The first item-of-business is to recognize that a new-recipient said he wants to stop-smoking; thus, he may wish to interact with Bill Godshall @ Smoke-Free-PA, whose yeoman-efforts have been expended for a quarter-century [and who is now fighting for e-cigs, noting they create “vapor” and not “smoke”]. {Once Bill uploades his weekly literature-summaries onto scribd, they will be disseminated (hint/hint); meanwhile, he may confront the claim that Plain Packaging Failed as Cigarette Sales Rise in Australia.}

Victor David Hansen concluded Americans are getting the full measure of Brothel Government. We get lied to, everything is under the covers, we pay too much for the experience and what we get...may have consequences for which we never bargained. There no truth in a brothel. When a Republican holds office the media act as the Vice Squad; in this Administration, they are just down the hall with their legs in the air. And during Obama's second term, we are learning the true meaning of flexibility.

Next, it is desirable to summarize what was disseminated on Saturday by updating key-components thereof; for example, there will indeed be a high-profile effort to initiate a LGBTQ [with my son advising “Q” denotes “Questioning” and not “Queer”] entity within the loco-regional GOP, even as THE END OF GOPROUD has been declared [opening the way for the Log-Cabin effort to expand, one would presume]. Symptomatic of the challenge, here, is the fact that the CONSERVATIVE MEDIA REFUSE TO COVER NEW BOOK ON GAY MOVEMENT and that Hellfire and Brimstone Flew Over Gays at Texas GOP Convention [with Young Republicans Rejecting its Platform and its declining to Pass the Marijuana]. {Also, note that participants in this effort have a facebook page [Log-Cabin-Republicans-of-Pennsylvania].}

One point must be clarified; the “Hellfire” piece APPROPRIATELY [in my view] opens with a double-negative ["The Texas GOP Platform committee approved language in the 2014 Texas Republican Platform to prohibit Texas from creating laws to ban reparative therapy when such treatment is sought by a patient. Other states, like California and New Jersey have passed laws that interfere in the doctor or therapist-relationship.”]. Thus, recognizing the importance of the competition extant in the free-market [and the ability, over many decades, for physicians to prescribe The Pill for “dysmenorrhea”], it is desirable to allow for people to pursue what others might condemn [without passing judgment on the posture of either individual]. This encompasses the “Q”-point made [perhaps inadvertently] by my son, namely, that a “Questioning” individual may wish to “try-out” what it might mean to go-straight [regardless of the outcome of this effort].

Regarding POTUS-’16, Hillary claimed she differed with BHO on Middle East and dodged responsibility for Benghazi Security ['That's Why We Hire People'], although she Will Have 'Difficulty' Distancing herself from Obama. Hillary also claimed her family had a Knock Life After the White House, was “dead broke” by the time that her husband President Bill Clinton left the White House, but the couple still spent millions on expensive homes in Washington D.C. and New York. Even Chris Cuomo said Media Have Given Hillary a 'Free Ride.'

Political-controvesies debated currently that undoubtedly will rage into ’16 include the effort to kill Common Core [The Texas GOP Convention, Public Education and Efforts to Stop Common Core; Bill Gates: Common Core Meant to Close Gap Between Poor and Wealthy Students; Strong Stop Common Core Plank Could Make GOP Platform], the VA [More than 57,000 veterans awaiting initial VA visits and Over 100,000 Veterans Face Delays Receiving Health Care]; ObamaDon’tCare [Fox News Poll: Voters regret

ObamaCare, say country is worse off under new law and six Million Medicaid Enrollments Since Rollout of Obamacare].

Cruz Crushed Perry/Bush in Texas GOP Straw Poll and, as he chalked-up ANOTHER WIN, he showed TEXAS IS CRUZ COUNTRY [“All Aboard the Ted Cruz Photo Train!”]. This may be why the GOP Establishment [“permanent political class in Washington, D.C.”] is Ready to Wage War on Ted Cruz after the midterm elections, having failed to co-opt him, thus far; as has been noted repeatedly in these “Blast” e-mails, he is rapidly becoming the consensus of the Conservatives [even if it’s possible that “pragmatic” folk would slot him as veep behind Scott Walker]. Cruz @ the Texas-GOP Convention: 'Today Liberty Is Under Assault Like Never Before' and Texas Will Lead the Way in the Fight for Freedom. Once an outsider, Cruz is now Texas GOP's mainstream; the Republican establishment has regrouped and managed to brush back the tea party, except in Texas.

