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Sunday, July 31, 2005

Al Qaeda Websites Wiped Out

Various Al Qaeda websites have been wiped out one by one, according to Israeli intelligence experts. According to the agents, it appears that London's intelligence started terminating various inflammatory websites affiliated with terrorists.

It's about time. The U.S. has some of the best and brightest technology minds in the world - why it wasn't done sooner is incomprehensible.

Terrorists Enjoy Network of Support

There is a broad network of support for terrorism in London, as shown by the bombing suspects' ability to escape Britain with ease. Just look at last week's polls that showed over 5% of England's Muslim population that agreed with the bombers and it's not difficult to understand Michael Graham's point that Islam is a terror organization.

Saturday, July 30, 2005

Bill Frist's U-Turn on Stem Cell Funding

Sen. Bill Frist (R-TN) took to the Senate floor yesterday to push for federally-funded stem cell research. While Frist says that we "must support stem cell research," he really means that "taxpayers must pay for stem cell research."

Even if I were to come to the conclusion that the creation of new embryo lines for the purpose of "research" (read: killing them) was moral, which the government has already done, there is absolutely no reason for the government to spend taxpayer funding. We have enough government spending already in an area where private companies are perfectly able to perform R&D without our tax dollars.

We hear a lot about how Republicans are "in bed with big drug companies," but once again, the facts don't support the rhetoric. The Democrats - and now Bill Frist - believe in taxpayer subsidies to big pharma.

Friday, July 29, 2005

WMAL Suspends Host Over Muslim Comments

In an about-face from yesterday, Washington DC-based radio station WMAL gave in to pressure from the PC police and suspended conservative talk show host Michael Graham, at the request of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

In a statement released last night, 630 WMAL president and general manager Chris Berry announced midday personality Michael Graham would be indefinitely suspended pending an internal investigation into Graham's July 25th remarks that Islam is a terrorist organization.

"Talk radio is an excellent forum to discuss issues important to our society. Nevertheless, the statements that Michael Graham made on July 25 crossed the line," Berry said. "He has been suspended pending an internal investigation. We do not condone his position, and we believe his statements were irresponsible."


This is complete nonsense. Graham has said time after time that, while not all Muslims are terrorists, most terrorists are indeed Muslims and the Islamic community at large fails to recognize this fact. Graham is one of the best talk show hosts out there and it will be the loss of WMAL if they fail to reinstate him.

Random and Politically Incorrect Thoughts has a great point: CAIR is in support of terrorist organizations, including Hamas. Why are they still allowed to exist? And they prove Graham's point very well.

Michelle Malkin has more.

Bush Tries Appeasement in Roberts Nomination

The White House made its first mistake in the Roberts Supreme Court nomination through a sophomoric mistake - appeasement. As this editorial in the National Review points out, the Bush Administration mistakenly believed they could accomodate Democrats by releasing some, but not all, of Judge Roberts' work in previous administrations. By doing this, the White House undermined its own ability to claim executive privilege and has weakened the power of the Presidency as a result.

Just another example of how appeasement - whether directed towards Hitler, terrorists, or Democrats - never works.

Sharpton Castigates Blacks For Blindly Supporting Democrats

Al Sharpton blasted blacks at the National Urban League's annual meeting for voting for Clinton and Democrats blindly without asking for anything in return. Like Bill Cosby, Sharpton also said that the culture in the black needs to change and return churches to the center of the community.

Referring to gangster rappers, Sharpton said, "We've gone from 'black and proud' to groups now calling themselves "Niggers with an attitude."

While I disagree with Sharpton about how the "white man" keeps black people down, it's nice to see that more black leaders are addressing problems within their communities.

Thursday, July 28, 2005

Liberal Judge Criticizes Bush Administration

U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour of the 9th Circuit (the most liberal and overturned circuit court in the nation) criticized the Bush Administration over military tribunals for terrorists as he handed down his sentence.

"We did not need to use a secret military tribunal, detain the defendant indefinitely as an enemy combatant or deny the defendant the right to counsel," he said. "The message to the world from today's sentencing is that our courts have not abandoned our commitment to the ideals that set our nation apart."

Statements like this make it clear that many judges find it necessary to enter the field of politics. If this partisan hackery is going to be the future of our judiciary system, then no one (including the Administration) should ever feel restrained from criticizing decisions by any judge.

GOP's Failure on Tax Policy

Market Center Blog discusses one of the most important issues for the GOP in changing tax policy: reforming the Joint Committee on Taxation. Overwhelming Democratic in its composition, the JCT's assumptions about government revenue are outdated and anti-supply side. The JCT typically does not notice a significant distinction in "cost" between a tax cut aimed at consumer and investor behavior from a tax cut that is a simple rebate. (One of the reasons that the budget deficit came in approximately $100 billion lower than original projections.)

Like the CIA and FBI, it's time for a dramatic shakeup at the JCT. Just as the Supreme Court ultimately has a major impact on legislation, the JCT has a major impact on tax policy.

Byrd Sponsors MLK Memorial

In a twist of irony, former KKK member Senator Byrd (D-WV) has sponsored a bill to build a memorial to Martin Luther King in Washington DC, next to the FDR memorial. The bill secures $10 million in federal funding for the project.

On another note, I wonder which of King's speeches will be on display at the memorial. His use of Biblical allusions and the term God might be frowned upon by some in the ACLU and the Supreme Court...

Political Effects of Labor Union Split

American Thinker has a good post on the recently announced labor split within the AFL-CIO and its important political effects on the Democratic party. (Hint: it's not good.)

Democrat insider Harold Ickes, Jr. said that if the Democrats couldn’t head off this split, the future would be “very, very bleak….” He was correct.

CAFTA Squeqks Through

President Bush quietly notched another victory in his belt with the passage of CAFTA by the House, 217-215. It's an important positive for free trade and a big loss for the protectionists.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Reporter Claims to Have Found Sniper Who Shot Journalist

Foreign correspondent Phillip Robertson claims to have tracked down the U.S. sniper who killed Knight Ridder correspondent Yasser Salihee. In dissecting the article, I noticed the following sequence: 1) Praise journalists; 2) Throw in some Anti-Americanism / how U.S. soldiers screwed up; 3) Later in the article share the fact that soldiers actually followed proper protocol; and finally 4) Throw in his own interpretation, which throws uncertainty onto proper U.S. soldiers' actions.

First, journalist Greg Mitchell starts out by praising the reporter, Robertson by claiming, "one of the most remarkable stories of the war..." and "Amazingly..." Second, he goes on to say that Salihee was "wrongly suspected" by American soldiers of being a suicide bomber before he gets to all the reported facts. Third, the article states that what the U.S. soldiers did were exactly what they were supposed to do in light of potential terrorist attacks. And finally, Mitchell quotes Robertson's own personal view:

"Before I left Joe at his company headquarters at Camp Victory, he said he wanted to tell the Salihee family he was sorry and that he'd never had to fire to stop a car before the 24th of June. 'If I'd seen his hands up, no way would I have fired a shot. We didn't murder him. No way was it murder,' Joe said. But there was desperation in his voice, as if he wasn't sure."

Granny Strikes Back Against Airport Screener

A 62 year-old woman retiree was convicted of assaulting an airline security officer's breast after being upset by her own body search.

I'm completely in favor of proactive measures to thwart new terrorists, but until a white, 60-something female commits an act of terrorism, doesn't it make sense to spend most of the time focusing on the terrorist profile (ie. male, young, and/or Middle Eastern)?

