This [shorter] Blast e-mail notes a deteriorating situation in Iraq/Syria [ISLAMISTS SEIZED IRAQ OIL

REFINERY; Iraqi PM Cows to 'Face Terrorism' as Militants Strike Refinery; Iran Vows to Defend Iraq Shi'ite
Sites in Iraq From 'Killers And Terrorists'; How NOT to Cooperate with Iran in Iraq; Gunmen Seize Iraq-
Syria Border Crossing] as BHOs polling plummets [54% of Americans Believe Obama Can't Get the Job
Done]; meanwhile, Putin marches-on [Thirty Ukraine Soldiers Injured Near Russia's Border]. It has gotten
to the point whereby the U.S. Doesn't Know Who to Hit in Iraq; complicating the task is that ISIS has
taken refuge in urban areas, making striking them without striking civilians near to impossible, said Rep.
Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a senior member of the House Intelligence Committee. Can anyone defend BHOs
Foreign Policy? [Bueller?]

Bi-Partisan Committees Discuss Protocols for Inevitable Article V Convention - An Article
V convention, also known as the Convention of States, has quietly become a political
inevitability, as state legislators all over the nation consider how to rein in the federal
governments unprecedented overreach and abuse. The Founding Fathers placed what
has been called a "Constitutional emergency cord" in the Constitutions Fifth Article, to
be used by states in case the federal government grows beyond its legal boundaries.

Regarding Israel, the post-kidnapping West Bank operation delivered a strategic blow to Hamas that
may have prompted the Palestinian Authority To try to Halt Hamas Reconciliation. In London, during his
address to activists and donors at the annual Friends of Israel luncheon, Labour Party leader Ed
Milibandwho identifies as Jewish though not religiousclaimed Kerry's MidEast Peace Attempt was
'Brilliant' and expressed support for the #BringBackOurBoys campaign [which hopes to raise awareness
around three teenagers kidnapped in Israel last Thursday]. Meanwhile, Britain will Re-establish Embassy
in Iran In Light Of Regional Instability [allegedly], notwithstanding the fact that Iran is Carrying-Out
Secret Executions, yielding Disappearance of Political Opponents. {Gratuitously, Human Rights Watch
announced that Even Jews in Illegal Settlements Should Not Be Violently Abducted; incredibly, a
spokesperson for United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon said Tuesday night that the UN
has no "concrete evidence" that Eyal Yifrah, 19, Naftali Frenkel, 16, and Gilad Sha'ar, 16, were "actually"
kidnapped by Hamas terrorists last Thursday.}

Motivation to have pushed for the Holocaust Education Mandate and to have prompted
the Temple-Prof to recant his writings is derived from such input as when Oprah and Elie
Weisel visited Auschwitz; he characterized it as the largest cemetery in recorded history.

BHO/Hillary continue to be unable to diagnose Islamism as global threat, even AS ISIS CLOSED-IN ON
BAGHDAD and KURDS SUGGESTED PARTITIONING IRAQ; also, confirming the fact that US-made Stinger
missiles fell into ISIS hands, a helicopter was shot-down. Incredibly, despite ISLAMIST TERROR, Dems
SENATE BILL MAKES LGBT U.S. 'FOREIGN POLICY PRIORITY.' BHO cannot claim al-Qaeda is localized, for
its tentaticles are global [SPAIN ARRESTED FORMER GITMO DETAINEE FOR ALLEGED ISIS RECRUITING;
Kenya Suffered Worst Terrorist Attack Since Westgate Mall Attack; Rape in Egypt is being committed by
The Muslim Brotherhood to Get Even; and the PAKISTANI TALIBAN WARNED GOVERNMENT TO
PREPARE FOR THE WORST, AND THREATENED ATTACKS ON PUNJAB PROVINCE AND FEDERAL CAPITAL].
{Military Intervention against terrorism was supported by Meghan McCain.}

CHENEY said OBAMA IS 'SO WRONG ABOUT SO MUCH' [reflecting my sentiments] and,
increasingly, Obamas Critics not all Republicans.

As anticipated, pressure to enact immunity for illegals continues, noting House Judiciary Chairman Bob
Goodlatte claims he is Ready to 'Move Now' on Amnesty Legislation; indeed, the WH is asking
CONGRESS to PASS AMNESTY and to INCREASE HIGH-TECH VISAS BY AUGUST. Meanwhile, a 'Tone Deaf'
WH Ceremony Honoring Amnesty Recipients is felt to have Worsened the Border Crisis; also, RICK PERRY
BLAMES FEDERAL INACTION FOR 'INADEQUATE RESOURCES' TO SECURE BORDER and, as a result,
ILLEGALS ARE TREATED BETTER THAN HOMELESS IN US. Finally, ICE Crackdown Nabbed 297 Criminal
Aliens Throughout Midwest, 59 in Chicago Alone [as if this could offset the youth-influx]. {Parallel
phenomena exist in England, where Immigrants Must Speak English to Be Truly British, Public Says and a
SOROS REPORT concluded MASS IMMIGRATION 'MARGINALISES WHITE WORKING CLASS.}

Reason TV Presents: Remy's 'God Bless the USA' (VA Scandal Edition). Also, PHOENIX
VA HANDED-OUT $10 MILLION IN BONUSES AS VETS LANGUISHED ON WAITING LISTS.