Meanwhile, Rand PAUL noted a 'CHAMBER OF COMMERCE REPUBLICAN' CAN'T WIN WH. He has been doing the most visible spadework of the party’s potential presidential candidates; his PLAN TO TAKE OVER REPUBLICAN PARTY entails invoking SURVEILLANCE ISSUE AS KEY TO GOP RECOVERY WITH YOUTH and MINORITIES. He also said he would consider running for reelection and president at the same time, and that a Kentucky ballot law against dual candidacies would not be an obstacle. In this regard, both Noam Chomsky [Obama Determined To Demolish Our Civil Liberties] and Richard Murdoch [WARNS U.S. HEADING WAY OF NAZI GERMANY IN DRAMATIC FAREWELL SPEECH] are raising this concern; this may be the first time I ever agreed with Chomsky, on anything. {Also, inexplicably, a Judge Changed Mind & Said NSA Can Resume Destroying Evidence.}

The Trouble with 'Reform Conservatives' [according to JOEL B. POLLAK] is that these "policy wonks" [who want to "move the GOP beyond its Reagan-era script of cutting taxes and shrinking government and toward a focus on what a more limited government can and should do, especially for the middle class"] is that they failed to distinguish itself sufficiently from the liberal model because they regard citizens—especially in the so-called "middle class"—primarily as consumers of government services; having failed to anticipate just how radical the Dems' agenda would be [and how urgent a response would be needed], their pitch contains elitism, ironically, when seeking a more populist GOP and, thus, their policy ideas are helpful as 2016 approaches but, for vision, the GOP must look elsewhere.

BHO seemingly presents an increasingly “clear and present danger,” imperialistic [WEEKLY ADDRESS: OBAMA VOWED TO GO AROUND CONGRESS ON STUDENT LOANS] and abandoned by DEMS; also, Rush noted the Bergdahl-capitulation led to BHO’s having replenished-the-enemy [while we remain chronically at-war with radical-Islam]. Thus, MONICA CROWLEY claimed 'THIS IS A HOLY WAR…WHETHER IT'S POLITICALLY CORRECT TO SAY IT OR NOT'; meanwhile, Ben Shapiro's Obama Solution is Prosecution as opposed to Judge Pirro’s suggestion, impeachment. It has gotten to the point whereby the media ignored the fact that [at least] five OBAMA OFFICIALS LIED, THEN LIED ABOUT LYING, and even the Left now questions Susan Rice's credibility; for example, note multiple quotes by Sen. Feinstein and that Another Dem Quit on Obama claiming 'Even I have had enough.' {“BHO has gone-rogue, according to an e-mail from David Horowitz, and a psychologist worries erratic-obama-may-not-be-sane.} Thus, the challenge facing the GOP is not only to trumpet the severity of the above, but also to formulate a positive/assertive social-policy platform that can [at the very least]

entice wayward-Dems to “try-it-you’ll-like-it” regarding fundamental Republicanism. This challenge does NOT focus on “Domestic Policy” [limited taxes & government, etc.], for leaders such as Sen. Cruz are subject to the claim that they disrespect equal rights due to vehement opposition to gay marriage; it is not viewed as hypothetical or subject to federalism [i.e., states’ rights] and, although public renouncement from the national party is felt to be required to quell such concerns, it seems support for Cruz is growing. {Some suggest HOMOSEXUAL ACCEPTANCE is weakening AMERICA’S INSTITUTIONS because the gay movement transformed from an initial plea for tolerance into a movement that forcefully demands universal acceptance by all societal institutions; also, Liberals and Conservatives United in DC to Launch Gay Marriage Initiative.}

