« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 1, 2007

Japanese Anger Over The Truth

Anger over remarks about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki forced the Japanese defense minister to apologize today. Fumio Kyuma had told an audience the previous day that he held no grudge against the United States, as the bombings forced Japan to surrender before the Soviet Union had a chance to invade: Japan's defense minister apologized on Sunday for comments about the 1945 U.S. atomic bomb attacks on the country which outraged survivors and drew criticism from the ruling bloc ahead of a key election in late July. Defense Minister Fumio Kyuma said he had not meant to offend the victims when he said on Saturday the bombings "couldn't be helped" because they had brought World War Two to an end and had prevented the Soviet Union from entering the war against Japan. "If my remarks were seen as lacking regard for the feelings of atomic bomb victims, then...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

'Bless The Beasts And The Children'

Michael Yon continues reporting from the front in the new US/Iraqi push to clear Baqubah of al-Qaeda forces. His post title will need explaining, but first, Michael embeds with an armored unit to a village on the outskirts of Baqubah. A firefight ensued, and when the Americans had driven off the AQI terrorists, an unsettling quiet came over the battlefield: On 29 June, American and Iraqi soldiers were again fighting side-by-side as soldiers from Charley Company 1-12 CAV, led by Captain Clayton Combs, and Iraqi soldiers from the 5th IA, closed in on a village on the outskirts of Baqubah. The village had the apparent misfortune of being located near a main road—about 3.5 miles from FOB Warhorse—that al Qaeda liked to bomb. Al Qaeda had taken over the village. As Iraqi and American soldiers moved in, they came under light contact; but the bombs planted in the roads, and...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Evidence For Global Warming Evaporating?

Al Gore has transformed global warming from scientific theory to political crusade, writing books and producing a documentary to scare people into action. Gore and his supporters claim that scientific consensus is nearly unanimous that the climate changes measured over the last two decades are anthropogenic, and that we may already have run out of time to save the planet. However, James Taylor, a senior fellow at the Heartland Institute, points out that Gore has some of his "evidence" completely wrong -- and that consensus does not exist on his central argument: For example, Gore claims that Himalayan glaciers are shrinking and global warming is to blame. Yet the September 2006 issue of the American Meteorological Society's Journal of Climate reported, "Glaciers are growing in the Himalayan Mountains, confounding global warming alarmists who recently claimed the glaciers were shrinking and that global warming was to blame." Gore claims the snowcap...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Brits Hold 4 In Glasgow Attack

The attack on a Glasgow airport apparently resulted from an Islamist conspiracy, as suspected yesterday in its aftermath. British authorities have four people in custody, including two arrested in Chesire: Early Sunday, after a day of fast-moving developments, the London police announced that two people had been arrested in Cheshire, in northwest England, “in connection with the events in London and Scotland.” The arrests were in addition to those of the two occupants of the blazing car at Glasgow Airport. A witness to the attack said on BBC television that one of the car’s occupants had been ablaze from head to foot, and as he struggled with the police, “was throwing punches and shouting ‘Allah, Allah.’ ” Britain’s threat level is now at “critical,” meaning another attack is considered imminent. The threat has not been as high since last year, after authorities discovered what they called a plot to attack...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

A Salute To Our Northern Neighbors!

Via Newsbeat1, I'm reminded that today is Canada Day. In fact, it's the 139th year of Canada Day, which began as Dominion Day in 1868. (This is the 25th anniversary of the event as "Canada Day".) As fitting for our northern neighbor, it celebrates no particular military victory or political event, but just humbly celebrates the nation itself. From your neighbors to the South, happy Canada Day, and may our friendship celebrate many, many more of these days together. Canada has a special place in my heart. To see why, please read through my archive....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Rap -- The New Disco

The London Telegraph reports that rap music has suddenly plummeted -- sales have dropped more than twice as fast as the entire ailing recording industry. Sales in 2006 came in at 21% below 2005, and this year looks even worse. The reason? Listeners have tired of misogynistic lyrics, crude paeans to violence, and the garish jewelry that once fascinated America's youth: Confronted with haemorrhaging sales, the most assertive popular music movement since the Sex Pistols has lost its swagger and is suffering a crisis of confidence. This year rap and hip-hop sales are down 33 per cent, double the decline of the CD album market overall, which is under pressure from music download sites such as iTunes, where fans can buy individual songs. In 2006, rap sold 59.1 million albums, down 21 per cent from 2005. Not one rap album made the American top 10 sellers of the year -...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Senatorial Karma's Gonna Get You (Democrats)

Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid have come under tremendous pressure to start achieving the ambitious goals they set for the 110th Congress after winning control for the first time in 12 years. However, the two Democrats find themselves looking foolish as this Congress has done less in its first five months than any in recent memory -- and both Reid and Pelosi blame the Republicans for obstructionism in the Senate. They seem to forget that the two of them played the same exact game for their own political advantage over the past few years of Republican control (via Memeorandum): Pelosi sounded more apologetic than celebratory Friday when she announced with her Senate counterpart, Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, the Democrats' list of accomplishments six months after they seized control of Capitol Hill and promised "a new direction" in Washington. "I'm not happy with Congress, either," Pelosi, of San Francisco,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Jihadicko

What are the causes of terrorism? Many would have them as poverty, a lack of education, and little exposure to Western values. It's rather interesting, then, that two of the five terror suspects rounded up by the UK in the wake of three mostly failed attacks are doctors working in their National Health System: Two of the five terror suspects being held in the wake of the failed car bombings in London and Glasgow are hospital doctors working in the UK. The majority of the five terror suspects being held in police custody in connection with bomb attacks in London and Glasgow are not British and at least one is still at large, according to Sky sources. Sky sources believe one of the men arrested at Glasgow airport and a 26-year-old man arrested on the M6 with a 27-year-old woman in Cheshire are both doctors. Sky Crime Reporter Martin Brunt...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 2, 2007

If You Don't Hear From Me, Send Lawyers, Guns, And Money

After struggling for a few years with Qwest's DSL service, I'm changing to Comcast this afternoon. I'll be replacing my local phone service and Direct TV programming at the same time, a move that should give me much faster Internet access while saving me close to $60 per month ... if it works. My DSL has always had its share of problems. I live in one of those neighborhoods that sits too far from a central office to get normal DSL. Qwest installed repeaters nearby to give service to my area, but no other CLECs followed suit. As a result, the only DSL I can get is Qwest's business class (for networking in the house), and while the down/up pipe isn't bad -- usually 512/256K -- it's cranky. If I run a trace route on any domain, it times out. Cable hadn't been an option for a while here either,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Hezbollah Operative Further Proof Of Iranian Involvement

The announcement yesterday of an arrest in March of a high-ranking Hezbollah terrorist in Iraq gives more credence to the accusations of Iranian involvement in Iraq's insurgencies. The US caught Ali Moussa Dadouk in southern Iraq after he masterminded a Karbala attack that killed five American soldiers -- and Dadouk fingered the Iranians for much more: Iran's elite Quds force helped militants carry out a January attack in Karbala that killed five Americans, a U.S. general said Monday. U.S. military spokesman Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner also accused Tehran of using the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah as a "proxy" to arm Shiite militants in Iraq. The claims were an escalation in U.S. accusations that Iran is fueling Iraq's violence, which Tehran has denied, and were the first time the U.S. military has said Hezbollah has a direct role. A senior Lebanese Hezbollah operative, Ali Mussa Dakdouk, was captured March 20...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Obama Raises The Stakes

The presidential campaigns continue to release their second quarter numbers, but Barack Obama has put an exclamation point on Q2. His announced total, $31 million, exceeded expectations again, both in total and in organization, and the gap between himself and Hillary is even more significant than it looks. Their combined draw sends a big message to the GOP, too: Sen. Barack Obama raised $31 million for his presidential primary campaign over the past three months, surging past Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's fundraising machine by nearly $10 million for the quarter to take the lead in contributions in the crowded Democratic field. Obama became the first Democrat to surpass $30 million in a quarter during a non-election year, a feat his campaign said was accomplished not just with help from wealthy, traditional donors but also with a strong showing among small contributors. The Illinois senator trails Clinton in most polls, but...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

London Bombers Drove To Glasgow

CNN now reports that the Glasgow attack was staged by the same men who drove the car bombs in London. British authorities have arrested two more men in connection with the series of failed attacks, and they have concluded that al-Qaeda planned and launched the attacks: Authorities suspect the two men who rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into Glasgow's airport on Saturday are the same people who parked two car bombs in central London a day earlier, security sources told CNN. ... One of the suspects, who is in critical condition at Royal Alexandra Hospital near Glasgow, is a doctor at the hospital where he is being treated for severe burns, according to the woman who owns his rental house. It is believed that he shared the house on Neuk Crescent Street in the small Scottish village of Houston, about 3 kilometers (2 miles) from Glasgow's airport, with the other suspect...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Why Is This Man Smiling?

Doesn't Lindsey Graham know that his poll numbers are sliding downhill? Hasn't the national spotlight on his angry attacks against opponents of his immigration bill made him nervous about his re-election bid next year? At Heading Right, we look at The Politico's report on Graham's prospects and discover why he felt so comfortable in going apoplectic this summer....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

An Interesting Improvement

The new surge strategy appears to have had at least a temporary effect on violence in Iraq. Civilian deaths dropped dramatically from May to June, according to a new report from Iraq: Iraqi civilian deaths dropped to 1,241 last month, according to figures issued on Sunday, the lowest since a US-led crackdown was launched in February in Baghdad and other violent regions of the country. The latest numbers, compiled from interior, defence and health ministry figures and made available to AFP, indicate that 1,241 civilians died last month, compared to 1,951 in the previous month. ... The June casualties are the lowest since the February 14 launch of the US and Iraqi military crackdown known as Operation Fardh al-Qanoon (Imposing the Law) in and around Baghdad. In that month 1,626 civilians were reported killed. That's a notable drop, one that caught the attention of most major American newspapers. The Los...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Another Swing And A Miss At Thompson

Apparently the New York Times has not found much on Fred Thompson to derail his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination -- so the Gray Lady decided to take on his sons. The lobbying careers of Tony and Daniel Thompson get a load of innuendo, but in the end, the Times can't even find smoke, let alone fire: But attending Brentwood Methodist Church in Nashville that night, Tony Thompson ran into the departing incumbent senator, Harlan Mathews, a Democrat. Mr. Mathews invited Tony to join him in a Nashville lobbying business, a job that would let him capitalize on his father’s new position. “I don’t just believe in the tooth fairy,” Mr. Mathews said. “A lot of people were seeking access — not necessarily unfair access, but seeking access — so Tony was employed in a number of areas where his father had made a reputation or his father’s advice...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

McCain Camp Expecting Cutbacks

Rumor had it that the John McCain camp would have organizational news, and the AP says the news is layoffs. Fifty staffers will lose their jobs as the second quarter numbers have apparently come in, and come in low: John McCain's campaign, trailing top Republican rivals in money and polls, is undergoing a significant reorganization with staff cuts in every department, officials with knowledge of the shake-up said Monday. Some 50 staffers or more are being let go, and senior aides will be subject to pay cuts as the Arizona senator's campaign bows to the reality of six months of subpar fundraising, these officials said. ... Once considered the front-runner for the GOP nomination, McCain came in third in the money chase behind Mitt Romney and Rudy Giuliani, raising $13.6 million in the first three months of the year. He is struggling to reach that total in the second financial...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Libby Loses On Appeal

Scooter Libby lost his appeal to remain free on bail pending review of his conviction on perjury and obstruction of justice. He can try for a stay from the Supreme Court, but the opinion from the three-judge panel indicates he won't have much success (via Memeorandum): A federal appeals court Monday rejected former White House aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby’s request to remain free on bond while appealing his March conviction on perjury and obstruction of justice charges. In an order handed down Monday, a three judge panel wrote Libby “has not shown that the appeal raises a substantial question” that regular appeals court will consider when its next term begins in September. Since this court will hear the Libby appeal on the merits of the case, it sends a grim message to Libby's supporters. They may find themselves disappointed in the weight of the legal arguments for reversal, such as...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Tom Bevan, Real Clear Politics

Update: Libby loses his appeal (see below). We'll take your calls on this in the first half hour -- be sure to tune in! Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), we'll have Tom Bevan from Real Clear Politics to talk about Barack Obama's big fundraising quarter and what it means for Hillary Clinton and the Republicans. We'll also catch up on their latest polls for the presidential primaries and talk more about RCP's expanding role in political punditry. The first half of the show will be an open forum for CQ Radio listeners to call about their hot topics of the day. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link: UPDATE II: Rick Moran is liveblogging Congress -- the Continental Congress, that is! Be sure to keep up with Rick's celebration of Independence Day. I wonder if...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Cancel The Lawyers And Guns ...

... but feel free to send the money. Comcast completed its installation while I conducted my CQ Radio show today, rushing to complete the Internet connection before the show started. They made it with two minutes to spare; after a lifetime of watching bad movies where bombs get stopped at the 00:00:01 mark, it hardly even raised the blood pressure. Everything is up and running as it should be, and my download speed has increased from around 500K to something well north of 6M. I'll have more, but right now I have to redo two entertainment systems. No nightmares!...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Splitting The Baby

George Bush took immediate action after Scooter Libby lost his appeal to maintain bail while attempting to overturn his convictions on perjury and obstruction of justice. He commuted Libby's prison sentence, while leaving his fine and his probation in place. The question now will be whether that satisfies Libby's supporters, and how angry it will make his detractors: President Bush has commuted the prison term of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, facing 30 months in prison after a federal court convicted him of perjury, obstruction of justice and lying to investigators. ... In a written statement issued hours after that ruling, Bush called the sentence "excessive." But he also rejected calls for a pardon for Libby. "The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant, and private citizen will be long-lasting," Bush said. But he said Libby was given "a harsh...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 3, 2007

Jihadicko Expands

The curious inclusion of working physicians in the latest Islamist attacks in Britain has expanded. British investigators have announced three more doctors as suspects in the conspiracy behing the attacks, and another doctor in Australia has been arrested: At least three physicians were identified Monday among suspects arrested in Britain's failed car bomb attacks, and authorities announced three new arrests including a doctor in Australia as the investigation spread overseas. British media reports said at least five of the detainees in Britain were physicians. British police confirmed a Palestinian doctor and Iraqi physician were among those held, while Australian officials said an Indian doctor working there had been detained in the case. .... Hours after police announced the arrests of two more people in the Glasgow area, officials said an eighth suspect was detained "abroad by local authorities" Monday. Australian authorities later said he was arrested at the airport in...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

African Unity?

Members of the five-year-old African Union have begun floating the idea of a single continental government, somewhere in the middle of the spectrum between the EU and the US. Advocates call the pan-African government the only solution to the legacy of colonialism on the continent. Unfortunately, those leaders who back it are the ones Africa needs least: Southern and East African leaders have rejected plans to set up a pan-African government, as suggested by Libya's head of state Col Muammar Gaddafi. ... Some of the 50 leaders at the African Union (AU) summit in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, fear the issue will push the crises in Zimbabwe, Somalia and Darfur off the agenda. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe said unity was vital to make the continent truly independent of the West, as he spoke to a crowd of cheering Ghanaians. "Unless we put our act together... and start pooling our resources...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Why Schools Fail

In the wake of the recent Supreme Cout decision that limits race-based solutions for desegregation efforts in schools, the Democratic presidential candidates have reacted as though the Roberts court threw out the 1954 Brown v Board of Education decision that ended state-imposed segregation. However, the problem no longer is the state imposition of segregation, nor is it a lack of funds to the schools. Rather, it is the strange mix of incompetence and lack of accountability that keeps our largest school districts from educating our students, as Richard Cohen notes: The eight Democratic presidential candidates assembled in Washington last week for another of their debates and talked, among other things, about public education. They all essentially agreed that it was underfunded -- one system "for the wealthy, one for everybody else," as John Edwards put it. Then they all got into cars and drove through a city where teachers are...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Elusiveness Of Low-Hanging Fruit

Now that the comprehensive immigration bill has died on the floor of the Senate, it seems that few in Washington have the stomach to address the most pressing components of the issue. Some in the House want to do just that, The Hill reports, although they may not get a lot of support for an approach that focuses only on borders and visas. Leadership in both chambers and both parties would rather avoid immigration for the rest of this session. At Heading Right, I take a look at the politics of this effort. With over 70% of the public favoring action to secure the borders and fix the visa system, it seems like this should be the low-hanging fruit of the political season. Will this Congress, which has accomplished next to nothing, be smart enough to pick it -- and who wins if they don't?...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Rasmussen: Thompson Still Leads

The new Rasmussen poll out this morning shows Fred Thompson continuing to lead the GOP presidential primary race, 27%-24% over Rudy Giuliani. Rasmussen declares the contest "stabilized", with Fred holding an advantage among conservatives: After weeks of turmoil and change, the race for the Republican Presidential nomination has stabilized. Former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson remains on top in Rasmussen Reports national polling with 27% support. That’s unchanged from a week ago. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is three points behind at 24%. Thompson has a 16-point advantage over Giuliani among conservatives while Giuliani holds an even larger edge among moderate voters. However, in the race for the Republican Presidential nomination, there are always more conservative voters than moderates. A separate survey found that Thompson is currently viewed as the most conservative of all GOP candidates. Giuliani remains the best liked candidate. Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans now have...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CBS: Attacks An Al-Qaeda Sleeper Operation

CBS News reports this morning that the attacks in Britain started with a proposal by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to infiltrate the West. At least one of the attackers got their training in Zarqawi's organization, and the use of doctors was a deliberate part of the deception: British intelligence services increasingly believe that the failed car bombings in London and Glasgow bare the fingerprints of al Qaeda in Iraq, CBS News has learned. Intelligence sources tell CBS News that the people behind the attempts were directly recruited by Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, the present leader of the terror group's Iraq franchise. ... Sources tell CBS News that al-Muhajir recruited the men between 2004 and 2005, while they were living in the Middle East, upon orders from then-al Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Al-Muhajir was told to recruit young men who could easily move into Western countries, assimilate and lay low...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Splitting The Baby Gains Bush Little

Gauging from the reaction of pundits, George Bush did himself few favors in commuting Scooter Libby's sentence yesterday. As I predicted, critics of the administration railed against his supposed abandonment of the rule of law, while conservatives complained that Bush didn't go far enough. The end result may be a net zero for Bush politically, but according to Mike Allen at The Politico, that wasn't Bush's concern: What were the calculations? One of the few people who actually knows something about the deliberations tells Playbook that no political factors were considered. That seems to be the reason Bush chose this outcome. He could have pardoned Libby outright, and he could have chosen to do nothing at all, and he could also have commuted the fine and probation. In the end he chose none of these options, only acting to keep Libby from prison but leaving all other punishments in place....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Jules Crittenden

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), Jules Crittenden of the Boston Herald joins us. We'll discuss the Libby commutation and the political landscape afterwards, as well as the attacks in Britain and other hot topics of the day. We'll look for some contrary opinions from callers for a good debate on the Libby commutation, so be sure to call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Guess Who Likes Earmarks?

Those of us who rail against earmarks and pork-barrel politics argue in part that the resultant spending usually goes to functions that have nothing to do with federal authority. These usually serve as incumbency protection efforts, attempts to drown the district in enough cash that it pressures voters to retain incumbents, in order to maintain the gravy train. One might think that a more libertarian incumbent would eschew such grubby tactics -- but the Houston Chronicle's investigation into Texas earmarks proves that theory incorrect (h/t: CQ reader Kirk H): U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Lake Jackson, the Libertarian-leaning contender for the Republican presidential nomination, long has waged war on the widespread federal spending he views as outside constitutional boundaries. But the congressman, who often votes against spending bills, including funds for the Iraq war, leads the Houston-area delegation in the number of earmarks, or special funding requests, that he is...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Romney, Giuliani Announce Their Numbers

The campaigns of Mitt Romney and Rudy Giulani announced their second-quarter fundraising numbers -- and neither of them set the world on fire. Rudy raised as much in three months as he did in the previous two, and Romney dropped off his Q1 numbers by a third: Republican Rudy Giuliani's presidential campaign reported an estimated $15 million in primary election contributions from April through June and Mitt Romney trailed closely behind with $14 million raised. ... Overall, Giuliani saw an increase in his fundraising over the first quarter, when he reported nearly $16 million in contributions. About $1 million of that sum was for the general election. Romney's fundraising fell short of his first quarter, when he raised $20.6 million and lent himself $2.35 million. All of Romney's money is for the primary election. The Romney camp reported $12 million cash on hand, equal to the amount he had in...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

A Ridiculous Voice Of Criticism

George Bush has received plenty of criticism for commuting Scooter Libby's sentence, from both the Right and the Left, and at least a good portion of it justifiable. However, one voice that should have remained silent has decided to pile on: Democratic presidential contender Hillary Rodham Clinton drew a distinction between President Bush's decision to commute the sentence of White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby — which she has harshly criticized — and her husband's 140 pardons in his closing hours in office. "I believe that presidential pardon authority is available to any president, and almost all presidents have exercised it," Clinton said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "This (the Libby decision) was clearly an effort to protect the White House. ... There isn't any doubt now, what we know is that Libby was carrying out the implicit or explicit wishes of the vice president, or...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Media Alert

I'll be appearing on CHQR's The World Tonight with Rob Breakenridge, appearing at 9:05 Central. The main topic will be the Libby commutation, although knowing Rob, he'll want to cover other topics as well. Be sure to tune in; if you're not in Calgary, the station has a live stream over the Internet....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 4, 2007

An Independence Day Trivia Entry

Despite the fact that this document has been in existence for 218 years, it appears that it has escaped the notice of many pundits decrying a presidential commutation as an "obstruction of justice". For those unfamiliar with the Constitution, I direct you to Article 2, Section 2: The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States; he may require the Opinion, in writing, of the principal Officer in each of the executive Departments, upon any subject relating to the Duties of their respective Offices, and he shall have Power to Grant Reprieves and Pardons for Offenses against the United States, except in Cases of Impeachment. That seems pretty clear to me, and it did when Bill Clinton was in office as well. The President has...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The First Element Of The American Character

In doing research on Independence Day and searching for appropriate speeches to quote, it became clear that the breadth of material meant that any comprehensive representation of it would become impossible in a blog format. Instead, I decided to look for surprises -- nuggets of insight in unlikely places. I discovered this speech, which in part emphasized the foundational nature of religion in the American character. Can you guess its author? A nation's character, like that of an individual, is elusive. It is produced partly by things we have done and partly by what has been done to us. It is the result of physical factors, intellectual factors, spiritual factors. It is well for us to consider our American character, for in peace, as in war, we will survive or fail according to its measure. Our deep religious sense is the first element of the American character which I would...

Continue reading "The First Element Of The American Character" »

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Abraham Lincoln, At Ease

Abraham Lincoln wrote one of the nation's greatest speeches, even perhaps its greatest speech, in the aftermath of the terrible carnage at Gettysburg. For three days, vast armies collided in a small Pennsylvania town, fighting over the nature of liberty and equality. Lincoln returned to the site in November of that year to deliver his most eloquent and somber address. In the days immediately following the battle, in which the hopes of the Confederacy were dashed, Lincoln felt far more celebratory than somber. His armies had finally broken Robert E. Lee and forced him back into Virginia, and Washington would never face serious threat again. The capital was in a joyous mood, and Lincoln delivered his Independence Day speech on the 7th as part of that festive atmosphere: Fellow-citizens: I am very glad to see you to-night. But yet I will not say I thank you for this call. But...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Fallacy Of The Oasis

On Independence Day in 1941, America watched as the world burned. Hitler and Nazi Germany had overrun France, Poland, and the Balkans in the previous eighteen months, and had just taken on Soviet Russia the month before. They appeared to be on their way to realizing Napoleon's quest of taking Moscow. In the Pacific, the Japanese had overrun much of eastern Asia and threatened the British and the US; in five months and three days, they would make war on us in surprise attacks on American military bases throughout the region, including Pearl Harbor. Sixty-six years ago, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt tried to warn us of the danger. America had adopted an obstinate isolationism in the hope of avoiding the second World War, a strategy FDR knew was useless. He told America that we could not watch liberty extinguished abroad without soon losing it ourselves: My fellow Americans: In 1776,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

AP: Hypocrisies Abound

Ron Fournier, the AP's political analyst, takes a look at the effect that the Libby commutation has had on the political scene -- and sees hypocrisy everywhere. While he slams Bush for disregarding the same federal sentencing guidelines he espoused as both candidate and President, Fournier saves his most biting criticism for the wife of his predecessor: "This commutation sends the clear signal that in this administration, cronyism and ideology trump competence and justice," said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, a leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination. It was a brazen statement from a woman entangled in many Clinton White House scandals, including the final one: On his last day in office, President Clinton granted 140 pardons and 36 commutations, many of them controversial. One of those pardoned was Marc Rich, who had fled the country after being indicted for tax evasion and whose wife had donated...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Happy 231st Birthday, America

Note: This post will stay at the top all day. Newer posts will be below. Today we celebrate the birth of our nation, as conceived by a group of men in a Pennsylvania hall who many considered at the time as traitors. They dared to imagine a nation whose leaders would not be derived from notions of royalty nor from the power of arms, but chosen by free people as leaders accountable to the populace. They took the ethereal notions that sprang from the Enlightenment and dared to make them a reality -- hoping that this radical experiment would take root in the North American continent, but having no clue that it would become a shining beacon for the entire world over the next two centuries. It wasn't a model of perfection, and indeed, our birth has resembled our journey ever since. Dissent over the nature of a representative democracy...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

A Cinematic Fourth

I hope that all of the CQ community has had or is having a wonderful Fourth with their families. This year, the First Mate and I decided to celebrate a little differently. Last year, when both of us had major health problems, we went to the town's parade and a family brunch, but this year, we went to the movies to beat the humidity and heat. We did an a la carte double feature today. The first movie we saw was Evan Almighty, the sequel to Bruce Almighty, starring Steve Carell as a newsman-turned-Congressman. In this movie, Morgan Freeman returns as God to instruct Carell to build an ark. Carell turns into Noah,and his family has to decide whether to stand by him -- and the multitude of animals that follow Carell. It's an entertaining movie, not terribly challenging but with some heart. The politics of it are tiresomely predictable;...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Leave Him Alone

I understand the impulse to treat politics as a bloodsport, but even those who prefer that mode should really limit their attacks to the combatants. Today's story about the arrest of Al Gore III provides a case in point: The 24-year-old son of former Vice President Al Gore was arrested for drug possession on Wednesday after he was stopped for speeding in his hybrid Toyota Prius, a sheriff's official said. Al Gore III -- whose father is a leading advocate of policies to fight global warming -- was driving his environmentally friendly car at about 100 miles per hour on a freeway south of Los Angeles when he was pulled over by an Orange County sheriff's deputy at about 2:15 a.m. The deputy smelled marijuana and searched the car, said sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino. The search turned up a small amount of marijuana, along with prescription drugs including Valium, Xanax,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 5, 2007

The Disappearing Nuclear Devices

Canada has discovered a problem in its management of radioactive devices -- the darn things keep coming up missing. Either through theft or carelessness, or both, Canada has dozens of radioactive devices missing, and counterterrorism agents there are very worried (h/t: CQ reader Stoo): Radioactive devices -- some of which have the potential to be used in terrorist attacks -- have gone missing in alarming numbers in Canada over the past five years. A new database compiled by The Canadian Press shows that the devices, which are used in everything from medical research to measuring oil wells, are becoming a favoured target of thieves. At least 76 have gone missing in Canada over the past five years -- disappearing from construction sites, specialized tool boxes, and generally growing legs and walking away. Some of the devices could be used in a "dirty bomb," where conventional explosives are used to detonate...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

EU: Let's Be Like China

The EU wants to ban the communication of bomb-making instructions on the Internet. That might seem rational, even for some free-speech advocates, since even in the US free speech does not cover incitements to violence. However, the EU's plans go too far in holding ISPs criminally responsible for the actions of their customers, and they may find themselves doing more damage than good as a result: Placing instructions on how to make a bomb on the internet will become a criminal offence across Europe under plans outlined by Brussels yesterday. Arguments about freedom of expression will not be allowed to stand in the way of criminalising the publication of bomb-making information that could be used by terrorists, a senior EU official said. It will be part of a range of antiterrorist proposals to be published in the autumn that will also include the collection of airline passenger data from every...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Kinsley Pokes The Gray Lady's Eye

Michael Kinsley slams the media for their relentless non-pursuit of a critical element in the Valerie Plame leak -- the journalists. He does so in the opinion pages of the New York Times, one of the papers that demanded an investigation into the leak, only to screech about the First Amendment when Patrick Fitzgerald put reporters on the hot seat, including their own Judith Miller: There is nothing wrong with a perjury trap, as long as both sides of the pincer are legitimate. The abuse comes when prosecutors induce a crime (lying under oath) by exploiting an action that is not a crime. The law about “outing” C.I.A. operatives is apparently vague enough that it isn’t clear whether Mr. Libby violated it. But let’s leave that aside. Exposing one of your country’s intelligence officers is a bad thing to do. If it isn’t against the law, it ought to be,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Who Knew $400 Was A Discount?

