John Edwards Key Issues

This morning on ABCNews, George Snufalufagus interviewed John Edwards on what his key issues were in the 2008 Presidential campaign. These were the key issues that Edwards mentioned:

1) Universal health care
2) Getting "37 million Americans out of poverty"
3) No more free trade without "environmental protections"
4) More labor unions

Interesting - so those are the biggest issues facing American domestic policy. Yeah - he has a chance...

Somali Government Troops Take on Islamofascists

Somalian government troops, backed by neighboring Ethiopia, appear to be routing the Islamic regime who took power in Somalia and appeared to be invincible.

My only question is, if Israel and the U.S. are to blame for all the terrorists in the world, how do we fit into this war between Christians and Muslims?

More on Sandy Burglar

There is an update on the stealing and destruction of documents by Sandy Berger, NSA head under the Clintonista Administration. Courtesy of Power Line.

So Berger is preparing for testimony before the 9/11 Commission, stuffs highly classified documents from the Archives down his pants, hides the documents under a construction trailer and retrieves them later when no one is watching, then proceeds to destroy the only available copies of documents about Clinton's handling of the Bin Laden / Al Qaeda threat.... Sounds innoncent to me (or according to Clinton, just plain sloppiness)...

*Update*
This continues to be one of the highest security scandals never told. Jay Nordlinger at National Review has more.

*Update 2*
I think this Berger plea bargain (vs. the Scooter Libby-Valerie Wilson episode) shows that there are still lots of holdovers from the Clinton Administration in the Justice Dept.

Joke of the Day

Kofi Annan defends his ten year tenure at the UN. Now that is funny.

Background of the ISG

People have just about forgotten about the once highly-touted Baker Hamilton Commission (or the Iraq Study Group), but nevertheless Ed Lasky at The American Thinker has a good post on the background of Baker's handpicked members and why the results of the ISG were pretty much a foregone conclusion from the beginning.

Iraq's Major Economic Success

It seems that Newsweek finally spilled the beans: Iraq's economy is booming, no matter how you look at it. Surprise, surprise. Maybe it's all the result of the Democrats' victory in the US elections last month...

Time Magazine's Idiotic Decision

The person of the year, according to Time magazine, is everybody. Hooray - let's hold hands and sing a song - we're all great and no one is better than anyone else. Not that anyone cares much, but we can now officially declare this award completely meaningless.

Colin Powell's Lost Luster

This article about Colin Powell says it all. He's a pessimistic defeatist who says that it's not worth sending more troops to Iraq because we're losing. He also says that the Army is just about "broken." Considering Colin was largely responsible for not deposing Saddam in 1991 and then for having France and others in the international community play him like a fiddle, I don't put much into what he says anyway. He should just fade off into the sunset and keep his mouth shut.

GOP Senate Majority? Don't Count on It

The media is making much of the stroke of Sen. Tim Johnson (D-SD), and for good reason. Apart from the personal story here, the GOP could theoretically take back the Senate leadership.

Such an assumption would be foolish. It is clear that the Dems will do whatever they have to do to keep power, even if it means propping up a comatose Johnson in a chair, passing a law that allows him to vote remotely via satellite link from his hospital room or just forcing the SD Governor not to act - thus allowing Johnson to continue to serve while incapacitated.

Another likely scenario is that the Dems make such a big stink that they pressure the SD GOP governor to nominate another Dem to the Senate - and of course, the GOP are too spineless to force him to do otherwise.

*Update*
Listening to the MSM on this is interesting. They seem nearly to be crying about the Dems potentially losing control. I haven't heard too many of them crying about the health of Johnson, however.

Useful Idiot, Senator Nelson, Visits Syria

Florida Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson visited Syrian President Assad in Damascus today after the State Department and White House disapproved of the trip.

Assad "clearly indicated a willingness to cooperate" in controlling its border with Iraq, Nelson told reporters in a conference call following the meeting. The U.S. says foreign fighters often enter Iraq across that boundary.

Nelson said he reported the information to embassy officials and will brief his congressional committees on the trip. He said he expects Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., to also visit Syria.

