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)
FDA Says Clones Are Safe For Food - A long-awaited final report from the Food and Drug Administration concludes that foods from healthy cloned animals and their offspring are as safe as those from ordinary animals, effectively removing the last U.S. regulatory barrier to the marketing of meat and milk from cloned cattle... (READ MORE)
All Revved Up Over Michigan's Place in Politics - DETROIT -- On a steely cold Saturday morning, Debbie Dingell walks into a local UAW hall choked with people looking for answers. Tuesday's Michigan presidential primary -- one not recognized by the Democratic National Committee -- is only days away... (READ MORE)
Allies Feel Strain of Afghan War - The U.S. plan to send an additional 3,200 Marines to troubled southern Afghanistan this spring reflects the Pentagon's belief that if it can't bully its recalcitrant NATO allies into sending more troops to the Afghan front, perhaps it can shame them into doing so, U.S. officials said. (READ MORE)
Personal Approach Marks Bush's First Saudi Visit - RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 14 -- President Bush on Monday launched a rare round of intensive personal diplomacy with Saudi King Abdullah aimed at winning support for a variety of American objectives such as rebuilding Iraq, pressuring Iran, fighting al-Qaeda and backing the U.S.-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. (READ MORE)
U.S.: 60 Insurgents Killed in Offensive - BAGHDAD, Jan. 14 -- American and Iraqi troops have killed 60 Sunni insurgents and captured nearly 200 during a week-long offensive in northern Iraq against al-Qaeda in Iraq fighters, U.S. military officials said Monday. (READ MORE)
Rubinomics R.I.P. - If our Washington, D.C., readers noticed a cortege of blue suits carrying a casket in front of the Brookings Institution last week, be not mournful. You were merely watching the leading economists of the Democratic Party burying the faith once known as Rubinomics. May it rest in peace. (READ MORE)
Another Scruggs Case - The Dickie Scruggs bribery case keeps getting curiouser, with yesterday's news that even the tort baron's former defense attorney has copped a federal plea. Mr. Scruggs was indicted in November along with his son and three other lawyers for conspiring to bribe Mississippi Judge Henry Lackey. (READ MORE)
The Politics of Pigmentation - It wouldn't be Martin Luther King Day without some kind of racial dialogue, but the tiff between Democratic Presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama is especially instructive and ironic. While their substantive argument is ultimately pointless, it does help illustrate the perils of identity politics. (READ MORE)
GOP Rivals Reverse Roles - John McCain and Mike Huckabee traded places yesterday, with the war-hawk senator preaching Judeo-Christian values and the ordained Southern Baptist minister talking bullets and bombs at an armored-vehicle plant. (READ MORE)
In Baghdad, Rice Congratulates Iraqis - RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice made a surprise visit to Iraq this morning, splitting off of President Bush’s trip to the region to congratulate the government in Baghdad on recent progress. (READ MORE)
Hillary Losing Support of Blacks - Black voters have been deeply loyal to the Democratic Party and to the Clintons, but they are more devoted to the dream of having a black president for the first time. (READ MORE)
Gaza's Christian Population Wanes - Life has become increasingly difficult for Christians in Gaza since Hamas seized control of the coastal strip in June. Most Christians do not hold Hamas directly responsible, but they are calling for increased protection and accountability. (READ MORE)
From the Front:
LTC Rich Phillips: Lagman and Apache - Well, I’ve settled in to my new job, and in the process learned more lessons about the wide variety of living conditions experienced by deployed Soldiers. They really do very widely from place to place in Afghanistan. And interestingly, smaller is often better. My new job is interesting. I’m working with the Jordanian Armed Forces, specifically the staff of a Jordanian field hospital. They are here working with the staff of the Zabul Provincial Hospital in Qalat. I’m here to facilitate their mission, to help with the logistical support and any other issues that arise. (READ MORE)
