There Is Living Dangerous

... And then there is just being plain ol' stupid!

[Pic after the jump]

Yes, you aren't imagining things...that's a power strip floating on flip flops.

As AB just said: "That water is going to get real hot real fast!"

What Day Is It?

That's the question my brain can't answer today so it must be official...my brain is gone.

I just spent all morning putting 02/01/2008 on everything I've done only to have to go back and correct it all. This means that the Web Reconnaissance for today 01/31/2008 is currently dated as 02/01/2008.

Since correcting it now will quite possibly screw up any return links, trackbacks, etc - I'm not going to edit the title of the post for today, and I'll come up with a seperate title for tomorrow the real 02/01/2008!

*Sheesh!*

Web Reconnaissance for 02/01/2008

A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day...so check back often.

*Ed Note: Its official...my brain is gone. I just spent all morning putting 02/01/2008 on everything I've done only to have to go back and correct it all. Since correcting it now will screw up return links I'm not going to edit the title of the post for today, and I'll come up with a seperate title for tomorrow the real 02/01/2008! *Sheesh!*

In the News: (Registration may be required to read some stories)
Obama: Decriminalize Pot - Last fall during a nationally televised presidential debate, Sen. Barack Obama hesitantly raised his hand and joined with most of his Democratic rivals to declare that he opposed decriminalizing marijuana. But, a 2004 video shows Mr. Obama telling Illinois college students that he supported eliminating criminal penalties for marijuana use or possession. (READ MORE)

Trains, Bloggers Are Threats in US Drill - It's the government's idea of a really bad day: Washington's Metro trains shut down. Seaport computers in New York go dark. Bloggers reveal locations of railcars with hazardous materials. Airport control towers are disrupted in Philadelphia and Chicago. Overseas, a mysterious liquid is found on London's subway. And that's just for starters. (READ MORE)

McCain Savors Momentum - Sen. John McCain has been racking up the cash along with his primary wins, and yesterday added the endorsement of his chief rival for moderate Republican votes, even as conservative Republicans worried that he will tear their party apart. (READ MORE)

Hillary Plans 21-State Chat; Edwards Quits - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton is going national, with plans to talk to voters in 21 states at once on the eve of Super Tuesday and by urging Democrats to recognize the results from this week's Florida vote to help the party in the general election. (READ MORE)

Fed Cuts Rates by Half a Point - The Federal Reserve yesterday slashed interest rates by another half percentage point after a report showed nearly every sector of the economy faltered and brought growth to a standstill at the end of last year. (READ MORE)

'Change'- Hungry Voters Shun 'Outsiders'- Voters have been telling pollsters that they want "change" in this election, but two consummate Washington insiders — Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain — are the presidential front-runners of the moment. (READ MORE)

Mukasey Still Mum on Waterboarding - Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey yesterday refused to describe "waterboarding" as torture, instead telling a Senate committee the practice is illegal under U.S. law, but leaving open the possibility the interrogation technique could legally be used in the future. (READ MORE)

McCain's Apostasies - John McCain's hard-fought victory over Mitt Romney in Florida on Tuesday, combined with Rudy Giuliani's exit, has made the Arizona Senator the clear favorite. Now that the nomination is within Mr. McCain's grasp, he can close out Mr. Romney and help his prospects in November by showing he intends to repair the breach with all parts of the GOP coalition. (READ MORE)

Nascar Bernanke - Now we know what happens when Wall Street and the political class criticize Ben Bernanke for being "behind the curve." He gets in his race car and accelerates right through the curve. With yesterday's 50 basis point interest rate cut, following last week's 75 point emergency reduction, we are certainly off to the monetary races. (READ MORE)

'Waterboarding' Mukasey - If Senate Democrats thought Attorney General Michael Mukasey was someone they could push around to score political points, yesterday they discovered their error. The new AG stood his ground on the legal war on terror, despite five hours of grandstanding over an interrogation technique that the CIA doesn't even practice anymore. (READ MORE)

Showdown Nears on Stimulus Bill - With bipartisan support, the Senate Finance Committee yesterday approved a $157 billion economic stimulus plan that rivals the measure fashioned by President Bush and House leaders, setting up a Senate showdown today that could determine who will receive rebates from the federal government and how... (READ MORE)

McCain vs. Romney on Iraq - The Iraq war again emerged as a flash point between Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in a debate Wednesday, after McCain accused Romney of supporting timetables for withdrawing U.S. troops from the battlefield. (READ MORE)

U.S. Commanders in Iraq Favor Pause in Troop Cuts - Senior U.S. military commanders here say they want to freeze troop reductions starting this summer for at least a month, making it more likely that the next administration will inherit as many troops in Iraq as there were before President Bush announced a "surge" of forces a year... (READ MORE)



From the Front:
Michael J. Totten: Libya's Son - Iraqi Police Colonel Jubair Rashid Naief claims Libyan dictator Moammar Qaddafi’s son Seif al-Islam (whose name means Sword of Islam) is sponsoring a terrorist group in Northern Iraq called the Seifaddin Regiment. This group is allegedly responsible for recent attacks in Mosul that killed and wounded hundreds. The U.S. military so far has no comment on the accusation one way or another. I’ve never heard of this group and am not even convinced it exists. But U.S. military officials believe 19 percent of foreign terrorists in Iraq come from Libya. Robert H. Reid wrote in an Associated Press article that Seif al-Islam “seems an unlikely figure as a sponsor of terrorism. Touted as a reformer, the younger Gadhafi has been reaching out to the West to soften Libya’s image and return it to the international mainstream.” (READ MORE)

Northern Disclosure: Canadian Cartoons - Bad Voo Doo has been rolling hard and working a lot. Of course we are not working anymore than some of the others its just that everyone has been working. The Enemy has been picking up there work load too so as you can imagine that keeps everyone busy. All is well and the boys of Bad Voo Doo are enjoying the time flying, the webmaster had to remind me to write. I thought I had just written and JP was " that was a week ago, Sergeant" so here I am getting you all caught back up. Ranada the Nor Cal Warrior won the Deadlift competition and Oso the Mexican Bear AKA Aldama and his wife welcomed a new member of the family in this week as well. (READ MORE)

Army of Dude: The Courageous Courier - I must admit, I've become a little obsessed over the issue of the presently shitty G.I. Bill and the efforts of two Senators that aim to give it an overhaul fitting to the service our military has performed the past seven years. I wrote about the topic yesterday for Vet Voice before I chanced upon another piece. With a hat-tip to Blackfive, who linked to the Army Times. The money quote: “The Bush administration has remained wary of the bill, because of its $5.4 billion cost and concerns that significant improvements in veterans’ education benefits might encourage people to get out of the military to go to college, which in turn could hurt military readiness.” (READ MORE)

Desert Dude: 30 January - Well, my dreams of being a rock star are dead—we broke a couple guitar strings and one of the guitar pedals got fried from our jacked up electrical system here on the FOB…there is no way to get any of the new stuff in the area, it will take too long to get it thru the mail and the other guys have to start mailing their stuff home soon…so, there will be no concert thing…oh well, it was fun while it lasted …everything else is same ol stuff around here… (READ MORE)

IraqPundit: Depends on the Meaning of Timetable - John McCain and Mitt Romney reportedly clashed over Iraq at the debates Wednesday. While Romney accused McCain of dirty tricks and misrepresenting his position on an Iraq timetable, I couldn't help but remember Bill Clinton's rhetoric. WaPo quoted them this way: "Romney insisted that he has 'never, ever' backed a timetable for withdrawal, prompting McCain to shoot back, 'Of course he supported a timetable.' Romney called McCain's attacks 'reprehensible' and said they amounted to 'an attempt to do the Washington-style old politics'." (READ MORE)

Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal: Negative Enemy Contact, Continue Mission - Ripped out on the Rip-Its and Wild Tigers and Boom-Booms of energy crack in a can flavored power citrus and arctic thunder pouring through the veins of a pseudo sugar sumo junkie completely and utterly and udderly and thoroughly and Thoreauly and indisputably and disputably and definitely and defiantly ESSENTIAL because chocolate pudding and peanut butter cracker peddling can only sustain a platoon leader high on brash and potential and circumstance and the new so long... (READ MORE)

Lt Nixon: Central Bank of Iraq is Up in Smoke - With the drop in violence in Baghdad, a lot of folks, both Iraqis and Americans, are starting to wonder when the hell the economy is going to pick up in Iraq. With oil, land for agriculture, and a large skilled labor pool, you'd think the place would sell itself. Idle hands are the devil's play thing, and unless Iraqis start getting employed with legit gigs, young males are going to continue gravitating towards Uncle Sadr to earn a quick buck. This whole central bank of Iraq catching on fire thing sure ain't helping matters. (READ MORE)