Cruz has “fought to protect innocent human life, having played a leading role in key-cases have all been part of ongoing efforts to ensure” that “every child in America receives the protection and respect he or she deserves”; “telegraphing his punch” is use of the word “child” rather than “fetus.” This has been manifest in his defense of the partial-birth abortion ban and parental consent laws, and also in his defense of a Texas law prohibiting state funding of entities that perform abortions]. This latter item has been attacked [Women's rights advocates battle new restrictions on abortion access and The Texas legislature has almost succeeded in making it impossible for women to recieve abortions] and, an updated legal-opinion by the successor to Cruz explores this issue. When asked a key-question [“How can you not say that his long-term goal is to further impede access to abortion when his rhetoric talks in this context about the ‘protection’ of the ‘child’?”], my initial reaction is that he is defending “Rider 8” in conjunction with his being Texas-AG; what must be determined is whether he would adopt a posture c/w that which I articulated supra regarding “reparative therapy,” to wit, that “federalism” and “limited government” would preclude his advocating adoption of rigorous federal law proscriptions in this particular regard.

Cruz feels that companies should have the ability to deny women birth control coverage at their discretion, based upon owners’ religious views. This posture supersedes a tantential argument [“If one is so against abortion, should we not encourage easy access to birth control that may employ medications, devices and/or medical procedures?”] buttressed by the claim that half of all pregnancies are unintended [December 2012 Committee “Opinion of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.” Also, this view supersedes tagential data in statements from medical societies suggesting unintended pregnancies are associated with negative consequences to the pregnant woman and, regarding short inter-pregnancy intervals, yield “adverse neonatal outcomes” [costing taxpayers $11.1 billion]. {Ref. “Burnt Orange Report” on 2012 Texas Senate Debate, Apr 16, 2012.}

Cruz opposes gay-pride parades and opposes gay marriage (Feb. 2012) because he feels one-man-one-woman marriage is the building block of

society (Jul 2011), supporting definition of traditional marriage (Oct. 2012). {Ref. “On the Issues” and “the political guide.”] In my view, although debate is vital regarding how a “multiple choice” stance on abortion is to be manifest in each state, none of these issues rises to the level whereby the “pro-choice” concern trumps worriment regarding the survival of America. Noting that abortion survived the Presidencies of Reagan, Bush-’41 and Bush’43, it would be difficult to surmise that it would not survive GOP-leadership in ’16 [c/o Cruz].

Applying these concerns to the Gubernatorial race, That 20-point spread will narrow but, No matter how good Kane's report, Corbett is not out of the PSU woodshed yet; concerns regarding the timing of the home-inspection are dwarfed by the need to know why he assigned so few troopers for years; that may be why a Penn State trustee said, absent reading the text, it’s too soon to judge the report on Corbett. [As anticipated, those who've seen drafts say it DOES raise some serious questions about probe.] Meanwhile, completing the legislative-agenda—including a LIQUOR REFORM PLAN [SUNDAY, HOLIDAY HRS FOR STATE STORES, 6-PACKS SOLD IN GROCERY STORES] and legislative downsizing [for PA Senate Appropriations], and a pension-fix [in the House]—would afford him a rating-boost; so, too, would passage of paycheck-protection [with the “base”] and, naturally, the Holocaust-Education-Mandate [in a bipartisan fashion]. {These views accommodate input by Mike Vereb, re-elected as MCRC-chair.}

One avid reader wrote, regarding the Temple U. anti-Semite, that he was probably “raised and educated in the Catholic school system; since I see he has an Italian last name, he has to be Catholic. My three, all went to Catholic schools and they never mentioned the Holocaust to them at all. I told them about it. Catholics don’t mention the New Testament at all to the kids. All they teach is the Catholic Church Dogma. The kids should boycott this ignorant shmuck! Everyone who’s not Catholic knows that Israel belongs to the Jews, so saith the Lord.” {It is unclear what should be done in this regard, but it cannot be ignored.}

Among GOP-Primary Civil-War, there was only Polite Criticism of Lindsey Graham at South Carolina GOP Senate Debate But No Fireworks and Tea Party's McDaniel Took Slight Lead Over Thad Cochran Heading Into Runoff; also Joni Ernst Leads Two IA Polls after Bruce Braley Insulted Women and Farmers. {Note also, Busted was Charlie Rangel when he was Caught Using His iPad During Primary Debate.}

