SHORT TAKES ON THE DRIFTING WRECKAGE – OVERNIGHT:

LIZ CHENEY SURVIVES – FROM FOX:   Embattled GOP Rep. Liz Cheney didn't apologize for her vote three weeks ago to impeach then-President Trump.  And in the end, she didn't need to.  The House Republican Conference Chair on Wednesday night easily survived a push by House GOP Trump loyalists to strip her of her number three leadership position.  In a secret ballot vote by the entire House Republican Conference, only 61 members voted to strip Cheney of her leadership role, with 145 supporting her.  Cheney was under fire over her vote three weeks ago to impeach Trump on a charge of inciting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists and other Trump supporters. Cheney was the most senior of 10 Republicans who joined all 222 House Democrats to impeach Trump, with 197 GOP representatives voting against impeachment.  On the eve of the impeachment vote, the three-term congresswoman from Wyoming said that Trump "summoned this mob, assembled the mob, and lit the flame of this attack." She stressed that "there has never been a greater betrayal by a President of the United States of his office and his oath to the Constitution."  In a way, this is the right outcome.  Cheney was unwise, as a major Republican leader, to join the impeachers.  But to strip her of her position would make her into a martyr, and give the Democrats the chance to ridicule the GOP as narrow and bigoted.  We hope Liz has learned from the experience.

WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? – FROM REUTERS:   WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military on Wednesday acknowledged it was unsure about how to address white nationalism and other extremism in its ranks, and announced plans for military-wide stand-downs pausing regular activity at some point in the next 60 days to tackle the issue.  The decision to a hold a stand-down was made by Lloyd Austin, who made history by becoming the military’s first Black defense secretary after a long career rising in the ranks of the Army. In his confirmation hearing, Austin underscored the need to rid the military of “racists and extremists”.  Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Austin ordered the stand-down after a meeting with the U.S. military branch leaders, who are under pressure to show progress in combating extremism after current and former military servicemembers were found to have participated in the siege of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6. This must be looked at very carefully.  The military has always stressed good behavior, and staying within the law.  But a program like this has political overtones.  If done properly, it can improve the services and their contribution to the nation.  If done improperly, it can lead to political indoctrination by the party in power.  We will watch.

February 3, 2021