BREAKING: Sens. Manchin and Murkowski break from parties with early Kavanaugh votes.

Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh advanced in the Senate Friday by a 51-49 margin, prevailing on a critical procedural measure and setting up a final confirmation vote likely on Saturday.

Two senators broke with their parties to produce the result, as Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R., Alaska) voted against ending debate and proceeding to the final vote, and Sen. Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) voted in favor.

“I believe we are dealing with issues that are bigger than a nominee,” Ms. Murkowski said, adding that her vote had been the “most difficult” decision she has ever had to make. “I believe he is a good man,” Ms. Murkowski told reporters, but “in my view, he’s not the best man for the court at this time.”

This being Washington, I suspect some kabuki going on.

POOR POOR PITIFUL IRANIAN DICTATORSHIP: This long post begins with this sentence: “Iran has had more than its share of setbacks recently.”

The post is chock-full of ayatollah setbacks and troubles, but here are a few examples:

The U.S. also noted that its current military posture in the Gulf had put an end to Iranian harassment of U.S. warships. There had been 22 of those incidents in 2015, 36 in 2016 but only 14 in 2017 and none so far in 2018. Iran has published some videos of 2018 harassment incidents but the Iranians are not nearly as bold as they were in the past and will back off quickly if challenged.

Now why would harassment incidents decline? I link, you decide.

Another:

The Iranian government continues to be challenged by its own people. The large anti-government demonstrations continue and opinion polls confirm that most Iranians are fed up with their government and want change.

Another:

Speaking of loyalty. Iran is finding less of it from its allies in Syria. Russia, Turkey and the Assad government see the continuing Israeli airstrikes on Iranian targets in Syria as a matter between Israel and Iran. The obsession with destroying Israel is seen as an Iranian weakness.

The post has more — worth the read.

BUFF IN QATAR: A B-52 assigned to the 69th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron lands at Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, April 8, 2018. The photo caption says the squadron is about to return to the U.S.

KARIN MCQUILLAN: Women Should Fear Democrat Champions. “Claiming most Americans are racist gives Democrats political power over blacks. Of no concern to them is the harm this lie has inflicted on blacks’ happiness and wellbeing. Democrats have sewn up the black vote for the past 50 years and delivered nothing but destruction of their men, their families, and their chances at economic success. Now it is women’s turn for the Democrats’ dysfunctional brand of ‘protection.'”

BOOM:

It’s a safe bet that McConnell has the votes.

ROGER SIMON: Kanye’s Not Alone: Blacks Are Deserting the Dems.

STEPHEN KRUISER: In This Weirdest of Weeks, Kathy Griffin Has a Moment of Political Clarity. “No, really.”

ADELE SCALIA: I’m An Immigrant, Minority Woman Going Republican Over Democrats’ Treatment Of Kavanaugh.

Just read the whole thing.

ANALYSIS: TRUE.

WELL:

It’s as if academic/media class women aren’t representative of women in general.

Related thoughts from Stephanie Gutmann.

GOD FORBID THEY HEAR AN UNAPPROVED THOUGHT: Texas Christian University: Steven Crowder’s views ‘adversely affect’ students.

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THE NATIONAL DISASTER THAT IS THE TRUMP ADMIISTRATION CONTINUES UNABATED: Unemployment Falls to 3.7 Percent, Lowest since 1969.

LIZ SHELD’S MORNING BRIEF: Kavanaugh Vote Approaches and Much, Much More. “This morning the Senate will vote to end debate (cloture) on the Kavanaugh nomination around 10:30am. If that motion passes, there will be 30 hours of debate before a vote on Mr. Kavanaugh’s nomination. That will take place around Saturday at 4 or 5pm. Expect some kind of social unrest if Kavanaugh passes and I think he will pass. McConnell wouldn’t schedule vote otherwise.”

YES: End The Farce And Confirm Kavanaugh.

After getting precisely what they’d asked for, an FBI investigation into the allegations against Brett Kavanaugh, Democrats are . . . whining that the probe was insufficient.

But what else would you expect, since it apparently turned up no corroboration of those allegations — nothing, in fact, senators didn’t already know?

Yet Sen. Dianne Feinstein, the Judiciary Committee’s top Dem, complains that the FBI conducted “an incomplete investigation that was limited.”

That’s not the same tune she and her fellow Democrats were singing just a couple of weeks ago: Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told the whole world that “it will only take a few days” and “the FBI has ample resources to do this within the one-week period.”

No, the agency didn’t interview Kavanaugh or Christine Blasey Ford, as Feinstein demanded. But they told their stories publicly for hours on end and were vigorously questioned under oath. And the FBI did question the other alleged party attendees, as well as accuser Deborah Ramirez. Sen. Susan Collins, a key swing Republican, confirms it was “a very thorough investigation.”

Yet Sen. Dick Blumenthal — who last week called the FBI “an investigate agency of consummate skill and integrity” that would “follow the facts and the law and the evidence” — is now yelling that the bureau conducted “a coverup.”

Meanwhile, New Jersey’s Bob Menendez — he of the lavish gifts from his Medicaid-fraudster pal — flatly declared the investigation “bulls - - t.”

Thing is, the Democrats have been insincere from the get-go.

Yep. It’s all “by any means necessary.”

ANTISOCIAL MEDIA: Posts with the phrase “Well, that depends on what the meaning of the word is, is” are tagged as Spam by facebook.

Well, we can’t have an actual serial sexual predator being quoted when there’s a fake one in need of persecution.

STEPHANIE GUTMANN: Democrats’ big miscalculation: Conservative women like me won’t abandon Brett Kavanaugh. “There are so many of us. Women watched the hearings with Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Dr. Christine Blasey Ford last week and were furious. Furious — but not for the reason you might think. We are furious at the people purporting to speak for women, furious that what should have been an ordinary parsing of evidence (what little there is after 36 years) was turned into a Kabuki theater campaign ad for the Democratic Party, stressing their trope that the GOP is conducting a so-called war on women.”

THIS IS SLEAZY AS HELL: Friend of Dr. Ford Felt Pressure to Revisit Statement.

A friend of Christine Blasey Ford told F