Saturday, April 19, 2003

Instabitten

Greg Beato has more on Lott/Reynolds, as does Tom Spencer.

Tim Lambert as always has the comprehensive update.

Why Does Jeb Hate Children?

They keep dying under his watch.

Criticizing our Own

Brian Linse has a post up on the subject of lefty bloggers criticizing our own. This is one of my pet peeves- so much so that I think occasionally people misunderstand where I am coming from on the issue. When I started blogging I noticed that the "liberal" bloggers spent an inordinate amount of time writing and echoing the criticisms of liberals (or, more often than not "idiotarians") by the mouth-breathers on the other side. Why this bothered me particularly was that it was pretty clear to me that a lot of the lefty bloggers thought they had a bargain - we'll criticize our idiots if you criticize yours. I've never seen much of the latter.

It isn't that I think we should all follow a version of Reagan's 11th commandment, but emphasis is everything. I have better things to do than try and prove something to the bullies on the other side by answering their calls to denounce the latest comment by some lefty somewhere. And, as Calpundit points out, more often than not stupid things done by idiot lefties aren't actually done by People in Power - you know, politicians, big media, etc, but rather the "Gilligan's Island Crowd" - movie stars and professors - or, Instapundit's favorite threat to society, "some anonymous guy with a stupid sign somewhere."

When elected officials and other prominent people involved with the Democrats have bigot eruptions, or whatever, I'll freely condemn them. But, when some idiot says something stupid in an alternative weekly, or Harry Belafonte says something, it has nothing to do with me. And, in this particular case (Matt Welch's assertion that "The Left" is too forgiving of Castro), I have to wonder who the heck he's talking about. I loathe Marc Cooper, rarely agree with him, but I don't think his throwaway crack about Ashcroft, or anything else in his column, is in anyway a defense of Castro. One might disagree with the substance of it, but defense it isn't. But, in any case, Marc Cooper doesn't represent my politics any more than John Derbyshire does.

Now, with respect to Cuba generally, of course there are those on "The Left" who are overly sympathetic to Castro. But, they aren't exactly occupying positions of influence. I think many of us Lefties think Castro is a bad bad man, but generally think that in the Pantheon of evil dictators of the last 40 years , including ones we actively supported like our good buddy Saddam, he doesn't exactly deserve the top billing. In addition, despite the fact that U.S. policy towards Cuba - driven at least in part by the Cuban exile community - is supposed to encourage "regime change," it seems to have been instrumental in preserving the viability of the Castro regime.

What Does a Blogger Need to Do

To get an advance copy of Sid's new book? Hey, publicist, get in touch...

LottsaPundits

Roger Ailes takes a hard look at the Lott/Levitt/Instapundit/Kopel brouhaha. He notes that despite Reynolds' subsequent claims of having no personal knowledge about Levitt's views on gun control, he had indeed (heh) expressed such an opinion on his weblog.

Over at Macaronies, Mac Diva expands her earlier discussion about Lott's work demonstrating a relationship between women's suffrage and increases in government spending. And, if you scroll up from that,she also discusses my favorite topic - his work on the Florida election.

Friday, April 18, 2003

Ashcroft Violates Ethics Rules/Gag Order

Nice going, Crisco Johnny.

Conspiracy Theories

I get so sick of the US press making fun of "Iraqi conspiracy theories." Your own goddamn polls show a majority of Americans think Saddam was behind 9/11 and about half think that some or most of the 9/11 hijackers were Iraqi citizens. Go read your own polls and start making fun of what a piss-poor job you do at educating the public.

Open Thread

Post away...

Thursday, April 17, 2003

Weapons of Mass Destruction

I have no doubt that if the US troops manage to locate a bleach bottle sitting next to an ammonia bottle, the media will declare it an example of Saddam's WMD. But, for those of us who haven't drunk this particular kool-aid, UggaBugga reminds us of all the times Bush stated that "we" knew Saddam had WMD.


Intelligence gathered by this and other governments leaves no doubt that the Iraq regime continues to possess and conceal some of the most lethal weapons ever devised.


I suppose it could depend on the meanings of the words "intelligence," "gathered," "doubt," "possess," "conceal," "some," "most," "lethal," and "devised."