The Washington Post extends the story of John Edwards' haircuts by interviewing his stylist in today's Section C. We find that Joseph Torrenueva had his feelings hurt by Edwards when the presidential candidate attempted to convince people that his staff had arranged the appointment as a one-off, when Edwards has been a Torrenueva customer for years -- and that $400 wan't the least-expensive do Torrenueva did: It is some kind of commentary on the state of American politics that as Edwards has campaigned for president, vice president and now president again, his hair seems to have attracted as much attention as, say, his position on health care. But when his campaign reported in April that it had paid for two of his haircuts at $400 each, the political damage was immediate. With each punch line on late night TV his image as a self-styled populist making poverty his signature issue...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Doctors Without Scruples

The Telegraph reports that three radical Muslims conducted an Internet forum which issued threats against the US and UK -- and warned that doctors would form the next assault wave. The three, who have pled guilty to making terrorist threats on the Internet, warned that 45 doctors would attack Jacksonville strip clubs and naval harbors: A group of 45 Muslim doctors threatened to use car bombs and rocket grenades in terrorist attacks in the United States during discussions on an extremist internet chat site. ... One message read: "We are 45 doctors and we are determined to undertake jihad and take the battle inside America. "The first target which will be penetrated by nine brothers is the naval base which gives shelter to the ship Kennedy." This is thought to have been a reference to the USS John F Kennedy, which is often at Mayport Naval Base in Jacksonville, Florida....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Contemplating Navels In Iowa

Politics had a harmonic convergence in Fairfield, Iowa this Fourth of July, thanks to the campaign stop of the Left's Messiah at an event heavily attended by the town's Transcendental Meditation practitioners. As Obama aligned himself with the rotation of the earth, the followers of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi proclaimed him as their own Messiah as well: To the frustration of the cameramen in the Fairfield town square, Obama delivered his remarks facing east, with the setting sun behind him blotting out their shots. But here, there’s a power even higher than the television networks: Obama had positioned himself in alignment with the rotation of the earth, in accordance with the teachings of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, whose followers moved en masse to this small Iowa city more than 30 years ago. The Maharishi’s transcendental meditators, along with vacationing pilgrims from the East Coast, turned out in large numbers in the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Broder's Petulant Rant

What really sets off a nationally-syndicated columnist whose essays appear in hundreds of publications each week? Apparently, it's when average people influence their elected representatives on policy, instead of opinion leaders like himself. That seems to be the takeaway from David Broder's new column today on immigration. At Heading Right, I take a look at Broder's cri de coeur over the use of "modern communications" in intimidating Congress into rejecting bad legislation. The paradigm has changed, and Broder appears unaware of it or incapable of understanding it -- perhaps because he has so much to lose....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Guiliani Conference Call

The Giuliani campaign invited bloggers to a conference call on Rudy Giuliani's fundraising numbers for Q2. Total cash on hand: $18 million Spent: $11.2 million in Q2 Donors: over 60,000 Proof of success in both finance and polling. They are the only GOP campaign to increase their numbers from Q1 to Q2. Very proud of the fact that they have zero debt; shows efficient and disciplined campaign and stewardship of donor money. They feel very strongly that they have the best positioning to win a general election. They claim they can put New Jersey, New York, and the New England states, which other candidates cannot. They rattled off their #1 position in state polling, arguing that they're also positioned well to win the primaries. Most of them fell outside the first races, although they rattled it off so quickly that I can't recall all of the states where they claim...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Rob Bluey & Patrick Ruffini

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), Robert Bluey of the Heritage Foundation joins us in the second half of the show. We'll talk about the fallout of the Libby commutation, the David Broder column, and much more. We've also got Patrick Ruffini, an insider in GOP circles, talking about the primary race so far! Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Rasmussen: Fred, Hillary Tied

Given Fred Thompson's decision to enter the primaries late, one might expect him to fare poorly in head-to-head matches, especially with candidates of the other party. Rasmussen's latest polling will surprise some, as it shows Fred in a dead heat with Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton: The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds New York Senator Hillary Clinton (D) tied with former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson (R) in an Election 2008 match-up. Both candidates attract support from 45% of voters. Given a Clinton-Thompson match-up, 5% of voters say they’d pull the lever for some other candidate and 4% are not sure. The survey also found Clinton holding a four-point advantage over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney (R), 46% to 42%. In that match-up, 9% would prefer some other candidate and 3% are not sure. The survey was conducted June 27-28, 2007, just before the July 4th holiday festivities began to...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

You Are The Interviewer

Here's the situation. You're a New Media reporter, and you have an invitation to interview an intriguing guest: the ambassador from Afghanistan, Said T. Jawad. What questions would you like to hear answered? CQ readers can leave those questions in the comments. I'll be interviewing Ambassador Jawad in early July, most likely live on CQ Radio, and I'm interested in what questions you have for both him and me. UPDATE & BUMP, 6/24: This has now been confirmed. I will interview Ambassador Jawad live on CQ Radio from the Afghanistan Embassy on July 9th, at 2 pm ET. I'll travel to DC on Sunday and stay through Tuesday on other BlogTalkRadio business, but be sure to mark your calendars for that very special broadcast. UPDATE & BUMP, 7/5: It's a great thread, and I'm going to push it to the top one more time. Keep the questions flowing! I'm going...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 6, 2007

Domenici Wavers

George Bush's efforts in Iraq took a blow yesterday when Republican Senator Pete Domenici announced that he wants American troops out of combat areas in Iraq by early next year. Oddly, he insisted that he didn't want a withdrawal, leaving his vision of American involvement unclear: White House efforts to keep congressional Republicans united over the Iraq war suffered another major defection yesterday as Sen. Pete V. Domenici (N.M.) broke with President Bush and called for an immediate change in U.S. strategy that could end combat operations by spring. The six-term lawmaker, party loyalist and former staunch war supporter represents one of the most significant GOP losses to date. Speaking to reporters at a news conference in Albuquerque, Domenici said he began to question his stance on Iraq late last month, after several conversations with the family members of dead soldiers from his home state, and as it became clear...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Lieberman Warns On Iran

With the focus of the Senate apparently shifting to Iraq and the use of the ISG report as an exit strategy, Joe Lieberman has issued a warning on the nature of the basic conflict that fuels the war on terror. In today's Wall Street Journal, Lieberman warns that Iran has its fingers in every conflict in that region, and that our withdrawal from Iraq will entice the Iranians to expand their violent bids for hegemony: Iran's actions in Iraq fit a larger pattern of expansionist, extremist behavior across the Middle East today. In addition to sponsoring insurgents in Iraq, Tehran is training, funding and equipping radical Islamist groups in Lebanon, Palestine and Afghanistan--where the Taliban now appear to be receiving Iranian help in their war against the government of President Hamid Karzai and its NATO defenders. While some will no doubt claim that Iran is only attacking U.S. soldiers in...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Let's Maintain Our Sense Of Humor

Having seen the film License to Wed on its opening day, I am surprised to see a critical reference to it in the Wall Street Journal's OpinionJournal as unfair to marriage preparation courses. As a person who volunteers for an organization dedicated to marriage preparation, the tone of Christine Whelan's article seems a little too defensive over a harmless bit of fun: This week, Hollywood takes the focus off of "bridezillas" and puts it on marriage preparation courses. In "License to Wed," which opened Wednesday, Robin Williams plays the "Reverend Frank," a clergyman of unspecified denomination who puts his charges through a series of tests--including an exercise in the diapering of urinating robotic twins--to earn the right to marry. Off the silver screen, marriage preparation courses are about shared values rather than simulated disaster drills, and are increasingly popular. ... "License to Wed" paints a terrifying picture of marriage preparation...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Court Reverses Anna Diggs Taylor

CQ readers will recall the decision by Detroit federal judge Anna Diggs Taylor that ruled Bush's warrantless surveillance of international communications illegal and demanded a cessation of the NSA's activities in this program last fall. At the time, I argued that her reasoning was flawed, especially regarding the legal standing of the plaintiffs. Today the appellate court agreed, directing Taylor to dismiss the charges: A federal appeals court Friday ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging President Bush's domestic spying program, saying the plaintiffs had no standing to sue. The 2-1 ruling by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel vacated a 2006 order by a lower court in Detroit, which had found the post-Sept. 11 warrantless surveillance aimed at uncovering terrorist activity to be unconstitutional, violating rights to privacy and free speech and the separation of powers. U.S. Circuit Judge Julia Smith Gibbons, one of the two Republican...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Oversight Overkill

Republicans have criticized the White House for its poor communications skills and its inability to get its message out to the general public. Those critics will find themselves happy with the latest White House pushback against the Democrat-controlled Congress. The Hill reports that the Bush administration has quantified the amount of time Congress has spent on oversight hearings, and compared that to the amount of actual legislation Congress has managed to produce. At Heading Right, I argue that this shows some responsiveness on the part of the Democratic leadership that has been lacking on other parts of their program. That sets up a big conundrum for the Democrats in next year's elections, as these efforts have left them rather vulnerable for a big fall....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Dionne: Commutation Protects A Redundancy (Update: Survey Says -- A Flop)

E.J. Dionne takes up the topic of the Scooter Libby commutation in today's Washington Post column, admitting to feeling uncharacteristic rage after hearing about the presidential reprieve from prison. After venting and then making a very kind reference to my posts on the subject -- which I'll address in a moment -- Dionne explains why he thinks George Bush decided on commutation at this time and left a pardon open for later (h/t: nandrews3): Bush purported to be seeking a "third way" (forgive me, Tony Blair) between an outright pardon and allowing the law to follow its course. "I respect the jury's verdict," the president said. "But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive. . . . The consequences of his felony conviction on his former life as a lawyer, public servant and private citizen will be long-lasting." But if Bush meant that, he'd...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Duane "Generalissimo" Patterson

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), Duane "Generalissimo" Patterson joins us again to review the week's top political stories. We'll talk about the effect that Pete Domenici's statement about Iraq will have on the political fortunes of the war, plus Joe Lieberman's essay today on the same subject. I'm sure that the topic of Libby's commutation will come up, especially in relation to the criticisms coming from the Clintons. We'll also talk about the fundraising numbers and what it means -- maybe including the odd fact that John McCain and Ron Paul have the same amount of cash on hand, according to Ron Paul. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link: UPDATE: Fausta has a great show scheduled for today at 3:30 PM ET, which is in the middle of my show -- but you...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Where's The Mother For This Drunk Driver?

This story is so wrong on so many levels that it's hardly possible to know where to begin: Police who chased a car for miles along a highway at speeds up to 100 mph said the driver was drunk, hardly a rarity in this resort town. But there was more: When they looked inside the flipped vehicle with guns drawn, they found an 11-year-old girl at the wheel. Eleven. The girl probably just got out of the fifth grade. Good Lord. It gets worse: [Assistant police Chief Greg] Duck said the girl, whose name was not released because of her age, told police she was on her way to pick up her sister at a concert. The eleven-year-old had to pick up her sister in the family car? How old was the concert-goer -- six? The questions just bubble up on this story. Where are her parents? How did she...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Pending Mudslinging (Update: Show Me The Money!)

It's easy to tell when a candidate has the potential to do well in a campaign -- the opposition starts throwing mud as early as possible. This appears to be doubly true with Fred Thompson, as the Los Angeles Times will shortly publish a new story about a purported client of Fred's when he worked as a lawyer and lobbyist. The American Spectator steals the Times' thunder: The Washington Prowler column has learned that the Los Angeles Times intends to publish a story that would attempt to link former Sen. Fred Thompson to a Washington-based, pro-abortion organization. Thompson, through a spokesman, is said to go on the record in the story as having no recollection of ever doing work for the organization in question during a period in 1991 when the first Bush administration was in power. During that time, Thompson, was "of counsel" at the Arent Fox law firm...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 7, 2007

Will They Invite Quentin Tarantino To The Funeral?

The NAACP plans to bury an old adversary and, unfortunately, for some an old friend. Chairman Julian Bond says that the group plans to symbolically bury the N-word on Monday at its annual meeting in Detriot: Julian Bond wants people to understand that when the NAACP symbolically buries the N-word on Monday, the effort will be led by the younger members of the venerable civil rights organization. "Seven young people are on our board of directors, and they are spearheading this initiative," said Bond, the group's chairman. "This is the continuation of a long fight against the denigration of African Americans in popular culture. If it's someone black or someone white, it's equally wrong." I agree, but most of the word's use over the past few decades have come from the rap industry, which seems to have a love affair with the word. It didn't start with rap, though; that...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Putting The Green In Greenland

Researchers have found the DNA of beetles, moths, and flies as well as traces of plant life in ice core samples from Greenland, the Los Angeles Times reports today. It demonstrates that the world was significantly warmer than previously thought, and that the glaciers of Greenland may have been a more recent development: Ice-covered Greenland really was green a half-million or so years ago, covered with forests in a climate much like that of Sweden and eastern Canada today. An international team of researchers recovered ancient DNA from the bottom of an ice core that indicates the presence of pine, yew and alder trees as well as insects. The researchers, led by Eske Willerslev of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, say this is the first proof that there was forest in southern Greenland. Included were genetic traces of butterflies, moths, flies and beetles, they report in Friday's edition of the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

NARN, The Bleat Goes On Edition

The Northern Alliance Radio Network will be on the air today, with our six-hour-long broadcast schedule starting at 11 am CT. The first two hours features Power Line's John Hinderaker and Chad and Brian from Fraters Libertas. Mitch and I hit the airwaves for the second shift from 1-3 pm CT, and King Banaian and Michael Brodkorb have The Final Word from 3-5. If you're in the Twin Cities, you can hear us on AM 1280 The Patriot, or on the station's Internet stream if you're outside of the broadcast area. Mitch won't be able to make it today. Never fear, though, because James Lileks will join me while I take care of the board and the calls. James and I will discuss the Libby commutation, and the political fallout from that. We'll also cover other stories of the week, and take your calls at 651-289-4488! UPDATE AND BUMP: We'll...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

We Did What?

According to the New York Times, Donald Rumsfeld declined to take action against an al-Qaeda site and capture its leaders two years ago because it would have taken too many troops inside Pakistan to accomplish the mission. The Pentagon decided that they wouldn't be able to get permission from Pervez Musharraf to send hundreds of special-forces troops into Waziristan, and apparently left the camp alone (via Hot Air): A secret military operation in early 2005 to capture senior members of Al Qaeda in Pakistan’s tribal areas was aborted at the last minute after top Bush administration officials decided it was too risky and could jeopardize relations with Pakistan, according to intelligence and military officials. The target was a meeting of Al Qaeda’s leaders that intelligence officials thought included Ayman al-Zawahri, Osama bin Laden’s top deputy and the man believed to run the terrorist group’s operations. But the mission was called...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

It Ain't Raindrops Falling On Your Head, Lady

We criticize the New York Times often on this blog, and rightly so. However, a story in New York Magazine may explain why the newspaper doesn't perform as well as it should. How can its editors and writers do their best work when they worry about maggots falling on their heads? I'm not kidding (via Truth Laid Bear): The soaring new New York Times tower — already known for its weird toilets (when flushed, they apparently sound like a kitten being strangled), its weirder elevators (no buttons, and no indication of what floor they're on), a leak problem (editor Bill Keller's office got soggy in a recent rainstorm), and a mouse problem (reported by Gawker) — still has a few more surprises between the floorboards: maggots. "It's hard to put out a newspaper when you're worried about what might fall on your head," one Times staffer told us this week....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 8, 2007

Getting Closer To Omar

Pakistan announced the capture of senior Taliban figures, including two close aides to Mullah Omar, just a few hours ago. Security forces captured four high-value targets in two raids in the city of Quetta: An Afghan intelligence source told the BBC four senior associates of Mullah Omar were being held after operations by Pakistani security forces. The arrests took place in two areas of the city of Quetta in western Pakistan. The source said those arrested included two men responsible for Mullah Omar's letters and communications. They have been named as Mullah Jahangir and Mullah Mohid. Others now in detention are said to be Mullah Nazir, who was Taleban commander in the southern Afghan province of Urozgan, and Mullah Tahir, the former Taleban commander for the capital, Kabul. Pervez Musharraf survived another assassination attempt this week and has a few dozen radical Islamists surrounded at the Red Mosque. It seems...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Someone Must Be Very Worried (Bump: Smelly Indeed)

Fresh on the heels of the Los Angeles Times attack on Fred Thompson's lobbying, the New York Times lowers the bar by attacking Fred Thompson's wife. Calling Fred "grandfatherly" and Jeri Kehn Thompson a "trophy wife", the Gray Lady wonders whether America can deal with a May-December romance in the White House: AS the election of 2008 approaches with its cast of contenders who bring unprecedented diversity to the quest for the White House, the voting public has been called on to ponder several questions: Is America ready for a woman to be president? What about a black man? A Mormon? Now, with the possible candidacy of Fred D. Thompson, the grandfatherly actor and former Republican senator from Tennessee, whose second wife is almost a quarter-century his junior, comes a less palatable inquiry that is spurring debate in Internet chat rooms, on cable television and on talk radio: Is America...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Culture Of Entitlements Started With FDR

George Will reminds us of when we began moving towards federal bankruptcy, and why, in today's column about Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Long admired as the man who saved America from economic disaster and potential revolution, FDR also begat the large-scale government spending programs that failed to reolve the economic crisis, but instead set us on the path for another: In 1937, during the depression within the Depression, there occurred the steepest drop in industrial production ever recorded. By January 1938 the unemployment rate was back up to 17.4 percent. The war, not the New Deal, defeated the Depression. Franklin Roosevelt's success was in altering the practice of American politics. This transformation was actually assisted by the misguided policies -- including government-created uncertainties that paralyzed investors -- that prolonged the Depression. This seemed to validate the notion that the crisis was permanent, so government must be forever hyperactive. In his second...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

More Absurdities On The Libby Commutation

Anyone reading my blog over the past seven days knows that I have been critical of the decision to commute Scooter Libby's sentence. Granted, the investigation conducted by Patrick Fitzgerald was a waste of time and money. After all, what was investigated -- a leak between a government official and a reporter on classified material? Why, that never happens! Just ask the New York Times, which has blown critical national-security programs twice in two years, neither of which resulted in the appointment of special prosecutors or grand jury proceedings. Nevertheless, when giving statements to investigators and testimony to grand juries, witnesses do not have the authority to determine on their own whether they believe the investigation to be legitimate enough to tell the truth. Those who commit perjury and obstruction of justice should go to prison, especially if they hold positions of trust and power in the government. A duly-constituted...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

When Did Fred Start At Arent Fox?

An interesting question came to me from CQ reader Adam W regarding the Los Angeles Times' story about Fred Thompson and his supposed work for the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association in 1991. The only evidence of this work comes from a copy of the NFPRHA's board minutes from September 14, 1991 that claims that the group had hired "Fred Thompson, Esq. as counsel to aid us in discussions with the administration" to end the rule barring abortion counseling at clinics that received federal funds. A couple of the group's principals swear that they hired Thompson; Thompson denies working for them, and the man whom Fred would have had to meet categorically states that he never discussed the gag rule with Fred at all. Now a new bit of indirect evidence has been found. Arent Fox brought Thompson into the firm to be "of counsel" in 1991 for...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Travel Day

I'll be traveling to Washington DC today in preparation for my live interview with Ambassador Said Jawad of Afghanistan on Monday. I'll also broadcast live from the Heritage Foundation on Tuesday afternoon. Both shows will come at special times -- 1 pm CT on Monday and 1:30 pm CT on Tuesday. I'll have more later this evening when I escape Minnesota's sticky heat for DC's even worse heat. I'm hoping that everyone has their air conditioners in top form and their electrical bills paid! UPDATE: Just arrived -- and I'm back at the hotel where I stayed last year at The Week's awards dinner. If I have to travel, this is the way to do it. More later. UPDATE II: Took a walk after eating a $16 hamburger in my room. It's just as steamy as the Twin Cities, but it's nice to see so many people out on the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 9, 2007

Brother Moqtada's Traveling Salvation Show

Moqtada al-Sadr has once again fled to Iran, apparently after a split widened in recent weeks between the leader of the Mahdi Army and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Sadr's support had been seen as key for Maliki early in his term, but with the US pressuring Maliki for serious reform and reconciliation, Sadr and his militias have come under increasing military and political pressure: Fiery Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has gone back to neighbouring Iran, U.S. military sources in Baghdad said on Sunday. Earlier this year, U.S. officials said the anti-American cleric was hiding in Iran to avoid a major security crackdown in Baghdad, although his aides say he never left Iraq. ... His lower profile has coincided with a growing rift between his movement and Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. Sadr pulled his six ministers out of Maliki's cabinet in April when the prime minister refused to...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Keith Ellison, In The Nutball Box

Our new Congressman from MN-05, Keith Ellison, has performed about as well as could be predicted before his election -- he has become a 9/11 Truther. Gary Gross of Let Freedom Ring has kept track of Ellison after the election, and notes a Star Tribune article that shows Ellison not quite having the courage to jump all the way into the paranoia: On comparing Sept. 11 to the burning of the Reichstag building in Nazi Germany: "It's almost like the Reichstag fire, kind of reminds me of that. After the Reichstag was burned, they blamed the Communists for it and it put the leader of that country [Hitler] in a position where he could basically have authority to do whatever he wanted. The fact is that I'm not saying [Sept. 11] was a [U.S.] plan, or anything like that because, you know, that's how they put you in the nut-ball...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Americans Tune Out Live Earth (Update: Not Just Americans, Either)

A new survey by Rasmussen shows that Americans didn't pay much attention to the celebrity-driven Live Earth concerts, mostly because of skepticism about their motivation. Less than a quarter of those surveyed bothered to follow the news stories about Al Gore's project, which may have political implications of its own. At Heading Right, I take a look at the numbers and see a reality check for those who believe climate change to be a winning issue in the next election. Although a 22 share would be pretty good ratings for a televised event, it shows a distinct lack of resonance for political benefit. The Draft Gore movement may have to rethink its chances for success. (via Memeorandum) UPDATE: Americans weren't alone in their lack of enthusiasm. The British also tuned out in droves, according to the Daily Mail: Live Earth has been branded a foul-mouthed flop. Organisers of the global...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Meanwhile, Back At The Quagmire

The quagmire of Kosovo's status continues at the United Nations, thanks to Russian refusals to consider the independence of the province. Eight years after UN intervention and administration, the Security Council warns of more violence in the area as the talks have stalled yet again on the final status of the breakaway territory: A senior United States diplomat, speaking at a conference in Croatia over the weekend, cast doubt on a quick resolution of Kosovo’s future, suggesting that an agreement that would enable it to claim independence might not come until next year. The assessment by Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, is likely to be seen as a setback for Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian leadership. This spring, Western officials had held out hope that the future of the province, which technically remains part of Serbia, would be resolved within weeks. Mr. Fried told delegates at...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

McCain's Pain -- Fred's Gain?

