AND IN THE REAL WORLD – AT 9:08 A.M. ET:  The vice-presidential debate is tomorrow night.  The next presidential debate is Sunday.  I do hope that neither will center on the plight of Miss Universe. 

Maybe they should at least mention terror.  Terrorism is increasing, and rarely a day goes by without our president doing more to cozy up to the world's chief sponsor of terrorism, Iran.   From Gatestone Institute: 

On September 14, the Iranian Foreign Minister wrote in the New York Times that, "coordinated action at the United Nations to cut off the funding for ideologies of hate and extremism" is needed along with "a willingness from the international community to investigate the channels that supply the cash and the arms" to terrorists. He concluded with an appeal to "join hands with the rest of the community of nations to eliminate the scourge of terrorism and violence that threatens us all."

Given that in 2015 alone there were some 11,774 terrorist attacks in 92 countries, killing 28,300 people, one can agree that such action is needed. The irony, of course, is that the US Department of State released its annual report in June on state sponsors of terrorism, and Iran was the gold medalist for the world's number one terrorist nation -- an honor it has held since 1984. Only two other countries were listed as state sponsors of terror: Syria and Sudan.

Having Iran's Foreign Minister call for an end to terrorism is like having Bonnie and Clyde call for law and order.

The report makes clear, along with other available evidence, that much of the terrorism in the world is Iran's handiwork -- especially the terrorism directed at America.

The report emphasized that Iran "remained the foremost state sponsor of terrorism in 2015, providing a range of support, including financial, training, and equipment, to [terror] groups around the world."

Iran provided arms and cash to terrorist groups and to nearly 30 Shia terrorist militias in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, especially Hezbollah, as well as Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Houthi rebels in Yemen, and Shia militias in Bahrain.

On September 13, 2015, the US Central Command officially reported that Iran is specifically responsible for killing at least 500 American soldiers through the use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) in Iraq and Afghanistan.

COMMENT:  And yet Iran is hardly discussed in the presidential campaign.  Hillary Clinton backs the Iran nuclear deal.  Trump opposes it.  They don't bother with it much.  There's Miss Universe to discuss, and Trump's perfectly legal use of the tax system. 

Don't blame the candidates.  They're negligent, but they're not alone.  It's the mainstream media that ultimately sets the agenda for discussion.  Today's journalism is worthy of our deepest contempt.

October 3,  2016