Saturday, December 24, 2005
Re: And Goodwill to Men
Posted by on 12.24.05 @ 5:46PM
Tonight is one of the many nights we should all be thankful for the freedoms we have as Americans, and remember those who are unable to be with their families because they are out defending ours.
And while we are being thankful and generous, so is our president. He's issued 11 presidential pardons. Among them are three moonshiners, a bank robber and a lawyer. Moonshiners, ok. Bank robber? Maybe. Lawyer? Now that's carrying the Christmas spirit a bit too far.
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukah everyone.
...And Goodwill To Men
Posted by on 12.24.05 @ 4:45PM
Mohammed at Iraq the Model surveys the latest developments vis-a-vis the post-election power struggle, and adds:
Christmas is here but this year Christians in Iraq decided to cancel all celebrations and parties they usually have in their social clubs and will limit the celebrations to ceremonies in churches for fear from terror attacks.
If you pray, take a moment and pray for peace in Iraq.Merry Christmas to all…
Friday, December 23, 2005
Tomorrow on MSNBC
Posted by on 12.23.05 @ 4:14PM
I'll be on tomorrow morning about 0815 talking about the NSA intelligence op, trying to show again that it really, no kidding, was legal. Preaching to the heathen, trying to do the Lord's work. Sigh.
Today in Iraq
Posted by on 12.23.05 @ 11:59AM
Right now, there's a brigade-size Iraqi force doing a sweeping operation in the northwest. They planned it, organized it, and are executing it on their own. A US Marine company is along to mentor/monitor what they do. This is a very large independent Iraqi op. And it appears, from earliest reports, to be doing quite well. More as it becomes available.
Looking Ahead
Posted by on 12.23.05 @ 10:46AM
A couple of things for folks to be thinking of as Congress retreats to the hills:
First, spending time on the House side with Republicans, there is a growing sense that regardless of where the courts come down on Rep. Tom DeLay, his days as a Majority Leader are probably toast. In speaking with one loyalist in the Republican Caucus earlier this week, the message was loud and clear: "We can't go into this election year with Tom running the show. He will become part of every story, good or bad, but the press will always portray him badly. Like it or not, Tom is a reflection on us, and we just can't have that."
The apparent deal-cutting that is going on related to the Jack Abramoff investigation down in Miami will further complicate matters when the House returns in late January. Ultimately, look for the members of the House Republican Study Committee to lead the petition drive to get the election of new Republican leadership off the ground. Rep. Mike Pence and his crew have been the only Republicans to get positive, Reagan-esque policies in play on Capitol Hill in the past six months, and they are expected to be at the center of what unfolds in the coming months.
President Bush has been in good form in pushing back hard on his Iraq and domestic security issues over the past month. It's nice to see the scrapper back in fighting trim. Wish the same could be said for this White House in general.
Its poor performance early on in pushing back against the New York Times story on NSA tracking terrorist conversations (despite the fact the President actually met with the NYT in an effort to dissuade them from running it, thus allowing the White House communications crew to know what was coming, the White House appeared flat-footed in its immediate response), its lack of ability to put Republican Senators in their place related to crucial votes -- not to mention its approach to spending and Senate-confirmable nominations below Supreme Court justice -- reflects a team in desperate need of a spine transplant, and maybe toss in a new heart or two.
All of these things will not disappear like the wreaths and trees that come down after January 10th or so. These are the issues that will linger long after.
Call Forward?
Posted by on 12.23.05 @ 10:36AM
A few minutes ago, Lt. Gen. Jim Conway (operations boss for the Joint Chiefs) gave some new information on the troop reductions planned for Iraq. The Second Brigade of the Army's First Armored Division will be stationed, for 90 days or more, in Kuwait as a "call forward" force. In effect, this is a vote of confidence in Iraqi forces. We can move the 2nd of the 1st into Iraq quickly if it's needed, but by putting it outside Iraq we're telling the Iraqis we think they can handle that much more of the security in their own nation. Gen. Conway said that another brigade, this one from the 1st Infantry Division, will be held at home in Fort Riley, Kansas.
As of today, there are about 216,000 Iraqi troops trained and equipped, with 44 battalions that "own their ground." As Gen. Conway said, the trend lines are going in the right direction.
Sharon's Stroke Recovery
Posted by on 12.23.05 @ 9:49AM
Last night, co-hosting with John Batchelor on his ABC radio net show, we interviewed Aaron Klein who was reporting from Jerusalem. Apparently, the Israeli prime minister's recovery from last week's "minor" stroke isn't as rapid or thorough as reported elsewhere. Sharon is missing key meetings of his security team and has no succession plan. Israel has no constitution and -- unlike America -- no law on prime ministerial succession.
Can Sharon come back? Will Israeli policy toward the Palestinian election is up in the air. Can Hamas take control? Will the Israelis force another delay? All these things are up in the air while Sharon's status is in doubt.