The New York Sun reports that the recently terminated staffers from John McCain's campaign may not collect unemployment for long. Fred Thompson, supposedly disadvantaged in organizational strength by his late start, may benefit from his friend's electoral struggles: The downsizing of Senator McCain's presidential campaign is coming at an opportune time for Fred Thompson, the former Tennessee senator who is likely to jump into the race officially any day now and seeking to build a campaign staff in the early primary states. Struggling with a shortage of cash, Mr. McCain's campaign announced last week that it was laying off dozens of staff members, including about half of his paid team in Iowa and New Hampshire. While there is no evidence of an outright pillaging of Mr. McCain's departed aides, Republican sources in those states say Mr. Thompson's emerging campaign is the likeliest landing spot. Aside from Mr. Thompson's obvious need...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Gomery Considered Naming Chretien In Adscam

Two years ago, when the Canadian political scandal surrounding the Sponsorship Programme reached its zenith of public attention, many wondered how far the scandal would reach in Liberal Party circles. According to the National Post, Judge John Gomery considered the conclusion that criminal misconduct had reached all the way to the top (via Newsbeat1): Justice John Gomery's letter of warning to Jean Chretien in May, 2005, said an allegation of misconduct against the former prime minister was being considered in Judge Gomery's final report that would tie Mr. Chretien to untendered 1995 pre-referendum contracts, including one with Lafleur Communications for an outdoor advertising campaign in Quebec, a transcript of a private meeting reveals. The transcript shows Mr. Chretien's lawyer arguing vehemently during a June 1, 2005, closed-door meeting in Montreal with Judge Gomery that the letter did not contain enough details to allow them to prepare their final submission to...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Shocked, Shocked! At The Inefficiencies Of Super-Bureaucracies

The Washington Post reveals today that the conglomeration of 22 federal agencies into the Department of Homeland Security has still not been successfully completed. Four years after its creation, a number of top management positions have yet to be filled. The DHS says that the report overstates the problem -- because the expansion is still continuing: The Bush administration has failed to fill roughly a quarter of the top leadership posts at the Department of Homeland Security, creating a "gaping hole" in the nation's preparedness for a terrorist attack or other threat, according to a congressional report to be released today. As of May 1, Homeland Security had 138 vacancies among its top 575 positions, with the greatest voids reported in its policy, legal and intelligence sections, as well as in immigration agencies, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Coast Guard. The vacant slots include presidential, senior executive and...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Ambassador Said T Jawad of Afghanistan

Today on CQ Radio, at the special time of 1 pm CT/2 pm ET, I'll be interviewing Ambassador Said T. Jawad of Afghanistan. Don't forget to tune in as we cover some of the questions you suggested in the CQ comments section over the past two weeks. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation -- we'll ry to take a couple of questions. Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

My Interview With Ambassador Jawad, And Yours

Earlier today, I had the opportunity to engage in some ground-breaking journalism -- a word that I do not toss around lightly. Not only did I get a chance to bring the story of Afghanistan to readers that gets little enough coverage, we could do so in depth with a lengthy interview with Ambassador Said T. Jawad. (Unfortunately, due to technical difficulties, we started late and lost the last five minutes of the interview.) Why do I consider this groundbreaking? In one sense, it breaks new ground because the Ambassador rarely gets an opportunity to speak in depth about the status of Afghanistan. Normally, all he gets are quick sound bites taken out of context, or a five-minute segment on a talking-head show in which he never gets the opportunity to speak about his country's experience in any depth at all. In this format, we can allow Ambassador Jawad to...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 10, 2007

Pakistan Seizes Red Mosque, Captures Foreign Fighters

After a week-long standoff with what they thought were home-grown radicals, Pakistani security forces finally raided the Red Mosque today. An attempt at a last-minute negotiation with the chief cleric foundered when the imam admitted that foreign fighters had joined his forces and the government refused to give them clemency: Pakistani troops seized Islamambad's Red Mosque on Tuesday and attempted to flush out the remaining militants entrenched inside a women's religious school in fierce fighting that left at least 50 militants and eight soldiers dead, the army said. The troops stormed the mosque compound before dawn. Eight hours later, they were still trying to root out the well-armed defenders said to be holding about 150 hostages. Officials said at least 50 women were allowed to go free from the complex. Some 26 children had earlier escaped. ... Amid the sounds of rolling explosions, commandos attacked from three directions about 4...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Honor Of Enemies

Richard Cohen writes about his discovery of a photograph from 9/11 that he had put out of his mind, but that CQ readers have probably never forgotten. The picture showed Palestinians joyfully celebrating the mass murder of 3,000 Americans in four terrorist attacks, the final one aborted by the victims themselves before the plane could reach its final destination. Cohen correctly diagnoses their hatred of America -- and then explains why we can't address it: Still, the chief reason for the cheering on Sept. 11 was U.S. support for Israel. Sometimes that support has been mindless and sometimes it has been over the top, but fundamentally it is based on certain truths. The first is that Israel is a legally sanctioned state, created by the United Nations in 1948 and recognized soon after by most countries, including -- amazingly enough -- Cold War adversaries the United States and the Soviet...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Hamastan's Isolation Appears Complete

After its coup in Gaza, Hamas had hoped to use its position there as leverage to win concessions with both Fatah and the West. In effect, they hoped to use the 1.5 million residents there as hostages for aid and recognition. Instead, their plans have backfired and the new Hamastan may find itself permanently isolated as a terrorist state: In the month since Hamas took over Gaza, the 1.5 million Palestinians there have become more cut off than ever, supplies and jobs slipping away as its rival, Fatah, backed by Israel and the West, presses Hamas. The situation from the continued closure of the main commercial crossing in and out at Karni has gotten so bad that on Monday, the United Nations agency that cares for the majority of Gazans — refugees and their descendants — announced a halt to all its building projects there because it has run out...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Prostitute Scandal Hits The Senate

The case of the Beltway Madam has kept people in DC on the edge of their seats lately, as defendant Deborah Jeane Palfrey has threatened to release her phone records publicly as part of her public defense. The case already resulted in one high-ranking government official's resignation, and the public wondered who might be next. After a judge finally gave Palfrey the green light to post the records on her website, the scandal caught its next big fish, this time in the Senate: Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) apologized last night after his telephone number appeared in the phone records of the woman dubbed the "D.C. Madam," making him the first member of Congress to become ensnared in the high-profile case. The statement containing Vitter's apology said his telephone number was included on phone records of Pamela Martin and Associates dating from before he ran for the Senate in 2004. The...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Dancing In The Dark

Democrats promised to reform the appropriations process in the midterm elections, claiming — correctly — that Republicans had abused the earmarking process in order to curry favor with lobbyists, who then assisted in their re-election efforts. Harry Reid celebrated the fact that Democrats had stripped all the earmarks from the one spending bill left to them by the 109th Congress, shortly after taking control in January. However, it turns out that Reid kept the stripped earmarks alive in a sneaky bit of political arm-twisting that didn’t get made public. At Heading Right, I note that the pork-barrel process has indeed changed in this Congress -- it's gotten more secretive. Reid has removed the small portion of sunlight that Porkbusters helped force on Congress in the last session and made it even more difficult to smoke out undue influence and corruption....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

McCain's Top People Out

How serious is John McCain about running for president? Apparently, serious enough to have his top two people exit as the campaign attempts to turn its fortunes around in time for the primaries. He may also be considering a resignation from the Senate to show his commitment: John McCain's campaign manager and chief strategist quit Tuesday, the second major staff shake-up in a week for the Republican presidential candidate who trails his rivals in money and polls. In a statement, the Arizona senator said Terry Nelson and John Weaver offered their resignations, "which I accepted with regret and deep gratitude for their dedication, hard work and friendship." Nelson, a veteran of President Bush's successful 2004 re-election effort, said he stepped down as campaign manager and Weaver, a longtime aide who ran McCain's failed 2000 presidential bid, said he left his post of chief strategist. Both resignations were effective immediately. Some...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Live From The Heritage Foundation

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), I'll broadcast live from The Heritage Foundation! We'll have live interviews with MacKenzie Eaglen and James Sherk. Eaglen specializes in national security and homeland defense, while Sherk focuses on economics, fiscal policy, and labor issues. Our friend Brian Darling, who keeps an eye on the Senate, may also jump in at some point as well. The Heritage Foundation is one of the premiere think tanks in the US. Have you ever wanted to take advantage of their expertise? Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! We definitely want to take some calls today. UPDATE: We'll have more hosts, and I just want to remind people that we are airing at the normal time of 2 pm CT/3 pm ET. That's a change from yesterday's announcement. Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 11, 2007

AQ Cell On The Way To The US?

ABC News reported last night that US officials believe that an al-Qaeda cell is either coming to America, or has already arrived, to conduct a terrorist attack. In reviewing some of the communications from the failed attacks in Britain, analysts believe they have uncovered other coded messages in e-mail traffic that points to an attack here, although the White House denies that they have any evidence of an imminent threat: Senior U.S. intelligence officials tell ABC News new intelligence suggests a small al Qaeda cell is on its way to the United States, or may already be here. The White House has convened an urgent multi-agency meeting for Thursday afternoon to deal with the new threat. ... Law enforcement officials say the recent failed attacks in London have provided important new clues about possible tactics. And officials say the London attackers use of the Internet left important clues that are...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Abbas: Hamas Allowing AQ Infiltration Of Gaza

Mahmoud Abbas knows what buttons to push in the West in order to keep his rivals in Hamas marginalized. In an interview on an Italian television program, Abbas accused Hamas of allowing al-Qaeda to infiltrate Gaza now that Fatah has been pushed aside. Hamas denies it, but it will be difficult for them to prove it: Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has accused his rivals in Hamas of having opened the door to Al Qaeda in Gaza. In an interview on Monday with Italy’s RAI TV, Mr. Abbas, of Fatah, said, “Thanks to the support of Hamas, Al Qaeda is entering Gaza.” The charge, denied by Hamas, underscored the depth of Mr. Abbas’s hostility toward Hamas since it seized control of Gaza nearly a month ago in a rout of Fatah forces. A Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, responded that Hamas had “no links” to Al Qaeda, adding...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Did Fred Thompson Want To Dump Party Platforms?

A column by CBN's David Brody discusses statements by Fred Thompson in 1996, when he ran for re-election to a full term in the Senate, about the uselessness of party platforms. Saying that the Republicans "deserve to lose" if they spent the convention arguing over planks in the GOP platform, Fred suggested that no one cared about the end result of the debate: First off, it appears Thompson wasn't a big fan of the GOP having any sort of platform back in 1996. In April of 1996, this is what The Memphis Commercial Appeal wrote: Thompson wants to change the way the 1996 Republican National Convention is conducted. For starters, he wants to abolish the party platform - just toss the archaic thing away. 'It's the most useless device I've ever heard of,' Thompson said during a recent visit to Memphis." Thompson also said this in a separate article from...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Gonzo Does A Double Clinton, With A Twist

Embattled Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has created even more trouble for himself with Congress. In April 2005, he told the Senate that the FBI had not committed "one verified case of civil liberties abuse" after 2001. However, two of his aides now confirm that they had informed Gonzales of hundreds of violations before that testimony, which would directly conflict with that testimony. At Heading Right, I look at the two responses from Justice on why Gonzales' testimony should not be considered false. In one, Gonzales takes a page from Hillary Clinton's defense of her vote to authorize war against Iraq, and in the other Justice relies on definition-parsing that evokes Bill Clinton's treatment of the word is. Neither reflects well on Gonzales' credibility or competency, and it makes clear that the White House should have dumped Gonzales long ago....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

How Many Times Will McCain's Political Obituary Run?

After yesterday's exodus at Team McCain, pundits lined up declare John McCain's presidential aspirations dead, and perhaps his Senate career as well. Most of the newspapers followed suit, doing everything but have pipers sound "Amazing Grace" across the Potomac. One exception comes from the Wall Street Journal, which notes that the struggling fortunes of the campaign almost demanded a housecleaning if McCain was to remain in the race: Yesterday's shakeup of John McCain's top campaign staff is giving the media who once loved him a chance to bury his Presidential campaign. But it's also possible the shakeup will give his candidacy another chance to connect with the priorities of GOP primary voters. In the mainstream media telling, the decline of Mr. McCain's campaign is a modern Greek tragedy: He rose as a brave reformer who defied GOP orthodoxy, then fell as he gave up the iconoclast's mantle to court conservatives...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Webb Amendment Fails, Top GOP Candidates Back Away From Surge

One of the contentious bills offered in the Senate to handcuff the President into a withdrawal from Iraq died on the floor this afternoon. Jim Webb (D-VA) offered what was essentially the 2006 John Murtha plan to use forced rotation requirements to bring down troop levels in Iraq, but his amendment failed to gain cloture: Senators lacked the four votes needed Wednesday to bring to the floor a Democrat-sponsored amendment that would have set restrictions on U.S. troop rotations in Iraq and Afghanistan, to give troops more time at home. The tally for the procedural motion was 56 to 41. Sixty votes were required to cut off debate on the amendment so a vote could be held. Under the proposal by Jim Webb, D-Virginia, military personnel who return from deployments would have had to remain stateside for at least as long as they spent overseas, before they could be sent...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Ambassador Jawad Replay And Your Comments

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), I'll replay the interview with Ambassador Said T Jawad of Afghanistan, which some missed due to technical problems on Monday. The BlogTalkRadio blog links to Air Congress, which kindly noted the unique opportunity this provides listeners. Afterwards, I'll take your calls in reaction to the Ambassador's remarks as well as discuss other topics of the day -- such as the defeat of the Webb amendment, the McCain campaign travails and my analysis of it, and more. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

AQ Opens A New Front

The management of al-Qaeda has obviously not learned much from history. They want to open a new front in their assault on humanity, this time in Pakistan, over the military's seizure of the Red Mosque: Al-Qaida's deputy leader issued a video Wednesday calling for Pakistanis to wage a holy war against their government in retaliation for the attack by Pakistan's army on the Red Mosque in Islamabad. Ayman al-Zawahri's 4-minute, 24-second address focused entirely on the clashes between Islamic students and Pakistan's army at the mosque. Zawahiri spends a lot of his time on recruitment these days. Just a few days ago, he asked volunteers to go to Iraq to fight the Americans there, and to tell Iraqis to play nice with his foreign terrorists. He's also tried to get lunatics to attack European and American targets. Now he wants to add a front in Pakistan, where he can keep...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Fred On The Nature Of Representation

Fred Thompson sent an essay over to my good friends at Power Line to discuss the nature of legal representation -- and what it means for the lawyers. He notes that the current smear tactic of branding the attorney with the views of the client has been tried by his opponents before. Of course, Fred hasn't lost a race yet: A lawyer who is a candidate or a prospective candidate for office finds himself in an interesting position because of the nature of the legal profession and the practice of law. This is true when the practice was as varied as mine, and it’s especially true when the office being considered is the Presidency of the United States. The easiest and most generally used tactic when running against a lawyer is to trade off a general perception that most people dislike lawyers. Goodness knows that a lot of lawyers have...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Iraq Report To Be Mixed Bag

The White House report on Iraq will show mixed progress on benchmarks demanded by Congress, ABC News reports tonight. The Iraqi government has made satisfactory progress on almost half of the benchmarks, almost all related to security, while disappointing on most of the political goals: An eagerly awaited White House report on Iraq will be released tomorrow, which will claim the Iraqi government has made satisfactory progress on 8 of the 18 benchmarks set by Congress. This is the first assessment of the Iraqi government's success rate since President Bush ordered the troop surge in January. White House officials tell ABC News' Jonathan Karl the report will cite encouraging signs that should eventually lead to a reduction of U.S. forces in Iraq. The report notes that progress is "satisfactory" on eight of the benchmark criteria, mostly dealing with the Iraqi security forces. This actually sounds better than the initial buzz...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 12, 2007

A Long Term Investment?

After researchers found a beneficial side effect while testing the blood pressure medicine Sildenafil -- better known as Viagra -- the pharmaceuticals have discovered the vast market for sexual-enhacement medications. They tend to play on the insecurities men and women have had for millenia about performance. Now Johnson & Johnson want to tackle the Great White Whale of male insecurity, but the Food and Drug Administration questions the need to medicate men into having more staying power: In the hunt for a new sex pill for men, Johnson & Johnson has staying power. The health-products giant hasn't given up on what it hopes will become the first drug approved for premature ejaculation, even though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected it in 2005. Regulators questioned whether helping men last longer during sex was a clear medical benefit, and may have had concerns about side effects of the drug, dapoxetine....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Jawad Interview Transcript, Part 1

Whenever I have a great interview subject on CQ Radio, I get e-mails asking for transcripts. That process takes a little bit of time; my transcriber likes to make sure it gets done correctly, and of course she can't start until the show is complete. However, in the case of my interview with Ambassador Said T. Jawad of Afghanistan, many people have an interest in amplifying the remarks made by the Ambassador. One enterprising blogger, Jeff Kouba of the re-launched Peace Like A River, took on the job himself. He's transcribed the first half of the interview -- and here's a taste: CQ: Some critics in our country who are opposed to intervention in this region say that long lasting democracy is really not a possibility for Afghanistan, for Iraq, or other nations in that region, and that we should be directing our efforts in different directions. Some of my...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Promises, Promises

The Democrats made a lot of promises in the last electoral cycle, most of which they have yet to fulfill: serious earmark reform, action on a long list of legislative priorities, ending the power of lobbyists, and so on. Not only have voters learn to live with bitter disappointment from the worst Do-Nothing Congress in decades, but even Arlen Specter has been surprised by the level of mendacity by the opposition. The ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, who has served as a moderate enabler on some of the Democratic attacks on the administration, expressed his frustration about broken promises on judicial confirmations, which have ground to a halt: Specter has accused Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) of breaking promises they made regarding Leslie Southwick, President Bush’s pick for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Specter aired his grievance with Reid and...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

That's Wishful Thinking In Itself

The Washington Post editorial board scolds leading anti-war Democrats for their wishful thinking on the consequences of a withdrawal from Iraq. The essay informs them that just wishing that Iraq isn’t the central front of the war on terror doesn’t make it so, and that the rush to pull out now when Congress had agreed to wait for September seems inexplicable. It would be inexplicable indeed — if the problem was just wishful thinking. At Heading Right, I argue that the consequences of withdrawal now will lead to a regional conflict, one in which almost every nation in Southwest Asia would be tempted to participate. At the very least, a retreat leaves significant portions of Iraq in the hands of al-Qaeda, giving them another free and clear base of operations against the West. We would only have to return after the next massive attack, and it would be much more...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Laughingstock Of Teheran

Have you heard the joke about the president of Iran -- or more accurately, the joke that is the president of Iran? Monica Maggioni at Foreign Policy reports that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has become a laughingstock in Iran, and not just among the hoi polloi waiting in hours-long gas lines. Even the ruling elite have started snickering up their sleeves, but the punch line may not be humorous at all: Since his election in June 2005, Iranians have had conflicted feelings about their president. At first, he evoked interest and curiosity. And there were great expectations from this humble man who was promising economic reform, an anticorruption campaign, and a rigid moral scheme for daily life. Then came fear—when Ahmadinejad began to destroy any chance of good relations with the outside world. But today in Iran, laughter is supplanting fear. Mocking the president has become a pastime not only for rebellious...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

TiVo And Podcasts, A Match Made In Podcaster Heaven

Millions of people own TiVos, but many have no idea how many features it has for the user. That includes me. I just discovered that TiVos that connect to the Internet through home networks can access podcasts, as well as a number of other services on the Web. And one of the podcasts you can access is my BlogTalkRadio show, Heading Right Radio. If you have a Series 2 DVR from TiVo (not from DirecTV) and access to the Internet, select the extra features in Music, Photos, and More. One of the options there is Podcaster, and it has a number of preloaded links to a variety of commercially produced podcasts. It also has an option to add your own favorites to the TiVo system. All you need is the URL for the RSS feed of the podcast, which you have to enter manually using the remote and a virtual...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

New Gallup Poll Challenges Assumptions

Gallup has its latest national polling on the presidential primaries, and it challenges a few recent assumptions. On the Democratic side, the addition of Al Gore has much less impact on the support for the two frontrunners. For Republicans, the addition of Thompson would shake up the race, but a more recent declaration of rigor mortis seems far off base: With only about six months remaining before the Iowa caucuses, the races for the Republican and Democratic presidential nominations remain in a steady state. Republican Rudy Giuliani and Democrat Hillary Clinton continue to hold statistically significant leads over the rest of their respective fields of competitors. The most notable recent change this year has been on the Republican side, where John McCain's recent dip in the polls and Fred Thompson's recent gains have resulted in the two switching second and third places. Even though Al Gore would draw significant support...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Joe Gandelman, The Moderate Voice

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), I'll talk with Joe Gandelman of The Moderate Voice. We'll talk about centrism, both in the political world and in the blogosphere. We'll also talk about Unity '08, which Joe has championed, and the difficulties of piloting a group blog with such a diverse stable of writers. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! UPDATE: Joe joined us about halfway into the program. He's a great guest, and hopefully we can have him back again soon. Tomorrow, we'll have Charles Hill from Rudy Giuliani's campaign, and we'll go at the special time of 10 am CT. Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Tomorrow On CQ Radio: Charles Hill

Earlier this week, Rudy Giuliani announced the expansion of his advisory staff with new appointments on foreign policy. Among the distinguished new members of the staff are notables such as Norman Podhoretz, one of the original conservative thinkers and writers, as well as being the father of our friend at NRO and the New York Post, John Podhoretz; former Wisconsin Senator Bob Kasten; and Martin Kramer, the scholar and expert on Middle East studies, among others. The choices show Giuliani tilting to a solidly conservative national-security approach to foreign policy, undoubtedly intended to assure the GOP base about the direction of a Giuliani presidency. The man in charge of the group, Charles Hill, will join me tomorrow morning at 10 am CT. Hill has served under George Schultz at State during the Reagan administration, following an extraordinary career in the foreign service that put him in the world's hot spots...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Off With The BBC's Head!

The BBC issued a humiliating apology this afternoon after its promotional video of an upcoming documentary falsely portrayed Queen Elizabeth II as walking out on a photo shoot. The editing strongly suggested that the monarch stormed out of a session with Annie Leibovitz after a disagreement -- but it turns out that the footage was from her entrance, not exit: The British Broadcasting Corp. apologized to Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday for saying she had walked out of portrait sitting with photographer Annie Leibovitz. The BBC said a promotional trailer released Wednesday from the upcoming documentary, "A Year With the Queen," showed the monarch arriving, not departing. That scene showed the queen walking down a Buckingham Palace corridor, wearing a crown and her Order of the Garter robes, and telling her lady-in-waiting: "I'm not changing anything. I've had enough dressing like this, thank you very much." The Beeb blamed the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

'This Bill Is About Politics'

The House just passed a resolution that demands a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. The final vote had more Democrats crossing over to oppose it (10) than Republicans crossing the aisle to support it (4), and it faces a certain veto if it even gets through the Senate: Iraq has achieved only spotty military and political progress toward a democratic society, the Bush administration conceded Thursday, an unenthusiastic assessment followed quickly by a House vote to withdraw U.S. troops by spring. The measure passed 223-201 in the Democratic-controlled House despite a veto threat from President Bush, who has ruled out any change in war policy before September. ... A few hours after Bush's remarks, Democratic leaders engineered passage of legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops to begin within 120 days, and to be completed by April 1, 2008. The measure envisions a limited residual force to train...

Continue reading "'This Bill Is About Politics'" »

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Idiots

Earlier today, a Hindu minister started to give the benediction on the Senate floor. This honor traditionally is offered to a diverse range of representatives of the many faiths that live together in peace and freedom in the United States, a testament to our belief in religious liberty. Unfortunately, he couldn't complete his benediction because of a few idiots who apparently believe that Christianity means acting rudely to others. And as Americans, they're hardly the kind of ambassadors we need, either. The Times of India noticed the display: Christian activists briefly disrupted a Hindu invocation in the US Senate on Thursday, marring a historic first for the chamber and showing that fundamentalism is present and shouting in the US too. Invited by the Senate to offer Hindu prayers in place of the usual Christian invocation, Rajan Zed, a Hindu priest from Reno, Nevada, had just stepped up to the podium...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 13, 2007

Iran To Allow Inspection Of Arak Reactor

The Iranians will allow the IAEA to inspect its heavy-water plant in Arak, apparently intending to forestall another round of economic and diplomatic sanctions. The inspectors will check to see if the Iranians are producing and storing plutonium, which would give them another means of producing nuclear weapons besides their uranium-enrichment cascades: Iran has agreed to let inspectors visit this month a nuclear reactor being built which could produce plutonium, the UN nuclear watchdog has said. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced a delegation would visit the Arak heavy water reactor following two days of talks in Tehran. Heavy-water reactors produce plutonium, which can be used in nuclear weapons as an alternative to enriched uranium. Perhaps CQ readers can help here. The normal output of a heavy-water reactor produces plutonium -- so what do IAEA inspections gain? It doesn't sound like the Iranians risk much by having IAEA inspectors...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Going All In?

