Today's foiled plot confirms the last vestages of neoconservatism's worst fears: we are in a war on terror against a bunch of pipe bombers. Men who mix together cocktails of death on commuter airplanes.
Gone are yesterday's enemies, fearsome military powers bent on world domination, just scattered islamist thugs making videotapes in underground bunkers or hollowed out office buildings. We are the United States of America, we have the CIA, the FBI and the deadliest arsenal on the planet and we go to code red over these guys? World commerce grinds to a halt in the sky.
If only we were on the ball on September 10, 2001.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
Wednesday, August 09, 2006
Centrism defeated in Connecticut
The victory by Ned Lamont was a repudiation of centrism. Not centrism when it comes to budgets, taxes and other legislative affairs, but in matters of war.
A majority of the country wants out of Iraq. Lieberman wishes to stay, for now. This is not acceptable to the people of Connecticut or the country as a whole. American troops are about to become embroiled in a civil war and the losing candidate can only shrug his shoulders.
Lamont's election means nothing more, nothing less. Kind of like Joe Lieberman.
A majority of the country wants out of Iraq. Lieberman wishes to stay, for now. This is not acceptable to the people of Connecticut or the country as a whole. American troops are about to become embroiled in a civil war and the losing candidate can only shrug his shoulders.
Lamont's election means nothing more, nothing less. Kind of like Joe Lieberman.
Monday, August 07, 2006
the stain of Iraq
The invasion and occupation of Iraq should serve as an a warning to future administrations that the goal of ending "tyranny everywhere" is unrealistic and dangerous. Dangerous to our national security, dangerous for our troops who are given this incoherent task and dangerous for the psyche of our country.
Like most, I don't believe George Bush had good intentions for the people of Iraq. His goal was simply to remove Saddam Hussein and the rest was an afterthought. He has explicitly stated the cleanup of Iraq will be left to future presidents, meaning the financial burden of restoring Iraq if at all possible, will be left to the American taxpayer.
How unconservative.
Like most, I don't believe George Bush had good intentions for the people of Iraq. His goal was simply to remove Saddam Hussein and the rest was an afterthought. He has explicitly stated the cleanup of Iraq will be left to future presidents, meaning the financial burden of restoring Iraq if at all possible, will be left to the American taxpayer.
How unconservative.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
God of Food
Alton Brown was meant to talk about food. It's in his DNA. "Feasting on Asphalt," which I just caught on Food Network is his new show and once again Brown sucks you in for this new traveling, eating and more eating hour of everything food.
Watching the program is like discovering America for the first time, meeting genuine Americans who love to eat and love to watch how happy people get when they eat. Please tune in every Saturday night and get ready to drool, grin and love being American.
For more, enter his world.
Watching the program is like discovering America for the first time, meeting genuine Americans who love to eat and love to watch how happy people get when they eat. Please tune in every Saturday night and get ready to drool, grin and love being American.
For more, enter his world.
Words of a war criminal
Does the violence tend to be up during the summer, in the spring, summer and fall months? Yes it does. And it tends to decline during the winter period. Does that represent failed policy? I don’t know. I would say not. (tip: thinkprogress.org)
Guess who this quote belongs to?
Guess who this quote belongs to?
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Rout
Interesting piece by one of the major players in DC, Charlie Cook of the National Journal (sorry, you need a subscription) believes the big spenders in the GOP are going to get their clocks cleaned. We're talking tidal wave here folks.
Which leads me to ask anyone out there in the blog wilderness, what will the Democrats do if they control Washington? Will we see a restoration of pay as you go fiscal policy? Or, will Nancy Pelosi push through massive new spending programs aimed at keeping the poor poorer, taking a cue from George Bush. Will the Democratic Party actually become more hawkish than Bush and Co and push for a strike on Iran?
So many questions.
Which leads me to ask anyone out there in the blog wilderness, what will the Democrats do if they control Washington? Will we see a restoration of pay as you go fiscal policy? Or, will Nancy Pelosi push through massive new spending programs aimed at keeping the poor poorer, taking a cue from George Bush. Will the Democratic Party actually become more hawkish than Bush and Co and push for a strike on Iran?
So many questions.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Bolton v World
First off, sorry for any delay in posting.
