The following is an excerpt from OpinionJournal’s “Best of the Web” at The Wall Street Journal written by the editor, James Taranto.
Why Do Bad Things Always Happen to Him?
“The terrorist attacks in Brussels on Tuesday pose the worst kind of foreign policy dilemma for President Obama, pitting his instincts that he’s doing all he can to defeat the Islamic State against intense political pressure for him to do more.”—Greg Jaffe, Washington Post, March 23
Out on a Limb
“Bill Clinton: Europe Under Stress Because of Migrants”—headline, WeeklyStandard, March 22
What Would We Do Without Experts?
“Will Trump Clinch The GOP Nomination Before The Convention? We don’t know, but our survey of delegate experts suggests it’ll be close.”—headline and subheadline, March 21
Problem and Solution
- “Hillary Clinton Calls Ted Cruz’s Proposal to Patrol Muslim Neighborhoods ‘Dangerous’ ”—headline, ABCNews, March 23
- “Clinton Calls for More Surveillance, Police After Brussels Attacks”—headline, CNN, March 22
Fun and Prophet
After yesterday’s attacks in Brussels, the truth of these comments by Donald Trump, reported by the New York Times, seems obvious:
Asked by the Fox Business Network anchor Maria Bartiromo about the feasibility of his proposal to bar foreign Muslims from entering the United States, Mr. Trump argued that Belgium and France had been blighted by the failure of Muslims in these countries to integrate.
“There is something going on, Maria,” he said. “Go to Brussels. Go to Paris. Go to different places. There is something going on and it’s not good, where they want Shariah law, where they want this, where they want things that—you know, there has to be some assimilation. There is no assimilation. There is something bad going on.”
Warming to his theme, he added that Brussels was in a particularly dire state. “You go to Brussels — I was in Brussels a long time ago, 20 years ago, so beautiful, everything is so beautiful — it’s like living in a hellhole right now,” Mr. Trump continued.
Only Trump didn’t say those things this week. He said them in January—and the Times mocked him for it, under the headline “Donald Trump Finds New City to Insult: Brussels.” When those who wield cultural influence are so indiscriminate in their scoffing, is it any wonder a substantial number of voters side with Mr. What The Hell?
For more “Best of the Web” from The Wall Street Journal’s James Taranto click here.