It looks as if Pervez Musharraf has decided to go all in against the extremists in Pakistan. After the assassination attempt and the siege at the Red Mosque, Musharraf told his nation that he would fight the extremists madrassa by madrassa if necessary: President Pervez Musharraf pledged to combat Muslim extremists across Pakistan yesterday as furious crowds demonstrated against the storming of the Red Mosque and two suicide bomb attacks left six dead. In a televised address to the nation, Gen Musharraf said that those inside the mosque and its adjacent madrassa, or Muslim college, were "terrorists" who directly threatened Pakistan's security. They had also tarnished Islam's reputation as a tolerant and peaceful religion. "What do we as a nation want?" he asked. "What kind of Islam do these people represent? In the garb of Islamic teaching they have been training for terrorism. They prepared the madrassa as a fortress...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Dionne's Just A Little Too Kind

E.J. Dionne offers an unusual take on the revelation of Senator David Vitter's relationship with a purported prostitution ring in Washington, DC -- forgiveness. Dionne wants a truce on the outing of sexual peccadilloes, so that we can get back to the actual business of governing. Dionne's heart is in the right place, as it usually is, but in this case his sympathy is somewhat misplaced: Perhaps because no one else will do it, I want to offer a qualified defense of Sen. David Vitter, the socially conservative Louisiana Republican who faces a bit of a problem. .. My defense of Vitter is qualified because I believe that married guys have a moral obligation not to seek the pleasures of "escort services." Nor do I like hypocrisy. During the battle over the impeachment of Bill Clinton, Vitter wrote in the New Orleans Times-Picayune that if no "meaningful action" were taken...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Ambassador Jawad Interview: Transcript, Part II

Jeff Kouba at the recently-relaunched Peace Like A River has transcribed and posted the second half of the transcript of my interview with Ambassador Said T. Jawad of Afghanistan. In this half, I asked Ambassador Jawad about the issues with the drug trade, whether he felt Afghanistan had been abandoned by the West, and questioned how his nation was approaching gender equality, especially in education. Ambassador Jawad gave direct and frank answers and didn't hesitate to give details: CQ: Do you feel that Afghanistan has been shortchanged in terms of support following the invasion and occupation of Iraq? Ambassador Jawad: Afghanistan is shortchanged, that's for sure. I don't know if it was after the Iraq invasion, because after the Cold War when the Soviets were gone we were also shortchanged, there was no Iraq back then. There has been underinvestment in Afghanistan. I don't know how much of that relates...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Petraeus Betrayal

The US Senate sent General David Petraeus to Iraq in January in full understanding of his intent to implement a new counterinsurgency strategy as a means to control the violence in Iraq. After 108 days of stalling on funding these operations, Congress finally cut the check less than two months ago. Petraeus finally got the rest of the combat troops requested for the operations last month. Now Congress wants to pull the plug, and Charles Krauthammer calls foul. At Heading Right, I talk about the very confused messages coming from Congress. They send Petraeus to Iraq when he clearly states his intention to conduct a large-scale counterinsurgency strategy, they hold up his funding, and just when he gets all of the troops he requested, they try to pull the rug out from underneath him. Given that the military benchmarks have largely been met at this point, why does Congress want...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Charles Hill

Today on CQ Radio (special time: 10 am CT), Rudy Giuliani's chief advisor on foreign policy, Charles Hill, will join me. Hill has served under George Schultz at State during the Reagan administration, following an extraordinary career in the foreign service that put him in the world's hot spots for 20 years: Viet Nam, Israel, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and other assignments. Hill also served the UN as a special advisor to then-Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali. We'll ask him about Rudy's policy direction, how Rudy will approach the issues in various hot spots of the world, and about Hill's own remarkable career. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

A Colloquy On The Fairness Doctrine

The debate over the Fairness Doctrine continued in the Senate today, as Dick Durbin blocked Norm Coleman from offering an amendment that would forbid content control in political speech on the airwaves. Coleman and Durbin then got into a series of volleys on the nature of speech and broadcast licensing, which capsulizes the differing approaches to freedom between the two parties: Mr. Durbin: I'm sorry to interrupt you but I really wish that through the commerce committee or the appropriate committee of jurisdiction, we can really get into this question. But the senator is arguing that the marketplace can provide. What is the senator's response if the marketplace fails to provide? What is the marketplace does not provide opportunities to hear both points of view? Since the people who are seeking the licenses are using America's airwaves, does the government, speaking for the people of this country, have any interest...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

An Deireadh Seachtaine Leis An Teango Beo

If readers noticed an unusually quiet period at Captain's Quarters, it's because I took the afternoon off to travel to Winona, Minnesota. What's in Winona besides beautiful landscapes and clean air? It's the annual Gaeltacht Minnesota Irish-language workshop weekend -- and I'm attending for the first time in three years. I''ve written occasionally about my love for the Irish language. It has a distinctive, poetic beauty but is very challenging to learn. One of six Celtic languages -- a branch on its own from the Indo-European language root -- it uses a verb-subject-predicate structure that takes time to absorb. Gaeilge uses intriguing and maddening processes such as lenition and eclipsis that change the spelling and pronunciation of words in certain circumstances, which is like learning a vocabulary that likes to play hide-and-go-seek. For instance, here's the start of an article from the Irish-language website Beo about an American city. Can...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Same Old Song From Shef

Gary Sheffield has a book to promote, and the obnoxious superstar has fallen back on one of his tried-and-true attention-grabbing schemes -- accuse a former manager of racism. Sheffield accused Yankees skipper Joe Torre of treating blacks different than whites and claims that Jeter wasn't "black enough" to notice the difference: New York Yankees manager Joe Torre treats black players on his team worse than white players, controversial baseball player Gary Sheffield has charged. "I know when I was [with the Yankees], the couple of blacks that were there, every one of them had an issue with the organization," Sheffield, who played outfield for the Yankees between 2004 and 2006, told Andrea Kremer in an interview that airs Tuesday on HBO's "Real Sports." When pressed on who specifically within the organization black players were upset with, Sheffield said, "They had an issue with Joe Torre." "They weren't treated liked everybody...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 14, 2007

Pervez Goes North

Pervez Musharraf has sent his army north towards the frontier, apparently modifying a truce he made with the radical Islamists controlling the region. The agreement appears to be over as groups in Waziristan began calling for jihad against Musharraf after the siege and capture of the Red Mosque: Thousands of troops were deployed to Pakistan's northwestern frontier to try to dissuade outlawed Islamic militants from launching a holy war against the government for its bloody attack on a radical mosque, military officials said Saturday. As the troop movements proceeded in at least five areas of the North West Frontier Province, a suicide bomber struck in another region of the border, his explosives-laden vehicle killing at least eight soldiers in a military convoy, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Waheed Arhad said. ... "With help from local tribal elders, we are trying to ensure that militants lay down their arms, and stop issuing...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

A Crossroads For The Surge

The Times of London reports on a crossroads in Jabour that demonstrates the successes and the dangers of the surge in Iraq. While the soldiers would prefer to be elsewhere, the efforts to close down lines of communication for al-Qaeda and other terrorists has created an "Iraqi surge" in the area -- the creation of a new police unit from tribal volunteers who want the momentum to stay against the terrorists. The tribal leaders remain cautious about cooperating too much with the Americans, however, because they are afraid we're leaving: This shabby outpost is at the heart of President Bush’s Iraqi strategy. And it is, therefore, at the centre of a raging political debate in Washington that could yet see US troops hurried home. It is one of four such camps established in the lawless Arab Jabour region since mid-June as part of Mr Bush’s troop “surge” – his last-ditch...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

News Flash: Jihadists Threaten America!

I missed this breaking news story at ABC yesterday, but apparently radical Islamists want to attack America. The dean of Jihadi U, where grade inflation has apparently threatened their accreditation, now says that we will see much more massive attacks in the US this summer: As senior intelligence and law enforcement officials met again today in the White House Situation Room to deal with the "summer terror threat," a top terror commander said an attack was coming that would dwarf the failed bombings in London and Glasgow. Taliban military commander Mansour Dadullah, in an interview broadcast on ABC News' "World News With Charles Gibson," said the London attacks were "not enough" and that bigger attacks were coming. "You will, God willing, be witness to more attacks," he told a Pakistani journalist in an interview conducted just four days ago. Dadullah presided over a graduation at a jihadi training camp in...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Overstating The Case

Normally I think Chris Cilizza's political analysis is top notch, but everyone has a bad day now and then -- and today is the day for Chris, Michael Shear, and Dan Balz. In giving the backstory on the conflicts behind the scenes that caused the housecleaning at Team McCain, they wildly overstate McCain's position in the race when it began: After weeks of internal struggles over who would run John McCain's presidential campaign, three key aides went to the candidate in January and told him he had to take action. Rick Davis, the campaign's chief executive, they said, should be pushed aside, and McCain had to make it clear that Terry Nelson, the campaign manager and a veteran of President Bush's 2004 team, was in charge. But the senator from Arizona refused, telling the three aides -- John Weaver, Mark Salter and Nelson -- that he would not strip Davis...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Maybe He's Only Mostly Dead

Osama bin Laden made a big splash today in the media by appearing in his first video in over a year. He looks sprightlier than ever -- but that's because he took off a few years through recycling: Osama bin Laden stresses the importance of martyrdom for Muslim causes in a videotape that purportedly contains a 50-second message from the al Qaeda leader. ... The videotape was made in the last four weeks, but the clips appear to be old, said Octavia Nasr, CNN's senior editor for Arab affairs. There is no indication of where it was shot, and CNN cannot verify its authenticity. ... Bin Laden was one of several men appearing and speaking on the tape. They include Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq who was killed in a U.S. airstrike June 7, 2006. Jihadist websites have been pushing rumors of a new message...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Gilmore Goes

One Republican presidential candidate has called it quits -- and probably not the one most would have guessed. Jim Gilmore, former governor of Virginia, has decided to end his campaign after two quarters of having no impact on the race at all: Former Virginia governor James S. Gilmore III ended his long-shot Republican presidential campaign yesterday, saying he was unable to raise enough money to communicate his conservative vision to Americans. He held out the possibility, however, that he might soon run for public office again in Virginia. Gilmore, the son of a butcher who had improbably risen to become a local prosecutor, a state attorney general and a governor of Virginia, dropped out of the crowded GOP primary field a day before reporting that he had raised $211,000 between April and June. Since January, he has raised $381,000, while his rivals have collected tens of millions of dollars. In...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 15, 2007

Kim Shuts Down Yongbyon

North Korea announced that it has closed their nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, an essential step in their nuclear disarmament that many had despaired of Kim Jong-Il ever taking. The closure follows the delivery of over 6,000 tons of fuel oil and the transfer of $25 million in previously frozen funds. The IAEA has sent its inspectors to the plant to verify its closure and to monitor its status: After four years of off-and-on negotiations, North Korea said it began closing down its main nuclear reactor Saturday, shortly after receiving a first boatload of fuel oil aid. The closure, if confirmed by U.N. inspectors, would mark the first concrete step in a carefully orchestrated denuclearization schedule that was agreed on in February, with the ultimate goal of dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for fuel and other economic aid, and increased diplomatic recognition. More broadly, it constituted the first...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Fatah Militants Renounce Terror Against Israel

Mahmoud Abbas has worked quickly to consolidate power in the West Bank after shedding Hamas and Gaza last month. Abbas has had Israel remove 178 Fatah militants from their wanted lists, and in exchange, all of them have publicly renounced terrorism against Israel. Abbas also won another concession that may not please Israelis at all -- and could threaten Olmert's already weak position: Scores of Fatah militants in the West Bank have signed a pledge renouncing attacks against Israel in return for an Israeli promise to stop pursuing them, a Palestinian security official said Sunday. The deal would grant amnesty to 178 Fatah gunmen who will join the official Palestinian security forces, and Israel will remove them from its lists of wanted militants, the official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to divulge details of the agreement. ... And in another gesture of support,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Red Mosque An Al-Qaeda Operation

The Times of London reports today that the Red Mosque leadership -- now reaching room temperature in Islamabad -- took orders from al-Qaeda's senior leadership. Pakistani intelligence officials found letters from Ayman al-Zawahiri to the two brothers who ran the mosque, and that eighteen foreign fighters joined the mosque just before it took hostages and set up the standoff: AL-QAEDA’S leadership secretly directed the Islamic militants whose armed revolt at the Red Mosque in Islamabad ended last week with more than 100 deaths after it was stormed by the Pakistan army. According to senior intelligence officials, the troops who finally took control discovered letters from Osama Bin Laden’s deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. They were written to Abdul Rashid Ghazi and Abdul Aziz, the brothers who ran the mosque and adjacent madrasah. Government sources said up to 18 foreign fighters -- including Uzbeks, Egyptians and several Afghans -- had arrived weeks before...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Liddle On The BBC And Barking Mad Englishwomen

I must admit, I have not had the pleasure of reading Rod Liddle's writing in the past, but after today's column in the Times of London, I'll have to catch him more often. He tackles a number of topics, but manages to skewer both the BBC and the new Mrs. bin Laden with a masterful display of Fleet Street scorn. First, Liddle takes up the recent case of BBC bumbling, where the network ran a doctored clip from their upcoming documentary that made it look as though Queen Elizabeth II stormed out of a photo shoot in a fit of pique. The BBC had to issue a profuse apology for misleading its viewers, and hilariously asked its producers to report any other cases of the BBC misleading viewers in their promos. That opened the floodgates for Liddle (via Memeorandum): By lunchtime on Friday the queue of contrite producers outside Bennett's...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

A Case Of Missing Context At The Gray Lady

Nouri al-Maliki may have provided a push for Congress to get more aggressive with the White House over troop withdrawals in Iraq yesterday. However, the Prime Minister sounded a rather contradictory note, expressing confidence in Iraq's ability to secure itself while pleading for more time and pledging more progress on political reform. The New York Times reports on only one of these contradictory statements: Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki declared Saturday that Iraqi forces could secure the country on their own “any time” American troops decided to withdraw, his first response to the White House report this week that found his government falling well short of many political reforms and military goals sought by Congress. Mr. Maliki has been under attack by American officials and many Iraqi politicians for leading a government mired in disputes and unable to make progress on major legislation seen as crucial to stabilizing the country....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Waziristan Tribes To Musharraf: It's On

Events over the last few days have indicated that Pervez Musharraf has rethought his hands-off deal with radical Islamists in Waziristan. After the Red Mosque siege and seizure, the Waziris have apparently concluded the same thing. Today they announced that the Waziri tribes would wothdraw from the agreement and, in effect, declared war on Pakistan: Pro-Taleban militants in Pakistan's North Waziristan region say they have ended their truce with the government. In a statement issued in Miranshah, the main town, the militants accused the government of breaking the agreement. It came as Pakistan deployed more troops in the area fearing "holy war" after the storming of the militant Red Mosque last week that left 102 dead. More than 50 Pakistanis, including soldiers and police recruits, have died in three attacks in the last two days. The announcement was more or less a formality. The Taliban and al-Qaeda had obviously unleashed...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 16, 2007

Hamas Support Melting Away

The degree of the self-inflicted catastrophe that Hamas created with its rebellion has come into clearer focus after polling Gaza voters. The territory used to serve as Hamas' political power base, but now a plurality of voters support their rival, Fatah. Even worse, two-thirds of previous Hamas voters would not repeat that mistake: The violent takeover of the Gaza Strip has cost Hamas some support there and bolstered its rival, Fatah, according to a poll released Sunday. Hamas swept through Gaza last month, vanquishing numerically superior forces aligned with Fatah leader and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who responded by dismissing the Hamas-led government and installing a new one with his backers. The poll of Gaza residents shows a backlash. Hamas got only 23 percent support, down from 29 percent in the previous survey last month, while Fatah climbed from 31 percent to 43 percent. The poll, the first major...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

A Tale Of Two Cities

The City Journal has a fascinating look at the counterterrorism operations in the nation's two largest metropolitan areas, New York and Los Angeles. Judith Miller, formerly of the New York Times, compares and contrasts the approaches both take in protecting their residents from terrorist attacks. Differing geography, laws, and culture make the effort unequal in ways that Angelenos may not know -- but which could put them at a much higher risk: Three time zones, 3,000 miles, and a cultural galaxy apart, New York and Los Angeles face a common threat: along with Washington, D.C., they’re the chief American targets of Islamic terror. And both cities boast top cops, sometime rivals—the cities are fiercely competitive—who know that ensuring that a dog doesn’t bark will determine their legacies. After investing millions of dollars in homeland security, Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly of New York and Chief William J. Bratton of L.A....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Military Solution For Iran?

The Guardian reports that the Bush administration, led by Dick Cheney, has decided to emphasize the military options in dealing with Iran. This would change the policy from last year's decision to emphasize the diplomatic approaches to ending the Iranian nuclear program, and it apparently comes over the objections of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert Gates: The balance in the internal White House debate over Iran has shifted back in favour of military action before President George Bush leaves office in 18 months, the Guardian has learned. The shift follows an internal review involving the White House, the Pentagon and the state department over the last month. Although the Bush administration is in deep trouble over Iraq, it remains focused on Iran. A well-placed source in Washington said: "Bush is not going to leave office with Iran still in limbo." ... Last year Mr Bush came...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Thompson Building A Winning Hand

Everyone wants to know why Fred Thompson hasn't officially declared his candidacy yet. After all, with Jim Gilmore's departure, the Republicans have an empty podium for the next debate. Why doesn't Fred jump in and start getting tested? One answer could be that Fred wants to hit the hustings in the top spot -- and that's he's building his coalition carefully before his launch. US News reports that Fred has had some success in getting evangelical groups to consider supporting him, reaching out to one group that could give him instant momentum. At Heading Right, I look at advantages he might have over some of the other GOP candidates, and the strategy of holding cards close to the vest until one gets a winning hand. UPDATE: The Democrats think Fred has other motivations for his long flirtation: The “Law & Order” actor and former U.S. senator from Tennessee is delaying...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Rudy Launches His Gravitas Offense

Rudy Giuliani's ability to win the Republican primary hinges on convincing GOP voters that he supports federalism and constructionist views on the Constitution. It takes his socially-liberal policy views off the table to a large extent if he can convince Republicans of his sincerity on those points, and nowhere will that be more evident than in his appointments to the bench. His new effort in that regard seems solidly calculated to confirm that commitment: GOP frontrunner Rudy Giuliani will unveil his "Justice Advisory Committee" this week on a two-day swing through heavily Republican western districts of Washington, D.C., home of the first presidential caucuses in 2008. The committee signals an important moment for building his relationship with social conservatives a he tries to convince skeptical Iowans he can compete seriously in the caucuses. Former U.S. solicitor general under President Bush, Ted Olson, will chair the panel. Former Bush administration Deputy...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Senator Norm Coleman, NZ Bear, On Fairness Doctrine

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), we'll have a number of guests talking about the Fairness Doctrine. Our friend NZ Bear of the Truth Laid Bear will join me as co-host and will discuss his Fairness Doctrine website, where people can stay abreast of FD developments. The NRSC's communications director, Rebecca Fisher, will join us for a few minutes in the first half to talk about their new site and their petition, and we believe that Senator Norm Coleman will join us in the second half. Last week, the Democrats blocked Coleman from offering legislation banning government control of political speech, and we'll ask him what his plans are next. This comes at a critical time for free speech. One third of Americans believe that the government should control political speech not just on the airwaves, but also on the Internet, according to a recent Rasmussen poll (via...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Britain Escalates Diplomatic Row Over Litvinenko Assassination

Britain has decided to escalate the diplomatic crisis over Russia's refusal to extradite the suspect in the Litvinenko assassination. The UK will expel four Russian diplomats in protest over the protection given to Andre Lugovoi: David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, today announced that four Russian diplomats will be expelled following Moscow's failure to hand over the man suspected of murdering Alexander Litvinenko. The Russian foreign office has reacted by labelling the expulsion "immoral", and claims it will have serious consequences. Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Miliband said that Russia's failure to cooperate with the extradition of Andrei Lugovoi was "extremely disappointing". That may not be the end of the retribution, either. The new government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown says it will now review its relationship with Russia "on a range of issues," which comes close to hinting at a complete diplomatic break. Britain has also arranged for...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

It's A Party, And Hamas Is Not Invited

Most if not all of the American presidents of the last two generations have attempted to make peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians. They have all met with failure, mostly due to a failure to recognize that the Palestinians didn't want peaceful coexistence with the Israelis, and the failures have reflected poorly on American administrations from both parties. Now George Bush has called for a regional peace conference, probably hoping for some legacy of accomplishment in an area where others have fallen short: Declaring a "moment of choice" in the Middle East, President Bush said Monday he would call Israel, the Palestinians and others in the region to a peace conference aimed at restarting stalled talks and moving faster toward a Palestinian state. Such a session could result in Israelis sitting at the same conference table as countries such as Saudi Arabia that do not recognize Israel diplomatically. Bush...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

When Graft Had Class

The passing of Lady Bird Johnson produced a slew of complimentary obituaries and remembrances of the former First Lady. Normally, Christopher Hitchens would supply the antidote for all of the flowing saccharine, but Hitchens is on assignment this week. Instead, Jack Shafer at Slate offers the belated rebuttal, pointing out Lady Bird's role in amassing the Johnson fortune through a quaint form of graft, but one that may have some resonance in today's political issues: In 1943, the year Lady Bird Johnson purchased KTBC, the Federal Communications Commission, which reviewed all broadcast-license transfers, was close to being abolished, Caro writes. Lyndon Johnson used his political influence in both Congress and the White House to prevent that from happening. The FCC was among the most politicized agencies in the government, Caro asserts, and it knew who its friends were. Johnson socialized with FCC Commissioner Clifford Durr at the time, "sometimes at...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Legal Bleg

I just got off the phone with a friend of mine from my teen-age years and who reads CQ on a regular basis. Unfortunately, she has had to start divorce proceedings, but has no representation. Her husband won't pay support for their several children unless she asks him for it, and she's had to go on public assistance in the meantime. Hopefully, one or more of our CQ friends in Utah can give her a hand in accessing legal resources in Utah so that she can make sure she protects her interests and the interests of her children. Please e-mail me anything I can forward to her, with the subject line, "Legal assistance". She can also use your prayers, and thanks in advance for either....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 17, 2007

Iran Hosts AQ Council: NIE

The national intelligence estimate will state that the Iranians have an active cell of al-Qaeda leadership in their eastern mountain area, Eli Lake reports today in the New York Sun. The same Quds force that has assisted Shi'ite and Sunni terrorists in Iraq has allowed the senior AQ figures to operate since the fall of the Taliban in 2001, and they have ties to the Iraq branch of AQ as well: One of two known Al Qaeda leadership councils meets regularly in eastern Iran, where the American intelligence community believes dozens of senior Al Qaeda leaders have reconstituted a good part of the terror conglomerate's senior leadership structure. That is a consensus judgment from a final working draft of a new National Intelligence Estimate, titled "The Terrorist Threat to the U.S. Homeland," on the organization that attacked the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The estimate, which represents the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Backscratching, Hillary Style

Tom Vilsack dropped out of the Democratic presidential race in February, one of the first significant also-rans to acknowledge reality. The former governor of Iowa endorsed Hillary in March, giving her a boost in the key state. However, that seems to have come as part of a quid pro quo, as her backers have piled contributions onto the defunct Vilsack candidacy -- and some of the money wound up in Vilsack's pockets: Shortly after endorsing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential campaign, former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack received nearly $90,000 in donations to his defunct presidential campaign from some of Clinton's major backers, campaign finance reports show. The donations, disclosed in Federal Election Commission filings over the weekend, came from Clinton fundraising bastions of New York, California, Texas, and Washington, D.C. None came from Iowa, where Vilsack served two terms as governor. ... In May and June, at least 45 Clinton...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Who Knew Whole Foods Market Sold Spam?

