Terrorism In India

From CNN: as many as 100 Indian commuters feared dead after a series of terrorist attacks in Mumbai. I suspect Kashmiri militants may know something about this - and indeed the multiple, closely-timed strikes is an MO of theirs. Of course Kashmiri militants are oftentimes little more than Pakistani-backed forces operating at Pakistani behest but still giving Islamabad plausible deniability. If that's the case, then I suspect South Asia's about to get tenser.

Of course there's always the possibility that this wasn't Kashmiris, or that they were operating independently without orders from Pakistan. But I'm going to assume the worst and just let things get better from there.

Morning News Roundup

It's baaack...I got an irate interrogation from a friend (my only loyal reader?) last night, demanding to know why I hadn't updated today. Sorry folks, I was on the Hill. Here we go:

• Kos is reporting that the Schwarzenegger campaign is using material from the viscious Democrat primary against nominee Phil Angelides. I love it, and my Democrat friends wonder why they can't win races?
• A federal judge has ruled that the FBI search of Representative William ("Dollar Bill") Jefferson's (D-LA02) office was constitutional. Jefferson as in caught with $90,000 in bribe money in the freezer Jefferson. Needless to say that's got a lot of people on the Hill, including several I spoke to yesterday, a little worried about the precedent set. In any case, I'm not sure how necessary it was considering we've got him on videotape taking the money.
• This came out over the weekend, but I think it bears repeating and dissecting: tax receipts are predicted to be up by $250 billion and the deficit down by $100 billion this year. Now that's admittedly, relatively speaking, a drop in the bucket. But what's interesting is that most of these receipt increases in corporate taxes, which have "nearly tripled since 2003." Meanwhile, a jump was also seen in taxes on individual stock sales. What does all of this really mean? In short, Democratic opposition to Bush's tax cuts on dividends and claims that tax cuts for corporations were bad for America, have been heartily disproven. Of course, as the Times points out, and I cannot help but repeat, in just two years the Baby Boomers will start retiring, drawing on Medicare and Social Security, both of which are horrifically in shambles. Thankfully Bush has said that reform of at least the latter entitlement program will be on Congress' agenda for the fall, though unless Democrats suddenly wake up and realize that they've been wrongheaded in their opposition to some sort of reform (and please don't give me those tired "individual retirement accounts are handouts to Wall Street" lines - they make the Left sound pathetic), or if we don't drastically increase our majority (don't count on it), we're not likely to see much progress.
• In news that needs to get more circulation, the Army beat its June recruitment goal. Of course it's only by 2%, and given the Army's revised recruitment standards (the upper limit for enlistment is 42), it's not exactly a huge leap - but it's noteworthy nonetheless. The Left has been whining incessantly about the aging of our miltary through the raising of the maximum enlistment age, but I'm not all that worried. I don't expect these older recruits to be combat soldiers, rather I expect them to be rear-area soldiers in things like IT or mechanical maintenance, potentially with valuable skills from the outside world. Can anyone tell me, with a straight face, that that's a bad thing?
• General Peter Pace gave emotional testimony to a Senate hearing on immigration and the military, noting the number of immigrants who have fought for their adopted country, some despite this country's refusal to accept them. Pace related his own experience as the son of Italian immigrants, and the immigrants who fought alongside him in Vietnam. More recently, he noted that 200 non-citizens have been given awards or medals for their service in the War on Terror, while a hundred have given their lives in that struggle, many knowing, perhaps more than some members of Congress, what freedom is and how valuable it really is, so much so that they've given the last full measure in its name and for the flag of an adopted land. I personally think any immigration bill should have language making the military a path to citizenship for non-citizens and their families - if they're willing to put their life on the line, their valour should be both recognized and rewarded. (On a more personal note, an ancestor of mine was booted from Ireland by the British, came to America, and promptly joined the American Revolution then in progress...so I guess I sort of know how Pace feels, in a more distant sort of way)
• Everyone needs to read this profile on the first domestic victim of Al Qaeda. NOW.
  
• There's chatter about another North Korean missile launch, causing UN discussions as well as potential negotiations to be put on hold. While China negotiates with Kim Jong-Il's Stalinist regime, they refuse to really turn up the pressure on the bizarre-looking despot; perhaps that's why Japan has announced that they're trying to decide whether or not a pre-emptive strike would be legal under their constitution. If that doesn't get the Chinese to get the lead out, I'm not sure what will.
  
• Russia reports that they finally "got" their country's own Bin-Laden, Chechen terrorist leader Shamil Basayev, a man with considerable blood on his hands, including both the Moscow theater hostage-taking and the massacre in Beslan.
• Iraqi insurgents have released a video of two US soldiers killed and mutilated in what the group describes as a retaliation for the rape and murder of an Iraqi girl and her family by US soldiers. If the allegations are true, and five soldiers have been charged, the soldiers deserve to be punished to the fullest extent of the law. However, something more needs to be devised for these insurgents. Drawing on history, neither the Romans nor the British brooked such opposition from insurgents in their time; the Romans would massacre entire communities suspected of harming Roman citizens while the British were only slightly less drastic. Not that I'm endorsing such a course, merely that perhaps we should reiterate to the Iraqi people that it's about time they start taking responsibility for the terrorists among them: they can kill them themselves, they can report them to us and let us kill them, or they can sit back, but if we discover their complicity there should be ramifications.
• AMLO continues to whine in Mexico. Listen buddy, our Democrats still haven't gotten over the 2000 election here, but that doesn't change history. Be a man, and get on with life - your country will be the better for it. Mexico was shaken by street protests over the weekend disputing the election result, with protestors said to number one hundred thousand.
  
• That's all for now, except for the fact that if you're an Iowa resident, you might not be able to avoid tripping over a White House Wannabe this weekend - they're out in strength.
  

Bush, Putin, and Splitting Atoms

While searching for a good Thai restaurant on the Post's website, I noticed this article. Bush is slated to announce a program of civilian nuclear cooperation with Russia, rewarding and recognizing Putin and Russia for their role in helping to contain Iranian nuclear ambitions. Apparently I've missed that cooperation; all I've seen is the usual tired Russian obstruction, refusal to consider sanctions, and continued insistence about their relevance on the world stage. What this deal is is little more than a financial incentive for Russia to potentially start playing along with us on Iran and North Korea, as it will permit US-supplied reactors worldwide to have their spent nuclear fuel shipped to Russia for storage.

So let's again pause here to consider this. We're sending nuclear fuel to Russia, land of Chernobyl (back in the day), and now a corrupt system that we're not too convinced isn't selling nuclear weapons to unsavory characters. Am I reading this right?

And again, all of this comes on top of a wave of Russian churlishness that, in my eyes, doesn't lend itself to any sort of incentives. Not just their uncooperative stance on Iran and North Korea, but also the emerging reports of especially close cooperation with Iraq pre-invasion, and Putin's continued descent towards authoritarianism.

Oh and experts say Congress will hate this too. Can I be the first to call this Dubai Ports: Redux?

Morning News Roundup

• Obviously leading the news is the thwarted terrorist attack on the Holland Tunnel. Though CNN won't say it outright, it looks as if this was an Al Qaeda attack, or at the least affiliated with the organization. Lebanese officials have, on our behalf, arrested a man suspected to have a hand in planning the attacks...wait as I write this, it looks like it was a plot to attack multiple tunnels in the New York area, perhaps four all told. In an unsurprising move, NY Sen Chuck Schumer is moving to monopolize the story, a classic example of how he "Schumers" (yes, that's a verb) things, people, events, etc. Best part of the Times story? When Schumer says, with no apparent irony, "intelligence did its job" - no thanks to your party, Chucky boy.
• Everyone's calling the Mexico race for Calderon, but Obrador doesn't seem to understand the concept and is calling for a recount. What the nation needs is to move on, not get mired in months of uncertainty with tensions highlighted by bitter partisan divisions. Obrador needs to understand when the deed is done, move on, and go make a movie about global warming or something.
• Violence in Gaza has further escalated, with 21 Palestinians and one Israeli killed yesterday in what's been described as the fiercest fighting thus far. Palestinian terrorists have continued to lob missiles into Israel, giving the Israeli offensive great raison d'etre beyond simply liberating the kidnapped IDF soldier. Most importantly, Hamas has ordered Palestinian security forces into the fray, tantamount to a declaration of war. The Post reports that

  Khaled Abu Hilal, the spokesman, said those forces, which number more than 70,000 men and are dominated by the rival Fatah party, had a "religious and moral duty to stand up to this aggression and cowardly Zionist invasion."

