DeLay Not Lying Down

Unlike many high profile individuals who prefer to remain silent (and take their punishment lying down) after being indicted, Tom DeLay has chosen to appear on television and fire back at Democratic prosecutor Ronnie Earle. On Hannity & Colmes tonight, DeLay repeated the facts about the overzealous, overly partisan Earle. Byron York has a great article at National Review about a few of Earle's previous "dropped charges" after cash donations were given to his favorite organizations.

It's refreshing to hear someone with guts like DeLay who won't allow himself to be tried by the media, who have already spent the past year informally convicting him. I don't know if DeLay's tactic will work out legally for him, but I like it. It's too bad that someone doesn't call out Elliot Spitzer on the air for the same underhanded political tactics.

Three Cheers for TakeBackTheMemorial.org!!

From TakeBackTheMemorial.org

We are very pleased to announce that Governor Pataki has announced the removal of the International Freedom Center (IFC) from Ground Zero.

See the Washington Post for details.

Every since June 8, 2005 when Debra Bulingame's op-ed, The Great Ground Zero Heist, appeared in the Wall Street Journal, we have fought together for the preservation of the dignity of Ground Zero. With your help, we have achieved a major victory toward that goal. We will continue to monitor the plans for Ground Zero to ensure that a fitting and proper memorial is built; one that is respectful of the victims murdered that day, their families, the first responders, and the American people.A press release on the removal of the IFC from the 15 family member groups is expected in the next 24 hours and we will post it @ http://www.takebackthememorial.org/ as soon as it becomes available.

Thank you again for your support, prayers, and dedication. We simply could not have done this without you.

Sincerely,Robert D. Shurbet
Founder/Web Master
TakeBackTheMemorial.org

Tom Delay has been indicted by a grand jury over campaign finance....

From Fox News:
Tom DeLay Indicted
Texas congressman steps down as House majority leader

The media is giddy...

Kosovo: A Case Study in UN Ineptitude

After five years of UN control and billions of dollars in aid, Kosovo is mired in a mess of corruption, killing and lawlessness in a land controlled largely by Muslim Albanians. Thomas Gambill, former security chief with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), is telling the world what conservatives in the U.S. have known for years: that the UN is a useless waste of an organization that has a reverse Midas touch.

That's right - the region whose conflict Wesley Clark confidently declared as one in which the "model war" was fought, is in shambles. While Iraq is no walk in the park, it is painfully clear that there is zero chance that the UN can fix the quagmire that is Kosovo. The Clinton administration's model war has failed miserably and the media couldn't care less.

Sadly, Here We Go Again....

Hurricane Rita is, unfortunately, making some of the dire predictions come true...

From Fox News:

Water poured over a patched levee Friday, cascading into one of the city's lowest-lying neighborhoods and heightening fears that Hurricane Rita would re-flood this devastated city.

"Our worst fears came true. The levee will breach if we keep on the path we are on right now, which will fill the area that was flooded earlier," said Barry Guidry with the Georgia National Guard.

More here: Water Pours Over New Orleans Levee

Taking Back the Memorial

As far as I'm concerned, this shouldn't even be up for debate. The idea that the World Trade Center Memorial would be used as a forum to advance a "world view" that diverts attention from what actually happened there is beyond repugnant.

NY Newsday currently has a poll up to measure the public's view on whether or not the International Freedom Center is a good idea (No, No - a thousand times, NO!).

To put in your two cents, go here.

The folks at TakeBackTheMemorial.org are working tirelessly to prevent this disgusting attempt to revise history and pretend that thousands of Americans were murdered because we just didn't understand the poor terrorists.

It simply can't be allowed to happen. We must Never Forget what really happened on that day.

To find out more about TakeBackTheMemorial.org's efforts, visit their website.

Administrative Note

Due to other time commitments, I will no longer be blogging on a daily basis - at least for now. I will still post occasionally when the mood strikes and I have time to do so, but I just can't do it on a regular basis.

Thanks to all the loyal readers and be sure to check back from time to time.

Until then,
-Bizblogger

NYTimes Announces Sharply Lower Profits

The NYTimes warned that this quarter's profits will be sharply lower than expectations, due to a "weak advertising market." The company didn't mention how it's biased and shoddy reporting played into the reduced advertising revenue.

British Military Destroy Jail in Basra to Free Soldiers

The British military destroyed a jail in Basra to free two of its soldiers who were taken by "Iraqi police" (or terrorists posing as police).