Another case of PC gone overboard at the sake of national security.

US Soldiers: "Over There" is Bogus

A group of eight soldiers viewed the preview of "Over There," a new series on FX written by Steven Bochco ("NYPD Blue" and "Hill Street Blues") and Chris Gerolmo ("Mississippi Burning"). They called the series "bogus" and thought the series portrayed our military as a bunch of idiots.

While Bochco claims that the series is "apolitical," I'm sure the criticisms are just beginning. I wonder if Congressmen, who often cite the "media reports" as proof that Iraq is not going well, will use the series as further proof.

US Forces Take to Offense in Iraq

US forces began a new offensive in Fallujah on Tuesday, codenamed Operation Gnawing Rats. Meanwhile in Mosul, a similar operation seems to be occuring. I think offensives like this need to be the norm in Iraq for a while.

Police Arrest Five Suspects in New Jersey

Police arrested five Egyptians who are in the U.S. illegally. They were carrying $8,000 cash and had maps of New York's subway and video of landmarks. Now, perhaps they were just tourists wanting to visit the sites, but it seems a little suspicious to me.

Talk Show Host Calls Islam a Terror Organization

In a case where the words in an article sound worse than reality, Washington, DC-based talk show host Michael Graham drew anger from the Council on American-Islamic Relations when Graham called Islam a terrorist organization.

What Graham also said, however, was that even though most Muslims were not terrorists, most terrorists have been Muslims. He also cites the failure of the majority of imams to condemn terrorist tactics. Graham used the following analogy:

"If the Boy Scouts of America had 1,000 Scout troops, and 10 of them practiced suicide bombings, then the BSA would be considered a terrorist organization. If the BSA refused to kick out those 10 troops, that would make the case even stronger. If people defending terror repeatedly turned to the Boy Scout handbook and found language that justified and defended murder --and the scoutmasters responded by saying 'Could be' -- the Boy Scouts would have been driven out of America long ago.

Today, Islam has whole sects and huge mosques that preach terror. Its theology is openly used to give the murderers their motives. Millions of its members give these killers comfort. The question isn't how dare I call Islam a terrorist organization, but rather why more people do not."

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Majority of UK's Muslims Mull Leaving

According to a poll of 1,000 British Muslims, approximately 2/3 have considered leaving the country since the 7/7 London attacks. Five percent of Muslims think that more attacks would be justified.

I suppose that judging by the second fact, most people would be quite pleased if the first fact turned out to be true.

50 Suspected Taliban Killed in Afghanistan

U.S. and Afghan soldiers killed approximately 50 suspected Taliban fighters during a battle in Southern Afghanistan.

The interesting thing about the story is that the AP reporter was much more interested in a protest at a U.S. air base, whereby a few people shouted, "Die America." Additionally, the reporter states at the end of the article, "More than 800 people have died in an upsurge in violence since March." The '800' figure is unimportant because it includes Taliban and Al Qaeda members. But it does give the story a nice antiwar, anti-American twist.

Lower Tax Rates Could Create Boom to Economy

It is clear that the reduction of personal income tax rates have created a windfall to the government's coffers. Now the government's reduction of corporate tax rates from 35% to 5.25% on the repatriation of profits earned overseas by U.S. corporations could return up to $320 billion in profits back to the U.S.

The boon to government revenue should continue. I don't think it's too early to start talking about how best to return that money to taxpayers...

The Search for War Criminals

If we go to war but as a result, fail to capture a specific man, does that make the war a complete failure? Many liberals think so - about our effort to find Bin Laden. But I'm speaking, of course, about the situation in the Balkans. (Courtesy of Polipundit.)

The Gift of the Suicide Bomber

Dennis Prager at Townhall discusses the idea of the suicide bomber and says that we have the Palestinians and the Left to thank.

We need to thank Palestinians for their major contribution to humanity -- religiously sanctioned mass murder of innocents through suicide. Prior to the Palestinians, this did not exist.

He has a good point.

Monday, July 25, 2005

Katherine Harris Feels Stabbed in Back by Bush

Katherine Harris and her backers are upset with the White House for attempting to get Florida State House Speaker Allan Bense to run against Democrat Sen. Bill Nelson in 2006. Katherine Harris has already announced her intent to run.

Harris has every reason to be upset. She stepped aside in 2004 to allow Bush-favored Mel Martinez to run for the Senate. And considering that Bush's election would have been stolen by Democrats in 2000 without the help of Katherine Harris, I think they owe it to her not to block her election - and yes, even support her. It doesn't matter if the Left screams of a quid pro quo.

Law to Outlaw Smoking in Cars

A bill introduced in New Jersey would make it illegal to smoke while driving. Assemblyman John McKeon, a smoking opponent, sponsored the bill, but claims it is for the purpose of reducing driver distractions rather than for health reasons.

According to AAA, approximately 1% of accidents are due to distractions caused by smoking. Even if that figure is to be believed, the government will have to eliminate food, drinks, and even little kids in cars - all well-known to be distracting.

Hanoi Jane Back to Her True Self

For Jane Fonda's second act, she will attempt to put 25 million Iraqis and the future of the Middle East at risk by calling for the U.S. to pull its forces out of Iraq. She will start her ignorant bus tour in March.

Once a traitor, always a traitor.

McCain Seeking to Micro-manage Interrogations

As Mark Levin notes, it appears that John McCain, fresh from screwing up our nation's election finance laws , now wants Congress to handle the issue of interrogations - when, where and how they may be conducted during a time of war.

To place new restrictions on the military and CIA over the management of interrogations would be the biggest mistake since John Deutch screwed up the work of CIA field agents through micromanagement in the 1990s.

London Police Not Backing Down

Warning to people in Britain: don't try anything stupid if the cops are chasing you. The police are not changing their tactics after killing a Brazilian man not involved in the terrorist attacks.

Britain’s most senior policeman, Ian Blair, defended the shoot-to-kill policy for dealing with suspected suicide bombers and said police were in a race against time to find those behind last Thursday’s attempted bombings of three underground trains and a bus, the second attack on the capital in two weeks.

“This is a terrifying set of circumstances for individuals to make decisions,” Blair told Sky News television. “Somebody else could be shot.”

Threatening Email at Colleges

Jihad Daniel, a computer programmer at William Paterson University in Wayne, NJ, was reprimanded for writing a "threatening email" by calling lesbianism a "perversion."

It's an interesting time when disagreeing with homosexuality is a greater "threat" to society than preaching radical Islam from mosques. Or maybe Daniel was threatening because his name is Jihad...

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Fallen Soldier's Memorial Vandalized

Within 24 hours of the burial of Pfc. Timothy Hines, someone pulled up 24 American flags from his family's memorial and set them on fire.

What's the matter - isn't this free speech? I have a feeling the vandal would say, "I support our troops, I just don't support the war..." or some nonsense that we hear all the time from certain leaders in this country.

Dick Durbin's Non-Apology, Take 3

Just in case anyone missed Sen. Dickie Durbin's previous non-apologies, he repeated his heatfelt remorse on Meet the Press, after Tim Russert asked about Durbin's earlier Gitmo comments:

"It [my rant] was wrong in what it led people to conclude...I left myself wide open to critics."

I don't think Durbin should apologize because he clearly meant what he said about U.S. soldiers. If there's no remorse, then there should be no apology.

Democrat Senators to Be "Frog-Marched" to Jail?