The CEO of Whole Foods Market apparently likes role playing, especially on the Internet. In fact, he likes it so much that he donned the full sock-puppet, praising his company and his own good looks while pretending to be someone else entirely on Yahoo message boards. The SEC has begun an informal investigation into his activities: On the Internet nobody knows you’re a dog — or the chief executive of a Fortune 500 company. Or so thought John Mackey, the chief executive of Whole Foods Market, who used a fictional identity on the Yahoo message boards for nearly eight years to assail competition and promote his supermarket chain’s stock, according to documents released last week by the Federal Trade Commission. Mr. Mackey used the online handle “Rahodeb” (an anagram of his wife’s name, Deborah). In one Internet posting sure to enter the annals of chief-executive vanity, Mr. Mackey wrote as...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

NIE: AQ Still Top Threat

The Associated Press reports that the national intelligence estimate says that al-Qaeda remains the biggest terrorist threat to the American homeland. The NIE also warns that Hezbollah in Lebanon may also start planning attacks on America in the near future if it thinks we may attack Iran, and that non-Muslim terrorists may soon join the fray: The terrorist network Al-Qaida will likely leverage its contacts and capabilities in Iraq to mount an attack on U.S. soil, according to a new National Intelligence Estimate on threats to the American homeland. ... Al-Qaida is likely to continue to focus on high-profile political, economic and infrastructure targets to cause mass casualties, visually dramatic destruction, economic aftershocks and fear. "The group is proficient with conventional small arms and improvised explosive devices and is innovative in creating new capabilities and overcoming security obstacles." The group has been able to restore key elements it would need...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Polls Show Little Movement In Presidential Races

The weekly poll numbers have come out from Gallup and Rasmussen, and the news is that there is not much new. Hillary's lead has remained constant for two months now, and it looks like the race has concluded for the Democrats' top slot on the ticket. The only suspense is who will get to bask in Hillary's glory at the bottom of the ticket, and get free passes to funerals if elected. The GOP looks a little more murky. The two polls disagree on the frontrunner, as I note at Heading Right. We discover that a dead man has not reached rigor mortis after all. Also, a surprising figure has surged to the top of the second tier in this week's poll, replacing Mike Huckabee and probably disquieting the power structure of the GOP -- or at least delighting his legion of on-line fans....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Pace: Iraq Has Turned Around (Update: UN Chief Warns On Withdrawal)

General Peter Pace, the outgoing chair of the Joint Chiefs, has called the surge a success, saying that it has brought about a "sea change" in security for Iraq. Time Magazine reports on his remarks from Ramadi, which in itself demonstrates a level of success, as the Anbar Province has changed markedly from the lost cause it appeared a year ago (via Hugh Hewitt): In his most optimistic remarks since the U.S. troop buildup began, Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Tuesday that Iraq has undergone a "sea change" in security in recent months, and that this will influence his recommendation to President Bush on how long to continue the current strategy. After conferring with Maj. Gen. Walter Gaskin and other commanders in this provincial capital west of Baghdad, Pace told reporters he has gathered a positive picture of the security environment not only here...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Norm Coleman: I Told You So

No one had to get a bigger charge out of George Galloway's pending suspension from the UK House of Commons than Norm Coleman. The British Parliament has acted to punish Galloway for his dishonesty in hiding the source of his funding for his Mariam Appeal fund -- Saddam Hussein and Galloway's take in the Oil-For-Food scandal. Galloway's apologists laughed off Senator Coleman's interrogation of Galloway, but the Minnesota Senator gets the last laugh -- and takes it: The anti-war Respect MP was criticised by the Standards and Privileges Committee for “concealing the true source of Iraqi funding” to a charity he set up and failure to co-operate with the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards. It backed a finding that there was “strong circumstantial evidence” that his Mariam Appeal received cash from the regime of Saddam Hussein, the payments delivered through the UN’s Oil for Food Programme “with Mr Galloway’s connivance”. It...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Michael Yon: The Saga Of The General Lee

Michael Yon has another excellent dispatch from his embed mission in Iraq, although this piece gives more of an in-depth look at the connection between men and machines. Yon profiles the travails of a Stryker used by the men of the 1-24th Regiment as an example of how tough it is to lose one. The General Lee saved lives on more than one occasion in 2005, until IEDs finally retired it: The patrols can be tedious. Fatigue accumulates after months of fighting, and it seems most units who are performing routine missions go against the grain of strict regulation and plug music into their comms to keep them alert. When they beep into the comms to talk, the music clicks off. It’s against the regs, but when everyone is tired—and weary—it works for a while. Some soldiers will listen to music before combat missions, sort of like Apocalypse Now, and...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Eli Lake On NIE

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), I'll have Eli Lake from the New York Sun on the show to talk about the latest National Intelligence Estimate and its revelation about al-Qaeda's connection to Iran. We'll also review the latest on George Galloway and Norm Coleman to see who's laughing now, and we'll preview the "publicity stunt" that Harry Reid will conduct tonight in the Senate. UPDATE: The Heritage experts will join us tomorrow instead of today. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

ABC: Middle Easterners Smuggled Across Southern Border

This news flash from ABC came across my desk during my CQ Radio show: The FBI is investigating an alleged human smuggling operation based in Chaparral, N.M., that agents say is bringing "Iraqis and other Middle Eastern" individuals across the Rio Grande from Mexico. An FBI intelligence report distributed by the Washington, D.C. Joint Terrorism Task Force, obtained by the Blotter on ABCNews.com, says the illegal ring has been bringing Iraqis across the border illegally for more than a year. ... The FBI report, issued last week, says the smuggling organization "used to smuggle Mexicans, but decided to smuggle Iraqi or other Middle Eastern individuals because it was more lucrative." Each individual would be charged a fee of $20,000 to $25,000, according to the report. The people to be smuggled would "gather at a house on the Mexican side of the border" and then cross the Rio Grande into the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

McCain's Shot Across Reid's Bow

With the Senate about to conduct a pajama party tonight to discuss all the ways in which we can retreat in the face of our enemies, John McCain seems almost alone in the Senate in confronting Harry Reid on the consequences of his actions. They want to conduct a series of votes overnight in order to force Republicans into cloture on an amendment that would demand a pullout of Iraq by next April and beginning in September: They called for sleeping cots to be rolled into a room off the Senate floor and told members to prepare for repeated votes throughout the evening. Senators even left open the possibility of dispatching the sergeant at arms to summon colleagues from their homes to the floor if lawmakers ignored the debate. The threat was reminiscent of a 1988 debate on campaign finance reform in which Capitol police carried Oregon Republican Sen. Robert...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Falcons QB Indicted On Dogfighting Conspiracy

The Atlanta Falcons may have to count on their backup quarterback in the 2007 season. According to ABC News, a grand jury indicted the star QB on felony charges surrounding an alleged dogfighting conspiracy centered at his mansion: Michael Vick has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the dogfighting probe of his property in Virginia. The Falcons quarterback was indicted for conspiracy to travel in interstate commerce in aid of unlawful activities and to sponsor a dog in an animal fighting venture in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District in Richmond, Va. Three others -- Purnell Peace, Quanis Phillips and Tony Taylor -- also were indicted by the grand jury on the same charges. According to court documents filed by federal authorities earlier this month, dog fights have been sponsored by "Bad Newz Kennels" at the property since at least 2002. For the events, participants...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 18, 2007

Republicans Call Reid's Bluff

Harry Reid kept the Senate in business all night long as a way to publicize the fact that Republicans won't allow cloture on an amendment for retreating from Iraq. For some reason, Reid apparently thought that this would somehow break the will of the Republicans in a manner that had escaped the Democratic effort to complain about the same cloture rules they used repeatedly to block legislation and presidential appointments when Reid was Minority Leader instead of Majority Leader. In the end, not only didn't Reid move the Republicans, he took most of the night off himself: So much for forcing Republicans to filibuster all night. As the clock struck midnight and Tuesday became Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid loosened up a bit on his plans to teach members of the minority that Democrats set the schedule on the debate over Iraq. ... Speaking of those mandatory attendance tallies,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Putin Tries Assassination Again

Britain acted to expel Russian diplomats on Monday for failing to extradite alleged assassin Andrei Lugovoi because they had reason to believe Vladimir Putin had sent a second assassin to the UK. The target this time? Boris Berezovsky, a strident Putin critic who had survived murder plots when living in Russia: Boris Berezovsky fled Britain three weeks ago on the advice of Scotland Yard, amid reports that he was the target of an assassination attempt by a suspected Russian hitman. The exiled tycoon and fierce critic of President Putin of Russia told The Times last night that he had been warned that it was not safe for him to remain in London, where he had been living since being granted asylum in Britain. ... Reports last night claimed that an assassin was captured at the Hilton Hotel in Park Lane, West London, moments before he planned to kill Mr Berezovsky,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

US Captures Top AQI Figure

Update: US confirms. See Update 1. The US captured a senior figure for al-Qaeda in Iraq on July 4th, the BBC reports this morning. Khaled Mashhadani told investigators that he acted as a conduit between the real AQI leader and senior al-Qaeda leadership outside of Iraq: US forces say they have arrested a senior member of al-Qaeda in Iraq, the group accused of being behind some of Iraq's deadliest violence. The man was named as Khaled Mashhadani. He was captured earlier in July in the northern city of Mosul, officials said. US military officials said he had told interrogators that the group's supposed leader, Omar al-Baghdadi, was a front. Mashhadani may give the US enough information to target the real leader of AQI, if it isn't Omar al-Baghdadi. Interestingly, some think that Khaled Mashhadini is Omar al-Baghdadi. Nibras Kazimi gave a run-down on al-Baghdadi four months ago: This is what...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

What The Nation Doesn't Need Is A Ten-Dollar Tax On Cigars

Democrats have decided to pass a 20,000% tax increase as part of their new fiscal program for America. The target -- this time -- is cigars, on which they plan to escalate the current federal nickel tax to $10 per stogie (via Professor Bainbridge): The Democrat controlled Congress has sought an extra $35-billion to $50-billion for the state children's health insurance program. The program distributes payments to the states to help buy coverage for kids not poor enough for Medicaid. Cigarettes, which accounted for more than 95 percent of tobacco tax collections last year, are the main focus of the bill. Federal taxes on a pack would jump from 39 cents to $1. But the legislation has dragged cigars along for the ride. The industry operates under a 4.8 cents-per-cigar tax cap. Under the proposed bill, taxes on "large cigars," a category that includes all but the tiny cigars sold...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Case Of The Mystery Earmark

It's hardly a case for Sherlock Holmes, but a million dollars of your money went missing yesterday. Congress earmarked it to an outift called the Center for Instrumented Critical Infrastructure, despite the fact that no one could quite tell whether or not this Center exists, let alone what they need with the money. And despite the best efforts of one particular porkbuster, the money vanished into the thin hot air of Capitol Hill. At Heading Right, we take a look at the mystery, and find the usual suspect. It didn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure this out, either. Unfortunately, in the end, it seems more like Murder on the Orient Express, where everyone did it -- as it usually turns out with earmarks....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Reed-Levin Cloture Going Down To Defeat

Harry Reid can't even tire the Senate into voting for cloture. The Levin-Reed bill has only received 52 votes to end debate, even after the insomnia festival that Reid staged last night. As expected, the Democrats wound up the debate with the same number in support that they had when it started. The final vote will show 53 votes in favor of cloture, and the Republican caucus largely united against the Congressional incursion on executive powers. Even moderate Republicans like Arlen Specter, George Voinovich, and Chuck Grassley could not support a declaration of defeat from the Senate. The publicity stunt has failed. UPDATE: Reid changed his vote at the end, so cloture failed 52-47. He called the bill "bipartisan", but it looks like all of the GOP except Chuck Hagel voted against it. It's an odd sense of the term "bipartisan," but then again, Reid hasn't exactly put on an...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

'I Will Stand Where I Stand'

Harry Reid wanted a debate, and he got one, especially from John McCain, during last night's stunt -- which Reid himself mostly skipped. It didn't change a single vote, and more importantly, Reid didn't get what he wanted -- a Republican refusal to engage. Instead, Republicans made it clear that they had no intention of allowing Congress to usurp the role of the executive, and McCain made it clear why. Here's his entire statement from the debate early this morning: Mr. President, we have nearly finished this little exhibition, which was staged, I assume, for the benefit of a briefly amused press corps and in deference to political activists opposed to the war who have come to expect from Congress such gestures, empty though they may be, as proof that the majority in the Senate has heard their demands for action to end the war in Iraq. The outcome of...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Petraeus On Hewitt

I hear that Hugh Hewitt will have a very special guest on today's show: General David Petraeus. Hugh's show starts at 6 pm ET/3 pm PT. While Hugh is always must-catch radio, be sure to clear your schedule for tonight. While you're at it, make sure to catch Rush right now. I'm certain that he will have some clear and concise words for the cigar-tax idiocy that the Democrats tried to quietly push through Congress. King Banaian notes that this looks very similar to the luxury tax that Democrats forced onto the Bush 41 administration, and reviews the fallout....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: It's My (Pajama) Party And I'll Sleep If I Want To

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), we have Duane Patterson of the Hugh Hewitt Show to talk about the all-night session in the Senate and its aftermath. We'll also talk with Mackenzie Eaglen of the Heritage Foundation about the capture of Khaled al-Mashhadani and the NIE report released yesterday. During the hour, we'll also review Peter Pace's "sea change" statement and John McCain's speech on the Senate floor. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

John Burns: US An 'Important Inhibtor Of Violence' In Iraq

Although I have often criticized the New York Times for its bias and editorial decisions, I have often expressed admiration for John Burns, their intrepid reporter on the ground in Iraq. He has found himself in the thick of militia and insurgent action, and was one of the first to give Americans a comprehensive look at Moqtada al-Sadr -- from his experience as a hostage. He reports in the same fashion as Michael Yon, telling the story straight, regardless of whether the news is good or bad. Last night, he appeared on the Charlie Rose Show, and he continued in that same vein. When asked about the consequences of pulling troops out of Iraq, Burns told Rose that a catastrophe would almost certainly follow: JOHN BURNS: Well, I think, quite simply that the United States armed forces here -- and I find this to be very widely agreed amongst Iraqis...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

GOP Still Hasn't Learned On Pork

During the 110th Congress, critics of the Democrats have had plenty of material with which to work, especially on earmarks. Every week, it seems, another story about Democratic earmarks appears, including today on a mystery earmark that cost American taxpayers the equivalent of 40 years salary for an average American family. That doesn't mean that every Republican has learned their lesson on spending -- and in one case, a GOP Congressman seems determined to learn the wrong lesson. First, though, let's check in with David Harsanyi of the Denver Post and the author of an upcoming book, Nanny State, about government overreach. He wrote a column criticizing Tom Tancredo for pushing earmarks that totalled over $200 million, and Tancredo objected: David Harsanyi pointed out that I am attempting to obtain more than $200 million in federal funding for “pet projects” this year. What he neglected to mention is that some...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Guest Post: Senator James Inhofe

I am pleased to welcome Senator James Inhofe to Captain's Quarters again. In this guest post, Senator Inhofe shares his thoughts about the overnight session Harry Reid demanded. Iraq and the Continuous Session Thank you, Ed, for the opportunity to address your readers. Last night’s shameless press stunt further politicizes a situation that, now more than ever, requires a strong dose of thoughtful discussion and honest debate. Harry Reid’s orchestrated political theatre was never intended to be a serious consideration of Iraq and the War on Terror, but merely a brazen publicity event. And so as our American sons and daughters woke up in Baghdad to put their lives on the line and fight another day, the Democrats kept the Senate up late fighting to undermine their mission and undermine our nation. Armed with a “Let Us Vote” sign and speeches proving how we have already lost, they arrived at...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 19, 2007

Billing Records Resurrected? (Updated & Bumped)

The Los Angeles Times will report in the next day or so that billing records have been found at Arent Fox which show some consultations between Fred Thompson and the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association. The records will show that Arent billed the NFPRHA for nineteen hours of consultation over a period of fourteen months. The time period corresponds roughly to the time frame between when the NFPRHA claims they hired Thompson as a lobbyist, in September 1991. We can expect the billing records to make a big splash in the blogosphere. However, a few points should be noted. Fred Thompson made it clear that he never represented this group as a lobbyist, and that he never lobbied John Sununu on their behalf. Sununu verified Thompson's denial. Thompson never denied nor confirmed that he provided some consultation on their behalf through Arent Fox, saying that he could not...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Liberal Fantasy Of A Conservative

As I have written before, one can gain a sense of a candidate's viability by the volume and nature of the attacks against him (or her). That might be especially true when the candidate has not yet entered the race, as with Fred Thompson. So far we've seen attacks based on 19 hours of consultations (see below), smeared his sons, and all but called his wife a bimbo. And Fred hasn't even officially declared himself as a candidate! This continued yesterday with the normally sane New Republic, which apparently thought it got to the heart of Fred's appeal to conservatives. Michelle Cottle instead built up a strawman of a supposed conservative obsession with masculinity, which says a lot more about Cottle and TNR than it does about Fred or conservatives: If there's one thing conservatives are obsessed with these days, it's manliness. Saddled with a president they once cheered as...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Invade Pakistan?

The co-chair of the Iraq Study Group has a suggestion for George Bush that he apparently believes to be novel -- invade Pakistan. Lee Hamilton apparently thinks that Bush hasn't thought of the idea before now (via Memeorandum): U.S. forces should go into Pakistan to rout al Qaeda from the safe haven it has found in the mountains on the border with Afghanistan, a co-chairman of the Iraq Study Group said. Former Rep. Lee Hamilton, who also served as the vice chairman of the 9/11 commission, says the Iraq war distracted the United States when it had al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on the run in the tribal region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. He says it's now time to finish the job. "This has to be carefully calibrated, worked out with the Pakistanis, but I am very concerned that you have a safe haven in Pakistan today where they...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

When Visiting The Zoo, Stop And Try Their Deli

The zoo at Erfurt, Germany really loves animals. Apparently they love them so much that they just have to share them with people -- as stew, fricasee, sishkebab, and steaks. German authorities discovered a clandestine slaughterhouse that sold meat ranging from venison to guinea pigs: Lots of people like looking at animals in zoos. Lots of people also like eating meat. However the thought of the two things together tends to turn most people's stomachs. But not all apparently. Employees at the Erfurt zoo, it was revealed Wednesday, have for years been killing animals and selling their meat for zoo stew. Germany is outraged. ... The animals killed were all "slaughterable" animals such as goats, sheep, pigs and deer, said Erfurt city hall spokeswoman Inga Hettstedt, and the meat was not sold to restaurants. However the mass circulation newspaper Bild reported Thursday that ducks, quails and even guinea pigs were...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Democrats Abandon National-Security Tipsters

The Washington Times reports that the John Doe law, which would protect tipsters who provide information about potential national-security threats, has run into a buzz saw in Congress. Democrats want the language removed from a Homeland Security bill in the House, and removed quietly. Republicans in the House have called foul. At Heading Right, I question how Democrats can posture as responsible guardians of national security while throwing citizen tipsters to the litigating wolves. Given that the intimidation of torts began here, my interest is somewhat more than academic, especially since I travel more often than before. It’s precisely this kind of disincentive, applied to law enforcement and intelligence, that created the walls that led to the failures resulting in the 9/11 attack. Read more about this at Heading Right, and also Michelle Malkin, The Corner, and Hot Air....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Russia Retaliates

Vladimir Putin has retaliated for the expulsion of four Russian diplomats from London. Russia expelled four British diplomats and announced that they would no longer cooperate with the UK on counterterrorism operations. However, analysts see some hope that the damage may be contained: Russia today expelled four British diplomats, in tit-for-tat retaliation for Britain's expulsion of four of its own diplomats earlier this week. Moscow also announced that it would withhold future co-operation with Britain in the war on terror, and stop issuing visas to British officials. Russia's response had been expected since David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary, announced on Monday that four Russian officials would be expelled from Britain following Moscow's failure to hand over Andrei Lugovoi, the man suspected of murdering Alexander Litvinenko. The Russians could have raised the stakes on this confrontation, but apparently want to stop any further escalation. They took care to match what the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

McCain's Not Quitting

It's become fashionable to write obituaries for John McCain's presidential campaign, and the recent housecleaning at the Straight Talk Express has convinced many that McCain will end his bid sooner rather than later. Chris Cillizza at The Fix reports that John McCain is not among those so convinced. The Senator has met with staffers to draw comparisons between the status of his campaign and that of another Republican, who went on to some degree of success. Chris reviews two memos making the rounds: The first document seeks to draw parallels between Ronald Reagan's 1980 presidential bid and the current state of McCain's operation. "During the summer of 1979, Ronald Reagan's campaign reported that it was broke," begins the memo. "The candidate had to explain his weak fundraising and big spending, as well as overcome doubts about his age and ability." After firing much of his top campaign staff just before...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Senator John McCain

Today on CQ Radio, at the special time of 1 pm CT/2 pm ET, Senator John McCain joins us again at the beginning of the show. Make sure you don't miss this interview! We're going to talk about the state of the war in Iraq and the actions in the Senate this week. USA Today has alerted its readers to the show, and we hope to hear from them. Afterwards, fellow BTR host Rick Moran will join me to discuss the interview -- which should be interesting, since Rick has become a critic of the war. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Did you know that you can listen to CQ Radio through your TiVo service? Click here for the instructions. Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

John McCain Interview Podcast

The podcast file for the John McCain interview is now up and ready for download. Senator McCain is one of the most interesting and provocative guests I have on the show -- he talks plain, and in this case, it comes through immediately. In the interview, he lashes out at Harry Reid, calling his suspension of the defense appropriation bill "unconscionable" and refers derisively to the all-nighter this week as a "publicity stunt". He also talks about his presidential campaign, which is something he refused to do with CNN, taking responsibility for the "failure" but insisting he will not withdraw. Without asking, he spoke out against any return of the Fairness Doctrine. It really is can't-miss radio. In fact, Fox News agrees -- because they taped the interview off of one of the caller lines. Keep an eye on their website and on their broadcast tonight for a clip of...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 20, 2007

On My Desk: Cheney

I took the evening off from blogging, after regularly scheduled medical maintenance for the First Mate and finishing the Ken Burns documentary series, The Civil War. It gave me an opportunity to flip through the latest book by Stephen Hayes, the author of The Connection, which outlined the various links between al-Qaeda and the Saddam Hussein regime. Now Steven has set his sights on Dick Cheney in his new book, Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President. Hayes conducted hours of interviews with the VP and was allowed "unprecedented access" to administration officials -- including George Bush -- and Cheney's family and friends. The book promises to go into some touchy subjects, such as Cheney's opposition to removing Saddam Hussein in 1991, his disagreement over the dismissal of Donald Rumsfeld, and how he was chosen as Bush's running mate. The book gets released next Tuesday,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Transcript: The John McCain Interview

For those who have not had the opportunity to listen to the podcast of the John McCain interview yesterday, or for those who want to excerpt it for debate, the transcript is now ready at Heading Right. Even in the transcript, one gets the sense of McCain's offended sensibilities from Harry Reid's publicity stunts this week, calling the suspension of the defense authorization bill "unconscionable" and noting that the Senate has more comedy than comity in the 110th Congress. For instance, McCain made his point plain in this exchange: But then he pulls the bill down after not getting 60 votes, and guess where we are? The military does not get a three and a half percent pay raise, we don’t authorize these new types of equipment to fight IED’s, the wounded warrior legislation, the wounded war legislation was to try to fix this terrible scandal out at Walter Reed,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

A Hot Summer?

It may not have been the most provocative statement Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ever made in public, but it may be all the more ominous for its ambiguity. While traveling to Syria to meet with Iran's closest ally, Bashar Assad, and with Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, the Iranian president promised a "hot summer" in the region, which he hoped would lead to the "defeat for the region's enemies": It's going to be a "hot" summer in the Middle East, said Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad following a surprise meeting with Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah in Damascus on Thursday evening, Channel 10 reported. Nasrallah allegedly entered Syria via an underground tunnel, the television channel said. "We hope that the hot weather of this summer will coincide with similar victories for the region's peoples, and with consequent defeat for the region's enemies," Ahmadinejad added, in an apparent reference to Israel. During his one-day...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Plame Doused

A federal judge brought the Plame show to a close yesterday, throwing out a lawsuit brought by Valerie Plame and Joe Wilson against several government officials, including Dick Cheney. The judge ruled that the officials named could not be sued for the conduct of their officials duties -- and noted that those duties included responding to public criticism: A federal judge yesterday dismissed a lawsuit filed by former CIA officer Valerie Plame and her husband against Vice President Cheney and other top officials over the Bush administration's disclosure of Plame's name and covert status to the media. U.S. District Judge John D. Bates said that Cheney and the others could not be held liable for the disclosures in the summer of 2003 in the midst of a White House effort to rebut criticism of the Iraq war by her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV. The judge said that...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Ted Kennedy And The Democrats Hate Free Speech

Once again, Minnesota's Senator Norm Coleman attempted to ensure that government would not control the content of political speech -- and once again the Democrats ensured that they could impose it. Ted Kennedy himself blocked Coleman's amendment with a point of order, and the Democrats torpedoed it in a party-line vote: Senate Democrats last night beat back a Republican attempt to attach an anti-Fairness Doctrine bill as an amendment to education legislation. The doctrine, a former requirement that broadcasters present opposing points of view on political issues, was scrapped in 1987 by the Federal Communications Commission, which said the policy restricted journalistic freedom. The bill by Sen. Norm Coleman, Minnesota Republican, would prevent the FCC from reinstating the doctrine. "We live in an age of satellite radio, of broadband, of blogs, of Internet, of cable TV, of broadcast TV. There is no limitation on the ability of anyone from any...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

OK, Now Stop Listening To The Generals

For the first part of the Iraq war, critics kept insisting that we "listen to the generals," who wanted new strategies and more troops on the ground. Now that we have both, the same critics apparently have the opposite advice. Congress held a briefing with Generals David Petraeus and Raymond Odierno, along with Ambassador Ryan Crocker, and then essentially said they weren't going to listen to them: The top commanders in Iraq and the American ambassador to Baghdad appealed for more time beyond their mid-September assessment to more fully judge if the new strategy was making gains. Lt. Gen. Raymond T. Odierno, the No. 2 commander in Iraq, told Pentagon reporters that while he would provide the mid-September assessment of the new military strategy that Congress has required, it would take “at least until November” to judge with confidence whether the strategy was working. But their appeals, in three videoconferences...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Jihadi, USA

McQ at QandO did a little digging at MEMRI and discovered a disturbing development. As the NIE noted, jihadist websites provide both indoctrination and operational capabilities for jihadists around the world. It should be in America's interest to get these sites shut down. Who do we have to invade for victory on this front? Apparently, Texas, Nevada, New Jersey, and Washington: Today, in a briefing on Capitol Hill hosted by Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), ranking member of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, MEMRI's president Yigal Carmon spoke about Islamist/Jihadi websites. The briefing was based on a study prepared by MEMRI which highlighted the fact that all Islamist/Jihadi websites are hosted directly or through subservers by Western - primarily American - Internet Service Providers (ISPs). The...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Harry Hurry

I decided to work off-site at my local Panera this morning, something I promised myself I would do now that I work from home -- but hadn't yet done in the three months I've worked at BlogTalkRadio. The coffee's great and the breakfast is reasonable; it cost me about the same for a refillable large coffee, a bagel, and a large orange juice as it does for the Starbucks raspberry mocha frappucino to which I've become addicted recently. Barnes & Noble has a store in the same shopping center as Panera, and I was initially surprised to see a line running about 100 yards outside the door as I drove past it. I had not realized that people would start lining up for the release of the last Harry Potter novel, but there has to be over a hundred people -- and the book doesn't get released until tonight, after...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Dean Ronald Cass, Guiliani Judicial Advisory Committee

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), I'll speak with Dean Ronald Cass, who now serves as one of Rudy Giuliani's advisors on judges. Do you have questions for Dean Cass about Rudy's judicial direction? Leave your question in the comments! I'll ask the best questions and find out where a Giuliani presidency will leave the federal judiciary. Townhall's Matt Lewis will join me in the second half to talk about the McCain interview from yesterday, and Matt's analysis of the media treatment of McCain. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Did you know that you can listen to CQ Radio through your TiVo service? Click here for the instructions. Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Seven Rules, One Oath

One of the toughest tasks facing the Americans in Iraq is the building of a truly national security force, both as an Army and as a police force. Up to now, the police forces have tended towards the sectarian, and ineffective as a result, althought the Army has fared better. As part of his reporting from Iraq, Michael Yon describes a conference held by the US military that included Iraqi Army officers and leaders from insurgent and tribal groups that have committed to solidarity as Iraqis in a unified security force. But how to get there? Colonel Steve Townsend presided over the conference, which developed into a negotiation -- and a remarkably civil and effective negotiation at that: Colonel Townsend clarified the purpose of the meeting; it was not to formalize relations or to establish a chain of command, but to work out ways of cooperating to bring better days...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

JetBlue Retracts Sponsorship; Is This Victory?