Now, on the confirmation of John Bolton. Look no further than Steve Clemons, over at the Washington Note for daily coverage. There is no one more accurate or better.
Now, on the confirmation of John Bolton. Look no further than Steve Clemons, over at the Washington Note for daily coverage. There is no one more accurate or better.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
neoalarmism
Newt Gingrich has an op-ed in today's USA Today with the byline "Now is not the time for restraint" which allows me to skip the entire piece altogether knowing Gingrich's history with the neoconservative American Enterprise Institute and its desire along with George Bush to end "tyranny everywhere." In other words, insanity.
We are in dire need of realists. They need to somehow infiltrate the Pentagon and the National Security Agency so we can avoid a repeat of Iraq, only this time with consequences most severe.
We are in dire need of realists. They need to somehow infiltrate the Pentagon and the National Security Agency so we can avoid a repeat of Iraq, only this time with consequences most severe.
Get them out
It's hard to not look at what is going on in Lebanon and shake your head with disgust. The cycle of violence and revenge continues in the Middle East, and American troops occupy a country right next door.
What should we do about it? Christopher Preble of the Cato Institute (quickly becoming my driver's manual when it comes to libertarianism) hits the nail on the head:
"While there is more than enough blame to go around, the U.S. government should be focused right now on providing safe passage out of the war zone for all Americans who wish to leave. Beyond these immediate concerns, American policymakers should avoid further entangling the United States in the conflict."
Time will tell how this plays out.
What should we do about it? Christopher Preble of the Cato Institute (quickly becoming my driver's manual when it comes to libertarianism) hits the nail on the head:
"While there is more than enough blame to go around, the U.S. government should be focused right now on providing safe passage out of the war zone for all Americans who wish to leave. Beyond these immediate concerns, American policymakers should avoid further entangling the United States in the conflict."
Time will tell how this plays out.
Friday, July 14, 2006
New
Hope everyone likes the new name and look. I've undergone major life changes within the past couple months and feel my blog should reflect these changes.
Thursday, June 22, 2006
Look to Clinton
Clinton understood that for a progressive to be successful in a conservative country he had to convey the attitude that he respected the deeply held values of voters. He supported the death penalty, welfare reform and took a tough national security stance. He could discern the difference between a Pentecostal and a pretzel. Clinton realized that conservative success was dependent on the excesses of liberalism. Attitudinally, he trumped the right. And when he deviated from those attitudes, his Presidency suffered. (Marshall Whitman, Bull Moose)
The party of Pelosi and Kennedy wish it was 1929. They wish the American populace was in the grip of major economic disaster so that a newer New Deal could emerge and be implemented by a future President John Edwards. Bill Clinton was an absolute genius and he knew how to govern succesfully. Free trade, opportunity, responsibility were the way of the 1990's. The country actually took on the issue of a major entitlement and got results. Those were the days.
The party of Pelosi and Kennedy wish it was 1929. They wish the American populace was in the grip of major economic disaster so that a newer New Deal could emerge and be implemented by a future President John Edwards. Bill Clinton was an absolute genius and he knew how to govern succesfully. Free trade, opportunity, responsibility were the way of the 1990's. The country actually took on the issue of a major entitlement and got results. Those were the days.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Bush has not bounced
Since the killing of Zarqawi on June 7th, the easily manipulated media has declared that we have somehow turned the corner in Iraq and the president has gotten a "bounce" in the polls.
Nonsense. The Iraq war is going as it has always gone: poorly. We are refereeing a sectarian civil war between Sunnis and Shiites. We are not fighting back old Baathists, they are gone or dead. Today's grim discovery of the two missing American soldiers bodies should cement in the collective head of America that we need to light a fire under the collective bottom of Iraq.
The Cato Insitute's Ted Galen Carpenter argues:
"Enough is enough. At some point, the Iraqi people need to stand on their own feet and decide whether they will cooperate in governing the country or whether they will wage an increasingly bloody sectarian war. If the choose the latter, America does not have a dog in that fight."
There have been several supposed milestones of Iraqi success: Saddam's overthrow, free elections, the deaths of Saddam's sons and now the killing of the number one terrorist in Iraq, a man who was starting to get under the skin of the majority of the Iraqi people. None of these events have actually produced the desired goal: the return of American troops to American soil.
