NOTE: This was posted with the wrong byline but itis now corrected. He's considered the present front-runner. He still has an aura of heroism in the wake of 911 surrounding him. He has enjoyed support from independent voters in the past and from a segment of Democrats. But now, in his difficult task of trying to woo more conservative and ideologically anchored Republicans … [Read more...] about Is Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani Stumbling?
Casually Oppressing Women
“One was a shy, slender young woman who spoke no English when she was brought from Pakistan to enter an arranged marriage with a stranger in Virginia. The other was a self-confident professional, born in Turkey but raised in the United States, who thought she knew what she was doing when she married an educated Muslim man in Maryland.†Life in Maryland, however, proved to … [Read more...] about Casually Oppressing Women
The Republican Calculus on Iraq
"Congressional leaders from both political parties are giving President Bush a matter of months to prove that the Iraq war effort has turned a corner, with September looking increasingly like a decisive deadline," WaPo is reporting. It is then that the deus ex machina known as Gen. David H. Petraeus will "have a handle on whether the current troop increase [i.e., the "surge"] … [Read more...] about The Republican Calculus on Iraq
Oh Theresa, We Hardly Knew Ye
Theresa Shaw, the chief Department of Education official responsible for overseeing the nation’s scandal-plagued $85 billion student loan industry, has decided to spent more time with her family, bringing to 33 the number of Bush administration officials who have been convicted, copped pleas, indicted or otherwise brought down by scandal. For Republicans with short … [Read more...] about Oh Theresa, We Hardly Knew Ye
GOP/KKK: The Ted Poe Affair
Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX) really, really, really supports the Iraq War. And in really, really, really supporting the war (and the troops) on the floor of the House, he quoted, of all people, one Nathan Bedford Forrest, a "successful Confederate general". Forrest was indeed a Confederate general, and quite a celebrated one, a "wizard of the saddle" (according to this bio), but what … [Read more...] about GOP/KKK: The Ted Poe Affair
Iraqi Christians Flee Baghdad
I am very happy, no delighted, that the surge is working, for if it was not, we would see terrible things by now: daily, big, terrorist attacks would be carried out daily, Cheney would feel forced to pay al-Maliki a visit because the latter would do absolutely nothing to stop the violence and Christians, for instance, would flee from Baghdad out of fear of being murdered. … [Read more...] about Iraqi Christians Flee Baghdad
Center of Attention
Dennis Saunders on gays in the military, John McCain and Mark Bingham, who was a passenger aboard flight 93. Sexual orientation should, in my humble opinion, be considered completely irrelevant in the military. All that matters is whether they want to serve their country (and do it well). David Schraub quotes W.E.B. Du Bois: "'Do you trust white people?' You do not and you … [Read more...] about Center of Attention
Dependence
A great post by Jules Crittenden about the Internet, blogs and print media. The Internet is a thing of great and terrible beauty, the Gutenberg Revolution finally living up to its promise of free exchange of knowledge and information. A tremendous creative force that is also a destructive force. My own business is looking more like a shaky late stage Roman Empire, which was … [Read more...] about Dependence
Iraq: Why September Will Be the Cruelest Month
Vice President Cheney wears a protective vest on arrival in Baghdad today T.S. Eliot famously wrote that "April is the cruelest month," but it may be September for the Bush administration since it increasingly appears that will be when the proverbial finally hits the fan and there is bipartisan agreement that the war in Iraq is lost and it is time to get out. This moment, … [Read more...] about Iraq: Why September Will Be the Cruelest Month
Dutch airline KLM to probe flights for fleeing Nazis
H/t Holly Reuters reports: Dutch airline KLM will probably seek an independent investigation into whether it flew Nazi fugitives to Argentina after the Second World War, the national airline said on Tuesday. Questions over KLM's past surfaced last week after a Dutch television documentary claimed to have discovered archive documents showing the airline played an active … [Read more...] about Dutch airline KLM to probe flights for fleeing Nazis