Yellowhammering Afghanistan: People through a Humvee window - The Afghan people captivate me even more than the mountains and terrain here. I'm naturally drawn to children because in their eyes I see the future of this nation. Women in burqas fascinate me with the combination of the mystery of not knowing what they look like but also with what I imagine is the pain of the oppression they must still feel in this society. Afghan men, too, draw my gaze. Some are stoic and their faces show the harshness of life in this country in recent decades. Others are bright with assurance they are making a better way for themselves. The thing is, you see all types. (READ MORE)

Michael Yon: Men of Valor: Part VII of VIII - On the morning of 28 September 2007, the moon was still large as it descended to the horizon. 4 Rifles folded camp and by the time the sun was up, they were ready. At 0800 an “op order” was issued. The G-2 (intelligence) officer named Andy said that the COB (Basra Airport) had been hit with 2 IDF (mortars or rockets) the night before. There was increasing activity around 4 Rifles, and the F-18s had detected hotspots, which might be bombs planted for us. 4 Rifles launched a “trigger op” later that night, a simple operation designed to interdict smugglers. The vast area is so heavily mined that going just a few feet off the road can be fatal. Much of the smuggling is apparently happening on the nearby Shat al Arab River, the seizure of which had been one of Saddam’s prime excuses for launching one of the largest and longest-running conventional wars in a century. (READ MORE)



On the Web:
Karl Rove: The New Rules of Politics - In the aftermath of the Florida primary, some new rules for winning the nomination have emerged and some old rules have been ratified. As we head toward the 23 contests next Tuesday, it's worth considering a few of them. The new rules include: - The big bounce is gone. (READ MORE)

Michael Zeldin: Hillary's Smear Campaign - Beginning with the South Carolina debate, and continuing as an applause line in many stump speeches thereafter, Hillary Clinton has accused Barack Obama of representing an inner-city slum lord while practicing law in Chicago. Of all people, Sen. Clinton should know better. During the Whitewater investigation, Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr investigated the legal work performed by Mrs. Clinton, then a partner in the Rose law firm, on behalf of Jim McDougal and his bank, Madison Guaranty. Mr. Starr believed that Mrs. Clinton helped orchestrate the fraudulent land deal known as Castle Grande. (READ MORE)

Shika Dalmia: Saying No to CoerciveCare - On Monday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's "universal" health-care plan was shot down by a committee in the state's Senate, 7-1. The most vociferous opponents were not fiscal conservatives, but labor unions that launched a last-minute revolt against its most crucial feature: an individual mandate that would have forced everyone to buy coverage. This defeat has national political implications. (READ MORE)

Daniel Henninger: What McCain's Got - In a time of Republican confusion, Sen. John McCain, reviled as an unreliable maverick, has won three GOP primaries. Florida showed why he's winning. In the age of modern media, it is possible for anyone with access to Google to learn almost everything there is to know about a presidential campaign -- polls, strategies, stump speeches, background papers, bottomless punditry. What more does one need to know? If the day comes that campaigns are run only with Web videos, that is indeed all you'll need to know. (READ MORE)

Victor Davis Hanson: Democrats Want to Lose... But Republicans Don't Want To Win - Just a few months ago, the 2008 presidential contest seemed predetermined. The New York lawyers Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton were far ahead in their respective party polls. And in the one-on-one match-up, Sen. Clinton was all but declared the foreordained winner a year in advance. But not now. After Barack Obama's unexpected surge in Iowa, Bill and Hillary Clinton resorted to chewing him up through their trademark politics of personal destruction. Thanks to Clinton Inc., we now hear almost daily that Obama is inspirational but inexperienced, that he had admitted to drug use, that his middle name is Hussein, that he really was not against the Iraq war, that he consorts with Chicago slumlords, that he spins fairy tales, and that he likes Ronald Reagan. (READ MORE)

Steve Chapman: Bush's Catalogue of Failure - Listening to presidents reporting on the State of the Union, you would conclude that they came from Lake Wobegon, since every one of them, by his account, is well above average. Just once, I'd like to hear one say what would be true of many: "Because of my mistakes, the state of the union has gotten worse." But none ever does. Even the worst presidents prefer to focus on their successes and ignore their failures. The striking thing about President Bush's final State of the Union address is that even the successes he claims are largely fictional. Judged by his own criteria, the speech was a catalogue of failure in almost every realm. (READ MORE)

Joel Mowbray: Yet Another Troubling Terror Trial - Given that hard evidence is often scarce in trials of unsuccessful terrorists, federal prosecutors in Miami no doubt felt fortunate to be trying defendants who participated in a ceremony pledging allegiance to al Qaeda—which was captured on video. The defendants took surveillance photos of government buildings. The leader of the cell admitted requesting from an apparent terrorist financier boots, uniforms, vehicles, machine guns and $50,000. Just in case the reason for the request was unclear, Narseal Batiste stated—on tape—that it was for creating an “Islamic army” to wage a “full ground war” and commit an attack that would be “as good or greater than 9/11,” such as blowing up the Sears Tower. (READ MORE)

Matt Towery: The Unmaking of the American Presidency - Last Tuesday night's results from Florida in both the Democratic and Republican Party presidential primaries were what I expected, and then some. Since well back into 2007, this column has been predicting that Florida would decide both the Democratic and GOP nominations. I believe it did, and in the process has blown apart the political world we have known for decades. First, John McCain. He's the ultimate "outsider" within his own Republican Party. Neo-cons, establishment GOP bluebloods and just about every too-cool-for-school Republican faction have long held him in contempt. (READ MORE)

William Rusher: The Reagan 'Myth'- It's slowly dawning on the liberals that it's not going to be enough to ignore Ronald Reagan. Like it or not, they're going to have to take him on, head-first, and try to convince the American people, or at least the historians of his era, that he was a fundamentally bad guy. I don't envy them the job. Reagan was an immensely popular president. Not long after his retirement I told him, in a private conversation, that I thought his historical popularity would follow the trajectory of most of his predecessors' -- declining somewhat at first, then rising again till he assumed at last his proper place in the presidential pantheon. (READ MORE)

Donald Lambro: Downturn? Yes. Recession? No - WASHINGTON -- With all the economic gloom and doom we're hearing on the nightly news, it should be noted that not everyone believes we are heading into a recession. We've been hearing the mantra of recession over and over again for sometime now. It was a drumbeat throughout 2007 from people who had their own political agenda. But barring the expectantly low fourth-quarter gross-domestic-product (GDP) numbers due out this week, for the most part the economy's fundamentals performed quite well -- turning in a nearly 5 percent economic growth rate in the third quarter. (READ MORE)

Andrea Shea King: Does Romney Have the Starch? - I watched tonight's GOP Debate on CNN, and I'm more convinced now of two things: 1) John McCain is not deserving of our vote nor is he qualified to lead this country. 2) Mitt Romney is a gentleman who is going to have to get his hair mussed and well creased cuffs dirty if he's going to take on and beat the "war hero" senator. Does Romney have it in him? Can he roll up his sleeves, get sweaty and nasty and wrestle in the political mud with someone who's been there for 20+ years, feeding from the federal trough? (READ MORE)

A Soldier's Mind: Two Fort Lewis Soldiers Receive Silver Stars - We don’t often hear about the things that our Soldiers encounter, in their daily fight against evil in Iraq and Afghanistan. We don’t often hear about their bravery and their disregard for their personal safety to ensure that their fellow Soldiers are safe. So, each time that I hear about the courage and bravery of our Troops, I remember once again, about the selflessness, courage, bravery and sacrifice that these men and women make on a daily basis. They don’t do this for accolades, but instead because they believe in their mission and want to ensure that the Soldier standing beside them comes home. Once again, we’re reminded of the fact that these men and women are the best examples of the type of people our country produces. (READ MORE)

The Anchoress: Post FL: The Nation Needs a Time-Out - UPDATED - What is it about Florida? Every time the people in Florida vote, the whole nation seems to lose its mind. Hillary’s largely illusory Florida victory has Chris Matthews near tears, probably because he fears grovelling to President Hillary (who will make him pay for his past heresy) so that’s a little understandable, but there is a lot of hot-headed angst going on out there. My email is full of fulminating folks on the right who are either furious about McCain or disgusted with Rush or the Romney crew. Or they’re mad at Giuliani (hint - he’s out of the race, dudes, lay it down) for his ill-advised strategy. Some folks are still crying about Fred Thompson and there is huffing and puffing about “the split of the GOP.” (READ MORE)

