True...

Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg hit frontrunner and former Vice President Joe Biden for his role in backing the Iraq war, which the South Bend, Ind., mayor deemed the nation's "worst foreign policy decision" of his lifetime. 

"This is an example of why years in Washington is not always the same thing as judgment," Buttigieg said.

"He supported the worst foreign policy decision made by the United States in my lifetime, which was the decision to invade Iraq."

Biden was a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee when the U.S. went to war. He is the only top-tier candidate in the race who voted for the war. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) was a sitting House member at the time of the decision and vocally opposed the war. 

Hot...

In 230 years, the House has impeached only two presidents: Andrew Johnson in 1868 and Bill Clinton in 1998. 

There is a reason why impeachment is so rare: It is the process by which the Congress overturns the will of the people. Some 63 million Americans voted for Trump, and it is an intensely powerful action to disenfranchise them.

To do so, there must be clear evidence and due process. Last March, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed: “Impeachment is so divisive to the country that unless there’s something so compelling and overwhelming and bipartisan, I don’t think we should go down that path.”

The simple truth is that after all the closed-door depositions and public hearings, none of the witnesses could establish that the president committed bribery, treason, or any high crime or misdemeanor.

Outta Here...

Still...

Erdogan said the Tripoli government of Libyan "invited" Turkey to send troops under a military cooperation agreement signed recently between the two. Ankara and Tripoli have also signed a maritime deal; both agreements have met with criticism across the region and beyond.

The fighting around Tripoli escalated in recent weeks after Hifter declared a “final” and decisive battle for the capital. Hifter is backed by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, as well as France and Russia, while the Tripoli-based government receives aid from Turkey, Qatar and Italy.

The battle over Tripoli mirrors the scale of the 2011 conflict that  killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.

Thanks to Hillary Clinton that push forward for the destruction of Libya and here are her regime change results surrounded by hundred of thousands of death and destruction. The war still going.

Impotent...

Bad behavior has been around forever, but shame has historically kept the behavior in check by operating as a warning mechanism not to transgress in the first place or, if that fails, triggering consequences for transgressing.

Part of the popularity of the shameless leader derives from the fact that there is no pretending any more – the id is unmediated and allowed free rein. There is a sense that this is the real person. All the rest of them – Obama, Blair, even Bush – spoke with a degree of civility and convention that is now missing in public life. Often that civility hides a multitude of sins. Now the sins are still there but no one is trying to hide them, and no one feels ashamed when they are challenged about these sins.

Lack of shame has also short-circuited a traditional role of the media, whose power we have realised is largely to shame public figures by exposing things.

The expectation is that the subject will feel so ashamed by the exposure that they will quit. But then if they don’t quit and the public re-elects them, the media is exposed as being impotent.

The Media itself lost its way by siding with someone over the other, elaborate of one sides story over fair representation. In the process blame others for being shameless.

Fearful...

Christmas has come early for investors, with stocks again taking out record highs as indexes continue to climb toward year-end. At last check, the Dow DJIA+0.28% was up triple digits, while both the S&P SPX+0.49% and Nasdaq COMP+0.42% were even more firmly in the black.

Warren Buffett once said that as an investor, it is wise to be “Fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful.” This statement is somewhat of a contrarian view on stock markets and relates directly to the price of an asset: when others are greedy, prices typically boil over, and one should be cautious lest they overpay for an asset that subsequently leads to anemic returns. 

When others are fearful, it may present a good value buying opportunity. 
Even at the peak of the dot-com bubble, these traders weren’t as aggressively positioned  or greedy  as they are right now

So Be fearful.

Snow...

Snow-globing” is the latest dating trend to look out for this winter — and it happens when the magic of Christmas makes a relationship seem more serious than it is.

We’ve all heard of “cuffing season,” where you find some to snuggle up with over the colder months, only to dump them when summer and your social life return. In contrast, “snow-globing” refers to a much shorter period of time, covering Christmas and New Year.

It typically happens when you meet someone just before the festive season kicks off and your dates tend to include cozy Christmas markets and ice skating. That’s not to mention the work Christmas party, and any New Year’s celebrations planned.

You better watch out — you better not cry if you find yourself the victim of "snow-globing," the latest terrible dating trend to make headlines this Christmas season.

Stand...

According to "federal campaign records reviewed by Bloomberg," the Sanders campaign shelled out $233,348.51 and the Warren campaign spent $151,240.90 on Amazon purchases "in the first nine months of 2019, mostly on office supplies." The report adds that Michael Bloomberg's campaign finance records weren't yet available because he had just entered the race in November.

The new Bloomberg article also lays out the Amazon "positions" of other Democrats running for president, as well as President Trump, and includes quotes about Amazon from the campaign trail.

"We stand in solidarity with the courageous Amazon workers engaging in a work stoppage against unconscionable working conditions," Sanders had previously said.

"Amazon crushes small companies by copying the goods they sell on the Amazon Marketplace and then selling its own branded version," Warren was on record saying.

Santa...

 “Dear Santa, last year you didn’t notice me, so I hope this year you notice me and this year I will be good.”

Also included was a list of typical items like Legos and various toys, but also ended with two unusual requests: food for his family and clothing for his family. The envelope also included a list from the boy’s 5-year-old brother.

While the letter didn’t have a return address, the young boy included his full name. After asking her coworkers, she found another carrier who recognized the name and they were able to locate the boy’s home.

Stinsman got in touch with the family and started a money pool at the post office. “We raised about $500,and people dropped off food at the post office.”

The packages were delivered to the family’s house on Christmas Eve. Before dropping off the items, Stinsman said, “I hope the kids will be distracted when I come. I want them to believe they came from Santa.”

Interference...

A company that operates ships laying sections of a new German-Russian pipeline said it is suspending the work after U.S. President signed legislation threatening sanctions.

 U.S. government argues that it will increase Europe's dependence on Russia for energy.

Construction of the pipeline is already well advanced and it wasn't immediately clear to what extent the U.S. move would hamper its completion. Nord Stream 2 spokesman Jens Mueller said in an emailed statement that “completing the project is essential for European supply security.”

The German government said it regretted the enactment of the U.S. legislation.

“The German government rejects such extraterritorial sanctions,” spokeswoman Ulrike Demmer said in a statement. “They affect German and European companies and constitute an interference in our domestic affairs.”