As ILLEGALS POUR INTO USA, headlines are unnerving:

Arizona Still Struggling with Shipment of Foreign Children from Texas Border RICK PERRY: WE'VE WARNED FEDS ABOUT WAREHOUSED CHILDREN SINCE 2012 Sen. Inhofe: Forcing Military Bases to Shelter Illegal Immigrants Threatens National Security NYC Bar Association Backs Plan for TaxPayer-Funded Lawers for Illegals White House Launches Program to Provide Lawyers Texas GOP Reaches Illegal Immigration Compromise at Convention OBAMA ADMIN TO DUMP OVER 1,000 ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS IN AZ THIS WEEKEND Enjoy your deliberate crisis, border states

AMERICA STUGGLES WITH SURGE IN CHILD MIGRATION JUDGE: 'Government has simply chosen not to enforce border security laws' Sheriffs: Feds Should Pay for Housing Agents threatened with firing after photos leak FEDS DROP PLANELOADS OF ILLEGALS IN EL PASO...'YOU ARE FREE, YOU CAN LEAVE' HUNDREDS MORE SHIPPED TO AZ 230,000 children expected over 24 months Growing concern of diseases ILLEGAL ALIENS NOT SCREENED FOR DISEASES UNTIL AFTER PROCESSING BORDER CRISIS WILL ONLY GET WORSE No end in sight for 'dumping' policy GOHMERT: RUSH AT BORDER 'EVERY TIME SOMEONE TALKS ABOUT LEGAL STATUS' More from Border 'Insecurity': Texas Taking Charge Officers diverted from handling crimes '40% of agents not at border' Cruz: Obama 'lawlessness' responsible for crisis Supreme Court rules against immigrants over visa eligibility FLORIDA GRANTED IN-STATE TUITION TO ILLEGALS Sen. Jeff Sessions: Obama 'Committed to Escalating' Lawlessness at Border Numbers USA Mobilizes Activists to Protest House Immigration Reform Push Ingraham, Fmr SEIU Official Square off on Immigration

Politically, there is no doubt that this issue has affected at least one GOP-Primary race, as Dave Brat claimed Illegal Immigrants are Pouring into USA After House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) betrayed his district on amnesty, Announced 'Kids Are Welcome,' and shares the blame for surge in illegal immigrant children flooding into the country. When his Hometown Paper Endorsed Cantor, it Made No Mention of Amnesty; perhaps, as a result, a POLL showed CANTOR'S LEAD had been CUT TO 52-39 IN VIRGINIA PRIMARY. Nevertheless, Cantor’s comment on Border Crisis [incomprehensively] was: Let's Work with Obama to Give 'Kids' Amnesty.

No immigration is in GOP's June plans, explaining [perhaps] why BHO is holding-off any action on deportations to give House Republicans time to act [and to experience the passive-aggressive effects of their not capitulating to his will]; now, Obama claims there is a 50-50 chance House will act on amnesty next month and RYAN RENEWED AMNESTY PUSH. Quietly, immigration is being pushed by a group of key Republicans including Mick Mulvaney, spending a Summer Of Apostasy, knowing that Congress' legislative agenda for 2014 will be swallowed in the summer recess within only a few weeks.

Politico-Libs [falsely] claimed IMMIGRATION HAS HAD LITTLE IMPACT ON PRIMARIES by ignoring other factors affecting local races and by cherry-picking analysis of the national races, ignoring Cantor’s: Sen. Lindsey Graham appeared to put himself in political jeopardy when he wrote and championed an overhaul of immigration laws, but he is poised to lap the field in Tuesday's Republican primary in South Carolina. GOP Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, who also backed the bill, is in a strong position ahead of his primary this August. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R., N.C.) easily survived a primary challenge after backing liberalized laws. And Tim Donnelly, a leader in the movement to stop illegal immigration, lost to another Republican this month in California's open primary for governor. Opposition to an immigration-law overhaul remains high within the Republican Party, but primary season is showing that support isn't necessarily a career-ending move, nor is opposition a clear path to the nomination. That could factor

into the decision by House GOP leaders on whether to move broad immigration legislation this year. Boehner (R., Ohio) hasn't brought any immigration bills to the House floor, allowing his members to avoid taking a position. Defeats of Republicans who back new legislation surely would have hurt the measures' chances.

