Donald Trump's position on the Iraq War is somewhat unclear but it probably won't matter, thought a rueful John Kerry as he read the news this morning. People are laughing at Ben Carson saying the chances are "good" he'll be elected president, but what people don't realize is he's talking about becoming President of Mars. And Jeb Bush told supporters he hopes they don't think the end is near, showing that he has truly given up on the evangelical vote. This is HUFFPOST HILL for Friday, February 19th, 2016:

SCALIA SENDOFF - Late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia lied in repose at the court Friday, and his funeral mass will take place Saturday. Cristian Farias: "As law clerks present and past for the late justice stood watch by his casket in the center of the Great Hall, the public walked by it somberly. Some stood prayerfully and made the sign of the cross. Others snapped pictures on their smartphones -- of the casket and the ornate surroundings. Marble busts of prior chief justices looked on from the left and the right." President Obama went to the court today, too. [HuffPost]

CHUCK GRASSLEY KINDA HARD TO PIN DOWN - AP: "Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley's message on the Supreme Court nomination process has been somewhat muddled in recent days, as he has spoken to Iowa constituents in the wake of Justice Antonin Scalia's death." This helpful AP timeline tells you what Chuck has said and when.

TALK TO CHUCK - @jbendery: Obama and Sen. Grassley had "a cordial phone call" this morning re: SCOTUS nomination process, says Grassley spox…. In last 24 hours, Obama called McConnell, Reid, Grassley and Leahy to talk SCOTUS nomination process, says WH spox Earnest.

BIDEN PRETENDS THERE'S A CHANCE A SCOTUS NOMINEE CAN GET CONFIRMED - Obama will nominate someone to the Supreme Court who could win Republican votes, the veep says. Okay, sure. Juliet Eilperin: "'I think we ought to be able to find a consensus candidate that meets that criteria,' Biden said during a taping of 'The Rachel Maddow Show' in St. Paul, Minn. 'Because the Senate does have a right to have a say in who -- and what the philosophy of the nominee is. But they only get to dispose. The president proposes.'" What was that about disposing? [WashPost]

Jeb says he would "probably" nominate someone now if he were president.

TED CRUZ IS FULL OF IT ABOUT JOHN ROBERTS - Former Supreme Court clerk Ted Cruz used to think John Roberts was great, but now he says he sucks. What's changed? (Hint: Cruz is running for president now, and also there's Obamacare) Amanda Terkel: "'It is true that after George W. Bush nominated John Roberts I supported his confirmation. 'That was a mistake and I regret that,' Cruz said in September. The issue has new salience in the wake of conservative Justice Antonin Scalia's death. Senate Republicans are promising to block any nominee put forth by President Barack Obama, arguing that the next president should get to make the choice (hoping, of course, that a Republican will win the election). "[HuffPost]

JOHN BOEHNER TRIED TO GET ANTONIN SCALIA TO RUN FOR VICE PRESIDENT IN 1996 - It didn't work, obviously. John Boehner: "Scalia agreed to meet me and Barry Jackson, my chief of staff, for a clandestine lunch discussion at one of Scalia’s favorite establishments, Washington, D.C.’s A.V. Ristorante (now, sadly, closed). It was there that Jackson and I made our pitch, over a pepperoni and anchovies pizza. Scalia’s reaction was a mixture of amusement and humility, tempered by an underlying seriousness of purpose that reflected his love of country and sense of obligation to it. He asked very direct questions on both the practicality of running -- including how a candidacy would impact his role on the Court, what Dole’s reaction would be if he were to express willingness and, ironically, what the impact on the political process might be of a vacancy appearing on the Court in the months before a presidential election." [injo.com]

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FEELING THE CLYBURN - Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina endorsed Hillary Clinton for president days ahead of the primary election in his home state. The backing of a prominent African American leader won't hurt her chances. Amanda Terkel: "Clyburn, who has previously served as House Majority Whip and chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, is a deeply revered figure among the state's black community. In addition to serving 12 terms in Congress, Clyburn began his political career as a civil rights activist in the state, leading his local NAACP chapter at the age of 12 and playing a central role organizing against the state's Jim Crow laws while studying at South Carolina State College, a historically black institution." [HuffPost]

Clinton's popularity among black voters is making things tough for Bernie Sanders in South Carolina.

