SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – AT 9:44 P.M. ET:

WHOOPS – A new ABC/Washington Post poll out today shows that 50% of seniors 65 and older view Paul Ryan favorably, whereas on 35% do not.  Dems had expected Ryan to be unpopular with seniors because of his wish to revise Medicare.  In fact, he is proving more popular with seniors than with younger voters, possibly because seniors are more aware of the problems in the Medicare program.

INCREDIBLE – A new Rasmussen poll of likely voters shows Republican Linda McMahon three points up over Democratic Congressman Chris Murphy in the race for the Connecticut Senate seat being vacated by Joe Lieberman.  Connecticut is one of the bluest of the blue states.  If the poll is accurate, and we will wait for further confirmation, its findings are a remarkable development.  This was supposed to be a safe Democratic seat.

IRANIAN WOMEN PUSHED DOWN – Women in Iran have been barred from more than 70 university programs in a move approved by the Iranian government.  London's Telegraph reports that "senior clerics in Iran's theocratic regime have become concerned about the social side-effects of rising educational standards among women, including declining birth and marriage rates."  Please notice the deep concern by Western "feminist" groups, who seem more concerned about adhering to the general leftist line requiring "understanding" of other cultures than they do about the condition of women in Muslim countries.

WHO CARES WHAT OBAMA SAYS? – A few days after Russia essentially laughed in Obama's face after the president threatened possible military action against the Syrian regime, the UN's secretary-general continued the growing international trend of ignoring what Obama says.  The administration had specifically requested Ban Ki-moon not to attend an upcoming summit of so-called "non-aligned" (read that "anti-American") countries in Tehran.  Ban is going anyway.  There was a time when an American request would be taken seriously, and probably respected.  Today, no one is the least bit intimidated by any request coming from the spineless Obama.  How sad.

August 22, 2012