A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.
In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
McCain slams Bush for Katrina - Sen. John McCain yesterday blasted the Bush administration's handling of Hurricane Katrina as "disgraceful," declaring he would have handled it differently than the president by personally flying to the nearest Air Force base to oversee the response. (READ MORE)
White House revises N. Korea nuke deal - The Bush administration is renegotiating a tentative deal with North Korea on a declaration of its nuclear activities to include better verification provisions, after the agreement upset some on Capitol Hill and even in the administration, officials said yesterday. (READ MORE)
Intelligence on Syria delayed to avoid fight - The U.S. delayed disclosing its intelligence on Syria's nuclear program for months after an Israeli raid in order to give Damascus breathing room and avoid goading it into military retaliation, senior U.S. intelligence officials said yesterday. (READ MORE)
Senate pressures OPEC on prices - Senate Democrats moved yesterday to put pressure on Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf oil states to increase oil supplies and bring down prices, saying they will block military sales to those OPEC countries unless they do. (READ MORE)
FAA admits controllers wrongfully blamed pilots - The Federal Aviation Administration yesterday admitted that air-traffic controllers in Dallas intentionally blamed their own mistakes on pilots — the latest round of revelations about safety lapses at the embattled agency. (READ MORE)
Clinton's faith underestimated - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is more devout than public perception has allowed, her Methodism carried close to her heart alongside her political interests, even if she is almost reluctant to talk about it. (READ MORE)
Clinton Foundation Secrets - Transparency is a popular word in this presidential election, with all three candidates finally having released their tax returns. Yet the public still hasn't seen the records of an institution with some of the biggest potential for special-interest mischief: The William J. Clinton Foundation. (READ MORE)
McCain and Taxes - John McCain, the Republican nominee for President, has proposed extending the Bush tax cuts. So as morning follows night this week, Democratic news analysis has been pouring forth to proclaim that his tax ideas are a threat to the republic because they'll explode the budget deficit. The Senator needs to understand that he can't win this election by playing on this economic turf. (READ MORE)
Bush Plan To Contract Federal Jobs Falls Short - Joseph Wassmann thought he had a secure position producing videos for the U.S. Military Academy, but not long ago he found his job on the line because of a Bush administration plan to inject more efficiency into the federal bureaucracy. (READ MORE)
Iraq War Is Everyone Else's Fault, Feith Explains - Mistakes were made. But not by him. Doug Feith, the No. 3 man at the Pentagon before, during and after the invasion of Iraq, has come in for his share of blame for the failures there -- in large part because he led the Pentagon policy shop that badly misstated the case for war and bungled the... (READ MORE)
Citing Risks, Study Suggests Ways To Ease National Security Handoff - The United States is "lurching toward a period of uncertainty and increased risk" in this election year and during the upcoming presidential transition, according to a new Congressional Research Service study that suggests counterterrorism responses that Congress, the Bush administration and its... (READ MORE)
Taliban Leader Calls Cease-Fire Within Pakistan - ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, April 24 -- A top Taliban leader in Pakistan with links to al-Qaeda has ordered his followers to stop attacking Pakistani forces in the country's troubled northwest region as he negotiates a deal with the new government to end months of political violence, according to Taliba... (READ MORE)
On the Web:
Mike Gallagher: Media Jumps the Gun for Barack - Just how deep in the tank is the powerful media machine for Sen. Barack Obama? Funny you should ask. Let me give you a couple of glaring examples. And these happened all in one 24 hour period. On the evening of the ever-important Pennsylvania primary, all the cable news networks were showcasing their best and brightest anchors, snazzy sets, and high-tech histrionics to give us more analysis, graphs, exit polling and dramatic music than we could ever possibly handle in one night. I know this may come as a shock to some, but I happen to prefer my TV news coverage from Fox News Channel. Perhaps it has something to do with my role as a Fox News on-air contributor, but I also appreciate their coverage. (READ MORE)