THE CLOWNING ON JEB BUSH IS NEVERENDING - The main problem is, nobody wants to vote for him, in South Carolina or anywhere else. Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns: "South Carolina will render a brutal and perhaps final verdict on Jeb Bush’s campaign if he does not at least finish close to Senator Marco Rubio of Florida….Failing to break through, after all that, would raise fundamental questions about Mr. Bush’s ability to consolidate support from mainstream Republican voters. Late Thursday, he acknowledged a mounting sense of gloom. 'I hope that you believe that it’s possible for us to do this,' Mr. Bush told voters in Rock Hill as he wrapped up a town hall-style forum. 'I hope you don’t think the end is near.'" Please clap [NYT]

Bush's human piggybanks are getting tired of all this losing.

DOES TRUMP EVEN KNOW WHERE HE STOOD ON IRAQ? - Donald Trump has lots of harsh (and even true!) things to say about George W. Bush's bloody misadventures in Iraq, but his own meager record seems to show Trump has been all over the place about the war. Michelle Ye Hee Lee: "The Fact Checker’s extensive review of news coverage prior to the invasion surfaced just two references of Trump and his views.....Trump clearly was outspoken about his opposition starting in 2004 and was cited in news coverage at the time. But that was said long after the war started -- and Iraq was unraveling under the U.S. occupation." [WashPost]

RELIGIOUS CONSERVATIVES ARE RELIGIOUS, CONSERVATIVE - Protestants aligned with Trump's politics disagree with liberal Catholic leader about politics. Alana Horowitz Satlin: "Religious leaders voiced support for Donald Trump after Pope Francis implied that the Republican presidential candidate is 'not a Christian.' Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr., who is the son of the late televangelist Jerry Falwell, told CNN that 'the pope is mistaken ….I do believe Trump is a Christian.' He added that 'JFK would be rolling over in his grave right now.' Falwell has endorsed Trump for president. Rev. Franklin Graham, the son of Evangelist minister Billy Graham, also defended Trump." [HuffPost]

TED CRUZ BIRTHER LAWSUIT WATCH - Some awful people (i.e., Trump supporters) are suing to disqualify Ted Cruz from the presidency because he was born in Canada. Here are their stories. Philip Bump: "[S]ince this whole thing emerged, there have also been a slew of lawsuits filed by other people, including one from a man in Illinois that is being heard in Cook County Circuit Court on Friday. It's not likely that this case -- or any of the others -- will be successful, but if Trump was looking to see if the spaghetti would stick to the wall, he found a lot of people willing to toss a few strands." [WashPost]

HILLARY'S AUTOGRAPH BOOK MUST BE FULL BY NOW - Hillary Clinton's favorite thing is having her photo taken with celebrities. Elise Viebeck: "It has to be said: there’s no guarantee any of these moments will help Clinton in her fight with Sanders for the Democratic nomination, or even in the general election if she wins the primary. Yes, they create buzz. Yes, they might get some politically disengaged voters thinking about Clinton and the campaign. But unless a star makes a direct appeal, it’s hard to believe voters will suddenly turn out for Clinton because they saw Britney Spears post about her on Instagram (especially if they read the comments on that post, which are pretty brutal)." [WashPost]

HILLARY WON'T TELL BERNIE THE PIN TO THE DEMOCRATIC FUNDRAISING ATM - The Clinton campaign is very good at raising loads of money, and at working out ways to tap DNC and state party apparatus funds that Bernie Sanders can't access. Matea Gold and Tom Hamburger: "Behind the scenes at the Democratic National Committee’s summer meeting in Minneapolis last August, campaign officials for Hillary Clinton were making a hard sell to the state parties. In private huddles, they urged state officials to sign onto an ambitious fundraising endeavor that would allow Clinton’s presidential bid, the DNC and the state parties to scoop up and share big checks from wealthy donors." [WashPost]

Clinton pledges fast action on immigration reform.