  This could potentially be beneficial if it serves to further estrange Fatah from Hamas. But what the Israelis need to indicate, both through this offensive and through a media barrage, is that the lives of the average Palestinian are being made more miserable by Hamas's intransigence and continued use of terror tactics. I'm also starting to wonder whether or not this offensive will effectively nullify the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza last year - perhaps the return will be without settlers and purely military in nature, but I think it's clear that the Palestinians have squandered an opportunity to prove to Israel and the world they're capable of statehood, domestic unity, and an end to violence.
• In one of my favorite stories of the week, one I haven't blogged on, the US continues to use Georgia as an anti-Russian foil, publicly embracing a regime that has been an incessant thorne in Putin's side. Now Georgian President Saakashvili is claiming, likely with good reason, that

  Russia is trying to undermine his government in hopes of intimidating democracy activists from rising up against corrupt regimes like the one he toppled three years ago.

  Post-Rose Revolution Georgia hasn't been all that I've hoped for, and I'm sure many others feel that way; but it is a lot better than its predecessor regime and their presence as an exemplar of both democracy and an end to Russian meddling (Earth to Vlad: the USSR is over. You no longer own all of Central Asia), and it is a regime we should continue to stand by not just for political gain but because it validates much of our rhetoric on the importance of democracy. All of this comes prior to the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg, so Bush is just needling Putin, but I reiterate: this kind of public support must become a mainstay even when the world's attention os focused elsewhere.
• Please take a moment to remember the victims of terror who perished a year ago. Let us harden our resolve and continue our struggle against the reactionary, nihilistic forces of Islamofascism and their violent efforts to destroy both Western liberalism and the civilization upon which it is founded. This is not merely about petropolitics or American culture - it is truly a clash of civilizations between freedom and oppression, liberty and totalitarianism. Never in our history as a shining city upon a hill and a global exemplar have we faced such an existential challenge. God bless all those who died.
  

NY Court Strikes Down Gay Marriage

The New York state Supreme Court today ruled that

state law does not permit gay couples to get married there and that such a restriction does not violate New York's constitution.

This was apparently something of a surprise from one of the nation's more liberal Supreme Courts but regardless, it once again shows the inanity of this debate. The moonbats on the left are crying foul, claiming that civil unions are a form of "separate but equal" discrimination, and the Right is celebrating. So, here's my solution: Get the government out of the marriage business.

How can we go about doing this? Simple: all couples recognized by the federal government, regardless of sexual orientation, are granted "civil union" status - so two men are the same as a heterosexual couple in all regards, in the eyes of the government. The marriage part comes in on behalf of individual churches who can choose to perform marriage ceremonies for gay couples on a denominational or congregational basis, so long as that couple already has civil union status in the eyes of the Feds.

The vast majority of references to marriage in the federal government can be found in the tax code - change that to civil union and most of our problem would be solved. Would the Left still call civil unions discriminatory if that was all the federal government recognized? I doubt it. The difficult problem with this plan remains, of course, the uphill slog to convince social conservatives that this change doesn't actually undermine American society - any ideas on how we do that?

La France en Gitmo?

More interesting news from the Captain's Quarters. Apparently, French officials visited Gitmo to determine if their citizens were being held there; since then,

[T]hey have held all of them since, implicit recognition of the potential threat they posed.

Of course, Gitmo has been found to be illegal by French courts. But, with an eye to history, I've always found the French stance a bit hypocritical, as a simple examination of their history in Algeria and Vietnam will show.

Calderon Wins...

...for the moment. CNN's calling it for Calderon, with 99.59% of votes counted, noting that even if all the remaining votes went for Obrador, he still wouldn't win. Final margin: 35.83%-35.36%. Wow.

Unfortunately, Obrador has declared that he "cannot accept these results" and so will challenge them in court. As I noted earlier, we could be in suspense for two months before a winner is finally and formally declared.

Ahnold Opens Up on Angelides

New numbers from the LA Times.

6/26-30, 614 voters, +/- 4%
Schwarzenegger (R): 44%
Angelides (D): 37%

March:
Schwarzenegger (R): 40%
Angelides (D): 37%

Job Approval:
48% Approve, 41% Disapprove
March: 45%/45%
January: 39%/51%

This is the kind of news I like seeing.

More AQ-Iraq news from Fox

First off, credit to CQ for pointing this out. Apparently, Ray Robison, a former member of the Iraq Survey Group provided to Fox translated documents from Iraqi computer files, specifically a sort of instruction manual to Arabs operating in Afghanistan on how to avoid attracting attention to themselves. While this is by no means a smoking gun, even in my eager eyes, I think it's interesting how intelligence linking Iraq and terrorists (or Iraq and WMDs) continue to come out, and continue to get ignored by the media. Full Fox story, including the translated document, can be found here.

So...Apparently Religion Didn't Die with JFK

In discussions of 2008 contenders, I've occasionally supported Mitt Romney? Why not - the man's telegenic, can lay the groundwork for his own fundraising campaign, and has a ready-made GOTV network with his fellow Mormons. Apparently, that last point is proving to be something of a sticky wicket. Teddy Kennedy proclaimed that the issue of religion in presidential politics died with his brother, but a new poll from the LA Times seems to indicate otherwise. Thus, while wariness about a Catholic or a Jew in the White House has dissipated, Mormons and Muslims alike seem unable to assuage public concerns. 37% of respondents said that they wouldn't vote for a Mormon presidential candidate, while 54% said the same thing about a Muslim (and 21% said it about an evangelical Christian!).

While Romney consultants were quick to dismiss the numbers as the usual polling fluff (especially in light of his victory in Massachusetts), I'm not at all surprised. The Times correctly tagged Mormonism as being viewed as "exotic" as was Catholicism before that. In his Massachusetts victory, Romney merely proved that while Catholics were for decades discriminated against, they don't discriminate themselves on religious lines anymore (at least not in the Bay State). But the GOP base in the Heartland might still be wary of a Mormon...we'll see how Romney moves to address these concerns.

PS - Sorry about no Wednesday presidentials yesterday...

Bad News from the TX-28

Down in Texas, judges have ruled that DeLay can't get off the ballot and thus cannot be replaced by another Republican. Bad news for us, as DeLay isn't really running anymore. Story's on Kos right now, I'll try and corroborate...

If this is true that means the Demos only need to pick up 14 seats in the House before they can try and impeach the president. If that doesn't make you vote Republican, I don't know what will.

UPDATE
Found it on the Houston Chronicle's website as well (God I love Google News). Apparently this judge is a Republican appointee, so I guess we can't accuse him of partisan hackery (see Ronnie Earle).

Morning News Roundup

• The much anticipated sequel to 2003's Pirates of the Carribean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest premieres tonight/tommorow morning at 12:01AM. Yes, I'm going. Be jealous. The sequel as well as the third film, due out next summer, were filmed concurrently (much like the second and third installments of the Lord of the Rings trilogy) and are expected to cost, in total, over half a billion dollars. They'd better be good.
• The Mexican election promises to be a squeaker as the tally continues. Despite his earlier claims of victory, the right-wing Calderon is now behind ever so slightly in the polls to the populist Obrador. Some of the latest numbers I've seen have Calderon up 1/100 of a percent on Calderon, with 97.7% of the votes tallied. The good news is that

  The remaining votes to be counted are mostly from National Action Party, or PAN, strongholds in northern Mexico and Calderón's supporters are gathering outside Calderón's headquarters in anticipation of his victory.

  A Calderon victory would unequivocally be a victory for free trade in the hemisphere and potentially a partner on the immigration issue - or at least more of one than Obrador would be. However - and here's the real nail-biter - because of Mexican election law, the election court has to certify the results and has till September 6th to do so. Unfortunately, and much like our own 2000 election, I feel like the outcome, regardless of who is replaces Vicente Fox, will serve only to divide the Mexican populace at a time when the people of that nation need to have an honest discussion, free from partisan acrimony, about their future. I'll obviously continue to update as the day goes on.
  
• Washington Post blog coverage is here.
• Howard Dean's idea of winning back Congress? Spending $75,000 for a new headquarters for the US Virgin Islands Democratic Party. Apparently thinks have gotten so bad between him and DSCC Chairman/IL Democrat Rahm Emmanuel that "during a recent fire drill staffers worried that Dean and Emanuel might bump into each other on the curb." And people wonder why we can bungle things and still maintain the majority? This, ladies and gentlemen, is why. Democrats are desperate for some sort of victory, other than the "moral victories" they've been crowing about (see: CA-50), but instead Dean's claiming to build the groundwork for future presidential campaigns. Emmanuel's deeply worried about having sufficient resources to actually make a push this fall in the House, apparently seeing the midterms and Dean's 50-state plan as mutually exclusive. But Dean too, has his backers, people like the Alaska Democratic Party chairman, who noted that "Until Dean came along, states like Alaska were ignored." Maybe that's a function of having three electoral votes and just over 600,000 residents? Such efforts, and the funding of Democratic parties in places like the Virgin Islands, shows the flaw in Dean's logic. It may be nice, fuzzy, and inclusive to work with them - but to win races you need to work in the heartland, in Florida, in the Mountain West. Dean may leave the DNC as the most beloved Chairman, at least in the eyes of state parties; I doubt he'll leave being remembered as one of the most effective.
• In Washington and at the UN, US leaders are trying to craft a response to North Korea's ballistic provocations. Although the rhetoric has thus far been strong, the international response will no doubt be limited to sanctions and isolation. Unsurprisingly, some reports indicate that China and Russia are balking at even these limited measures. Russia, of course, is again trying to make itself relevant (admit it, it's a 2nd rate power - call it the Al Gore of the international order), however Chinese intransigence is more disturbing as I believe the key to any resolution of this issue is Chinese involvement.
• Happy 60th, Dubya.

