A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention updated throughout the day…so check back often. This is a weekend edition so updates are as time and family permits.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Sen. Warner to 'Quietly Step Aside' - CHARLOTTESVILLE, Aug. 31 -- John William Warner, who was best known for marrying actress Elizabeth Taylor when he entered the Senate 28 years ago but who grew into an elder statesman and Republican maverick highly regarded for his expertise in defense matters, announced his retirement Friday. (READ MORE)
Tony Snow Resigns as White House Spokesman - White House press secretary Tony Snow announced his resignation yesterday, the latest in a series of departures that have reshaped the upper echelons of the administration with the addition of more low-profile replacements well versed in the ways of Washington. (READ MORE)
Military Briefs Bush On Troops' Welfare - President Bush went to the Pentagon yesterday to hear firsthand the views of top military advisers concerned about the impact of extensive Iraq deployments on the overall health of the U.S. armed forces. (READ MORE)
U.N. Climate Talks End in Cloud of Discord - PARIS, Aug. 31 -- A five-day U.N. conference on climate change ended in Vienna on Friday with significant disagreements remaining about how countries should reduce greenhouse gas emissions and daunting estimates about the price tag for combating global warming. (READ MORE)
Bush, Bernanke Pledge Help - President Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke yesterday pledged to help homeowners and businesses hurt by the spreading credit crunch, but said they will not offer a bailout for speculators and lenders who lost money because of poor judgment. (READ MORE)
From the Front:
Calvey in Iraq: Half day - Greetings from Baghdad! I am feeling good today. They had another 5K race this morning, and I got my best time ever: 23 minutes, 27 seconds. I still have a ways to go to reach my ultimate goal, but I am making progress. I was running pretty fast on the first half and into the second half, but with about a mile to go I ran out of gas. I simply could not make my legs carry me any faster. (READ MORE)
Far From Perfect: Sold My Soul - Yes, I have sold my soul to the US Government. I re-enlisted. I got a buttload of cash and a Flight Medic slot (the very last class slot for 2008 it turns out). We will soon be mostly out of debt, and possibly able to take a real vacation when I get home. I guess I can officially call this a re-career. I would like to thank my wife for supporting this. Without the support of my family, I couldn’t do this. I mean, when I re-enlist, in effect they re-enlist with me. It wasn’t an easy decision for any of us, but in the end I think it was the right one. (READ MORE)
From an Anthropological Perspective: Making Anthropology Dangerous? - A reporter once asked me if I thought I was making anthropological research dangerous for others to conduct as a result of working with the US Army. As I try to acclimate to the heat in Baghdad wearing body armor, I wonder about danger. Clearly this is a war zone and dangerous. As I finished writing that sentence, two AK-47 shots rang out not far away. (READ MORE)
LTC Rich Phillips: A Tour of FOB Salerno Hospital - Who is in Afghanistan, saving lives and easing suffering of US and Coalition casualties and injured Afghan civilians, I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the people here at the Salerno Hospital. The most important part of our hospital is the people. We’re an eclectic mix of Army and Air Force, Active Duty and Reserve, old and young. We’re half Army, half Air Force. We come from all over the country; from Washington State, California, Maine, Florida and everywhere in between. (READ MORE)
Jeff Emanuel: In Tal Afar, with the US Special Forces and an elite Iraqi Police Unit - TAL AFAR, IRAQ -- THE DAY BEGINS AT 0500, when the sun is still out of sight and the weather cool. As the pickup truck pulls up to the inside of the front gate of the Forward Operating Base (FOB), the men begin to emerge from the pre-dawn darkness, dressed in various assemblages of civilian and military clothing (“they usually wear the same thing every day,” says a U.S. Special Forces soldier) and carrying AK-47s, having just been searched by the base guards. (READ MORE)
On the Web:
The Barnyard: Progressive Paranoia: Updated With The Evil Genious Karl Rove - Oh the horror, what a great article by the Weekly Standard's Noemie Emery on the paranoid delusions the left tries to parlay off onto the GOP and the Conservative movement in general its pogroms and intolerance and Bush's desire to extend his presidency through unconstituional means. You tell me who's paranoid and actually using the language of fascist scare propaganda against religion. Here are the first and last graphs of this rather revealing expose' of the lefty's mind set. (READ MORE)