It has been suggested that the Phillies can't get any worse, but they can, as other teams improve and they don’t; note that they haven’t been hitting during the past five weeks [Marlon Byrd .241 … Ryan Howard .220 … Dominic Brown .194 … Jimmy Rollins .221].

The Bergdahl Dozen: Thirteen Reasons Why the Story Has Legs encompass these headlines:

Sgt. Bergdahl Wandered Off Base on Multiple Occasions BERGDAHL'S FATHER PRAISED SON'S CAPTOR'S IN 2010 SPEECH “After arriving in Qatar, Noorullah Noori kept insisting he would go to Afghanistan and fight American forces there,” a Taliban commander told NBC News via telephone from Afghanistan. WHITE HOUSE CLAIM BERGDAHL'S LIFE WAS IN DANGER RECEIVES BIPARTISAN REJECTION BOWE BERGDAHL PHYSICALLY WELL ENOUGH TO RETURN, 'NOT READY PSYCHOLOGICALLY' BILL RICHARDSON: THERE IS NO EVIDENCE BERGDAHL IS A DESERTER [he can’t watch FNC?] Detainees-On-Year-Long-All-Expenses-Paid-Vacation John Kerry Talks Tough to the Taliban Five - The United States may have released five dangerous Taliban detainees in exchange for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, but Secretary of State John Kerry reminded them that they shouldn’t feel safe. Max Hastings: 'Obama Is a Pygmy When Compared to Wartime Leaders Like Roosevelt' David Brooks: Obama Thought Bergdahl Would Be the 'Oprah Show' BOWE WON'T SPEAK TO FAMILY WH grants parents access to briefings Dianne Feinstein: I See No Signs of the Taliban Relenting House Intel Chair: Bergdahl Swap Empowered the Taliban Bergdahl-Taliban Swap Resurrects Charges of 'Imperial Presidency' for President Obama Poll: Veterans Overwhelmingly Oppose Obama's Bergdahl Swap WH Orchestrated Campaign Of Threats and Intimidation Against Servicemen To Keep Them Quiet About Bergdahl Secretary of State John Kerry was caught napping during a news conference held by President Barack Obama and his Polish counterpart in Warsaw on Tuesday.

MSNBC’s Morning-Joe crew were universally condemnatory, and one claimed the BHO-clan was so very out-of-touch that they perceived the one-year Qatar-residency mandate as a “Junior Year Abroad.”

The NY-Times rationalized-away one defense of the BERGDAHL SWAP by claiming, "When the heads of the two major intelligence committees criticized the Obama administration on Sunday for swapping Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five members of the Taliban, they homed in on one part of the deal that the White House has struggled for a week, unsuccessfully, to explain. The question is why the five were released without any commitments to a larger agreement, under which the Taliban would renounce international terrorism, and begin a process of reconciliation with the government of Afghanistan. ... "It was abandoned last year ... because the Taliban were no longer interested in a broader deal - probably because the Taliban understood American forces

were leaving. Now, both in Afghanistan and in Washington, there are questions about whether the release of the five men gives the Taliban legitimacy, and enhances their power over a weak government in Kabul. Like the senior members of Congress, Afghan officials said they were caught off guard by the prisoner swap for Sergeant Bergdahl. According to one Afghan security official and another former official who maintains close ties to the presidential palace, many in the Afghan government believed that American officials misled them into thinking that the prisoner swap would not be done unless it was connected to a broader peace effort."

Regarding the Middle East [and Israel]:

No End to a Self-Inflicted Tragedy of Palestinian Arabs upon themselves. Israeli-Palestinian Collision Course - New York Times Editorial - The U.S. and other

countries that consider Hamas a terrorist group may find it impossible to continue aiding the Palestinians if Hamas plays a more pronounced role. There are the inescapable facts of Hamas' hatred of Israel and its heavily armed militia. The U.S. has to be careful to somehow distinguish between its support for the new government and an endorsement of Hamas and its violent, hateful behavior. To have some hope of doing that, the U.S. and Europe must continue to insist Abbas stick to his promises and not allow Hamas to get the upper hand.