Guy Benson: Debunking Obama's Ayers "Fact Sheet" - When George Stephanopoulos so rudely queried Sen. Barack Obama about his long-standing connections to unrepentant domestic terrorist William Ayers during a recent Democratic debate, many conservative newshounds cheered. At long last, Americans had been introduced to a name that only a handful of right-leaning news sources had previously explored. Obama challenged the question's relevancy, carefully avoided details, and pivoted to another topic of discussion. The damage was done, though, and his campaign was forced to issue a "fact" sheet to debunk any nasty implications the "distraction" of a question may have raised. (READ MORE)
David Limbaugh: It's Barack, Like It or Not - Loyal Democrats should be grateful to Hillary Clinton, the Energizer Bunny of presidential politics, for her perseverance. Had she not stayed in the race against enormous pressure to bow out in favor of the media's anointed one, Democrats would have ended up nominating that "seriously flawed" candidate. But wait. They're almost destined to anyway. They have little choice. How can they avoid nominating Barack Obama -- no matter how compromised he has become? Just consider the magnitude of the Democrats' dilemma. They desperately want to regain the White House. They believed, as did political oddsmakers, the stars were lining up to make 2008 their banner year for both the presidential and congressional elections. (READ MORE)
Burt Prelutsky: The Case Against Cynicism - When I was very young, I felt that anyone who wasn’t a cynic was a naïve bumpkin. The young, after all, tend to be impatient with their elders, and I was certainly no exception. To the young, it’s a terrible failing to be gullible, and what they inevitably strive to be, or at least appear to be, is sophisticated. Perhaps because I lived in L.A. and became involved in journalism and show business at an early age, a couple of things I seemed to be aware of long before millions of my fellow countrymen caught on was that America’s number one leading man, Rock Hudson, was homosexual, and that Jack Kennedy, Camelot’s shining knight, was cheating on his Guinevere with just about every female in Hollywood. (READ MORE)
Oliver North: Busy Signal - WASHINGTON -- "The number you have called cannot be connected." Ever heard a recording like that on your telephone? On 9/11, messages like that were commonplace in New York and Washington -- and incredibly frustrating for first responders trying to coordinate rescue operations and families attempting to contact loved ones. Now think about that kind of message being heard by virtually every cell phone subscriber in an entire country. That may be about to happen in Iraq. If it does, it could well derail progress made in recent months and have long-term adverse consequences for U.S. interests in the region. In December 2003, less than eight months after the liberation of Baghdad, two new Iraqi telecommunications companies, Atheer and Iraqna, boldly began erecting cell towers and selling commercial cell phones and service in central and southern Iraq. (READ MORE)
Humberto Fontova: Body of South American Youth Mutilated Near Guantanamo! - Body of South American Youth Mutilated Near Guantanamo! U.S. Officials Rebuff Inquiries! Bereaved Family of Young Idealist Demand Answers! Havana is 500 miles from Guantanamo so “near” is a relative term. And U.S. officials haven't been grilled on the matter. But everything in the above headline is true. Nonetheless, allow me to apologize to the Bolivian family of the victim for my flim-flammery as an intro. If I 'd started this column with what this family strongly suspects: that the mutilation and possible death of their daughter in Cuba was the handiwork of Cuba's Stalinist regime, no major media organ--it goes without saying-- would deign to report the crime, as they've ignored Castroite crimes for half a century. (READ MORE)
Dick Morris and Eileen McGann: No Knockout; Obama Will Win on Points - Sports metaphors are trite and too male-oriented, but sometimes they are so apt they are unavoidable. The Clinton-Obama contest is like a 15-round heavyweight title bout in boxing. Hillary went for an early knockout. All previous Democratic races since 1960 have been decided that way, with one candidate winning decisive primaries, forcing his opponents to withdraw. But Obama beat her to the punch in Iowa, survived a loss in New Hampshire, and countered her sweep of New York, New Jersey and California on Super Tuesday by winning a large number of smaller states, largely by out-organizing Hillary in caucus states. While most traditional candidates are forced out if they lose key states because their money dries up, Obama’s ingenious use of Internet funding provided him with an ample financial base even as he fell behind Hillary in the delegate count. (READ MORE)