More later.

A Tube to Nowhere?

Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), of "Bridge to Nowhere" fame is back...this time claiming the internet is a series of tubes in the debate over net neutrality. Depressing, yet funny here.

Sheehan et. al to Starve to Death

Cindy Sheehan and the usual Hollywood Rogues Gallery (Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, etc.) have announced they'll fast till September 1st. Although this isn't all that spectacular for Hollywood (I think the term they use out there is diet), ususally something so supposedly profound as protesting a just war isn't at the heart of the matter. They'll fast till September 1st, a date whose significance is lost on me (maybe they could make it ten more days, but that might suggest that Iraq and al-Qaeda were linked!). Gandhi they are not. Full article here.

Morning News Roundup

Hope everyone had a good 4th - a belated Happy Birthday shoutout to our nation.

• North Korea's been putting on a special fireworks show of its own. At last count, the Hermit Nation's armed forces have loosed seven missiles, including one Taepo-Dong 2, supposedly capable of hitting the Western US, though we'll never know for sure since it exploded shortly after launch. The Security Council is meeting this morning to discuss sanctions, but considering the regime's isolation that's hardly sufficient. However, after years of inter-allied dickering and tantrums, it looks like this has finally gotten everyone's attention and put us all on the same page.
• Space Shuttle Discovery launched yesterday, after days and days of trying. Is anyone else bemused by NASA's continued befuddlement - it's afternoon in Florida in the summer and it's raining?! Who would have expected that!
• The CIA confirms it's shut down the agency's Bin Laden unit, instead focusing its resources elsewhere. While I'm sure Lefties everywhere, with their unnatural fixation on OBL, are screaming, I say bravo. The man's less of a symbol, gallavanting around northwest Pakistan than he would be dead and a martyr.
• Mexico, welcome to Florida. Contrary to conservative candidate Felipe Calderon's claims of victory, Chavista-lite Obrador has called for a complete recount, rekindling fears of violence. I've heard persistent rumors that Obrador would pull Mexico out of NAFTA if elected...
• A new Washington Post poll on the Democratic Senate primary in Maryland shows former NAACP chairman Kweisi Mfume slightly leading Congressman Ben Cardin in a racially polarized race. In a race with a black GOP candidate in Michael Steele, race could be the issue. I'll keep an eye on this one, as I continue to think it's a prime GOP pickup opportunity, or should be if Steele is given a chance to explain himself.
  

Webb Plays the Comedian

James Webb has come out with another side-splitter: he claims that the GOP cannot win in Iraq, that they cannot "extract the United States from a bloody quagmire of their own making" (article, not Webb's words, but perhaps his sentiments). Perhaps, just perhaps, that's true. But are the Democrats any different? They refuse to stay and win this critical engagement in our War on Terror - wait, they can't even agree on whether or not to cut and run! It's tragic, I could like and respect Webb if he hadn't turned into such a stooge of Schumer, Kerry and Co.

New Numbers in Washington

Last time I saw polling numbers in the Washington Senate, incumbent Cantwell was up on McGavick 44%-40% (with, I assume, 16% undecided). New numbers from Strategic Vision shows roughly the same situation, Cantwell 47%, McGavick 43%, Undecided 10%. Clearly this race is tightening up, but even then a 4pt difference is hardly insurmountable especially given how far we are from election day. I honestly think this is our best chance to open things up in the Pacific Northwest for the GOP, so in my mind this is absolutely a top-tier race.

Morning News Roundup

This is really late (but all what? 2 of you? could care less)...

• Not exactly mainstream news but intriguing and cool nonetheless. A Texas-based Christian archaeological organization claims to have found the remnants of Noah's Ark in the Elbruz Mountains of Iran. Of course it probably won't clear rigorous scientific testing, but it's always fun to see people looking for stuff like this.
• GOP beat the Dems in the annual Congressional Baseball Game yesterday, 12-1. A friend of mine promptly remarked "it's because you have more Ken-doll legislators in your party" - not sure what to make of that?
• Up in Rhode Island, Cranston Mayor and Republican Senatorial challenger Steve Laffey refused to attend his party's convention. Laffey's been under a lot of pressure lately to step out of the race and clear the field for incumbent Lincoln Chafee, but as of yet there is no sign he'll yield to that pressure.
• In my Hamdan v. Rumsfeld analysis yesterday I'm apparently on the otherside of the fence from the rest of the conservative pundit-world, with the exception of Berkely Law professor John Yoo (I think he and I agreed, I didn't catch the entire clip, I'll definitely clarify this!).
• The House passed a resolution decrying unnamed news sources (read: New York Times) for revealing the SWIFT program, simultaneously defending its legality. The resolution, authored by Mike Oxley (of Sarbanes-Oxley fame), passed 227-183 with only seventeen Democrats crossing the aisle...and they wonder why we call them weak on national security? Eight GOPers voted no, though most are the usual suspects like Ron Paul. Full text of the legislation and roll-call can be found here.
• The House also passed a bill yesterday allowing for offshore drilling (see yesterday's posts for a discussion). It passed 232-187, but is expected to fail in the Senate so long as the revenue-sharing provision remains intact as many see it as wasteful in this time of fiscal emergency. I'll be interested to see how Mary Landrieu votes on this considering her state of Louisiana could benefit significantly from such increased revenue.
• President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Koizuimi will have a private tour of Graceland today; if you've ever seen the PM, his hair is mildly reminiscent of "The King."
• Argentina-Germany in a few minutes...should be an amazing game.
  

I hate to do this but...

Usually I link to stuff from the alternate-reality universe of Kos just for laughter's sake, but tonight I actually found an interesting and useful article there, so I'll copy it here for your reading pleasure. Basically, a Kossack with extensive campaign experience set out to compare the GOP and Democratic voter databases, Voter Vault and Demzilla respectively, and explore how the deeper GOP database, and the greater access to it by the party at all levels, contributed to success. Of course now that the secret's out among the grassroots, that probably means it's out among the party elite, and may mean that this Republican advantage will soon be nullified. Thankfully I don't think this is something you can fix overnight, but rather will take years and years (hopefully beyond the 2008 campaign!).

A Second Look at Hamdan v. Rumsfeld

Shortly after I'd taken a first look at SCOTUS's Hamdan v. Rumsfeld decision this morning, I came across an interesting analysis on Captain's Quarters, wherein they cited part of the majority's opinion (written by Stevens), which I confirmed here and copied below.

We have assumed, as we must, that the allegations made in the Government's charge against Hamdan are true. We have assumed, moreover, the truth of the message implicit in that charge--viz., that Hamdan is a dangerous individual whose beliefs, if acted upon, would cause great harm and even death to innocent civilians, and who would act upon those beliefs if given the opportunity. It bears emphasizing that Hamdan does not challenge, and we do not today address, the Government's power to detain him for the duration of active hostilities in order to prevent such harm. But in undertaking to try Hamdan and subject him to criminal punishment, the Executive is bound to comply with the Rule of Law that prevails in this jurisdiction.

So what exactly does all of this mean? Basically, my interpretation (backed up by the far wiser folks over at CQ) is that Gitmo's legality, as well as the legality of indefinite detention, is not at all challenged by the Hamdan ruling. Even more meaningful for our prosecution of our struggle against terrorism, when attempting to try detainees, the US "is bound to comply with the Rule of Law" - however, they are in no way forced to bring them to trial. Thus what at first glance might seem a defeat for aggressive anti-terrorism is in fact something of a victory, though a sort of backhanded one. I'll let CQ have the last word:

I'm satisfied with that agreement. Lock all of them up until Islamofascists surrender or die. When the Islamist terror networks give up their war on the United States, then we will release them. Until then, they can remain in Guantanamo Bay or wherever we set up detention facilities for them.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Bush Defeated by Supreme Court

Breitbart's got the story here; Bush overstepped his authority in ordering military war crimes trials for Gitmo detainees the Court found. Stevens wrote the opinion.

