It is regrettable that Benjamin Netanyahu has neither found a trust relationship with President Obama nor protected the long-standing bi-partisan support Israel has had in the U.S. Congress. But appearing before Congress to support House Republicans and funding efforts to influence U.S. politics has damaged his nation’s support here.

President Putin actually willingly dived into the ME religious civil war this fall. This is like being dropped onto the Titanic before the iceberg hoping to hear the band’s last number.

Barring oil, what kind of “friend” is Saudi Arabia? This is the country from which most of the 9/11 terrorists resided. It is also home of the third largest military on the planet that refuses to engage ISIS in its own backyard. And the Saudis send Syrian survivors to Europe rather than absorb them in a culture far more like their own.

What began as the “Arab Spring” has become the Internet Uprising. The latest reflection of the power of the Internet and cell phones is the Palestinian knife attacks. These are not orchestrated by any leadership but have sprung into being fed solely by social media exchanges among disenfranchised young men of the Palestinian territories.

The Benghazi Select Committee now has two Republicans in Congress and one previous committee investigator acknowledging that the real purpose of the committee has always been to diminish the political strength of Hillary Clinton. It is time for the committee and Chairman Gowdy to refute vigorously that truth and then equally quickly find an excuse to shut down the charade of an investigation.

Seriously, why would anyone want to accept the job of Speaker of the House when the House is on target to pass the fewest laws in modern legislative history? The House that is divided between Republicans who hoped to actually influence events and those who just want to stop all progress unless and until they prevail.

President Obama is having perhaps the most active second term since FDR. The Iranian deal holds huge potential to prevent military action against Iran while ending Iran’s nuclear ambitions. The re-opening of relations with Cuba is historic and long overdue. The pollution agreement with China has been something few anticipated as possible. And the quiet success of this administration in re-shaping U.S. energy policies has contributed to lower gas prices and a revolution in renewable energy.

What a difference in the tenor of Republican and Democratic politics this season. Democrats, in their recent debate, argued about what new programs and ideas they support including visionary ideas like free college for all and Medicare access for anyone. Republicans talk about what they intend to fight; 11 million immigrants who must leave America but in a “very humane” way says Donald Trump; Planned Parenthood should close ending healthcare to 2.7 million Americans; Gay marriage now legalized by the Supreme Court needs to be resisted; Jeb Bush “I’m not sure we need half a billion dollars” for women’s health goes unrefuted by his fellow Republicans.

What ever happened to Republicans fixation on the budget? Did anyone even notice that for fiscal 2014 the deficit was reduced again from the previous year? When Obama took office the annual deficit was over a trillion dollars and is now only slightly over $400 million dollars. Not bad.

Does anything think the Tea Party, the Koch brothers’ gift to the Republican Party, are actually Republicans?

Is shutting down the government now just a Republican rite of passage?

Do House Republicans understand that their bills must get through the Senate and be signed by the President? Or is compromise so unacceptable they would prefer to just sit on their hands?