After it was discovered that the IRS 'Lost' Emails From 6 More Involved in Targeting and LERNER said
'Sometimes stuff just happens,' the GOP reacted; Issa subpoenaed her hard drive and defunding efforts
were initiated [House budget punishes IRS with 15% cut, halts Obamacare enforcement and there were
9 WAYS HOUSE REPUBLICANS ARE USING THE BUDGET TO SCREW THE IRS].

Sen. Ted Cruz was on OutFront with Erin Burnett, during which he easily handled a
rather aggressive hostess, evincing patience without altering points he wanted to make.

Hillary continued her book-tour and, in the process, weighed-in on Iraq [although Hillary 'Can't Answer'
What Shed Do in Iraq, she feels MALIKI SHOULD STEP-DOWN]; BENGHAZI [TERROR SUSPECT SHOULD BE
TRIED IN US COURTS, notwithstanding the fact that this BENGHAZI ATTACK 'MASTERMIND' HID IN PLAIN
SIGHT FOR YEARS]; Hamas [whose officials she characterized as largely technocrats]; and gun-control
[during which Hillary Made Another Big Gaffe regarding automatic firearms, ignoring the ongoing need
for people to be able to protect themselves, even against a Robber sporting a fake-Gun]. Thats why she
is being criticized by non-conservatives, CNN's Lemon [Hillary 'Using' and 'Playing' the Media] and
Fournier [Clinton Repeating Mistakes of '08].

Social-issues abound, both in America [e.g., PLANNED PARENTHOOD wants to KILL
AMENDMENTS THAT WOULD BAN SEX-SELECTION ABORTIONS] and abroad [Ireland's
legislation for plain cigarette packaging delayed by European Commission]

Amid Chaos in Ukraine and Iraq, HuffPo Headlined Obama's LGBT Policy. Also, Critics Question Whether
DC Insider Ties Damaged Benghazi Investigation and some have defined Hillary's Criminality in Benghazi.
For additional discussion of Hillarys performance [on FNC and on CNN], check-out Politicos Playbook
[AL GORE]; for additional insights, check-out Huddle [also: FURIOUS LOBBYING IN FIGHT FOR WHIP;
RETURN OF THE GOP HAWKS; and COCHRAN, KING OF PORK].

[The Collapsing Obama Doctrine, by Dick Cheney and Liz Cheney]
Too many times to count, Mr. Obama has told us he is 'ending' the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan-as though wishing made it so. His rhetoric has now come crashing into
reality. ... In the face of this threat, Mr. Obama is busy ushering America's adversaries
into positions of power in the Middle East. First it was the Russians in Syria. Now, in a
move that defies credulity, he toys with the idea of ushering Iran into Iraq. Only a fool
would believe American policy in Iraq should be ceded to Iran, the world's largest state
sponsor of terror. ... [T]he speed of the terrorists' takeover of territory in Iraq has been
matched only by the speed of American decline on his watch.
[Morning Jolt, by NROs Jim Geraghty [6/18/2014]
Come to Think of It, We Haven't Seen a Good Poll for Obama in a Long Time
You know how it seems like bad news never sticks to President Obama? Well, maybe it
does after a while.
He's at his worst numbers ever in Reuters. Gallup has Obama's job
approval at 41 percent. The Economist/YouGov survey has him at 41
percent. Bloomberg has him at 43 percent, and significantly lower on
most issues. CNN has him at 43 percent, with 55 percent disapproving.
These are some pretty crappy poll numbers, and it's been a long while
since Obama's seen any consistently good numbers.
Andrew Kohut:
Since the Affordable Care Act was passed nearly four years ago, a
plurality of Americans have disapproved of it. Since the onset of the
Great Recession six years ago, more than 80% of Americans have rated
economic conditions as only fair or poor. And since winning a second
term, Barack Obama's approval score has mostly been in the mid-40s or
lower. One or more of these attitudes will have to move in a clearly
positive direction for the Democratic Party to avoid a drubbing in the
congressional elections, according to a new analysis of voter opinion.
So far the indications for that are not so good. Recent months have
shown signs of economic progress and indications that the Affordable
Care Act has begun to achieve its goals. But there is little indication that
the unemployment rate's falling to 6.3%, the Dow Jones average soaring
to a new high and the ACA signing up 8 million people, (including many
young people,) had any effect on attitudes about these two key issues.
Vice President Cheney: Oh, By the Way, President Obama, I Told You So.
Hey, remember Vice President Dick Cheney? He and daughter Liz pop up on the Wall
Street Journal's opinion page to remind President Obama that he's turned out to be
wrong about . . . well, just about everything:
Rarely has a U.S. president been so wrong about so much at the
expense of so many. Too many times to count, Mr. Obama has told us
he is "ending" the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as though wishing
made it so. His rhetoric has now come crashing into reality. Watching
the black-clad ISIS jihadists take territory once secured by American
blood is final proof, if any were needed, that America's enemies are not
"decimated." They are emboldened and on the march.
The fall of the Iraqi cities of Fallujah, Tikrit, Mosul and Tel Afar, and the
establishment of terrorist safe havens across a large swath of the Arab
world, present a strategic threat to the security of the United States.
Mr. Obama's actions before and after ISIS's recent advances in Iraq
have the effect of increasing that threat.
They conclude: "In 1983, President Ronald Reagan said, 'If history teaches anything, it
teaches that simple-minded appeasement or wishful thinking about our adversaries is
folly. It means the betrayal of our past, the squandering of our freedom.' President
Obama is on track to securing his legacy as the man who betrayed our past and
squandered our freedom." And now an update on some of those news stories that have
faded from the front pages . . .
Terrific: VA Routinely Fails to Respond to Reporter Inquiries
Hey, remember the VA scandal? There's a new aspect:
Because the Department of Veterans Affairs is a taxpayer funded
organization, it has a responsibility to fully explain itself to the press and
the public. Unfortunately, in many cases VA is failing in this
responsibility, as department officials including 54 full-time public
affairs employees routinely ignore media inquiries.
VA Honesty Project documents nearly 70 recent instances in which VA
has failed to respond to reporters' requests for information or refused
to answer specific questions. The department's apparent disregard for
the press has become an object of reporters' scorn, leading some to
openly accuse VA of "thumbing their nose at us" and others to write
entire articles focusing on VA's stonewalling tactics.
Nobody but the best working over at the VA, I tell you!
An official at a New York Veterans Affairs facility was arrested Monday
for allegedly taking tens of thousands of dollars in improper gifts from a
telecommunications firm doing business with the center. The arrest was
announced by the office of U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara.
I'll bet you did not expect this figure to call for the VA to be shut down entirely:
A visibly emotional and heated Montel Williams slammed the Veterans
Affairs health care system and the handling of the scandal surrounding
the agency, saying it needs to be shut down.
"It's too big and we've created a structure where again, if you can't fire
somebody, we've got a problem, and we've got a bigger problem when
a group of people can vote themselves a bonus just for keeping track of
numbers that they lie about," Williams said Monday on Fox News' Your
World with Neil Cavuto.
Does the U.S. Still Know Where the Taliban Five Are?
Hillary Clinton, last night:
"In Qatar with an agreement that has been entered into, they are
supposed to be constrained from what they can do, and certainly they
are not supposed to be permitted to travel," Clinton explained. "In that
situation, they are not a threat."
"Those five men, they are, right now, not a danger if they are kept
where they are supposed to be kept, but we still have to worry about
the Taliban and everything they could be doing," she added.
Yeah, about those five Taliban guys we released . . . here's the Daily Beast's Josh Rogin
in Doha, Qatar, who went looking for them:
The bottom line is that the Taliban Five aren't likely to be found until or
unless they want to be found. The U.S. is going to have to accept the
fact that they simply aren't under our supervision anymore. That's the
deal we made and they are holding us to it.
And of course: "'Zero Dark Thirty' and 'Hurt Locker' director, Kathryn Bigelow, is
reportedly taking on the Bowe Bergdahl story for her next film." Hey, Remember That
Fight Between Ukraine and Russia?
You may have thought that because of the lack of front-page news about Ukraine and
Russia, things had calmed down over there. Nope.
A major natural gas pipeline exploded in central Ukraine on Tuesday, a
day after the Russian energy behemoth Gazprom said that it was cutting
off supplies to Ukraine in a dispute over pricing, and officials
immediately labeled it a possible act of sabotage . . .
The blast occurred in a sparsely populated area of the Poltava region,
which lies between Kiev, the capital, and the embattled regions of
eastern Ukraine where a civil war is effectively underway between pro-
Russian separatists and the Ukrainian military. Video from the scene
showed a huge plume of fire shooting hundreds of feet into the sky.
Fighting continued Tuesday in eastern Ukraine, including mortar fire
near the city of Luhansk that killed a Russian television journalist, Igor
Kornelyuk, and a sound engineer, Anton Voloshin, who were working
for the state-controlled Rossiya channel.
ADDENDA: Phil Kerpen: "A dog ate all the IRS emails. Then Obama ate the dog."