Striking Out
Posted by on 12.23.05 @ 1:35AM
So there will be a Christmas in New York after all, as the transit workers' strike has ended and subways and buses are scheduled to run on time Friday morning. Still, the whole experience should remind New Yorkers - who apparently need reminding - what a destructive force public sector unions can be to the effective operation and safety of a city, let alone the morale of its residents. At least the Mayor and Governor are insisting that there will be no amnesty granted on the fines levied against union members. We'll see if that holds up. But of course the strikers should have been fired en masse, anyway.
Perhaps the worst effect of the NY transit strike, though, is the way it served to demonstrate, once again, how vulnerable cities are to the slightest change in their ecosystems. Whether with a natural disaster, like Katrina, or a man-made economic one, like the NY transit strike, 2005 has offered more helpful demonstrations to terrorists about how many different ways there are to disable urban centers. Not that the terrorists will start a local - that would be a sight - but it must be instructive to see how debilitating a shut down of public transit is, over just three days, in the nation's largest city. The much-heralded city contingency plan, which had its merits, did not prevent mob scenes and confusion all around the city's transit hubs. What an appealing and vulnerable target.
Pardon my skepticism so close to the holiday. I lived in Manhattan too long not to think that the city is living on borrowed time, as far as another attack is concerned. That it would willfully and needlessly put itself at risk with this idiotic strike doesn't inspire confidence for the future.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Too Late for PATCO
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 4:46PM
So the TWU is going back to work, its leaders are still not in jail, and New York should be back to normal by tomorrow morning. Now all there is to see is whether Bloomberg agrees to letting the union (thugs?) off for their court-imposed fines as part of a settlement. Wait for it. He who makes cigars illegal in New York bars and restaurants is capable of any treachery.
Spitzer Bares Fangs
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 1:25PM
W. James Antle III assesses Bill Weld's chances in the race for governor of New York and hints at Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's ruthlessness. For a closer look at Spitzer making friends and influencing people, check out what he told John Whitehead, former Goldman Sachs chairman, after he dared write an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizing Spitzer:
"Mr. Whitehead, it's now a war between us and you've fired the first shot. I will be coming after you. You will pay the price. This is only the beginning and you will pay dearly for what you have done. You will wish you had never written that letter."
RE: The PATCO Solution
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 1:10PM
Jed & Peter: I don't know why the union is so upset about the word "thug." It's not as if they were being called "refugees."
Patriot Reid-Act
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 12:04PM
Reading through headlines about the successful extension of the Patriot Act, its difficult not to think that were the roles switched, Harry Reid's boast of killing the legislation would have been trumpeted as the statement of an idiot akin to Bush's "Mission Complete" speech.
This is being
labelled a compromise. This is
absolutely untrue. This is no compromise, but a victory.
Now, Republicans have had the Democrats vote twice in favor of the Patriot Act. Even with the aid of
the supposed "outing" of the President's "secret" wire-tapping,
revelations of black sites, and in the midst of McCain's torture
amendment negotiations, the Dems still had
trouble explaining their filibuster -- which was only barely successful. In six months, when it comes time to
take another vote on the amendment, opponents won't have
BlackSite-gate, Wiretap-gate, nor Torture-gate to pressure the
moderates to their side. Instead, they'll have a 2006 election
driven by Congressmen needing to appear strong on defense -- the
Dems have lost.
Re: The PATCO Solution
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 11:06AM
Bloomberg pretty much responds to the PATCO solution here:
"The fines are what is going to hurt," he said. "Fines don't
make you a martyr and fines you don't get back."
I just loved Toussaint's response to being called a "thug":
So do you mean to say that when you stop doing that, then you do become thugs and selfish people? Thank you for clarifying the point, Thuggy McThugThug.
ANWR
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 10:58AM
As a tactic, appending a controversial piece of legislation to a
larger appropriations bill is a sneaky, but classic, method of
forcing Congressmen to prioritize. Yet any doubts about how
appropriate it is to do so should be alleviated in the ANWR case --
drilling in Alaska is directly related to our activities in the
middle east. So don't mind Sen. Lieberman's speech castigating the
Republicans for disrespecting the "rules" of the Senate -- he's
disrespecting his own hawkish record, and showing us the same stuff
that made him a viable vice-presidential candidate for
Gore.
Re: The PATCO Solution
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 10:46AM
As the New York transit strike slogs through Day 3, the biggest outrage seems to be directed not at the strikers, but at Mayor Bloomberg, who called the strikers' conduct "thuggish", "unconsciounable" and "cowardly." Of course, the strikers' union and its supporters are calling Bloomberg a racist for calling the thugs thugs.
But what no one seems to recall is that the term "thug", as applied historically to New York unions, goes back quite a long spell. Even before Jimmy Hoffa became part of the New Jersey landscape, it was simply routine to refer to union "thugs" around New York, if only to differentiate them from Mafia, political and other common New York thugs, especially street thugs. It ain't racism, folks. It's merely a more precise use of the Queen's English.
One can only wonder how long it will be before Dominique de Villepin comes to the defense of Transport Workers Union Local 100 prez and strike leader, Roger Toussaint. Bloomberg is no racist. But is he an anti-French xenophobe? We can only hope.