PLEASE, BERNIE, SAY 'UTERUS' IN PUBLIC. PLEASE. Yamiche Alcindor: "Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Thursday defended the rapper Killer Mike’s remark this week that a 'uterus doesn’t qualify you to be president,' saying in more prosaic terms that voters should not pick candidates based on their sex. 'What Mike said, essentially, is that politics should not be -- people should not be voting for candidates based on their gender, but on what they believe,' Mr. Sanders told reporters aboard a flight from Washington to Nevada, where the Democratic caucuses will be held on Saturday. 'I think that makes sense. I don’t go around -- no one has ever heard me say, "Hey guys, stand together, vote for a man."'" [NYT]

TIME TO REGISTER TRUMPSCARBOROUGH2016.COM! Joe Scarborough doesn't understand why people are complaining that he treats Donald Trump with kid gloves, because of course he doesn't understand that. Callum Borchers: "The hosts of MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' -- especially Joe Scarborough -- are sick and tired of hearing that they're too cozy with Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump. It's a long-running narrative that has picked up steam in the wake of last week's CNN report that Scarborough's 'friendship' with Trump is an 'increasing source of discomfort at NBC.' On Friday's show, Scarborough and co-host Mika Brzezinski said they had identified the root of these outlandish accusations: Jealousy." [WashPost]

Jamie Raskin, Democrat running to replace Chris Van Hollen in the House, joined the HuffPost Politics podcast this morning.

RUBIO'S PLANE CRASHED INTO A TWIX - Not showing up for something is a classic Rubio move, but this time he has gremlins to blame. Jeremy W. Peters: "A prep school gymnasium packed with 500 people hoping to see Marco Rubio on Friday was disappointed to learn that the Florida senator had to pull out of the morning campaign event at the last minute because of plane trouble." [NYT]

DELANEY DOWNER - A state senator in New York wants to stop food stamp recipients from using their benefits on lobster, steak and candy bars. "Many of these items aren’t just unhealthy," state Sen. Patty Ritchie (R) said in a press release announcing her legislation this week. "They’re also expensive." Conservatives have always complained about what poor people buy with their food stamps, but Ritchie's bill shows that a new surge of legislative efforts to restrict food options -- including bills in Maine, Wisconsin and the U.S. Congress last year -- hasn't subsided. [HuffPost]

BECAUSE YOU'VE READ THIS FAR - We were skeptical of this emu video but it delivered.

BEN CARSON BELIEVES HE WILL WIN - Scott Conroy in Orangeburg, S.C.: "He’s got them right where he wants them. That, at least, is the contention that Ben Carson attempted to make on Thursday when asked about the likelihood that he will become the next president of the United States. 'I think the chances are good because you have to recognize, it’s like the all-American pastime: baseball,' Carson said. 'You don’t call the game after the 2nd or 3rd inning. There’s a reason for that. And I think as time goes on, people begin to really pay attention to what’s being said. They really become serious.'" God speed, sir. [HuffPost]

COMFORT FOOD

- Crying little girl is not ready for a new president.

- Pictures of dogs at a dog show.

- Helpful advice for taking care of your contact lenses, which is one of those things "you're doing wrong, according to science" or whatever.

TWITTERAMA

@srl: Jeb asks young boy: "Do you read the Wall Street Journal?"

@kronayne: Voter tells Kasich she's upset by Trump. He says, "What do you think I'm gonna do? Tackle him? That won’t work. He weighs more than I do."

@pattymo: Honestly, the people searching "Ted Cruz is the best" are the ones we should be worried about



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