Tom Daschle Must Stop Claiming to be Catholic

Those folks at the Standard are so silly.

And, by silly I of course mean brazen hypocrites of the highest order.

Losing My Stamina

I'm still enjoying this blogging thing, though I have to admit that lately I haven't had the stomach to wade through much conservative nonsense to find those barrells filled with fish. It's been a long time since I've even taken a quick peek into The Corner, and for all I know George Will has retired.

In addition, I'm going to be doing quite a bit of travelling this summer which is going to preclude, at least at times, keeping this thing going full time. I'm thinking about adding a couple of people as contributors temporarily and have this be a group blog for a bit to keep it from disappearing.

Oh, just wanted to add - this isn't a plea for money, Bill Quickish, or anything, more just warning in advance that I'll be gone for a bit this summer. Not yet sure how much time/internet access I'll have. Also, if anyone is interested in helping to fill in for a bit while I'm globetrotting let me know. Obviously I'd prefer people I "know" - from email, comments, etc. And, I'm not sure yet that I'll do that at all, or how many people, so if don't be offended if I change my mind...

Terrorism Watch

This weekend is a good weekend for it. As Hesiod notes, it's the Waco/OK City anniversary, so the homegrown "Patriot" wingnuts might be a bit itchy. It's also Passover, which might encourage Jew-hating wingnuts on all sides.

Strangefeld

"The inspectors didn't find anything and I doubt that we will."

-Donald Rumsfeld, today.


People are saying I'm quoting out of context. I'm just quoting what I saw a few minutes ago on Wolf Blitzer's show. I'll track down the transcript later and provide 'context' if there should be some.

...rest of the quote, apparently:

I think what will happen is we'll discover people who will tell us where to go find it. It is not like a treasure hunt where you just run around looking everywhere, hoping you find something."


Frankly, I'm not sure this is much better.

Why Does Chris Shays Hate America?

From Nando:


WASHINGTON (April 16, 2003 7:20 p.m. EDT) - Bucking protests from the U.S. military and the State Department, Rep. Chris Shays, R-Conn., crossed over the Kuwait border into Iraq Wednesday and complained that humanitarian aid isn't getting to the Iraqi people fast enough.

Shays, the first member of Congress to get into the war-torn country, traveled across the border with a convoy of aid workers from the Connecticut-based charity Save the Children. But other U.S. lawmakers meeting with military leaders in Kuwait were told they could not go, said Shays in a phone call from Kuwait.

Aid organizations are frustrated, he said, because they are being curtailed by the military because of security concerns, and their access to the needy residents of Iraq has been limited to just one community, Umm Qasr.

"When I get back I am going to have hearings on how we are engaging the (aid organizations)," said Shays, who is vice chairman of the House Government Reform Committee. "Danger is part of their job, they know how to deal with it, and they are ready and willing to do it. I think they need to be engaged a bit more."

...

Shays traveled to Kuwait with a congressional delegation and later attended briefings with war commander Gen. Tommy Franks and other defense officials. He said he was disappointed the U.S. military and the State Department did not want him to go into the battle-scarred country.

"I had to use the Save the Children's network to get in. And (the State Department) led me to believe I was doing something that they didn't want me to do," he said. "I saw a lot of poverty, I saw a lot of bad living conditions ... I just wish other members of Congress had seen what I got to see."

We Found Some Terrorists in Iraq!

And, they even killed some Americans!

Lock those bastards up!

Er, wait no, apparently the Bush administration has a cunning plan - invite them to be a part of the new Iraqi government!

WRIGHT: Look, an awful lot will depend, really, on what happens in Iraq and how well it goes for the United States and whether you see a mutation and a regeneration of the kind of extremism we’ve seen, really, over the past 20 years. It began in Lebanon with the suicide bombs and hostage-takings. And you know, this could play out in groups that are purely Iraqi. Remember, one of the groups, interestingly enough, that met with the United States yesterday in Nasiriyah was a group called al-Dawa, which means “the call” in Arabic. And it was a group that 20 years ago, exactly, bombed the American embassy in Kuwait. And so there are...

WOODWARD: What was considered one of the most serious terrorist organizations...

KING: And now they’re in meetings to form...

WRIGHT: That’s right, and are going to be a player in the next government. It will — it has strong support, believed to be very popular among Shi’ite Iraqis.