The Justice Department has launched a criminal investigation into whether Democratic Senators Dick Durbin, Jay Rockefeller and Ron Wyden leaked details about a secret "black ops" CIA satellite program last December in a move that may have seriously compromised national security, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense Jed Babbin said on Saturday.

According to the media, based on the less damaging and more ambiguous Karl Rove "leak," these Democratic Senators should be marched off to jail already. The leak is already proven; the only question now is the damage done to U.S. security (not to mention the waste of a couple hundred million dollars).

For some reason, I don't think Democrats will be quite so quick to jump to the same conclusion.

The Funeral Crasher

Michelle Malkin says that Pennsylvania Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll has some explaining to do for showing up, uninvited, to the funeral service of a slain U.S. soldier and did some quick campaigning during the distribution of Communion.

Saturday, July 23, 2005

Shot London Man Not Involved in Bombings

According to London authorities, the man shot and killed in the London subway was not involved in the terrorist attacks. Still, it strikes me as a bit strange that an innocent man wearing a heavy overcoat would run away from armed police during an obviously tension-filled time.

Next time the police tell a suspect to stop, I think he will stop. The question is whether this will change London tactics when it comes to stopping potential suicide bombers.

*Update*
It's clear now that the man who was killed was Brazilian and spoke little to no English. Not a good start for the London police on their new terrorist enforcement policies.

John Kerry Asks For Documents

John Kerry has felt the need to ask Judge Roberts to release documents about his tenure in the Reagan and Bush Administrations. Transterrestrial Musings asks a good question: Is Senator Kerry really the best person to ask for someone to release documents?

Kerry must have made his request from Europe. (Guess which country?) Sen. Kerry is there to watch the final stage of the Tour de France...

Egypt Gets Terrorized

Terrrorists blew up a luxury resort in Egypt, which killed 83 people. The only small silver lining in the attacks is that a couple of Islamofascist suicide bombers likely blew themselves up.

Egypt never sent troops to Iraq, so let's see how the apologists explain this one.

Friday, July 22, 2005

British Muslims Are Useless

According to Muslim leaders in the UK, all these terrorist attacks will come to an end if we simply surrender. What an absurd notion. On that topic, I have a better absurd notion - take all the radical Muslim leaders and throw them in jail to rot. It would probably be more effective.

Troops Not Happy With Democratic Comments

Democrats claim that they support the U.S. military, but soldiers know better. According to the Washington Times, soldiers from Massachusetts and Hawaii who are serving at Guantanamo Bay had harsh words for Sens. Kennedy (MA) and Akaka (HI) during a visit last week. (Hat tip: Ankle Biting Pundits.)

"They got stiff reactions from those home-state soldiers," one official told us. "The troops down there expressed their disdain for that kind of commentary, especially comparisons to the gulag."

U.S. soldiers know that many Democratic senators would rather say things to hurt the U.S. military and/or President Bush than actually offer real support. Good for them for taking Kennedy and Akaka to task.

NYPD Plan to Check Bags is Moronic

I'm in favor of tight security measures, but the NYPD plan to check bags on subways will do absolutely nothing. It's a complete waste of time and money.

First, the NYPD will not be allowed to do any racial profiling. So - if granny has a walker and a large purse and a young Middle Eastern man has a suitcase, the police can not use its judgement to check the Middle Eastern man if it's not his "randomly selected" turn.

Secondly, if anyone doesn't want to be checked, they are free to "turn around and leave." Huh?
Note to terrorists: if you have a bomb in your bag and don't wish to be checked, turn around, leave and go into another subway stop to try again.

I know the government enjoys wasting our tax dollars, but I think I would rather flush my dollars directly down the toilet - at least I actually know where it will end up.

Kudlow on the Yuan Revaluation

Larry Kudlow has a great post on the Chinese currency revaluation of its yuan, courtesy of pressure from protectionist pressures in the U.S. While I am in favor of free markets and free-floating currencies, I agree with Kudlow that playing with currency valuations are often counterproductive to a country's intended purposes. This is particularly true for developing (and communist) countries.

Every decade, we see examples of depression-like disasters in countries precisely because there is no currency stability such as a dollar peg (think Russia, Thailand, Argentina, and just about every developing economy over the past 15 years).

There are some benefits to balancing a trade deficit with a free-floating currency, but I hardly doubt that the benefits counterbalance the potential risks to both China's economy and thus, our own. Congress and the Bush Administration got its wish - now it will have to live with the consequences, for better or for worse.

London Police Kill Man in Subway

London Police killed a man on a subway today whom they believed might detonate a bomb. I have no problem with these actions - it is the smart thing to do if there is reasonable cause. The police only have a second to react to a potential suicide bomber.

But let's see how the world media organizations react. Back in November when a U.S. marine killed an Iraqi terrorist in a mosque that was used as a staging point for attacks on U.S. soldiers, the MSM quickly started the chants about "human rights violations" by U.S. soldiers and criticized U.S. soldiers for making hair-trigger decisions.

Let's see if the BBC acts hysterically about "human rights violations" when it comes to London's own citizens. So far the media are giving the policemen every benefit of the doubt - already a difference from the U.S. marine's actions.

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Why Donnie Deutch of CNBC Gets No Viewers

Bernard Goldberg, author of "100 People Who Are Screwing Up America," appeared on CNBC's Big Idea with Donnie Deutch last night. Goldberg was told beforehand that there would be a panel discussing his latest book. The panel was a group of 4 liberals, as well as Donnie Deutch, who is also liberal. Not a single person even read Goldberg's book, but the entire segment was an attack of Goldberg and his book, saying that it was not fair because there weren't enough conservatives on his list, etc. He never had a chance to respond to the attacks.

Goldberg spoke on Rush Limbaugh's program this afternoon and gave a better description of what happened. Goldberg apparently confronted Deutch on the air, asking why he lied to Goldberg by saying that it would be a balanced panel. Goldberg then said that this proves his point about a biased media and made Deutch look like a jackass. Predictably, all of this was deleted from the segment.

Just another day in the life of the liberal media...and another reason why Deutch's program registers a big fat 0.0 in the ratings category.

[Mea culpa to my readers: I misspelled his name by leaving out an 's,' but come on - does anyone really care about this guy anyway?]

Syria Says U.S. Soldiers Firing on Border Troops

Syria claims that U.S. soldiers have been firing on its border troops in several clashes along the Syria-Iraq border.

If true, it's about time - now we just need to cross the border and topple its government. But listening to Syria report the news is a little bit like listening to Dan Rather, so I doubt it's true.

Useful Advice from Australia's PM Howard

Australia's PM John Howard is fantastic. I thought he stole the press conference from Tony Blair after some Leftist reporter asked Blair whether Blair was at fault for the attacks because of his foreign policy.

Howard's response: "Once a country allows its foreign policy to be dictated by terrorism, it's given the game away." He then went on to say that "no self-respecting country" would ever allow that. Too bad for Spain, which could have used Howard's advice...

London Panic?

I can't tell if this is good policing or signs of panic, but I heard from at least one person that office workers in certain buildings in London are currently not being allowed to enter or exit.

I have no idea why the police would take this measure unless there were a chemical/biological threat (of which there are no signs or even speculation). I don't know how sealing people inside buildings would help with an investigation in any real way.

It seems to me more a sign of helplessness than anything else.

*Update*
Apparently this was a security precaution based on warnings around the St. Paul's area. Maybe today will be the straw that forces London to address its radical Islamic mosques...

Or maybe it will just be another reason to hate the U.S.

