As we've seen over recent days, there are two diametrically opposed positions within Europe about what has cause the Georgia crisis and what should be done about it. The first, which has been perhaps best enunciated by the Polish, is that NATO must be strengthened and that the Alliance must stand up to Russia with ever-greater determination. The other, well represented by … [Read more...] about East Europe Best Not Depend on ‘Obsolete’ NATO
McCain & Obama Visit Saddleback
Here's a report by The Caucus Blog of the New York Times: It was the handshake shown around the country. At about 9 p.m. Eastern time, Senators Barack Obama and John McCain briefly crossed paths in a rare moment in the presidential campaign (the Senate floor doesn’t count, and besides, neither of them has been there much lately). They shared the stage for 36 seconds at … [Read more...] about McCain & Obama Visit Saddleback
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Third parties to have an impact in ’08?
Sabato's Crystal Ball's Rhodes Cook says, GOING FOR THE BRONZE: Third parties to have an impact in '08? When political reporters run low on topics to write about, they often turn their attention to third parties--the "lovable losers" of American politics. They never win at the presidential level but often are called upon to add color to campaigns that are sometimes badly in … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: Third parties to have an impact in ’08?
Al-Qaeda Attacks Pervez Musharraf
The woes of Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf seem to be unending. While the Parliament has begun formulating the impeachment proceedings against Musharraf, Al-Qaida's number two Ayman al-Zawahiri slammed "Pakistan's embattled President Pervez Musharraf as an enemy of Islam in a first audio message in English posted online on Saturday," reports NDTV, India's influential TV … [Read more...] about Al-Qaeda Attacks Pervez Musharraf
Friday Lines from ‘The Fix’
I often read Chris Cillizza's Washington Post column, 'The Fix'. Here he evaluates 5 Republican and 5 Democratic VP hopefuls: Friday Veepstakes Line: Crunch Time! In conversations with a wide variety of sources on both sides of the aisle, we have some sense of the mindset of each man as he approaches one of the most momentous decisions in this campaign. For Obama, the … [Read more...] about Friday Lines from ‘The Fix’
McCain And Obama: Today’s Big Showdown Over Faith
Keep your eye on a perhaps politically-pivotal, highly-publicized event tonight that could potentially make a tight Presidential race a bit less-tight: presumptive party nominees Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Senator Barack Obama will be wooing the religious vote in a major, televised joint appearance at a well-respected pastor's church. Will one stumble? Will one … [Read more...] about McCain And Obama: Today’s Big Showdown Over Faith
Our libertarian leanings as measured in Motorcycle deaths
Deaths of people in cars, trucks, on bicycles, and on foot are down to historic lows. Motorcycle deaths, on the other hand, were up for the 10th year in a row in 2007. Why? One reason is a decline in the number of states requiring the use of helmets. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, in 1975, 47 states required all motorcycle riders to wear helmets, … [Read more...] about Our libertarian leanings as measured in Motorcycle deaths
Paul J. Saunders Discusses President Mikheil Saakashvili’s Role in the Georgian Conflict
As a supplement to yesterday's news round-up on Georgia, I thought I'd post on a comment at The Washington Post, where Paul J. Saunders discusses the role of President Saakashvili in the Georgian conflict. Saunders is executive director of the Nixon Center. (WaPo) He also served as senior adviser to the undersecretary of state for democracy and global affairs from 2003 to … [Read more...] about Paul J. Saunders Discusses President Mikheil Saakashvili’s Role in the Georgian Conflict
He Didn’t Break The Record, He Crushed It
MORE HERE ON AN EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT. … [Read more...] about He Didn’t Break The Record, He Crushed It
A President From Nowhere
After Barack Obama or John McCain leaves the White House, where will future generations go to tour the boyhood home that shaped a president? Hawaii? Indonesia? The Panama Canal Zone? For a long time, I lived near Hyde Park, where FDR was born and spent his years before moving into the White House. "All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on the Hudson River," … [Read more...] about A President From Nowhere
The Russia-Georgia Conflict Redux