(via Courtney Cox)



Contempt of Flag

And some contemptibly stupid cops. Maybe they're Yale graduates.

When bombs started falling on Baghdad last month, Alamosa business owner John Fleming put an upside down U.S. flag in the window of his book and music shop, The Roost, on State Street.

...

Then three police officers showed up. One of them was the chief of police. They told Fleming to remove his upside-down flag or be ticketed for a misdemeanor crime called "contempt of flag."

"I went into physical shock," said Fleming, 45. "Instead of supporting my rights, they were taking rights away from me."

He took down the flag.

...

And the old Colorado statute making "contempt of flag" a crime was struck down by the Colorado Supreme Court in 1973, he said.

Fleming learned Tuesday that he can replace his upside-down flag in his shop window.

"That's good news," he said.

Buffy - The Complete Fourth Season

Pre-order it now!



No Child Left Behind

Except the Iraqi ones of course:

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. forces have refused a Save the Children plane permission to land in northern Iraq (news - web sites) to deliver aid, breaching the Geneva Convention and "costing children their lives," the British aid agency said on Thursday.
Save the Children said in a statement it had been trying for more than a week to land a plane in Arbil carrying enough medical supplies to treat 40,000 people and emergency feeding kits for malnourished hildren.

A U.S. official told the charity no aid flights would be allowed until the area was safe but the U.N. has already declared Arbil a "safe and secure" area, the charity said.

"The doctors we are trying to help have been struggling against the odds for weeks to continue saving lives, but now the help we have promised them is being endlessly delayed," Emergency Program Manager Rob MacGillivray said.


As I've said before, I don't know why private charities should even be involved. This is our problem, and our tax dollars should taking care of these people. If we don't have enough troops to keep the peace and carry out humanitarian aid, then that's Rumsfeld's fault. At some point all of this stops looking like incompetence and indifference and begins to look deliberate.


Looting is Good!

The Right has just about as many justifications for looting as they did for the invasion in the first place.

The Antic Muse explains.

Happy Birthday to Eschaton

It appears this was started 1 year ago

CNN Report On Republican Activist Leung

CNN just did a report on the accused double-agent Katrina Leung which focused entirely on her supposed connection to Al Gore.

That liberal media...

Robbins on GroveL

via GroveL:

a sadistic creep who writes -- or, rather, scratches -- his column with his fingernails in dirt.

Sounds about right.

Hearts and Minds

It's from well-known Saddam mouthpiece the New York Times, so take it with a grain of salt of course.

We will kill them all one day, Rumsfeld and every one of them," she said, referring to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld. "Look at what they have done to my library."

Like many residents of Baghdad, Ms. Khedairy has now spun any number of conspiracy theories about the intentions of the Americans. She is convinced, for instance, that the bombing of her house, the ransacking of her cultural center and the looting of the national museum are evidence of an American plan to deface Iraq's culture and carry its treasures out of the country. This, from a graduate of London University, a professor who taught the literature of Britain and France.

Such theories are rampant even among the city's educated elite. Today, for instance, the chief doctor at one of the Baghdad's larger hospitals spoke about the presumed designs of the Americans on the Iraqi nation.

"Tell me," said the doctor, who asked that he not be identified, "Why do the American troops allow the looting? These people are cowards, the looters. All the soldiers have to do is fire one shot, and the looters will go away. They are cowards. And the Americans do not do this. Why?"

Bush Family Values

I know 'ole Neil isn't the most succesful of the Bush family government looters, but you'd think he could pony up more than $1,000 per month of alimony to his wife.

Pass the popcorn.

Waco 10th Anniversary

The kids speak:

The seven survivors tell Gibson life in the compound was horrific. Physical abuse was a common occurrence, and there was no running water or indoor plumbing, they say. No attempt was made to provide the children with an education.

"When I left at age 18, I probably had an eighth-grade education," says Brad Borst.

In fact, Koresh made sure they were completely isolated from the outside world. Koresh brainwashed the children into thinking everyone outside of the cult was evil, and he prepared them for what he described as a final battle that would end the world and bring them eternal glory. Koresh threatened to kill the children after his resurrection if they helped the "bad guys."