The clashes, which involved members of cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's Al Mahdi army, apparently began when British commandos fired on Iraqi police, who took them into custody.

Tanks then bore down on the jail, knocking down a wall before the men were freed -- along with dozens of other detainees who took advantage of the chaos to escape, according to local reports and news agency accounts.

I'm curious to see how it's viewed in the UK press. The Minister of the Interior already demanded that they were to be returned, which leads me to believe the soldiers were taken by a small group of recalcitrant thugs.

Clinton: Iraq Not as Important as Afghanistan

Bill Clinton is in full Bush bashing mode. Yesterday he said two very stupid things designed to hurt Bush:

1) That the U.S. had no basis for attacking Iraq. That's right - despite violating every UN resolution, shooting at U.S. warplanes in the no-fly zone (an overt act of war), and building chem/bio equipment, Bill Clinton still feels that the correct course of action was his own: that is, an official "regime change" policy, but with no intention to ever carry it out.

2) That Afghanistan is much more important than Iraq. The reason for this is obvious: Bill Clinton couldn't care less if the Middle East remains a wasteland or if Iraq becomes a haven to terrorists who want to kill a hundred million Americans. As long as it hurts Bush and Clinton can say, "See, this is why I didn't do anything with Iraq," then slick Willy is perfectly content.

Bush needs to cut his ties with Clinton once and for all.

Gerhard Schroeder pulls an Al Gore

Al Gore did more than act like a loser in the 2000 election - he set a precedent for left wingers everywhere to never concede an election. Germany's Schroeder has taken his cues from Gore and is refusing to admit a loss in his election.

What a joker...

Bush Reward: Knife in the Back from Clinton

As a reward for helping Bill Clinton try to rebuild some sort of legacy, President Bush received plenty of criticism from Bill, who pinned the blame on Bush's policies for the poor in New Orleans:

Asked why African Americans believed race was a factor in relief efforts so far, Clinton told ABC's "This Week": "This is a matter of public policy. And whether it's race-based or not, if you give your tax cuts to the rich and hope everything works out all right, poverty goes up and it disproportionately affects black and brown people."

First, this is the second time in a week that I've heard a Democrat use the phrase "black and brown people" (Ted Kennedy used it also). I have never seen a person that is 100% black. Is it really necessary to use "black and brown." If so, maybe we should also say "it affects black, brown, mocha, coffee, and cream-colored people."

But I digress. Bush brought the criticism on himself. He gives Clinton clout by parading him out with his father on disaster relief projects, which can only bring positive press to the former President and a louder blowhorn. Bush also made a point last week of saying that the federal government must address the inequality among rich and poor:

``As we clear away the debris of a hurricane, let us also clear away the legacy of inequality," Bush said. ``As we rebuild homes and businesses, we will renew our promise as a land of equality and decency and one day Americans will look back at the response to Hurricane Katrina and say that our country grew not only in prosperity but in character and justice.''

I'm afraid that Bush's method of addressing the inequality is closer to Bill Clinton and Ted Kennedy than conservatives would prefer: a redistribution of wealth based on preferences of the federal government. Goodbye any chance of extending the tax cuts due to expire in a few years. Be worried - be very worried.

Clinton Advice to Bush

Say what you want about Slick Willie, but the guy knows how to spin any situation to his advantage. He offers a letter to President Bush on how to handle Katrina. Funny, but I think the strategy would actually work quite well.

Hey - How is this possible?

Everybody knows there was absolutely, without question, without a shadow of a doubt, no link, (meaning zero, zilch, nada) between Iraq and Al Qaeda. Never was, isn't now, and never will be. Secularists don't mix with religious fanantics - never have, never will. Wouldn't make one bit of sense. We're all in agreement here, right? So wait a minute - how is this possible? Can someone please explain!??? I have a feeling Stephen Hayes from the National Review, knows. Check out his explanation.

The Model UN

Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez. Iranian terrorist Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Just two of the corrupt Marxist dictators who proudly represented the UN in New York yesterday.

And somehow the UN is supposed to have some moral authority in which liberals expect the US to venerate and beg for approval if we want to protect this country?

Crescent Memorial for Flt. 93 to be Changed

Michelle Malkin writes that the crescent-shaped memorial to Flight 93 in Pennsylvania will be altered to satisfy concerns that it is an Islamic symbol.