Palestinian Leaders Don't Want an Independent State Facing pressure and incitement, Palestinian professor resigns over Auschwitz trip Pro-Palestine Charity Head Refused to Condemn Stoning of Adulterers A Palestinian terrorist opened fire Monday night at Tapuah Junction, marking the

second attack at the crossing in less than a week. Israeli forces stationed at the junction returned fire and killed the attacker on site.

Abbas Is Lying to Americans, Says Former Hamas Spokesman "Cold-Blooded Murder" or a War on Terror? Israel Won't Negotiate with Palestinian Hunger-Striking Security Detainees Jihadist Group More Extreme than al-Qaeda in Battle to Establish Islamic State across

Iraq and Syria IDF Chief: Dramatic Armament Taking Place in Gaza Iraq Attacks, Bombs at Kurdish Offices Kill 29 El-Sisi sworn in as Egypt's president, cool reception from West Iran's Ballistic Missile Program Steinitz: A Bad Deal Will Lead to an Iran with Dozens of Nuclear Bombs Ten Years from Now Pakistan Weighs Strike Against Taliban Over Airport Attack Boko Haram Abducts 20 Additional Women Near Chibok

Worldwide Islamism also rages [recommending another resourceful website, elder of ziyon]: Report: Venezuela, Cuba Providing Easy Access for Islamists to US and Canada - A report

by the Secure Free Society reveals this week that Venezuela and Cuba have been providing passports and national identification cards to Middle Eastern

immigrants, later used to surreptitiously enter the United States and Canada, with Venezuela providing a passport to the right-hand man of the head of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

German Security Police Failed to Stop Brussels Killer as He Returned from Syria Brussels killer 'no lone wolf' and Europe must expect more Syria-linked terror -

European Union officials have told a Lebanese newspaper they do not believe the Algerian-French gunman who allegedly murdered three people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels and seriously injured another acted alone, according to a report in the Jerusalem Post.

Schools being investigated over an alleged Islamist takeover plot tried to trick inspectors by hiding evidence of wrongdoing.

May aide quits in 'Islamist' schools row - Home Secretary Theresa May's special adviser has resigned in a row between two prominent government ministers over claims that Islamists took control of some schools in Birmingham.

Activists Hijacking Feminism to Attack Israel at Women's Studies Association Meeting - The next National Women’s Studies Association annual meeting will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico on November 13-16, 2014 and is aptly named “Feminist Transgressions.” Indeed, the conference itself is “transgressive” in that it minimizes the cause of women to focus, yet again, on the cause of Palestine, aka the destruction of Israel.

student-leaders-and-jewish-kids are frightened-at-ucla Cleveland convenience store features antisemitic murals 'Anti-Semitic Filth' Remarks by old Le Pen Tarnish his Daughter's Victory [Islamic-prayers held-at-the-Vatican]

Lest we forget the antics of Putin:

VLADIMIR PUTIN ORDERS MORE SECURITY ON RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN BORDER Pro-Russians Claim Ukraine Shelling Killed Three Civilians in Slaviansk - Pro-Russians in

Slaviansk claim three civilians died from Ukrainian government shelling while Kiev announced the three pilots died after pro-Russians shot down their An-26 plane. The plane carried humanitarian cargo for people in the war-torn east.

World View: Russia Forced to Change Tactics after Ukraine's Election Crimea's Leaders Resolute Against Rejoining Ukraine Pro-Russians Claim Ukraine Shelling Killed Three Civilians in Slaviansk Fighting Continues in Slaviansk, Luhansk in East Ukraine Vladimir Putin: Volgograd Could Be Stalingrad Again With Votes - Putin claims he does

not want to put back together the USSR, but the little things he does says otherwise.

