In Israel-Palestine, high-level peace efforts appear to be going nowhere. It has been two months since the international meeting took place in Annapolis to jumpstart negotiations but the general feeling "is that talks between Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian negotiator Ahmed Qureia are taking place in an alternate universe." (Haaretz) The meetings are irregular and, … [Read more...] about For The Love Of God, Where’s The Progress?
Pulling Petraeus Out of Iraq
In an odd juxtaposition, questions about bringing our troops home and how long Gen. David Petraeus himself will stay have become entwined in the Washington debate over Iraq. Yesterday, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that he supports a pause in troop reduction after the drawdown to pre-Surge levels in July, reflecting doubts Petraeus has expressed while others in … [Read more...] about Pulling Petraeus Out of Iraq
The ‘Real’ Magic Number
If one of my esteemed colleagues already posted on this subject, my apologies for the duplication. But I found this site and this particular post intriguing, especially if you enjoy the math of campaigns as much as I do. In short, the site -- Obama is Winning -- suggests its authors believe if they say it loud enough, it will not only be but remain true. And the post -- … [Read more...] about The ‘Real’ Magic Number
Tuesday Potomac Primaries: More Barack Obama “Omentum” And End Huckabee “Miracle” Dream?
When voters to go the polls today in Potomac Primaries to vote in Virginia, Maryland and DC, they will likely answer two key political questions: (1) Will the recent momentum gathered by Democratic Senator Barack Obama (which might as well be called Omentum) in his neck-and-neck battle with Senator Hillary Clinton for the 2008 Democratic party Presidential nomination … [Read more...] about Tuesday Potomac Primaries: More Barack Obama “Omentum” And End Huckabee “Miracle” Dream?
Pakistan Ambassador to Afghanistan Kidnapped?
Pakistan's Ambassador to Afghanistan, Tariq Azizuddin, has been reportedly kidnapped. Reuters says that the Ambassador was on his way to Kabul from the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar when he went missing along with his driver and bodyguard in the Khyber tribal region. At around the same time, two Pakistani nuclear technicians were kidnapped in the northwest. Now … [Read more...] about Pakistan Ambassador to Afghanistan Kidnapped?
A Shortage of Credibility & Fairness
If credibility and fairness were not necessary ingredients of a criminal-justice system, then the bolt-out-of-the-blue announcement that six Guantánamo Bay detainees will be tried before a military tribunal – and if found guilty executed – for their roles in the 9/11 terror attacks might be viewed as belatedly taking care of business. But as it is, there is a decided … [Read more...] about A Shortage of Credibility & Fairness
Updating the GOP
Cal Thomas writes in Redefining Conservatism that the GOP needs to update their message. He writes that even Ronald Reagan wasn't a conservative by todays standards. He appointed moderate Judges, raised some taxes, and didn't go to Church. ...Contemporary conservatism has mostly been about saying "no" to the liberal agenda. Suppose conservatives instead begin to … [Read more...] about Updating the GOP
Dem Race: If It Ain’t Brokered, Don’t Fix It
The term brokered convention is being thrown around with reckless abandon these days. Hillary Clinton's campaign is doing a pretty fair imitation of being panicked over Barack Obama's thus far unstoppable advance while the Democratic Party establishment and much of the punditocracy are in a near meltdown over the implications of a knock-down, drag-out national convention battle … [Read more...] about Dem Race: If It Ain’t Brokered, Don’t Fix It
“CHANGE”: American & East Timorese Style…
There is a world of difference when people want CHANGE in the 'developed' countries (such as the United States), and in the world's poorest of poor countries, such as East Timor (earlier a part of Indonesia). The former watches the verbal duels of the presidential candidates, while the latter witnesses gory blood-letting. All for a change... East Timor has witnessed the … [Read more...] about “CHANGE”: American & East Timorese Style…
As Elsewhere, America Sucks Essential Talent Out of Kenya
It isn't lost on people in other countries that America is a magnet that attracts their best talent - and it s often resented. With Kenya in flames after a contested election, some in that country feel that it might be better if some of those talented people were persuaded to return or remain in Kenya. According to X.N. Iraki of Kenya's The Standard, "This 'skimming of the … [Read more...] about As Elsewhere, America Sucks Essential Talent Out of Kenya
