A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Subpoenas OK'd, but not issued “The White House yesterday said its offer to allow Congress interviews with top administration officials will be voided if Democrats issue subpoenas, sending out the warning after a House subcommittee authorized subpoenas but did not issue them.” (READ MORE)
Gore turns heat on Congress “Former Vice President Al Gore yesterday called on Congress to create a polluter tax and immediately freeze carbon emissions during a much-hyped appearance before House and Senate panels tasked with finding ways to halt climate change.” (READ MORE)
Coke vs. Bolivia in the 'dignity' stakes “Bolivia's ruling party demanded that Coca-Cola drop the ‘coca’ from its name to ‘dignify’ the ‘bioenergetic’ leaf that provides the main ingredient in cocaine.” (READ MORE)
Chinese wife goes after Yahoo to free her husband from prison “Yu Ling's eyes well up and her hand instinctively pats her heart at the mention of her husband. Wang Xiaoning, her partner of 27 years, is serving a 10-year sentence for using the Internet to advocate democracy.” (READ MORE)
Use of deadly force likely to be expanded in Texas “Texas legislators have sent to Gov. Rick Perry's desk a bill that allows people to use deadly force against attackers outside their homes under a much broader range of circumstances than current law allows, including in defense of their cars or businesses…” (READ MORE)
John Murtha, Hero of the War Protesters “Gruff, jowly John Murtha wouldn't seem to be a Code Pink kinda guy, what with his appetite for pork and his pro-gun, antiabortion Marine hero bona fides.” (READ MORE)
House Panel Authorizes Subpoenas Of Officials “A House panel authorized subpoenas yesterday for top White House and Justice Department aides, including White House counselor Karl Rove, setting up a constitutional clash with the Bush administration over the U.S. attorneys investigation.” (READ MORE)
Pentagon Is Probing Veterans Home “Reports of a rising death rate and rooms spattered with blood, urine and feces at the Armed Forces Retirement Home prompted the Pentagon yesterday to begin investigating conditions at the veterans facility in Northwest Washington.” (READ MORE)
Pakistani Opposition Seizes on Controversy “Thousands of lawyers and political activists in cities across Pakistan staged peaceful rallies Wednesday as they continued their nearly two-week-old campaign against President Pervez Musharraf's decision to suspend the nation's chief justice.” (READ MORE)
Channel Offers Unusual Takes on War, Courtesy of Soldiers on the Front Lines “Soldiers submit video clips from their service in Iraq and Afghanistan to the Military Channel, part of the Discovery Channel. The clips represent a wide range of life on the front line -- soldiers in battle, goofing around in their off time, taking target practice. The soldiers who have submitted video clips said it is important for them to get their stories out...” (READ MORE)
From the Front:
Omar: The future of an Islami state in Iraq. “Politicians, pundits and observers differ in their assessment as to what faction poses the greatest threat in Iraq; some, including the pentagon put the Mehdi Army on top of the list while others believe it's al-Qaeda. Who is number one is not really the most important point because both groups are almost equally extremely dangerous and both had already caused so much mess and cost Iraq and America a heavy price in blood, treasure and precious time. Both need to be dealt with.” (READ MORE)
Jack Army: I've seen those faces... “I found this photo a few days ago when scanning through the Technorati pages. It is a very moving picture, and a scene that I've seen several times personally, played out by people I love as they watch me depart. My family, I firmly believe, will be better for it, as harsh as that may sound. My wife and I believe that God only gives you what you can handle. Sometimes your situation may seem insurmountable or impossible, but it isn't. There is a way through every situation though it may not be evident to you at the outset and the ultimate path through difficulty may not be the one you envisioned, it is there. I believe that.” (READ MORE)
Charlie Munn: Reserves “I’m a National Guardsman. I’m a citizen soldier, part of an organization that traces its lineage to the Minutemen. Those Revolutionaries had civilian careers, just like we do today –and just like today those careers were abandoned when the country called them to arms. Since 9/11/2001, the National Guard has shouldered a historically amazing combat load. The Guard/Reserves have been hovering between 40-50 percent of all forces deployed across the globe. Elements of my unit have been deployed several times, to Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans, Cuba, and elsewhere to support the Global War on Terror.” (READ MORE)