Lindsay Boyd: Lawsuit Climate 2008: The REAL Climate Crisis - Who wants to talk about climate change? Yes, climate change. Real, atmospheric movements threatening the livelihood of our nation’s economy and its citizenry. For those of you who are tired of Al Gore’s rhetoric on the melting ice caps or sweating polar bears, the US Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform (ILR) has an alternative climate change initiative truly worth our attention. On Wednesday morning, ILR released “Lawsuit Climate 2008: Ranking the States”- the largest, most comprehensive study on abusive atmospheres in American courtrooms. Harris Interactive, a nonpartisan market research firm, compiles this annual investigative report to track climate trends within the American legal system. (READ MORE)
Mark Grimsley: In Defense of Private Security Firms in Iraq / Afghanistan - Tara Lee, a former Navy JAG now practising national security law, writing in yesterday’s forum on the Jurist: “Michael Walzer is wrong. That’s not an easy sentence for me to type. I’m a Naval Academy graduate and a former JAG. Most of what I know about the law of war was taught to me straight from the text of Walzer’s Just and Unjust Wars. You can’t study ethical warfighting without concluding that Michael Walzer knows his stuff. But, in a recent piece in The New Republic, Walzer lent his voice to the swelling chorus condemning the use of private security contractors in Iraq. Walzer is wrong, and so is everyone else who argues that private security contractors are mercenaries who can’t be held accountable.” (READ MORE)
Jeffrey Imm: Who is America Fighting - Jihadists or Extremists? - Now we officially know the answer - the U.S. Government states that America is definitely not fighting "jihadists", based on new guidelines directing federal agencies not to even use the term "jihadist". So who is America fighting? Defense Secretary Robert Gates tells us: "the enemy is extremism". A. National Counter Terrorism Center Memo and DHS Report on Terminology - Associated Press reported today that the Extremist Messaging Branch at the National Counter Terrorism Center (NCTC) prepared a memorandum in March 2008 entitled "Words that Work and Words that Don't: A Guide for Counterterrorism Communication." The memorandum approved for distribution by the State Department today sets out guidelines for federal agencies in describing terrorists and their organizations. (READ MORE)
Don Surber: Party cannibals - The Democratic Party begins eating its own. How do you bring a country together when your party is falling apart? The No. 3 House Democrat James Clyburn of South Carolina (via Talk Left): “I heard something, the first time yesterday (in South Carolina), and I heard it on the (House) floor today, which is telling me there are African Americans who have reached the decision that the Clintons know that she can’t win this. But they’re hell-bound to make it impossible for Obama to win.” Supporter of Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton, Taylor Marsh, on House Speaker Democrat Nancy Pelosi: “I’ve supported Pelosi through all of her tenure, proud to have the first woman Speaker of the House. But recently she simply sounds like The Queen Political Bee intent on keeping any other female from hogging her spotlight. (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden: Axis of Evil - Turns out there is one. Here’s how it works. North Korea sells nuclear and missile technology to Middle Eastern pariah states, which are busy developing their own. They cooperate. A couple of them were taken down. Saddam Hussein by force. Moammar Ghaddafi folded, though he’s been looking sheepish about that. Pakistan, with a purportedly rogue agent doing none of us any favors, is purportedly back on side. Bashir Assad and the Iranian mullahs briefly played nice, but appear to have moved beyond that. It isn’t working out for Syria. Thank you, Israel. Iran? IAEA, alarmed to learn Syria may have been seeking nukes, rushes to inspect the barn. Too late, it was flattened before the horse could bolt. The IAEA is irked that someone eliminated another excuse to justify its existence. (READ MORE)