I doubt the intent was there, but you never know - even architects have political beliefs. And some might be left wing crackpots who would rather memorialize Islam than Americans. I'm glad he is addressing the concerns.

If This Were a Republican...

Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) used the National Guard to visit his New Orleans home in an upscale part of the city, even as people were still being rescued from rooftops.

If he were a Republican, I'm pretty sure he would be forced to resign (and maybe even pay reparations).

Europeans Want Missile Defense Too

For all the criticism around the world (mainly from the Left) about the U.S.'s desire to implement a missile defense program, the European public is still in favor of deploying a system there to protect them.

Some 71 percent of Europeans favor the deployment of a NATO missile defense capability able to protect the continent from attack by missiles bearing weapons of mass destruction, according to a poll that was jointly sponsored by the George C. Marshall Center for Security Studies and Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, the two organizations announced in Rome last week. By contrast, only 16 percent think that NATO should not have this capability.

When push comes to shove, they want us on that wall....they need us on that wall...

Meanwhile in Iraq

Every news story seems to be about Katrina or John Roberts these days. But our forces are still kicking butt in Iraq and raiding terrorist strongholds - which is probably the reason most of the media are ignoring it.

Retro-Indignation

I’m going to get a seriously stiff neck from shaking my head at the media…

This morning revealed a gripping headline at the Chicago Sun-Times:

Company admits slave history

This apparently is a crucial issue in award of the underwriting of a $1.5 billion O'Hare Airport bond, and refers to the Lehman Brothers financial services firm.

Here’s a snippet:

"Specifically, records in Montgomery show that the partnership owned a total of three slaves in 1852, two slaves in 1858, three slaves in 1859, two slaves in 1860, four slaves in 1861 and five slaves in 1864," Polizzotto said.

"Neither we nor our consultant have been able to locate any records that would enable us to determine the extent to which the original partnership profited from its ties to slavery or to account for the partnership's profits from its transactions involving the cotton industry."

Wait just a minute here – a company in this country is admitting that it owned slaves during a time when slavery was legal? Why, I oughta -

Oh, hold on….that’s not news…it’s HISTORY.

The slavery reparations lawsuit will determine whether or not companies are liable financially for long-past slave ownership. But we did fight a little, teeny, insignificant WAR to rectify the situation, you know……

Was slavery wrong? Yes. IS IT OVER? In this country, YES.

Call me crazy, but holding a company responsible for activities that were legal 200 years ago (with the practitioners long deceased) – or that were abolished by a war - just doesn’t seem on the up-and-up to me.

At any rate, I’m just eagerly awaiting these headlines…

“England admits to taxation without representation in the American colonies.”

“Man admits to drinking alcohol during Prohibition”

"Daimler-Benz admits Hitler had Mercedes."

"Davy Crockett owned handguns without permit, say scholars."

Britain's Continuing Protection of Islam

Tonguetied has two great posts:

1) The British government is confiscating anti-immigration/anti-Muslim newspapers because the freedom of speech no longer applies if it says something derogatory against Muslims.

2) British PM Tony Blair is being pressured to halt the annual commeroration of the Holocaust because it alienates young Muslims. What a joke.

Zogby Clueless

John Hawkins explains why John Zogby, partisan pollster, has no clue about the results of his own polls. The man who called the 2004 election for John Kerry (with 310 electoral vote) has a new editorial, er... poll, out today. It shows that President Bush would lose an election to the former four presidents - Clinton, Carter, Bush and Reagan.

The results are not surprising because people generally don't idolize their presidents until after they have left office and the press starts talking about the new president as the worst failure / biggest idiot in the world (assuming he's a Republican, of course). Ten years from now, President Bush will probably win the same poll in a landslide against the other former presidents.

Call The ACLU - Military Tube Feeding Prisoners

The ACLU should be outraged. The US military is force-feeding prisoners being held in Guantanamo Bay who are on a hunger strike. As we know from the Terry Schiavo case, tube feeding could well mean that the prisoners are dead already. But - even assuming they're still alive, why shouldn't they be given the same "right to die" that they argued Schiavo desired?

Let's start a campaign to "Let the Prisoners Die."

Sen. Landrieu: It was all Bush's Fault

Echoing the typical Democrat, Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) stated that Katrina's problems were all Bush's fault. Even the fact that Louisiana's state government was completely inept and incapable of making a decision was Bush's fault. (She then went on to say, "but I'm not here to assign blame.") Along with that, Landrieu believes that New Orleans mayor's failure to utilize any of the hundreds of buses that ultimately were flooded to help evacuate citizens was also Bush's fault.

