission to and administration of attorneys in the Commonwealth. The Virginia State Bar should not be confused with the non-governmental, voluntary Virginia Bar Association. The Friday night document dump was an email from Virginia State Bar President Kevin Martingayle that a mid-year legal seminar in Jerusalem was being cancelled because of discriminatory Israeli policies. The move came as a complete surprise, because the Jerusalem Seminar already was accepting registrations, and was completely planned out in all detail including transportation and hotel. Virginia State Bar Mid Year Legal Seminar Update 2-27-2015 cropped There does not appear to have been any public forum or discussion of the potential cancellation at which supporters or Israel or those interested in maintaining the political neutrality of the Virginia State Bar could respond or provide alternative information. Such a public airing is important because the anti-Israel boycott movement frequently issues false or misleading accusations of Israeli travel restrictions.

In a few days the world’s Christians and Jews will celebrate Easter and Passover. It’ll be a weekend of good food (and at my seder, plenty of good Israeli wine)—but most of all it’ll be an affirmation of freedom and faith, an expression of joy, hope and renewal. But for many people across the planet it’ll be an opportunity to indulge in a bit of Jew-bashing. Brace yourself as the planet’s anti-Semites engage in their annual rite-of-hate, when the internet will soon become awash in the crazy notion of the blood libel. It’s a centuries-old mad idea that Jews kill gentile children for making matzo, the unleavened bread that’s eaten during the Passover holiday. As Lord Jonathan Sacks, emeritus Chief Rabbi of the British Commonwealth, and one of the leading intellectuals of our time, recently wrote in an important article on the resurgence of global anti-Semitism (it’s behind the Wall Street Journal paywall, but his remarks are also captured in this CNN interview):
The idea [of the blood libel] is absurd, not least because even the tiniest speck of blood in food renders it inedible in Jewish law.”
As explained by Sacks, the libel was an English invention, originating in Norwich around 1144. It was introduced into the Middle East in the 19th century, where it helped instigate the targeting of innocent Jews in Lebanon and Egypt (and, most famously, in Syria with the Damascus trials of 1840). This violence and hatred against Jews happened decades before the first wave of persecuted European Jewish refugees arrived in pre-state Israel seeking refuge in their ancient homeland. Zionism didn’t provoke it.

The news of Harry Reid's decision to retire at the end of his current term is already causing speculation about who will fill his role and lead senate Democrats. Charles Schumer of New York seems like an obvious choice to some, but the party's Warren wing is always eager to give the junior senator from Massachusetts a promotion. Peter Schroeder of The Hill:
On Wall Street, Dem shake-up puts party at crossroads Harry Reid’s decision to not seek reelection could open another front in the battle for the direction of the Democratic Party, and its complicated relationship with Wall Street. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) emerged as the immediate favorite to take over as the chamber’s top Democrat, but his rise could further intensify an already heated debate about the party’s approach to the financial sector, one of his home state’s biggest industries. Led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), liberals with a harsh perspective on Wall Street have seen their voice and influence within the Democratic Party grow of late. The freshman senator’s fierce recriminations of big bankers have attracted plenty of attention on the left and launched her into a spot in Senate leadership, just two years into the job. That message also provided the foundation for a relentless campaign to get her to challenge Hillary Clinton, who many on the left are wary of for ties to the financial sector. That same groundswell could complicate Schumer’s bid to lead Senate Democrats. “I don’t know how he’s going to play this, I really don’t,” said one financial lobbyist. “He’s got huge personal and political interest in the financial industry…they’re the biggest employers in his state.”
According to the Washington Post, Reid has endorsed Schumer to replace him.

It looks as though senator Marco Rubio is preparing to announce a 2016 run for president in two weeks and his choice of venue may hold some symbolism. Alex Isenstadt and Marc Caputo of Politico:
Marco Rubio looks to April 13 Miami launch Florida Sen. Marco Rubio is strongly considering launching his presidential campaign April 13 at the Freedom Tower, a historic Miami landmark known as the “Ellis Island of the South,” according to Republicans familiar with his thinking. From its name to its history – it once served as a U.S. clearinghouse for Cuban exiles fleeing Fidel Castro – Miami’s Mediterranean-style Freedom Tower underscores the themes of Rubio’s political career and his likely campaign. He’s a first-generation son of immigrants who has sought to make the American Dream synonymous with his biography. Rubio’s possible April 13 launch date was first reported by The Tampa Bay Times. However, the Miami Heat plays against the Orlando Magic that evening at the American Airlines Arena, which sits right across Biscayne Boulevard — raising the prospect of a traffic nightmare. And the Freedom Tower hasn’t yet been secured by Rubio’s Washington-based team, which will inspect it this week to see if it’s the right venue.
Rubio faces the same challenge as Ted Cruz and Rand Paul. Will America get behind another first term senator?