Moderate Risk: Harmful Addictive Masturbation - About the closest I ever came to killing anybody during my military service was during a locker inspection when an officer purposefully degraded my personal gear under the auspices of “health and comfort.” Normally your locker was your own, but every once in a while some idiot would bring drugs back to the ship and the “health and comfort” inspection would follow. As a rule court martials would throw out evidence gathered at these extremely suspect evolutions, but it did serve the purpose of keeping stupid sailors honest and hiding their weed in the ventilation ducting. I have never done drugs and the officer in question was not looking for contraband. He was deliberately demeaning me because he had the opportunity to do so. (READ MORE)
neo-neocon: A Shakespearean speech for Obama’s silly season - Did you ever notice how often Obama uses the word “silly” to describe questions he doesn’t want to answer and issues he doesn’t want to address? It’s an interesting ploy, a way to escape being pinned down while attempting to avoid charges of evasion. He could answer, of course. But he doesn’t want to waste his time on “silliness” because he, Obama, has a higher calling. But this is not condescending. Not in the least. Elitism? It’s a silly charge that “amuses” him. After all, it can’t be true because—he was raised by a single mom and was once on food stamps! He went to school on a scholarship, and took out student loans!! (READ MORE)
Neptunus Lex: Splitists - Al Qaeda leadership is taking some hits from the home team on the topic of all that intra-mural slaughter: “Al Qaeda increasingly faces sharp criticism from once-loyal sympathizers who openly question its ideology and tactics, including attacks that kill innocent Muslims, according to U.S. intelligence officials, counter-terrorism experts and the group’s own communications. A litany of complaints target Osama bin Laden’s network and its affiliates for their actions in Iraq and North Africa, emphasis on suicide bombings instead of political action and tepid support for, or outright antagonism toward, militant groups pressing the Palestinian cause.” In response to the criticism, AQ #2 Ayman Zawahiri is forced to use some pretty twisted logic in defense of his Baghdad butchers: (READ MORE)
abu muqawama: Kilcullen on Political Maneuver in COIN - Back when this blog had about 50 readers a day, it was fun because Abu Muqawama could pretty much write whatever the hell he wanted. Now that about 3,000 people read it daily it's less fun because of all the emails that flood in whenever one of us writes something vaguely contentious. You see, some of these people know our real names. And are kinda "important" in policy circles. Which is not to say that Abu Muqawama didn't enjoy David Kilcullen's point-by-point criticism of an earlier post which he found waiting in his inbox this morning. He just got a little frustrated: "Well %$#@, Dave, if you're so smart, why don't you blog on something?" Eh, what's that? You say you just posted a long essay on the Small Wars Journal blog on road-building in Afghanistan? And that it's smarter than anything you're likely to read on this blog? (READ MORE)
Sigmund, Carl and Alfred: Looking Back To Fix A Problem - Yesterday, Dr Sanity wrote The Psychological Cost Of War, a look at the media, leftist bloggers and ideologues and how they cultivate an environment that contributes to re acclimation problems suffered by returning US military personnel from theaters of war. There was an interesting “exposé” in the news the other day, which I’m sure will receive a lot of attention by the lefty blogs–intent as they are in always bruiting the evil of the US military. It never occurs to them that they themselves represent at least one of the reasons why military personnel are sometimes unable to come to terms with the actions they are called upon to do in war… (READ MORE)
Eugene Volokh: Age of Consent - Many states have lower ages of consent for sex among minors than for sex between adults and minors. Thus, two 16-year-olds having sex may be legal, but not a 30-year-old having sex with a 16-year-old. I share the intuition behind this distinction, but I wonder whether my intuition is right. For instance, I would think that quite a few 16-year-old girls who are interested in sex would rather be involved with 30-year-old men than with other 16-year-olds; the 30-year-olds are more likely to know what they're doing both sexually and romantically, plus are more likely to be much more emotionally mature as well as interesting to talk to. What's more, to the extent that women are said to be attracted in some measure to success (not just financial but professional and social), the 30-year-old may be much more attractive to them. Plus if a serious relationship ensues, the 30-year-old might be a better influence on the 16-year-old than another 16-year-old would be. (READ MORE)