Re: Terrorist Victory in Germany
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 10:19AM
Dave: Yep, saw that. If he was in Lebanon yesterday, will he be part of the government of Syria today? He is sure to be feted in Lebanon, Syria and other fetid places where terrorists seek succor. In any event, methinks a warrantless search for him is in order. Wherever he is should be declared a free fire zone.
Re: Terrorist Victory in Germany
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 9:28AM
Jed, Hamadi's in Lebanon. The Lebanese are acknowledging his presence, but refusing to extradite.
Johnny Damon
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 9:20AM
Dave, I'll miss Johnny Damon. It was fabulous watching him run like a deer in center field, and he was an exciting and productive hitter, capable of igniting team rallies again and again. To top it off, despite his simian appearance, he was magnetic, charming, and generous in his personal interviews.
But he came to the Sox from somewhere else, we got the peak of his career, and now he's off somewhere else. The Yankees got him not only for the money -- which an athlete has to average out over his entire life, not his much shorter working life -- but because, year after year, the Yankees are the best team in baseball, and any player with some pride wants to play with the best. Why do you think the Celtics used to land such good players as backups (think Bill Walton)?
Good luck, Johnny. May you have many more healthy playing years.
Terrorist Victory in Germany
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 9:07AM
AP reported yesterday that Germany released convicted murderer and airline hijacker Mohammed Ali Hamadi. Hamadi had been serving a life sentence for the 1985 TWA hijacking and murder of Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem. Germany had insisted on trying Hamadi and wouldn't extradite him to America because we have the death penalty.
A German foreign ministry spokesman denied any connection between Hamadi's release and the earlier release by terrorist kidnappers of a German woman, Susanne Osthoff, who had been held for three weeks in Iraq. Right.
On his release, Hamadi left Germany, destination unknown. Let's hope that when Hamadi engages in future acts of terrorism, which he most certainly will, they occur in Germany.
Re: McConnell Wins in VA
Posted by on 12.22.05 @ 2:16AM
Dave: The Washington Post's account suggests the McDonnell-Deeds attorney-general recount in Virginia lacked any of the Florida 2000 recount's acrimony. Sure, the stakes were smaller. What's more, what would it look like it two men vying to uphold the law in their states resorted to cheap politicking in order to prevail? The story even ends on an upbeat, if somber, note:
The recount attracted the attention of at least one soldier serving in Baghdad. McDonnell's daughter, Jeanine, 24, a second lieutenant in the Army, called him on his cell phone about 2 p.m. in Richmond, 10 p.m. in Baghdad, to ask whether he had the results yet. The day before the recount, McDonnell said, she had gone out with her unit in a convoy and been shot at.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
McDonnell Wins in VA
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 9:09PM
Democrat Creigh Deeds conceded the Virginia attorney general's race today after preliminary recount tabulations showed he could not overcome Bob McDonnell's lead of 323 votes.
If You Know a Red Sox Fan...
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 4:34PM
Hug him. Beantown just lost its favorite furry creature, Johnny Damon, to the Yanks.
Re: ANWR for McCain Amendment
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 4:33PM
Jed, You are correct. I'll also consider that a bright spot in this episode in the Senate's long line of failures.
Re: No PATRIOT Act, No ANWR, etc.
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 4:19PM
Dave: Doesn't that also mean that the McCain amendment is now in limbo as well? Wasn't Defense Approps the bill it was riding? If so, I'll trade ANWR to kill the McCain amendment in a heartbeat.
Secret Spying
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 4:14PM
Never mind that all the TV Newsers using the above headline last night and today wouldn't know a redundancy if it bit them you know where.
The fact is, a number of news outlets -- CBS News (big surprise there), ABC News, CNN and MSNBC (and by extension, perhaps NBC) -- were all presented with varied FISA court rulings as early as yesterday afternoon that confirmed what many folks have been saying: that even the FISA court acknowledged the Executive Branch's right and responsibility to order such wiretaps without a warrant in times of emergency.
One CBS News producer, who works on a different show than the nightly news, told us that nightly news producers both in DC and in New York were aware of the documents and the ruling and chose not to incorporate them into their reporting.
Re: The PATCO Solution
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 4:07PM
From our blog, to the judge's ear? New York Supreme Court Justice Theodore Jones reportedly has ordered the transit worker union chiefs to appear in court tomorrow to face criminal contempt charges. (The Supreme Court is the lower trial court in NY. Go figure).
Let's hope Jones throws 'em in the lockup for the duration. And why aren't Bloomberg and Pataki hitting harder? This strike has gone on long enough. The strikers should be fired today and begin to be replaced tomorrow. Doesn't anyone remember New York rules? With all due respect to our midwestern pals, Chicago rules are softball by comparison.
No Patriot Act, No ANWR, No Defense Approps
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 1:57PM
Senate Democrats are on a roll. After jeopardizing national security by blocking the Patriot Act, they've filibustered the Defense appropriations bill in rejection of ANWR drilling.
Re: Jim Robbins Explains It All
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 1:55PM
Lawrence: I like Jim a lot, but I think he errs in his analysis of the FISA statute. He argues that terrorists are "foreign powers... as defined in section 1801, subsection (a)" of FISA. But as Orin Kerr explains, warrantless surveillance is permitted only on "foreign powers, as defined in section 1801(a)(1), (2), or (3)" -- terrorist organizations aren't defined as a foreign power until 1801(a)(4), (5), and (6). The surveillance may still be legal -- I'm more inclined to think so than Kerr seems to be -- but it isn't that easy a call.
