WORLD PEACE! Courtesy Shanup Gundecha The successful resolution of the British/Iranian naval hostage crisis once again highlights the need for tactful diplomacy to solve problems that may appear intractable. Whatever the provocation, the concerned parties must talk instead of saber-rattling which seems to have become a favourite pastime of the present residents of the … [Read more...] about Lessons from British/Iran Hostage Crisis
British Hostages Leave Tehran Airport
The 15 Royal Navy crew, held captive by Iran, left Tehran Airport at about 0800 local time (0530 BST) on a British Airways flight bound for Heathrow... For more click here... Here's BBC's "Q&A: Iran's handling of sailors crisis". Please click here... Excerpts: How will this go down inside Iran? A lot of Iranians will be relieved that this crisis has come to a … [Read more...] about British Hostages Leave Tehran Airport
Can The International System Be Saved?
Several top Obama wonk-advisors think no, and now they're starting to work on the less popular question: "what then"? … [Read more...] about Can The International System Be Saved?
Easter Eggs For Hillary
Petar Pismestrovic, Kleine Zeitung, Austria … [Read more...] about Easter Eggs For Hillary
The White House And Matthew Dowd
Watch a subtle discrediting action and listen to talking points. Note that this is aimed at taking away from the weight of the former Bush pollster's charges and expression of disappointment in President George Bush or at the least to decrease their impact by suggesting personal problems are at the root of his assertions: … [Read more...] about The White House And Matthew Dowd
Gingrich and the Ghetto
Over the weekend, as you may know by now, Newt Gingrich said this in a speech to the National Federation of Republican Women: The American people believe English should be the official language of the government. We should replace bilingual education with immersion in English so people learn the common language of the country and they learn the language of prosperity, not … [Read more...] about Gingrich and the Ghetto
The U.S. Army: All Work…No Play/Rest!
And that's a serious matter, suggests The Christian Science Monitor in an article 'Is US Army bent to the breaking point?' "When some 4,500 soldiers heard over the weekend that they'd be deploying to Iraq earlier than expected, many saw it as yet another inconvenience that military personnel must endure. "But to some in Washington, the announcement is a glaring sign … [Read more...] about The U.S. Army: All Work…No Play/Rest!
Pelosi Takes “Israeli Peace Message to Syria”
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, on a visit to Syria opposed by the White House, said on Wednesday she conveyed an Israeli message to President Bashar al-Assad that the Jewish state was ready to resume peace talks, says a news report. " '(Our) meeting with the president enabled us to communicate a message from Prime Minister (Ehud) Olmert that Israel was ready to engage in … [Read more...] about Pelosi Takes “Israeli Peace Message to Syria”
UK’s Intelligence & “Guantánamo’s Lost Souls”
News regarding Gitmo are getting murkier and murkier. Here's the latest about the American CIA and the British intelligence MI5... "Two British residents held in Guantanamo Bay for more than four years were detained by the CIA after MI5 failed to recruit them as paid informants, according to documents released in the United States, says The Times. "The extent of … [Read more...] about UK’s Intelligence & “Guantánamo’s Lost Souls”
KA-CHING! Obama Raises $25 Million
This is impressive. Obama has done the impossible: he has almost raised the same amount of money as the Democratic favorite and America’s #1 fundraiser, Hillary Clinton, in the first quarter of this year. Sen. Barack Obama raised at least $25 million dollars during the first quarter for his presidential campaign, a total surprisingly close to the $26 million collected by … [Read more...] about KA-CHING! Obama Raises $25 Million
British Hostages in Iran: At Home Tomorrow?
President Ahmadinejad meets one of the sailors at his presidential office after agreeing to free them. The president of Iran shook hands with the British hostages this afternoon after announcing he was freeing them, says a news report. "Mr Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said he had pardoned them as an Easter present for the British people and to mark the birthday of the Prophet … [Read more...] about British Hostages in Iran: At Home Tomorrow?
Will President Bush-Congress Listen to Iraq Study Group?
What has been particularly frustrating about the debate in Washington over Iraq is that everyone seems to be fighting one another and forgetting the fundamental mission of the war, writes Leon E. Panetta in an Op-Ed piece today in the New York Times. He was a former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton and a member of the Iraq Study Group. "Whether one is for or … [Read more...] about Will President Bush-Congress Listen to Iraq Study Group?
Democrats Want Gonzales Aide to Testify Despite Her Refusal
The New York Times reports that the Democrats have "requested a private interview" with Monica Goodling - an aide (on leave) to U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales - who "has asserted her constitutional right not to testify at a public hearing" about the U.S. Attorneys controversy. Mr. Conyers’s letter said that House lawyers wanted to question Ms. Goodling to evaluate … [Read more...] about Democrats Want Gonzales Aide to Testify Despite Her Refusal
Iran’s President Will Release 15 UK Sailors Immediately
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has sprung another surprise: smack dab in the middle of what was getting to be an international crisis that seemed to be heading towards some kind of non-diplomatic solution, he has announced that he's freeing the 15 captured British sailors:Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says Iran will pardon and set free 15 British sailors and … [Read more...] about Iran’s President Will Release 15 UK Sailors Immediately
Dog Food
Mike Lester, The Rome News-Tribune … [Read more...] about Dog Food
Mon Dieu! Now Trains Fly!!!
I have a fascination for trains and prefer rail travel to flying. Oh!...But now the trains have begun to fly!!! Goodbye to slow and gentle art of travel...? To read the thrilling/'terrifying' first-person account by a journalist on board the French TGV train that hit 357mph yesterday (and created a world record), please click here... "At 357mph, it was impossible to … [Read more...] about Mon Dieu! Now Trains Fly!!!
Center of Attention
A great post at the Daily Dish from a couple of days ago: Andrew Sullivan fisks David Brooks (h/t Pete Abel). Let me take the time to congratulate my good friend Libby Spencer with her new gig. From now on, Libby is an official partner at the NewsHog blog. Justin Gardner notices that the White House only minds it when politicians visit Syria if those politicians are … [Read more...] about Center of Attention
The Very Un-P.C. ‘Cat In the Hat’ Turns 50
"The Cat in the Hat," the classic children's book by Dr. Seuss, turns 50 this year. The opening lines . . . The sun did not shine. It was too wet to play. So we sat in the house all that cold, cold, wet day . . . . . . are just as fresh in my mind as when my mother read "The Cat in the Hat" to me and I read it to my own children. But sad to say, the book is so … [Read more...] about The Very Un-P.C. ‘Cat In the Hat’ Turns 50
Goodbye McCain
Seriously, how many blows can Senator John McCain overcome? John Kerry says that John McCain's people approached him in 04 "to engage in a discussion about his potentially being on the ticket as Vice President." It is amazing that McCain is still at 16% in the latest Rasmussen poll. Meanwhile, McCain denies it. According to him, Kerry contacted him. Well, whether … [Read more...] about Goodbye McCain
How Far Is Iran Away From Making A Nuclear Weapon?
Would you believe two? … [Read more...] about How Far Is Iran Away From Making A Nuclear Weapon?