Morning News Roundup

• Dana Milbank has a great look in today's Post at Obama and faith (I posted a similar article again but this one's as good if not better). Jim Wallis hosted the event, and apparently Obama was far more impressive than Hillary. Whether or not Obama runs is probably influenced by whether or not the Clintonites still active in the party can prevent him from doing so.
• National Review has a piece on this fall's Senate races. While I generally agree with his analysis (and Connecticut's race should be a lot of fun to watch), as well as putting New Jersey in the toss-up column (George Will had a great piece on Tom Kean Jr.'s campaign), a few nitpicky points. First of all, I'd put Washington in the toss-up column - an incumbent with only a 4pt lead and an opponent whose never held office before? Those kinds of numbers are a Democrat seat ripe for red conversion. Also, out in Nebraska, although I haven't seen a whole ton of polling data, I have a feeling Pete Ricketts may have the ability to surprise people.
• The House is set to vote today on offshore drilling in domestic waters, opening up the 100-200 mile band everywhere and leaving the waters within 100 miles up to the individual discretion of the states. Some complain that industries such as tourism and fishing will be harmed, but at that distance I don't think they can see the rigs...but that probably never crossed their mind. Also, from my experience in Texas, for small-time fishermen rigs are a great place to look for fish - they might actually benefit. However the concern that I (shockingly) find myself most agreeing with is the one voiced by the Natural Resources Defense Council among others, that this will not end our addiction to oil. What should be done is earmarking a certain percentage of the royalties from the program (to be divided among state and federal coffers) for further R&D into renewable energy. I suspect state governments won't have too much of a problem with this as it will also fill their coffers at a time when many states are hurting. According to sources, the bill will pass the House but might have a tougher time in the Senate.
• In some of the most hopeful news I've heard out of the Middle East lately, Kuwaiti women are not just voting in elections for the first time today, they're also running for office. That makes women voting members of the electorate in 4 of the 6 Gulf states, four of five if one counts the UAE which doesn't have elections. All of this is occuring over the strenuous complaints of conservative Islamists; all I can say is that this is another victory for political liberalism in a region so badly in need of it.
• South Koera is finally threatening to do something if North Korea carries out its threat to test a missile; unfortunately that something is to cut off food aid. That's a move that a) probably won't influence Kim Jong-Il's thinking at all and b) will really only affect the already-famine affected people of North Korea, not the government itself.
• CSM has an interesting piece on the French debate over immigration and assimilation, similar to our own issues but with the difference that their are Muslim with all of the additional challenges that presents.

That's all for now folks, enjoy.

Another piece on Chavez

Ominous piece from a newsource I don't trust so much, but considering I don't read Korean I guess I have to. Apparently Chavez plans to meet with North Korea's Kim Jong-Il soon in part of his broader effort to piss off the US; South Korean press suggests that an oil-for-missiles deal might be part of the negotiations. Whether or not these are nuclear, a missile-capable Venezuela is not something I'm comfortable with.

Mexican Election Looming

Houston Chronicle's got a good piece covering the last day of campaigning in the Mexican presidential campaign to replace Vicente Fox of the National Action Party. The Chronicle correctly points out the election's ramifications for the US, as

"[t]he election will determine whether Mexico joins Latin America's rising tide of charismatic leftist leaders or continues on a path of fiscal conservatism and unbridled free trade."

I'm not entirely sure how the populist Obrador, a likely ally for Venezuelan calderon (only slight hyperbole), if he is victorious, will affect the flood of immigrants coming into the US. While his rhetoric and his attempts to equalize Mexican society (which will no doubt be done in a heavy-handed manner) might assuage potential immigrants worries about their future, it is unlikely that he will prove cooperative in our attempts to engage Mexico in any serious negotiations about choking off the flow of illegals. It's also worrisome to to contemplate another Chavez on our border, though unlike in Venezuela and Bolivia, there are no energy assets to nationalize.

Chemical Weapons Used Against Israel?

Reuters reports that the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claims it fired a chemical weapons-tipped rocket into Israel. IDF currently has no comment, but that they would claim such a thing is pretty remarkable. Most importantly, it shows that Mahmoud Abbas, "President" of Palestine and head of the Fatah movement, isn't able to control his own militants. With the passing of Sharon and the old guard, the Palestinians had an opportunity to make a cogent press for statehood - instead they've resorted to violence against Israel and among themselves...typical.

Good News in Old Virginia

First polling data I've seen on the Allen-Webb contest this fall shows Allen beating Webb handily, exactly what I'd expect and hope for.

Question asked of 533 likely voters, MoE +/-4.3%
"If the election for United States Senator were today, and you were standing in the voting booth right now, who would you vote for? Republican George Allen? Democrat Jim Webb? Independent Green Gail Parker or some other candidate?"
56% Allen
37% Webb
2% Parker
3% Other
3% Undecided

Braindead?

For a fun lefty view of history, half-depressing, half-hilarious, I'd recommend this from one of the braindead Kossacks today.

The Moonbats are at it Again!

Howard Dean said today that we're headed back to the 1960s, and I think he's right. Some crew of fringe lunatics (probably those without gainful employment, an education at someplace that encourages fact over Marxist ideology, and a strong suspicion of being insane) are organizing nationwide "teach-ins" to make the case for impeaching the President, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Rice, and others. All of this of course is founded on the fallacious belief that Bush willingly and knowingly lied about Iraq's WMDs, beliefs that are further disproven with every passing day. All of this of course requires that the Demos take back the House in the fall, so please, let's make sure to keep the map red.

SWIFT - Perspective, Fallout, and What You Can Do

If you live in a cave, I'll quickly summarize: last week, New York Times and LA Times, great patriots that they are, leaked the classified details of a program known as SWIFT by which the Treasury Department tracked the worldwide transfer of terrorist funds. Congress knew about, and signed off on, this program - thus there has been little more than a whimper from Democrats (in contrast to the NSA wiretapping program).

As mentioned in the morning roundup, House Republicans are considering a rather meaningless piece of legislation to slap the Times on the wrist. Thankfully, it looks like the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is sniffing around something more, having called for a damage study on the effects of the leak. Of course the usual crowd of fools - ACLU, European human rights crowds (since when are unions a human right?), etc. have already gotten in on the act. Great.

If you want Congress to really do something about this, I suggest you give one of the following a call (or your own Representative or Senator). I'll list only the Republicans on each committee.
Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
Roberts: (202) 224-4774
Hatch: (202) 224-5251
Dewine: (202) 224-2315
Bond: (202) 224-5721
Lott: (202) 224-6253
Snowe: (202) 224-5344
Hagel: (202) 224-4224
Chambliss: (202) 224-3521

House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
Hoekstra: (202) 225-4401
LaHood: (202) 225-6201
Everett: (202) 225-2901
Gallegly: (202) 225-5811
Wilson: (202) 225-6316
Davis: (202) 225-4261
Thornberry: (202) 225-3706
McHugh: (202) 225-4611
Tiahrt: (202) 225-6216
Rogers: (202) 225-4872
Renzi: (202) 225-2315
Issa: (202) 225-3906

Wednesday Roundup (Dems)

Call me lazy, but I'm just going to reiterate my rankings from last week.

UPDATE
I may just have to give Obama some more serious consideration...coming on top of the Democrats uncomfortable acknowledgement of the fact that they must reach out to middle America to triumph in 2008, an AP piece examines Obama and faith. Call me crazy but the man may just be running as the candidate who can talk to the average American.

Wednesday Roundup (GOP)

1. John McCain: A Senate compromise on immigration might take some of the heat he's been feeling on that issue off. Really, he moves into the top slot only because he hasn't given me a reason to bump him down. (Last week: 2)
   
2. Mitt Romney: Romney's sounding a cautionary note on the ability of the GOP to maintain a majority of gubernatorial seats this fall, and as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, he may be implicated in such an outcome. Also, as I see Warner flounder without direction, I realize that Romney's going to have to make a major pitch as to his relevancy; that he's failed to do so thus far is hurting him (Last week: 2)
3. Rudy Giuliani: Rudy's face is showing up on banner ads across the Internet, raising his profile but also showing he's interested. He'll have to do the same sort of wooing that McCain has with the religious right though before he climbs any higher. (Last week: 4)
   
4. George Allen: Senator Allen still has his hands full in Virginia, but his one-space drop was mostly a result of Giuliani more than him. (Last week: 3)
5. Tossup: I can't think of anyoen who really has a claim at the 5th spot, it's the 4 and the rest...hopefully thinks might straigthen out a little by next week.

Best of the Rest (in no particular order): Pataki, Rice, Huckabee, Tancredo, Frist

Whoopsie of the Day

Angel Maturino Resendiz, the "Railroad killer" convicted in 14 murders and who claimed he was half-man and half-angel and thus couldn't be killed, was executed yesterday. Guess he got that one wrong, huh?

Best Picture of the Day

Bush and a soldier who lost both legs in Iraq jogging yesterday on the South Lawn.

UPDATE
The soldier, Staff Sergeant Christian Bagge, was with the Oregon National Guard at the time of the attack (an IED). Since then he's not only undergone 11 surgeries, he's also reenlisted in the regular Army. Wow - thank God for our soldiers.