Also noted: CNN CO-FOUNDER said 'ZUCKER'S HEAD MAY ALREADY BE ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK' and CNN Promoted David Chalian [Who Was Fired by Yahoo For Racist Comments]. Raising sour-grapes to a new level, California Chrome Owner said Tonalist Took 'Coward's Way Out' by skipping prior races. And the DoD and DoS were Sued for Congressional Benghazi Briefing Records by Judicial Watch.

Jim Geraghty appeared on Real Time with Bill Maher to promote his book, agreeing because of the need to break out of conservative comfort zones and preach beyond the converted; one portion is here and the web-only "After-Time" portion is here. Every topic and statement is another opportunity for the host to remind his audience that

religious people are fools and that Republicans are stupid, racist, hypocritical lunatics. Here's the Washington Times report about scrubbed rescue missions for Bergdahl that Maher contended was simply made up. For what it's worth, the Daily Beast cites "U.S. officials" saying no rescue was attempted because Bergdahl's captors moved him around too much; the Daily Mail cites an unnamed Pentagon official saying the president wanted to establish a precedent for removing detainees from Guantanamo Bay.

Now? Now? Now You Guys Want to Talk Up an Immigration-Reform Bill?

What could wreck GOP unity heading into the midterm campaign season? How about an immigration-reform bill that a good chunk of the grassroots will call "amnesty," at a time when the Obama administration has proven itself ruthlessly partisan and blatantly duplicitous at every opportunity? How could Republican leaders on the Hill possibly think this is a good idea?

Mickey Kaus lays out the unintended consequences of seemingly-compassionate proposals such as offering a path to citizenship to those who came into the country illegally as children:

The "kids," often unaccompanied, started surging across the southern border, causing a humanitarian and policy crisis just as [Eric Cantor] was facing a challenge in Tuesday's Virginia primary. Even the New York Times couldn't help but notice that the young illegal migrants said they were motivated, not just by conditions back home in Central America, but also by the prospect that they'd qualify for Cantoresque amnesty."Central Americans, [said a Salvadoran immigration official] were left with the sense that the United States had 'opened its doors' to women and children."

. . . You'd think the embarrassment of this latest surge — with thousands of recently arrived illegals being shipped all over the country, obviously never to leave — would be enough to kill amnesty, at least for this year. But you'd have thought the slack job market would be enough to kill amnesty, and you'd have thought Obama's troubles (and the chance for the GOP to retake the Senate) would be enough to kill amnesty. You'd have thought Marco Rubio's precipitous drop in the polls, after he championed the "Gang of Eight″ bill, would be enough to kill amnesty. And you'd have thought the administration's release of illegal-immigrant criminals back into the population would be enough to kill amnesty.

But amnesty is hard to kill. It's as if, at the height of the "welfare explosion" in 1970, Congress were seriously considering a bill to double welfare benefits — and Ronald Reagan was nowhere to be found.

What, are these guys thinking that the midterm outlook is just too good and they have to do something to disrupt it?

Another Reason to Miss Having Leon Panetta in Obama's Cabinet

Easily overlooked from last week:

A former top adviser to President Obama on Wednesday questioned the release of dangerous terrorists in exchange for an imprisoned American soldier as anger spread among lawmakers in Washington over the secret deal to free Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

"I don't fault the administration for wanting to get him back. I do question whether the conditions are in place to make sure these terrorists don't go back into battle," former CIA director and Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta told a gas-industry gathering in Pittsburgh.

Panetta, who was in the Cabinet for four of the five years Bergdahl spent in Taliban custody, said he opposed a swap for the terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, when he was Defense secretary.

"I said, 'Wait, I have an obligation under the law,'" Panetta said during a lunchtime address at the Hart Energy Developing Unconventionals DUG East conference at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. "If I send prisoners from Guantanamo, they have to guarantee they don't go back to the battlefield. I had serious concerns."

He said talks fell apart because the Taliban "asked for five top guys." He did not say when during his 2011-13 tenure in the Pentagon that discussions took place.

"I just assumed it was never going to happen," Panetta said.

If only our president also thought he had an obligation under the law to get a guarantee that any released prisoners from Guantanamo would never go back to the battlefield.

A friend noted the absence of graphics, lately, and attemped to compensate…to wit: