He could well help unify the party “Indiana Gov. Mike Pence,a first-term governor, who previously spent a dozen years in the U.S. House — told [RealClearPolitics] that he is currently making plans to run for re-election in Indiana in 2016. But the deeply conservative governor, who generated low-key buzz in Republican circles as someone to watch during the last two presidential cycles, also dropped some hints that he is open to seeking the nation’s highest office. . . . A highly polished communicator and an evangelical Christian who is well regarded both within the GOP establishment and among conservative grassroots activists, Pence could present himself as someone who appeals to all factions of the party.”
Secretary of State John Kerry gestures upon his arrival for a meeting with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank in July. (Reuters/Abbas Momani) Many Republicans would join in Daniel Drezner’s assessment of the sketchy foreign policy of junior senator from Kentucky: “The problem is that it’s still radically incomplete. [Sen. Rand] Paul doesn’t really outline what criteria would justify the use of force in a Paul administration. He doesn’t really articulate how he would mix military statecraft with economic statecraft. He really doesn’t talk about how, if he insists on congressional approval of any use of force, whether this will weaken presidential threats to use force as an instrument of statecraft. Even if one drills down below grand strategy to focus on concrete policy problems, there are some inconsistencies.” Read the whole thing.
Even if they agree they used chemical weapons what would they do — erase another red line? “The United States is investigating reports that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) used chlorine gas to attack Iraqi security forces, Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday. ‘These allegations are extremely serious,’ Kerry said.” Just not serious enough to punish Bashar al-Assad.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry unites the vast number of Republicans with a tough foreign policy message. “We need a United States Senate that will stand up to and clearly send a powerful message to the White House that we are going to put policies into place [so] that our enemies will fear us and our allies will trust us.”
Lucid experts concur: “ISIS’ principal source of finance is still derived from its control and sale of oil, which he assessed was still bringing in $1 million a day. Additional funds come from kidnap for ransom, extortion networks, criminal activities, and donations from external individuals, the latter being of least significance in terms of scale. In order to counter this broad base of financial incomes, [Treasury Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence David] Cohen explained that U.S. strategy is focused on disrupting ISIS revenue streams, restricting ISIS access to the international financial system, and targeting ISIS leaders, facilitators and supporters with sanctions. . . . As Undersecretary Cohen stressed, truly eroding this source of ISIS income means breaking its hold over territory. But this is simply not going to happen without genuinely capable local ground forces following up targeted coalition strikes.”
If true, many Republicans will be in accord with the secretary of state. “The U.S. persuaded the Palestinian Authority to postpone its intention to seek a UN Security Council resolution calling for an Israeli withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines, Palestinian sources disclosed Saturday. “The sources told the Palestinian daily Al-Quds that US Secretary of State John Kerry, who played a key role in persuading the [Palestinian Authority (PA)] leadership to delay its Security Council bid, made it clear that the move would embarrass Washington by forcing it to veto the proposed resolution. Kerry reportedly told the PA leadership that a US veto would have a negative impact on American-Palestinian relations.”
The consensus among political watchers is that Scott Brown and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen are essentially tied. “Mr. Brown has gained traction by lashing Ms. Shaheen to the president, who won New Hampshire twice but whose job approval ratings here are lower than ever: 37 percent approve, while 60 percent disapprove, according to a poll released Thursday by the University of Massachusetts Lowell. Mr. Brown’s tactics have brought him results.”