Then again, we've been playing this game for quite some time. And with a president who's stated goal is the elimination of tyranny everywhere, don't expect a change in strategy.
Nonsense. The Iraq war is going as it has always gone: poorly. We are refereeing a sectarian civil war between Sunnis and Shiites. We are not fighting back old Baathists, they are gone or dead. Today's grim discovery of the two missing American soldiers bodies should cement in the collective head of America that we need to light a fire under the collective bottom of Iraq.
The Cato Insitute's Ted Galen Carpenter argues:
"Enough is enough. At some point, the Iraqi people need to stand on their own feet and decide whether they will cooperate in governing the country or whether they will wage an increasingly bloody sectarian war. If the choose the latter, America does not have a dog in that fight."
There have been several supposed milestones of Iraqi success: Saddam's overthrow, free elections, the deaths of Saddam's sons and now the killing of the number one terrorist in Iraq, a man who was starting to get under the skin of the majority of the Iraqi people. None of these events have actually produced the desired goal: the return of American troops to American soil.
Then again, we've been playing this game for quite some time. And with a president who's stated goal is the elimination of tyranny everywhere, don't expect a change in strategy.
Monday, June 12, 2006
Newt
In today's Washington Post, Newt Gingrich says he's ready:
"We have a choice between those who are failing to deliver and those who are unthinkable," he said, adding he would put "even money" on the Democrats taking back the House this fall. "Neither party currently is where the country is." (newt.org)
During the Clinton/Gingrich years, problems were solved. Most importantly, a major entitlement was reformed and has proven to be a success. So, yes I could see myself voting for Newt.
"We have a choice between those who are failing to deliver and those who are unthinkable," he said, adding he would put "even money" on the Democrats taking back the House this fall. "Neither party currently is where the country is." (newt.org)
During the Clinton/Gingrich years, problems were solved. Most importantly, a major entitlement was reformed and has proven to be a success. So, yes I could see myself voting for Newt.
Powersurge
For all those who need a clear and scathing review of the constitutional record of George W. Bush, please read this document (pdf file) put together by the Cato Institute's Gene Healy and Timothy Lynch.
Realism in 08, please?
Jonathan Rauch has a overdue piece at Reason, worth reading only to understand that at some point in American history, we had presidents who lived in a fantasy free environment. Oh to be a fly on the wall during this:
"Kennedy was no revolutionary in foreign policy. Indeed, he was contempuous of idealistic reformers. Meeting on August 20, 1962, with his senior foreign-policy advisers, he read from a draft document describing a national counterinsurgency strategy. The United States, said Kennedy, reading aloud, seeks "to insure that modernization of the local society evolves in directions which will afford a congenial world environment for fruitful international cooperation and..for our way of life."
Kennedy's comment: "That's a lot of crap."
"Kennedy was no revolutionary in foreign policy. Indeed, he was contempuous of idealistic reformers. Meeting on August 20, 1962, with his senior foreign-policy advisers, he read from a draft document describing a national counterinsurgency strategy. The United States, said Kennedy, reading aloud, seeks "to insure that modernization of the local society evolves in directions which will afford a congenial world environment for fruitful international cooperation and..for our way of life."
Kennedy's comment: "That's a lot of crap."
Sad
To the one person who reads this blog, thank you for your patience........
Now, on to the suicide deaths at Guantanamo Bay. It's hard to start a blog with this kind of sentence. Imagine, six years ago the very idea of prisoners, most of whom have no charges other than being "suspected of terrorist activity," and the ever popular "enemy combatants" being held in another country against their will, with no access to anything other than their own misery. Force fed, no trial, no way out, nothing. Then tell me what country this is. Yes, I understand the pressure the guards and the commanders are under in this kind of situation, and maybe this is the casualty of a war without end, but isn't this anything but a stain on the history of this country?
Thanks to Rumsfeld, we conduct war on the cheap and in total disregard of rules of humane warfare. Yet, Rumsfeld remains as Defense Secretary. Words truly fail me.