This War and Me: Conflicting Emotions - As I am going through the plethora of pictures for our end of tour award ceremony I am putting together, I feel a conflicting range of emotions. I look at the faces of my brothers and I see their smiles, their frowns and their fatigue. I can see the same varied emotions on my face as well. I am anxious to be getting home and being with my family and friends; I am also sad in a way. This place, this miserable, dangerous world has been my home for the past year and though I do not want to stay, I think I will miss the adventure. (READ MORE)
Northern Disclosure: More like a Creature than a Comfort - There are some things in life we cannot avoid; death, taxes, losing money, getting heart broken, and the pleasure of being sick. As children we got sick all the time. Every year the flu season would strike and we would have those "sick days" Yes the infamous Sick Days. I know that there are some of you reading this right now probably on a sick day but that is something that many of us have not experienced since we were kids. "Not feeling well Private? GO TO SICK CALL!" (READ MORE)
Yellowhammering Afghanistan: Welcome, yous guys - As I've mentioned before, there are some new faces - and new accents - around Camp Vulcan. Nine new soldiers joined our team, replacing other members who recently ended their deployment. Sgt. First Class Robinson from North Carolina is the one with the accent closest to the other Southern soldiers here, while Staff Sgt. Farrelly is from Hawaii and brings a different inflection to the party. But it's the seven New York guys who really bring the departure from our Southern drawl or even the Midwestern accent of the Iowa guys. (READ MORE)
Michael J. Totten: The Bravery of Iraqis - Iraqi Army soldiers have a terrible reputation for cowardice and corruption – especially in Baghdad – but it’s unfair to write them all off after reading the news out of Iraq’s capital Sunday. Three Iraqi Army soldiers tackled a suicide bomber at an Army Day parade and were killed when he exploded his vest. While embedded with the United States Army and Marines I heard over and over again that the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police have improved a lot in the past year. (READ MORE)
A Surgeon's Letters Home From Iraq: 15 JAN 2008 You go to war with the keyboard you have - Well, I'm in a plane terminal, and I'm waiting around, using my pack as a pillow, so it must be good! There's a well loved computer station so I thought it was a good chance to say hi. Now years of desert dust and hundreds of thousands of troops who have passed through here have taken their toll on the spot. The keyboard sticks a little. In particular, the shift and the space keys stick. At least they aren't keys I use that often??!! (READ MORE)
Lt. Nixon Rants: NYT Calls us Desk Jockeys Aloof Imbeciles - There's an editorial in the NY Times today entitled "In Search of Answers" which discusses the downside of the new Accountability and Justice Law passed by the Iraqi Parliament. It makes some good points about why De-Baathification enacted by Paul Bremer and the CPA destroyed the inner-workings of the Iraqi bureaucracy plunging the country into chaos. It also makes some good points about how the law may provide reconciliation with the Sunni and Shiite but with some caveats and loopholes that may be less than advantageous. What I didn't agree with was with this statement: (READ MORE)
Kaboom: A Soldier's War Journal: Snow Patrol - I staggered towards the latrine, delirious with too much caffeine in my system and not enough sleep, weaving like an indolent zombie stuck on loop in a bad horror movie from the Eisenhower-era. PFC Cold-Nuts bounced into me with a large smile plastered across his face, and the sound that came out of his throat would be considered a giggle in most circles outside of the U.S. Army. “It’s snowing, Sir!” he said. (READ MORE)
Jason's Iraq Vacation: one year - Alot can happen in a year. Your life as it is now can be completely different, unrecognizable to you, a year from now. A year ago today I got on a plane headed for Fort Jackson in South Carolina. I was leaving everything I had up to that point - my job, my house, my beautiful wife - and getting on a plane to somewhere I didn't want to go, to start on a series of adventures I didn't want to experience. I had no idea what lay ahead of me, and I was just praying to get through the next week, let alone the next year. Yet, here I am today, a year later, thinking on all that has happened since that day, and hopefully no worse for the wear because of it. (READ MORE)
IraqPundit: Disturbingly Dismissive - The NYT editorial writer shows us the luxury of his job. He appears to write with a clear conscience when he argues for withdrawing from Iraq. Today's piece is about giving jobs to ex-Baathists in Iraq, and why the effort is no good. "What should have been heralded as an accomplishment, however, may only serve to further reinforce the bumbling nature of President Bush’s ill-conceived adventure in Iraq." I see. The previous government had no role. (READ MORE)