LawHawk: Hsu Handcuffed - Hsu has been a top fundraiser for a ton of Democrats, including Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Al Franken, and was even named a trustee at the New School in New York City by former Senator and Presidential candidate Bob Kerrey. The biggest question remains where did all Hsu's money come from and how does the Paw family figure into this. (READ MORE)
Uncle Jimbo @ Blackfive: Haditha feature piece up at Pajamas Media - The last Marine facing murder charges from the shootings in Haditha started his Art. 32 hearing yesterday. I doubt it will receive much coverage in the MSM, because the whole massacre story has fallen apart and charges have been dropped on all others involved in the shooting. SSgt Wuterich was the senior member of those who committed the killings, but unless something unexpected happens the murder charges against him should be dropped as well. The piece at PJ Media is fairly comprehensive and I welcome any thoughts comments or ideas. If you want to comment over at PJM it is a slightly different crowd than we have here, but entertaining. (READ MORE)
Ed Morrissey: Will Anyone Notice? - Three Democratic presidential candidates have committed to staying out of states who have defied party rules and bumped up their primaries. The blow to these states will be tempered by the fact that no one would have noticed them in any case: “Democrats Bill Richardson, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden on Friday became the first presidential candidates to promise not to campaign in states that hold early nominating contests in violation of party rules.” (READ MORE)
Counterterrorism Blog: Indicted USF Student has Terror Past in Egypt - Two Egyptian students enrolled at the University of South Florida have been indicted for carrying explosive materials across states lines. One of the defendants also is charged with teaching the other how to use them for violent reasons. Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, 24, an engineering graduate student and teaching assistant at the Tampa-based university, faces terrorism charges for teaching and demonstrating how to use the explosives. (READ MORE)
Confederate Yankee: Images Redacted - Brian De Palma is tediously consistent if nothing else. His Vietnam war fiction "Casualties of War" portrayed American soldiers as rapist thugs merely bidding their time for the opportunity to commit inhuman acts against a bucolic population. Unlike "Casualties," which was filmed decades after the war in Southeast Asia, De Palma's new film, "Redacted" is an admitted attempt by De Palma to sway world opinion against Americans soldiers while they are actively engaged in combat. (READ MORE)
Discerning Texan: The Hsu Scandal gets Stranger and Stranger - Chris Muir continues to be all over the stories that Big Media won't cover. Two days ago, we asked some pretty piercing questions about Norman Hsu, the man who the Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles unmasked this week as a felon who has been funnelling millions of dollars into the Democrat party, including donations to Hillary Clinton and (to a smaller extent) Barack Obama. And we also chronicled the many, many instances of criminal financing that the Clintons have been involved in since the 1996 election cycle--if not before. (READ MORE)
Dadmanly: Nothing More Than Feelings - Senator Harry Reid, doubtlessly frustrated in his desire to concede to somebody on Iraq, decided to surrender to Republicans. (Remark courtesy of commenter Dave M at Strata-sphere.) But here’s what struck me in the WaPo piece, the tale of how pro-war Reid became Johnny-come-lately, Johnny-give-up-your-guns: “Few Democrats have come as full circle on the war as Reid himself. On Oct. 10, 2002, as Senate minority whip, Reid became the most senior Democrat to endorse the war resolution. ‘They gave us the information, and I accepted what they told us,’ he explains.” (READ MORE)
Flopping Aces: The Time For Grace and Humility Has Long Since Passed - I have the greatest respect and admiration for Peggy Noonan. In my opinion she is one of the greatest political writers of the 20th Century. However, her latest piece in the Wall Street Journal is not an idea, but a plea. It’s not a call for grace, but a call for further acquiescence and submission to the desires for political power sought on the left at the nation’s expense. It's nice to believe that if President Bush bowed to his opponents and showed them grace or made it clear that it's not unpatriotic to oppose, but contrary to Ms Noonan's piece, there is nothing to be gained. (READ MORE)
Fort Hard Knox: Does the politics of hate really work? - The mantra of the left can be categorized in one simple statement, “I hate George W. Bush.” That’s it! “I hate Bush” is the overriding political theme on blogs, social news sites, video sharing sites, and political web sites. But does it have any effect? Some would argue that it helped get the Democrats to power. But that argument is muted by the fact that Bush was hated by the left for 6 years prior to Democrats taking office. Hate got Democrats nowhere then. Moreover, now that they are in office they are impotent to do anything. They are a lame duck congressional body only left to spew their vomit at Bush. They have accomplished NOTHING. (READ MORE)