Now, on to the suicide deaths at Guantanamo Bay. It's hard to start a blog with this kind of sentence. Imagine, six years ago the very idea of prisoners, most of whom have no charges other than being "suspected of terrorist activity," and the ever popular "enemy combatants" being held in another country against their will, with no access to anything other than their own misery. Force fed, no trial, no way out, nothing. Then tell me what country this is. Yes, I understand the pressure the guards and the commanders are under in this kind of situation, and maybe this is the casualty of a war without end, but isn't this anything but a stain on the history of this country?
Thanks to Rumsfeld, we conduct war on the cheap and in total disregard of rules of humane warfare. Yet, Rumsfeld remains as Defense Secretary. Words truly fail me.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Am I missing something?
Apparently, Al Gore is causing some in the weather word to seriously lose their mind, consider a statement such as this:
"Gore believed in global warming almost as much as Hitler believed there was something wrong with the Jews."
Based on the fact that Al Gore wrote a book on the environment and has invested his time and money into global warming awareness it's safe to say he believes in global warming, more than most.
Global warming is a reality, how much energy and money we should put towards its elimination is another matter altogether.
Oh, and the lunatic who compared Gore to Hitler his name is meteorologist Bill Gray. (tip: lefty think tank Think Progress)
"Gore believed in global warming almost as much as Hitler believed there was something wrong with the Jews."
Based on the fact that Al Gore wrote a book on the environment and has invested his time and money into global warming awareness it's safe to say he believes in global warming, more than most.
Global warming is a reality, how much energy and money we should put towards its elimination is another matter altogether.
Oh, and the lunatic who compared Gore to Hitler his name is meteorologist Bill Gray. (tip: lefty think tank Think Progress)
the final word on Al Gore
For the past few weeks, the punditry has been abuz about the possibility of a Gore candidacy in 2008; SNL, his movie, etc all proof he is poised to make a run.
My gut tells me he won't only he fears the beast that is Hillary Clinton. It's too bad, because Gore, unlike Bush is a stickler for details. America wants a president who is a stickler for details and policy. Despite his populist campaign in 2000, Gore at his heart is a southern moderate. He was the tiebreaking vote in 1993 that allowed the Clinton budget to go through without a single vote. Although progressive, the package seriously tackled the budget deficits we were facing, thus allowing the government to employ the "pay as you go" rules. Our current policy is pay some other time.
The Clinton/Gore team were deficit hawks and ultimately reduced the size of government. Welfare reform happened during the Clinton/Gore years. Now, there is no guarantee we would see the kind of Gore we saw in the 90's if assumed the presidency in 2009 but it's possible once in the White House he would make a swift move to the center. Based upon the Clinton/Gingrich blueprint, this is a good thing.
And no, I haven't seen his movie.
My gut tells me he won't only he fears the beast that is Hillary Clinton. It's too bad, because Gore, unlike Bush is a stickler for details. America wants a president who is a stickler for details and policy. Despite his populist campaign in 2000, Gore at his heart is a southern moderate. He was the tiebreaking vote in 1993 that allowed the Clinton budget to go through without a single vote. Although progressive, the package seriously tackled the budget deficits we were facing, thus allowing the government to employ the "pay as you go" rules. Our current policy is pay some other time.
The Clinton/Gore team were deficit hawks and ultimately reduced the size of government. Welfare reform happened during the Clinton/Gore years. Now, there is no guarantee we would see the kind of Gore we saw in the 90's if assumed the presidency in 2009 but it's possible once in the White House he would make a swift move to the center. Based upon the Clinton/Gingrich blueprint, this is a good thing.
And no, I haven't seen his movie.
Government - your brother's keeper
Over at the Cato Insitute, Radley Balko has a sharp piece on the recent trend toward nanny statism, forstered lovingly by the Bush GOP.
It is truly scary the kind of power our current government wishes to assume for the american people. Because of our endless "War on Terror," we are sacrificing basic liberties when it comes to personal freedom. How again are we winning this fight?
It is truly scary the kind of power our current government wishes to assume for the american people. Because of our endless "War on Terror," we are sacrificing basic liberties when it comes to personal freedom. How again are we winning this fight?
Tuesday, May 23, 2006
A different view
I have been reading Andrew Sullivan's blog since 04, never have I been so captivated by his new idea called "The View from Your Window," recently introducted on his now legendary blog. Go and see it for yourself.