The Barnyard: I Have Made A Decision - Based on McCain's smarmy. snide and unbased attacks on Mitt Romney and blatant lies and flip flops, I will sit out the presidential election if he is our GOP nominee. I will vote the down ticket for the GOP and McCain will do terrible damage to that as well even if it is Hillary. They are no different and he would roll over in compromise to the libs when they send him legislation. I cannot trust the man, Mr. Integrity, yeah right, he is a lying donkey ass kisser. The GOP has a major fight on it's hands this year and John McCamnesty, Mr Flip Flop is not the man to save the House That Reagan Built. Donald can call me and others like me deranged all he wants to but that only makes my position stronger. (READ MORE)

Baldilocks: While the Electorate's Attention Is Diverted - While some members of the US Senate are busy running for president and other members are picking sides between them, still others are working behind the scenes for the watchword of the day: change. That change, if successful, will most certainly be dramatic. The question remains, however, is whether the prospective change is good, desirable, or whether it is even constitutional. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the Senate Finance Committee chair, is heading a investigation into the finances of six Christian ministries. (READ MORE)

The Belmont Club: Walk the line - Here are a two stories touching on the Afghan/Pakistani theater of operations. The Asia Times says that the US has built a base right on the Afghan-Pakistan border for the purposes of raiding into Pakistan, with or without Islamabad's approval. The article goes on to say that al-Qaeda has repeatedly attacked to forestall establishment of the installation but to no avail. Now al-Qaeda's leadership is at risk and must apparently withdraw further into Pakistan. The Asia Times article darkly hints that al-Qaeda will redouble its efforts to inflame Pakistan and attack NATO supply lines in order to compensate for its loss of sanctuaries in the tribal areas. (READ MORE)

Big Dog: Were Huckabee and Paul in the Debate? - This is from the CNN website: "Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, winner of the Iowa caucuses, hoped to position himself well among evangelicals and other conservatives to turn around several consecutive losses since Iowa. Long-shot candidate Ron Paul, a representative from Texas, also participated in the debate." CNN Is it fair to say that Ron Paul, of Mike Huckabee for that matter, actually participated in the debate? Almost all of the questions were directed to Romney and McCain while Huckabee and Paul sat on the sidelines waiting to be asked a question or invited to respond to a McCain or Romney answer. (READ MORE)

Dafydd: McCain's Greatest Asset - I'm going to pick up on a comment that frequent commenter MTF made to a previous post here at Big Lizards; he ended by saying this, which is quite perceptive: "If McCain can convince conservatives that he will nominate judges like Roberts and Alito and press to make the Bush tax deal permanent, then those windy promises, in combination with his strong and very real support of the war effort against al Qaeda will be very tough for anyone to best." Let's amplify that: McCain will be tough for anyone to best even in the general election. (READ MORE)

Deebow @ Blackfive: Is there a way not to get pissed off about this? - OK, I am going to guess that is a rhetorical question...(h/t MM) “Members of the Berkeley City Council showed their opposition to a Marine Corps recruiting office in Downtown Berkeley last night.” Thankfully, Move America Forward is spreading the word on this atrocity. Many thanks to them for their continued efforts to counter these oxygen thieves who are stealing the air of someone who could use it to be more productive. Here is what my plan of action would be... (READ MORE)

The Captain's Journal: Taliban Continue Fronts in Pakistan and Afghanistan - In U.S. Intelligence Failures: Dual Taliban Campaigns, we provided the analysis showing that there has been a split in the Taliban organization with Baitullah Mehsud (or By’atullah Mahsoud) the leader of the Pakistan wing and Mullah Mohammed Omar the leader of the Afghanistan wing. Taliban insurgency is planned for Afghanistan, and an insurrection is planned for Pakistan. This analysis, proven correct, was directly contrary to the analysis given by Army Major General David Rodriguez who claimed that the front in Pakistan would prevent the Taliban from conducting a “spring offensive” in Afghanistan in 2008. But Mullah Mohammed Omar has recently said through a spokesman that the Taliban doesn’t align themselves with the fight in Pakistan. Their’s is an Afghani struggle. (READ MORE)

Blue Crab Boulevard: Irreconcilable Differences - The Wall Street Journal reports that Arnold Schwarzenegger's California "Universal Health Care" initiative has died. They are not grieving over the corpse. “So much for that. The California legislature is probably the most liberal this side of Vermont, and even Democrats refused to become shock troops for this latest liberal experiment. Mr. Schwarzenegger and Democrats in the State Assembly did agree on a compromise plan in December. But on Monday, only a single member of the Senate Health Committee voted to report the bill to the full chamber — and thus it joined a graveyard full of state ‘universal’ health-care failures.” (READ MORE)

Pam Meister: Say What? Military Near Top of the ‘Prestigious’ Career Heap - Hey, Gomer: “Surprise, surprise, surprise!” A recent Harris Interactive survey indicates a handful of careers are considered very prestigious by American adults. Over 50 percent of those surveyed believed scientists, teachers, doctors and military officers had “very great prestige.” (Firemen topped the list with 61 percent.) At the bottom of the list of prestigious careers were real estate brokers (5 percent), bankers (10 percent), and actors (9 percent). Journalists are also not far from the bottom of the scrap heap, with less than 20 percent surveyed according them prestige. (READ MORE)

Ed Morrissey: Will Hillary's Wal-Mart Experience Trip Her Up? - Of all the arguments against Hillary Clinton's nomination, her tenure on the board of Wal-Mart may be the most ironically damaging. Democrats survive on the money that labor unions generate, and they have a passionate hatred for the nation's largest retailer, which has successfully kept unions from organizing their workers. John Edwards and Barack Obama have repeatedly demonized Wal-Mart, even though most analysts agree that its low prices and job opportunities represent a net benefit to lower-income communities. Hillary has attempted to parry criticism of her Wal-Mart connection by claiming that she did what she could to press for positive change while on the board. ABC News has reviewed hours of stockholder meeting videotapes and finds no evidence that she ever pushed Wal-Mart to be more union friendly: (READ MORE)

Confederate Yankee: It's Your Fault That You Hate Us - Via Ace and a sarcastic review by Kevin D. Williamson on NRO's Media Blog, comes an article by Poynter Institute Senior Scholar Roy Peter Clark, entitled The Public Bias against the Press. And yes, he's quite sincere. He begins: “The public bias against the press is a more serious problem for American democracy that the bias (real or perceived) of the press itself.” This is a fascinating claim. Clark argues that a healthy degree of skepticism in the American public for (real or perceived) media bias is greater than the actual damage caused by biases held by journalists and promulgated in their reporting. (READ MORE)

Andrew Cochran: Did a Federal Court Leave Terrorism Victims Out in the Cold? - On December 28, a three-judge panel of the U.S. Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals overturned the ruling in the David Boim case, a $156 million judgment against the Holy Land Foundation and other U.S.-based Muslim charities. The case arose out of the murder of David Boim, a seventeen-year-old American citizen who was killed in a Hamas terrorist attack in the West Bank. David's parents had sued the attackers and a number of U.S.-based Muslim charities, including HLF, alleging in part that the charities directly or indirectly raised and laundered money for Hamas and otherwise helped finance Hamas’ terrorist activities. The 7th Circuit opinion reversed the trial court's ruling for the plaintiffs and remanded the case, indicating that the plaintiffs must establish more of a causal link between the defendants' funding and fund-raising activities and the terrorist act. (READ MORE)

Gribbit's Word: A Story of Union Ignorance - I was walking down my street the other day and was for some reason paying attention to the surface of the roadway. I noticed all the places where the utility companies had cut into the road to make their repairs. I also noticed markings on the road’s surface in spray paint marking out where the gas, sewer, and water lines crossed the road. This all brought back a memory for me that is about 11 years old. I’ve made no secret of the fact that organized labor is a problem in my opinion. I say this as a former local President of a prominent manufacturing union in the United States. I’ve seen the lack of action of the international body when their action needed and their pushing of candidates who ultimately dropped out of Presidential races and Congressional races after they took the union’s PAC money. I’ve read the literature promoting political candidates and political positions which work in conflict with the retention of jobs. (READ MORE)

Jihad Watch: Pakistani jihad leader: "We want to eradicate Britain and America...We pray that Allah will enable us to destroy the White House, New York, and London" - Maybe he thinks he and his fellow jihadists will destroy us from within. In any case, note the strong Islamic content of his appeal -- while the learned Western analysts continue to dismiss this, the most prominent feature of what he is saying, as mere window dressing that manifests a deep misunderstanding of the religion. "Pakistani Taliban Emir By'atullah Mahsoud: We Will Destroy America and Britain, But Won't Use Nuclear Bombs," from MEMRI (thanks to Mackie): (READ MORE)

Jules Crittenden: Arrest Him! - After impeaching him! Now! Brattleboro’s Bush warrant irks wingnuts. Any of you guys know anything about this? AP: "BRATTLEBORO, Vt. - A petition by 435 earnest Vermonters calling for the arrest of President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney has triggered counter charges from citizens elsewhere that the petitioners are 'wackjobs' and 'nuts.'" (READ MORE)