Bill Roggio: Taliban capture over 100 Pakistani soldiers in South Waziristan - The Taliban insurgency in the Northwest Frontier Province intensifies as a large force of Taliban fighters captured a company of Pakistani soldiers in South Waziristan. The Taliban captured “over 100 security forces personnel after intercepting a military convoy in the Mehsud-dominated tribal area,” Dawn reported. (READ MORE)
Baron Bodissey: The Cavalry of Neo-Colonialism - These have been the Dog Days of August, and thanks to Lars Vilks and his drawings, the last day of the month is the doggiest of them all. Our Swedish correspondent LN points out the following comment (the original is in English) by one Arash Sedighi on Lars Vilks’ blog entry for today. All the emphasis in these passages was added by me: (READ MORE)
Gateway Pundit: Democrats Plan Mass Rally Against Pro-Military Group!! - THIS IS JUST UNBELIEVABLE! The democratic party is organizing counter rallies AGAINST the pro-military "Victory in Iraq Protest" that is going to be held in Carson City, Nevada on Monday! The National Democratic Party is urging members to counter protest for defeat: (READ MORE)
Allahpundit: Reid: Hey, maybe we don’t need a withdrawal deadline after all - I’m surprised. The hopeful reports about the surge over the past month or so must have him spooked him into thinking the Blue Dogs are going to cross the aisle if (or rather, when) Petraeus gives an upbeat assessment. That’s weird given the pushback of late from that NYT op-ed by the seven soldiers and the withering GAO report that was just leaked, not to mention the consensus that the Iraqi government is in total disarray. How total? (READ MORE)
Bryan Preston: Indictments in the Goose Creek case - How serious is this? Beats me, but the government tends to downplay terrorism connections when they’re obvious, so this is likely to be the real deal. It’s probably too early to speculate on this, but what they hey, that’s what blogs are for: The two indicted today went to the University of South Florida, home base of former professor Sami al-Arian. He’s the computer engineering prof who was convicted on terrorism charges last year. Now come these two, students at the same school, indicted on terrorism charges. (READ MORE)
Noisy Room: Annual Muslim Day Parade to Take Place Near Ground Zero - From Vigilant Freedom:The 22nd Annual American Muslim Day Parade will take place September 9th, 2007, in New York City, in a parade expected to feature numerous known Islamists and their organizations: “The organizers of the parade state that one of their objectives is “to demonstrate and clarify Islamic values and traditions.” However, considering the individuals that have been participating in this parade, and understanding the radical nature of the groups that appear to be aligned with the MFA, we must ask what values and traditions they are talking about. Despite its name, as the American Muslim Day Parade, it is clear that this event has nothing to do with American values and traditions and has more in common with the ideology of the 9/11 hijackers. (READ MORE)
WLS: I’ve Got To Say — I’ve Got A Problem With What Happened To Larry Craig - Question: If a deaf gay guy used sign language to proposition another deaf gay guy in a gay nightclub, would it be a crime? If not, then why is a toe tap and a hand gesture under the partition of a men’s room stall a crime? My question is purely one of legalities — not of politics. I think he should and must resign simply due to his inability to control his impulses. (READ MORE)
Paul Mirengoff: The lighter side of Baghdad - Stories like this one in the Washington Post tempt me to give up partisan blogging and devote my efforts to "La Comedie Humaine." Several House Democrats are complaining that when they visited Iraq this summer, military personnel had been given thumbnail biographies containing, among other things, their publicly expressed views about the situation in Iraq. In particular, the bios stated how the members had voted on legislation requiring the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq within 120 days of the bill's enactment. They also contained a cross-section of the member's positions -- e.g., "the year of 2006 must be a year of significant transistion in Iraq" (Rep. Ellen Tauscher) and "things have been getting worse rather than better" (Rep. James Moran). (READ MORE)
on Henke: Democracy - This post by Thoreau touches on a pet peeve. I used to make the "republic, not a democracy!" argument, too...but I was in grade school. I’ve since grasped the fact that ’democracy’, in geopolitical and philosophical usage, doesn’t mean what I once thought it did... I notice that a Hit and Run thread has gotten sidetracked onto the “republic, not a democracy!” tangent. I find this tangent particularly annoying but sadly common ... (READ MORE)