From an Anthropological Perspective: The Great Ghaz - I was on a patrol today working with the Company Commander to test a household survey. Since I take a biocultural approach to anthropology, I was noticing an unusual number of developmental defects and health problems in children under ten years of age. One child, The Great Ghaz, has a hormonal imbalance that is resulting in morbid obsesity. This boy has ingratiated himself to soldiers with his street antics and I've heard that patrols are dissapointed if he doesn't come out to greet them as they pass by. (READ MORE)
Fightin' 6th Marines: The State of Fallujah Address - Pfc. Brian Jones just returned from the city and brings us the State of Fallujah Address where city officials tell you about what has taken place over the past year to strengthen their home: "FALLUJAH, Iraq —City officials and leaders gathered at the newly developed Fallujah television station to deliver a live broadcast of the state of Fallujah address to the people recently. Fallujah City Council ChairmanSheik Hamid Ahmed, the chairman of the Fallujah city council, and Col. Faisal Ismail Husayn, the chief of police, spoke on behalf of the city recounting their history and announcing the current state of affairs." (READ MORE)
ETT PA-C: Um, please say you're kidding - OK, so my internet has been down for about a week. The weather we've been having has been pretty hellacious. We've been down in the single digits at night, the heaters have been freeazing up and the wind and rain has been so impressive that its blown sat dishes in many directions. We actually had snow the other day as well. (READ MORE)
Desert Dude: 12 January - Well, just another day of boredom on the FOB …went over to the office to send off my weekly email that says nothing has changed from last weekend…got some more lyrics and guitar tabs to practice some more songs…talked to my captain and told him that we are still at 100% on our trucks—only a few minor things that we need to order parts for…little stuff like turret handles that need to be replaced and tail lights…went out to the clinic to rock out with the band… (READ MORE)
Bill and Bob's Excellent Afghan Adventure: I Knew It Was Coming - I actually wondered why it hadn't happened before. Our press tends to assassinate us. In their fervor to recreate the journalistic glory of Viet Nam, you knew that they had to do it. They had to begin to portray veterans of this struggle as "troubled," leaning towards, "murderous." Perhaps it has happened before and I didn't notice it, but here it is; http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/13/us/13vets.html?em&ex=1200373200&en=1fa9132d20f1b605&ei=5087%0A Here's the headline: Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles - New York Times Chilling. Dramatic. Oooooh, deadly. What's deadly? (READ MORE)
A Battlefield Tourist: This Week in Afghanistan: January 6th-12th - Jan. 6th Two Canadian soldiers are killed in a vehicle accident while in support of Operation Teng Azem which is targeting militants in Zhari district, Kandahar Province. Afghan National Police wrap up a series of operations aimed at bringing complete security to Shaidi Hasas district of Oruzgan Province. ANP forces have established checkpoints in the villages of Sha Masaad, Sakhar, Pasaw, Dosang, Doanne and Yakdan. Citizens have started to return. (READ MORE)
On the Web:
George P. Schultz, et al: Toward a Nuclear-Free World - The accelerating spread of nuclear weapons, nuclear know-how and nuclear material has brought us to a nuclear tipping point. We face a very real possibility that the deadliest weapons ever invented could fall into dangerous hands. The steps we are taking now to address these threats are not adequate to the danger. With nuclear weapons more widely available, deterrence is decreasingly effective and increasingly hazardous. (READ MORE)
Mary Anastasia O'Grady: The Real Key to Development - Are the world's impoverished masses destined to live lives of permanent misery unless rich countries transfer wealth for spending on education and infrastructure? You might think so if your gurus on development economics earn their bread and butter "lending" at the World Bank. Education and infrastructure "investment" are two of the Bank's favorite development themes. (READ MORE)