IraqPundit: Iraqis: What Civil War? “There's been a wave of poll results out of Iraq in the last few days, including findings that may have surprised some Western readers. Let me try to offer some context for these findings, especially the continuing issue of whether Iraqis think their country is engaged in a civil war.” (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Robert Mayer: The Middle East's new democratic model “Mauritania's military coup in 2005 yielded widespread international condemnation from all quarters of the globe. The United States, for example, unleashed a barrage on the junta by stating, ‘We oppose any attempts by rogue elements to change governments through extra-constitutional or violent means.’ Such statements were not only premature at best, but completely baseless and hypocritical at worse.” (READ MORE)
Robert D. Novak: Was Valerie Covert? “The former CIA employee's status is critical to the attempted political rehabilitation of former Ambassador Joseph Wilson and his wife.” (READ MORE)
Cal Thomas: The president's fading voice “President Bush appealed for patience as the Iraq war entered its fifth year. In a televised address from the White House, the president warned of the consequences if America were to ‘pack up and go home.’” (READ MORE)
Alan Reynolds: Subprime Economics “When it comes to economic news, the press tends to be biased toward exaggeration and sensationalism. If some event isn't a ‘scandal,’ then it must be a ‘crisis.’” (READ MORE)
Donald Lambro: Pork-barrel politics put troops at risk “House Democratic leaders want to add $24.6 billion to President Bush's $95 billion request for U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, but it's not for more weaponry or life-saving armor.” (READ MORE)
Victor Davis Hanson: '300' Fact or Fiction? “Crowds are flocking to see the film ‘300’ about the ancient Spartans' last stand at the pass at Thermopylae against an invading Persian army. Yet many critics, in panning ‘300,’ have alleged that the film is essentially historically inaccurate. Are they right?” (READ MORE)
Roger Schlesinger: And Then the Announcer Said... “The one thing we know about announcers on radio or T.V. is they certainly know how to talk, but do they know what they are talking about? Rarely, it seems! Take the sub-prime problem that reared its head last week on Wall Street. It seems everyone is talking about it and yet no one seems to know a thing about it.” (READ MORE)
Opinion Journal: Subpoena Assault “On Tuesday, White House Counsel Fred Fielding offered Congress a chance to question several top Presidential aides about the firing of eight U.S. attorneys--so long as the questioning was done privately, without a transcript, and the aides weren't under oath. Having thus been handed an olive branch, a House Judiciary Subcommittee promptly approved subpoenas yesterday for Karl Rove, Harriet Miers and other top current or former Presidential aides to testify before Congress, publicly and under oath.” (READ MORE)
Daniel Henninger: Wonder Land: Bong Hits 4 Jesus- Explained “In a better world, the phrase 'Bong Hits 4 Jesus' would take its place in the library of eternal mysteries alongside 'Bye-bye Miss American Pie,' 'I Am the Walrus' and 'It's Alright, Ma, I'm Only Bleeding.' Instead, it fell Monday to the Nine Interpreters of the U.S. Supreme Court to deconstruct "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" and decide for the rest of us whether it falls inside the protections of the American Constitution. Perhaps an explanation is in order.” (READ MORE)
Crazy Politico: Damn Inconvient Truths “MIT is out there pointing out ‘inconvient truths’ about greenhouse gas emissions. In their ‘Future of Coal’ they point out that even if developed nations use (new and untested) carbon capture systems on all new coal power plants, and increase the use of renewable energy sources, in 2050 the level of CO2 emission in the world would still be at today's levels.” (READ MORE)
Allahpundit: French court acquits editor of “public abuse” of Muslims “I like the verdict but love the reasoning: ‘The court said the cartoons published by the weekly Charlie Hebdo were covered by freedom of expression laws and did not constitute an attack on Islam in general but fundamentalists.’” (READ MORE)
Jay Tea: Balances of Power “I've been kicking around the latest dispute between the Bush administration and the Democratic leadership in Congress, trying to see just how it ought to come down, and I think I've found my position. To recap: many in Congress are concerned (‘concerned,’ meaning ‘acting like opportunistic partisan hacks’) about the dismissal of eight US Attorneys by the Bush administration. As far as I can tell, no one is saying that anything illegal or unconstitutional was done, but the notion that political concerns might have played a role in the removal of political appointees has some politicians all in a dither.” (READ MORE)
