10.31.2006

John Kerry: American Elitist


If there was any doubt whether the equine former presidential candidate was out-of-touch with the American mainstream, he dispelled those doubts yesterday and today.

After essentially labeling American soldiers as uneducated yesterday, the outspoken one tried his best to spin the story today. According to the Kerry camp, his insult was actually a mangled joke.

Whatever the intended outcome, the bottom line is, as Rush Limbaugh pointed out today, why make the comment in the first place?

Update:

In a speech in his defense, Kerry just accused the White House of distorting his "true statement." Please, John, stop talking now.

Update II:

Imus tells Kerry to "go home" and "get on the bike."

Mother China and Baby Pyongyang

A congressional report cited in the Washington Post today states that China has "indirectly" helped North Korea develop its nuclear program and over the past year has grown closer to N. Korea rather than farther apart.

Now, I don't want to surprise anyone, but I'm not sure China is our biggest ally in this. These countries are still linked by a failing ideology, and that ideology, the last time I checked, was not pro-western democracy. We should really leverage China politically because I'm not sure we have many options other than to just ignore lil' Kim or call in airstrikes, neither of which are promising alternatives. Here's hoping that China will come around, but I wouldn't bet my Che Guevara t-shirt on it.

Update:

According to this AP report, the US and North Korea have agreed to a renewal of six-party negotiations. This is promising, and I may eventually lose my Guevara t-shirt, but I'm as wary of diplomatic efforts with N. Korea as I am of Middle East peace settlements. A lasting resolution seems hard to secure.

Of course, this could be a North Korean stall tactic; if there's one thing these rogue states learn when dealing with world diplomats and especially the U.N., it's that a sudden willingness to "dialogue" covers a multitude of past transgressions.







10.30.2006

President Bush on H&C

Anyone who doubts whether this election is serious business should hear the President speak. He's laying out plans for victory, defending our troops, shrugging off insults, and speaking about an "ideology of optimism."

I've read some conservatives speaking lately about President Bush's long-term vision, and I'm convinced. People who would have us withdraw in Iraq and leave a power vacuum for al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups are near-sighted. To take this position puts our country in danger for years to come. I remember the President talking about how the war on terror was going to be a long and grueling process. This is a generational-conflict, one that will be fought by our brave men and women today and very likely, brave men and women 10 to 15 years from now.

Radical Islam is not going away; it must be defeated, and this President seems to have a good idea about what must take place for that to happen.

Islamic Madrassa Struck in the War on Terror

Kudos to Pakistan. Today an Islamic madrassa was struck and 70-80 suspected militants died, the Pakistani army says.

The intended target was al-Qaeda number two, Ayman al-Zawahiri. It has been reported that he escaped but that Pakistan has him contained within a 40-mile radius. This is good news because the Pakistani military predicts it is just a matter of time before they capture him. This is also good news for the Republican party, and we'll see whether they take advantage of it.

For those who doubt that these madrassas, usually labeled as religious training schools, don't harbor terrorists, you should read this. It is rumored that U.S. predator drones were involved in the attack as well.

The liberal conspiracy theorists are already at it, however, predicting a November surprise from Republicans, whom they feel have the capability to catch these guys and refuse to do so until it is politically expedient.

Conspiracy or no, the world will be a better place without nutjobs like al-Zawahiri.

Bill Cosby Making News Again

Cosby's critique of African-American parenting can be applied to all parents, regardless of race. Many of the policies liberals and conservatives call for might be unnecessary if parents would take more responsibility for rearing their children.

Brad Pitt=Concerned American

Brad Pitt has come out and said that he is "shocked" at the way America is perceived in the world. According to Pitt, while he was in Amsterdam filming Ocean's Twelve, a group of Dutch toughs threatened to kill him simply because he was American. Now, I don't know Pitt's biases, but if he's like other Hollywood types, then he won't blame the Dutchmen for their irrational attitude; instead, he'll focus his anger on why we've "made them that way."

Now, I might understand if the guys actually paid to see Ocean's Twelve...

10.29.2006

Bitter Root Award Winner

The Bitter Root award goes to white supremacist, Hal Turner, who on his radio show threatened to assassinate all reelected incumbents. For some reason, I find myself dismissing these guys with uneasy laughs nowadays.

England: Prepare for the Gore Invasion

In a long-overdue cultural exchange for the Beatles, America has promised to export its hottest commodity, Al Gore, to the UK.

Finding the Balance between Violence, UP, and the Ying-Yang Twins

On Friday night, a University of Alabama student and Iraq War veteran was gunned down in a residential area following a Ying-Yang Twins concert on campus. According to reports, this incident had little to do with the concert, but students are already pointing fingers. Among the blamed is the group University Programs (UP), the organization responsible for bringing the YYT to Tuscaloosa.

This is just another black-eye for the maligned UP, who were heavily criticized earlier this week for separating (some would say segregating) the YYT and another act, country singer Neal McCoy.

Having been a student at UA since 2002, I can honestly say I don't remember a time when UP wasn't criticized, be it for concert selections or issues of fiscal accountability. Perhaps it's time for the group's leadership to take a step back and analyze how they fit into the University's purpose and even consider leadership changes.

Whatever happens, though, I hope the race-baiters will stay silent and let school administrators decide how this should be handled.

Romney Smackdown

This is a bit dated, but is worth watching. Gov. Mitt Romney "speaks the truth" to media power.

10.27.2006

Jack Cafferty: America's Most Unhappy Journalist

I just finished watching another Cafferty segment on CNN, and I have to say, he's the grumpiest guy on cable television. After Lynne Cheney "blitzed" Wolf Blitzer about his reporting, Wolf cut to Cafferty, who jumped in to defend him. Responding to Cheney's assertion that CNN's series "Broken Government" ignores that a strong economy is an indicator of a healthy government, Cafferty replied with a gruff "So?". Way to debate a point there, Caff.