Morning News Roundup

Not getting out of bed early enough to get these done before coming to the office so they're a little later these days...on to the news.

• In another test of the strength of fervor over the immigration issue yesterday, Republican incumbent Representative Chris Cannon (UT-3) beat back a primary challenger by 14 pts, far more than polling had indicated. The challenge was promopted by Cannon's seemingly soft views on immigration.
• Speaking of immigration, Washington Times reports that Senators may finally be coming around to a "borders first" policy that would delay any discussion of amnesty or a guest-worker program until that crucial first step has been taken. Hopefully, such a compromise will end the House-Senate stalemate and put some sort of meaningful immigration reform bill on the President's desk before November.
• In a half-heart-warming story, House Republicans are starting to talk about maybe, possibly passing some weak legislation slapping the Times on the wrist for leaking the SWIFT story...hardly what I think is appropriate, but write your Congressmen and Senators and tell them that revealing secrets during war time, especially when these secrets have been cleared by Congress, is a vile act and one that should be punished harshly (this coming on top of the President's ringing condemnation yesterday).
• In what really is heartening news, as we see the first sign of real serious policy discussion in Congress in ages, the President is calling for a reexamination of Social Security reform and further tax reform. While the cuts may just be a partisan issue, and should be approached carefully, the White House and Republican leadership needs to do a far better job of laying out the need for reform to the American people. However, it also looks like the Senate is backing off on another try at the death tax, even though Frist and Co. are getting pressured by their House counterparts.
• Israel went into Gaza last night, decisively so. When will the Palestinian people realize that they're the ones most inconvenienced by such incursions, while the Hamas tomfoolery thtat sparked it is largely unpunished? I think it will be interesting to see how Olmert handles this crisis; he is the first Israeli PM not to be of the founding generation. Sharon was a war hero and veteran, having taken up arms for Eretz Israel on multiple occasions. Ben-Gurion once told him that "it doesn't matter what the world says about Israel, it doesn't matter what they say about us anywhere else. The only thing that matters is that we can exist here on the land of our forefathers. And unless we show the Arabs that there is a high price to pay for murdering Jews, we won't survive." That sort of perspective also characterized Sharon late into his political life, whether or not it holds true for Olmert remains to be seen.
  

Flag-Burning Amendment Fails

By a single vote today, the proposed flag-burning amendment again came to a halt in the Senate, with three Republicans voting against it. Yet as my friend pointed out, the long-term consequences of the failure implicitly favor the Republicans as we can trot it out again next year or the year after, whatever it takes to mobilize our base (though what we use to motivate them after we succeed in passing it I'm not sure)...yet perhaps he's being a little too cynical about my party's motives. Also of note is the fact that the majority of Democrats in competitive Senate races this fall voted for the ban - both Nelsons, Menendez, and Stabenow. The only real surprise was the absence of Cantwell - but with the troubles on her left flank, it may not be so short-sighted a move after all. Also, the three Republican nays (McConnell, Bennett, and Chafee) weren't at all surprising; Chafee's vote will harm him in his primary but no doubt reflects the feelings of the vast majority of Rhode Islanders.

More from the Middle East

So not only has Hamas kidnapped a 19 year-old soldier, it now appears that the Palestinian Resistance Committees (PRC) have kidnapped an 18 year-old settler in revenge for targeted killing of its leadership by the IDF.

With the soldier, Palestinian Chairman Abbas is telling his PM (a Hamas member) that he'll be targeted by the Israelis along with the rest of his terrorist bretheren. Why Hamas carries out such actions is beyond me, the constant infighting in the Palestinian territories have shown an inability for self-government. Israel, in my eyes, has effectively a carte blanche to not only get these two hostages back, but also punish those responsible. For those who think otherwise, would you argue that the United States shouldn't do such things when their soldiers are on the line?

In an NYT article, Rice urges Israel to hold back and try diplomacy, though whether that's viable with two lives on the line is debatable. Hamas is also arguing that they have two separate political and military wings (a typical setup in such organizations, including the IRA), a sort of "left hand doesn't know what the right is doing" though the Times notes that 10 days ago, a Hamas spokesperson "insisted that Hamas was one organization with a single leadership, making decisions collectively." With Hamas now running the Palestinian government, such coordinated attacks would mean that even the highest levels of the PA are culpable and should be subject to reprisals. (Note how the Times never uses the word terrorist to describe the kidnappers or Hamas as a whole...typical.)

The Jerusalem Post editorializes that Israel must raise the ante for Palestinian aggression and "[t]he price to be exacted must necessarily combine military and non-military actions by Israel, preferably supported and supplemented by sanctions imposed by the international community. Israel should stress to foreign governments that such a combination of Israeli and international action would, by far, be most effective at preventing further Palestinian attacks and eliminating the necessity for further Israeli defensive measures. But if necessary, Israel must be prepared singlehandedly to raise the price of attacking us to prohibitive levels - even if the Quartet is not helpful, and even if it is partially working at cross purposes." Hear hear.

UPDATE
In what might be a blatant attempt to stave off an Israeli response (perhaps an acknowledgement of a serious miscalculation), Hamas and Fatah have agreed on a plan that will implicitly recognize Israel. The recognition would call for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, hardly a strong statement. Maybe it's time for Israel to make a counter-offer: full, explicit recognition and the return of the hostages in exchange for only striking at those directly responsible for the kidnappings?

Morning News Roundup

First off, sorry for the lack of updates over the weekend and yesterday; the weekend is just me being lazy, yesterday is a case of the horrible weather in DC (essentially a monsoon) messing with my life. For 12 hours I was essentially a "displaced person" - thankfully FEMA didn't have to get involved. On to the news...

• Hillary Clinton has hired liberal blogger Peter Daou (of the Daou report for Salon readers) to her '06 Senatorial Committee...meanwhile, Mark Warner has signed MyDD blogger Jerome Armstrong to his PAC. So we have two aspiring Presidential candidates (and two counted among the front-runners) signing up what have become the footsoldiers of the modern leftist movement. Yet no similar action has been taken by Republican candidates among rightwing bloggers, presumably because the conservative blogosphere (besides the lack of rabies) is far less interested in trying to shape politics but rather just exists to provide some sort of rational commentary on it. Why this difference?
• In World Cup news, the two nations to advance from the US's group, Italy and Ghana, have had varying kinds of luck. Italy drew Australia in the first round, and thanks to a screwy ref (doesn't that sound familiar?), Italy advanced. Ghana's taking on Brazil this afternoon and barring some sort of miracle (one with cataclysmic effects in Brazil) will go down in flames.
• The Administration went on the warpath at the highest levels against NYT/LaT's revelations about the SWIFT anti-terror program, a program that tracked the worldwide transfer of funds by terrorists. Bush took the Times to task yesterday during a Q&A, but his is a stance that isn't reflected elsewhere, most noticeably at Justice. Whatever the cause, the Times stories are a violation of national security through the leaking of classified material, and the leakers (as well as the editors who chose to publish) should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. So all I can say is DOJ, grow a pair.
• Senate's expected to vote on the flag-burning amendment today, a vote that is expected to come very close to passing, but will probably be 1-2 votes short; Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (KY) has announced that he'll vote against the amendment on 1st Amendment grounds. A new CNN poll shows 56% of respondents support such a ban, with 40% opposed. And out on the Left Coast, an LA Times editorial argues that such an amendment would make us less free. Show me an American who wants to burn his country's flag and I'll show you an individual who is likely committed to undercutting our freedom in so many other ways. They're right to point out that we don't have a flag-burning epidemic, but the flag is an American symbol which borders on the sacred, the banner under which countless American servicemen and women have shed their blood and given the last full measure for their country; it is in short an emotional and evocative issue which goes beyond mere politics and in many of us addresses something deeper. It's bad politics in much of America to vote against such an amendment, but whether or not it is the right thing to do, I'm not sure.
• The search for a 19 year-old abducted Israeli soldier continues in Gaza, with the Israeli government threatening a major offensive unless Hamas releases the soldier. Such an offensive would be completely justified, and should be a major media blow to Hamas, though I suspect NYT et al will turn it around and criticize Israel for it.
• Only in Texas...a new SurveyUSA poll shows Rick Perry with 35% of the votes, while Kinky Friedman (I), Bell (D), and Strayhorn (I) are all within three points of eachother. I don't expect anyone but Perry to win this one, but these numbers reflect the unique nature of Texas politics.
  