Allahpundit: (Video) McCain righteously demolished by … Joe Scarborough? - What’s most impressive is how long, yet still incomplete, the list of grievances is and how effortlessly he calls it up from memory. A testament, surely, to how deeply McCain’s betrayals have seeped into the conservative consciousness. VDH is doing his best to rehabilitate Maverick for the sake of the war, but he’d be better off waiting until we’ve reconciled ourselves to our fate before trying this. At this stage he’s probably alienating more readers than he’s converting. (READ MORE)

Bill Roggio: The Mosul Offensive - Just over one year after the surge officially began Coalition and Iraqi forces continue to pursue al Qaeda in Iraq. After al Qaeda has been driven from its havens in Baghdad and the surrounding belts regions, and most recently in Diyala, the city of Mosul has emerged as the latest battleground. Al Qaeda is still is able to operate in Mosul, and maintains its only established supply line to Syria in the Mosul region, according to a December 2007 assessment of the terror group's capabilities by Multinational Forces Iraq. "In ... Mosul and the rest of Ninewa province we still have a very tough fight to go," said Major General Mark Hertling, the commander of Multinational Division North said in a press briefing on Jan. 22, just one day prior to a major attack in the city. (READ MORE)

Amy Proctor: Al-Qaeda Car Bombs Decrease Dramatically in Iraq - In Iraq, al-Qaeda's signature tactic, the car bomb, has all but been abandoned by al-Qaeda with the U.S. military saying this downward trend is a sign that al-Qaeda is on the defensive. The decline looks like this: Car bombings in Iraq: January 2008: 3 December 2007: 12 January 2007: 80+ Car bombings have been replaced by suicide bombers, whose attacks are slightly up, but there’s a reason for that. According to U.S. Navy Admiral Greg Smith: "We think that because of our operations, al-Qaeda has moved into a much more defensive position, and they're clearly having to physically move. That's making their ability to conduct more lethal larger-scale bombings more difficult." (READ MORE)

Mountain Runner: What's wrong with our public diplomacy? Is it an issue of capacity or dysfunction? - Former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s suggestion last week to recreate the United States Information Agency really stirred things up. Setting the tone was Sharon Weinberger of Danger Room with a post that didn't hide her disdain for the idea. Following her lead was Mike Nizza of the New York Times blog The Lede with a post that closed with "[d]efenders of Mr. Rumsfeld’s proposal have yet to emerge in the blogosphere." Then there was William Arkin’s post on WaPo lamenting that "Pentagon feels it is its responsibility to fill in a vacuum" of the war of ideas but doing so in ways that are "hopelessly confused." But, as Arkin pleads it, it is not the job of the military to "wage the nation’s information wars." True, but who else will do it, Mr. Arkin? (READ MORE)

Cinnamon Stillwell: Western Feminists Feeling the Sting of Criticism? - Like many others on the right, I have been a consistent critic of the Western feminist movement's veritable silence on the oppression of women in Muslim culture. Putting multiculturalism and leftist political preoccupations such as being anti-American and anti-Israel ahead of women's (and, indeed, human) rights, the movement is out to lunch on the great feminist calling of our time. In a recent SFGate column on the rise of so-called honor killings in the West, I elaborated on the subject: (READ MORE)

ThreatsWatch: How to Attack a National Identity - One of America’s core interests in Iraq is “An Iraq that is peaceful, united, stable, democratic, and secure.” Essential to the achievement of American goals in Iraq is the maintenance of an Iraqi national identity that includes both the Sunni and Shi’a communities. This goal is in direct opposition to the goals of al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), which seeks an Sunni Islamic Caliphate that rules Iraq and beyond. That goal requires the destruction of the Iraqi nationalist identity and its replacement with a (Sunni) Islamic identity. This analysis will explore some of the rationale behind AQI’s strategy and tactics. We will take the goal of AQI, that of an Islamic Caliphate to replace states in the Middle East and therefore the creation of an Islamic identity, as a given. (READ MORE)

Cassandra: Berkeley: Marines "Unwelcome, Uninvited Intruders" - The half vast editorial staff are delighted to announce that Day 2 of Berkeley, California's increasingly popular Swarming of the Moonbats (a fresh and funky local tourist attraction based on Pamplona, Spain's Running of the Bulls) is in full swing! Scores of brave moonbats are expected to hit the streets in noisy solidarity, determined to protect gullible American youth from the lying lies of The BusHitler and Dick Cheney's oil-grubbing capitalist cronies! (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.

Groups Work to Kindle Commerce at New Baghdad Market

By Elaine Eliah

BAGHDAD — To many Americans, convenient shopping means easy, safe parking at clean, wholesome supermarkets. In Iraq, where shoppers often risk their lives buying groceries and vendors watch produce rot for lack of electricity or transport, marketing has different requirements.

The New Baghdad Market, also known as 9 Nissan, soon will be able to meet these special needs.

The “Baghdad 2” embedded provincial reconstruction team and the 3rd Infantry Division’s 2-69th Armor Battalion have been working with the Baghdad Provincial Council, local district and neighborhood councils and the U.S. Agency for International Development’s “Inma” agribusiness program to rekindle plans for a modern community-based retail food market. "Inma" is an Arabic word that means “growth.”

The high-profile New Baghdad Market is perfectly located beside a highway, adjacent to bus transport and surrounded by a large residential community. It was designed for secure shopping, sanitary food handling and safe food storage. Built with USAID funding in 2004, the market remained unoccupied as violence and ethnic tension drove many residents away.

Local police continuously ran squatters out of the stalls, and coalition forces often found weapons caches there. As stability took hold and local residents returned to their neighborhood, hundreds of vendors commandeered nearby streets, building makeshift stalls from scrap wood and plastic sheeting to sell vegetables, chicken and meat.

“The area developed so fast economically that it attracted people even from outside the area,” said Army Capt. Alexis Perez-Cruz, who has worked for 10 months with Iraqi police and soldiers in the area of the market. “Neighborhood council meetings have now shifted focus from security to economic issues.”

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Should I be afraid of President McCain? from Pros and Cons

2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment Captures High Value Target

Coalition Forces captured a high-value target suspected of facilitating improvised-explosive devices and vehicle-borne explosive devices along with two other suspected terrorists Saturday during the ongoing Operation Phantom Phoenix:

ABU GHRAIB, Iraq – Soldiers from 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, Multi-National Division – Baghdad detained an individual suspected of facilitating improvised-explosive devices and possible vehicle-borne explosive devices for al Qaeda in Iraq. Jan. 26.

Two other individuals suspected of facilitating improvised-explosive device activity in Abu Ghraib were also detained.

All three suspects are being held for further questioning.

These arrests are part of Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s ongoing offensive operations in support of the countrywide Operation Phantom Phoenix.

Task Force Rogue Captures Terrorist in Mansour

Troopers with the Scout Recon Platoon of HHC, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne arrested an Al-Qaeda Cell member, believed to be a leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq from the Iskandariyah and Haswah area, in the Mansour area during a raid on Tuesday:

BAGHDAD – Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers arrested a terrorist suspect during a raid in the Andalus neighborhood of Baghdad Jan. 29.

This arrest is part of Multi-National Division – Baghdad’s ongoing offensive operations in support of the countrywide Operation Phantom Phoenix.

Troops with the Scout Recon Platoon of HHC, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, operationally attached to the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne arrested the middle-aged man after receiving reports he was in the area of operations in east Mansour earlier that day.

The man is believed to be a leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq from the Iskandariyah and Haswah area. He is suspected of targeting and attacking Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces south of Baghdad in the Multi-National Division – Center area of operations. The alleged terrorist was detained and taken to a Coalition Detention Facility for further questioning.

Rocket Attack Results in Terrorist Being Captured

After rockets were fired from a soccer field near Sadr City Coalition Forces investigated and detained one terrorist along with a home made rocket launcher:

BAGHDAD – Coalition Forces detained a suspected extremist Jan. 29 after rockets were fired from a soccer field near Sadr City.

One rocket is believed to have landed near the border of Rusafa and Sadr City.

There are no reports of civilian casualties or structural damage from the rocket at this time.

Coalition Forces detained the suspect who matched a description of a known terrorist and secured one homemade rocket launcher.

There are no reports of civilian casualties or injuries from the operation Coalition Forces carried out while detaining the suspected extremist.

“Terrorists launched this attack from a place where children are supposed to play soccer, which just shows the lengths to which they will go to indiscriminately attack the Iraqi people and Coalition Forces,” said Maj. Joseph Edstrom, Multi-National Corps – Iraq spokesman.

Coalition Forces will continue to aggressively and relentlessly target, capture and kill terrorists and other extremists who are a threat to the security of the Government of Iraq or the safety of its citizens.