Our saviors, the Democrats...

Baker: Isolating Reagan and Bush

The American Spectator has an interesting post regarding Jim Baker's efforts to undermine Ronald Reagan's tax cut policies during the 1980s. He is now trying the same tactic to isolate Bush in an attempt to change his Iraq policy. Like Reagan, I don't think Bush will flinch.

Another Dem with Ethics Problems

Another Democrat - another ethics problem. But there's no media in this forest, so people will undoubtedly not hear about it...

Russia To Nationalize Energy

First Venezuela and Bolivia. Now Russia. It seems that countries are stealing private ownership of oil and gas companies and placing them back into state hands. Human rights, property rights? The UN couldn't care less if it doesn't involve the U.S. or Israel.

Olmert Admits Nukes in Response to Gates Comments

Israeli Prime Minister Olmert boldly declared for the first time that Israel possesses nuclear weapons.

While many people will criticize the PM for his audacity, this appears to have been a needed response to U.S. incoming Secretary of Defense Gates, who last week stated that there is "no guarantee" that Iran won't use nukes against Israel. Gates' statement was interpreted as something of a veiled statement of acceptance that the annihilation of Israel is indeed possible and there was no guarantee of the U.S. coming to Israel's aid in such an event. It appears Israel is finally waking to the possibility that the spineless EU/US posturing might well require them to act alone.

Clinton Administration Caught Wiretapping

Looks like media darling and Mr. Popular in the UK has been caught wiretapping Princess Di. One question: did he have a warrant? I'm not criticizing the Clinton administration as there are probably justified reasons for whatever it is they've done, if anything is proven.

What I am criticizing, however, is the fact that many democrats and the media alike have gone ape over the President Bush's wiretapping of terrorists.

Blame the Cows!

According to this report, out of the UK, it's cows that are causing the most emissions.

So take your pick: starvation or global warming.

Our New Intel Chairman

Good grief. Jeff Stein's very brief interview with incoming House Intel Chief Reyes does not inspire confidence. I can't help ask if this is truly the best the Democrats have.

Farewell, Kofi - Mr. Corruption

As part of his farewell speech today, Kofi Annan plans to show his true anti-American colors as he blasts the U.S. So it is that the most corrupt, wasteful, derelict UN Secretary General in its history will leave office. Hopefully he takes the rest of his UN team with him.

Just to recap a few of his rare accomplishments:

1) Oversaw $10B+ Oil for Food Scandal
2) Helped career of corrupt son Kojo by getting Oil for Food Contracts
3) Allowed UN officials to use Africa as their personal whorehouse
4) Allowed genocide to take place in the Sudan
5) Allowed genocide to take place in Rwanda (though in fairness, this was before he was SecGen)
6) Replaced a corrupt, useless Human Rights Commission with a corrupt, useless Human Rights Council
7) Is overseeing a $1B+ refurbishment that, acccording to Donald Trump, could be done at 1/3 the price
8) Could do absolutely nothing on North Korea or Iran
9) Did his best to protect Saddam Hussein after ignoring 17 UN resolutions

That's just about as bad as a career can get...

Khalilzad to UN Would be Mistake

According to Bob Novak, Zalmay Khalilzad is one of President Bush's top choices to lead the UN. Even if he is tough and diplomatic, I think his appointment would be a mistake.

The message would be that we need Muslims to work with the world's other Muslims. Instead, I think we need to continue to argue that the world's Muslims must also compromise with the West and work with men and women of all religions, including Jews, Christians and Hindus. And if Bush really wants a Muslim to lead the U.S. at the United Nations, he should choose a Muslim woman for the job instead.

I still prefer Rumsfeld - or perhaps Rick Santorum.

Mollohan To Oversee FBI Budget?

What happens when a Democrat is being investigation by the FBI? In the case of Alan Mollohan, he appears to be getting nominated to head the Appropriations Committee, which determines the FBI budget. Not a bad scam. Read it here.