Also check out Tom Smith's interesting response to Kerr, and Jeff Goldstein's long round-up, both of which get at the fundamental question: Whether we view terrorism through a crime paradigm or a war paradigm.
Re: The PATCO Solution
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 12:49PM
Peter, That's wonderfully put. Though I must make a grudging admission that it applies much more to Pataki than Bloomberg. For all of his liberal leanings, the city is fortunate to have gotten him as the successor for Giuliani, given the alternatives. He is a highly effective manager; and who knows but that this strike may yet reactivate his inner Boss, honed from years in the private sector? He didn't get this far without knowing how to squash bugs. Here's hoping.
Re: The PATCO Solution
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 12:16PM
Paul, not only will it be ugly in those tunnels, but it'll also be generally unpleasant all around. There won't be a whole heck of a lot of Christmas cheer once a citizen hops on a bus that was made unavailable to him days earlier because someone didn't want to pay into an already extravagant pension plan. And I doubt the workers themselves will be joyous that their strike, which earned them such ill-repute, earned them so little -- to the point where the union itself, as you point out, might actually implode.
And your RINO point is strong in quite another way; this is a city that's a liberal haven, a Democrat depository. Yet they couldn't satisfy these workers? What does that say about liberal efficacy?
Oh, and all this talk about RINOs reminds me about another
subject entirely, something G.K. Chesterton once said about rhinos,
that there's something eminently funny about a creature that
existed yet looked as though it didn't. That applies quite well to
Pataki and Bloomberg.
Re: The PATCO Solution
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 11:55AM
Firing the transit workers and breaking the union would be glorious, but short of that the damage they are doing to themselves and their cause may ultimately bring about the union's demise in any case.
This is a union that cannot seem to recognize when it is winning a negotiation: the MTA backed off its demands to raise the retirement age for new workers to 62, from 55. That was a huge victory for the union. The MTA backed off its (pathetically modest) demand that workers contribute a whopping one percent of their earnings to help pay for health care benefits, instead of the current big fat zero. That was a huge victory for the union. The MTA agreed to a 10.5% salary increase phased in over three years, at annual rates of 3, 3.5 and 4 percent, something a lot of private sector workers would be very happy to be promised (if it weren't for the minor fact that you can't make promises like that in the private sector, because you might not be able to pay for them). THAT was a huge victory for the union. So why did they walk?
According to one report, they walked because the MTA made a demand at the last minute that new workers pay 6 percent, as opposed to the current 2 percent, toward their pension plans. Anyone who has read the newspapers in New York for a week or two knows that pension costs are going to be the death of the municipal budgets. The MTA's modest demand was met by the union as if they were being asked to work double shifts without compensation.
Like Jed, I am surprised that the strike has gone into a second day, given the punitive fines being levied on the union, the negative public reaction, the extreme ineptitude of timing such a strike during Christmas season, and the opportunities the strike affords RINOs like Pataki and Bloomberg to talk tough and rally New Yorkers. When even the New York Times condemns the union, you know this is a losing battle.
In my 14 years of living in Manhattan, I can't count how many times I tried and failed to have useful communication with one of the amoebas working in a subway station token booth. These people have it very good. Driving buses and trains is harder than that, but how much harder? Harder than being a cop or a fireman, neither of which occupation pays near what a transit worker gets to start? I wouldn't want to be a transit worker returning to work when this strike is over. It won't be pretty down in the tunnels.
Re: Gettin' Their Memorial On
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 11:22AM
Oh, I think the whole "conviction" thing was the problem in the first place. Anyway, I don't even think that Snoop was speaking out of loyalty. Given his age, I doubt Snoop had an opportunity to meet Tookie before the latter went to jail; unless, of course, they met in jail, which is altogether likely -- you know, sitting around the recreation room, writing children's books, imagining how to make the world a better place through peace and tolerance. It makes you yearn for Malcom X.
Snoop's comments are as opportunistic as all the other jackals
who made that man's funeral into such a circus. If Tookie was truly
redeemed, if he had truly repented, you would not know it by the
behavior of those in attendance. For Snoop to claim he was
observant of Tookie's metanoia is the same as Judas noting that
Jesus had a few good points.
Christians Against Christmas
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 11:15AM
Andrew Santella reviews Puritan and Quaker bans and boycotts on Christmas in the 17th century, and observes that many Christian denominations in America did not celebrate it into the 19th century.
Re: Gettin' Their Memorial On
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 10:53AM
Any discussion of Snoop Dogg's support for Tookie Williams ought to include a lyrical quotation from "Drop it Like It's Hot":
I'm a gangsta, but y'all knew thatI suspect that Snoop's professed belief in his former leader's innocence stems more from loyalty than from conviction.