VBIED Destroyed, Two Detained in Arab Jabour

On January 27, 2008 soldiers from Scout Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, discovered the vehicle after a report from Concerned Local Citizens. After searching the vehicle and suspecting that it was a VBIED, the Scouts called in Air Support to destroy the vehicle:

BAGHDAD – A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device was destroyed by an air weapons team Jan. 27 in Arab Jabour.

Soldiers from Scout Platoon, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, from Fort Stewart, Ga., discovered the vehicle after a report from Concerned Local
Citizens.

Scout platoon, platoon sergeant, Sgt. 1st Class Ramone Manzano, said his Soldiers acted on intelligence from Concerned Local Citizens in the area who reported stopping two men driving a potential VBIED.

The men were driving a blue truck into northern Arab Jabour when they were stopped by the CLCs.

Upon arriving on the scene, the Scouts took over the investigation.

Manzano said he opened the driver-side door and noticed two wires running underneath the seat leading toward the truck’s engine block.

Suspecting a VBIED, he separated the men and questioned them.

The pair’s stories about what they were doing did not match up, Manzano said. Both matched the unit’s intelligence descriptions of potential insurgents and tests concluded that both men had explosive residue on them.

The suspects were detained for questioning, while Soldiers called in an air weapons team of Apache helicopters, which destroyed the vehicle with a Hellfire missile and 100 rounds of 30 mm munitions.

Describing the find as a big event, Manzano, a native of Neptune, N.J., said this was the first time his Soldiers have actually encountered a VBIED.

By taking out the threat, Manzano said, it will go a long way in keeping the area safe.

The CLCs have done a lot to make the area safer, Manzano said. “They play a big role in our effort. They help us (identify) al-Qaeda and point out the bad guys.”

Operation Iron Boston targets al-Qaeda Hideout in Sa'id Abdullah Corridor

Iraqi Army and Soldiers from Companies C and D, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), conducted a daytime air assaulted into the Sa'id Abdullah Corridor where they detained 24 individuals:

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Army Soldiers detained 24 individuals Jan. 27 during the joint air assault operation, ‘Iron Boston’, with Coalition Forces in the Sa’id Abdullah Corridor.

Iraqi Army and Soldiers from Companies C and D, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), conducted a daytime air assaulted into the area.

Keeping the enemy guessing is exactly what Pittsburgh native Capt. Michael Starz, commander of Company C, wanted to do.

“Every air assault we do is different,” Starz said. “There’s not a single time that we do a big operation that it looks the same to the enemy. We never want to be predictable.”

Five of the men were detained after Iraqi Soldiers discovered them hiding in a hole. Starz described the hole as being well constructed, deep and big enough to fit 10 men.

Kiowa helicopters provided close-air support to ensure the area was safe for U.S. and Iraqi troops. While ground forces moved in and out of houses, the Kiowas made low-level passes and fired rockets to deter any would-be attackers.

Insurgent activity has been prominent in the corridor.

“The Sa’id Abdullah Corridor is where all the al-Qaeda groups in this region were controlled from,” Starz said. “It’s where their leadership was present, where their logistics occurred – basically they controlled the movement of foreign fighters into the area from this location.”

Historically, the Sa’id Abdulla Corridor has been the borderline between operating environments for Coalition Forces and Iraqi Security Forces.

Being on the border may have led insurgents to believe they could avoid detection.

Starz said his unit communicates closely with 3rd Battalion, 320th Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd BCT, 101st Abn. Div. (AASLT), the neighboring battalion to 3-187th Inf. Regt. “Between all the Coalition and Iraqi Security Forces operating in the area, it’s no longer a safe haven for them.”

Web Reconnaissance for 01/30/2008

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 Beats Romney in Florida - ORLANDO, Jan. 29 -- Sen. John McCain of Arizona pulled out a hard-fought victory over former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney in Florida's contentious Republican primary Tuesday, making him the clear front-runner in a two-man presidential race that could be decided as soon as next week. (READ MORE)

Energy Dept. Might Drop Support for FutureGen Power Plant - Energy Secretary Samuel P. Bodman told lawmakers yesterday that the Bush administration might drop its support for a $1.5 billion coal-fired power plant designed to store greenhouse gases underground, citing mounting cost estimates and other possible technologies. (READ MORE)

U.S. to Expand Outposts Across Baghdad by 30% - BAGHDAD, Jan. 29 -- The U.S. military plans to boost the number of neighborhood outposts across the capital by more than 30 percent this year even as American forces begin to withdraw, the new commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad said Tuesday. (READ MORE)

Opposition Legislator Slain In Kenya, Sparking Clashes - NAIROBI, Jan. 29 -- Just hours after an opposition lawmaker was gunned down in his driveway here, the fury that has swept over this country since last month's disputed presidential election arrived in his middle-class neighborhood. (READ MORE)

Eminent Reality - Does restricting "eminent domain" -- the power of government to seize private property -- harm economic growth? A new report from the Institute for Justice looks at the evidence and concludes the answer is no. (READ MORE)

French Reflex - Anytime a business scandal erupts, politicians can't help but stick their noses in it. Think Enron, WorldCom and its regulatory offspring, Sarbanes-Oxley. This temptation is double dosed for French mandarins predisposed by long tradition to meddle in private affairs. (READ MORE)

McCain Wins Big in Florida - Sen. John McCain last night became the man to beat for the Republican presidential nomination, edging out Mitt Romney to win the Florida primary and ending the bid of one-time front-runner Rudolph W. Giuliani. (READ MORE)

Iraq Not Using Oil Cash to Rebuild - Increased Iraqi oil revenues stemming from high prices and improved security are piling up in the Federal Reserve Bank of New York rather than being spent on needed reconstruction projects, a Washington Times study of Iraq's spending and revenue figures has shown. (READ MORE)

FBI Subprime Investigation Targets 14 Firms - The FBI yesterday said its investigation into the subprime mortgage crisis is focusing on 14 companies suspected of accounting fraud, improperly securing loans and insider trading. (READ MORE)

House Approves Rebates for Most - The House yesterday overwhelmingly passed a $146 billion economic-stimulus bill with rebates of $600 to $1,200 for most people, but the celebration was clouded by fears that Senate Democrats will spoil the bipartisan plan by tinkering with it. (READ MORE)

Palestinian Factions to Lobby Cairo - Gaza's rulers today will urge Egypt to let the Rafah crossing point remain open under the control of Hamas and Palestinian Authority security forces, a Hamas official told The Washington Times. (READ MORE)



From the Front:
Defiant Compliance: (VIDEO) Bet You Won't See This On CNN - Dear Reader, I traveled to Forward Operating Base Scania yesterday for work. I took a Blackhawk helicopter there and a Chinook chopper on the way back the next day. I had a fantastic time (as usual... I love my job), and I even managed to squeeze out an interview with a couple of the fine folks who run the volunteer-manned burn clinic for Iraqis. Apparently the local hospitals have been dropping people off right at the base's gate for treatment, since they either don't have the resources to take care of them or they're indigent. Health insurance is virtually non-existent in Iraq - You either pay for it out of your own pocket or you don't get it. (READ MORE)

Tina Susman: Iraqi political impasse a lifesaver for some - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's feuding with President Jalal Talabani and others in the Iraqi leadership is considered a hindrance to national reconciliation, but at least three men are benefitting from it. In fact, it is keeping them alive. The men are former associates of Saddam Hussein, and they were sentenced to hang for taking part in military atrocities that killed as many as 180,000 Kurds in northern Iraq in the 1980s. They include Sultan Hashim Ahmad Jabburi Tai, who was an Iraqi military officer during the campaign; Ali Hassan Majid, AKA Chemical Ali for his use of poisonous gas on the Kurds; and Hussein Rashid Mohammed, who was Hussein's deputy head of army operations.(READ MORE)

Andrew Lubin: Clearing Out the Belts: With 1–30 Infantry South of Baghdad - Patrol Base Al-Mizan: We were awakened our first night at this forward base by the sound of the machine guns pounding from the Apaches flying overhead. This is Patrol Base Al-Mizan, opened two days ago by the 1-30 Infantry, LTC Ken Adgie commanding. Out of Fort Stewart, Ga., Bravo Company and HAC Company started building this forward base, the latest in a series, just two days ago. Taking over an abandoned house, the Soldiers have been filling Hesco barriers, putting electricity and lights into their new FOB, pushing out into the countryside, and working on expanding their very aggressive and very competent Concerned Local Citizens group in the opening days of Operation Coliseum. But up on the roof, talking to the Soldiers manning the sandbagged watch-points, they made the point that 1-30 is the new government in the area. (READ MORE)