Kiri Jewell, now 22, says she was sexually abused by Koresh when she was 10 years old and groomed to be his youngest wife — with her mother's consent.

The memories of life with Koresh are still vivid in her mind. "He never was very specific, but at some point we were gonna have to die for him," Jewell, now a student at Michigan State University, tells Gibson. "I didn't expect to live past 12."

Gibson also talks with 14-year-old Sky Okimoto, Koresh's own son, who was revered as a son of God inside the compound.

Waco was a tragically bungled operation, but I'll never have anything but contempt for those who perceive that child molester as a martyr for gun rights or religious freedom. I never remember hearing much outrage from those people regarding an even more "bungled"operation - the police bombing of the MOVE families in Philadelphia.

New Jobless Claims

Wampum got to the numbers before me. 442,000. Ouch.


UPDATE: One can get the full BLS survey results here. Here one can see the estimates including "discouraged workers," "marginally attached workers," and "plus total employed part time for economic reasons." In other words, unemployed plus underemployed plus those who have given up. That unemployment rate is 10.4%.

Thug Watch

Attention Seattle Residents - go buy some wine!

With the war in Iraq winding down, Samy Beau-Marquet assumed that his French wine shop in Northeast Seattle would no longer be a target.

But when Beau-Marquet arrived at Le Savoir-Faire Wine Cellars on Saturday morning, he found tomato sauce, onions, olives, cabbage, rice and a slice of pizza scattered in front of the shop. Food clung to the doors and windows.

"I'll give you the entire menu," Beau-Marquet joked yesterday.

It was the third time in a month that a mess -- typically food and graffiti -- has greeted the French national when he has arrived to open his shop on 15th Avenue Northeast.

Arrest Citigroup

Give to charities that the government decides are linked with terrorism - get locked up without even being charged. Be found to be violating laws against financing terrorism - get a small fine. If you're a multinational corporation, that is.

Wednesday, April 16, 2003

Kyra Phillips

If CNN wants to get its reputation back, it can start by firing this idiot (not that they will):

PHILLIPS: Doctor -- what has he been saying to you, Doctor? Is he asking anything of you? Is he thanking you? Is he wanting to know about family? Tell us what this little boy has been saying to you.

AL-NAJADA: Actually, today he was in good condition after the operation and started speaking with a journalist and answering all their questions. The thing which he was -- they asking about -- the journalists, especially the broadcasting, what the message he wants to reflect from the war. He said, first of all, thank you for the attention they're giving to him, but he hopes nobody from thechildren in the war they will suffer like what he suffer.

PHILLIPS: Does he understand why...

AL-NAJADA: Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Doctor, does he understand why this war took place? Has he talked about Operation Iraqi Freedom and the meaning? Does he understand it?

AL-NAJADA: Actually, we don't discuss this issue with him because he is -- the burn cases, and the type of injury, he's in very bad psychological trauma. We would like to pass this stage and then we can discuss this issue. But we discussed this issue with his uncle, and the message we get from his family, they said they are living far away from the American troops -- from the military of Saddam of Fedayeen by five kilometers, and they don't know how they hit them by the missiles.

MSNBC Doing Fine

Ratings in 8pm timeslot with Donahue - 1.5. Ratings in 8pm timeslot without Donahue - .9.

That sure was a great business decision.

And On And On


Q Why is the focus on Syria?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, the focus is on Syria is because Syria is the nation that's harboring Iraqis.

Q Do you have proof of that?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, certainly, we would not have said it, Secretary Powell would not have said it, the President wouldn't have said it.

Q Why don't you present the proof, then?

MR. FLEISCHER: Well, as always, Helen, this is an old argument. We have information that comes into our hands for a variety of means. We prefer to keep getting that information. We feel confident --

Q Don't think it will enhance your credibility if you showed us?

MR. FLEISCHER: I think our credibility is rather strong.

Sensiblebrenner

There's a Republican who's a bit concerned about Johnny Ashcroft's (And W$@$% Chuck Schumer's) desires for more police powers - James Sensenbrenner.

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration's plans to expand a post-Sept. 11 anti-terrorism law face resistance from a powerful House Republican who says he's not even sure he wants the government to keep its new powers.

James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, complains that the Justice Department isn't sharing enough information for lawmakers to make a judgment on how well or poorly the USA Patriot Act is working.