Da Big Boss Dogg, yeah I had to do that
I keep a blue flag hanging out my backside
But only on the left side, yeah that's the Crip side
Re: The PATCO Solution
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 10:35AM
Of course they should all be fired. Fines aren't enough: The transit workers' union, like PATCO, should cease to exist. Then maybe NYC can pay its cops, firefighters, and teachers as well as it pays people who drive around in circles.
(Actually, PATCO does still exist -- sort of. Check out their hilariously amateurish official website.)
Re: The PATCO Solution
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 10:32AM
Jed,
Most folks who live in New York or use public transportation regularly are supernaturally fluent in the routes -- stop any native in that city for directions, and you usually get a treatise on the benefits of one line over another. Training will probably involve the financial aspects.
Yesterday, a judge ordered that for every day the Transport Workers Union continues its strike, it must be fined $1 million a day, which the union plans to appeal as "exorbitant". $1 million sounds like a lot, that is, until you consider how much an apartment in New York costs, let alone just how large the union is (33,700).
Do the math. $29 a union member, per day, during an illegal strike which has crippled an economic giant of a city dependent on mass transit. Yet these strikers face no jail time, and as of this writing, no threat of losing one's job. The fine should be $1 billion, not $1 million.
Gettin' Their Memorial On
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 10:18AM
Funerals ought to be taken seriously, so I suppose that when translated to the "gangsta" version, it would of course have the requisite "bling," i.e. completely unnecessary accessories. Here's what AP writer Peter Prengaman noticed:
But this funeral is of note not because Tookie was so terrible; What little is known does reflect to some extent his conversion. But that conversion falls suspect once we look at the circus surrounding the services -- or maybe I should say, carnival:
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan compared Williams' trial and execution to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Both, Farrakhan told mourners, were innocent men executed for political reasons. ...
Inside the church, Williams' books were for sale, with many people buying and reading them through the service. Outside, some people sold T-shirts that directed profanities at the governor and claimed Williams has a place in heaven.
... [His last words] were: "I am no longer a man of war. I die a man of peace."
The PATCO Solution
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 9:56AM
We have been neglectful of our New York relations, leaving them to suffer the outrages of an illegal transit strike without comment. Let it begin here.
I was doubtful that the strike would go a second day. For that reason alone, I was opposed to the PATCO solution: fire every one of them who won't come back to work by tomorrow, and replace them starting tomorrow morning.
I was opposed to this because it will take a while to teach the new generation of Ralph Kramdens the routes the buses must travel. But how hard can it be? New Yorkers aren't being well-served by their governor and their mayor, who aren't taking as hard a line against the strikers as they could.
I haven't researched the law on this yet, but if the strike is illegal, why can't the judge order the workers back to work and jail the union leaders for contempt? Let's raise the heat on these guys, and start issuing pink slips at sundown.
Jim Robbins Explains It All
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 9:35AM
Best single-column explanation of FISA legalities I've seen so far, written by James Robbins on NRO, here.
McDonnell or Deeds?
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 8:42AM
Virginians learn today who won the attorney general race after a court-administered recount. Republican Bob McDonnell looks like the favorite.
Americans Judge Alito Worthy
Posted by on 12.21.05 @ 8:35AM
The Washington Post and ABC News report this morning that Judge Samuel A. Alito has the support of 54 percent of Americans, versus 28 percent who oppose his nomination.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Bad Ties
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 6:27PM
I just saw Ted Stevens, arguing something fervently on the Senate floor. Wearing an "Incredible Hulk" necktie. Someone needs to call Mrs. Stevens.
Re: Lose Yourself in the Music
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 5:13PM
But John! By using rap, they'll only be encouraging these peaceful young jihadists towards violence!
Will they also have to freestyle when interrogated? Will that
also be considered cruel?
Re: Lose Yourself in the Music
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 5:09PM
Let's not forget how U.S. troops drove Gen. Noriega out of his compound: blasting AC/DC. By the standards of the Human Rights Watch, that must have been torture as well.
DNC's NSA FOIA
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 4:31PM
Alphabet soup prevails in Washington, but the headline means to say that the Democratic Party is sending the administration a Freedom of Information Act request for info on the National Security Agency's domestic wiretapping. They erroneously call it "domestic spying," but no matter. The real entertainment is watching Howard Dean try to appear earnest. He begins his missive:
This is not an easy letter to write, and I'm afraid it may be a hard one to believe.
Come now, Chairman. What's hard to believe is that you don't enjoy writing the letter. Revel away and help Americans dissociate Democrats and national security. Now would be a great time for a party leader to have some credibility and gravitas in store instead of a history of rabid partisan opportunism.
Gone Bowling
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 4:29PM
The fun of the College Football bowl games begins. For a preview into what this bowl season will bring, check out Fox Sports' witty analysis, starting with the "Can't Miss" ranking all the way down to the "Serious Dog Potential" category which features such classics as the Fort Worth Bowl (Houston vs. Kansas), Meineke Car Care Bowl (NC State vs. South Florida), the Emerald Bowl (Utah vs. Georgia Tech -- the bees have lost their sting), the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl (UCF vs. Nevada), and the best named of them all, the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl (Colorado State vs. Navy).