Statements that are so ridiculous are not the exception to Democratic argument these days. Unfortunately, they are the norm. And they're part of the reason it's so hard to have any positive view of Democrats. It's no surprise that they have quickly lost big in four elections in a row and are on pace to lose number five in 2006. My only question is how long the Republicans will take to realize that they are in complete control and start passing legislation that reflects it.

Ranking the Presidents - GW comes out average

The Wall St. Journal publishes the results of a survey to rank the US presidents here. GW comes out at number 19 out of 40 (Harrison and Garfield were excluded). Considering the usual left-leaning academia, he's ranked higher than I would have expected. But the split tells it all: conservatives ranked him 6th best, while liberals ranked him 6th worst. Still, this comes out ahead of Clinton, and way ahead of Carter (number 34/40), who ranks near the bottom. I'm not sure if he deserves the 6th best ranking just yet, but the challenges he's tackled during his tenure would certainly rank among the 5 most challenging and he's responded to both challenges (attack on US soil, worst recession in a generation) as well as could be expected. It's on lesser issues, that I would disagree with his methods (like runaway governement spending, prescription drug bill). Still, if he can pull off a further democratization of the middle east, history will put him in the top 5. Even if he can't, his efforts should land him in the top quartile.

Remembering 9/11 - What Really Happened in Afghanistan

On the fourth anniversary of 9/11, still very few people know about what actually happened in Afghanistan during the following months. Robin Moore tells the unbelievable history in The Hunt for Bin Laden. Moore has tremendous access to US Special Forces and tells the story of how a couple hundred US special ops personnel (with the help of a few allies and local tribesmen) decimate tens of thousands Al Qaeda and Taliban. The book is just as good as his original special ops handbook, The Green Berets. Definitely worth the read, although please be warned, if you dislike America, you will not like the book.

Remembering 9/11 - What if Gore had won

In the spirit of remembering 9/11, let's be thankful the country had a courageous leader at the helm. DJ Drummond over at Polipundit however, has a guess as to what would have happened, had Gore been our president. He's probably not far off, although I actually do believe Gore would have made some token military response. I don't think it would have been a strong one, but probably something weakish and Clintonesque, like a symbolic bombing of a few random caves and tents in Afghanistan. I sincerely do not believe he would have had the courage to do much more than this. Anyone disagree?

Castro's Katrina "Offer"

The media has made much of Fidel Castro's offer to send 1,600 Cuban doctors to the U.S. to help with the Katrina efforts. Like Hugo Chavez's offer of aid, this is nothing more than a way to aid Castro's propaganda machine. Babalu Blog has more.

Islamic Memorial for Flight 93 Victims?

Although most likely a coincidence, the designed memorial in Pennsylvania for UAL's Flight 93 looks very similar to the Islamic crescent. Regardless, the design is, at best, an ignorant design.

Are You Ready for Some Football!?!

Sorry for the lack of posts today; it just couldn't be helped.

On a happier note, unrelated to politics or the economy, the Patriots open the NFL season tonight against the Raiders. Now that's some news worth mentioning...

A Response to Michael Moore

Michael Moore has once again crawled out of his hole to spout his latest bits of delirium (here and here.)

Also, any idea where all our national guard soldiers are? We could really use them right now for the type of thing they signed up to do like helping with national disasters. How come they weren't there to begin with?

There is much to be said and done about the manmade annihilation of New Orleans, caused NOT by a hurricane but by the very specific decisions made by the Bush administration in the past four and a half years.

A better question might be how come the governor didn't activate the thousands that could have been activated....or how come she waited 24 hours to give a response....then again, reality doesn't seem to be any impediment to Moore's rambling...

A Soldier in Pittsburgh has a few words of wisdom for the liberal darling...

Once your pet movement got what it wanted and our boys came home,over three million South Vietnamese peasants were slaughtered by social engineers. Of course, they don’t count in your eyes. They were in the way of social progress, whatever your current definition of THAT is. And non-interference with Cambodia led to a worker’s paradise there that people are STILL talking about. Piles of skulls are the eternal pillar that your peace and progress cult built...

Well worth the read.

Has Yahoo! Really Gone Left?!?