"I can't answer that because the Justice Department has classified as top-secret most of what it's doing under the Patriot Act," Sensenbrenner said when asked about the future of the anti-terrorism law in a recent interview.

Sensenbrenner maintains that because the department refuses to be forthcoming, it is losing the public relation battle needed to extend the law beyond its October 2005 expiration, much less expand it.


Give his office a call at (202) 225-5101 and let him know he's doing the right thing, particularly if he's you Rep. For bonus points, explain it in terms wingnuts understand - "What if Attorney General Hitlery Klintoon had these powers?"

Chalabi

Let's forget that this guy is thought to be a crook. What possible good reason could there be for installing as leader of a country we just invaded a man who hasn't been there since 1958 when he was all of 13 years old?

Tuesday, April 15, 2003

Crossfire Demoted

Drudge is reporting that the only show left on television with unapologetic liberals (well, other than Bill Moyers) is being pushed to the afternoon and cut to 1/2 hour.

That liberal media...

Walter Winchell II

Signorile has a column on Lloyd Grove today. Grove is a gossip columnist in a town where the local celebrities are politicians. He also has his own biases and associations, which explain his desires to smear Brock - he's just trying to protect his pals.

Stupid Reporters

And stupid jerks at Augusta:

Throughout the morning, law enforcement officers stood on the perimeter of the five-acre field. At no point did the protest turn violent, though officers escorted Heywood Jablome away after he held up a sign directly in front of Burk that read "Make me dinner" before shouting "Oprah rules."

More Lott

Tim Lambert tells us about the continuing dishonesty and deflection.

As I've said many times, but always need to repeat it to avoid the usual nonsense - I don't care about Lott because of the "Bellesiles" issue - I never read the book, never supported the guy, and never much cared. Nor do I care much about the gun issue generally, and care even less to discuss it as a rule. What I do care about the fact is that Lott injected himself into the Florida election issue with some utterly bogus work, and that was unforgiveable.

Fitzgerald Not Seeking Re-Election

Praise Jeebus.

First-term U.S. Sen. Peter Fitzgerald (R-Ill.) told close associates Monday night that he would not seek re-election next year, saying he had "no fire in the belly" and citing concerns about the personal cost of another campaign and the lament that his independence had left him with few political friends, sources said.

Neither Fitzgerald, 42, nor his top aides responded to requests for comment as questions about his political future swirled from Washington to Chicago. But sources said he began notifying close political supporters of his decision late Monday.

Brock on Signorile Today

Don't forget to listen in...12-3pm EST.

Speaking of Sidney Blumenthal...

Apparently I've been busy writing an 800 page book entitled The Clinton Wars. Where do I find the time? You can pre-order it by clicking the picture:



If the book actually does what the description says it does, it could be a very good read.

Walter Winchell

Lloyd Grove tries to slime Sidney Blumenthal because he dared to write nasty things about Michael Kelly in this forthcoming book.

And, check out Jesse's comments on O'Reilly's latest screwup.

Michael Wolff Again

Over at medianews they're concerned about the fact that Michael Wolff didn't name the "CENTCOM uber-civilian, a thirtyish Republican operative." One letter writer goes as far as to accuse Wolff of creating a composite character. I have no idea why Wolff didn't name the guy, and we can't know for sure who it is, but I think Digby's guess is probably correct:

Signaling the high interest in improving the military's image is the appointment of [Jim] Wilkinson as spokesman for CENTCOM. A veteran White House publicist as well as a Navy Reserve lieutenant, Wilkinson headed the anti-Taliban Coalition Information Center during the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan and was spokesman for the Bush campaign in Miami-Dade County during the Florida recount after the 2000 election.

Wilkinson's political credentials have aroused journalistic concerns that the Bush administration, not known for its openness, is trying to control the message and use it for re-election purposes in the 2004 campaign.

Monday, April 14, 2003

A New Tongue Twister

"There are serious questions which Syria must take seriously."

Shrill Shrill Shrill

Krugman outdoes himself today. For some reason he thinks there's a contradiction between supporting the troops, as all right-thinking Americans do, and voting to cut Veterans' Benefits, which is just a way to fight socialism.

Iraq National Library

Completely destroyed.