Cafferty went on to mention the Mark Foley scandal as an example of failed Republican leadership. Hmm, seems that's a sign of a broken individual, not necessarily a broken government. How soon Democrats forget their own argument that personal indiscretions are not indicative of an inability to govern.

Nice Response to the Hand-wringing over Iraq

Gerard Baker of the TimesOnline argues that the Iraq War does not portend the colossal failure that many Bush critics have prophesied.

I have thought all along that the Vietnam/Iraq comparison was a bit trite and largely unfounded. Perhaps most importantly, the number of casualties our troops are suffering in Iraq doesn't even compare to the lives lost during Vietnam. Sure, you hate to measure the success of a campaign by contrasting troop losses, especially when Americans are dying everyday. But it is undeniably an indicator, given that CNN is keeping a running tally, shown every night with much gravitas, in an attempt to wear down public resolve for this war. If you're going to try to prove something by comparison, at least make sure the comparisons are somewhat similar.

In a sense, the Iraq situation is more complex than Vietnam as well. There is no North Vietnam in this scenario: no government with a consistent ideology, no diplomats, no homogeneity. Our foes in Iraq are a diverse mix, including Sunnis, Shiah, Baath loyalists, Al-Qaeda, and death squads with no intent other than to kill, maim, and destroy. In short, it's a real mess. But not a quagmire.

A quagmire indicates a slow descent, and I don't feel Iraq is there yet because we're still there. It is a mess, a confusion, and very likely, a civil war. However, it can be remedied. Bush's policy of benchmarks is a way forward, but they will have to be strictly enforced. Donald Rumsfeld came out today and belligerently denied that there would be a timetable for the Iraqi government to meet these standards, which, sadly, sends the wrong message to the American people. Perhaps he means to be resolute, but what it says is that we talk loudly but don't really have the stick to back it up.

The onus for change does not rest on the US alone. If we lose in Iraq, it will be because Iraq loses first. If their democratically-elected leaders cannot protect their people because of ineptitude or sectarianism, if their citizens do not realize that the challenges before them require unity and not division, and if these splinter groups do not realize that warring among themselves spells long-term disaster, then no US effort, outside of occupation, will work there.

The President has long said that if we lose, the terrorists win. While this is black and white thinking, here it is sufficient. We can pull out of Iraq, but Iraqis can't.

10.26.2006

Failure to communicate?

Byron York writes today about Bush's inability to articulate war objectives and victory conditions in Iraq.

I am for continued involvement in Iraq, and I agree with Bush's assessment that to abandon the al-Malaqi government at this juncture would be a critical failure. However, this war had better get some clear objectives and get them fast. Public approval for Bush and the war is abysmal, and it's not just Democrats and independents jumping ship: it's conservatives and members of the Republican party.

How this will play out on election day is beyond me, but it looks like Republicans will lose the House and maintain a tenuous control over the Senate. While this is not entirely Bush's fault (read Tom Delay, Jack Abramoff, Mark Foley, et al.), voters are seeking answers from the President, and regarding the Iraq war--the most important issue in this election--Bush is struggling to communicate.

10.25.2006

Saying goodbye is never easy...

Here's a funny video showing Pres. Bush and Tony Blair serenading one another.

Lady Madonna with child

I'm usually far from sympathetic toward celebrities like the UK's own Madonna. Besides a feeling that one should do his or her good deeds in secret, I'm not impressed with the reinvention these kinds of acts usually signify. However, in this particular instance, I think Madonna is being attacked unfairly.

I'm not convinced that this adoption is such a bad idea. Sure, Malawi has a strict policy regarding adoption to foreigners, one which Madonna undoubtedly abridged, but given the economic straits of the country, is that a good thing? Wouldn't one less mouth to feed only help?

Then there's the question of the boy's father, who claims he's been duped during the whole process. Madonna disputes this, saying that everything was on the up and up in her face-to-face meeting with him. A translator was provided for the father, so his post-adoption complaint about not understanding English seems to be moot.

My initial reaction to all of this was to question Madonna's adoption of a single child, when she could donate enough money to assist many Malawians instead. Apparently, though, she has been quite the philanthropist where Malawians are concerned, donating large sums of money in the past.

So I guess the question remains for me, why are the media so obsessed with this particular adoption?

President Bush's latest speech

Is it just me (and I assume that it is not) or is the current war in Iraq in need of more than a change in the way that we describe it. Democrats blast the President's insistence on "staying the course" as being stubborn and unyielding, and I see their point. Yet, I had my doubts that what they were doing was little more than calling out the President semantically. That was, until today.

After hearing Bush speak, I believe that he is the one playing word games. Although he has promised to eschew the "stay the course" mantra, I cannot help but notice that his rhetoric about the war has not significantly changed. He believes that this war is crucial to our nation's security, and I tend to agree. He promises to send more troops if his generals suggest it. He believes that the Iraqi prime minister al-Malaqi's government is seemingly one good break or two away from establishing control over the insurgent forces. However, just today al-Malaqi condemned a joint raid by U.S. and Iraqi military forces because he wasn't informed beforehand by American officials. It seems the administration publicly supports the Iraqi government while privately ignoring it.

To his credit, Bush indicated a willingness to seek outside advice and stressed an openness to revising the war strategy to keep up with the fluid situation on the ground, but he avoided specifically saying what that will look like. It's indicative of this administration's continued failure to win the PR war, which, unfortunately, seems to be the one most important to American voters.