Donald Trump is celebrating victory over ISIS that owes its success to President Obama.

Big wins against ISIS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 11, 2017

What his Twitter-ness fails to comprehend is that though this IS a victory for the United States, it is NOT a victory for him.

Courtesy of The Independent:  

While the Iraqi armed forces staged an exhausting nine-month siege around the city of Mosul, the US-led air campaign in Iraq and Syria initiated by the former president appears to have proved successful in weakening Isis forces. 

The US and its allies, including but not limited to the UK, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Turkey, also provided continual training and advised proxy local forces without sending their own troops into action. 

Pentagon officials told the AFP news agency that the outcome in Mosul was clear and that the Iraqi military had become a battle-hardened army which eventually prevailed. 

One senior US military official who was deployed to Iraq from 2015 said the "training worked". 

"It has enabled the Iraqis to take back their country," he said. 

In 2014 things were looking grim in Iraq and Americans had no stomach for sending in more of our own troops.

So instead President Obama came up with a strategy called "by, with and through". Which involved training local Iraqi troops to fight in small units, set up defenses and breech minefields.

And that strategy is the one still being used today, and we know that because Donald Trump ordered a new plan and then rejected it last week because it was too similar to Obama's.

So this victory? This is all courtesy of President Obama.

(P.S. The good jobs numbers are as well.)

I think this one photograph adequately sums up my feelings about 2016.

Source

So many highs, followed by so many lows.

The year had such great promise.

It was filled with so much hope.

By the end I sort of felt like poor Ronda Rousey from last night's fight.

Source

But you know what? We are fighters as well.

So let's pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and prepare for the next battle.

Because as every fighter knows, sometimes it takes getting knocked down, to remind us what it takes to win. 

Super Tuesday's biggest loser.

Some people think that the big loser yesterday was Ben Carson who failed to win or come in second even once.

Or Bernie Sanders, whose path to victory seems virtually impossible right now.

But I think the biggest loser was this poor sap who had to stand behind Donald Trump for over thirty minutes while he droned on and on about how awesome he was and what a great victory he was enjoying.

At times iy literally looked as if Christie was contemplating suicide.

And at other times he looked as if he could not figure out WTF Trump was even talking about.

I watched the entire speech last night with my daughter, and I kept jumping back and forth between irritation at Trump's arrogance, dismay that he was still leading among the Republican candidates, and laughing out loud at Christie's predicament.

But hey at least Trump allowed Christie to stay on stage with him this time.

Though judging from Christie's face I don't think he saw that as a perk.

Ravens win! Update!

Even the lights going out could not stop the Ravens, though it certainly did build a fire under the 49ers.

That was a great game, and a real naitl biter for an ending.

Now THAT is the kind of Superbowl worth watching!

Update: Best response to the power outage has to go to Oreo who put up this ad, almost instantaneously.

There were also a lot of other great commercials but the worst, most stomach churning had to be this one by Go Daddy.

What demographic were they even going for?

Good night my friends. Tomorrow we take on Bible verses, Republican 2016 nightmares, and Teabagger sex ed. It is going to be a full day indeed.

Update 2: You knew it was coming.

Psst! It's a joke.

Lawrence O'Donnell discusses the overwhelming progressive victories from yesterday's elections.

More from the Political Animal:

From coast to coast, Democrats and progressive goals not only won, but in most instances, won big. Some of the highlights: 

Ohio 

Despite the aggressive efforts of the Republican Party, Gov. John Kasich, and anti-labor forces, voters easily overturned restrictions on collective bargaining. With nearly every precinct reporting, Issue 2 got crushed, 61% to 39%, handing unions a major victory with national implications. 

Mississippi 

In a terrific surprise, voters soundly rejected the proposed “Personhood” amendment that would have banned abortions, birth control, in-vitro fertilization, stem-cell research, and treatment of ectopic pregnancies. Opponents of the right-wing effort appear to have won about 57% of the vote. 

Maine 

Republicans recently ended Election Day voter registration. Yesterday, voters brought it back, 61% to 39%.

Republicans did not end the day completely empty handed. Phil Bryant (R) was elected governor in Mississippi, and it looks like the GOP gained just enough seats to split Virginia’s state Senate, though Republicans came up short of their goal of reclaiming a majority. 

But the good news for the right was easily overwhelmed by good news for the left. In Kentucky, Gov. Steve Beshear (D) cruised to an easy victory and Dems won nearly every statewide race; in Arizona, Democrats successfully recalled radical state Senate President Russell Pearce (R); Dems won a key state Senate special election in Iowa and will maintain control of the chamber; voters ignored Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) efforts in New Jersey and kept Democratic majorities in both chambers of the state legislature; and voters in Michigan recalled a far-right Republican state representative, the first-ever successful recall in state history. 

In the words of our very wise Vice President, yesterday was "a big fucking deal."

Progressives should take a moment to pat themselves on the back and then recognize just how powerful and virtually unstoppable they can be when they put aside their petty differences and really  work together.

Now let's take this momentum and start planning for even LARGER victories in the 2012 election cycle.

Because, and I wish I could remember where I first heard this, when the naysayers suggest we cannot work together our response should be, "Yes we can!"

THE HEALTH CARE BILL HAS PASSED!

Triumphant Democrats passed landmark health care legislation in the House late Saturday night, spurred by a summons from President Barack Obama to "answer the call of history" and expand coverage to millions who lack it.

The final vote was a narrow 220-215. Only one Republican — Rep. Joseph Cao of Louisiana — voted for the measure; 39 Democrats voted against it.

This is a great day for Americans!

The President has finally done what no one before him could accomplish!

Now let's find out who those 39 Democrats are.

Update: The Democrats who voted NO.

John Adler, Jason Altmire, Brian Baird, John Barrow, John Boccieri, Dan Boren, Rick Boucher, Allen Boyd, Bobby Bright, Ben Chandler, Travis Childers, Lincoln Davis, Artur Davis, Chet Edwards, Bart Gordon, Parker Griffith, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, Tim Holden, Larry Kissell, Suzanne Kosmas, Frank Kratovil, Dennis Kucinich, Betsy Markey, Jim Marshall, Eric Massa, Jim Matheson, Mike McIntyre, Michael McMahon, Charles Melancon, Walt Minnick, Scott Murphy, Glenn Nye, Collin Peterson, Mike Ross, Heath Shuler, Ike Skelton, John Tanner, Gene Taylor, Harry Teague.

There they are folks. The "so-called" Democrats who place the money they receive from the health insurance companies over the needs of their constituents. I hope that they are targeted by the voters in their districts and immediately replaced with REAL Democrats.

Dammit! IS THAT Dennis Kucinich?