Captain Ed: Mahdis Fracturing, US Trying To Heal Them? “The Mahdi Army, once a large structure ready to do Moqtada al-Sadr's bidding, has fractured under the weight of the US surge strategy. Hundreds of Mahdi commanders now take orders directly from Iran, where they have gone to train while the US and Iraqi security plan makes the kind of progress that threatens their political stranglehold on Baghdad:” (READ MORE)
Michelle Malkin: Italy trades Taliban for hostage “I raised my eyebrow about the release of the Italian journalist Daniele Mastrogiacomo the other day. Now, the shoe drops: ‘An Italian journalist who was held hostage for 15 days by the Taliban in lawless southern Afghanistan was ransomed for five Taliban prisoners, the Italian government and Afghan officials confirmed Wednesday.’” (READ MORE)
Greyhawk: A Walk in the Shade “Soldier's Dad coins a brilliant phrase in a brief essay at MilBlogs: ‘Some families have long histories of tending to the tree of liberty, others have a long history of living in its shade.’ He's referencing the pork-laden ‘Iraq and Afghanistan funding’ bill designed to defeat US military efforts in Iraq currently oozing through the House of Representatives (and Senate) but the quote has other applications.” (READ MORE)
John Hawkins: More Hypocrisy From The Democrats “This sort of hypocrisy, which has been displayed on a variety of different issues, has a lot to do with why the Democrats in Congress are already down to a 28% approval rate, ‘When Democrats were in the minority, they lambasted Republican tactics on the House floor, reserving particular vitriol for the GOP practice of holding votes open longer than the allotted time in order to round up enough support for victory.’” (READ MORE)
Dan Riehl: Left Wing Lunacy “Oh my, the document gap. That's about the closest thing to a physical non-manifestation of a straw man you'll ever see. The morons on the Left examining the released emails in the DOJ non-story have taken note: ‘The dismissal of eight United States attorneys has elicited a long and ever-growing list of theories by Democrats on Capitol Hill about ulterior motives and suspicious coincidences. Now there is a new one: the document gap.’” (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: Day three of the Waziristan infighting “Uzbeks vs the Taliban; casualties rise as Pakistani Army pounds Uzbek positions - The fighting between Taliban-back Uzbeks and al-Qaeda backed Taliban in South Waziristan continues into its third day. The Nation puts the number killed at 102 Uzbeks of Tahir Yuldashev's Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan and their local Taliban supporters, and 25 local Taliban lead by Mullah Nazir, including 9 civilians.” (READ MORE)
ShrinkWrapped: Be Careful What You Wish For “Bill Clinton was hated by the Republican right, for all sorts of reasons stemming from the unresolved culture wars of the 60s. Clinton was an anti-Vietnam War child of Woodstock and represented everything the Right deplored in America. His victory in 1992 was a humiliation and was responded to with intense hostility. The Republicans, with the unwitting complicity of the Clintons, in their tone deaf exercise of their powers, began the series of investigations which, following the Republican sweep to victory in the House in 1994, became a flood and culminated in Clinton's Impeachment.” (READ MORE)
Right Wing Nut House: Al Gore: Oracle? or Bunko Artist? “Being something of an agnostic on the global warming debate, I was amused to watch Al Gore testify before Congress yesterday. Not only was the former Vice President entertaining – as most dogmatic, close minded advocates on both sides of the global warming debate usually are – but watching him wiggle and squirm as he sought to avoid charges of hypocrisy for not taking a pledge to live a life of carbon neutrality turned into either low comedy or high drama, depending on your point of view.” (READ MORE)
Don Surber: Gonzo-gate hides Dem incompetence “The eruption of news coverage of the firing of 8 political appointees by the Bush administration into a major news story is magic. And we all know that magic is merely illusion. Democrats are trying to divert attention from something. What could that be?” (READ MORE)
Fjordman: The Norwegian Government Surrenders to Muslims “This weekend, Norway became first Western country to announce its recognition of the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority government. Norway was home to the original back-channel talks between left-wing Israeli politicians and the PLO which created the ill-fated Oslo Peace Process of the 1990s, and also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize to PLO-leader Yasser Arafat.” (READ MORE)
Have an interesting post or know of a "must read?" Then send a trackback here and let us all know about it. Or you can send me an email with a link to the post and I'll update the Recon.
Trackbacked by: Tel-Chai Nation
No comments:
Post a Comment