My "money" will wait for the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl featuring my beloved Fightin' Irish (Grandpa belonged to the "Class of the Finest," '44) vs. Ohio State (boo, hiss, boo).
And for the record, thank goodness this is the last year of BCS-ridiculousness! Here's to having a fair and square college football champ next year.
Re: "A Touch Wearying to the Spirit"
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 4:12PM
As a part of Hitch's "Scrooge You" article, he cites this article, saying, essentially, that when Christians are arguing in favor of celebrating Christ in the public square, from Christmas music in shops to greeting card corrections, they are essentially committing the same terrible, terrible deed as the North Koreans celebrating the birthday of Kim Jong Il:
Coming from England, Hitchens knows well that there have long been traditions in place in both English-speaking countries, revolving around Christmas specifically. Though I will not be signing any petitions with Bill O'Reilly, I'm no less a Christian enthusiast who can't help but wonder why people have made the conscious decision to omit Christmas.
Those who similarly wonder are just being culture conscious, and further are aware that the established culture does not spring from the collaboration of public entities, but from the persuasive ability of the few. The criticism levelled at these people is simply an indictment of their often populist, or simply angry, rhetoric -- but the commodification of Christmas, and its supposed interchangeability with other winter holidays will obviously work people up, for fine reasons, none of which Christopher Hitchens refutes but for an argument that to do so would victimize himself and other athiests like him. Why, Mr. Hitchens, you've been found guilty of what you yourself have charged Christians of.
Too bad.
'A Touch Wearying to the Spirit'
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 2:53PM
Those following the Great "Merry Christmas" Debate of 2005 won't want to miss Christopher Hitchens' volley on the topic. He's wrong about Oliver Cromwell's reason for banning Christmas (it wasn't the corruption of the holiday, but because of Puritan theological principles). But the vehemence and spirit of his disgust with the Christmas reactionaries is understandable.
So How Fast are You in the 440?
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 2:39PM
A decent question to which Mr. William Beltran and Ms. Shairalee Delgado may have a lot of time to work out a better answer whilst serving a coupla years for shoplifting. Seems those two nitwits were boosting about a grand worth of clothes from a Ft. Myers, Florida store. According to a rather hilarious NBC news report When they escaped the store security folks, a couple of nice young men, just graduated from boot camp, took up the pursuit. The Marines chased them for almost a mile, and captured the two before turning them over to the cops. Against the Marines did the shoplifters have any chance? Successful pursuers, Pvts. Shane Ailant and Ryan Pitts of the U.S. Marine Corps, didn't think so. "No sir, not at all." Well done, guys. (Hat tip to #1 son, who knows I love such stuff.)
Roberts Rakes Rockefeller
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 12:53PM
Yesterday, Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), co-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee (and probable source of many leaks of secret information) released a hand-scrawled letter he had written to VP Cheney two years ago after being briefed on the NSA domestic intel effort. Rockefeller, trying to score political points, raised the letter as proof of his doubts about the NSA program, and that his hands were tied, unable to do anything about it. This morning, Intel Committee Chair Pat Roberts (R-KS) released this statement which blows Rockefeller out of the water:
I am puzzled by the release yesterday of a July 2003 letter from Senator Rockefeller to the Vice President regarding the recently exposed intelligence collection program, which was authorized by the President shortly after September 11, 2001.In his letter and accompanying press statement, Senator Rockefeller asserts that he had lingering concerns about the program designed to protect the American people from another attack, but was prohibited from doing anything about it.
A United States Senator has significant tools with which to wield power and influence over the executive branch. Feigning helplessness is not one of those tools.
If Senator Rockefeller truly had the concerns he claimed to have had in his two and a half year old letter, he could have pursued a number of options to have those concerns addressed:
First, he could have discussed his concerns with me or other Members of Congress who had been briefed on the program. He never asked me or the Committee to take any action consistent with the "concerns" raised in his letter.
Second, he could have raised objections with the Vice President during one of the many briefings we received. I have no recollection of Senator Rockefeller objecting to the program at the many briefings he and I attended together. In fact, it is my recollection that on many occasions Senator Rockefeller expressed to the Vice President his vocal support for the program. His most recent expression of support was only two weeks ago.
Finally, he could have pursued any number of legislative remedies. He chose to pursue none.
Senator Rockefeller could have taken any of these approaches to adress his "lingering concerns." He did not. He chose instead to write a letter to the Vice President and for two and a half years, keep a copy of the letter in the Intelligence Committee vault and say nothing to anyone.
For the nearly three years Senator Rockefeller has served as Vice Chairman, I have heard no objection from him about this valuable program. Now, when it appears to be politically advantageous, Senator Rockefeller has chosen to release his two and a half year old letter. Forgive me if I find this to be inconsistent and a bit disingenuous.
So do we, Sen. Roberts. So do we.
Mormons and Romney, Part Deux
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 12:21PM
While some readers were upset that I detailed the potential problem of Mitt Romney's religion last week, Kathryn Jean Lopez's article/interview today reaffirms this issue's prominence on conservatives' radars.
