NEWS AND OPINION:
“The beauty of golf is that you develop relationships, and you can make deals on a golf course. And I’ve often said that I don’t mind that President Obama plays a lot of golf. He should play with people who can help the country, like if he played more with John Boehner, and if he played more with maybe foreign leaders, it would be a wonderful thing. Many of the foreign leaders play golf and love golf,” Donald Trump tells Golf Digest writer Jaime Diaz in a new wide-ranging interview.
Mr. Trump has indeed played golf with Mr. Boehner — the House speaker has “an 8 or 9 handicap” — plus plenty of global kingpins. The billionaire Republican front-runner has also strolled the fairway with former President Bill Clinton.
“We’ve played a number of times. We have very different games. By the way, he doesn’t cheat. He will drop a ball, but he doesn’t make any bones about it. If he misses a shot — he doesn’t get to play very much — so he’ll drop a ball and hit a second shot. But he’s not saying he got a par if he didn’t get a par. It’s not like he’s trying to hide anything. I think he’s been treated unfairly,” Mr. Trump advises.
“Supposing Megyn Kelly offers to bury the hatchet with a round of golf. Would you accept?” Mr. Diaz asked.
“Absolutely. Sure. Why not?” Mr. Trump replied.
BERNIE’S BIRTHDAY
The seemingly indefatigable Sen. Bernard Sanders turns 74 on Tuesday. Currently trailing Hillary Rodham Clinton in the Democratic White House derby, the Vermont senator has a helpful birthday present: Stephen Colbert, the new host for CBS “Late Night,” has added Mr. Sanders to the guest list for later this month. Republican hopeful Jeb Bush is the first guest when the after-hours fixture debuts on Tuesday night. Vice President Joseph R. Biden appears Thursday.
Mr. Sanders is not staging a public celebration for his big day, though his fans have their own tribute in mind. Many are organizing “money bombs” to raise money for his campaign; the method was perfected by former presidential hopeful Ron Paul and involves intense online fundraising through very small donations.
“Hey all you Chattanooga Bernie Sanders supporters! We are helping promote the nationwide birthday fundraising event to donate $8 on September 8 to the Bernie Sanders campaign,” say the eager organizers for a local event in Tennessee. “We the people will be meeting at Miller Plaza in downtown Chattanooga with our Bernie T-shirts on, and to bring visibility of the political revolution that is taking place in our country.”
GETTING DOWN TO TRUTH AT GROUND ZERO
The anniversary of 9/11 looms Friday, and one lawmaker is determined that Americans don’t overlook it. Rep. Michael T. McCaul, Texas Republican and chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security, journeys to New York City on Tuesday to stage a field hearing at the very site of one of the terrorist attacks on that clear morning 14 years ago.
Mr. McCaul will be at the National September 11 Memorial in lower Manhattan, the hearing staged in a hall containing a surviving retaining wall of the original World Trade Center that withstood the attack, and a 38-foot column, among the last to be removed from the site during recovery efforts. The hearing itself is titled “Beyond Bin Laden’s Caves and Couriers to a New Generation of Terrorists: Confronting the Challenges in a Post 9/11 World.”
Witnesses include former New York Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani, New York Police Commissioner William Bratton, Fire Department Commissioner Daniel Nigro, September 11 Families Association President Lee A. Ielpi and Gregory A. Thomas, president of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives.
“This hearing will revisit important lessons we learned in the post-9/11 world, assess our country’s readiness to confront the viral spread of terror and explore what the resolve of our 9/11 heroes can teach us about prevailing against those who seek to do America harm,” Mr. McCaul says. See the live video of this event at 9 a.m. EDT at Homeland.House.gov.
MR. CHENEY ON THE IRAN DEAL
A mammoth rally against the Iran nuclear deal is planned Wednesday on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, featuring the likes of Donald Trump, Glenn Beck and Mark Levin, among many defense-conscious folk. Another like-minded luminary has his say Tuesday, however.
Former Vice President Dick Cheney will be at the American Enterprise Institute for a major address at 9 a.m., parsing the impact of the accord on the security and interests of the U.S. and its allies in the Middle East. Yes, C-SPAN will cover the address.
“President Obama and his supporters have framed the debate over the Iran nuclear deal as a choice between accepting the agreement or opting for war, claiming there is no alternative to this deal. However, critics argue that the current agreement not only allows Iran to acquire a nuclear weapons arsenal, but also may bring the world closer to nuclear war than at any time in 70 years,” the organization notes, reasoning that perceptions of a weakened U.S. military could inspire nervous allies to develop their own nuclear programs.
“Will the provision of sanctions relief and more than $150 billion in cash to the world’s leading state sponsor of terror — responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American soldiers through Tehran’s proxies in Iraq and Afghanistan — endanger America’s allies and interests? Should Congress approve a deal in which Iran is allowed to verify its own compliance?” the organizers ask.
The event also will be live-streamed at AEI.org and chatted up on Twitter at #CheneyatAEI.
WHY BILL O’REILLY WON’T RUN FOR OFFICE
“I can do more good here putting pressure on those pinheads in Washington and in the states than I could raising money and telling everyone to vote for me.”
— Fox News Channel host Bill O’Reilly, to Parade magazine
SCOTT WALKER PLANS A REAGAN MOMENT
This Republican hopeful is not done with his White House quest just yet. Gov. Scott Walker took a two-day motorcycle ride aboard a Harley-Davidson through all 10 counties of New Hampshire, proof that his grass-roots sensibilities are still intact. Now it is time to reach for a noble moment.
“Scott Walker made a name for himself for wreaking havoc in Madison, and he has a plan to do so in Washington. He’ll discuss his plans during a speech at the alma mater of President Ronald Reagan, Eureka College,” his campaign advises.
The campus is in Eureka, Illinois; the date is Thursday. Reagan graduated from Eureka College in 1932 with a degree in economics and sociology.
POLL DU JOUR
• 87 percent of self-identified Republicans say Donald Trump is a “strong leader”; 62 percent of Americans overall agree.
• 71 percent of Republicans overall say Mr. Trump has had a positive impact on the presidential campaign; 43 percent of Americans overall agree.
• 61 percent of Republicans say Mr. Trump is qualified to be president; 36 percent of Americans agree.
• 48 percent of Republicans say they are confident Mr. Trump could handle an international crisis; 27 percent of Americans overall agree.
• 45 percent of Republicans say Mr. Trump has more honesty than most people in public life; 24 percent of American overall agree.
• 13 percent of Republicans say Mr. Trump is a “weak leader”; 37 percent of Americans overall agree.
Source: An Economist/YouGov poll of 2,000 U.S. adults conducted Aug. 28-Sept. 1; the sample included 466 self-identified Republicans.
• Grudging applause, caterwaul to jharper@washingtontimes.com
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.