Bruschi To Sit out Season

In light of the London news, this seems relatively less important. Still, it's big news for Patriot fans. Tedi Bruschi, the heart and soul of the Patriots, has decided to sit out this season to heal from his stroke and heart surgery following last season. Get well soon and see you in '06.

California Flushes U.S. Flag

The California Dept. of Justice, heavily-weighted by Democratic beureaucrats, has no problem telling us what they think of the U.S. flag.

Another reckless use of space in a taxpayer-funded building.

London Mayor Blames West - AGAIN

London Mayor Ken Livingston is back to blaming the West for Muslim radicalism. Muslims are now free to kill as many people as they want without repercussions because it's not their fault.

What an idiot. He will look particularly foolish if anything happens from today's developments on London's subways, which at first glance, seem to be some type of coordinated attack.

But it's not the terrorists fault...it's yours and mine.

CNOOC Likely to Drop Unocal Bid

After Unocal passed up CNOOC's $18.5 billion offer in favor of a $17.1 billion cash-and-stock offer from Chevron, analysts believe that CNOOC might abandon its effort to acquire the company.

While I'm almost always in favor of free markets, this is one case where I have serious reservations. To take the example to an extreme, I definitely would not allow a communist government acquire all U.S. oil companies as a matter of national security. And while Unocal is only one company, China's stated goal is to acquire "oil assets" for security purposes. We know from history that OPEC can place an embargo on countries, which would cripple a country's economy without an alternative. The U.S. needs to be sure it's never put in that situation.

*Update*
On another note, CNBC just reported that China is de-pegging (read: devaluing) its currency from the U.S. dollar, which essentially reduces the value of the yuan by 2.1%.


Wednesday, July 20, 2005

The Genesis of Terrorists in Iraq

(Hat tip: Junkyard Blog). The Weekly Standard has an interesting article on the aftermath of the Four-Day War in Iraq in 1998 when President Clinton dropped a few bombs in Iraq. Who do you think Saddam turned to for help?

Coulter Opposes Roberts

Ann Coulter isn't happy with Bush's pick of John Roberts - or so she claims. She has a good point in that there is no reason to take even a 1% chance that a justice doesn't turn out to be what the President believes he is (i.e. Kennedy, O'Connor, Souter), especially when there are so many great candidates with conservative credentials.

Or this could be Ann Coulter making Roberts' confirmation easier - if there are no conservatives complaining, Dems will have to believe that he is an extreme conservative and might make it more difficult. Still, there better not be a single doubt in Bush's mind that Roberts is an originalist. I think Coulter's worry is probably needless (after all, not many liberal judges belong to the Federalist Society).

Wal-Mart Applies to Open Bank

Wal-Mart has applied for a bank charter in Utah in order to process credit-card transactions rather than outsource them to a third-party processor.

While this move has many bankers worried, I think this is great for consumers. If Wal-Mart enters the financial services arena, it will force bankers to come up with better - and cheaper - services for its customers. A business like Wal-Mart can't be all things to all people, but banks have been able to operate in some markets as oligopolies for years without improving their products or services. Maybe Wal-Mart will help them do that.

London Mayor Defends Suicide Bombers

According to London's mayor Ken Livingstone, suicide bombers killing innocent Israeli civilians is a perfectly legitimate act of protest.

"Given that the Palestinians don't have jet planes, don't have tanks, they only have their bodies to use as weapons," Livingstone told Sky News in an interview.

I suppose that suicide bombers are right to kill innocent British civilians also because, by the mayor's own logic, Al Qaeda doesn't have jet planes or tanks either - all they have are their bodies and a few weapons and bombmaking knowledge.

Maybe if a suicide bomb goes off in London every day for the next year the mayor might change his tune.

Seymour Hersh: Iraq Elections Rigged

Seymour Hersh, a hero to the Left for his criticism of the U.S., claims that the Iraq elections were illegitimate. Apart from the fact that this allegation is unsubstantiated, imagine how quickly democracy would change the world if the Left were as outraged about rigged elections in Iran, Cuba, Syria, Venezuela, China,...

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

CNN's Take on Robert's Confirmability

Don't ask me how I ended up watching CNN for 30 seconds, but John King's explanation as to whether John Roberts was confirmable was telling. He said that it was hard to say because his Senate confirmation for the DC Court of Appeals was not a vote of record. This is because most Democratic Senators would have voted for him and those opposed to him didn't want to look like obstructionists.

King said that in the Judiciary Committee, however, "there was a vote and it was highly contentious and divisive." King is either a liar or an idiot. The Judiciary Committee vote was 16-3 - only the wacko left Senators opposed Roberts.

JOHN ROBERTS!

He looks great to me. Just as I suspected, the media was wrong in its pick of Edith Clement. Maybe that was their wish because they were hoping for another Souter, but to no avail - Roberts is definitely no Souter.

*Update*
Based on Chuckie Schumer's and Dickie Durbin's remarks, Roberts is definitely the man (they both will oppose him). Roberts was on the DC panel that overruled a Clinton-appointed judge last week by deciding that military tribunals are ok for enemy combatants (see post here).


Chavez To Seize Private Businesses

Hugo Chavez threatened to seize hundreds of private businesses that "lay idle" so that they can contribute "for the benefit of the community." Chavez gave his country a "choice:"

"Either capitalism, which is the road to hell, or socialism, for those who want to build the kingdom of God here on Earth," he said.

This reminds me of Leninist policies in Russia when the state seized farms that were "unproductive" for the benefit of the community. Lenin then sent the rural farmers to the gulags (and not the Club Gitmo gulag) to die.

This is a very worrisome development on Venezuela's march towards communism - although after the Kelo Supreme Court decision, maybe it's not all that different than tactics in the U.S.

Supreme Pick: 9 pm Tonight

When President Bush announces his Supreme Court nominee tonight, I only hope that there is some uproar among Democrats and liberal groups. If there are positive words from Harry Reid and Ted Kennedy, I'm going to be very worried.

*Update*
Supreme Court Nomination Blog has the latest info on the potential selection. Obviously the media believes it will be Edith Clement, but I'm not jumping on the bandwagon until its announced. The MSM is one of the least reliable sources for anything, so I have no reason to think they're correct in this case either.

My only guess is that the nominee won't be Ted Kennedy or John Kerry (going out on a limb here).

UN's Color Coded Alert System

Chrenkoff shares with us the UN's new color-coded alert system - very valuable indeed. He says that we're in code yellow on Zimbabwe. I'm pretty sure that we're in code pink on Iraq.

Homeowners File Petition for Kelo Rehearing

Connecticut homeowners from whom the government decided to steal property filed a motion for the U.S. Supreme Court to rehear the Kelo case. Although highly unlikely that the case will be heard, the families are correct in claiming that many of the "hypothetical" examples cited by the Court in its opinion are now becoming a reality around the U.S.

Governments see opportunities for greater tax revenue, so they are stealing property and reselling it to higher bidders - all legal now.

Ebonics To Be Key Part of Educational Program

Public school officials in San Bernadino, California, in an effort to raise the academic performance of blacks, are going to incorporate Ebonics into a new grade school curriculum.

Just what this country needs: more ebonics majors. That will come in very handy in the business world. I can't help but think of that scene from Airplane with the two jive speakers.

Australian Government Won't Confiscate Jihad Books

Every nation has its liberal forces, including Australia. A Muslim leader called for the confiscation of books that promote and teach terrorism and Jihad (and endorsed by Bin Laden), but the New South Wales government says it is unable to enforce such a ban.