A vague, unwritten Iran deal may soon be hammered out as talks continue this weekend in Switzerland.  Reuters reports
Iran and six major powers were exploring possible compromises to break an impasse in nuclear negotiations on Sunday, but officials cautioned they were unable to move on several sticking points. The news came as Israel said the details of a possible agreement emerging from talks in Lausanne, Switzerland were worse than it feared. In a significant development in talks aimed at securing a preliminary nuclear deal, several officials told Reuters Tehran had indicated a willingness to accept fewer than 6,000 nuclear centrifuges and to send most of its enriched uranium stockpiles for storage in Russia. Western powers, on the other hand, were considering the idea of allowing Iran to conduct limited, closely-monitored enrichment-related work for medical purposes at an underground facility called Fordow, the officials added on condition of anonymity. Iran had originally insisted on keeping in operation the nearly 10,000 centrifuges it currently uses, but said in November that Washington indicated it could accept around 6,000. Iranian officials say they had been pushing for 6,500-7,000. The officials said all parts of an emerging nuclear deal were interrelated. "Everything could still fall apart," a Western official told Reuters, adding that the talks could drag on to Tuesday, the self-imposed deadline for a framework agreement.
According to The Telegraph, a pro-Rouhani Iranian journalist covering the P5 + 1 talks has sought asylum in Switzerland following frustration that he "could only write what he is told":

Hillary Clinton received a lot of attention this week for her suggestion of establishing "camps for adults" to address America's "fun deficit."  The Washington Post reports:
What many observers say will be Hillary Rodham Clinton's final paid speech before she begins a presidential campaign was addressed to the American Camp Association. Everyone loves summer camp, and the former secretary of state didn't talk about anything controversial. "We have a huge fun deficit in America, and we need to figure out how to fill that fun deficit," she said, suggesting summer camps for adults (presumably in jest) .
When I first heard about this, my immediate thought was, as is parenthetically noted above, she must be joking.  She notes in this speech that "as a society we are much less racist, sexist, homophobic . . . but we sure don't want to spend any time with anyone who we disagree with politically," and goes on to suggest that her fun camps for adults would have "red cabins" and "blue cabins," and that their inhabitants would have "to come together" and "actually listen to each other." Watch the video clip from CNN:

Ted Cruz launched his presidential campaign on Monday with a fantastic speech at Liberty University, and his campaign raised $1 million in just over 24 hours. Within three days of his official announcement, Cruz's campaign had raised $2 million.  The Washington Post reports:
Sen. Ted Cruz's presidential campaign had a goal after it officially launched Monday: raise $1 million in a week. Turns out it only took a few hours. The Texas Republican's campaign says it met its fundraising goal at 2:30 a.m. Tuesday -- just a little more than 24 hours after he announced via Twitter that he would be running for president. Cruz made a formal announcement Monday morning at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. As of Thursday night the campaign has raised $2 million, about $500,000 of which came from large-money bundlers. The rest came from online donations.
This is quite remarkable given that the donations are pouring in from average Americans who respond to Cruz's message of adherence to the Constitution, a limited federal government, a strong economy, substantial tax and other needed reforms, and a coherent foreign policy that foregrounds America's interests.   He touches on each of these points in his first full-length campaign ad:

Back in 2012, gay marriage activists targeted Chick-fil-A for the company owner's traditional stance on the issue. One such protester was Adam Smith, who decided to make a video of himself berating an innocent Chick-fil-A drive through employee who responded to his attack with grace and respect. The stunt backfired on Smith, who was quickly fired from his job and now finds himself on food stamps. FOX News reported:
Ex-CFO who criticized Chick-fil-A reportedly now on food stamps after outcry A CFO who drew widespread condemnation after berating a Chick-fil-A employee in a video that went viral three years ago is out of work and on food stamps, according to a published report. Adam Smith, 37, was the CFO of a medical device manufacturer in Arizona until the summer of 2012, when he started protested Chick-fil-A's stance on gay marriage to an employee at a drive-thru. “Chick-fil-A is a hateful company,” Smith told the employee. "I don’t know how you sleep at night,” Smith adds at another point. This is a horrible corporation with horrible values.” After the employee, who never loses her composure, wished Smith a nice day, he responded, “I will. I just did something really good. I feel purposeful.” Since then, Smith was fired from his job, and his wife and four children lost their home. The family was forced to sell and give away their possessions and move into an RV. He is now on food stamps, he says. “I don’t regret the stand I took, but I regret… the way I talked to her,” he told ABC News' “20/20.”
Last night, the panel on Red Eye discussed the issue: Smith has written a book about the experience which has been panned on Amazon.