Lopez is correct that the juvenile stuff is a non-starter: questions about the temple garments, SNL-style jokes about Romney engaging in polygamy, etc. Her interview subject, Michael Cromarite of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, confirms a few basic points about the issue of Romney's Mormonism:
-It won't be discussed as a public campaign issue, but quietly at dinner parties and among blogs. That buzz will be a sizable challenge for Romney.
-Evangelicals think Mormonism is a cult. Evangelicals are a large part of the GOP. A large part of the GOP will have serious questions for Romney.
-Given the choice between (fairly) pro-life Romney and dyed-in-the-wool pro-abortion candidate X, social conservatives will likely back Romney.
I'm not sure what Cromartie means when he says Romney should explain his faith's relation to politics a la JFK in 1960. In his speech to the Southern Baptists in Houston, Kennedy essentially relegated his faith as "his own private affair" and assured them that he wouldn't be the pope's agent in the Oval Office. I'm not sure this separation of one's faith from his politics really works anymore. Kerry tried it last year and came off as disengenuous about his faith.
Rather, I think the best Romney could do is to say, "There are parts of my religion that I don't expect most of you to understand. Some may even believe we're not Christian, and I respect your beliefs and our differences. Those areas don't affect my job as a civil servant or our roles as citizens. I'd ask you to look not at our theology, but at our families and our morals. We're hard-working citizens with strong families who give back to our communities. We generally believe in the right to life and the self-reliant American. As president, I would apply that same diligence and character that my fellow believers apply to their families and communities on a daily basis and I have applied throughout my life. Those qualities are fueled by my faith. I don't expect you to agree with everything my church teaches, but I would hope that you respect the kind of man my faith makes me."
Re: NSA
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 11:31AM
Peter: You are entirely right. Part of the problem with Congress is that the president hasn't once attempted to induce some discipline in Congress's miscellaneous ramblings. It's entirely his fault that we now have the spectacle of the federal government paying for television converter boxes so people can watch digital tv. But the real problem here is Congressional irresponsibility, which Will denies and Willfully ignores. We have reached a stage at which this Congressional divorce from reality has become dangerous for the safety of the Republic. I think we need to beat them over the head with this every day from now 'till November '06.
Re: NSA
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 10:57AM
Jed, as a follow up, this is classic Will ambiguity:
Will would be wrong to say the conservative appetite for limited government was sated by President Bush I's tenure; it was his trespass against his tax pledge that led to his downfall.
The only point that really kept me nodding was this line:
Constitutional Abuses of Power
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 10:39AM
It's always a hoot to watch Harry Reid whine. Take, for example, his complaining about the House attaching ANWR drilling to the Defense appropriations bill:
"This abuse of power will have long-term ramifications in this body, and is as bad or worse than anything ever attempted before, including the nuclear option," said Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, comparing the inclusion of ANWR on the defense spending bill to threatened efforts to prevent Democrats from using the filibuster option on the president's judicial nominees.
How's that for a good sense of proportion? The House amended a bill, passed it, and sent it to the Senate for approval. I remember seeing this somewhere before... Oh, right, in Article I, Section 7.
Dick on the Spot
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 10:33AM
Vice President Cheney's headed stateside from his surprise Middle East trip to be on hand for tie-breaking votes in the Senate, if necessary.
Three Cheers for the Idiot Box
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 10:24AM
Here's your Congressional outrage for the day:
Congress just approved $1.5 billion for a changeover from analog cable to digital cable:
This is not to say that the federal government finds an important security asset in a wide variety of cable programming that provides topics of interest and fun for the whole family -- they just want to make sure that television is available for everyone:
This has all been instigated by the industry's desire to find a more cost-effective method of broadcasting:
Re: NSA
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 9:16AM
And while the Wall Street Journal helps get things right, George Will has joined the NYT's amen chorus, getting it most sincerely wrong.
Will's column in today's WaPo begins by charging the president with breaking the law and goes down hill from there at an ever-accelerating speed.
Will's worst point -- which makes me wonder which Washington he's been observing since 9-11 -- is that if the president wanted more power (carrying forward Will's comprehensively wrong assumption that the president needed more to do the domestic intel gathering) he could have asked Congress for it. And that the ever-compliant Congress would have obliged quickly. This is an argument that is, simply, insidious.
Congress has, since the passage of the PATRIOT Act, and to this day, been irresponsible in failing to execute its Constitutional functions. It leaks our most closely-held secrets, fails to act on essential matters such as the PATRIOT Act reauthorization, and when it does act, it forces through measures -- such as the McCain "al-Queda bill of rights" provision -- that hamper the war effort.
If Congress were responsible, and not entirely consumed with rabid liberal partisanship, perhaps the president could have done more on many issues. But because Congress is irresponsible, and because the president already had the power to do what he did, the NSA domestic intel program was established. And is working, no thanks to Congress.
The NSA hoo ha
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 8:44AM
Thanks (today) to the WSJ editorial page for finally publishing the facts about the President's legal and constitutional authority to conduct warrantless searches: "The allegation of Presidential law-breaking rests solely on the fact that Mr. Bush authorized wiretaps without first getting the approval of the court established under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978. But no Administration then or since has ever conceded that that Act trumped a President's power to make exceptions to FISA if national security required it. FISA established a process by which certain wiretaps in the context of the Cold War could be approved, not a limit on what wiretaps could ever be allowed.