Doc in the Box: Nighttime mayhem - Yesterday, while cleaning our room after KBR spread dust all over the place replacing our heater (thanks!). We fried our power cord, I guess the shop vacuum pulls to much wattage for the Iraqi brand cord that I had purchased from the local hajji mart and all of the smoke came out of the wires and it wouldn't work anymore. So I wasn't able to plug my super loud alarm clock into the wall and we were forced to use a dinky travel alarm clock that my roommate brought with him. We went to bed and I woke suddenly and glanced out the window and saw light shining through the sandbags. Eek! (READ MORE)

IraqPundit: The Funny Files - Those who believe fearful Iraqis have locked themselves in, and are barely surviving a civil war might be surprised to learn that my fellow countrymen have managed to blend the newest technology with dark-edge humour. They are using the novelty of YouTube as a vehicle for expression and entertainment, mocking Iraq's firebrand buffoons and having a little fun at the expense of Western soldiers. Iraqis have been posting clips on the popular Internet video site showing male U.S. soldiers dancing good-naturedly if clumsily with their Iraqi counterparts or with people in the streets. (READ MORE)

Omar: Al-Qaeda's in Iraq New Sponsor: Libya - After Iran, Syria and others it's now Libya's turn to sponsor terrorism in Iraq. The news popped up for a second then it vanished; Gaddafi's son is accused by senior awakening officials in Anbar of funding and sending a group of foreign terrorists to Iraq. This particular group, awakening leaders believe, was responsible for the explosives cache that caused the devastating explosion in Mosul last week. “Col. Jubair Rashid Naief, who also is a police official in Anbar province, said those attacks were carried out by the Seifaddin Regiment, made up of about 150 foreign and Iraqi fighters who slipped into the country several months ago from Syria.” (READ MORE)

Jason's Iraq Vacation: Quality problems - As I drove up to the "new" building with the fading paint, I tried to rationalize what I was seeing. A week earlier, the building had new paint applied to the outside, just prior to the new roof being installed. To see that same building with half a good paint job and half no paint, I went through every scenario I could think to justify why. Maybe they found a new color they like better. Maybe they need to re-seal the walls and take the paint off before hand. Or maybe, just maybe, they lined the freakin' roof up flush with the wall face so that when it rained, the water cascaded down the face of the wall and washed away all the paint. (READ MORE)

Matt Sanchez: Not So Fast - Associated Press piece complaining troop reductions may not happen this summer as they predicted. This is an unfortunate delusion of a press that issues an opinion and then treats that opinion as if it were a fact. We all want troops to be safe, and many believe the safest place for them is back home, but the truth is that the "surge" has actually saved lives in Iraq. I applaud the Commander-in-Chief for following for following his time-table and not the artificial schedules of those who have all of the criticism in the world and absolutely none of the responsibility. (READ MORE)

Yellowhammering Afghanistan: Afghanistan countryside through a Humvee window - It still amazes me how the snow has changed the vast patches of beige to glorious visions of white. The terrain of Afghanistan is part of what has made it a rugged country difficult to tame. The weather is another factor. But the two taken together can create majestic scenes even if they remain dangerous and unruly. There are entire districts that we can't travel to this time of year because the weather and terrain make it impossible to get there unless we fly. But the mountain passes where we can travel give us a glimpse at real beauty from the seat of our Humvees. (READ MORE)

James Aalan Bernsen: Just an ordinary day - It's been a while since I just gave folks an idea of what an ordinary day in my life is like. For those new to the blog, I mentioned earlier that my job is not the kind of thing I can talk about in a lot of detail. I'll simply say that I'm an intelligence officer working for the Multi-National Corps - Iraq. The corps, for those not knowledgeable about army organization, is the big-picture guys. So I can say I've got a pretty good idea of what's going on here. (READ MORE)

Army of Dude: Overlooked Heroes of the War on Terror - They've seen the horrors of war up front and personal. They've slept under the stars and in abandoned buildings under constant threat from insurgents wishing to do them harm. But you won't hear their tales of courage under fire or how vital they are to coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan. They're interpreters, and more than seven thousand of them have not only broken the language barrier between Americans and Iraqis, they've provided priceless insight into the nuances of Arab culture important for a counter-insurgency to be successful. Bullets and bombs take a back seat to providing security for neighborhoods harassed by extremists. (READ MORE)

Badger 6: We Remember - Corporal Stephen Shannon - It was a year ago today that Task Force Pathfinder had its first Killed in Action. Corporal Stephen D. Shannon was wounded on the night of 30 January 2007 in Ar Ramadi, Iraq; he died the next morning in a hospital in Balad. Here is the story of that night. When one considers that most of these events around us would have played out in some manner, regardless of our own presence, if they were going to happen anyway - I must say I was honored to be there. Cobra 6, my good friend and fellow Commander, demonstrated a great deal of steel, backbone, and compassion that day. I was honored to be with him. (READ MORE)



On the Web:
Judea Pearl: The Daniel Pearl Standard - This week marks the sixth anniversary of the murder of my son Daniel Pearl, a reporter for this newspaper. It is a fitting occasion to step back and reflect on what this tragedy has taught us. I am often asked why Danny's death has touched so many people and why he, of all victims of terror, is so often singled out as an icon of the troubled journey of the 21st century. (READ MORE)

Holman W. Jenkins, Jr.: Future Farmer - History records that previous commodity booms were not followed by mass starvation, resource wars and the end of civilization. John Atkin is out to make sure it doesn't happen again. An agricultural zoologist by training, he serves as chief operating officer for crop protection at Switzerland's Syngenta, a competitor to the U.S. giant Monsanto in the controversial business of agricultural technology. (READ MORE)

Austin Bay: Halting Kenya's Chaotic Spiral - Late last month, allegations of vote fraud in Kenya's closely fought presidential election sparked riots and demonstrations throughout the country. Kenya's crisis, however, "has mutated from an electoral dispute into much deeper problems with a high potential for recurrence," former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan told a reporter with Nairobi's East African Standard. Annan went to Kenya to try to mediate the political dispute and calm violent tribal passions. All too often in the developing world tribes and ethnic groups form the core of political parties. With ethnicity for tinder, minor political squabbles... (READ MORE)

Mike S. Adams: Fred Phelps Goes Down Under - Fred Phelps, the pastor and head lunatic of Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) of Topeka, Kansas (call 785-273-0325 or visit godhatesfags.com) has written an open letter to the family of Heath Ledger. In the short letter is a demand that the Ledger family divulge the time, date, and place of the late actor’s burial in Perth, Australia, so WBC can go - in respectful proximity - and conduct a “religious service.” Fred Phelps has already caused untold suffering and pain to the families of dead American soldiers by protesting their funerals with signs proclaiming that “God Hates America” because “Gad Hates Fags” and America tolerates them. (READ MORE)

Walter E. Williams: Stimulus Package Nonsense - Some Democratic and Republican presidential hopefuls are preaching economic doom and gloom, disappearing middle class, and failing health care industry. What's their solution? The short answer is give them more control over our lives. Baltimore's political satirist, the late H.L. Mencken, explained this strategy, saying, "The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed, and hence clamorous to be led to safety, by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary." The imaginary hobgoblin this time is the threat of an oncoming recession, even though it is by no means clear that the U.S. economy is in a recession. (READ MORE)

Thomas Sowell: A "Stimulus Package"? - Both political parties seem determined that the federal government should create a "stimulus package" of things designed to cushion a downturn in the economy. That alone should be enough to make us remember that "the devil is always in the details," because things that are bipartisan are often twice as bad as things that are partisan. A bipartisan intervention is virtually guaranteed to be a grab bag of inconsistent policies thrown together in order to get the votes of people with contradictory ideas of what ought to be done. The idea of a stimulus package is based on the general notion that there are things the government could do to make things better in the economy. (READ MORE)

Brent Bozell III: McCain vs. Limbaugh - You can tell a lot about how the news media feel about conservatives by watching how they talk about Rush Limbaugh. They want his influence curbed. They pine for the day his career hits the skids. They're constantly looking for a moment where they can declare that conservatives no longer have -- that Rush Limbaugh no longer has -- the Grand Old Party in a menacing trance. They don't want Republican candidates seeking a Limbaugh endorsement. They think they found that moment on Jan. 19. (READ MORE)

Michael Medved: Are Senators Doomed To Lose? - During the last century, the American people have shown a notable reluctance to elect sitting U.S. Senators to the nation’s highest office. In 120 years, only two members of the Senate have succeeded in their campaigns to the White House. In 1920, the voters chose Warren Harding of Ohio, and in 1960 they selected John Kennedy of Massachusetts: both of them handsome charmers with a notorious eye for the ladies, both of them dead before their time in the midst of their first terms, and both of them mourned as fallen heroes in lavish displays of national grief. Today, we remember Harding far more contemptuously than he deserves and we recall Kennedy far more reverently than he deserves... (READ MORE)