The Other Lott

Who is the anonymous source, used by Instapundit and others, who tried to undermine the objectivity of respected academic Steve Levitt by smearing him as being "rabidly anti-gun?"

developing...

(via Tom Spencer)

Don't forget...

Signorile's debut show beginning now!

Amateur Etymology

Vaara discovers just how dangerous it can be.

Michael Wolff

His Guardian piece is a must-read.

Errors Never Go Away

I have no opinion on CAIR because I really don't know much about them, but this letter to the editor in today's Washington Post jumped out at me as just not sounding right:

An April 7 news story described the Council on American-Islamic Relations' displeasure with Daniel Pipes's nomination to a seat on the U.S. Institute of Peace board of directors. CAIR claimed that the nomination "sends entirely the wrong message."

So it's fair to ask what message CAIR sends to the public. Let's start with the assessment of Steve Pomerantz, a former chief of counterterrorism for the FBI: "CAIR, its leaders, and its activities, effectively give aid to international terrorist groups."

What's more, CAIR called the conviction of the 1993 World Trade Center bombers a "hate crime," and the group includes on its advisory board Siraj Wahaj, whom the U.S. attorney listed as one of the "unindicted persons who may be alleged as co-conspirators" in that case.

CAIR lacks the credibility to criticize scholars such as Mr. Pipes.

RICH LEONARDI

Cincinnati

So, I went and tracked down the source of this particular charge:

Jake Tapper responds: There's a lot to address in Hooper's letter; let me first apologize for one error in my story. I wrote that CAIR had called the conviction of Sheik Omar Abdul-Rahman, whom U.S. authorities deemed the ringleader of the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, a "hate crime." In fact, in 1996 CAIR published a book called "The Price of Ignorance" which dealt with the "status of Muslim civil rights in the United States." That book listed "incidents of anti-Muslim bias and violence," on which CAIR included the trial of Abdul-Rahman, which ended with his conviction for conspiring to blow up the Lincoln Tunnel and other New York City landmarks. CAIR listed the trial on that list of "incidents of bias and violence" because Abdul-Rahman's lawyers said that his trial had been "far from free and fair." They did not call it a "hate crime." I regret the error.

Pryor

Sam Heldman has some more.

And, I have to say that for whatever reason this is precisely the opposite of how I pictured him.

Joe Biden Can Bite Me

Oh God this is depressing. Julian Sanchez informs us that a Biden staffer has deflected criticism of the horrible anti-Rave law by arguing that local law enforcement will be able to use their discretion in enforcing it. oy.

Sunday, April 13, 2003

New Radio

Sirius satellite radio is debuting a new gay/lesbian oriented talk station tomorrow. One of the hosts is author and New York Press columnist Michelangelo Signorile, whose show will run from 12-3 EST. Signorile used to have an internet radio show on the now defunct gaybc.com. In any case, for those of us without satellite radio, at least for the moment it appears they will be streaming the show on the 'net live. So, if you go here, and then click the link which says "Listen to OutQ LIVE on SIRIUS" (and not, it seems, the little speaker icon), you should be able to listen in.

I hear that the first show will be entirely devoted to the Neal Pollack teabagging scandal, though that could be just a rumor...

CNN and Iraq

Blogistan is all-a-flutter about the story about how CNN didn't report on a lot of Iraqi atrocities in order to preserve their access and protect their sources (see the Volokh Conspiracy for a variety of commentary/links on the subject). The assertions by some that this is a case of the "liberal" (hah) CNN covering up for a murderous dictator because- well, because us liberals love our murderous dictators - are of course ridiculous. I have no real opinion on whether they did the right thing on balance - I don't really have enough information to know.

However, I'm glad some republican types have come around to the idea that a news agency might compromise the truth in order to preserve its access and relationships with its sources.

Tax Day a Sad Day

Don't worry, I won't be begging for money to help me pay the IRS. But, much like CalPundit, I'm a victim of an unfair tax code.

Eagleburger Says the 'I' Word

Here.

The British will take heart from the more cautious voices coming out of Washington. Lawrence Eagleburger was Secretary of State for Bush's father, the first President Bush, and he and otherleading veterans of the first Bush administration warned last summer about the dangers of attacking Iraq. In fact they were thought to be acting as proxies for their old boss, who was said to be privately unconvinced of his son's policies. Now that the military campaign seems to be drawing to a close, we ask Mr Eagleburger if it is true that winning the peace will be much harder.