I just posted an example of Yahoo helping the Chinese government enforce its anti-freedom efforts. I'm starting to find other anecdotal evidence that Yahoo is a company that tends to swing to the Left.

For example, I noticed over the past couple weeks that when I click on a news story from Yahoo's Top News or Political News (which almost always are anti-Bush administration, but that just might be due to the fact they come from the AP), there are other Yahoo advertisements on the left sidebar. The only blog that ever gets free promotion is Huffington Post, a far Left political blog. Take a look.

Perhaps Huffington Post is paying for this ad placement, but when it's placed the way it is and described as "More in Y! News," it is nevertheless misleading. Instead, it appears to be endorsed as a fair and objective news source.

I've sent an email to Yahoo and will let you know if any response comes.

Yahoo's Logo Isn't Red for Nothing

First Microsoft and now Yahoo are enthusiastically cooperating with the Chinese government to suppress any hint of freedom of using the Internet.

"We already knew that Yahoo ! collaborates enthusiastically with the Chinese regime in questions of censorship, and now we know it is a Chinese police informant as well," the press freedom organisation said.

"Yahoo ! obviously complied with requests from the Chinese authorities to furnish information regarding an IP address that linked Shi Tao to materials posted online, and the company will yet again simply state that they just conform to the laws of the countries in which they operate," the organisation said. "But does the fact that this corporation operates under Chinese law free it from all ethical considerations ? How far will it go to please Beijing ?"

It's not hard to understand why companies would want to help the Chinese government enforce its supression laws against its citizens. Still, it's disappointing to see American technology help deter freedom in communist countries.

Europeans Desire More Power

Sounds like Europeans are quite unhappy with their status in the world. According to a survey done by Bloomberg news,

some 70% said Europe should strive to become a superpower.

Many Europeans have their own reasons for disliking the US, and they'll often use reasons rightly or wrongly such as anti-war (unless of course, if Europe is attacked), Kyoto, differing social policies, socialism vs. capitalism to justify their hatred. However, let's not forget what may actually be the most important (and usually unstated) reason - the desire to be a superpower, as this poll suggests.

Also according to this poll, 59% of Europeans regard US leadership as undesirable. Now, I know things change, but if memory serves me, the last 4 European leaders presiding over a superpower empire of some sort were Stalin, Churchill, Hitler, and Napoleon. If this track record is any indication (one out of four ain't bad), I'd be quite happy for Europe to stay right where they are. I'd bet the rest of the world would agree.

Britain Studying the Flat Tax

There's something strange going on all across the globe. Even countries that are open to quasi-socialist policies, including the UK and Germany, are studying the flat tax as a means to strengthen their economies and better compete in the global economy. Fantastic stuff - good for them.

New Orleans Mayor Blames Indecisive Governor

Everyone is blaming Bush for the slow response to Katrina, but even New Orleans Mayor Nagin (no friend of Bush) admits that Gov. Blanco needed some 24 hours just to make a decision on responses.

Nagin: I said, ‘Everybody right now, we’re leaving. These two people [Bush and Blanco] need to sit in a room together and make a doggone decision right now.’

He [Bush] called me in that office after that. And he said, “Mr. Mayor, I offered two options to the governor.” I said – and I don’t remember exactly what. There were two options. I was ready to move today. The governor said she needed 24 hours to make a decision...

She said that she needed 24 hours to make a decision. It would have been great if we could of left Air Force One, walked outside, and told the world that we had this all worked out. It didn’t happen, and more people died.

So let's place the blame where it belongs - with an indecisive governor who has no clue on how to manage a disaster.

Tim Russert Shows True Colors

Tim Russert, often well-disguised in his partisan interviewing, pressed Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff for his resignation on Sunday's Meet the Press.

"Your Web site says that your department assumes primary responsibility for a national disaster," he continued in prosecutorial tones. "

If you knew a hurricane 3 storm was coming, why weren't buses, trains, planes, cruise ships, trucks provided on Friday, Saturday, Sunday to evacuate people before the storm?"

Perhaps Russert doesn't know that hundreds of city buses were at New Orleans' disposal, but the ineptness of the city government didn't bother using them for evacuating residents. Clearly, even the state and city governments didn't think the disaster would warrant such precautions.

Regardless, Russert has long been a Bush critic despite disguising his liberal stances rather well. Once again, it's all Bush's fault..