A spokesman for NSW Attorney-General Bob Debus today said the content of the books did not appear to constitute incitement to violence. "For incitement to occur, violence has to actually take place (as a result of publishing the material)," the spokesman said.

So...if a suicide bomber kills 100 people or 1,000 people or more, then the government can conclude that the book actually did "incite" violence and then they can act. Great news...well, except for those who would die.

Monday, July 18, 2005

MSM Journalists Don't Read; What Else is New

Captain's Quarters explains, via the example of David Broder of the NY Times, the absolute refusal of journalists to read government reports to get their facts straight.

David Broder never bothered to read the report from the Senate Select Intelligence Committee, which spells out the facts (of the Administration) and the lies (of Joe Wilson).

This is not surprising, however. Journalists also never read David Kay's report on Iraq's WMD programs or the 9/11 Commission's report on Al Qaeda/Iraq ties. Instead, they just print whatever they feel like and perpetuate inaccuracies.

And they then claim that Bush got the facts wrong...give me a break.

Germany Says "Nein Problem" to Suspected Terrorist

Germany's highest court ordered the release of German-Syrian businessmen Mamoun Darkazanili, who is suspected of funding Al Qaeda terrorists.

German Justice Minister Brigitte Zypries said the court ruling was "a blow for the government in its efforts and fight against terrorism".

So the Euro uselessness in fighting terrorism continues.

For Those Still Interested

Valerie Plame...blah blah....yes, I'm sick of the non-story too. However, for anyone who wants some great background on the Cooper and Miller's defense to the courts as the reporters were being prosecuted, read Andrew McCarthy's article.

Among the defense arguments to the judge: Miss Undercover was already 'outed' by Russia a decade ago and then 'outed again' by the CIA (inadvertantly).

I still believe that it was Joe 'Hack' Wilson himself that 'outed' his wife - he's already lied about everything else.

Meanwhile, Polipundit reminds us that John Kerry recently 'outed' a CIA agent during the John Bolton hearings. But then again, Kerry's a Democrat, so no big deal...

Minuteman Group Spurs Others Around U.S.

The popularity, or in many cases, notoriety, of the Minuteman Project on the Mexican border has spread across the country through new volunteer groups to help prevent - or publicize - illegal immigration. No doubt these groups will get a bad rap from the press, who will taint the groups as "right-wing" militias or hate groups, but I think this is positive, as long as they obey the law. It shows that many Americans love their country and just want immigrants to follow the law that everyone else is forced to follow.

Sadr: "Resistance" Is Legitimate

Moqtada Al Sadr, the radical shiite leader in Iraq, needs to be killed. It should have been done two years ago when his followers holed up in a mosque to fight U.S. forces. But now he is still inciting terrorists to kill by legitimizing the "foreign occupation." Unfortunately for Iraqis, most of the people who are dying are innocent Iraqi civilians. They need to take it upon themselves and kill Al Sadr once and for all.

Sunday, July 17, 2005

CBS/Infinity Radio Refuses Anti-Terror Commercials

According to CBS, anti-terrorism efforts are too controversial these days and it has refused to air commericals advertising an upcoming anti-terrorism symposium.

The official statement from CBS/Infinity Radio said, "Too many people might be emotionally affected by the subject matter. … It's too controversial to be aired at this time."

Specter's View on Supreme Court

Arlen Specter (R-PA) appeared on FoxNews Sunday this morning and said two things that were rather disturbing. First, he said that even if Democrats were to filibuster any or all of President Bush's judicial nominees (including for the Supreme Court), he would not support the constitutional option. So basically, Bush is at the mercy of the Democrats.

Second, Specter said that keeping the current "balance" on the Supreme Court in replacing O'Connor is a "weighty" factor for Bush. This statement is ludicrous. If Specter has his way, then the Supreme Court should be stuck in its current "balance" forever: 4 liberals, 3 conservatives and 2 "moderates."

Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but elections do mean something in a democracy, correct? (Especially for Specter, who without Bush in 2004, would be sitting at home.)

Protecting Us from Suicide Bombers

Ace of Trump wonders whether Britain or the U.S. would be willing to implement the same types of policies as Israel in stopping suicide bombers. Thus far, I think the answer is clearly no, since suicide bombers have not struck often enough.

While the U.S. has been particularly fortunate in the absence of suicide bombers, it is much too easy for a European Islamofascist to enter the U.S. with a passport and blow himself up on a bus or in a restaurant. I believe the real surprise is that it hasn't already happened. Sadly, until it does, we won't take the precautions that will be necessary.

Meanwhile, some imams in London are still saying that certain suicide bombings are justified.

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Time to Invade Syria

Syria needs to be dealt a severe blow. Iraq's foreign minister, Hoshier Zibari, said that Iraq has hundreds of documents that confirm Syria's help to terrorists entering Iraq.

A state that assists in war against Americans used to be enough for Congress to declare war on that enemy state. I wonder what it will take this time to overthrow the Syrian government.

Hamas: "Open the Doors of Hell"

After a deadly terrorist attack last week, Israel has pledged to resume its assassination attacks against Hamas and fired three missiles in Gaza and the West Bank, killing six terrorists. In response, Hamas said Israel's strikes would "open the doors of hell."

Good for Israel. If Hamas had the ability to destroy every last Israeli citizen, it would do so. The only reason that its leaders have been spared is due to Israel's restraint in killing its leaders. The U.S. would never stand for that with Al Qaeda...well, at least the current Administration won't...

Friday, July 15, 2005

Clinton-appointed Judge Overturned on Military Tribunals

A federal appeals court in Washington, DC overturned a Clinton-appointed federal judge's ruling from last November that halted the military tribunal of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a terrorist suspected of being Osama bin Laden's driver.

This ruling is important because it would have stripped the Commander-in-Chief's ability to conduct tribunals during wartime. It's also a great reminder that the judicial nominations affect every aspect of American life.

Media Laughs at Terrorist Appearance in Goodbye Video

Another ridiculous story about Reuters. A video made by Reuters staff members for a departing colleague featured a cameo appearance by terrrorist leader Zakaria Zubeidi. The media in attendance thought it was very funny.

Nothing wrong with playing around with your terrorist buddies.

UCal Opts Out of National Merit Scholarships

The University of California has decided to drop out of the National Merit Scholarship program because it doesn't produce the right mix of "diversity." (There is no mention of diversity of thought however; liberalism does just fine, thank you.)

Apparently, Cal requires students "to describe 'hardships' which they have overcome, thereby allowing ascription of merit to those facing, racism, homophobia, poverty, and whatever else strikes the fancy of the elitists anxious to feel good about themselves and their lack of prejudice."

As Charlie Brown says: "Uggh."

Simpsons Friday

Looks like the media is continuing with its Blame Bush/Rove hysteria. No better time for a few Simpsons quotes.

Bart (to Milhouse): How can someone with glasses so thick be so stupid?

Homer: Look everyone! Now that I'm a teacher I've sewn patches on my elbows.
Marge: Homer that's supposed to be leather patches on a tweed jacket, not the other way around. You've ruined a perfectly good jacket.
Homer: Incorrect, Marge. Two perfectly good jackets!

Homer: Homer Si ... uh, Max Power.
Trent: Oh, hey! Great name!
Homer: Yeah, isn't it? I got it off a hair dryer.
Trent: [laughs] I like a man who can poke fun at himself. [looks at his watch] Ooh, hey, my one o'clock cancelled. Eh, you had any lunch?
Homer: Yeah, but I usually have three or four.
Trent: So where to eat? You like Thai?
Homer: Tie good. You like shirt?