In an impassioned interview, Mr Eagleburger also tells us that if George W. Bush were to take military action against Iran and Syria, he should be impeached.

(via Tom Runnacles)

UPDATE:Tim Dunlop has more.

UPDATE 2: Best of the Blogs provides the transcript of the relevant part.

Michael Kelly Again

At least the guy was occasionally consistent, even if I mostly disagree (from 1999):

As for that most slender of reeds, Trent Lott, the Senate majority leader lived up to his usual high standard of wisdom and courage. Appearing May 2 on CNN, Lott praised the Weldon delegation then in Vienna for "working on the outline of what could lead to a settlement where the bombing would stop and the Kosovars could go back in." Note the sequence of events. And, appallingly, Lott added, "As Jesse Jackson would say, give peace a chance here."


And, as for the canard that liberals didn't object to Bosnia (I objected to the way in which it was done, though not that it was done), here Robert Scheer also notes the Lott quote (approvingly).

Fun With Cats

Last night my cat jumped on my laptop keyboard, got frightened by something, and then leapt suddenly off of it, managing to bring about 6 keys with him somehow. Neat trick. My 'W' key is still nowhere to be found.

Planning for Victory

I'm reminded of the passage from Booby Woody's book when after "winning" in Afghanistan, Bush was supposed to have said something along the lines of "what now?" Things are not going well in Baghdad right now, as this scathing AP report makes clear, I won't claim to have omniscient knowledge of what's going on behind the scenes, but one does have to wonder whether they bothered to think this one through. If the war was going to be quickie, didn't they need to have some plan for afterwards? They really do seem to be making it up as they go.

Yale Thug Watch

Here's an email detailing recent events at Yale. Obviously I can't verify all of the claims:




The following is a list, possibly incomplete, of violent events that have occurred on the Yale campus in the past 36 hours. Please circulate widely.


1) Wednesday morning - Publishing of an article on Katherine Lo,
whose suite was entered by three men armed with a 2x4 after she displayed an American flag upside-down outside her dorm room window. They attempted to enter her room, which was locked, and left the following note: "I love kicking the Muslims bitches ass! They should all die with Mohammad. We as Americans should destroy them and launch so many missiles their mothers don't produce healthy offspring. Fuck Iraqi Saddam following fucks. I hate you, GO AMERICA."


2) Wednesday evening - A group of undergraduates participated in a silent, non-violent vigil-type action in the University's dining halls to mourn the loss of Iraqi civilians in the current conflict. Raphael Soifer, a participant, was followed out of Davenport and spit on by a husky white male.


3) Wednesday evening - Multiple anonymous, racist and threatening posts made on the YDN online forum in response to the article on Katherine Lo. The YDN online forum was shut down later that evening.


4) Wednesday 9:45PM-10:15PM - Perhaps in response to signed posts on the YDN online forum regarding life attending Yale and racism from an African-American student, the following note was left on the door of the Afro-American Cultural Center: "I hope you protesters and your children are killed in the next terrorist attack. Signed Fuck You."


5) Wednesday night/Thursday morning - Undergraduates decided to fly American flags upside-down outside their windows as a sign of dissent, distress, and solidarity with Katherine Lo. Undergraduate Laura Hess' name appeared in the YDN as helping to coordinate this action. Her suite was illegally entered and the flag reversed to hang right-side-up.


6) Thursday morning - Undergraduates put up an art installation, permitted by the President's Office, on Cross Campus. The work included 22 American flags representing the 22 failed US attempts of military intervention in the name of democracy. One flag, in the center, was hung upside-down. A group of husky white males confronted the activists involved, demanding to see the permit. After being shown the permit, the group proceded to rip down the flags anyway, destroying the group's property.


7)Thursday morning - Between 11:30 AM and 12:30 PM, the flag hung upside-down outside the window of undergraduate Julia Gonzales was ripped down and stolen.

Tax Day

Well, it's that time so I'm not sure how much I'll be 'here' today. Didn't attend the Philly Blogger party last night, so if there was some mysterious person there it wasn't me.