Orin Kerr: Virginia v. Moore and the Changing Role of the Fourth Amendment - In this post, I want to argue that yesterday's decision in Virginia v. Moore hides a fascinating clash: a clash between the mindset and assumptions of the pre-incorporation Fourth Amendment and the mindset and assumptions of the post-incorporation Fourth Amendment we have today. My claim is that the basic assumptions of the post-incorporation Fourth Amendment are now so deeply engrained in the Justices' consciousness that they didn't appreciate how their decision was inconsistent with pre-incorporation Fourth Amendment history. This doesn't mean that Moore was wrongly decided: The majority's rule is a sensible one for the modern incorporated Fourth Amendment. But there's a fascinating historical tale to be told about the nature of constitutional change that I think the opinions in Moore have missed. Or so I will argue; I'm not completely sure I'm right, but if not I would be very interested in knowing where my analysis goes off course (READ MORE)
Cassandra: Comfortably Dumb - More and more these days, I see America drifting down the easy path where we expect all privileges but no responsibilities. The idea that, as Philip Carter argues in the linked piece, one might have to do one's duty in a job one disagrees with, seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur. The Powell Doctrine is, in my unvarnished opinion (though Gates didn't spell it out and it may not be his opinion, I will) the easy path. The perfect conditions for war are unlikely ever to exist in this imperfect world: - broad international support - clear (and sustainable) domestic support - fully foreseeable consequences and exit strategy - all risks/costs fully/frankly analyzed.
And even if they did at the beginning of any military action, things change. As the old axiom states, no plan long survives contact with the enemy. Or these days, being hacked to death by our own press corps. And yet our enemies do not fight under the same constraints. (READ MORE)
Urban Grounds: How much longer do you think we’re going to allow you to do this… - before we fight back? Have you seen the 1995 movie Powder? It’s about an 18-year old albino boy named Jeremy ‘Powder’ Reed (played by Sean Patrick Flanery) who has the highest I.Q. ever recorded. Powder has harnessed the power of his brain for remarkable abilities (including telekinesis and telepathy). He is being held and studied at a facility by two doctors (Mary Steenburgen adn Jeff Goldblum). As the movie progresses, Powder is becoming less-and-less patient with the doctors, and wanting more-and-more to go home. At one point, after shattering a glass door with his mind, he stares at Steenburgen and asks calmly and rhetorically, “How much longer did you think I’d let you keep me here?” At which point he gets up and walks out. I bring it up and do all of that explaining because it reminds me of the conflict between peaceful pro-military supporters and BDS-suffering, anti-military, leftwing-whackos. (READ MORE)
Tel-Chai Nation: UK's High Court knocks down anti-terror strategy of freezing terrorists' monetary assets - So many ludicrous things in England work together to make it almost impossible to fight terrorism properly in that country. From the Telegraph: “The Government’s anti-terrorism strategy was dealt a devastating blow today as the High Court ruled that its powers to freeze suspects’ assets were unlawful and unconstitutional.” Geez, just look at those two words they used to describe the government's steps. Truly, if this is how things are going to be there, then there is no constitution and no justice in England. “A judge said the measures, introduced when Gordon Brown was Chancellor, had not been thought through properly and Parliament had been ‘bypassed.’” (READ MORE)
The Sundrie's Shack: Sadr’s a Hundred Miles Away, Son. Ready to Strike! - You know, I’m not surprised that the average American gives conflicting signals about what they think about Iraq. I’d be pretty confused if all I had to read were the occasional MSM stories. Let’s take as an example some recent reporting on Moqtada al-Sadr. Yesterday, the AP published this story, which said that Moqtada al-Sadr was ready to get out of politics and take his Madhi Army to war. Now, if you’re the average American, you’re wondering how in the world he could do that, considering that said army has been getting a smackdown from the Iraqis. At least that’s what the news stories have been reporting, basically BUt no, says the AP. He’s like Loren Wallace!: (READ MORE)