Gary Schmitt: Our One-China Cowardice - Although no one in the State Department or the White House will publicly admit it, there were probably a lot of high fives following the election results for Taiwan's legislature this weekend. The Nationalists (KMT) won a super majority, controlling over two-thirds of the assembly's seats. Equally significant, President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) was crushed. (READ MORE)
A Soldier's Mind: “The Sonata of War and Peace” by Brandon Begley - Here at A Soldier's Mind, we've made it a point to highlight the musical works of people who perform their music in support of our Troops. We also love to highlight the musical works of many of our Active Duty Troops, who themselves are extremely talented musicians. Often people think that our Troops know only how to shoot their weapons, kill the enemy and follow orders. That is the furthest thing from the truth, as so many of them are accomplished musicians, artists and scholars. Hopefully as we continue these types of stories, you our readers, will gain much more insight into the men and women who are serving our country. I'd like to introduce you to one such Soldier. (READ MORE)
Atlas: KENYA: Obama's Deepening Islamist Ties - Obama's tacit support for the ruthless leader of the insurgent rebellion in Kenya is shaping up to be the 800 lb gorilla in the Obama '08 campaign. Anne in our comment section sent the latest development in the deepening ties between Obama's pal Odinga and the Islamists. She writes, "Obama's "cousin" the ruthless violent Raila Odinga now nominates the radical Sheikh he signed MOU with as a Member of Parliament (MP) ODM has presented six names to the Electoral Commission of Kenya for nomination as MPs. This will in effect raise their numbers in the House to 105. The proposed nominees include Sheikh Ahmed Dor, the cleric who spearheaded the MoU between ODM presidential candidate Raila Odinga and some Muslim leaders." Kenyan Muslim leaders urged the Kenyan government to cut off diplomatic ties with the United States (READ MORE)
Aces of Spades: Where My White Soul First Kissed the Mouth of Sin - The Democratic Party's race issues were coming home to roost this week, as Hillary Clinton hastily-fired Clinton campaign staff and Clinton supporters continued to alternate between assertions and insinuations that Obama is either not black enough to be "in touch" with Democratic voters or disqualified for being a former (wink, wink) drug user. The Obama campaign is hitting back: AP: Obama Criticizes Clinton Allies for Lawsuit to Prevent Minorities From Voting I don't think we discussed it here yet, so here's a little background. (READ MORE)
The Captain's Journal: Our Deal With Mullah Abdul Salaam - In British Negotiations with Taliban, I covered the secret negotiations between British MI6 agents and mid-level Taliban commanders aimed at splintering the leadership the Taliban. We covered how there was an effort underway by Hamid Karzai to obtain the loyalties of the lieutenants of Mullah Omar and thus split the organization. The price for this loyalty is a place at the table in the new Afghanistan. But the British bypassed Karzai in their effort to make peace with the Taliban, and for this secrecy were ejected from the country. Yet the deed had been done, and the price for realignment of one specific Taliban mid-level commander was governorship of Musa Qala, that fated city which once was handed over to local leaders, retaken by the Taliban, and then retaken again by NATO forces months later, costing both lives and blood of NATO forces. Mullah Abdul Salaam switched sides, and was rewarded with rule over the region. (READ MORE)
Ed Morrissey: Rudy: Don't Blame Us For Terrorism - The New York Times editorial board recently offered a critique of Rudy Giuliani and his views on the causes of terrorism. Following Giuliani's assertion that al-Qaeda's hatred has nothing to do with American foreign policy but springs from a virulent strain of Islam that cannot abide anything outside of its precepts, the Times scolded Giuliani for ignoring the complaints of radical Islamists as a cause for their violence. Thomas Joscelyn rebuts this criticism with some history, and some facts: (READ MORE)
Don Surber: George W. Bush, porkbuster -You will take their pork when you pry it from their cold, greasy fingahs! If only they fought this hard for you and me. The Hill reported that Bush’s depending decision to ax 9,000 earmarks worth $7 billion from the federal budget has united Republicans and Democrats alike in Congress. How dare he slice that no-bid contract from Jack Murtha that his brother lobbied for. The Hill newspaper reported that Robert C. Byrd’s flack has his underwear bunched. (READ MORE)