After the discount airliner JetBlue sponsored the YearlyKos event, conservative bloggers started campaigning to pressure the airline to end its association with the Leftosphere event. Bill O'Reilly even had a Factor segment on his show this week, challenging JetBlue management for its decision to help underwrite the event. At first, JetBlue remained adamant that they would not succumb to the pressure -- but that didn't last too long. According to Markos Moulitsas Zuniga at Daily Kos, they have ended their association with his conference (via Memeorandum): Okay, so JetBlue, after deciding to resist Bill O'Reilly's pressure last night, just decided to back down. ... As for my part, I'm cancelling my JetBlue American Express card and will be looking at alternative options for my future travel. Too bad. Unfortunately, JetBlue just told me (and the rest of us) that they accept O'Reilly's ... smears. .. Oh, and JetBlue advertises with...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

An Example Of Google 'News'

An alert CQ reader, Mike Jackson, happened to check out Google News a few minutes ago (3:50 pm PDT), and was stunned to see the top headline and article: It comes from a news service called AXcess -- and the article itself is worse than the headline: A shudder could be felt across Capitol Hill Friday after news came out that President Bush would be having his butt checked out which meant that while Bush was going through the colonoscopy, Vice President Dick Cheney would be in charge of the nation. "It's a chilling thought," one passerby told AXcess News when asked if they were concerned over Cheney's short-term rule of the White House. ... Bush last underwent colorectal cancer surveillance on June 29, 2002. At the time, the only thing doctors found was an attitude, which medical experts say is not cancerous though his administration has become quite malignant...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Harry Potter: Live Blog

I decided that I would see for myself just how deep the Harry Potter phenomenon ran. I usually look at fads with more than a little skepticism, especially here in the Upper Midwest. If kids and parents go nuts for movies or games on the coasts, it would seem unlikely here in Middle America ... or at least in the sleepy suburb in which I live. Guess again! That little patch of floor at the bottom of the left corner was about the only unoccupied space in the store. Witches, quidditch players, and plain old Muggles have stuffed the Barnes & Noble almost to capacity already, and I'm certain more will be arriving as we get closer to midnight. They just announced that the store has a live owl show up at the registers, and signs all over the store announce other activities, such as a Quidditch Toss. I plan...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 21, 2007

759 Pages, No Waiting

I just finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7), which took me several hours while my Internet connection to my website refused to work properly, in any case. For fans of the series, it's a brilliant and definite ending. There is no Sopranos-style artistic ambiguity here; J K Rowling has brought the series to an excellent conclusion. How did it end? Hah! No spoilers here, at least not for the moment. I'll have more this week, after I'm certain people will have had the opportunity to read it for themselves. UPDATE: The site had its issues this morning, so my apologies for anyone who had difficulty hitting CQ today. As far as the book review goes, I'll probably have it tomorrow night or Monday morning, with the appropriate protections on spoilers. If you want to find out the fate of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Snape, Voldemort, or others...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

NARN, The Quidditch Edition

The Northern Alliance Radio Network will be on the air today, with our six-hour-long broadcast schedule starting at 11 am CT. The first two hours features Power Line's John Hinderaker and Chad and Brian from Fraters Libertas. Mitch and I hit the airwaves for the second shift from 1-3 pm CT, and King Banaian and Michael Broadkorb have The Final Word from 3-5. If you're in the Twin Cities, you can hear us on AM 1280 The Patriot, or on the station's Internet stream if you're outside of the broadcast area. Today, we'll have NZ Bear in on the second hour to talk about the relaunch of the Victory Caucus. We'll also spell out the insult that Keith Ellison offered to Americans this week in equating 9/11 with the Reichstag fire of 1933. We may also talk about the Fairness Doctrine, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani's acquisition of policy heavyweights, and...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 22, 2007

Technical Problems At CQ

If you have been experiencing any access issues this weekend at CQ, you are not alone. My hosting service, Hosting Matters, discovered some hardware failures on the server that hosts this site. They have had to perform an emergency transfer to a new platform -- no easy feat -- and it seems there may have been a few issues with that move. My access to the blog's scripts has been spotty, and my e-mail is currently down. Tech support is looking into all of the issues right now, but it may take a while before everything gets ironed out. Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience!...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Turkey Faces The Polls

Turkey faces a critical test today in its national elections, and the results could have wide implications for the entire region. The government has remained unsettled since the attempt to elect Abdullah Gul president and the threatened military coup that scotched Gul's rise. Now the Turks will recast its parliament, and the West waits to see whether Islamists can grab enough power to change the relentlessly secular government (via Michelle Malkin): Turks voted for a new Parliament on Sunday in a contest viewed as pivotal in determining the balance between Islam and secularism in this nation of more than 70 million. Many people cut short vacations to head home to cast their ballots, and lines at some polling stations were long as people voted early to avoid the summer midday heat. In Istanbul, Turkey's biggest city, traffic jammed some main roads and police officers stood guard outside the gates of...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Where's Rodney King When You Need Him?

The Washington Post's editorial board asks essentially the same question as did Rodney King fifteen years ago in regards to the standoff between Congress and the White House on testimony and subpoenas. Crying a pox upon both houses, the Post asks for a modicum of reasonableness from both sides: For months the White House has resisted Congress's attempts to compel administration officials to testify about the controversial U.S. attorney firings in 2006. Congress's propensity to let subpoenas fly has been matched only by the administration's hair-trigger reaction of trying to block them by invoking executive privilege. The two sides have thus far failed to strike a compromise; as a result, Bush administration officials, most notably former White House counsel Harriet E. Miers and current chief of staff Joshua B. Bolten, find themselves threatened with criminal contempt for following the president's orders to snub congressional demands. If Congress were to make...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

There Once Was A Man With No Class ...

John Kerry has decided to broaden his public appeal by branching into humor -- deliberately, as it turns out, rather than just being a joke as in 2004. He delivered his highbrow brand of humor at a DSCC fundraiser last weekend, but the Hill just got around to reporting it on Friday. His joke came at the expense of his colleague, David Vitter, and his woes from the connection to a criminal case of prostitution (via The Moderate Voice): Speaking at a Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) fundraiser last weekend, Kerry recited a five-line poem about Sen. David Vitter (R-La.), who recently found himself in hot water when his phone number showed up on the records of a woman accused of running a Washington prostitution ring. ... Kerry made light of the situation with a limerick when he spoke at the event, which was held, appropriately enough, in Nantucket, Mass....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Waziristan Erupting

Despite Pervez Musharraf's attempt to put the genie back in the bottle, the Waziristan region continues to erupt with Islamist violence. Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorists set off bombs and started firefights that wound up costing them at least 19 fighters today: Islamic militants detonated bombs close to military convoys and attacked government positions in Pakistan's restive northwestern tribal region, sparking gunfights that left 19 insurgents dead, government officials said Sunday. The fighting was the latest in North Waziristan since militants announced the termination of a peace agreement with the government last week following a deadly military raid on a radical mosque in the Pakistani capital. The tensions have raised concerns over the threat posed by Islamic militants to the military-led government of President Gen. Pervez Musharraf. Since the July 10 raid on Islamabad's Red Mosque, suicide attacks and shootings have killed at least 289 people in Pakistan, mostly in the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Censure Off The Table, Too

Something tells me that we'll need to bookmark these statements for future use. Senator Russ Feingold said that he would offer a motion to censure President Bush on several points, including mismanaging the war and making "misleading" statements -- but Harry Reid said that the Senate had more important work to do: Liberal Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold said Sunday he wants Congress to censure President Bush for his management of the Iraq war and his "assault" against the Constitution. ... Feingold, a prominent war critic, said he soon plans to offer two censure resolutions — measures that would amount to a formal condemnation of the Republican president. The first would seek to reprimand Bush for, as Feingold described it, getting the nation into war without adequate military preparation and for issuing misleading public statements. The resolution also would cite Vice President Dick Cheney and perhaps other administration officials. The second...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

IBD: Why Do Democrats Want To Help Terrorists?

Investors Business Daily's editors wonder why Democrats in Congress want to make it easier for terrorists to attack our transportation infrastructure. That's the result of their below-the-radar attack on the John Doe protections that the House passed in the transportation bill in a bipartisan vote, but which Democrats have removed in the conference report: Were it not for the courage and sacrifice of the passengers of United Flight 93 who forced their plane into a Pennsylvania field, many in Congress might not be here today, with a gaping hole where the U.S. Capitol still stands. We wonder if this fact is appreciated by those trying to block final passage of the so-called "John Doe" provision protecting from legal action those who report suspicious behavior on airplanes. Today's passengers have an advantage. They know what can happen. They know what to look for. They will not be taken by surprise, and...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 23, 2007

If You Can't Say Anything Nice, I'll Deport You

To say that Hugo Chavez has a thin skin qualifies as an understatement. The Venezuelan dictator has announced that any foreigner who criticizes him insults the "national dignity" and will be forcibly removed from the country: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has vowed to expel foreigners who publicly criticise him or his government. "No foreigner can come here to attack us. Anyone who does must be removed from this country," he said during his weekly TV and radio programme. Mr Chavez also ordered officials to monitor statements made by international figures in Venezuela. This outburst came after Mexican politician Manuel Espino, head of the National Action Party that controls the government, spoke at a pro-democracy conference in Caracas. Did he call Chavez a tyrant? Implore Venezuelans to conduct a coup d'etat? Espino didn't do either; he pointed out that Chavez' plan to end term limits on the presidency would turn him...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Britain: Kremlin Hypocrisy On Constitution

Britain kept the pressure on Russia over its demands for extradition in the assassination case of Alexander Litvinenko. Responding to the Kremlin's claims that their constitution forbids the extradition of Andrei Lugovoi, the British Ambassador in Moscow pointed out that Russian compliance with its constitution has been rather situational: Sir Anthony Brenton, the British Ambassador in Moscow, said yesterday that Russia could get around the prohibition if it wanted to cooperate in bringing Andrei Lugovoy to trial. Mr Lugovoy is accused of poisoning Litvinenko with radioactive polonium210 at a London hotel in November, but insists that he is innocent. In comments timed to infuriate the Kremlin, Sir Anthony highlighted sections of the Constitution that are routinely ignored in Russia. His remarks came as Britain prepared to step up pressure on Russia by raising Mr Lugovoy’s extradition at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels today. Russia’s Prosecutor-General is...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

AQI Informants In Baghdad

Apparently, the leadership of al-Qaeda in Iraq has become too sadistic even for its own members. The Times of London reports that US and Iraqi forces have developed dozens of informants within AQI in Baghdad, a nearly unthinkable accomplishment just a few months ago. The bloodthirsty actions of its leaders have soured the rank-and-file on its mission: Fed up with being part of a group that cuts off a person’s face with piano wire to teach others a lesson, dozens of low-level members of al-Qaeda in Iraq are daring to become informants for the US military in a hostile Baghdad neighbourhood. The ground-breaking move in Doura is part of a wider trend that has started in other al-Qaeda hotspots across the country and in which Sunni insurgent groups and tribal sheikhs have stood together with the coalition against the extremist movement. “They are turning. We are talking to people who...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Fear-Mongering? No, CYA

The Director of National Intelligence says that no operational al-Qaeda cells are known to exist in the US, although individuals appear to be raising funds for AQ's efforts here. But Admiral Michael McConnell says he worries about sleeper cells, terrorists he doesn't know exist -- and a former CIA officer says he's not just whistling Dixie: McConnell says small numbers of al Qaeda operatives are in this country raising funds. But he said he knows of no al Qaeda cells in the country that are capable of launching a strike at this time. "I worry that there are sleeper cells in the U.S.," McConnell said. "I do not know." Michael Scheuer, who once ran the CIA's al Qaeda desk, says the Bush administration is not merely fear mongering. "The intelligence community is being very frank about what it knows so it doesn't get Shanghaied or blamed for something that wasn't...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Transcript: Dean Ronald Cass On CQ Radio

Ronald Cass, Dean Emeritus of Boston University’s college of law, appeared on CQ Radio last week. Cass, a member of Rudy Giuliani’s advisory board on judicial matters, spoke about the candidate’s direction on judicial appointments. I've posted the transcript at Heading Right, and it's an interesting look into the direction that the Giuliani campaign has gone thus far to assuage conservatives about Giuliani's policies. The Mayor's social liberalism has gotten a lot of play, perhaps even more so than his efforts to clean up New York City through hard-nosed enforcement of laws that could hardly be claimed as liberalism run amuck. First, I asked about the composition of the judicial panel, with plenty of representation from the Federalist Society: MORRISSEY: Now going over the list of people here who are on the committee with you, it’s a very impressive list. I noticed there are at least a couple people here...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Victory Caucus Relaunches

The Victory Caucus has its new website up and running, and NZ Bear has applied his talents towards expanding the information on Iraq and Afghanistan to put data in easy reach. Want to know the statistics on weapons-cache discoveries? A handy graph on the main page tells you that the success rate has skyrocketed this year. Another graph details the decline in sectarian violence since the start of the surge. NZ has linked blogs, official military sources, and news feeds into one daily stop for all readers. Be sure to bookmark it! UPDATE: Don't miss Michael Yon's tribute to the recently-departed General Wayne Downing: As a warrior of renown in the Special Operations community, Downing might have been expected to keep his knowledge clandestine. But as a scholar of COIN, Downing knew the powerful role that media must play in fighting the Great War on Terrorism. And so he became...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Rasmussen: Liberal Bias In American Media

Rasmussen has conducted a series of polls on consumer attitudes on the media, and the results show a widespread conclusion that the American media has a liberal bias. Not only do the major networks have a bias, according to the American news consumer, but so do most of the major newspapers and cable-news outlets: In the final poll of a series measuring perceptions of media bias, the Associated Press, local television stations, MSNBC, and CNBC are all perceived as tilting to the left when reporting the news. Earlier releases showed that Americans tend to believe the major broadcast networks, CNN, and NPR have a liberal bias. Fox News is seen as having a bias in the other direction. In print, the New York Times, Washington Post, and local newspapers were also seen as having a liberal bias. ... The current survey finds that 30% of American adults believe the Associated...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

McCain The Tax Cutter?

John McCain took a lot of heat for opposing the sweeping tax cuts during George Bush's first term. He warned that the cuts would starve government of the funds needed to fuel the war, among other issues -- and got proven wrong. Now as McCain looks to reconnect with Republican primary voters, he has vowed to cut taxes as President, starting with the alternative minimum tax that has ensnared more and more middle-class taxpayers: Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is pledging to repeal the alternative minimum tax and hold down government spending with vetoes and line-item-veto authority. The Arizona senator, in remarks prepared for delivery Monday evening to the Economic Club of Southwest Michigan, promised to eliminate the alternative minimum tax, which he said would affect as many as 30 million people by 2010. The tax was originally intended to make sure the wealthy do not exploit tax loopholes. "I...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Oh Hell, Why Not Add Another Front?

Al-Qaeda continued its efforts to disenchant yet another region with a declaration of war against North Africa today. Despite their general inability to prevail in Iraq, successfully detonate explosives in Britain, and do anything else in the US, AQ warned Muslims to stay away from their own government buildings on the south side of the Mediterranean: Al-Qaeda threatened in an Internet statement on Monday to escalate attacks against the "enemies of Allah" in North African countries, warning Muslims to stay away from government sites. "The Mujahedin (holy warriors)... have many hidden surprises for the enemies of Allah in the countries of the Islamic Maghreb, which will come in an escalating sequence," said the Al-Qaeda Movement in the Islamic Countries of the Maghreb. "We call upon all our Muslim brothers to stay away from the centres of the infidels and official apostates, as well as security (gatherings) of army and police,"...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Media Bias Discovered!

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), I'll review the Rasmussen data on media bias. Joining me will be my friend and St. Cloud State's chair of economics, King Banaian, who will help me plow through the implications of the crosstab data on demographics. We're going to compare that to this UCLA study from late 2005. We may also try to figure out who sponsored over $7 million in earmarks for Minnesota, including $400,000 for an "International Species Information System for the ZIMS project" in my town. King and I may also review the changes to the Venezuelan economy that threaten to end private enterprise under Hugo Chavez. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Did you know that you can listen to CQ Radio through your TiVo service? Click here for the instructions. Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

More Shenanigans In Milwaukee?

After the 2004 election, widespread claims of voter fraud arose from the close election results in our neighboring state of Wisconsin. At the time, the claims focused on the lax voter registration laws in Wisconsin that apparently allowed for massive overvoting in the critical precincts of Milwaukee. Over 4500 ballots got cast over the number of ballots that Milwaukee recorded as voting in that election, calling into question the reliability of the razor-thin margin of victory by John Kerry of 11,000 votes overall. The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel did an excellent job of reporting the shenanigans in 2005, leading to an investigation that ended up going nowhere. The county, state, and federal governments could reach no real conclusion as to the existence of fraud, despite the obvious imbalance in votes versus the records. Now a blogger on the Left has discovered what three levels of government investigators could not (via Memeorandum): The...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

BTR's YouTube Coverage

I'll be out tonight and will miss the YouTube-sponsored debate for the Democratic presidential primary candidates tonight, but BlogTalkRadio will have its own recap later this evening. My colleague Frank at Political Vindication Radio will have a recap at 8 pm PT/11 pm ET tonight, and the details are at Heading Right. If the debate doesn't interest you, Andrea Shea-King will interview Jerome Corsi at 9 pm ET and John Bootie, an independent Christian running for President....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 24, 2007

Former Gitmo Prisoner In Suicide Bombing

The US has released hundreds of detainees from its Guantanamo Bay prison under pressure from human-rights groups, demanding an end to the detention of suspected terrorists captured mainly in Afghanistan. The US has warned that releasing these prisoners will result in their return to terrorism, creating more danger for civilians and for the military still working to bring an end to the Taliban and their allies, al-Qaeda. More than a few have been captured a second time or killed in battle with Western forces. This time, the terrorist committed suicide by grenade rather than get captured alive in an attempt to take a couple of his enemies with him: A former Guantanamo Bay prisoner wanted for the 2004 kidnapping of two Chinese engineers in Pakistan blew himself up with a grenade during a clash with security forces on Tuesday, officials said. One-legged Taliban militant Abdullah Mehsud killed himself to avoid...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

YouTube Lost This Debate

When YouTube and CNN announced that they would stage a debate in which the questions came from the American people, where the questioners would momentarily star on national television, it created a lot of excitement. It rated as a watershed moment in citizen journalism, where ordinary people closed the gap between the electorate and the elite. Journalists who embedded their agendas into debate questioning would get bypassed, and the American people would get real answers to the tough issues of the day. I missed the show, but if the transcript is any guide, YouTube and its citizen journalists missed the boat. The questions ranged from the inane to ... well, the inane. Here are the first five questions posed by the YouTubers selected by CNN (via Memeorandum): 1. Issues don't matter. How are you different? 2. Dennis Kucinich, how are you better than Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama? 3. Hillary,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Vick Suspended

Last week, news that Michael Vick had been indicted on dogfighting and conspiracy charges stunned sports fans -- and apparently NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Yesterday, he ordered Michael Vick barred from preseason camp pending his own probe into the charges. Vick could find himself with plenty of time this fall to prepare for his defense: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell yesterday ordered quarterback Michael Vick not to report to training camp with the Atlanta Falcons until the league has reviewed his legal troubles stemming from federal dogfighting charges. Vick's playing status is to be determined by Goodell, and the NFL gave no timetable for the decision other than to announce that the review would be completed "as soon as possible." ... Others in the league have said that Vick, 27, could face a lengthy suspension under the NFL's toughened conduct policy imposed by Goodell in April. The policy empowers Goodell to...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Rudy: Energy Independence Vital

Rudy Giuliani, who has spent the summer hiring an impressive roster of experts on foreign policy and the judiciary, has turned his attention to energy policy as well. In a campaign stop in San Francisco, Giuliani gave his views on energy independence, although the California audience may not have received some of his platform with great enthusiasm. And therein lies the rub. It's safe to say that everyone knows what it will take to achieve energy independence It’s just that almost no one likes the solutions as a whole. At Heading Right, I review the path to energy independence, and ask whether America can unite for another "moon shot" scientific quest -- and whether Rudy is the leader who can bring us together for it. Tomorrow on CQ Radio, I'll speak with Rudy's energy advisor, Thomas Gaskill, to find out more....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Coleman: I Really Told You So

As I noted last week, Senator Norm Coleman had the last laugh on British MP George Galloway. The Parliament has handed down a rare rebuke and punishment on the raving Saddam Hussein supporter, suspending him for a month for his part in the Oil-For-Food scam at the UN, and later lying about it repeatedly. Coleman writes about the controversy and the Senate's role in exposing Galloway in today's Wall Street Journal: The report relied heavily on evidence uncovered by my subcommittee, the U.N.'s investigation and the U.K. Charity Commission. But the Parliament report went further, even enlisting a forensic scientist to determine that other official Iraqi documents, which provide detailed descriptions of Mr. Galloway's personal involvement in nefarious deals, were authentic. Moreover, the report reveals the official Iraqi minutes of a meeting between Mr. Galloway and Saddam in which Mr. Galloway overtly discusses Iraqi oil deals -- the very deals...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

McCain Conference Call

John McCain has gotten back to holding regular conference calls with bloggers, and today he talked about his economic plan for a McCain presidency. He spoke about the issues surrounding displaced workers, and he underscored the need for some efforts to support and possibly retrain the unemployed. He did manage to mention his outrage over the suspension of consideration for the defense authorization bill -- for the first time in forty-five years, the bill is at risk. McCain called this "disgraceful", especially since Harry Reid has not scheduled its consideration on the Senate floor as of yet. Questions: Robert Bluey: Barack Obama committed to meeting with Ahmadinejad, Catro, Chavez, and others -- A bit naive. Face-to-face negotiations tend to bolster the credibility of tyrants. What's going to be the topic of discussions? The elimination of Israel? Jennifer Rubin: Do you feel that some of your GOP competitors are "softening" on...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Let's Prepare For The Next YouTube Debate (Update: Accountability?)

The problem with last night's debate didn't have so much to do with the venue or the format, or even the use of questions through YouTube -- but with the quality of those questions. As I wrote earlier, the questions selected had little substance, which allowed the candidates to use tired campaign talking points instead of talking about real issues. After writing this, one CQ commenter reminded me that we have two months before the Republican YouTube/CNN debate, which will air from the key primary state of Florida. Teresa challenged me to get YouTube, CNN, and the candidates prepared for the debate by hosting our own contest for the CQ community -- to produce intelligent, cogent YouTube video questions that will produce specific answers from our Republican candidates. That sounds terrific to me! We'll start immediately. Contestants can either post the YouTube code to the comments section here, or better...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

No SmoKim

Rumors have Kim Jong-Il suffering from serious heart disease and complications of diabetes, and recent pictures indicate some significant weight loss. Patients coping with these illnesses usually get advised to avoid cigarette smoke. And when you're the Dear Leader of the DPRK, you can clear a lot of air: In most cities, smoking bans are intended to protect the non-smoking majority from the minority who insist on lighting up. In Pyongyang, the latest and most unlikely international capital to be subject to a ban, it is the other way round. The ban is to protect one man from the effects of his puffing compatriots, but since that man is the reclusive North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il, it is still likely to be vigorously implemented. ... Sang Jong-min, a former South Korean MP and academic who has visited Pyongyang and monitors developments there, says he was told about the ban by...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

ID Cards For Illegal Immigrants?

In the absence of immigration reform, advocates of the McCain-Kennedy bill from this summer warned us, states and localities would start responding with their own patchwork of oddball legislation. Some opponents of the reform bill welcomed the idea, but probably won't delight in this development from New Haven, Connecticut: This city is becoming the first in the nation to offer identification cards to illegal immigrants, trying to bring them out of the shadows even as many municipalities crack down on them. Beginning Tuesday, New Haven will offer the ID cards to all of its 125,000 residents, including some 10,000 to 12,000 illegal immigrants. The cards will allow immigrants to open bank accounts and use other services that may be unavailable without driver's licenses or state-issued IDs. If they can open bank accounts, immigrants will be less likely to carry large amounts of cash, a practice that makes them easy targets...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

My Villainy Hits The Bookstands Today

A month ago, I let CQ readers know that my good friend and award-winning author, William Kent Krueger, would publish another of his series of Cork O'Connor mystery novels, set here in Minnesota. The new book, Thunder Bay, has a new villain: me. Kent and I both volunteer at Twin Cities Marriage Encounter, and he often offers to name characters in his novels as items in our fundraising auctions. When I won the bid over a year ago, Kent asked me if I wanted to be evil or good, and I immediately chose evil. He asked me if I wanted to just be nasty or really eeeeeeeevil -- and I chose the latter. He made me sign a release. Now you can find out why. You can order the book or the audio tape through the links below (full disclosure: I'll make a few cents on every copy sold through...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Debate The YouTube Debate

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), I'll be joined by two terrific New Media stars to review the YouTube debate from last night. John Hawkins and Robert Bluey will talk about the format, the questions, the answers, and the implications for the Republican version in September. We'll also hear from NZ Bear, who will bring us up to date on the newly-relaunched Victory Caucus blog, and all of the information that it brings readers. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! UPDATE: Tomorrow, I'll have Rudy Giuliani advisor Thomas Gaskill on the show to talk about Rudy's energy policy. On Thursday, we'll have National Review contributor and American Enterprise Institute fellow Michael Ledeen to talk about Iran, the Middle East, and his new book. On Friday, we'll welcome back Duane "Generalissimo" Patterson for the week in review! Did you know that you can listen to CQ Radio through your...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Brahmins Of Labor

Progressives used to argue that the workers had more moral standing than owners and other elites because they actually did the work than enriched the upper classes. The proletarian status of the working class found favor from Karl Marx to George Meaney, and inspired the modern labor movement. Now its heirs have decided on their own division of labor .. by outsourcing picket lines: The picketers marching in a circle in front of a downtown Washington office building chanting about low wages do not seem fully focused on their message. Many have arrived with large suitcases or bags holding their belongings, which they keep in sight. Several are smoking cigarettes. One works a crossword puzzle. Another bangs a tambourine, while several drum on large white buckets. Some of the men walking the line call out to passing women, "Hey, baby." A few picketers gyrate and dance while chanting: "What do...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 25, 2007

TSA: Dry Runs Indicate Terrorist Attack Near

The Transportation Security Administration has issued a bulletin that confirms that an uptick in suspicious incidents indicate that a terrorist attack on airliners may be close at hand. The items seized by TSA include clay-like substances, potential IED components such as wires and switches, and cell-phone components that could be used as remote triggers (via Michelle Malkin): Airport security officers around the nation have been alerted by federal officials to look out for terrorists practicing to carry explosive components onto aircraft, based on four curious seizures at airports since last September. The unclassified alert was distributed on July 20 by the Transportation Security Administration to federal air marshals, its own transportation security officers and other law enforcement agencies. The seizures at airports in San Diego, Milwaukee, Houston and Baltimore included “wires, switches, pipes or tubes, cell phone components and dense clay-like substances,” including block cheese, the bulletin said. “The unusual...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

John Doe Protection Restored?