Sen. Jim DeMint: Real Change Requires Principled Conservative Leadership - Since 1966, the opposition party has delivered a response to the State of the Union Address. This year, I am delivering a Conservative Response not to oppose the President, but to compliment what the President has proposed. The President last night took some bold positions and we will work to support his principled stands. But more must be done. As a Senate conservative, I will work with my colleagues to put forth principled conservative ideas for action in Congress. (READ MORE)

Chuck Colson: Exploiting America's Veterans - Have you received one of those letters in the mail—asking you to send money to help wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan? If so, I hope you ignored it—not because I do not care about our troops, but because I do. It turns out that at least two of these charities are run by people who would rather line their own pockets than help veterans. One charity is called Help Hospitalized Veterans. The Washington Post reports that this outfit spent hundreds of thousands of dollars on personal expenses for Roger Chapin, who manages the charity. Richard Viguerie, “to whom the charity has awarded millions in fundraising-consulting contracts,” also reportedly used contributions to pay for personal expenses. (READ MORE)

Jonah Goldberg: We Were Warned - At a briefing for conservative journalists before the State of the Union address, White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten said President Bush isn't wistful about the close of his presidency and doesn't foresee a day when he will pine to be back in the Oval Office. Chuckles broke out in the room at the perhaps unintentional comparison to Hillary Clinton's surrogate in chief, who - as with everything else in his life - has decided to make this election year all about him. This got me thinking. Bush came into office promising to be the un-Clinton. And in many ways - good and bad - he stayed true to that promise. (READ MORE)

Westhawk: What will the Surge teach us? - On Saturday, the Weekly Standard published Fred Barnes’s piece that described how President Bush decided on the “surge” strategy for Iraq, and how he sold that strategy to a skeptical Pentagon bureaucracy. The received wisdom today is that by sending 30,000 more combat troops to Iraq, in the form of five additional Army brigade combat teams and two additional Marine infantry battalions, the U.S. military in Iraq would then have enough manpower to protect the Iraqi population by being able, for the first time, to staff small combat outposts throughout Iraq’s urban neighborhoods. Protecting the population is thought to be an essential counterinsurgency tactic. Once the population sees that the government forces are protecting them against the insurgents, the population will then feel safe enough to give up the rebels hiding in their neighborhoods. (READ MORE)

The Tygrrr Express: The Dub–Fighting to the Finish - President Bush gave his final State of the Union. While some Americans honestly disagree with him out of convictions that are deeply held, many of his opponents despise him for being alive and existing. This is not because of the War in Iraq. It is because of the 2000 election that his opponent failed to steal. As expected, President Bush was gracious to the end, and those that disagreed with him ranged from dour and beaten to downright rude and scowling. The scowler wants the job next year, and she will be in for a rude awakening of her own if she thins her lack of decorum will be forgotten. (READ MORE)

Jay Fraser: DHS - The Presidential Transition Plan - With the 2008 Presidential election upon us, the Nation also faces the first ever transition of the Department of Homeland Security from one Administration to another. Staying totally apolitical, that this is the first election in over 50 years where there is no incumbent Vice President running for the higher office presents an even greater challenge. A few weeks ago, I noted that Congressman Bennie Thompson, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security had sent a memo to the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff. The memo contained a “to-do” list that included developing a plan to deal with the “mass exodus” that would occur with the change in Administration. (READ MORE)

ThunderRun: All European Culture Died in Auschwitz – “We have exchanged the pursuit of peace of the Jews of Europe and their talent for hoping for a better future for their children, their determined clinging to life because life is holy, for those who pursue death, for people consumed by the desire for death for themselves and others, for our children and theirs. What a terrible mistake was made by miserable Europe.” I haven’t attempted to verify its authenticity but was simply asked: “What do you think of this? Do you agree?” At first glance I can agree with a whole lot of it, not that all muslims are crazed death cult members - current operations in Iraq can attest to that fact, but before you think of me as a xenophobe allow me to explain. (READ MORE)

Mark Tapscott: Is Romney the 'real' winner in Florida GOP primary? - Joshua Trevino says yes and he makes a strong case for the proposition that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is becoming THE conservative choice. Not sure I quite agree but it's definitely an interesting take on an otherwise dispiriting outcome. PREDICTION: McCain is now established as the clear front runner and that means he will now experience a depth of analysis and critique from the mainstream media and the Right side of the Blogosphere that he has never before had to endure. (READ MORE)

Stop the ACLU: Lucky me! - Within the last couple of days, I have been attacked by TWO Leftist bloggers! And note that they attacked ME, not any of the facts and arguments that I have put forward. What they have written is, in short, a confession of complete intellectual failure. They hate the truths that I have highlighted but they were so unable to refute those truths that all they could manage was an attempt to shoot the messenger. Their arguments were what logicians call ad hominem arguments — arguments of no scholarly repute whatever. There are a few variations of ad hominem argumentation but a typical one would be of the following form: (READ MORE)

Mark Steyn: Nice is Easy - I used to support the "candidate of change", but then I changed to the candidate of "change you can believe in", and then I changed back to the "candidate of change" after the candidate changed to being an "agent of change", which sounds very top-secret and groovy. There used to be a British rock band called Status Quo (one would like to think there still is), and, endearingly enough, all their records sounded exactly the same. But no-one's using them for a campaign theme this season. Instead, it's one beguiling chorus after another of "Changers In The Night". As the bumper stickers say, "I'm Pro-Change And I Vote". Even my colleague John O'Sullivan penned a column for the Telegraph in London headlined "Barack And Huckabee Ride On Wish For Change". (READ MORE)

Melanie Phillips: Hamastan-on-the-Nile? - The breaching by Hamas of the barrier between Gaza and Egypt has created a new situation of considerable complexity on the ground. For Israel, the danger from the free flow of terrorist men and materiel in and out of Egypt, and able to penetrate the porous border between Sinai and Israel, is obvious. On the other hand, several commentators are speculating that along with the danger comes an opportunity — that Egypt, which fears Hamas, will no longer be able to rely on Israel to control the violence in Gaza but will now be forced to do the job itself. Some are even suggesting that Gaza should be annexed to Egypt, which makes a certain amount of sense given the close cultural, family and historic ties between Egypt and the Arabs of Gaza. (READ MORE)

ShrinkWrapped: Splitting and the Presidential Election - It is clear from even a brief scan of the blogosphere this morning that we, in fact and with apologies to John Edwards, are living in two different countries though we share the same physical space. One country is involved in a struggle against totalitarian terror with one front in Iraq where we are succeeding, though more slowly than desired. The other country is involved in a misguided and lost war which distracted us from the war against criminal terrorists; we must retreat as quickly as possible and refocus on the real enemies. One country sees a near existential threat from an impending new nuclear power and a subsequent nuclear arms race in the most unstable part of the world. (READ MORE)

Elaine Donnelly: Political Consequences: Gays in the Military - How did voters react when President Clinton tried to keep his campaign promise to lift the ban on gays in the military? A 1994 survey done for the Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) by Stanley Greenberg indicated the second most important factor that shifted control of Congress to the Republicans in the 1994 mid-term election was President Clinton’s 1993 push for gays in the military. (READ MORE)

Dan Riehl: Why I Am Endorsing Romney Now - Obama A Strong Second Choice - My mention of Obama as an alternate in the title is not a joke, or an anti-McCain vote. My rationale for both that and for endorsing Romney now are below. Before pundits crown John McCain inevitable, or the primary season ends, the Republican Party would be smart to engage in some internal straight talk of its own. Perhaps only they, as a combined force, can alter this race. Already it has begun telling ardent supporters like me, the problem is us, not the party itself. Yet, in a rare year with a wide open race - no likely heir to assume the crown - the Republican Party's defined process has so far failed to produce a viable candidate who can speak from the heart to convince the base he deserves their support. Without that support, they cannot win in the Fall. (READ MORE)

Rhymes with Right: This Should Have Been Front Page News - But it does not fit the approved narrative, so the media has not played it up. After all, to do so would show that the only lie in "Bush lied us into war" is coming from the mouth of those defaming the President. The folks at Washington Hotlist make the case. “[U]nfortunately, many liberals have either ignored the story or have simply refused to put a legitimate portion of thought into what it alleges. ‘Saddam Hussein let the world think he had weapons of mass destruction to intimidate Iran and prevent the country from attacking Iraq, according to an FBI agent who interviewed the dictator after his 2003 capture.’” (READ MORE)

Erick: Electile Dysfunction - I want my party back. I really do. My party, if you will remember, is the one that fights the Democrats on spending, instead of pushing them aside to get a place at the trough. My party is the one that is conservative without Michael Gerson. My party is the one where we can disagree politely on matters without calling each other traitor. Now, personally, I blame George W. Bush for all of this. You can blame Romney or McCain or Giulilani if you want. But George W. Bush left us with a political power vacuum. He knew Cheney wouldn't run. Cheney would be the heir apparent. (READ MORE)