The Ft. Dix Six: Of Pizzas and Terror Plots
How seriously should the FBI take a bunch of hard-drinking wannabe blue-collar terrorists who ask cops for maps of military installations, have trouble finding lethal weapons, practice jihadist attacks by playing paintball in the Pocono Mountains, go to a Kinko's to have a videotape made of their training sessions made into a DVD, are infiltrated by not one but two informants … [Read more...] about The Ft. Dix Six: Of Pizzas and Terror Plots
“Of Osama bin Laden & George Washington”
Here is an interesting write-up Does KSM Watch NBC? (posted by Callimachus): "Perhaps he should. Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the tortured monomaniacal terrorist mastermind of al Qaida, in his presentations to his military captors, compared Osama bin Laden to George Washington." Click here for more... … [Read more...] about “Of Osama bin Laden & George Washington”
Tony Blair’s New Religious Network Plans
Why is it that top leaders/politicians appear sensible only when they are about to relinquish their high office? The latest is that Mr Tony Blair wants to devote his time to promoting inter-faith harmony once he bows out of No. 10 Downing Street. "Tony Blair intends to create a global foundation to foster 'greater understanding' between the three 'Abrahamic faiths' of … [Read more...] about Tony Blair’s New Religious Network Plans
Polls: Most Support Congress In Bush Iraq War Funding Battle But Congress Unloved
There's good news and the bad news for the Democratic-controlled Congress. The good news: a new poll shows most Americans back the Congress in its efforts to pass an Iraq war funding bill with some kind of withdrawal timetable -- the kind of timetable the Bush administration doesn't like. The bad news: the Congress' approval rating is about as illustrious as President … [Read more...] about Polls: Most Support Congress In Bush Iraq War Funding Battle But Congress Unloved
The Breakout Personality For The Media In The 2008 Campaign?
As a former fulltime journalist, I can offer you this truism: The news media LOVES a good, colorful quote. And usually an outrageous sound-bite quote machine is (a) someone who isn't going to win the nomination, (b) someone who is going to get an AWFUL lot of media attention and be the subject of an awful lot of profiles. Is THIS that person in 2008? … [Read more...] about The Breakout Personality For The Media In The 2008 Campaign?
On John Edwards’ 2008 Presidential Candidacy
Is this a strength or a weakness? (We link, you decide..and comment) … [Read more...] about On John Edwards’ 2008 Presidential Candidacy
Guest Poet: The M&A Game
And now another gem from TMV's favorite artist of verse, Michael Silverstein, aka Wall Street Poet: These days the stock market resonates with takeovers and possible takeovers/deals that for reasons both economic and linguistic, might not be a great idea. Except, of course, for the firms that make a bundle putting such deals together... The M&A Name Game If Microsoft … [Read more...] about Guest Poet: The M&A Game
Note From Connecticut
I've gotten some emails asking about my posts. I am in Connecticut visiting my parents, in particular my very ill father. Due to an all night flight and a very draining situation here I have not been able to get online very much. Also, there is only dial-up at their house which makes posting images difficult. I plan to try and get to places where I can post a bit more later … [Read more...] about Note From Connecticut
Wolfowitz: Hiding Behind Friendly Bush?
It is the same old problem. How can President George W. Bush ditch his dear friend and comrade-in-arms Paul Wolfowitz in his hour of crisis. It does not matter that the entire Europe is now ganging up against Bush's friend. After all Wolfowitz was a member of the inner coterie that planned the Iraq war and its occupation...and later Bush rewarded his dear friend with a … [Read more...] about Wolfowitz: Hiding Behind Friendly Bush?
King Herod’s Tomb: An Archaeological Triumph
This is one of the most exciting archaeological finds in the 21st century, the discovery of the tomb of Jewish king Herod the Great, "a Roman client king who ruled the Jews with the ruthless paranoia of a Stalin or Saddam Hussein from 37BC until his death in 4BC... "He killed three of his sons, executed one of his wives and ordered the massacre of the innocents..." ("But … [Read more...] about King Herod’s Tomb: An Archaeological Triumph