What a Difference 65 Years Makes

Victor Davis Hanson talks about the differences between December 7, 1941 and December 7, 2006. It's simple really: in '41, we had an inferior military to both Japan AND Germany, yet the country was resolved to victory. In '06, we have a far superior military, a tiny fraction of the casualties, and a Congress that would rather have political power than see the U.S. be victorious.

Bolton Out - Anti-Americans, Dems Happy

Bob Novak has a good article on the Democrats' betrayal of John Bolton, as well as President Bush's naivete in believing that Lincoln Chafee could be appeased - even by saving him from defeat to a conservative challenger in the primary.

It looks as though, day by day, the anti-American forces are getting happier and happier - Democrats win, Bolton resigns, the ISG determines Iran and Syria are our only hope,...

I guess we will have to wait until the next major terrorist attack on the U.S. to understand that Iran, Syria and Al Qaeda have no intention of backing down.

Dems Hold Talks with Hamas

I hope this story is not true, but sadly, it probably is. According to the Jerusalem Post, Democrats in the US have recently held secret talks with Hamas. Maybe John Kerry - he has a history of talking with the enemies.

ISG: As Bad as Advertised?

According to Powerline, the Iraq Survey Group's analysis is about as bad as advertised. Basically, we continue on the same general course, not to win in Iraq, but to exit "responsibly." Then we beg Syria and Iran to help us withdraw. Why not beg Al Qaeda for mercy and agree to convert the whole world to Islam if they just leave us alone?

I hope these guys weren't getting paid to give us this pack of garbage.

Taxes - Is America Being Left Behind?

If Democrats get their way - yes.

I had the pleasure of attending a talk yesterday by Steve Forbes. He spoke in length about his famous flat tax proposal, which I fully support. Mostly he illustrated the strong correlation between tax cuts and rising tax revenues which is supported by historical evidence all over the world from all different eras in history.

Countries like Ireland, Hungary, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Macedonia get it. Now even, western European countries, forced to compete are also considering bold moves to cut taxes - it's happening in Greece, and is being considered in Spain, and Portugal. There is also a Reaganomics revolution now underway in Sweden, after recent elections. Even old Germany is considering lowering the corporate tax rate by 10% now.

Seems like everybody gets it, everybody except US democrats that is.

US Golfer Blasts Media Reporting On Iraq

Pro golfer Jerry Kelly visited Iraq as part of a USO tour and like others who visited Iraq, he is upset with the US reporting of the entire situation.

He came away with a new appreciation for what the soldiers are accomplishing and expressed in strong terms his disdain for how the war was being covered by the American media.

"Our soldiers are so selfless," he said. "We need to be promoting them and telling people what a great job they're doing. All they're hearing is bashing.

"One guy told me, `I'm hesitant to do the job I was trained for. I don't want to return fire because I might be on CNN the next day.' That's sad. That's a guy risking his life for us. He doesn't want his family to see him on CNN being portrayed the way those guys are being portrayed..."

"They're spreading so much goodwill," he said. "All the kids are coming up to them and hugging them and mobbing them. People were waving at us. They want us there. There's a Sunni-Shiite faction that is fighting for power. Both of them want us to leave so they can have their civil war.

Bolton Resigns UN Post

John Bolton resigns from the UN. I don't blame him. It's a thankless job working for a corrupt, anti-American organization, particularly when Democrats come up with ridiculous reasons for not approving his permanent confirmation.

I have a perfect replacement - his last name is Rumsfeld.

No Separation of Church and State (if Muslim)

Great idea - let's make our airports into mosques. Heck, let's do the same with public squares, schools and hospitals to accomodate their needs.

Profiling Against Muslims

Yeah right. This US Airways story gets stranger by the day, as described here. It's similar a white male who gets stopped carrying a gun onto an airplane by a black security guard and then complaining that the action was racist.

I think the imams knew exactly what they were doing. They realized that, the more often Muslims are removed from flights, the bigger the uproar will be from the ACLU and the Left. Soon, airlines will be reluctant to remove any Muslim from a flight, regardless of how bizarre the behavior is.