Dadmanly: Anti-Military Propaganda - The New York Times on Sunday commenced a reporting series called “War Torn,” described as “A series of articles and multimedia about veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who have committed killings, or been charged with them, after coming home.” The Times starts War Torn with "Across America, Deadly Echoes of Foreign Battles," written by Deborah Sontag and Lizette Alvarez, consisting of atypical anecdotes, seemingly contradicting data, and an absolute lack of statistical context. One can only speculate on what the Times plans for future installments. (READ MORE)
The Flopping Aces: The Influence On Barack Hussein Obama - Now the question should be how much influence this man has had on him: “Barack Obama’s longtime minister, mentor, and sounding board has been a key supporter of Louis Farrakhan and last month honored the Nation of Islam leader for lifetime achievement. Farrakhan has repeatedly made hate-filled statements targeting Jews, whites, America, and homosexuals. He has called whites ‘blue-eyed devils’ and the ‘anti-Christ.’ He has described Jews as ‘bloodsuckers’ who control the government, the media, and some black organizations.” (READ MORE)
Quid Nimis: A Letter to My Nephew - I received a very nice note from my nephew who has finished his tours in Iraq, apparently with distinction. He is the son of the Master Conspiracy Theorist and the MCT's ex-wife who has been a "massage therapist" in Marin County lo these many years. Suffice it to say, it's a bloody miracle this kid isn't "hey duding" behind some grungy coffee bar in a university town like Austin. Bless his heart, he got an effing bronze star for his duty there and he feels like he has to say, "I'm going to be careful about my next life-changing decision so that I am not forced against my will to go anywhere again." He has accepted his father's view of him and the "victim narrative" that all Leftists want to impose: he was snookered, he was tricked into doing his duty. I feel the need to write to him, something along these lines: (READ MORE)
Matt Dupee: Divide and conquer: The British strategy against the Taliban - The British have engaged in various negotiations with the Taliban throughout their tenure in Afghanistan’s Helmand province claiming their actions are part of a "divide and conquer" strategy aimed at exploiting the discord present throughout the Taliban leadership and the rank and file. The Times reported Britain spent $3 million in 2007 trying to bribe Taliban fighters into surrendering their firearms. The bribes tried to exploit the low morale among insurgents following the Coalition’s high-profile slayings of top Taliban commanders Mullah Akhtar Osmani and Mullah Dadullah, calling it the "Dadullah-effect." British officials believed it was possible to split the less ideologically driven insurgents from the more hardened radicals following the cataclysmic assassination of Mullah Dadullah. (READ MORE)
Jules Crittenden: All Roads Lead to Pakistan - As the Taliban continues its tradition of murdering innocent, unarmed civilians in brazen hotel attack. Round-up of allegedly Pak-based attack, Pak-bound arrests starts with AP: “KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Militants stormed Kabul’s most popular luxury hotel Monday, hunting down Westerners who cowered in a gym during a coordinated assault that killed seven people and could signal a new era of brazen Taliban attacks.” As usual, the AP can’t tell the difference between someone engaged in quasi-military activities and terrorism, but that’s a side issue. (READ MORE)
Patterico: More on Greenhouse’s Ethics Problem - One month ago, I told you that Ed Whelan had written the New York Times about a fairly blatant conflict of interest by Linda Greenhouse. In 2006, despite the fact that her husband filed an amicus brief in the Hamdan case, Greenhouse reported on the case without disclosing the conflict to readers. Worse, she gushed about the result in a way favorable to her husband’s position, saying that the opinion “shredded each of the administration’s arguments” and was a “sweeping and categorical defeat for the administration” that “left human rights lawyers who have pressed this and other cases on behalf of Guantánamo detainees almost speechless with surprise and delight, using words like ‘fantastic,’ ‘amazing’ and ‘remarkable.’” In his e-mail to the NYT ombudsman, Whelan also referenced a slightly less obvious but more recent conflict involving the Boumediene case — namely, Greenhouse reported on the case despite the fact that her husband had filed an amicus brief in the Court of Appeals. (READ MORE)
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