John Edwards is running...again

In the Wednesday Roundup I gave Johnny "I chase ambulances" Edwards props for being the at the top of the heap in the Democratic struggle for front-runner status (if they can't even agree if they're for or against the war how do we expect them to decide much else?). He's been in the headlines for his work with the Center for Poverty, Work, and Opportunity ("Look at me I'm running for President!") at UNC. Of interest is the Hotline blog coverage of a "major policy address" by Edwards, an evolution of his old "Two Americas" schtick which he called "A Working Society" (maybe I'm just being a crass capitalist pig but I'd say, with an unemployment rate of 4.6%, we're already there). Edwards' plan inherently appeals to the populist, less-than-free-market instincts of his base (he's getting a lot of chatter in the blogosphere) through the abolition of poverty in 30 years, with a one-third reduction in ten years and the creation of a welfare state to reward hard work. His plan includes minimum wage hikes, "stepping stone" jobs (?), housing vouchers, and a refocusing of the education system (please tell me that means school vouchers and I might not call him a quasi-socialist). He claims housign vouchers are necessary to get working families out of "bad neighborhoods" - but why doesn't he challenge working families to improve the neighborhoods around them. In cities across the nation, innovative public-private partnerships have driven back gangs and reduced crime by acting as a community again, that elemental social unit that, while not the primary means of raising a child, is essential to preserve identity and some sort of order in larger metrolpoli (pl?). Oh, and all of this would smack of a lot less hypocrisy if Edwards himself weren't so filthy rich while simultaneously claiming that ours is a society that rewards the rich and ignores the poor.

(Belated) Morning Roundup

Lots coming off the wires, so let's get started folks.

• Ozzie Guillen was fined for his anti-gay slurs this week, though he's not out of the woods yet with the aggrieved columnist calling for his suspension and some talk about him having to go sensitivity training. As much as I despise the Sox, and abhor Guillen for what he said, sensitivity training?! This is baseball, people, not ballet. But best part of this whole disaster so far were Guillen's attempts to talk his way out, claiming his vitriol would have had a different context in his native Venezuela (...right), and - this is when it gets priceless - "He also said that he has gay friends, goes to WNBA games, went to the Madonna concert and plans to attend the Gay Games in Chicago." Rest of the article is here.
• In what can't come as a surprise to anyone with a little bit of common sense, General Casey has explicitly linked Tehran to Shiite extremist groups, saying that the Iranians have provided training, IED technology, and weapons both directly through their special forces and indirectly through their Lebanese lackeys. Beyond the obvious problem, Casey said (and I agree) that such support works to increase Sunni suspicion of the new government. Calling Tehran out might not stop their aid altogether, but it may force them to back off a little bit.
• A two-tour Iraqi veteran lets off steam about the Iraqi plan (since revised) to give amnesty to those insurgents and terrorists who killed only Americans, not Iraqis. I heartily agree, and was disappointed when some Senators found it within themselves to vote in favor of such an amnesty plan, hoping it'd go unnoticed (I'm not goign to name names). Thankfully I've heard elsewhere that the Iraqi government realized that they'd just stuck their foot in their mouth and revised the proposal, refusing amnesty to those killing Iraqis or their friends (US, UK, etc.) but still letting those found carrying weapons go...I swear this place makes Deadwood look like Pleasantville.
• Thank you Captain Obvious. Pew's put out a new poll on the Muslims perception of the Western world and vice-versa. Nothing too stunning there, though I found the regional disparities within the Western perception of the Muslim world interesting. Feedback welcome as always.
• Apparently we've broken up another attempted terrorist attack, this one aimed at targets in Miami or Chicago, with the target in the latter city being the Sears Tower. These guys apparently dreamed big but had no real means of carrying out their attacks; I've read elsewhere that they thought taking out the Sears Tower would cripple the nation...seems like a leap to me. In other homeland security news, cities have finally gotten around to talking about banning transhipment of dangerous chemicals through densely-populated areas. Everytime one of those cars derails out in the boonies they have to evacuate half a county - can you imagine that in a major city? Of course it won't end the threat, but if enacted, these measures will go a long way to securing America's big urban centers (oh and I'm shocked that the railroad lobby can possibly defend such bans on economic grounds...that'll go over real well).
• In some of the greatest news I've heard for democracy in a long while, my favorite for the Texas gubernatorial, Kinky Friedman, has made it onto the ballot. Kinky, for those of you aern't familiar with it, burst onto the scene with a C&W band called "Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys" - and it's been uphill ever since. His website is here - and I hate to admit it, but the man makes some sense. The joke in the primaries was "Rick Perry got the most votes, incumbent Republican Carole Keeton Strayhorn [Scott McClellan's mom] took second - who took third? Kinky or the Democrat?" Rick Perry should still win without serious effort, but this will be an amusing race now that Kinky's on the ballot.
• In our second "Duh" moment of the day, Democrats angling for the White House stressed the importance of being able to relate to middle-class voters on things like faith and NASCAR. I'm not going to say anything more - tre fact they had to step up and say that themselves just shows why Democrats cannot win national elections. Victor Davis Hanson also points it out, noting that most of their doom and gloom predictions (or wishful thinking, i.e. Karl Rove being indicted) have failed to materialize, to say nothing of their continued stubborn lack of vision or big ideas...yes they rolled out a program last week, but college tax credits don't count as big ideas, indeed they're about as quotidien as one gets in the world of policy.
• The House passed two bills of some note yesterday, one scaling back the death tax, after the Senate had failed to abolish it, and the other passing a weaker form of the line-item veto, a mechanism by which they hope to reduce wasteful spending. We'll see if either one gets through the Senate.

That's all for now folks, sorry about how late this is getting out.

Hmmmm...

Why haven't I seen this in the mainstream media? British-based Islamic terrorists planning on turning cameras into stunguns (how?) and using them to hijack aircraft to crash into the Canary Wharf development on the East End.

If anyone else is keeping score, the media is 0/2 on two pretty big stories in the last 24 hours. Much better, in the case of CNN's website, to keep hooting and hollering about global warming...

My News at Noon

• Some form of energy sanity has finally prevailed, with the House Committee on Resources voting overwhelmingly to lift restrictions on coastal driling. I swear in the debate about oil and gas drilling, critics are stuck in the 1930s with the images of the great gushers in the Permean Basin...things have gotten so much cleaner since then. The drilling permitted by the vote would be out of sight from shore, within our broad belt of territorial waters. Although it's not as good as finding cleaner sources of renewable energy, anything that's not Saudi oil or Russian natural gas is okay in my book.
• Two former Clintonistas show some courage on foreign policy. Perry and Carter urge a first strike on that Taepodong missile which is causing everyone such a headache, which would also send a clear signal to North Korea about the gravity of the situation. The worst the North could do is threaten an invasion of the South, they say, a threat they're unlikely to carry out. I largely agree with their analysis, but unfortunately it will have to be a largely unilateral action; I don't think Seoul would support us on the offchance Kim Jong-Il is actually crazy enough to invade. Japan would support us only if in their strategic calculus such an action does more to stabilize than destabilize the volatile region. As for our friends in China, I suspect they'll be vehemently opposed merely because of the precedent set. Yet in some way I think our back is to the wall, we've used the proverbial carrot for a decade now with no tangible results. Smacking "Dear Leader" around a little bit might make him realize that he's the ruler of an impoverished nation of starving people with a third-rate military, his fantasies of greatness aside.
• In the Washington Senate campaign, the wishy-washy Maria Cantwell is steadily losing ground to former Safeco CEO and Republican challenger Mike McGavick. It's not a race that has been in the headlines much, but at present Cantwell holds a slender four-point lead (44%-40%), and her numbers have been steadily declining over the last couple of months. McGavick is the sort of candidate whose beliefs mesh with the dual nature of Washington politics, what with its liberal Seattle face and conservative trans-Cascades bit too. I also feel like Washingtonians remember the recent governors race where, and I'm not being a partisan hack here, it certainly seems like the Democrats stole the election from Dino Rossi. Cantwell may just be unlucky enough to feel their wrath in November.
• The House won't vote to renew the Voting Rights Act right away; don't worry, it's not as bad as it sounds. The original act contained provisions designed to ensure the compliance of select (read: Southern) states via federal oversight. The "rebellious" Reps feel that those days are gone and thus those provisions should be removed. In an interesting piece on Tuesday, WSJ OpinionJournal argued that the removal of those Section 5 clauses might permit (God Forbid!) an end to racially-based gerrymandering and the resultant creation of majority-minority districts to provide safe Democratic and Republican seats. The removal of those same provisions might also allow states, if they so desire, to publish ballots only in English...though, call me crazy, but I feel like if you don't speak English you shouldn't really be voting anyways? That there has been such a "Republicans are racist" firestorm is easy to understand considering the relative complexity of the issue and its intersection with racial tensions; hopefully some sanity at all levels will soon be forthcoming.
• Looks like Carl Levin's amendment, what's been termed "cut and jog" by some, has also failed. Again, as soon as the Senate posts the votes I'll break them down.
• Saddam valiantly presses on with his hunger strike - no more eating your Doritos in his underwear? (It was one thing when Gandhi would go on hunger strikes, he always looked on the verge of expiration; Saddam, not so much).
• US loses, Italy wins. Italy and Ghana will advance. I'm bitter about this - Stanley Cup: done, NBA: finals done, World Cup: US is out...what am I supposed to watch now?
  