A last-minute press by Republicans in a conference committee may have restored protection for national-security tipsters against litigation, according to the Associated Press. The conference report for the stalled security bill has not yet been released, but it appears to have been salvaged for political expediency, as Democrats have despaired of getting anything accomplished this year: Congressional negotiators reached tentative agreement Tuesday on steps to strengthen air and sea defenses against terrorists in legislation aimed at fulfilling recommendations made three years ago by the 9/11 Commission. The bill outlines plans to inspect all cargo on passenger planes within three years and screen, within five years, all U.S.-bound cargo ships for nuclear weapons before they leave foreign ports. It also realigns the formulas for distributing federal security funds so that states and cities most at risk of terrorist attack receive a larger share. This was one of the key promises made...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Expect Grade Inflation Here

How badly has the BBC's reputation been damaged in its game-show scandals and false allegations of prima donna behavior by the Queen? Its executives now will teach courses on honesty to its staff -- apparently a subject with which the BBC lacks familiarity: John Humphrys and Jeremy Paxman will be required to join Mark Thompson, the director general of the BBC, on a mandatory new training programme to teach honesty to BBC staff. The Safeguarding Trust course is being set up as part of the damage limitation exercise by the corporation after the revelation that six children's and charity television programmes had misled viewers. Mark Byford, the deputy director general, giving evidence to a Commons Culture Select Committee yesterday, said all employees, no matter how senior or famous, would have to attend the course if involved in making programmes. Mr Byford, who was giving evidence with Caroline Thomson, the chief...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Polling Follies, Chapter 37B

Yesterday, I noticed that the Washington Post had published another of its series of polls, and I decided to take a look through the sampling. Given that the only use of it last night was for analyzing the Republican primary race, in which only Republican responses got used for data, I decided to hold off on writing about it until the Post used the overall data for other purposes. This morning, Peter Baker obliged with a story about George Bush's historic low approval ratings: President Bush is a competitive guy. But this is one contest he would rather lose. With 18 months left in office, he is in the running for most unpopular president in the history of modern polling. The latest Washington Post-ABC News survey shows that 65 percent of Americans disapprove of Bush's job performance, matching his all-time low. In polls conducted by The Post or Gallup going...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Churchill Hits The Road

Ward Churchill, who made headlines when he called the victims of 9/11 "little Eichmanns" who deserved their deaths, has been fired by the University of Colorado tonight. The action comes from a lengthy review of his past representations of his experience and his background rather than the political stances he took, but Churchill promises to sue for wrongful termination: The University of Colorado Board of Regents voted to terminate controversial professor Ward Churchill on Tuesday evening. The Board of Regents passed a motion to accept the recommendation from CU President Hank Brown to fire Churchill from his position in the Ethnic Studies department. ... "This case was an example not of mistakes, but an effort to falsify history and fabricate history and in the final analysis, this individual did not express regret or apologize," said Brown. "This is a faculty that has an outstanding reputation and this move today protects...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Doesn't This Man Need To Spend More Time With His Family?

Alberto Gonzales once again threw gasoline on a fire in his testimony yesterday before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The Hill reports that Gonzales once again spent the hearing zig-zagging and backtracking, stoking calls this time for a special prosecutor from one of the Republicans on the committee. He managed to reverse himself twice on the late-night meeting with John Ashcroft in one hearing, among other dubious achievements, some of which I watched on C-SPAN. At Heading Right, I look at the latest in a series of poor performances by the Attorney General and question what value he provides to this administration. As Gonzales continues to flounder in a sea of his own contradictions, one has to wonder why the White House continues to allow this bleeding to continue....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

US-Iran Talks Creating A 'Purge Committee'?

Stratfor takes a look at the high-level talks that took place yesterday between the American ambassador to Iraq, Ryan Crocker, and the Iranian ambassador, Hassan Kazemi Qomi. After Crocker declared that the trilateral talks will continue despite accusations from the US and Iran of undermining Iraq, the analysts look at what common ground the two nations may have found (subscription required): Iran and the United States now appear to have made enough progress to begin implementing agreements from the May meeting. After the second round of talks, Crocker said the U.S., Iraqi and Iranian governments plan to create a security committee to discuss containing violence in Iraq, addressing everything from "support for violent militias" to al Qaeda to border security. Translation: The two countries will create a purge committee; the United States will kill any Iraqi Sunnis who do not cooperate, while the Iranians do the same to rebellious Iraqi...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Next Fred Smear?

I noticed that the Washington Post has published a legal brief from 1981 on its website without an accompanying story, at least as of noon CT, and that piqued my curiosity. The amicus brief relates to a First Amendment challenge in Illinois that involved the sale of magazines with drug references at a local store. It didn't take long to see why the Post published the brief; it was filed on behalf of American Businesses for Constitutional Rights by Fred Thompson. Apparently, the Post wants to argue that this will somehow shake conservative confidence in Thompson. They're very wrong, and a quick read of the brief will explain why: Vague laws offend several important values. First, because we assume that man is free to steer between lawful and unlawful conduct, we insist that laws give the person of ordinary intelligence a reasonable opportunity to know what is prohibited, so that...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Thurman Gaskill

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), we'll talk with Thurman Gaskill of the Rudy Giuliani campaign. Gaskill will talk about the energy policy of the Giuliani campaign, but since he's the Chair of Iowa Farmers for Rudy, we'll talk ag policy as well, and maybe get some insights into Rudy's push in Iowa. We'll also talk about the latest developments surrounding Alberto Gonzales, including the contempt citations just issued by Congress against Josh Bolten and Harriet Miers. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Did you know that you can listen to CQ Radio through your TiVo service? Click here for the instructions. Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Avoidable Conclusion To Executive Privilege Tension

It appears that Congress and the White House will come to a resonating conclusion to the lifelong tension over the use of executive privilege, and it will be fought on the White House's turf. The House Judiciary Committee took the extreme step of recommending contempt citations for two senior administration officials after they refused to testify under subpoena regarding political advice at the White House: The House Judiciary Committee voted today to issue contempt citations for two of President Bush's most trusted aides, taking its most dramatic step yet towards a constitutional showdown with the White House over the Justice Department's dismissal of nine U.S. attorneys. The panel voted 22-17, along party lines, to issue citations to Joshua B. Bolten, White House chief of staff, and Harriet E. Miers, former White House counsel. Both refused to comply with committee subpoenas after Bush declared that documents and testimony related to the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

New Life For Mideast Peace Process?

The stalemate between the Israelis and the Palestinians ironically started to melt when Hamas conducted a coup in Gaza. Now the Arab League, nervous about Iran's growing influence in the region, has decided to take the unprecedented step of officially sending representatives to Israel to begin peace talks: Arab League envoys paid a historic visit to Israel on Wednesday to present a plan calling for a comprehensive regional settlement, saying they were extending "a hand of peace" on behalf of the Arab world. The one-day visit by the foreign ministers of Egypt and Jordan marked the first time the 22-member group has sent representatives to Israel. The Arab League peace plan envisions full recognition of Israel in return for an Israeli withdrawal from lands captured in the 1967 Middle East war. The visit highlights a dramatic change of direction for the Arab body, which actively pursued Israel's destruction after the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 26, 2007

It's For The Children!

Sometimes bipartisanship leads to bigger problems, and the Senate Commerce Committee apparently intends to prove it. Chair Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and ranking member Ted Stevens (R-AK) issued a demand for government "filtering" of the Internet -- and they want it for the children, of course (via Instapundit): US senators today made a bipartisan call for the universal implementation of filtering and monitoring technologies on the Internet in order to protect children at the end of a Senate hearing for which civil liberties groups were not invited. Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel K. Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee Vice Chairman Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) both argued that Internet was a dangerous place where parents alone will not be able to protect their children. “While filtering and monitoring technologies help parents to screen out offensive content and to monitor their child’s online activities, the use of these technologies is far...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

I'd Have Preffered A Couple Of Hail Marys

John Murtha threatened to kill all of Mike Rogers' earmarks after the Michigan Republican challenged one of the Pork King's own. Because Murtha was foolish enough to issue that threat openly on the House floor, Rogers filed a resolution on the floor rebuking Murtha for what amounted to a threat of extortion. Murtha apologized -- and now he has spent our money on his penance: The powerful Democrat, who chairs the appropriations subcommittee that doles out defense spending, eventually apologized for his bad behavior in a letter to Rogers. But Murtha's decision to grant Rogers three of the 10 projects he requested is the ultimate sign of benevolence. According to the measure that members considered Wednesday, Murtha set aside money for Lowery Computer Products in Brighton, Mich., to test an advanced security system for military bases, money for Michigan State University to test composite materials, and money for a cold-weather...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Russian Expulsions Raise The Stakes

When Russia announced the expulsion of four British diplomats, some hoped that the Putin government had exercised some restraint in the diplomatic row between Russia and Britain. The British had expelled four low-level Russian diplomats as a consequence of Vladimir Putin's refusal to extradite suspected assassin Andrei Lugovoi in the Alexander Litvinenko murder, and the matching number appeared to indicate a willingness to stop an escalation. However, the Russians expelled a senior British diplomat seen as key to international investment in Russia, a choice that will definitely be seen as an escalation: Concerns that the Kremlin could target Britain's vast investments in Russia mounted today after it emerged that the British embassy's top trade representative had been ordered to leave the country. Andrew Levi, who as counsellor for economic affairs is regarded as the third most senior official at the British embassy in Moscow, was among four diplomats expelled last...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Truest Separation

Michael Yon has another dispatch from his embed mission in Iraq, reporting on the surge from the front lines of Baqubah. He details the planning that goes into even a spot response to terrorists, and the consequences of error. Yon also talks about the difficulty of maintaining the balance of power after driving out al-Qaeda of neighborhoods, as Shi'ite militias such as the JAM appear poised to fill the vacuum in the immediate aftermath: As AQI is run off or bashed down, one of the larger concerns is that the Shia JAM militias will fill the power vacuum. Even as LTC Johnson and others were arranging food drop-offs in late June, the politics of whether to drop supplies to Sunni or Shia first became acute and gave rise to arguments. Soldiers don’t want to be seen as killing al Qaeda only to pump up JAM, which exists to “protect” Shia,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Thompson -- The New Maverick?

Yesterday, I noted the strange appearance of two appellate briefs relating to the legal career of Fred Thompson and wondered aloud what the Washington Post had in mind by publishing them. Today the Post ran a front-page story that looks at Thompson's record as an attorney and his resistance to federal regulation and tort reform, as well as noting the apparent dichotomy of running for the Republican nomination and his involvement in these cases: Before he was elected as a tough-on-crime U.S. senator from Tennessee or played a New York prosecutor on TV's "Law and Order," Fred Dalton Thompson worked as a lawyer who argued against the government's authority to regulate drug paraphernalia or to search a boat packed with 14 tons of marijuana. Once, two decades ago, he urged that more witnesses refuse to testify before grand juries by invoking their constitutional right against self-incrimination, boasting that "I start...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Border Security Finally Gets Addressed (Update: 89-1 Approved)

The Senate finally decided to listen to their constituents and allocate funds for increased border security and visa tracking today, after an overnight compromise between Democrats and Republicans. The agreement puts the White House in a bind, as President Bush had already threatened to veto the homeland security bill for spending too much money: Senate Democrats and Republicans came together Thursday to devote an additional $3 billion to gaining control over the U.S.-Mexico border, putting Congress on a path to override President Bush's promised veto of a $38 billion homeland security funding bill. The deal resurrects a GOP plan launched Wednesday to pass some of the most popular elements of Bush's failed immigration bill, including money for additional Border Patrol agents and fencing along the southern border. ... Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, resolved their differences overnight and announced agreement Thursday morning. Cornyn won a...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Senator Norm Coleman's Father Passes Away

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell just announced on the Senate floor that Norm Coleman's father has passed away. Norm Coleman, Sr, was 82 years old, I believe, a veteran of the Normandy campaign in World War II, and had been close to the Senator all during his public career. Needless to say, the Senator will take a few days away from Washington business to care for his family and make arrangements for Norm Sr's memorial. Please send your prayers and thoughts to the Coleman family; you're welcome to use the comments section to do so. He and his family will be in our thoughts and prayers today....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Michael Ledeen

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), Michael Ledeen joins us to review recent developments in the Middle East, especially on Iran. Michael has a new book coming out soon, and we'll ask him about that as well. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Did you know that you can listen to CQ Radio through your TiVo service? Click here for the instructions. Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Did Gonzo Lie? (Updated: FBI Chief Contradicts Gonzo)

Alberto Gonzales performed poorly as a witness before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, as he usually does. As I pointed out yesterday, his shifting explanations about correcting a misleading statement at a press conference calls into question how he ever got the job in the first place, and whether he has ever learned anything about preparing for testimony. But did Gonzales lie about a key meeting with Congressional leaders? The AP seems to think so, but its logic seems a bit off: Documents indicate eight congressional leaders were briefed about the Bush administration's terrorist surveillance program on the eve of its expiration in 2004, contradicting sworn Senate testimony this week by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. Does it contradict the testimony? Not really, not even by the AP's own reporting: Gonzales, who was then serving as counsel to Bush, testified that the White House Situation Room briefing sought to inform...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Democrats Getting Into Life?

Democrats have long tried to eat into the Republican grip on voters of faith, and now that they have control of Congress, they may have hit on a formula that works. Instead of their normal absolutist position on abortion rights, the Democrats have offered two bills that work to support women who choose to have their babies. Some Republicans are calling foul, however: Sensing an opportunity to impress religious voters — and tip elections — Democrats in Congress and on the campaign trail have begun to adopt some of the language and policy goals of the antiabortion movement. For years, the liberal response to abortion has been to promote more accessible and affordable birth control as well as detailed sex education in public schools. That's still the foundation of Democratic policies. But in a striking shift, Democrats in the House last week promoted a grab bag of programs designed not...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

I Miss Tony Blair Already

In their rush to distance themselves from Tony Blair and the alliance with the Bush administration, Gordon Brown's new government has already demonstrated a talent for undermining the war on terror. David Miliband, on his first visit to Pakistan, praised Pervez Musharraf for the Waziristan accord that has allowed al-Qaeda and the Taliban to regroup: Differences between British and American strategy in dealing with Taliban militants emerged yesterday during the Foreign Secretary’s first visit to Pakistan. David Miliband, the newly-appointed Foreign Secretary, emphasised that a purely military solution to violence in Pakistan’s tribal areas would not alone quash the insurgency. ... Pakistani officials underscored the difference in approach between the two allies by stating that Britain understood that political agreements were also needed to bring peace. Well, perhaps they should ask themselves if retreating from their own territory in Waziristan bought Pakistan any relief? All it did was allow the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Let Las Vegas Turn Out The Lights

Harry Reid has threatened to use his position in Congress to block the construction of four coal-fired electrical plants in Nevada. In a letter to three separate firms, Reid told them in no uncertain terms that his state doesn't need any of their dirty electricity -- in places like Las Vegas: U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada sent a letter this week to four companies telling them not to build planned coal-burning power plants in his state. Reid's letter, dated Monday, was addressed to the corporate leaders of the Sierra Pacific Resources, private equity LS Power Group, Dynegy Inc. and Sithe Global Power LLC. A copy of the letter was obtained by Reuters on Thursday. "I am writing to each of you regarding your company's proposal to build new coal-fired power plants in eastern Nevada and to express my strong opposition to those plants," Reid wrote. The Democratic...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 27, 2007

The Monty Hall Forum

The buzz around the political blogs has the Republican presidential campaigns backing away from the September YouTube debate. Mitt Romney has publicly sniffed at the notion that serious candidates should take questions from talking snowmen, and Marc Ambinder reports that Giuliani will likely bow out. Patrick Ruffini says that most of the rest of the field will back out because of the lack of top-tier candidates;John McCain and Ron Paul are so far the only two committed to appear. Romney took offense to the question selection by CNN: In an interview Wednesday with the Manchester (N.H.) Union Leader, Romney said he's not a fan of the CNN/YouTube format. Referring to the video of a snowman asking the Democratic candidates about global warming, Romney quipped, "I think the presidency ought to be held at a higher level than having to answer questions from a snowman." Danny Glover says that CNN deserves...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Krauthammer: Obama Is The New Tom Hagen

One of the nagging questions that has trailed Barack Obama on his meteoric rise to the top tier of Democratic presidential candidates took on new import this week after the YouTube debate on CNN. Obama's assertion that he would meet with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Bashar Assad, Kim Jong-Il, and Fidel Castro drew a sharp rebuke from Hillary Clinton and most others as "irresponsible and naive," which drew attention once again to the very thin resumé Obama brings to the race. Charles Krauthammer points out that Obama made the same mistake in an earlier debate, and concludes that Obama is no wartime president: To be on the same stage as the leader of the world's greatest power is of course a prize. That is why the Chinese deemed it a slap in the face that President Bush last year denied President Hu Jintao the full state-visit treatment. The presence of an American...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Red Mosque Redux (Update: Explosion Kills Several)

After radical Islamists seized hostages and holed up in the Red Mosque, Pakistan conducted a seige for days before finally raiding it, killing dozens. In the aftermath, the radicals staged violent protests and suicide attacks against Pervez Musharraf and his military. Now radicals have once again seized the mosque in an extortion attempt to get their comrades released: Hundreds of students have occupied Pakistan's Red Mosque as it reopened for prayers, demanding the return of its arrested pro-Taleban cleric. Security forces stood by as protesters raised a black flag, and clambered onto the roof of the Islamabad mosque to daub it with paint. ... The students chanted slogans against President Pervez Musharraf and pushed journalists out of the building. Musharraf has tried patching up the truce he had negotiated with radicals in Waziristan after the first Red Mosque standoff. This apparently is their answer. Despite having released most of the...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Violent Jihad's Author To Recant?

The Guardian reports that the philosophical founder of modern terrorist jihad has apparently experienced a change of heart. Sayid Imam al-Sharif, the man behind the assassination of Anwar Sadat and whose writings led an entire generation of radical Islamists to terrorism, now says that the theological underpinnings of such actions are completely faulty and should be discarded: Sharif, a surgeon who is still known by his underground name of "Dr Fadl", is famous as the author of the Salafi jihadists' "bible" - Foundations of Preparation for Holy War. He worked with Ayman al-Zawahiri, another Egyptian doctor and now Bin Laden's deputy, before being kidnapped in Yemen after 9/11, interrogated by the CIA and extradited to Egypt where has been serving a life sentence since 2004. Sharif recently gave an electrifying foretaste of his conversion by condemning killings on the basis of nationality and colour of skin and the targeting of...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Add Who To The Club?

Nicolas Sarkozy has proposed membership to the nuclear club for a surprising candidate nation. Given this country's track record -- and specifically that of its leader -- Westerners might find themselves shocked over the suggestion. After all, it has been less than three years since we stripped him of his membership card, and now France wants to reinstate it. At Heading Right, I look at that track record, and look at Sarkozy's assertion that we risk a "war of civilizations" unless we give terrorist-supporting dictators nuclear power. It seems that Sarkozy has allowed his country's mercenary interests to supercede the world's security interests....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Conference Call: Ninewah Progress

I had the opportunity today to attend a conference call with Colonel Stephen Twitty, Commander of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Multi-National Division-North (MND-N) on the progress in Ninewah. Col. Twitty had just completed a press briefing, which I could not catch, but he covered the same material with us. Better known as Ninevah, the province has been rife with al-Qaeda in Iraq elements, and the latest surge strategy aims to correct that situation. Col. Twitty started off by noting they took command of the battle theater in December, and started by consolidating the battalion in Mosul. That's training the Iraqi army, and it has performed brilliantly, according to the Colonel. He noted some "interesting dynamics" in Ninewah. The average attacks per day has been cut in half in this province, which he credits to better training for native forces -- 40,000 of them in Ninevah alone...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

On My Desk: Hard Call

John McCain has a new book hitting the shelves in a couple of weeks, and it isn't about his presidential bid or his own personal story. He and longtime aide Mark Salter have written a book titled Hard Call: Great Decisions and the Extraordinary People Who Made Them, which appears to be somewhat similar to Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy. According to the book jacket, it recounts momentous decisions in history by "telling the remarkable stories of men and women who have exemplified composure, wisdom, and intellect in the face of life's toughest dilemmas." Sounds interesting, and I'll probably get started on the book after I finish with Stephen Hayes' new biography of Dick Cheney. While not overtly political, at least at first glance, its appearance in this presidential cycle has an arguably-subtle message. If McCain can recognize composure, wisdom, and intellect in these instances, then isn't he...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Duane Patterson

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), we'll welcome back Duane "Generalissimo" Patterson of the Hugh Hewitt show, to recap the week in politics. We'll talk about the two conference calls today, the YouTube debates, and the rest of the week's stories. Don't miss it! Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Did you know that you can listen to CQ Radio through your TiVo service? Click here for the instructions. Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Thompson's Philosophical Campaign

John Solomon does a better job in today's Washington Post in reporting on the non-campaign campaign strategy used thus far by Fred Thompson than yesterday's attempt to use his law-practice client list as a political football. Solomon notices that, far from the attempt to paint Thompson as substanceless, the advocate for federalism has been offering a blizzard of policy positions all year long -- and that might have a price later in the campaign: On the Internet sites where conservatives gather to read and chat each day, Fred D. Thompson, the as-yet-unannounced Republican presidential candidate, has been laying out his positions on dozens of issues with little public notice and plenty of rhetorical flair. ... The musings seem to constitute Thompson's early effort at assuring the core conservatives of the Republican Party that he is one of them -- despite his run-ins with the bloc as a U.S. senator who...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

White House Conference Call On Executive Privilege (Update: Executive Privilege Analysis)

The White House hosted a blogger conference call to discuss the issues surrounding the Bush administration's use of executive privilege in the probe of the firings of eight federal prosecutors. The White House arranged the call based on a recommendation by this blog, in order to familiarize the blogosphere with the legal and political arguments on which the administration will rely to prevail in the upcoming fight regarding the contempt citations Congress seems likely to approve. It took a few moments to get the call started, but it started with a quick outline of the issues. A senior official called Congress' action an extraordinary act. Congress has never attempted a contempt citation against a president's staff in our history. The action is even more outrageous in this context, considering the President's offers to cooperate in the probe. They have released 8500 pages of documentation, and a number of officials have...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 28, 2007

So What's New?

Senator Chuck Schumer got quite a reaction from his announcement that he would fight any new Supreme Court nominee from George Bush. Waggling his finger into the camera, he accused Bush of duping him while somehow also accusing Bush of being a man of his word: New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer, a powerful member of the Democratic leadership, said Friday the Senate should not confirm another U.S. Supreme Court nominee under President Bush “except in extraordinary circumstances.” “We should reverse the presumption of confirmation,” Schumer told the American Constitution Society convention in Washington. “The Supreme Court is dangerously out of balance. We cannot afford to see Justice Stevens replaced by another Roberts, or Justice Ginsburg by another Alito.” ... “There is no doubt that we were hoodwinked,” said Schumer, who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee and heads the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. ... “When a president says he...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Will Obama's Debate Answer Impact Your Wallet?

Pundits have been chewing on the answer Barack Obama gave in the YouTube debate Monday night about meeting with heads of state from rogue nations such as Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Syria, and the potentially rogue Venezuela. Hillary Clinton's public scolding of Obama as "irresponsible" raised the stakes and gave her an opportunity to highlight the difference in experience between herself and Obama. It may wind up strengthening her grip on the nomination. Wall Street Journal reporter John Harwood has just launched his new Political Capital blog at CNBC, and he argues that these events could carry a cost for taxpayers -- and it's good to start planning early: The world of business and finance may consider the fight between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton over foreign policy, which emerged at this week's YouTube debate, as irrelevant to their concerns. That view is wrong. It's true that, in a narrow...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

A Tragedy Waiting To Happen

An entire television genre has generated from the overhead helicopter camera. The now-familiar tracking shot of live police chases from the air gets featured in reality shows and breaking news alerts on news channels. The love affair between viewers and helicopter shots started in earnest with OJ Simpson's Ford Bronco chase and has grown steadily since then. Unfortunately, the desire to compete for those scenes has resulted in four deaths in Phoenix: Two news helicopters covering a police chase on live television collided and crashed to the ground today, killing all four people on board in a plunge that viewers saw as a jumble of spinning, broken images. Both helicopters went down in a park in central Phoenix and caught fire. No one on the ground was hurt. ... KNXV reporter Craig Smith, who was among the dead, was reporting live as police chased a man driving a construction truck...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Everyone Talks About The 10th Amendment ...