Protein Wisdom: He-eee was a friend of mine… (or, Jimmy Breslin shows his passion) - Nuance: “When anybody you elect tries to end the war, Bush blocks all intentions with a veto or threats of a veto that prevent it. And his Supreme Court is ready to validate whatever he does, this court with its five Catholic justices, and a chief who falls on his face a couple of times that we know of.” Ah, the passion of the liberal journalist! Sure, Breslin has been farting dust since the NYPD caught David Berkowitz, but still — he’s representative of an era, and more importantly, of a kind of crusading liberal media lion. (READ MORE)
Right Wing & Right Minded: One Year Later - One year ago I was forced to create the Wednesday Hero Blogroll by Greta. Well, not forced, but talked into. I wasn't sure I wanted to. I was quite happy having it as a small post I did on the two blogs and leaving it at that. But she coerced and threatened and I broke. I put the post up and waited to see if anyone would join. Blogrolls, after all, are a dime a dozen. Everyone and their mother has one. But, much to my surprise, people started to join. For a while there I had three people. Yankee Mom, Bear Creak Ledger and Mail Call. And I was happy with that. I felt that was a success. Then more joined and pretty soon I had ten blogs. And I was surprised by that. (READ MORE)
Rhymes with Right: Texas Supreme Court Gets It Right On Religious Freedom - One of the strangest laws on the books in Texas has been a statute forbidding any person or organization from operating an educational institution referring to itself as a seminary or awarding theological degrees without licensure and supervision by the State of Texas. It seemed out of place, for the teaching of theology and the determination of the qualifications of those who have a theological education for a degree has always seemed to be decidedly a matter for churches, not the state. (READ MORE)
The Tygrrrr Express: We must honor honor itself - Everything in this world flows from doing what is right. It is not about being right. It is about doing right. When we are in the twilight of our lives, approaching our deathbeds, the only thing that will matter when we take that last look in the mirror is if we did what was right. I know that there is much that I do not know. I know that there are many people who have deep convictions that are diametrically opposed to mine. I only pray that those people that disagree with me do so with noble intentions. (READ MORE)
Cassandra: Friday Free For All - Well, it's fast approaching Miller Time and the Reich and Lefty halves of the blatherosphere are still bringing to the Larry Craig debate a degree of philosophical and rhetorical flexibility that would do justice to the most ardent devotee of the Kama Sutra. But there's a fair amount of soul searching going on too. Josh Marshall thoughtfully examines the facts and finds Craig in a catch 22. No gloating, no triumphalism. We don't recognize it often enough when our intellectual opponents are decent. Here, Marshall is. His co-blogger David steps through the facts and refrains from undue snark: (READ MORE)
The Volokh Conspiracy: Iran, Iraq, Israel - I've pointed out several times on this blog that contrary to those who argue that Israel somehow pushed the U.S. into war with Iraq, Israeli leaders actually thought Iraq was a distraction from the much greater threat of Iran. Here's a piece on the same theme: “Israeli officials warned the George W. Bush administration that an invasion of Iraq would be destabilizing to the region and urged the United States to instead target Iran as the primary enemy, according to former administration official Lawrence Wilkerson.” (READ MORE)
War Historian: True Faith and Allegiance - I have a commission. This, as readers of Altercation may have discerned over the years, means a lot to me. A little more than 18 years ago, I took an oath. Only after I had sworn to that oath, did I receive my commission. I have taken the same oath upon each promotion. Words are important. The specific words used in the oath we require of commissioned officers are very important. (READ MORE)
Dr. Sanity: There's Hypocrisy; and then There's Meta-Hypocrisy - Wretchard has a rather nice post wondering how low can they go:I am not someone who happens to believes hypocrisy is confined to one side of the political spectrum or the other. It is clear that it exists on both. Nevertheless, there are some distinctions that can be made.In particular, an interesting observation was during an interview in 2005 with Peter Schweitzer , author of the book Do As I Say (Not As I Do): Profiles in Liberal Hypocrisy. Schweitzer makes a distinction between liberal vs. conservative hypocrisy: (READ MORE)
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