Mr. Burns: I'm looking for something in an attack dog. One who likes the sweet gamey tang of human flesh. Hmmm, why here's the fellow ... Wiry, fast, firm, proud buttocks. Reminds me of me.

Bodyguard coach: As a personal bodyguard, your only loyalty is to your protectee, not anything else, not even Muhammed.
Homer: Not even during Ramadan?

Grandpa: I'm an old man, no one listens to me.
Lisa: I'm a young girl, no one listens to me.
Homer: I'm a white male aged 18 to 49, everyone listens to me, no matter how dumb my suggestions are.
[He then goes to the cabinet and takes out a can of food titled, "Nuts and Gum: Together At Last"]

Bart: There's no such thing as a soul. It's just something they made up to scare kids, like the boogeyman or Michael Jackson.

Grandpa Simpson: [Marge inquires about his money.] The government. I didn't earn it, I don't need it, but if they miss one payment, I'll raise hell!

Marge: Whats wrong Lisa? didnt you get enough lamb-chops?
Lisa: I CANT EAT THIS! I CANT EAT A POOR LITTLE LAMB.
Homer: Lisa get a hold of yourself. This is lamb not "a" lamb.

Ralph: Miss Hoover, i ate my worm, can i have another one?
Miss Hoover: NO RALPH...just sit there and go to sleep!
Ralph: ALLRIGHT...thats where I'm a viking!

Britain Wants To Expel Radical Preachers

The British government seems to be facing reality and are seeking new powers to expel radical Muslim clerics who incite terrorism.

Let's see if "free [violent] speech" wins out over public safety.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Joe Wilson's Top Ten Inaccuracies and Misstatements

Many people now know that Joe Wilson is nothing more than a partisan hack who has spent the past few years trying to tear down the Bush Administration. But for those of you who aren't familiar with Joe Wilson's lies, this is a must read: Wilson's Top Ten Lies.
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Muslim Support for Bin Laden Falling

According to a new Pew poll, most Muslim countries around the world show less support for Bin Laden than they have previously. However, Jordan and Pakistan citizens have actually shown slightly higher support for Bin Laden.

Liberal Supreme Court justices - pay attention. You need to monitor these "international norms" to help decide your cases.

Gitmo Abuse Claims Discredited

The media is not happy about a report that discredits any suggestion of torture at Guantanamo Bay, but it doesn't matter. Their job is done; after two months of screaming "torture," they achieved their mission of convincing American-haters that we are torturing our detainees. So don't expect a follow-up reporting the truth.

(Not too different from the genesis of the "Bush lied" refrain, which started when Joe Wilson came back from his trip to Niger. For several weeks he was revered by the media and splashed across the headlines. When the Select Intelligence Committee confirmed that Wilson lied about his mission and findings and that the Administration's original claims were still supported, the media decided to drop the story.)

Sandy Berger's Sentencing Delayed

Remember Sandy Berger? Former National Security Advisor who stole and destroyed classified documents because he feared it would make him and the Clinton Administration look weak on terrorism?

His sentencing was postponed until September, although it's unclear why. Deputy Attorney General James Comey, however, said the following:

"We take issues of classified information very, very seriously," Comey told reporters, before adding, "All felonies in the federal system bring with them the promise of jail time, that's all I can say about that."

Here's my skeptical view as to the delay: AG Alberto Gonzales may not have wanted to pass down a controversial sentence just before a highly contentious Supreme Court battle (in which the recipient could well be Gonzales himself). A bit conspiratorial, but I think that's as good a reason as any.

Celebration

Hey, it's Bastille Day. I couldn't care less. Maybe Al Qaeda will celebrate though - they probably like the Frogs.

Soda and Warning Labels

How can you tell when people have too much time on their hands?

A consumer group called the Center for Science in the Public Interest has petitioned the government to place cigarette-style warning labels on soft drinks to "alert people to the harmful effects of too many sugary beverages."

Uggh. Isn't there a place where common sense comes into play without getting the government involved?

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Bill Clinton Complains About Unfair Media Coverage

While speaking to Campus Progress, a liberal student group, complained that Democrats were "boxed in" on the abortion debate and face a double standard from the media.

"So for example, if you're a Democrat and you have sort of normal impulses, you're a sellout, like when Hillary said abortion is a tragedy for virtually everybody who undergoes it, we ought to do all we can to reduce abortion," Clinton said.

"All of a sudden," he continued, the media began asking, "'Is she selling out? Is she abandoning her principles?' But if John McCain, who's pro-life, works with Hillary on global warming, he's a man of principle moving to the middle.'"


For a man so politically astute, Bill doesn't get it. The liberal media might claim (though I still haven't heard it) that Hillary is "selling out" and that McCain is a "man of prinicple," but that's because the media loves it when politicians move towards their own leftist viewpoints. The rest of America, however, view such a move by Hillary towards the center as the ruse that it really is. And if Bill bothered to ask conservatives, he would hear them tell the truth about McCain - he is indeed a sellout on many issues.

Quit your complaining Bill - you are the last person who has the right to complain about unfair media coverage.

{Link to Mudville Gazette's Open Post}

Al-Timimi Might Get His 70 Virgins After All

Ali al-Timimi of Fairfax, VA (practically a neighbor of mine), a "prominent Islamic scholar," was sentenced to life in prison today for inciting war against U.S. troops after 9/11.

I hope the authorities throw al-Timimi in with the sodomites so that he gets his 70 virgins male lovers here on Earth.

Budget Deficit Declines to 2.7% of GDP

The estimate for this year's budget deficit was reduced to $333 billion, lower than the $427 billion originally forecast. The OMB estimates revenue to rise 14 percent for the year, which would be the highest increase in 25 years. But this should come as no surprise to knowledgeable (read: non-Keynesian) economists.

Imagine if we cut rates further and reduced spending. We would have a surplus within two years!

Good Time Waster

From Ace of Spades. It's a little weird - a woman falling into bubbles- but it's actually pretty soothing. And it is so much more enjoyable to watch than the "Karl Rove is a traitor" B.S. over which the news has been hystercial for the past 24 hours.

One Dane's Support for the U.S.

Michelle Malkin has a great story about a Danish pizza owner who is being shut down temporarily while he serves an 8-day jail sentence. His crime was refusing to serve German and French tourists for their countries' opposition to the Iraq War. He will now take a picture of George and Laura Bush, as well as an American flag, to his jail cell to "brighten up the room."

Fantastic.

A Reminder to the NY Times

Regarding the "crime of the century" that put our national security at risk by "outing" a (non-covert) CIA worker (who was covert at partisan hackery), I have one quick reminder for the NY Times from May 2005:

NY Times "Outs" CIA Flight Operations

Hmm. The paper seems so concerned with our national security. I could go on about the Times' overwhelming support for our troops, its joy over Abu Ghraib, its desire to uncover torture by U.S. troops, etc., but you get the idea.

The Mother of All Connections

Stephen Hayes of the Weekly Standard continues his work of pointing out numerous connections between Al Qaeda and Iraq. Unfortunately, the media has perpetuated the myth that, despite the presence of the terrorist group in 80 countries around the world, Iraq is one country that was squeaky clean - with no Al Qaeda ties. Because President Bush doesn't want to get tied down in another drawn out debate, he never mentions these newly uncovered ties to the public. According to Hayes,

...internal Iraqi Intelligence Service (IIS) documents recovered in Iraq after the war--documents that have been authenticated by a U.S. intelligence community long hostile to the very idea that any such relationship exists.