Ben Domenech: The Last Action Hero - So here we are, at the turn of the tide: one vote from winning the court; two-to-three good years from winning the largest stage of the war; the pressures of the Oval Office at their dramatic peak. A critical moment in our nation’s history, time for an individual with the strength and courage to do what the moment demands. In 2008, I support John McCain. “But…but…” my friends say incredulously, “But John McCain is crazy!” “Perhaps,” I answer. “But you say this as if it’s a bad thing?” Grab a drink, and read on. (READ MORE)

Political Vindication: China’s Last Preparations For Olympics: Jail Dissidents - It’s a little over seven months before the Olympics start in China, and reminiscent of the police sweeping up all the homeless before a Democratic convention, the Chinese are jailing anyone who might embarrass them. Now is the time for every one of those BDS suffering, 9/11 troofer-mongering, Patriot Act fearing moonbats that have been protesting our military and our president to be sent - in orange jumpsuits no less - to China, where they can get a taste of what a real dictatorship thinks of their free speech rights! (READ MORE)

Paul Mirengoff: The Washington Post rubs it in - McCain may not be gloating about his Florida victory (and least not personally and in public), but the Washington Post is. This front-page story by Jonathan Weisman and Paul Kane called "After Romney's Barrage, McCain Still Standing," is styled "Analysis," but would better be described as "Shilling." The authors accuse Romney of launching "a negative onslaught" and, as early as the 12th line of the story, they turn the floor over to John Weaver, the "longtime political adviser to McCain" who was fired last summer by McCain for incompetence. Weaver adds, rather incoherently, the following: (READ MORE)

Neptunus Lex: An alternative theory emerges… - Yesterday, Op-For John mentioned in comments that these our humble digs had been blocked from view on at least one Air Force base because of - wait for it: Racism. The charge seemed more than a little overblown to me as race qua race is simply not an issue I’ve spent much if any time writing about, not to mention the fact that I consider myself to be at least as enlightened on the topic as any Shelby Steele enthusiast of my age, race and gender. Probably more than most. Turning it over in my head, I pondered whether my occasional tendency to treat violent religious extremists roughly on these pages could be considered a form of “racism,” but unless an ideology that transcends race can itself be classified as a race, the connection seemed far fetched. (READ MORE)

In From the Cold: Banned in Boston? - Not quite, but we have been blocked at the Air Staff, at Langley AFB, and at MacDill, Hickam, and every other Air Force installation. After posting our special report on last year's nuclear accident at Minot AFB, In From the Cold (apparently) became blog non grata for the Air Force. We received a flurry of e-mails Monday morning, notifying us that our blog could no longer be accessed from office computers at various Air Force bases. Fine by us--the service invested a lot of dough in its IT network, and they can block whatever they want. I suppose there's a certain badge of infamy in joining the ranks of various porn sites, on-line casinos and various other outlets deemed inappropriate for our boys and girls in blue. (READ MORE)

Knee Deep in the Hooah!: He teacheth mine hands to fight … Part 5 (the final episode) - … otherwise titled, “Illegitimis non carborundum.” …. or “Don’t let the bastards grind you down.” — General George J. Stilwell It has been my experience that all of the “best” soldiers I have ever met have also been strong men of God, full of vim and vigor for our Lord. While the worst soldiers have been haters of God. The worst ones do not take instruction well. They hate the authority over them. And doesn’t the Bible say, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction?” Of course the majority of soldiers occupy that grey area in between “best” and “worst.”For example … the honor graduate from my former OCS class was an incredibly dedicated and studious Christian. The member of my class that was kicked out for drunk driving among other things … a bold heathen. Most everyone else fell in between. Ninety eight percent of them graduated. Honor code violations were actually pretty rare. (READ MORE)

Gribbit's Word: A Vote for Huckster is as Good as a Vote for MexiCain - Mike “The Huckster” Huckabee’s obstinate obsession with staying in a race for a nomination that he cannot win could hand the nomination to someone that would damage our party beyond repair. Every vote for The Huckster is a vote for MexiCain. The media is discounting The Huckster just as they have discounted Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich from the beginning. He is a non-entity at this point with no real chance at winning the nomination but yet he still hangs on. This is fueling speculation among the Conservative base that he may be a shill for MexiCain. He knows that he cannot win and he knows that he is drawing some voters from Romney who he hates. This all being the truth, he is willing to hand the nomination to an individual who has made a career out of thumbing his nose at the very party he claims to be a member of. What other explanation is there for The Hucksters actions? (READ MORE)

Baron Bodissey: Asylum in the USA for Lionheart? - Now that the information is publicly available, I can reveal what Dymphna and I have known for a while: Lionheart is currently here in the USA. He’s in good hands. People are looking after him, and he’s considering the possibility of asking for asylum in this country, since he faces arrest for political reasons (i.e. for “stirring up racial hatred”) if he returns to England. It’s possible that a legal fund will be set up to help him, but I don’t have any definite word on that yet. There’s an article today about Lionheart, and an interview with him, in Savannah Now: (READ MORE)

Discerning Texan: A Moment of Truth for the Conservative movement - The news about Giuliani's endorsement is worse news for Conservatives than is McCain's razor-thin Florida win. There are lots of other states left, but unless Romney can somehow get some big wins in high-delegate states like Texas, carry most of the rest of the staunchly conservative South, and also garner some wins in the West (and it certainly is hard to see him winning in California...), we may be faced with a Clinton or Obama Presidency this fall. I am very disillusioned tonight; I am disgusted with our tricked up, crossover State Primary process which allows Democrats and Big Media to choose our nominees in the "early states". I am disillusioned that so many so-called Republicans have bought into McCain's sudden conversion to conservative principles, when he has spent his entire career stabbing the National Party in the back. (READ MORE)

Don Surber: D’oh!-onomics - That darned economy is rebounding before Washington has a chance to save us. Preliminary 4th quarter economic figures won’t be out until Thursday, but the durable goods report showed a 5.2% jump in December. That’s the best showing in 5 months. “The December orders increase was more than double what had been expected. Analysts were looking for a much weaker performance, given that a key gauge of manufacturing activity had fallen to the weakest reading since April 2003. The Institute for Supply Management manufacturing index dipped to 47.7 for December. Any reading below 50 is considered recession territory for manufacturing,” the AP glumly reported. (READ MORE)

Ed Morrissey: What Romney Has To Do At Tonight's Debate - In the wake of the loss in Florida yesterday, Mitt Romney needs to focus on tonight's debate to break out as the conservative choice for the nomination. John McCain has taken leads in significant Super Tuesday states, and tonight will be the last national audience for all of the remaining candidates before 21 states go to the polls or the caucuses. Romney has to ignite conservatives and make this a binary race across a clear ideological line. Some feel that the moment has already passed. Writers at The Corner and Dick Morris have resigned themselves to a Romney loss before more than 10% of the necessary delegates have been won. Others, like my friend and indefatigable Romney supporter Hugh Hewitt, argue that the numbers show that no one can win next week. (READ MORE)

The Captain's Journal: U.S. Intelligence Failures: Dual Taliban Campaigns - In Taliban Campaigns in Afghanistan and Pakistan, we analyzed the Asia Times report that “Mullah Omar has sacked his own appointed leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Baitullah Mehsud, the main architect of the fight against Pakistani security forces, and urged all Taliban commanders to turn their venom against North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces.” Mullah Omar hasn’t forgotten about Afghanistan, and his ultimate aim is to govern her again. The focus on Pakistan internal struggles by Baitullah Mehsud is to Mullah Omar a distraction from what the real aim of the Taliban should be. Our brief analysis of the data concluded that “both Mullah Omar and Baitullah Mehsud will likely continue operations, even if Omar intends to focus on Afghanistan and Mehsud intends to carry out operations first in Pakistan. (READ MORE)

The Belmont Club: Spoken - One of the persons following the Belmont Club discussion over whether it is necessary to confront political Islam as an anti-Western ideology is a Marine in Anbar province. His email to me has been reproduced in toto below. It is clear and eloquent. I am grateful for it, not in the least because it lends some substance to my hope that "because of the size of the stakes this whole question will be resolved, not by some politician but by the 'decision of crowds'." Here's his email in toto. (READ MORE)

Kat in MO: Saving Afghanistan From Itself: Food and Opium - Several reports have been issued of late regarding the status of Afghanistan and the fears that the country might still be lost to the Taliban. Karzai recently stated his fear that extremists could still take over Afghanistan, though he blamed it largely on the rise of the Taliban and other extremists in Pakistan. The United States will be sending more Marines, but Nato allies have all rejected sending additional troops and many refuse to allow their troops into combat. (READ MORE)

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