Kerry-Feingold Amendment Goes Down in Flames

86-13 (no idea who didn't vote, I'll get the Rollcall and any comments up here ASAP).

Going down in flames also seems to be the fate of US Soccer...it's painful to watch.

Hank Paulson and China

Bloomberg reports that Hank Paulson, Bush's new nominee for Treasury Secretary, replacing the outgoing John Snow (by the way, who ever thought that in the 21st century, a railroad executive was a good choice for Treasury Sec? A Goldman guy is much better) is divesting himself of any assets that may prove a conflict of interest - including shares in a Goldman fund which is invested solely in the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC).

As Treasury Secretary, what will Paulson's stance on China be? He's long been oriented that way in his work at Goldman, as they and their competitors rush in to that enormous market. Given that he previously had a personal financial interest in the region's success, will he in any way be inclined to take positions that might not always be 100% in the US's best interest? Just idle speculation, I hope. But with Robert Zoellick's resignation last week, and with it the departure of one of the main figures shaping US-PRC policy, will Paulson step into that void, taking on issues beyond his traditional portfoli?

Morning Roundup

(This one will be brief)

• MSM coverage of the WMDs in Iraq, announced yesterday by Santorum and Hoekstra, can best be described as "lalalalallalalalalalal I can't hear you lalalalallalalallalala" - that is to say an attitude of "if we don't cover it, it didn't happen." Of course it's out in the conservative blogosphere, some good stuff there - links later.
• DailyKos's coverage, just for amusement, is here. Headline? "PA-Sen: Santorum Makes Shit Up" - including an innane childish barb that when Santorum said "Congressman Hoekstra and I are here today to say that we have found weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, chemical weapons" he literally meant he andHoekstra - no you moonbat idiots, that was not the royal we. That was we as in the United States, a nation which I often think you and your fellow leftists despise.
• In a victory against one of the more insidious forms of anti-Semitism (or at the least anti-Zionism), NYT reports that the Presbyterian Church (USA denomination) backed off a two-year old commitment to divestment. Thank god they're finally being logical
• Bush's attempt to rachet up on the pressure on Iran and North Korea has received some unexpected support and encouragement from European leaders, marking the first time they've gotten their heads out of the sand in Western Europe since we saved them from fascism. (Later: discussion of a French neo-con movement slowly gaining ground)
• I am a Cubs fan, ergo I suffer. After just four starts this year, Kerry Wood wonders if he'll be able to pitch any more this year. Memo to Jim Hendry and Dusty Baker: sometime soon you two will have to admit that having a mediocre rotation + Wood+ Prior = a mediocre rotation. Simple math. Oh and it's a pisspoor rotation when Zambrano gets all emotional...so let's try and invest in some better pitching staff and not pin the hopes and dreams of thousands on two expensive cripples?
• USA-Ghana today, 9:30AM ET. A win, plus an Italian win over the Czech Republic, would put us in the next round. Considering this is the same Italian squad that scored on themselves against us Saturday, and then managed to only battle to a draw despite our being a man down (actually 10-9 but whatever), that may be a tall order...y'all better be watching.
  

ChiSox are such a bunch of gentlemen...

ESPN says that Ozzie Guillen called Sun-Times sports columnist Jay Mariotti a fag, among other things. Hope he gets some sort of penalty for that...full story here.

What was that about no WMDs?

Rick Santorum just said on Fox that US troops have found 500 chemical-weapons filled munitions in Iraq - can anyone still tell me there were no WMDs in Iraq?

More later.

UPDATE I
Santorum's released report claimed the munitions found were filled with sarin and mustard gas, two highly dangerous chemical agents which even when decayed can still be lethal.

Also, nearly an hour after the story first broke, neither CNN nor Fox News have the story; CNN is still fixated on the conviction of those seven Marines and one sailor - they'd rather talk about soldiers as war criminals rather than a crucial piece of evidence supporting our prewar case for invasion...typical. Maybe they think we've had all the good news we can handle for the month, what with al-Zarqawi's death?

More later.

Avian Flu Update

The Wall Street Journal has put out a great table about the victims so far of H5N1 avian flu, 130 to date, across nine countries. Thus far it clearly indicates that the virus has not mutated to permit human to human transition. However, it is clearly centered thus far in nations where the healthcare infrastructure is insufficient to permit any real quarantine and bird destruction should a serious outbreak occur; further, many of these countries lack even the ability to really keep track of cases. Of even greater significance is the fact that many of these countries have alerady shown resistance to WHO inspectors when it's suggested they destroy birds because of the economic impact.

Foreign Affairs devoted several articles in an issue last year to the topic, they can be found here.

UPDATE
New York Times ran this article today, I meant to include it - obviously didn't. In essence, the Ag Department has failed to put in place sufficient mechanisms to allow proper identification of the virus among poultry and wild birds. While I'm not generally in favor of government intrusion, and I suspect that it may be right to say that poultry-producers have their livelihood invested in making sure there are no infections, on something like this I almost feel better safe than sorry is the way to go.

Wednesday Roundup (Dems)

This week's take on the Demo contenders for the White House...

1. (Shockingly) John Edwards: He had a great showing in an Iowa straw poll about ten days ago, "his" candidates did well in the Iowa primaries, and if (for some silly reason) the minimum wage becomes a serious issue, no one is better positioned to capitalize than Edwards. He's still, as I've noted before, the union darling - he's also a young, handsome populist who caters well to the base instincts (er...base's instincts?)
2. Hillary Clinton: Considering the lack of a really strong Senate candidate in the Empire State - and who ever volunteers to be the sacrificial lamb? - Hillary is able to both fundraise for herself and for others, building a fat warchest and loads of IOUs...one potential pitfall for her will be the Iraq debate, if of course her party can ever figure out a common position. Of course the looming, and damning, question is whether or not she can be succesful in the retail politics so crucial in Iowa and New Hampshire.
3. Mark Warner: Still popular, interesting, and wealthy, but he's not exactly a rockstar right now. His heavy-handed attempts to win the love of the Kossacks at YearlyKos appear to some to have backfired, making them suspicious of his intent. Meanwhile, he seems to have found it difficult to stay relevant while out of office - also hard to maintain the necessary profile. Rumor has it he had a succesful fundraiser in Georgetown Monday night, but while schmoozing the big-dollar donors is important, more important is connecting with the average voter.
4. Evan Bayh: Bayh, in the Senate, is having trouble staying relevant but he's still got an impressive resume and good credentials; if he's truly serious about any sort of run he needs to make some noise on some big issue soon. Hopefully we'll have fundraising numbers soon...
5. John Kerry: Don't ask me what I'm thinking, just look at the fawning attention he's been receiving from the anti-war left lately. These folks are the ones that vote in the primaries! But he's still got the scent of spoiled goods about him, a scent that may be impossible to shake and eventually damning.

Others, in no particular order:

• Tom Vilsack: Vilsack too will soon face the relevancy problem as he'll be term-limited out of office in January. It's unclear even if he'll be able to play any real role as a kingmaker in 2008, considering that primary voters pretty much ignored his endorsements.
• Barack Obama: The man's slowly lining up consultants - he's too young to be a serious candidate, but would be a great VP pick...

Daschle, Clark, Feingold, and Richardson are out there, but I don't see any of them as all that serious at present.

Priceless Pt. Deux

Courtesy of Little Green Footballs

Can't actually believe it myself!

More Good News in Arizona

I heard from a friend today that down in Arizona, one of my favorite Senators, Jon Kyl, is continuing to wipe the floor with his Demo opponent. A new poll shows Kyl up on Jim Pederson 43%-29%. Kyl's one of the best voices and hardest workers we've got in the Senate, and after he's reelected this fall, hopefully will be Majority Whip.

Wednesday Roundup (GOP)

Here's the first installment of what I hope will be a weekly update, with my impressions, on Presidential candidates and how their relative standing is affected by the events of the week. Ranking is some sort of measure of strength.