Guest Poet: American Peon
Another poetic gem from TMV's favorite poet, Michael Silverstein, aka Wall Street Poet: The big problem with the U.S. economy isn't high interest rates, and won't be fixed by lowering them. The big problem isn't lack of a few dollars from Washington, and won't be fixed by a $600-$1,200 giveaway. The big problem is that consumer spending has become too much debt-based with … [Read more...] about Guest Poet: American Peon
DVD Review: An Inconvenient Truth
Here's another Guest film Review by Dan Schneider, who has this heavily-visited website and whose reviews for TMV have been highly popular. DVD Review Of An Inconvenient Truth Review Copyright 2008 © by Dan Schneider Let me state, up front, I have never been a fan of former Vice President Al Gore. He was a right of center Democrat who worked in an administration … [Read more...] about DVD Review: An Inconvenient Truth
Obituary: Death Of Mr Common Sense
My daughter in Australia has drawn my attention to a death that seems to have gone virtually unnoticed in this world. And I was moved to tears... Read the full obituary here... … [Read more...] about Obituary: Death Of Mr Common Sense
McCain is the Best: Three Lessons from the American Race …
It seems that not all Europeans favor Barack Obama. João Marques de Almeida of Portugal's leading business daily Diario Economico writes, 'For a liberal, center-right European, John McCain is the preferred North American candidate … There are few things better than to see a free politician.' He goes on to argue against what was in the end Mitt Romney's greatest appeal: 'In … [Read more...] about McCain is the Best: Three Lessons from the American Race …
A False Election: John McCain, the Abortionist and Leftist “Neocon”
In one of the most biting pieces about McCain yet published anywhere in the world, this Spanish commentary in El Semanal Digital offers a comprehensive volley of criticism, which does not fit comfortably into any political perspective currently holding sway in the U.S., although its thrust is the old saw that McCain is indeed out of step with the conservative mindset. Some … [Read more...] about A False Election: John McCain, the Abortionist and Leftist “Neocon”
Former Ohio Senator, Astronaut John Glenn backs Clinton
The Dayton Daily News and one of the kindest journalists out there, Bill Hershey, is reporting that: John Glenn, the former astronaut and four-term U.S. senator, is expected to endorse Sen. Hillary Clinton for the Democratic nomination for president on Tuesday. Glenn, 86, the first American to orbit the earth and a long-time friend of both Hillary Clinton and former … [Read more...] about Former Ohio Senator, Astronaut John Glenn backs Clinton
Interview with John Byrne Cooke
[I continue my series of interviews with some of the most interesting thinkers of our time with John Byrne Cooke. Mr. Cooke wrote the book on the subject of the history of reporting of America's wars from the Revolution to the so-called war on terror and how the press has interacted with government efforts aimed at suppressing or censoring it over the course of our history. … [Read more...] about Interview with John Byrne Cooke
Being politically incorrect: Race and name do matter
Many optimists think Main Street voters have moved beyond the “Guess who’s coming to dinner” syndrome of 1967. They think that all Barack Hussein Obama Jr. must do to win the Oval Office is to compete fairly and squarely with Hillary Clinton and John McCain. Among other arguments, they point to the support of white voters for Obama in Georgia and several other states on … [Read more...] about Being politically incorrect: Race and name do matter
America Rightly Points Out Benefit of European Troops in Afghanistan
Following my last post (below), it seems that the Dutch are less bothered about the American request for troops in Afghanistan than are the Germans. H/T Watching America.com … [Read more...] about America Rightly Points Out Benefit of European Troops in Afghanistan
Obama, Hillary and McCain: The New American Revolution
As has already been well-established, the level of global interest in America's 2008 presidential race is unprecedented. In this analysis from Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza, Tomasz Lis sums up the revolutionary nature of this year's candidates this way, "Obama has undoubtedly already revolutionalized American politics, and if he wins in November it may presage revolution on a global … [Read more...] about Obama, Hillary and McCain: The New American Revolution