We know from these IIS documents that beginning in 1992 the former Iraqi regime regarded bin Laden as an Iraqi Intelligence asset. We know from IIS documents that the former Iraqi regime provided safe haven and financial support to an Iraqi who has admitted to mixing the chemicals for the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center. We know from IIS documents that Saddam Hussein agreed to Osama bin Laden's request to broadcast anti-Saudi propaganda on Iraqi state-run television. We know from IIS documents that a "trusted confidante" of bin Laden stayed for more than two weeks at a posh Baghdad hotel as the guest of the Iraqi Intelligence Service.

We have been told by Hudayfa Azzam, the son of bin Laden's longtime mentor Abdullah Azzam, that Saddam Hussein welcomed young al Qaeda members "with open arms" before the war, that they "entered Iraq in large numbers, setting up an organization to confront the occupation," and that the regime "strictly and directly" controlled their activities. We have been told by Jordan's King Abdullah that his government knew Abu Musab al Zarqawi was in Iraq before the war and requested that the former Iraqi regime deport him. We have been told by Time magazine that confidential documents from Zarqawi's group, recovered in recent raids, indicate other jihadists had joined him in Baghdad before the Hussein regime fell. We have been told by one of those jihadists that he was with Zarqawi in Baghdad before the war. We have been told by Ayad Allawi, former Iraqi prime minister and a longtime CIA source, that other Iraqi Intelligence documents indicate bin Laden's top deputy was in Iraq for a jihadist conference in September 1999.

None of this matters to the media, however. Nothing short of a picture of Saddam with Bin Laden in his family photo album would be evidence enough of an Al Qaeda link to Saddam.

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Poll on Supreme Nomination

According to a Rasmussen poll, 58% of Americans believe that a qualified candidate should be confirmed to the Supreme Court, despite potentially conservative ideology. Only 24% think a nominee should be defeated on that basis.

Although I don't pay much attention to polls, many politicians do. This is good news for Bush. (Perhaps that's why McCain said there would be an up-or-down vote recently.)

Dems Appoint Mitchell as Supreme Court Point Man

According to Business Week, Democrats have picked George Mitchell to head their "Supreme Court strategy team." Did I miss something? Why do the Dems need someone? Bush tapped former Tenn. Senator Fred Thompson to head up his "search" committee, but that is because Bush is selecting the nominee. Where is Rod Serling when you need him?

On another note, it appears there will definitely NOT be a filibuster on Bush's Supreme Court nominee. Of the "gang of 7" (Republicans) who struck the deal a few weeks ago, John McCain has said quite clearly (according to Drudge):

'During the campaign, President Bush said he will appoint judges who will strictly interpret the constitution... thinking anything else is either amnesia or ignorance... elections have consequences... whomever he nominates deserves an up or down vote and no filibuster... and an up or down vote is what we will have'...

The first good thing I've heard McCain say in a long time.

White House Press Conference

The White House press conference that is going on right now is absolutely hilarious. Every reporter is asking the same question twenty different ways: why did Karl Rove commit a criminal act? Why did he reveal Plame's name? Why did you lie when you said Rove didn't release the name? etc.

As a reminder, it was a journalist - Bob Novak (perhaps with assistance from Judith Miller and/or Scott Cooper) - who released Valerie Plame's name. But these journalists think they have this great story and are out to get the Bush Administration one way or another.

I would love to see the NY Times source because they are obviously covering something up that would otherwise be quite embarrassing. This "Rove did it" trick is a perfect distraction for their own complicity in the case.

Surprise! NY Times Supports Anti-Americans

I typically don't read NY Times editorials any more than I read tabloids at the checkout line. But this morning's editorial was particularly loathsome (thanks to Pat for the link).

...in the past few weeks, we've watched a handful of vocal family members, who may not represent a majority of 9/11 families, change the dynamic at the World Trade Center site for the worse. They have begun a movement to "take back the memorial," which means, in essence, eventually purging ground zero of its cultural partners, including the International Freedom Center.

Translation: These families don't deserve as much a voice as those who believe America is the problem. We need to show the world that we can bash and blame America as well as the rest of the world.

Mr. Pataki's job is to represent all those deeply interested parties. By attempting to appease one small, vocal group of protesters who are unlikely to be appeased anyway, he is abrogating the rights of everyone else. And he runs the risk of turning ground zero into a place where we bury the freedoms that define this nation.

The NY Times is so far out of touch with the rest of America that it believes only a tiny portion of Americans think that a memorial should honor the dead and not be turned into an anti-Bush, anti-American political statement. Bizblogger is far more representative of the American opinion than anything the Times writes these days.

Harry Reid's Hope for Supreme Court

Harry Reid is a joke who simply can't be taken seriously (I know that's not news). In his radio address on Saturday, Reid appealed to President Bush to nominate a Supreme Court justice "in the mold of" Earl Warren. Yeah - right.

"Mr. President, that's the kind of justice we hope you'll nominate," Reid said in Saturday's broadcast. "Someone who will bring us together. A mainstream justice who won't use their judicial robe as a cloak to impose their political ideology on the country."

I have two pieces of valuable advice for the Democrat leader:

1) Refrain from calling the President a "loser," "Hitler," a "liar," "Alfred E. Newman," and a "crook" and you will do more to eliminate the partisan hackery in Washington than anything a judge could do.

2) You want anyone to listen to your suggestions for a nominee and/or be taken as anything other than a punchline? Win an election - then you can nominate whoever you wish.

The Giddy Media Over Rove

Hear the sound of little boys and girls giggling and jumping up and down? That's the media talking about the Karl Rove-Valerie Plame story. Another one on the front page of the NY Times today.

The whole thing is pretty ludicrous. First, as Wizbang points out, no one said a word about a complete fraudulent report from Joe Wilson to Niger because he was more intent on hurting Bush over Iraq than actually getting real intelligence. It took several months for the media to come out with the fact that his entire trip was a fraud. (Even then most media outlets simply ignored this part of the story.)

Second, the NY Times and liberals are up in arms that the White House aren't commenting on the story. Hello?! This is a federal investigation!! You are never supposed to comment on an investigation until it is complete, so for the media to criticize Rove and the White House for not talking shows how stupid journalists can be...

Captain's Quarters has a good summary of the Plame affair.

*Update*
Rush Limbaugh reminded his listeners today that if the NY Times really wanted this to be fully investigated, they would release their source. Obviously, they do not want their source to be known - which is why I'm certain it's not Rove.

Monday, July 11, 2005

Afghans Sheltered Navy SEAL From Taliban

Despite what the media thinks, not everyone in the world despites the U.S. military for its efforts. A villager who found a wounded SEAL in Afghanistan brought him to his village and protected him from the Taliban, who demanded the village turn him over.

Democrats Still Trying to Decide Core Values

Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) said it best at a fundraiser for Bill Nelson (D-FL):

"The Democrats at times have lost their way," conceded Obama. "We are trying to decide what our core values are."

The criterion for judging the party isn't whether it's to the left or right, "but are we true to our core values," he said. Nobody defined core values.

Hello?!? If a political party has to decide "what its core values are," they obviously aren't terribly important. This is the problem with the Democrats.

The Rove Witch Hunt

The media appears to be licking its chops over the latest news that Karl Rove spoke with Matthew Cooper, the Time magazine reporter who mentioned Valerie Plame as an undercover CIA agent. The MSM would love to "get Bush" by hurting his chief political strategist.