One of the themes that recurs in Republican politics is federalism, which its proponents use to move power back towards the states and closer to the electorate where it belongs. The 10th Amendment forms the great touchstone of federalism, in which all powers not expressly delegated to the federal government in the Constitution should remain with the states. Small-government advocates argue that the 10th Amendment got overrun by FDR in the New Deal and has never recovered its proper place in limiting federal power. However, the 10th Amendment has much in common with Mark Twain's observation about the weather: it gets plenty of discussion, but no one does anything about it. Fred Thompson says he'll do more than just talk if elected President: A good first step would be to codify the Executive Order on Federalism first signed by President Ronald Reagan. That Executive Order, first revoked by President Clinton,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Reagan Wins!

I guess we're polling on everything these days. Instead of just using terms like "liberal" and "conservative" as internal polling demographics, Rasmussen decided to test the terms in a poll earlier this week, and to see what formulation generates the highest positive response. Somewhat surprisingly, Ronald Reagan wins: During last Monday’s Democratic Presidential debate, Senator Hillary Clinton indicated that she preferred to be called “progressive” rather than “liberal.” The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that is probably a good move--Americans are more receptive to the term progressive. Just 20% said they consider it a positive description to call a candidate politically liberal while 39% would view that description negatively. However, 35% would consider it a positive description to call a candidate politically progressive. Just 18% react negatively to that term. Those figures reflect a huge swing, from a net negative of nineteen points to a net positive of...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

NARN: The Privileged Edition

The Northern Alliance Radio Network will be on the air today, with our six-hour-long broadcast schedule starting at 11 am CT. The first two hours features Power Line's John Hinderaker and Chad and Brian from Fraters Libertas. Mitch and I hit the airwaves for the second shift from 1-3 pm CT, and King Banaian and Michael Broadkorb have The Final Word from 3-5. If you're in the Twin Cities, you can hear us on AM 1280 The Patriot, or on the station's Internet stream if you're outside of the broadcast area. Today, Mitch and I will talk about the stories of the week, including the YouTube debate that was and the one that may or may not be in the future. We'll talk about the Rasmussen poll on liberal media bias, Congress' vote on John Doe whistleblower protection, and yes, we'll talk about executive privilege. Be sure to call 651-289-4488...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Pakistan Reforming?

The London Telegraph reports that Pervez Musharraf has reached an accommodation with moderate opposition figure Benazir Bhutto that will kick-start Pakistan's dormant democracy. While the final arrangements remain in limbo, especially the choice of Prime Minister, it promises to further marginalize the radical Islamists if successful: President Pervez Musharraf and Pakistan’s exiled former prime minister, Benazir Bhutto, have struck an outline power-sharing deal to run Pakistan, ministers said. Under the reported agreement, struck late on Friday night, Gen Musharraf would step down as commander in chief of the country’s armed forces but would be able to retain the presidency. Mrs Bhutto would be permitted to return to the country to stand in parliamentary elections, and the constitution would be changed to allow her to become prime minister for a third term. The "present crisis of religious militancy" has forced the hand of Musharraf. A supporter of the Taliban during his...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Changes Coming, And Right Soon (Updated)

Captain's Quarters will undergo a few changes in the next few weeks. It has been more than two years since the last site redesign, and it needs some serious retooling to match my new efforts in New Media. I've engaged the design firm that retooled Michelle Malkin's site earlier this year -- and already they have impressed me with their professionalism and their insight. The redesign has several goals, among them increased functionality for myself and CQ readers, quicker load times, better commenting features, all while retaining the CQ brand. We will also have new print and e-mail functions for posts, two long-term requests from CQ readers. There are a couple of more surprises that I will save for the new site launch, which should be in a few weeks. One change, though, I can announce today. The pop-under ads have been removed. I hope that will please readers, especially...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 29, 2007

Undermining American Credibility

David Ignatius makes a few mistakes in his column today on the history of American warfare, but he gets his overall point correct. The loud and strident calls for an American withdrawal from Iraq continue to undermine our ability to limit the damage resulting from that retreat when it happens. In fact, the critics have made it much more likely that a full-blown, genocidal civil war will erupt in its wake: Try to imagine what was running through the mind of Hassan Kazemi Qomi, Iran's ambassador to Baghdad, as he sat across the negotiating table from his American counterpart, Ryan Crocker, last week. While the U.S. diplomat delivered his stern warning against Iranian meddling in Iraq, Qomi must have wondered: Why should I listen to this guy? Congress is going to start pulling U.S. troops out soon, no matter what he says. That's the difficulty for Crocker and Gen. David...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

War In Waziristan

Pervez Musharraf, who has just concluded a political alliance with moderates and reformers in Pakistan led by Benazir Bhutto, has opted for war in Waziristan. Now convinced after the Red Mosque incident that the radical Islamists want to "Talibanize" Pakistan, he has started to move his army into Waziristan -- and the radicals are screaming for a civil war: President Pervez Musharraf sees it as the centre of a campaign to “Talibanise” Pakistan. Spurred on by Washington, he has abandoned a truce with Waziristan’s Islamist guerrillas and ordered his army to root them out. There are believed to be about 8,000 gunmen – a mix of foreign Al-Qaeda volunteers, Afghan Taliban, Pakistani Islamists and local Waziris whose families have for centuries fought off any attempt to impose outside rule on this area. In modern times, even map-makers have been shot to hide the region’s mysteries from the outside world. Last...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Abe On The Way Out?

Japan's new prime minister may become the old PM in a short period of time. Shinzo Abe may have to resign after a drubbing at the polls this weekend and the loss of the upper chamber of Parliament: Japan is set for a political crisis as the ruling coalition of Shinzo Abe, the prime minister, looks to have suffered heavy losses in elections for the Upper House of parliament. Exit polls suggest that the conservative ruling camp has lost its majority, which would leave Mr Abe still in government but with a seriously reduced ability to pass legislation, despite the coalition's two-thirds majority in the more powerful House of Representatives. The prime minister's allies have said that he would not need to step down in the event of a loss of majority, but many commentators think it would make his resignation inevitable after only 10 months in office. That could...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Able Danger, Alberto Gonzales, And The Senate (Update: Who Leaked It?)

Two years ago, the tantalizing story of Able Danger came to light as three of its team went public with information on the cutting-edge data-mining program. Coincidentally, as the AD story got fitfully reported over the succeeding months, the New York Times revealed an NSA surveillance plan that monitored communications on suspected terrorist lines and cell phones from points abroad into the US without a wiretap. Now it looks like the two may have more in common than first thought, at least conceptually, and that may prove that Alberto Gonzales told the truth in testimony this week in the Senate: A fierce dispute within the Bush administration in early 2004 over a National Security Agency warrantless surveillance program was related to concerns about the NSA's searches of huge computer databases, the New York Times reported today. The agency's data mining was also linked to a dramatic chain of events in...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

The Naivete Sweepstakes

Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have finally broken out into an extended debate with each other over a substantive issue, and the Democratic primary race finally looks interesting as a result. Unfortunately for the rookie, the debate favors his opponent. Obama wants to communicate a change in direction for American foreign policy that evokes Kennedy, but most everyone else understands he's evoking Carter instead: Senator Barack Obama, who has spent the first six months of his presidential campaign focusing on his own attributes, has found a new anecdote in his quest to convince Democrats that he is a fresh voice of change: his foreign policy dust-up with Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton. .... The quarrel emerged from this week’s debate in South Carolina, when Mrs. Clinton said she would not meet with foreign leaders, including those of Iran and North Korea, without preconditions. She later criticized Mr. Obama’s response as “irresponsible...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

A Proposal To CNN

The Republican reluctance to engage in the scheduled September YouTube debate has created a fierce debate in the blogosphere, including something of a civil war at Hugh Hewitt's Townhall blog. Hugh himself has adamantly insisted that Republican candidates eschew the substanceless spectacle of the YouTube/CNN enterprise as a media setup. Patrick Ruffini, his co-blogger, insists that a refusal will show an unwillingness to engage directly with citizens. I argued that the YouTube debate amounted to a political equivalent of the game show Let's Make A Deal, while Rick Moran casts it as a test of political courage. Michelle Malkin and Mark Steyn agree with Rick, while Jasmius at Heading Right says the whole thing is a tempest in a teapot. Clearly, though, we have competing interests here and everyone has something right in this debate. The Republicans have to do better in reaching out directly to voters. In fact, given...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 30, 2007

Bhutto: Musharraf Must Resign From Army

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto says she's prepared to share power with Pervez Musharraf, but only if he resigns from the military and becomes a civilian. That may complicate a tenuous deal Musharraf made with Bhutto that strengthened his hand against the radical Islamists, and it may leave him out of power entirely within months: Pakistan's exiled opposition leader, Benazir Bhutto, has said she can share power with President Pervez Musharraf, but only if he quits as army chief. Ms Bhutto's comments, in a television interview, followed a secret meeting with General Musharraf on Friday in the United Arab Emirates. Confirmation of the encounter by a cabinet minister intensified media speculation on the future of Pakistan's troubled government. "Deal done, sealed," said one newspaper headline. But there was little hard information about what transpired in the meeting, which followed months of quiet negotiations. The sticking point appears to be...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

There's Something Missing From This Picture

The Iranian check list for civilian nuclear power has something significant missing, as the Guardian noticed on a tour of its facilities. Uranium? Check. Centrifuge cascade for enrichment? Check. National will to face down the global community to produce nuclear fuel? Apparently in spades. How about a nuclear plant in which to use the fuel for civilian power? Oops: Before the Isfahan tour, a promotion film was screened showing the production of the first UF6 at the plant in 2004. The Iranian government also claims to have mastered the next step in the process, the engineering feat involved in spinning the UF6 in a high-speed centrifuge and separating out a variant, or isotope, of uranium, that is highly fissile - uranium-235. The work is being done at a centrifuge plant being built in Natanz, to the northeast of Isfahan. Spinning the UF6 gas until it is up to 5% rich...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Iran Objects To Its Isolation

The proposed multibillion-dollar arms sale to Saudi Arabia has raised the hackles of Congress, which objects to arming the Saudis as long as they tolerate extremism. Tom Lantos (D-CA), Anthony Weiner (D-NY), and Robert Wexler (D-FL), and seven other Democratic co-sponsors will propose a resolution to block the deals once Congress has officially been notified of the sale. The Democrats, as it turns out, are not the only ones to object, but to be fair, Iran actually understands the geopolitical goals of the sale: Iran's foreign ministry spokesman on Monday criticized a U.S. plan to sell state-of-the-art weapons to Saudi Arabia, saying it would undermine security in the Middle East, the state broadcasting company reported. .... "What the Persian Gulf region needs is stability and security," Hosseini was quoted as saying on the Web site of the state broadcasting company. "Americans have been trying to disturb it by selling weapons...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

UN Decries Rape In The Congo (No, Really)

The misery of the Congolese continues. The agency bringing this news, unfortunately, has contributed to it mightily in the recent past: A UN human rights expert has said she is shocked at the scale and brutality of sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Yakin Erturk said the situation in South Kivu province was the worst she had seen in four years as special UN investigator on violence against women. She said women had been tortured, forced to eat human flesh and men had been forced to rape relatives. She said rebels, soldiers and police were responsible. Ms. Erturk is a little too modest about this. It's not just the rebels, soldiers, and police, but also her own parent organization that has perpetrated these war crimes. Three years ago, the Independent exposed the UN's peacekeeping forces in the Congo as rapists and pimps, with the UN's own personnel as...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

They've Got To Admit, It's Getting Better

Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack of the center-left Brookings Institution take to the pages of the solidly-left New York Times with an unusual mission. The pair have recently returned from Iraq to study the military effort by the US, and they have some bad news for the Gray Lady's readers. We really have turned the corner in Iraq: Here is the most important thing Americans need to understand: We are finally getting somewhere in Iraq, at least in military terms. As two analysts who have harshly criticized the Bush administration’s miserable handling of Iraq, we were surprised by the gains we saw and the potential to produce not necessarily “victory” but a sustainable stability that both we and the Iraqis could live with. After the furnace-like heat, the first thing you notice when you land in Baghdad is the morale of our troops. In previous trips to Iraq we often...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Survey On Surveillance Says -- Bring It On

ABC News has published a fascinating poll on the use of public surveillance systems for law enforcement, and the results will surprise many, especially civil libertarians. Over 70% of Americans support British-style CCTV systems in the US, and that support crosses all demographic boundaries. At Heading Right, I take a look at the internals of the poll, which show a unanimity seldom seen in these partisan times. I also look at the privacy argument and debate what expectations of privacy anyone should have for actions taken in public. (via Memeorandum)...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

As The Meme Turns

When the media began to portray Senator John McCain as the presumptive front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, many in the blogosphere scratched our heads and wondered what brand the punditry had been drinking. Later, as McCain's numbers started to drop during the immigration debate, the media published a series of political obituaries for McCain, even though he raised nearly as much money as Mitt Romney in Q2 and outperformed John Edwards. Some predicted that the media would shortly begin to write comeback stories, painting McCain as a courageous underdog, sometime in the fall. Those predictions turned out to be incorrect -- in their timing: John McCain has been campaigning in New Hampshire for months, but when he took the stage last week at a town-hall meeting in Keene, it felt like a reunion tour. Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'" pumped on the sound system, and when the onetime GOP presidential...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: NRCC Chair Tom Cole

Today on CQ Radio (at the special time of 1 pm CT), we'll have Representive Tom Cole, chair of the National Republican Congressional Caucus, to discuss candidate recruitment and the 2008 campaign. The GOP has more hope of recapturing a majority in the House than the Senate, and we'll talk about the differences. We'll also review the new NRCC website, and their other effort, The Real Democratic Story. At the bottom of hour, we'll welcome Rick Moran of Right Wing Nut House to debate the YouTube debate and whether the GOP should participate. We'll definitely want your calls on this topic, so call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Did you know that you can listen to CQ Radio through your TiVo service? Click here for the instructions. Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Senate Ethics Bill Falls Short

The Senate has agreed on the language of its ethics bill, and the 107-page behemoth will move to the floor shortly. According to sources on Capitol Hill, the bill signals a retreat on earmark reform in several ways. Section 521 has had the following changes made since its initial adoption in January: 1. The new bill allows the Majority Leader, not the Senate parliamentarian, to unilaterally decide whether or not a bill or conference report complies with the earmark disclosure requirements. In other words, Harry Reid makes the decision whether legislation he brings to the floor complies with the new standard. How ... convenient. 2. The new bill eliminates the requirement that earmark lists be searchable. It's easier to hide in a crowd, isn't it? 3. The original version prohibited the inclusion of earmarks that benefitted its sponsor Now that prohibition has been restricted to earmarks that only benefit its...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Classless

This weekend, the Minnesota open-borders contingent turned themselves into the equivalent of Fred Phelps when they decided to picket the home of Senator Norm Coleman -- as he and his family prepared to bury his father, Norm Coleman, Sr. Coleman's presumed opponent for the 2008 Senate Race, Al Franken, couldn't breathe a word of sympathy for Coleman, and some -- not all -- of the liberal bloggers here in the state followed his lead: A few hundred protesters crowded together briefly Sunday afternoon on the sidewalk and in the street in front of U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman's St. Paul home, shouting for an end to immigration policies and enforcement practices that the demonstrators say unfairly divide families. The rally -- during which participants first gathered at Summit Avenue and North Lexington Parkway and then marched about a mile to Coleman's house on Osceola Avenue -- came a day before today's...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Fred Flop Or First Fruits?

Apparently, three million dollars doesn't go as far as it used to go. According to The Politico, that's how much money Thompson raised in his first month as an official non-candidate. The number comes a little south of expectations, which has some people in panic mode prematurely: Fred Thompson plans to announce Tuesday that his committee to test the waters for a Republican presidential campaign raised slightly more than $3 million in June, substantially less than some backers had hoped, according to Republican sources. Thompson plans to make the disclosure in a filing with the Internal Revenue Service, as he continues to operate his prospective campaign as a political organization that does not require disclosure to the Federal Election Commission. ... Some are already saying a prospective Thompson run is a flop. “I just don’t see it anymore,” said a key Republican who had been extremely enthusiastic about a Thompson...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Does The NAACP Endorse Dogfighting?

Michael Vick had a bad day in court, as one of his co-defendants apparently flipped and will cooperate with federal authorities. However, Vick got some public support from the NAACP -- which accused the government of "piling on" in prosecuting Vick: The president of the Atlanta chapter of the NAACP criticized the prosecution of Vick at a news conference Monday morning. Dr. R.L. White, Jr., accused the government of "piling on." "There's a penalty in football for piling on," White told reporters. "After a player has been tackled and somebody piles on, they're penalized for unnecessary roughness. Today, the NAACP blows the whistle and warns the powers that be that you are piling on." Will the NAACP clarify this statement? Are they now endorsing dogfighting and opposing the prosecution of those who allegedly stage these events and slaughter dogs who don't perform? Filing charges in court when grand juries hand...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Which Party Is The Most Partisan In Congress?

Both parties like to blame the other for failing to exercise independence in Congress. Their supporters blame the members of the opposite side for excessive partisanship which keeps Washington DC from accomplishing anything for the people. The Washington Post decided to take a look at the 110th Congress to see which party exercises the most partisanship -- and the Democrats win the prize. In fact, the Democrats take nine of the top ten partisan spots, as well as scoring 8 points higher in partisanship as a party. The lone Republican ties for first, though: 100% - Charlie Norwood (R-GA) 100% - Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) 99.7% - Nita Lowey (D-NY) 99.4% - Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-CA) 99.1% - Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) 98.9% - Xavier Bacerra (D-CA) 98.7% - Diana DeGetter (D-CO) 98.6% - Gary Ackerman (D-NY) 98.6% - Hilda Solis (D-CA) 98.6% - Ellen Tauscher (D-CA) 98.6% - Al Wynn (D-MD) Of...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

July 31, 2007

I've Been YouTubed On The YouTube Debate

Yesterday on CQ Radio, I spoke with Rep. Tom Cole of the NRCC on a wide variety of topics relating to the Republican caucus in the House. However, I decided to ask Rep. Cole his opinion on the YouTube debate towards the end of the interview. I thought he might demur, given his focus on Congress rather than the presidential race, but instead he gave a rather impassioned plea for Republicans to engage in the debate. CQ Radio listener TechRepublican put together an excellent YouTube presentation: Oh, the irony! It's excellent, and it serves as a reminder that one can find something newsworthy at CQ Radio every day....

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Ellison: Progress Is Being Made

When Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack of the Brookings Institution wrote in yesterday's New York Times that Congress should give General David Petraeus more time in Iraq to expand on the progress he has already made since the beginning of the surge, critics reacted by painting them as stooges of the Bush administration. What will they do when Democratic Representatives Keith Ellison and Jerry McInerney talk about the progress Petraeus is making? McInerney even spoke of adjusting his demand for a withdrawal deadline: Ellison said that local leaders in Ramadi told him of how they partnered with U.S. and Iraqi military officials to virtually rid al-Qaeda from the city. Although the lawmakers had to travel in flak vests and helmets, "we did see people walking around the streets of Ramadi, going back and forth to the market." There have been fewer anti-U.S. sermons as the violence has been reduced, Ellison...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

High Noon For The AG

Do not forsake me, oh my darlin' ... The Senate Judiciary Committee has reached an agreement with the White House to produce a letter to "clarify" the testimony of Alberto Gonzales on his midnight meeting at the hospital with John Ashcroft. The letter must arrive by noon today, and the committee will release it immediately to the news media. At that point, they will determine whether to recommend an investigation into perjury charges against the Attorney General (via Memeorandum): The Senate Judiciary Committee’s ranking Republican, Arlen Specter (Pa.), emerged from a crucial Monday briefing and gave the Bush administration 18 hours to resolve the controversy over apparent contradictions in Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’s congressional testimony. Gonzales took issue last week with former Deputy Attorney General James Comey’s description of internal dissent in 2004 over the legal authority for the National Security Agency’s (NSA) warrantless eavesdropping program. Frustrated Democrats called for...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Unclear On The Concept

A sixteen-year-old boy got arrested on "soft drug" charges in Germany, and got remanded to a children's home for observation and care. He kept testing positive for marijuana even though he couldn't leave the home. They checked his pockets and found a packet of pot -- a care package from his mother: A mother regularly sent her 16-year son packets of cannabis into the children's home where he had been placed in care, German police said. "She apparently didn't want her son to feel bad," Detlev Kaldinski, spokesman for the police in Rotenburg, central Germany, told SPIEGEL ONLINE. The 39-year-old single mother now faces a charge of breaching German drug laws. Her son had been committed to the home for abuse of soft drugs. She had sent her son pot five times since his entry to the home. Apparently, Mummy didn't want to see her son suffer, so she decided...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Lieberman On Offense On Iran, Iraq

The Hill interviewed Senator Joe Lieberman about his unique position in the upper chamber, and how he sees the debate on Iraq and Iran. Lieberman castigated his former colleagues in the Democratic caucus as excessively partisan and unwilling to meet the threats posed by America's enemies: Lieberman, the Democrats’ 2000 vice presidential nominee, insists he is not actively considering joining the Republican Party. But he is keeping that possibility wide open as his disenchantment grows with Democratic leaders. The main sticking points are their attempts to end the war in Iraq and their hesitation to take a harder line against Iran. “I think either [Democrats] are, in my opinion, respectfully, naïve in thinking we can somehow defeat this enemy with talk, or they’re simply hesitant to use American power, including military power,” Lieberman said in a wide-ranging interview with The Hill. “There is a very strong group within the party...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Are They Looking For Frozen Pork?

The FBI and the IRS raided the newly-renovated home of Senator Ted Stevens in Alaska, looking for evidence of political corruption in an investigation that has already corralled his son and one of his closest political backers. Bill Allen, the CEO of oil-services firm VECO, got convicted of bribing state legislators earlier this year, and now the FBI and IRS want to see what Allen may have given the Republican Senator in exchange for millions of contracts in earmarks: Agents from the FBI and the Internal Revenue Service raided the Alaska home of Sen. Ted Stevens (R) yesterday as part of a broad federal investigation of political corruption in the state that has also swept up his son and one of his closest financial backers, officials said. Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in history, is under scrutiny from the Justice Department for his ties to an Alaska energy services company,...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Why Not Increase Revenue Through Growth Rather Than Punishment?

Phil Kerpen criticized the tax-first impulse of the current Congress, as demonstrated by the recent notion of increasing tax penalties on equity partnerships. In yesterday's Wall Street Journal, he makes the case that Congress itself has caused much of the problem it seeks to correct through the Sarbanes-Oxley regulation -- and uses the AMT to remind people what happens when Congress uses taxes to moderate the market: Not content to merely spend the record influx of cash coming into the federal treasury, some members of Congress are pushing to hike the capital-gains tax on so-called "carried interest" -- the share of partnership profits, typically 20%, that hedge-fund and private-equity investment managers have not sold to their outside investors. This would be nothing more than a punitive tax on those the congressmen perceive to be making too much money. This is the same kind of thinking that led Congress in 1969...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

CQ Radio: Private Equity And Public Health

Today on CQ Radio (2 pm CT), we'll have two great guests on two important policy issues. First, Phil Kerpen from Americans for Prosperity will join us to discuss the new tax increase floated by the Democrats. Kerpen will explain why this proposal will damage the American economy -- and how targeted tax cuts could generate the revenue that Congress seeks. In the second part of the hour, Dr. Scott Atlas joins us to discuss his participation on Rudy Giuliani's health-care policy team. Rudy's efforts on this are in the news today, as he pushes for private enterprise solutions rather than socialized medicine. Call 646-652-4889 to join the conversation! Did you know that you can listen to CQ Radio through your TiVo service? Click here for the instructions. Also, you can subscribe to CQ Radio through iTunes now by clicking this link:...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Why Democrats Are Different

The Wall Street Journal reports on what the Democrats have on their agenda before Congress takes its August vacation this year -- and it's not how they can reduce expenses. Instead, the Democrats have a raft of new and increased taxes for the American public, a few of which threatens to return us to the marginal rates of the Carter administration: With a new Democratic majority, the agenda on Capitol Hill has shifted abruptly this year, and no more so than on taxes. For a decade the focus in Congress was which taxes to cut. Now everywhere you look someone running the Congress, or running for President, is proposing to raise taxes on some industry or group of Americans. ... It's all the more remarkable given that federal tax revenues as a share of GDP are currently above their modern historical level. The latest budget estimate is that fiscal 2007...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

But They're Low In Tar!

Smokers have spent the last few years exiled to the outdoors in order to service their addiction during working hours. A new study in Australia might give them some company -- laser printers and copiers: The office printer causes frustration when it isn’t working but it may be posing as much danger to staff as smoking a cigarette when it is, scientists in Australia said. An investigation into 62 laser printers revealed that 17 of them -- almost 30 per cent -- released high amounts of minute toner particles into the air. Professor Lidia Morawska from the Queensland University of Technology, who led the research, said: “Ultra-fine particles are of most concern because they can penetrate deep into the lungs where they can pose a significant health threat. ... The study, conducted in a large open-plan office in central Brisbane, showed that particles increased five-fold during working hours. Emissions were...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »

Senate GOP Caucus Caving On Earmarks?

The British newspaper The Guardian reports that the watered-down version of ethics reform will apparently get Republican backing after all in the Senate. Despite removing requirements for certification by chamber parliamentarians for earmark compliance, the elimination of searchability, and the restriction of the definition of personal benefit to an impossibility for enforcement, the Minority Leader and the Republican Whip both indicated that they would press the caucus to pass the bill: Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., said he will fight the bill because it ``guts key earmark reforms.'' He noted that, unlike a previously adopted version, it would allow the majority party's leaders - not the Senate parliamentarian- to rule on whether earmark disclosure requirements have been met in bills reaching the Senate floor. Dissident senators would not be able to challenge the ruling, but they could try to strike an unreported earmark by offering an amendment. Senate Minority Whip Trent...

« June 2007 | August 2007 »