As if things in the Middle East couldn't get any worse, we're now at a point where our allies don't trust us. It's becoming quite clear that the only person who thinks Obama's pursuit of a deal with Iran is a good idea, is Obama. Daniel Bassali of the Washington Free Beacon:
Richard Engel: Military Officials Say Allies No Longer Trust Us, Fear Intel Might Leak to Iran NBC’s Richard Engel reported Friday that U.S. officials were stunned they were not given any notice before Saudi Arabia launched attacks against Houthi rebels. According to Engel, military leaders were finding out about the developments on the Yemen border in real time. Engel said officials from both the military and members of Congress believe they were not given advanced warning because the Arab nations do not trust the Obama administration after they befriended Iran. “Saudi Arabia and other countries simply don’t trust the United States any more, don’t trust this administration, think the administration is working to befriend Iran to try to make a deal in Switzerland, and therefore didn’t feel the intelligence frankly would be secure. And I think that’s a situation that is quite troubling for U.S. foreign policy,” Engel said.
Watch the segment: Ed Morrissey of Hot Air commented:
Engel’s report strongly suggests that it’s not just incompetence that has the Saudis and other US allies rattled, but a suspicion that they’re being purposefully sold out by Obama to get a deal with Iran that will unleash their ambitions to dominate the region.

I invite Legal Insurrection readers to pour an ice cold brew and celebrate "Human Achievement Hour", slated to start today at 8:30 pm local time. The event is promoted by the Competitive Enterprise Institute; its website offers the background on today's festivities:
  • Human Achievement Hour is the counter argument to Earth Hour, which is an event where participants symbolically renounce the environmental impacts of modern technology by turning off their lights for an hour...
  • Symbolically or not, Earth Hour does little to protect the environment and is a misguided effort that completely ignores how modern technology allows societies around the world to develop new and more sustainable practices that help humans be more eco-friendly and better conserve our natural resources.
  • Instead of looking to the “dark ages,” as Earth Hour might suggest, Human Achievement Hour promotes the idea that we should be looking to technology and innovation to help solve environmental problems..
CEI would like supporters to share their favorite human achievements on Twitter using @ceidotorg and #HAH2015. There is also a Facebook page for the event.

Still ten months away from New Hampshire's primary, and with only one official candidate, this election season is sure to be a horse race. A poll released by Suffolk University Thursday shows Jeb Bush and Scott Walker taking early leads among likely voters. Conducted between March 21-24, Jeb Bush is the early favorite of 19%, with Walker trailing just behind at 14%. According to Suffolk University:
Rand Paul (7 percent), and businessman Donald Trump, who was testing the waters in New Hampshire last week, (6 percent). Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who on Sunday night tweeted his intention to run for president, and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were tied at 5 percent each, while Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson tied with 3 percent. Ten other candidates received less than 2 percent, and 24 percent were undecided.
An incredibly crowded field, splintered special interest groups, PACs galore, and a primary race starting 20 months before the election, the 2016 election cycle is sure to be a fun one. Patrick O'Connor explains what this means for candidates joining the race:
The candidate field looks unusually crowded, with more than a dozen contenders appealing to different slices of the GOP. The rise of super PACs allows candidates to stay in the race longer than before. And nominating rules meant to compress the process may complicate a front-runner’s ability to amass the delegates necessary to win.

I may not be able to read Russian anymore, but I can read people. And I can smell rats. When Hillary Clinton held her tightly-controlled press conference at the U.N. regarding the email server scandal, I read right through her, and smelled a rat. I wrote that her performance reflected Hillary’s consciousness of guilt:
When I first watched Hillary’s press conference, something jumped out at me that has been bothering me since.... Hillary did something that was a dead giveaway, reflecting a consciousness of guilt. Hillary volunteered a piece of information about which she had not yet been asked and which was not critical to her explanation of why she would not turn over the server. Apparently reading from a prepared statement, Hillary volunteered that she deleted “personal” emails... Why volunteer that she deleted personal emails, and drag the red herring across the trail to lead the discussion towards Chelsea, her mother and yoga? Remember, Hillary said she would not turn over the server because it had personal emails on it, but then inconsistently said the personal emails were not on the server because she chose “not to keep” them. Hillary gave away the game at that point to me. Hillary showed a consciousness of guilt and deliberate misdirection. Get the server.
Trey Gowdy then tried to get the server, and was informed the server had been wiped clean. Fox News reports: