An Administration Made Up Entirely of 2016 Candidates

Sometimes, during the boring parts of Fox's Special Report, my mind wanders to silly hypothetical scenarios. Today's isn't entirely unjustified. My premise is, I like a lot of the Republican candidates, just not necessarily for president. So, what if the eventual winner was forced to choose fellow candidates to fill his cabinet posts? (First of all, I pity the fool, but that's beside the point.) And yes, I had to look up a lot of these departments, because I don't have Ted Cruz's steel-trap mind.

A caution: This lineup is subject to change. Once the president-elect sits down to confer with me, I'm sure he and I will sort if all out.

PRESIDENT:  Marco Rubio

VICE PRESIDENT: Carly Fiorina (Can't wait for her to debate Vice Presidential candidate Bernie "Curb Your Enthusiasm" Sanders.)

SECRETARY OF STATE: Jeb Bush (see explanation below.)


SECRETARY OF DEFENSE:  Lindsey Graham (This is a no-brainer.)


ATTORNEY GENERAL:  Chris Christie (further expounding below).

INTERIOR SECRETARY:  Mike Hukabee (He's a gentle man. I think he would like trees.)


AGRICULTURE SECRETARY:  I'm going to go with Rick Perry, even though he's dropped out. Texas grows things, especially jobs - ha ha - but seriously, they have cotton and pecans and winter wheat and basically-you-name-it.

COMMERCE SECRETARY:  Donald Trump

LABOR SECRETARY:  Rick Santorum (I'm a little iffy on this because of his minimum wage stance, but he does like the working class man, and so few politicians actually do.)


HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY:  Doctor Ben Carson

HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECRETARY:  Scott Walker; yes, another dropout. He could do a lot of things, but there isn't a post called SWATTING AWAY PESKY SIGN HOLDERS.

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY:  George Pataki, because I have to give him a job, and this will keep him busy peering at charts and maps).

ENERGY SECRETARY:  John Kasich (He's a little wonky and a tad high-strung. Probably a good combination for getting the energy industry re-booming.)

EDUCATION SECRETARY: Rand Paul, because he seems smart; just wrong-headed on most stuff.

VETERANS AFFAIRS SECRETARY:  Bobby Jindahl, another drop-out, but a whip-smart guy. Jindahl could handle any post, but I had to slot him in somewhere.

HOMELAND SECURITY SECRETARY:  Ted Cruz

As you can see, I thought this through for well over six minutes. Unfortunately, some of these guys don't fit neatly into slots. And the cabinet meetings will be a free-for-all, once Donald engages his mouth and starts telling people they're fired, willy-nilly. President Rubio will have his hands full keeping all these people in line.

My husband tells me Ted Cruz would make a good attorney general, but my money is on Chris Christie, because he'll stare people straight in the face and tell them they're imbeciles, whereas Ted Cruz will just snooze them to death with his "lectures".

I'm thinking Jeb Bush would be a far superior Secretary of State than John Kerry (or, gasp! HRC!) because he'd lull all the heads of state into compliance with his meandering, stuttering pronouncements.

Ben Carson can expose Obamacare for the fraud that it is, and, in his quiet way, cajole even dunderheads that a better way lies just over the horizon.

Obviously, this is all hypothetical. Except for President Marco Rubio.  If I had a dollar to spare, I'd surely send it to his campaign. I'm not an ageist. I fully understand that the second generation, or Generation X, is prepared to rule the world. Heck, my sons are X'ers, and they're pretty smart. Baby boomers, give up the ghost! It's time to peel your gnarly fingers off the tether and let someone younger, with far more brain cells, take care of things.

Just think of Marco as your son. Life trundles on. We've ruled a long time and look at the mess we've made of things. It's high time to pass the torch.

The "Coalition"

I keep hearing about this 65 (or 62 or 63 -- the number keeps changing) anti-ISIS coalition (or "ISIL", as the administration insists on calling it. I think Mr. O just likes saying, "ISIL". It sounds like "icicle". It sounds cool; just like him.)

I told my husband, "I don't think I could even name 65 countries." Granted, I like history. Geography, not so much.

Finding a consistent list online is impossible (trust me). First of all, every site has a different number. The one below is the most comprehensive I could find, and a quick glance would tell even my dog that this is not 60-some countries. And isn't listing the European Union and the Arab League giving certain countries two credits? Source

And Turkey? Come on.

So, I don't know. Tahiti? Iceland? Your guess is as good as mine.

I don't know about you, but those Finnish bombers are pretty scary.

The US is barely lifting its pinkie to "fight", so one can hardly ridicule the other members (except for the Finns. Just because.)

Just stop lying. I get so tired of the administration assuming the majority of us are as ignorant as its core demographic.


Allies providing air support and military equipment

U.S.: The prime mover. Has launched air strikes against ISIS in Iraq and Syria since the end of August.
Canada: Has sent about 60 members of the Canadian Armed Forces to Iraq. Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) also provided airlift support to Albania, delivering 230 tonnes of military supplies to Iraq. Also sent $15-million for security.
Iraq: Authorized France to use its air space and welcomed coalition support in battling ISIS.
Jordan: Destroyed several ISIS targets through air strikes in Syria. Also worked to cut off funding to extremist and terrorist organizations.
Bahrain: Carried out air strikes against ISIS in Syria.
Saudi Arabia: Participated in air strikes in Syria. Has frequently condemned ISIS and given $100-million to the UN Counter-Terrorism Center and $500-million in humanitarian aid.
United Arab Emirates: Took part in air strikes on Syria. With other Persian Gulf nations has condemned ISIS and offered support to the coalition.
France: Bombed a warehouse occupied by ISIS in Iraq. French Air Force has also carried out reconnaissance flights over Iraq and vowed to take part in future air strikes “if needed.” Sent 59 tonnes of humanitarian cargo to Erbil, further deliveries due soon.
Germany: Sent 40 paratroopers to Iraq to provide weapons training to Kurdish fighters. Also sending 16,000 assault rifles, hundreds of anti-tank weapons and armoured vehicles — enough to arm 4,000 peshmerga soldiers. Some Kurdish fighters are also being trained in South Germany. Sending 36 tonnes of humanitarian aid.
United Kingdom: Supplied arms to the Kurds and a Royal Air Force squadron has contributed to surveillance operations. Gave $1.6 million of weapons and ammunition. Friday, Prime Minister David Cameron got the go-ahead to take part air strikes in the future. Earmarked $38-million in aid.
Australia: Sending up to eight Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 combat aircraft, an E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning and control aircraft, and a KC-30A multi-role tanker and transport aircraft. Australian Special Forces are advising Iraqi forces. Provided $5-million in humanitarian aid to Iraq.
Belgium: Sending six F-16 fighter planes, with eight pilots and 120 support staff.
Denmark: Sending seven F-16 fighter jets (four operational planes, three reserve) along with 250 pilots and support staff.
Italy: Sent $2.5-million of weaponry, including machine guns, rocket-propelled grenades and nine million rounds of ammunition, and humanitarian aid. Offered to help refuelling planes.
Czech Republic: Provided fighter jets and 500 tons of ammunition to the Iraqi army, delivered by RCAF. Also contributed $1.5-million in humanitarian aid.
Albania: Provided weapons and ammunition to Kurdish forces. Has promised up to 22 million rifle rounds, 32,000 artillery shells for Kurdish forces.
Netherlands: Sending six F-16 fighter jets, plus two reserve jets, 250 pilots and support staff, likely to be based in Jordan. Will send about 130 military trainers to Iraq to support Iraqi and Kurdish fighters. Provided 1,000 helmets and 1,000 bulletproof vests for Kurdish forces, $10-million in humanitarian aid.
Estonia: Provided one million machine gun cartridges and a Hercules transport aircraft, plus $90,000 to support displaced Iraqis.
Hungary: Provided seven million cartridges, “thousands” of mines and armour-piercing shells. Sent $90,000 for Christians in Erbil.
Turkey: President Tayyip Erdogan said he will “give the necessary support to the operation. The support could be military or logistics.” More than $1.9-million of humanitarian aid sent to Turkmen in Northern Iraq. Funded construction of a camp for 20,000 Iraqi Turkmen.
Lebanon: Will not send troops or weapons, but will “receive military help to fight the organization through the Army,” says its foreign minister.

Allies providing humanitarian aid
• Sweden: $13-million.
• Kuwait: $9.5-million.
• Switzerland: $9-million.
• Japan: $6-million.
• Austria: $1.3-million.
• New Zealand: $1-million.
• South Korea: $1-million.
• Ireland: $1.4-million.
• Spain: $640,000.
• Slovakia: $25,000.
• Norway: Contributed to UNESCO aid drop, including 40,000 blankets, 10,000 kitchen sets and 18,000 plastic tarpaulins.
• Luxembourg: Contributed to aid deliveries from the United Nations.
• Qatar: Passed a new law to stop charities diverting money toward ISIS. Sent six aircraft carrying 300 tonnes of humanitarian aid.

Allies who have expressed support

Bulgaria: Foreign minister has said the conflict “poses a direct threat to Bulgaria,” but has not offered any military or aid distance so far.
Egypt: Released a statement strongly denouncing the execution of American journalist James Foley, with a spokesman calling for the “international community to rally efforts to fight terrorism.”
Finland: Minister for foreign fffairs said his country will “concentrate on delivering humanitarian aid to people in desperate need”
Georgia: Defence minister said officials “fully support what the United States is doing to eradicate these barbarians.”
Greece: Government condemned ISIS’s actions, adding, “We express our solidarity with the Iraqi government.”
Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “These groups must be fought, they must be rolled back, and they must ultimately be defeated. That’s why Israel fully supports President Obama’s call for united action against ISIS.”
Kosovo: Will help the United States to destroy ISIS and is part of the “emerging global alliance to fight a great evil.”
Oman: The Sultan of Oman has said “no one can afford to neglect a situation as serious as this” and his government will work “as fast as possible” to end ISIS threat.
Poland: Intends to support the fight polically, as well as through NATO membership.
Croatia: Committed to “helping provide Kurdish forces urgently needed arms and equipment.”
Romania: Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it will “contribute to the international community efforts to combat international terrorism and the ISIS phenomenon.”
Singapore: Ministry of Foreign Affairs has cited a “critical need for the international community to work closely together to counter this threat.”
Taiwan: Ministry of Foreign Affairs is monitoring “the threat to global security” and will “cooperate closely with the international community to provide humanitarian aid to the victims” of ISIS attacks.

Coalition supporters
The following nations have an unspecified commitment but the U.S. State Department said they are part of the coalition: Andorra, Bosnia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Portugal, Serbia, Slovenia, Tunisia and Ukraine.

Non-nation supporters

Two other bodies that have backed the coalition but are not nation states:
Arab League: Released several statements urging members to confront ISIS “militarily and politically.” Foreign ministers from all member states have agreed to take “all necessary measures” to confront ISIS.
European Union: The EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated to support “rapid deployment of in-kind assistance and expertise to Iraq.” Ten member states are providing essential relief through a “humanitarian air bridge.” The European Commission has increased the level of aid to $22-million in 2014.

Introduction

I like to write.

I have a few disparate interests, and I don't think it's fair to subject my subscribers to subjects or views that either don't interest them or collide with their beliefs. For example, I have a blog about writing my novel, which, trust me, even literary agents don't care about (based upon the multitudes of rejections I've received). Nevertheless, I keep plugging away -- like a fool. That blog is currently marked "private", because I like to vent, but I don't like to embarrass myself.

My main blog is Rich Farmers, which features a topic I actually know something about -- music. Rich Farmers began as an attempt to publicize our band, but I soon found that, like literary agents, nobody cares. It eventually morphed into my views about music, which can be harsh or sentimental -- pick the day. It also heavily features YouTube videos, which makes it tricky to load. I thought about that and about the burden I was hefting onto people who might like to read what I have to say, but alas, I can't just "imagine" music. Well, I can; thus, my songwriting attempts. But if I want to discuss music that most people have heard of, or may not have heard of but might like, I must include videos. I once wrote that I am an encyclopedia of music. It's true.

THIS BLOG, however, is different, and you may either enjoy it or be enraged by it. I am a conservative. Politics is my entertainment, in that the websites I instinctively click on each morning include National Review, Breitbart (a little over the top, but it still reports stories that no one else mentions), Politico (because I like to know how the other side thinks), The Washington Post and The New York Times (likewise). I would click on the Weekly Standard, but it doesn't like me unless I fork over some dollars. I have The Hill bookmarked, but it's a bit too "straight news". I like a little ragged wind with my political stories. I don't often surf over to Fox News, because its website is too video-heavy (much like Rich Farmers) and it takes freakin' forever to load the page. By that time I've lost interest and have moved on. A tip to you conservative websites out there -- don't irritate your readers who have slow connections. I am always on the lookout for good new conservative sites, so feel free to send me your favorites.

How did I become a conservative, when I was raised by two rabid (especially my dad) Democrats? I wish I had a profound answer, but it all seemed to fall into place naturally. I first realized I was a Republican when I was in the eighth grade and my US History teacher assigned us to create election posters (the year was 1968 -- sure, that dates me -- but I'm not about to start lying, even about my age). I'd seen the TV ads, I'd certainly watched the political conventions. I am a convention junkie; I love them. Hubert Humphrey was Vice President. Funny story -- he (or at least his "staff") stayed at my parents' motel when he was in town for an appearance. Imagine the excitement! Well, not my excitement, but my parents were even more excited than when Merle Haggard checked in. Believe me, Merle Haggard made a MUCH bigger impression on me than HHH did. My dad wanted me to get the Vice President's autograph. Well, the whole time "he" was there (I still have my doubts) I never even laid eyes on him! But I dutifully wrote a nice note in my lovely handwriting and left it on the desk in the room, asking if we could pretty please get Mr. Humphrey's autograph. I might have even said we were "big fans". After "he" (and by "he" I mean his secret service staff) checked out, I found three little monogrammed cards on the desk with his signature (pretty sure they were pre-signed, but I'd need to drag out my old scrapbook to verify, and I'm really too lazy to do that). I wonder if my dad kept his card. Probably.

HHH was running against Richard Nixon for the 1968 presidential election. 1968 was really a crappy time, as I'm sure you know if you've read any history (if they still teach it). I wasn't on board with the hippies and general rabble-rousers. At my age I couldn't quite figure out what all the fuss was about (much like now). Nixon, to me, just seemed more sensible; less pandering. And thus smarter. My dad had some small advertising boards to which one could stick letters and spell out anything they wanted. I pilfered one and spelled out, "Vote like the whole world depends on it -- Nixon/Agnew". Yea, I stole the slogan. I was lazy yet satisfied. So satisfied that I tacked the poster up on the door which my dad would pass through several times a day from the garage to our kitchen. I hovered in the background the first time he encountered it. He didn't bother to turn around. I just heard him mutter, "Well, that's different." My dad could get very worked up about Republicans, but he always went easy on me. I know he was disheartened, though.

Throughout the ensuing years, my dad and I had a lot of "discussions" about politics, which were usually comprised of him yelling at the TV and me offering a muted opposing view from the corner of the living room. He even yelled at Reagan! Who doesn't like Ronald Reagan? Well, my dad, for one.

I wasn't legal to vote until I turned 21. I was exactly nine months pregnant when I voted for president for the very first time. My son was born two days later. I stood in line at the elementary school and cast my vote for Gerald Ford. Still a prescient decision. Of course he lost. That was the beginning of my experience with Republicans being referred to as losers. By contrast, the eighties were glorious, not just for me but for the entire country. Argue that if you want, but the truth is the truth.

Now I am sixty (yes). I've had to witness a lot of political crap over the years, but no more so than recently. I'm not happy with the way things are going. Also I have a lot of questions. I may pose some of them here, on this blog. I'm happy to talk to anyone who disagrees with me, if they're civil. Unlike the well-traveled sites, I am not bound to keep commenting turned on. I'm too old for bullshit, plus I'm a nice person and jerks offend my sensibilities. Fair warning.

So, join me, please. I have a burning question right now that I'm heading over to another window to research. Stay tuned.