How Not To Deal With Iran

The EU tried to grab the reins from the U.S. last year when it insisted on its "peaceful diplomatic" efforts to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions. The result so far is painfully clear: the EU's wishes are a complete failure.

Now Europe is finally threatening UN sanctions against Iran if it doesn't halt uranium production. Iran's response? No thanks; we're still building nuclear capabilities.

The EU wants to play with the "big boys," but the U.S. will soon have to take over if it wants any real results.

A Test for Hollywood Stars

Like Angelina Jolie, Hollywood loves to criticize the federal government for not taxing and spending enough and the government's Katrina efforts are no different.

I expect every actor/actress to donate a minimum of $1 million to the American Red Cross. If not, they should just keep their mouth shut and stay in their own world. They don't mind seeing average Americans pay for everything from "Save the Whale" drives to Maplethorpe's "Hate Christian" exhibits, but when it comes to their own pocketbooks for emergencies, they'd rather take a pass.

Time to put up or shut up...

*Update*
1) To her credit, Celine Dion has already donated $1 million (and she's not even American).
2) Some stars have committed to taking part in telethons, which, although nice, is not donating $$ - it is asking others to donate $$. (See Ellen Degeneres, who has told us about her aunt who lost everything - I have a hunch Ellen has the money to step up and help her aunt.)
3) Meanwhile, Sean Penn's attempts appear to be more about his own image than anything constructive.

NBC's Live "Hate Bush" Snafu

NBC tried to do something good last night by holding a live 1-hour telethon for the American Red Cross. Unfortunately, NBC showed it's amateurism by allowing thug rapper Kanye West go off script and give us his kindergarten-level criticism of George Bush on air:

I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, "They're looting." You see a white family, it says, "They're looking for food." And, you know, it's been five days [waiting for federal help] because most of the people are black. And even for me to complain about it, I would be a hypocrite because I've tried to turn away from the TV because it's too hard to watch....We already realize a lot of people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way -- and they've given them permission to go down and shoot us!

George Bush doesn't care about black people.

West might be right that some Americans don't care, but only if you're an idiot thug with a grade school education and your name is Kanye West...

Foreign Help For Katrina Victims

So far I have seen exactly two articles which show foreign assistance to the U.S. victims of Hurricane Katrina: Australia and Japan.

Canada said that they would sell us an additional 92k bpd of crude oil - and I heard on tv they are sending some Red Cross folks as well.

Finally, Venezuela offered to send its soldiers to help propagandize Castro henchman Hugo Chavez.

I'm not holding my breath for support from the UN, the EU or the Arab world. That's OK - if you want a job done right, you need to do it yourself anyway. (Just look at the Middle East.)

US Looks Other Way on Iranian President

Regime Change Iran has a good post on Iranian President Mahmood Ahmadinejad, who, despite being identified by hostages that he was involved in the 1979 US embassy takeover, will still be welcome to attend the UN General Assembly in New York next month.

The US has still not bothered to interview any of the hostages who have identified the Iranian leader as a terrorist. See no evil, hear no evil...

American Traitor Arrested

Susan Lindauer, A former journalist and press secretary for four Democratic members of Congress was arrested today on charges she acted as an agent to Iraqi intelligence before and after the U.S. invasion of Iraq.

Lindauer should be tried as a traitor to her country and, if found guilty, hanged for her crimes.

Katrina Comes to Keesler

I've got some pictures posted of the damage at Keesler here and here.

Still No Carter Gas Lines

Walter Williams explains that, unlike the Carter policies of the 70s, we haven't seen gas shortages or lines at gas stations. Instead, the government has taken a price-flexibility approach, which allows gas stations to raise prices to bring supply and demand more inline. (Then again, is anything a success simply by saying, "It's better than during the Carter years?")

While I agree with what Williams is saying, artificially high prices can still exist in the short run because of relatively inelastic demand. The only true way to let the market work in an efficient way is to get rid of OPEC altogether.

Syria's Assad Panics

The UN team investigating the Hariri assasination is getting very close to the Syrian regime.

DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources report the Assad regime is in a panic as the UN team’s findings on the murder case come closer to Damascus. In Beirut, the specter of civil war hovers as Syrian agents and Hizballah officers are seen handing out weapons to Muslims – the first sign that Assad has decided to react to the threat closing in on him by igniting fresh civil bloodshed.

The sense in Washington and Paris is that both governments are resolved to bring the Assad regime to an end.

And it will come none too soon if and when it does.