TheDC Morning

TheDC Morning: Don’t Cry for Sanford, Argentina

Jamie Weinstein Senior Writer
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1.) Don’t Cry for Sanford, Argentina —  The truth is his affair with one of your daughters didn’t kill his political career.  TheDC’s Alexis Levinson reports:

“Mark Sanford is one step closer to his political comeback. The former South Carolina governor took the most votes in the Republican primary for Congress in South Carolina’s First Congressional District, and will head to a runoff. The winner of that runoff will face Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, who easily won the Democratic nomination Tuesday.”

As the proverb goes, not all who get lost on the Appalachian Trail remain lost. The same perhaps goes for those who lie about even going on the Appalachian Trail.

2.) The doctor speaks  — Dr. Ben Carson is a rising conservative sensation with a biography any budding politico would die for. He also holds some unorthodox positions, TheDC’s Jamie Weinstein reports:

“Carson told TheDC in an phone interview Tuesday that had he been president after the Sept. 11 attacks, he would have avoided an invasion of Afghanistan, given the country’s history. ‘I personally would not have [gone to war in Afghanistan] because, you know, you’ve got to look at the history of Afghanistan,’ he said. ‘You’ve got 300 tribal leaders throughout the country who have never been united in anything so who are you going to negotiate with? How are you going to achieve peace in a situation like that?’ Carson says he would have used an unspecified type of covert action to go after al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden and Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein instead. ‘I would’ve used everything at our disposal, but not necessarily made public what I was doing,’ he said. ‘I would have certain goals, one of which was to get rid of Saddam. And I think there are a lot of ways that can be done. And then there are ways that you can infiltrate societies and take advantage of knowledge that is gained. One of our big problems, I think, is we go around broadcasting everything that we’re going to do. And we give our enemies a tremendous advantage when we do that. There’s absolutely no reason that we should be doing that.'”

If you can understand what exactly Carson would have done to get Bin Laden and weaken al-Qaida after 9/11, you’re smarter — or at least more inventive — than TheDC Morning. Just to put this in context, exactly one elected official in either the House or Senate voted against authorizing military force against Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks.

3.) Rand’s a fan of immigration reform — Another conservative senator has come out for some type of comprehensive immigration reform. TheDC’s Neil Munro reports:

“Sen. Rand Paul used a high-profile speech to a group of Hispanic business leaders Tuesday to endorse a libertarian policy of work-permits for illegal immigrants, greater immigration of foreign laborers and professionals, plus wider use of Spanish. The speech, which won him much favorable media coverage, included sections in Spanish, his recitation of a poem by Pablo Neruda, and an anecdote about his teenage work alongside Hispanic laborers in Texas.”

4.) The dire state of academia, part infinity — Louis Farrakhan is heading to campus,  TheDC’s Caroline May reports:

“Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan is scheduled to address students during a three-day visit at Tuskegee University this week, prompting the Anti-Defamation League to voice concerns about the ‘bigoted and anti-Semitic’ positions he has publicly advocated. In a letter to Tuskegee University President Gilbert Rochon, ADL Southeast Regional Director Bill Nigut explained that while the ADL recognizes the importance of free speech, Farrakhan has often voiced offensive positions, mainly against the Jewish people. ‘Farrakhan’s bigoted and anti-Semitic rhetoric has included statements calling whites ‘blue eyed devils’ and Jews ‘bloodsuckers’ who controlled the slave trade, the government, the media, Hollywood and various Black individuals and organizations,’ Nigut said in the letter, dated March 15.”

What could go wrong? Perhaps this is apart of a hate leaders series of speakers at the university. Next up David Duke?

5.) Tweet of Yesterday — Jose Canseco: hey buddy @Jamie_Weinstein yes I will consider being the host for the 2016 GOP debates. lets talk at the white house dinner in april. dm me

6.) Today in North Korean News — BREAKING: “Day of Sun to Be Celebrated in Romania”

VIDEO: Harrison Ford warns about sequester risks 

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Jamie Weinstein