1. Mitt Romney: Usually counted among the Big 3, Mitt the Mormon seems to be the only top-tier candidate not getting kicked around in the media. For no other reason than evading being a MSM Pinata, Romney rates this week's #1 spot.
2. John McCain: It's been an upsy-downsy week for McCain. On the one hand, McCain still seems to be on the wrong side of the immigration debate, and though others say it isn't really a make or break or won't be that crucial in 2008, for the time being he and the conservative base don't see eye to eye on what is shaping up to be one of the definitive domestic issues of 2008. Also, in a CNN poll released yesterday, a third of respondants said they definitely wouldn't vote for McCain; his positives (will definitely vote for?) were a lukewarm 12%. Yet on the plus side he continues to dominate media coverage and garner favorable reviews from both sides of the aisle. If the American public is ready for an end to the partisanship characterized by Congressional hammers like Delay and shrews like Pelosi, McCain may benefit immensely.
3. George Allen: Facing a tougher-than-expected November challenge from former Republican Jim Webb (funny how in a highly-touted race only a former Republican can challenge a Republican) and Democratic attempts to further the fallout from his comments that he's bored in the Senate, Allen's looking a little pained. But he's well-funded and well-liked so this should only be a bump in the road. Whether or not he can standout from the pack and whether or not another George can win the White House remains to be seen.
4. Rudy Giuliani: That same poll that had mixed reviews for McCain was pretty good news for Giuliani considering he's been incredibly coy about his intentions. I'm not at all convinced that he can win over the base and succeed in the primaries, but if he were to do so, he'd be incredibly dangerous in the general. Also, I remember reading/hearing somewhere recently that he hosted his first big PAC fundraising dinner in ages - is he up to something? (if you have a source for that let me know!)
5. Bill Frist: Not convinced. He's failed to get the setpieces of his agenda through the Senate, and while some were destined for failure (FMA), others (Death Tax) should have been passable. He'll leave office in January probably with at best a mixed record; whether or not he can change voters' minds in the intervening year (till Iowa) remains to be seen. Also, his cat-killing days might come back to haunt him.

Best of the Rest (in no particular order): Pataki, Rice, Huckabee, Tancredo

Lefty Foolishness

Though the title could refer to Mickelson's Meltdown on Sunday, I think a better term would be idiot.

No, what I'm really referring to this clown (need proof? his blog has a "Draft Gore 2008" banner), who for the past year has been the brains (lobotomy?) behind what has become known as "Operation Yellow Elephant." The cutesy name refers to plans to protest College Republicans, calling on them to "volunteer to fight in the war they demanded." Smells like Vietnam, doesn't it?

It's more insidious than that, it is in truth a vitriolic attack on College Republicans for all of their activities. Yes they supported the war in Iraq - as did the majority of Americans prior to the conflict. If they've failed to enlist in large numbers, perhaps it's because they're in college! The Left, since Vietnam, has had a problem with educational deferrments whether they be implicit or explicit; thus that attack. But while CRs may not been enlisting in droves, conservative youth are. Clown-boy brings up the manpower shortage and suggests that CRs might help solve it. On a most basic level, there's not enough of them (and from personal experience I can say many will serve after graduation). The real solution is enlisting more liberals, the children of the 1960s generation where cause and event are ignored and belittled, moral relativism runs rampant, and an absolute inability to take responsibility for the consequences of one's actions are par for the course. Their kids could learn a little something from USMC drill sergeants.

His attacks then turn to spittle-flecked blathering - College Republicans should also serve because of their other heinous acts such as immigrant hunts and affirmative action bake sales, to say nothing of underwriting and bringing to campus Malkin, Coulter, Horowitz, etc. With the exception of Horowitz, who the left dreads merely because he's often so damn good, the rest of his charges are specious. Such speakers and events might be taken seriously by a minority of attendees, but for most they really only serve to elevate the level of debate and provoke lefty students and universities into saying and doing stupid things. CR brings in someone like Coulter who they might find amusing but don't take seriously, and local Democrats and liberals take her all too seriously and go on the warpath. Every time they open their mouth they look more foolish and justify our provocative tactics. No more perfect example exists than this clown.

Morning News Update

Anything mildly important/interesting/amusing that happened while I slept.

• The Heat beat the Mavs 95-92 last night to clinch their first franchise championship; if you read this here first, you're pathetic.
  
• I'm starting to think the award for "Most Dangerous Job in Iraq" goes to Saddam's defense team - three of them have been killed since his trial began. As much of a farce as it is, and that's thanks almost entirely to the former dictator's delusional antics, it's good to see the Iraqi people pursuing him through rule of law rather than vigilante justice. Yet because they're trying to address these issues legally, it really is unfortunate that his lawyers keep dying.
• Chris Cilizza reports on the Democratic fundraising lead, a lead that is only extant in comparing Congressional and Senatorial committees; the DNC is still getting kicked around by the RNC. And the latest NRCC/NRSC numbers don't include the $27 million that Bush raised for them on Monday night!
• Bush is in Vienna talking to the EU - because they so obviously respect the President and are honestly going to listen to what he has to say. Send flowers and a letter of condolences for their slowly collapsing economies.
• North Korea is still rattling its cage. If they follow through with their harebrained threats (backed up by some of the worst logic and reasoning I've ever heard), it won't prove that Kim Jong-Il ranks among the ballsiest world leaders, merely the stupidest. Complain about the picture if you want, it's early, I think it's funny.

More later.

A Blog Most Worth Visiting

I just added a link that should have been up long ago, to a blog called "Not Your Average GI Joe" - the author is going through US Special Forces qualifications and his story is both enlightening and inspiring. Read, enjoy, share.

I Really Hope Our Missile Defense Shield Works

Apparently Washington and Pyongyang have gotten into what might be described as an international ballistic pissing contest. If you live under a rock, the story in short is that North Korea is threatening to launch a missile that has the potential to hit Alaska if not the mainland US; needless to say I suspect that's got some folks pretty nervous at the Pentagon so we're threatening to strike back and shoot it down using our vaunted missile defense system. Of course the problem is so far the thing has proven to be a pile of junk, incapable of hitting its intended target; now with national pride on the line, I really hope we get lucky. Oh, Leno last night: "Since we're exchanging knowledge here, it might be good for them to know we have a few thousand missiles that could reach North Korea in about an hour. In fact, if Kim Jong-Il ordered a pizza right now, our missile would get there first." Good point. We could reduce North Korea to a stinking inhospitable pile of rocks populated by starving people - but isn't that what it is already?

Signs of the Apocaylpse (+ Apologies)

Back on 6/6/06, Letterman did a top 10 signs of the Apocalypse. They were funny, but I'll add one to that: A Southern team has won the Stanley Cup...by beating a Canadian team. Now honestly I'm not much of a hockey fan, but since when did Southerners get so into hockey? The RBC Arena in Raleigh was PACKED for all of the Hurricanes' games; maybe they're just nuts about all sports? (After all this is the region that is home to the greatest rivalry in sports, namely Duke-UNC).

ALSO - Slow day at the office thus I'm trying to catch up with everything I've been ignoring for days/weeks...I'll try and be more regular, I just haven't discovered how to fit blogging into my overall schedule.

Stevens to Retire?

WSJ's Political Diary today noted the ever-present rumors that Justice John Paul Stevens, a reliably liberal member of the Supreme Court, and one appointed by Republican Gerald Ford, might retire at the end of the term. It was a year ago on July 1st that Sandra Day O'Connor retired, so such a move would have a well-remembered precedent. Should Stevens retire, the ramifications will be far greater than when O'Connor stepped down.

For one, with a number of hotly-contested Senate races this fall, the bases of both parties could be mobilized by a vociferous debate. Two Democrats whose political careers are on the line voted against Roberts; four such Democrats (plus one Republican) voted against Alito. The pressure on Ben Nelson of Nebraska will be especially fierce considering his votes for both Roberts and Alito. With a formerly liberal seat on the line, expect not only Harry Reid, but also MoveOn.org and the whole bunch of usual leftwing suspects to break his arm and vote no. If he votes to confirm, it'll be interesting to see if Move On and the rest continue to villify him (possibly handing his seat to a Republican) or whether they don't shoot the party in the foot.

Also of interest is the nominee; WSJ predicts a woman, I'm inclined to think so as well. Attempting to put Miers on the bench was a stupid move by Bush (she was undeniably an intellectual lightweight); given the chance he'll likely nominate another woman. Some of the names WSJ suggests are mildly familiar ones: Janice Rogers Brown and Priscilla Owen became household names among political junkies during the Senate's "nuclear option" standoff. As they point out (and I'm proud to say I can also take credit for the same thought), with Brown, Bush would be putting the first minority woman on the bench.

Of course before all of this debate and strife can begin, Justice Stevens needs to retire.

Global Warming Brouhaha

So somehow the liberals behind the global-warming scare machine slept through biology (possibly because there wasn't a Marxist interpretation - things evolve for survival not profit or proletarian revolution) and thus seem to lack any sort of broader perspective about global history. The world, I would argue, has gone through repeated periods of cooling (i.e. ice ages) and warming ("when dinosaurs ruled the Earth"). So, call me crazy, isn't it possible that we're experiencing such a shift now? Of course the larger questions are this: how much are we enhancing the effects of an otherwise natural climactic change; and how much temperature shift can modern society take without suffering some sort of collapse? On a related note, the Norwegians have begun construction of what some are calling a "Noah's Ark" of crop seeds, a vault whose purpose it is to preserve seed samples from around the world in case of some catastrophic disaster. Not to be a naysayer, but if the Norwegians don't survive, how are we going to find the damn thing?