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The Moderate Voice

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Widening the War?

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There is growing buzz and increasing concern that the President's Iraq speech Wednesday night may have signaled an important and - in my view - incredibly troubling stage in the Iraq War (even beyond the "surge"). Steve Clemons reports significant speculation in the capital that Bush recently "sent a secret Executive Order to the Secretary of Defense and to the Director of the … [Read more...] about Widening the War?

Literary Quote of the Day: Peter Guralnick

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“Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presleyâ€? (1994) by Peter Guralnick has been called the first great rock ‘n’ roll biography. Guralnick, a pre-eminent writer on American music and musicians, provides an even handed and incredibly detailed look at Presley’s rise in “Last Train,â€? which ends in 1958. A companion volume, “Careless Love: The Unmaking of … [Read more...] about Literary Quote of the Day: Peter Guralnick

Down, down, down he goes

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I've not written anything on Jimmy Carter and / or Israel for a while, but the controversy surrounding this former U.S. President doesn't seem to go away. The debate about his book is still - rightfully - going on. David posted an interesting article yesterday in which he argues that Carter seems to endorse Palestinian terrorism in at least one passage in his book Palestine: … [Read more...] about Down, down, down he goes

My President Makes Me Want To Do Drugs

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The day after the day after a terrifyingly myopic speech in which George Bush announced an escalation of the Iraq war in the face of calls from the best and brightest to do just the opposite, I feel despair. I also feel certain that things are going to get worse -- possibly much worse -- before they get better. How the hell are things going to get better with a delusional … [Read more...] about My President Makes Me Want To Do Drugs

Extreme Left Group Fires Rocket at U.S. Embassy in Athens

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or so it claims: Suspected leftist guerrillas fired a rocket at the U.S. embassy in Athens on Friday but no one was hurt in the blast, police and government officials said. In the most serious attack against the mission in 10 years, the small rocket launched from across the street shattered windows and woke up nearby residents in the central Athens area at 5:58 AM (0358 … [Read more...] about Extreme Left Group Fires Rocket at U.S. Embassy in Athens

Republicans Against Bush

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Senator Chuck Hagel (Nebraska) didn't hold back. When Rice said that she wouldn't call the 'surge' an 'escalation', Hagel asked her, then "how would you call it, a decrease?" Some other Republicans who said that they cannot support the escalation augmentation: George Voinovich (Ohio) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska). Democratic Senator Nelson also said that he cannot support the … [Read more...] about Republicans Against Bush

Has Bush Already Launched Another War?

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This report wouldn't be taken as seriously if it wasn't coming from a writer with as much credibility and excellent sources as Steve Clemons, who writes:Did the President Declare "Secret War" Against Syria and Iran? Washington intelligence, military and foreign policy circles are abuzz today with speculation that the President, yesterday or in recent days, sent a secret … [Read more...] about Has Bush Already Launched Another War?

Late Night Comedians On President George Bush

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One of the barometers of public opinion and, more specifically, the mass culture conventional wisdom is the late night comedian joke. How are they reacting to President Bush's latest policy pronoucements on Iraq? Here's a cross section of jokes we've edited down from a list: --"Earlier tonight, there was a big policy address from President Bush about the war in Iraq. And … [Read more...] about Late Night Comedians On President George Bush

Rice Insists Not “Escalation” But “Augmentation” In Iraq

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If political scientists or people outside of the United States are puzzled why this administration is losing support from all but Sean, Rush and the rip-and-read administration backers, here's a prime example. Now Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, perhaps realizing the word "surge" has been rejected by the public at large, is trying out a NEW word to insist that the war … [Read more...] about Rice Insists Not “Escalation” But “Augmentation” In Iraq

Perles Before Swine

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The radio appearance went fine (albeit brief). I said my bit in response to Debbie Schlussel, who argued that we needed far more troops than 20,000 (she said more like 200,000) to make an impact. Basically, I pointed out that a) where are we going to find that many troops, and b) there's no political will to send those troops, and no political will to keep them there. So all … [Read more...] about Perles Before Swine

Great Britain To Withdraw 3000 Troops From Iraq

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The Telegraph reports: Thousands of British troops will return home from Iraq by the end of May, The Daily Telegraph can reveal today. Tony Blair will announce within the next fortnight that almost 3,000 troops are to be cut from the current total of 7,200, allowing the military to recover from four years of battle that have left it severely overstretched. In what will … [Read more...] about Great Britain To Withdraw 3000 Troops From Iraq

Literary Quote of the Day: Nathaniel Hawthorne

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Today's literary quote of the day is from Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. Nathaniel on Salem: Human nature will not flourish, any more than a potato, if it be planted and replanted, for too long a series of generations, in the same worn-out soil. Yet, he went back. Not because he wanted to, but because he had to. As he writes: "it is not love, but instinct" and … [Read more...] about Literary Quote of the Day: Nathaniel Hawthorne

Feingold: Stop the Money Flow

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U.S. Senator Russ Feingold's patience has run out: As the president made clear Wednesday night, he has no intention of redeploying our troops from Iraq. Congress cannot continue to accept this. Congress can, by restricting funding for this misguided war, do what the president refuses to do - redeploy from Iraq to refocus on defeating global terrorist networks. Some will … [Read more...] about Feingold: Stop the Money Flow

Center of Attention

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Extra attention to a few Centrist blogs. To get it started: PatHMV at Stubborn Facts on Bush's new plan for Iraq. It's 'a pretty in-depth look at the plan and its roots in the Baker Group report', as Pat himself put it and that's putting it lightly. A great read, whether one completely agrees with the analysis or not. After reading Pat's post, go read this article … [Read more...] about Center of Attention

New Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose “Surge”

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A new poll offers yet another indication that President George Bush is operating without political support in his plan for a troop "surge" (escalation) in Iraq: Americans overwhelmingly oppose sending more U.S. forces to Iraq, according to a new AP-Ipsos poll that serves as a strong repudiation of President Bush's plan to send another 21,500 troops. The opposition to … [Read more...] about New Poll: Americans Overwhelmingly Oppose “Surge”