Although the facts are still sketchy at this point, I believe the media is making more of the story than is actually there. It appears that Rove did speak with Cooper prior to the Time magazine article in 2003, but never mentioned the name "Valerie Plame" as an undercover CIA agent.

It also seems that it was fairly common knowledge among politicians in Washington that Plame worked in the CIA. As many Democrats were trying to come up with evidence that "Bush lied" about some of the Iraq evidence, Plame personally recommended that her husband, Joe Wilson (a notorious anti-Bush partisan) go to Niger to find out facts about the "yellowcake intelligence." While sipping tea with diplomats, Wilson claims he debunked the evidence within 20 minutes. (Nevermind that the U.S. and Britain still have evidence that the original intelligence was correct.)

The trip was not sanctioned by the Bush Administration, so Rove told Cooper not to make too much of his "findings." In fact, it seems that Rove was warning Cooper not to go with the story. While explaining this to Cooper, Rove likely mentioned that Wilson's wife (not by name) worked for the CIA and she was the one who sent him.

Again, not all the facts are out, but I think this is what happened. No crime and not much of a story. Finally, if it were a crime, do you really think the NY Times reporter, Judith Miller, would be willing to head to jail to save Rove?? Come on.

The Complaints of Losers

QandO Blog takes EJ Dionne of the Washington Post to task about Dionne's complaint that a mere 50.7% of the polulation has the ability to determine the direction of the U.S. government.

That's what a republic is all about. And no one seemed to mind when Clinton appointed his judicial nominees with no objections, despite just 43% of the population behind him. That's why winning elections is important.

Oliver Stone Planning 9/11 Film

Uggh. Oliver Stone, the infamous creator of a documentary on Fidel Castro (in which Stone declared that Castro was a beloved fatherly figure to the country), is now planning a major 9/11 film starring Nicholas Cage.

I'm just wondering how he will spin this into an "America is Responsible" type film.

Britain Going Back to Sleep?

Mark Steyn asks the question whether Britain will simply go back to sleep after the dust settles from the latest London terrorist attacks.

This is the beginning of a long existential struggle. It's hard not to be moved by the sight of Londoners calmly going about their business as usual in the face of terrorism. But, if the political class goes about business as usual, that's not a stiff upper lip but a suicide cult.

The question now is will the British return to the fantasy agenda of Bob Geldof or avenge their dead?

Meanwhile, Indepundit says that the BBC has gone back to banning the use of the term "terrorist" in favor of "bomber."

U.S. Military Recovers Fourth SEAL

The U.S. has recovered the body of the 4th Navy SEAL in Afghanistan, who was killed in a shootout with Al Qaeda. The Taliban claimed they captured the SEAL and killed him in captivity, but (shock)...they lied.

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Arab Newspaper Slams Muslims

Tariq Al-Humayd, editor-in-chief of London-based Al-Sharq Al Awsat newspaper, lashed out at Britain's Muslims for "turning a blind eye to terrorist fundraising activities on their own doorstep."

"In London, we have seen, and are seeing, the money being collected in the streets, and the conventions under various titles, and everyone is inciting jihad in our Arab countries and cursing the land of unbelief in which they live," he wrote.

"When you express amazement [at this], they tell you that this is freedom. Has freedom no responsibility? No one answers."

Good for him; it's about time some Muslims stand up for the good guys.

British Memo Reveals Al Qaeda Recruits

Another British dossier; another ludicrously drawn conclusion. I'm skeptical of any leaked classified British dossier, but a newly leaked document shows that up to 3,000 British-based young Muslims have passed through Bin Laden's camps and may be part of Al Qaeda.

The unsurprising, but very weak argument, according to the London Times, is that "The Iraq war is identified by the dossier as a key cause of young Britons turning to terrorism."

“The perception is that passive ‘oppression’, as demonstrated in British foreign policy, eg non-action on Kashmir and Chechnya, has given way to ‘active oppression’. The war on terror, and in Iraq and Afghanistan, are all seen by a section of British Muslims as having been acts against Islam.”

The Times effort to single out the Iraq War in the dossier as a recruiting agent apart from our actions in the rest of the War on Terror is false. The memo simply reveals that many Muslims think that everything the U.S. does is wrong, not simply the Iraq War.

Unfortunately, none of this will matter to the media as they start highlighting this memo. Ceci Connelly on FoxNews this morning already mentioned it.

Saturday, July 09, 2005

Sometimes Apples Do Fall Far From Trees

Radioblogger has a great exchange between Ron Reagan and Christopher Hitchens. Ron (I refuse to use just his last name) tries to follow the old liberal lie that there was no terrorism in Iraq before we invaded and Hitchens tears him a new one. Ron's only defense? Take half a sentence from the 9/11 report ("no operational connection"), which was completely contradictory from the rest of the report, and extrapolate that terrorists operated in every country in the world - except Iraq.

RR: Christopher, I'm not sure that I buy the idea that these attacks are a sign that we're actually winning the war on terror. I mean, how many more victories like this do we really want to endure?

CH: Well, it depends on how you think it started, sir. I mean, these movements had taken over Afghanistan, had very nearly taken over Algeria, in a extremely bloody war which actually was eventually won by Algerian society. They had sent death squads to try and kill my friend Salman Rushdie, for the offense of writing a novel in England. They had sent death squads to Austria and Germany, the Iranians had, for example, to try and kill Kurdish Muslim leaders there. If you make the mistake that I thought I heard you making just before we came on the air, of attributing rationality or a motive to this, and to say that it's about anything but itself, you make a great mistake, and you end up where you ended up, saying that the cause of terrorism is fighting against it, the root cause, I mean. Now, you even said, extraordinarily to me, that there was no terrorist problem in Iraq before 2003. Do you know nothing about the subject at all? Do you wonder how Mr. Zarqawi got there under the rule of Saddam Hussein? Have you ever heard of Abu Nidal?

RR: Well, I'm following the lead of the 9/11 Commission, which...

CH: Have you ever heard of Abu Nidal, the most wanted man in the world, who was sheltered in Baghdad? The man who pushed Leon Klinghoffer off the boat, was sheltered by Saddam Hussein. The man who blew up the World Trade Center in 1993 was sheltered by Saddam Hussein, and you have the nerve to say that terrorism is caused by resisting it? And by deposing governments that endorse it?

Iran: The Jews Did It

Unsurprisingly, Iran state radio has blamed Israel's Mossad for the London bombings. Naturally, the U.S. and Israel are responsible for all evil in the world. Now it's about time for the Kennedys, Pelosis and Reids of the world to start saying the same thing...

Friday, July 08, 2005

Bush To Get Another Supreme Pick

Drudge is reporting that CJ William Rehnquist has retired and will make the announcement tonight. That makes two picks for Bush. Conservatives shouldn't get too excited, though. Once Bush puts two conservatives on the Court, it will still be 4 liberals, 4 conservatives and Kennedy.

The rumor, of course, is that Stevens will retire before the end of the year. That would be a big one.

*Update*
It appears that Drudge took down the story, although I'm pretty sure the announcement is simply a matter of time. Bob Novak had said that it would come by today as well.

London Mayor Previously Defended Terrorists

I wonder if the Mayor Livinstone of London has changed his tune about Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, a suicide bomber advocate whom Livingston invited to City Hall as an honored guest last year. The mayor at the time referred to Al-Qaradawi as a "moderate" and a "man of peace."

I would love for a reporter to ask him a question about whether he will stand by his comments last year.