Warner Todd Huston: Another Unsavory Obama Associate, Official Blogger a Communist? - The list of Barack Obama associates that hold views that clash with mainstream America is getting longer every day and now we can add another notch in the “anti-American” column of Obama campaign workers and supporters. This time we find that the Obama campaign’s official blogger, Sam Graham-Felsen, has spent time in France participating in labor riots, has written for a socialist magazine, hung a communist flag in his home, and was a fan of Marx while at Harvard. Is this a case of the media not vetting another Obama associate? Why have we not heard of this man before and why is the media silent on him? After the stories of John Edwards’ anti-Catholic bloggers, you’d think that the media would have been on the lookout for campaign blogger related stories. Yet, this guy and his questionable past has been ignored by the same media that tried to give Edwards’ bloggers a pass. (READ MORE)
ShrinkWrapped: On Europe and Genocide - Societies under stress tend to regress in predictable and dangerous ways. I have written about this regression, essentially a retreat form more civilized to less civilized behavior, in several posts, especially Terror and Societal Regression, Terror and Societal Regression Revisited, and Societal Regression and Splitting. At the moment the regressive tendencies are most apparent on the fringes, but the danger of demagogues exploiting anxieties, and the regressive tendencies that arise from the anxiety, increases when governments and elites abdicate their responsibilities to articulate societal values and do not address the sources of the anxiety directly. Government and elite media diffidence enables the most regressive and dangerous events and trends to germinate out of the disinfecting light of day. (READ MORE)
Political Vindication: Leftist Indoctrination In Our Schools: Global Warming - This morning I read in the Orange County Register an interesting editorial written by a teacher here in Orange County. He talks about how activists burrow themselves into our education system to spread their propaganda. We’ve all heard the charge - Nicholas Wishek offers proof: “I am not a conspiracy nut. I don’t believe the government has UFO evidence hidden away in Area 51. I think Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I definitely don’t suppose for a minute that our own government blew up the Twin Towers on 9/11. I want solid evidence. None has been presented for these and so many other “out there” theories, held by both left-wing loons and right-wing nuts.” (READ MORE)
Protein Wisdom: Dems 2008: More hopeyness and changitude than you can shake a stick at! - When it comes to key issues like Iraq, healthcare and taxes, Democratic hopeyness and changitude is bustin’ out all ovah! House Democratic leaders plan to send the the emergency war funding bill without withdrawal timetables and other controversial provisions. The bill is expected to bypass the Appropriations Committee and go straight to the House floor, to help avoid the difficulties raised by anti-war Democrats. Meanwhile, at TNR, Michael Crowley writes that “when it comes to Iraq, whatever the merits of Obama’s withdrawal plan may be, ‘Yes, We Can’ might ultimately yield to ‘No, we can’t.’” (READ MORE)
Thus Spake Ortner: My newest (least) favorite IVAW member - So, doing my usual monthly dumpster dive over at IVAW, and ran into their "SIT-REP" newsletter for March. Interesting reading that, what with 1/2 of it being devoted to a comic book where some specialist earns redemption in the eyes of two old Iraqi dudes right before they get blown up by the bad guys. (Somehow, it's still our fault.) Anyway, figured I'd read through the thing and see if there as any fodder to get my ire up, and Lo! I made it to the second column. The Author of this piece is Thomas J. Buonomo. His 5 year plan was to go to the Air Force Academy, and once graduated, he decided it was a great idea to accuse Cheney of Treason, and thus securing a release from the military. So, as you read through this, bear in mind that you paid for this clown's education. (READ MORE)
Socrates Academy: The Katrina Narrative - The criticism of the Bush Administration for its handling of hurricanes Katrina/Rita was, in my increasingly lonely opinion, unjustified Democrat and liberal media opportunism. I am disappointed, but unsurprised, that John McCain has made that narrative his own, and is running against President Bush's unpopular reputation. As I said, my voice is joined by few others. I will agree that government, at all levels, failed to solve the problems created by nature. But before Katrina, the expectation of the Federal role was as a backup to local authorities, rather than as a front-line emergency response agent. Katrina marked a turning point, after which disaster response will be henceforth primarily a Federal responsibility. (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.
No comments:
Post a Comment