The Moderate Voice prides itself in "Domestic and international news analysis, irreverent comments, original reporting, and popular culture features from across the political spectrum." A comment on my "Bill Kristol on Victory in Iraq and Impotence in Georgia," certainly qualifies in each and all of these aspects. I do not know who "Spikester" is (perhaps I should), but he has … [Read more...] about The Russia-Georgia Conflict Redux
Would’ve if I Could’ve
For those of us who are obsessive-compulsive commentators on what we read and hear, blogging platforms have been wonderful drugs indeed. Unfortunately, given that very few of us have parlayed our addiction into paying jobs, the jobs we do have (you know, the ones that actually pay the bills and send the kids to college) frequently separate us from our drug of choice. Such … [Read more...] about Would’ve if I Could’ve
Saudi Spy Chief in Pakistan: Déjà Vu…
Eight years ago Nawaz Sharif, the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, was thrown into prison and tried by the military regime led by General Pervez Musharraf. Sharif was jailed before being forced into exile in Saudi Arabia. On Friday the Saudi Arabia's intelligence chief arrived in Pakistan at a time when impeachment stares Musharraf in the face.The question being asked is … [Read more...] about Saudi Spy Chief in Pakistan: Déjà Vu…
Zogby: People Want to Hear from Bob Barr too
Even in the midst of the media feeding frenzy over Obamamania and the Republicans' efforts to force some shoulder room on the stage for John McCain, it seems that Americans would still prefer to have more options. According to a recent poll from Zogby, the majority of voters would prefer to see Bob Barr at the lectern when presidential candidates debate this fall. More than … [Read more...] about Zogby: People Want to Hear from Bob Barr too
The Edwards-Hunter Scandal: Where Some People Go, Trouble Seems To Follow
Rielle Hunter, the one-time apple of John Edwards' eye, is emerging as quite a piece of work -- and whose turbulent past intersects with a gruesome series of crimes. Hunter's bona fides as a party girl are well established. She had a voracious appetite for sex and cocaine that so impressed onetime paramour and Generation X novelist Jay McInerney that he did a roman à clef on … [Read more...] about The Edwards-Hunter Scandal: Where Some People Go, Trouble Seems To Follow
They’re Back — And The Clintons Are Here To Stay?
A growing theory now making the round on the right, center and in some parts of the left is that Senator Hillary Clinton and her husband former President Bill Clinton have now effectively-hijacked a good part of the Democratic attention away from Democratic party presumptive nominee Senator Barack Obama. Those who believe this pooh-pooh reports of a compromise to let Clinton … [Read more...] about They’re Back — And The Clintons Are Here To Stay?
Georgian Conflict: Leaders Show Increasing Anger, Russia Digs in, Civilians Suffer (A News Round-Up)
"[T]he alienation between the United States and Russia has rarely, if ever, been deeper," says Steven Lee Myers. (NYT) He further states: “The cold war is over,” President Bush declared Friday, but a new era of enmity between the United States and Russia has emerged nevertheless. It may not be as tense as the nuclear standoff with the Soviet Union, for now, but it could … [Read more...] about Georgian Conflict: Leaders Show Increasing Anger, Russia Digs in, Civilians Suffer (A News Round-Up)
Insults, Irony and Energy – Populism American Style: From El Tiempo of Colombia
Americans aren't the only ones exasperated with the quality of the electoral debate in the United States. For El Tiempo of Colombia, Sergio Munoz Bata writes in part: "Between insulting statements and condemnations that border on slander, recent electoral activity by the U.S. presidential candidates has focused on their proposals for energy policy. And while the … [Read more...] about Insults, Irony and Energy – Populism American Style: From El Tiempo of Colombia
McCain: Georgia conflict is the ‘first serious crisis internationally since the end of the Cold War.’ (With Blogger Round Up)
I am becoming quite worried about McCain. RockRichard at VetVoice says bluntly: … [Read more...] about McCain: Georgia conflict is the ‘first serious crisis internationally since the end of the Cold War.’ (With Blogger Round Up)
Madonna & Michael Jackson: Megastars At 50
This month Madonna and Michael Jackson complete 50 years of age. Both Madonna and Jackson have attracted huge controversy, but with very different outcomes, says The Times. "In sheer numbers, both Jackson and Madonna are phenomenal success stories. His credits include the bestselling album of all time, Thriller (1982), with global sales somewhere close to 100 million. "His … [Read more...] about Madonna & Michael Jackson: Megastars At 50