The courts have been explicit on this point, most recently in In Re: Sealed Case, the 2002 opinion by the special panel of appellate judges established to hear FISA appeals. In its per curiam opinion, the court noted that in a previous FISA case (
Since the story broke, I've been telling reporters, pundits and concerned Republicans (you know the type... the ones who want to seem reasonable above all else) that they were mistakenly putting the President in a FISA box. Note to Lindsey Graham - have your staff read the Constitution and applicable SCOTUS precedents and give you a briefing before you publicly attack the President.
I'll join the WSJ in thanking President Bush for doing everything the Constitution permits in protecting me and my family from Al Qaeda.
And a pox on the NY Times for making us less safe today than we were a week ago. They should be ashamed of themselves.
Let the leak investigation begin...
Cloning Hoax Case Grows Stronger
Posted by on 12.20.05 @ 8:18AM
Hwang Woo Suk claimed in his Science paper that the cells in a photograph were cloned embryonic stem cells; in a 2004 paper the photograph appeared labeled as cells created without cloning.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Finally. Good News for Smokers
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 10:56PM
Guess what food item has more antioxidants than herbal teas and fruits? That's right, chocolate! According to a new study, courtesy of Foxnews.com, eat a daily helping of dark chocolate and you just might protect those arterties. The study comes just in time for Christmas, when smokers often endure year-end bad news (and the rantings of overprotective relatives) on the perils of inhaling.
Pair with wine and get double the antioxidants as well as double the not-so-guilty-anymore pleasure. Can anyone say New Year's Resolution?
Rebound
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 8:06PM
Not so long ago, nearly everyone was writing off this presidency. Now ABC News reports the best approval ratings in six months. What a difference a few weeks can make in the poll numbers.
Who's in Which Bubble?
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 6:15PM
We've been hearing a lot of media blather about "Bush in a bubble" over the past few weeks. Supposedly, the president is isolated, unhearing and uncaring about views different from his own. That's proven wrong daily, but the libs are stuck on it. Today, on the RealClearPolitics site, John McIntyre identifies the Other Bubble: the one the Dems are in. Here's the money quote:
"As long as national security related issues are front page news, the Democrats are operating at a structural political disadvantage. Perhaps the intensity of their left wing base and the overwhelmingly liberal press corps produces a disorientation among Democratic politicians and prevents a more realistic analysis of where the country's true pulse lies on these issues."
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful. The Dems only read the NYT, WaPo, and watch CBS. They never want to listen to real people, and thus can't get in tune with what's really on America's mind. McIntyre's take is 110% correct.
More importantly, this is the key to 2006 folks: we need to remind people long, hard and continuously that the Dems are still the party of the ACLU and Howard Dean, of Michael Moore and Cindy Sheehan.
Re: The Prez Lands Five Solid Hits
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 6:01PM
Listening to audio of the President's press
conference on my computer, and lacking visuals, I did not get all
the nuances of the occasion. But I'm with Larry: it did seem that
he was very strong, and he has been since he woke from his
self-imposed slumber and decided that it would be a good thing to
defend his policies. Only time will tell whether this will be a
sustained offensive, even a new way of conducting communications at
the White House, or just another one of those periodic bursts of
diligence that is not followed up. We've seen that
before.
Unless I am missing something, it seems that whenever Bush fights back, his opposition starts to fray. Here's hoping that he keeps hitting, and hitting hard, on the NSA wiretapping leak and the pathetic Senate performance on the Patriot Act. It's near- thrilling to hear him engaged at this critical time, and not one second too soon.
Iran Bans Western Music
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 5:36PM
The Iranian youth likely won't take this news well. We'll see what they do about it.
The Prez Lands Five Solid Hits
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 4:12PM
It has been widely noted that President Bush landed four punches today, with his challenges to "Senators from New York, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles" filibustering the Patriot Act. Awkwardly phrased though it was, everybody knew what it meant. Those cities are widely acknowledged terror targets, and Senators Schumer, Reid, Boxer, and Feinstein will have to answer for their filibuster if any attack on those cities succeeds.
There's another less-noticed...well, can I say "bitch slap"? The Prez told a story about how the government used to track Osama bin Laden because he used "a certain type of phone." And then somebody leaked that fact, and Osama bin Laden stopped using that kind of phone. I imagine the cheeks of a certain Senator, nicknamed "Leaky" by Rush, were burning.
Patrick Leahy has also been called "the meanest man in the Senate." Let's see if he tries to get even.
Bravo, Dubya! Bravo!
Re: Less waterboarding...
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 4:02PM
John: Excellent point about renditions, but I'm not sure it will increase them all that much. With the WaPo's revelations about the secret facilities these guys have been flown around to, there are fewer of them available to us, and fewer allies willing to take bad guys. As to waterboarding, there's a dirty little secret: it works. Former al-Q #3 Khalid Sheik Mohammed was a very hard case for the first days he was in captivity. He was, I've heard, waterboarded by experts. Since that time he's been giving up a lot of solid information.
Wavering Reid
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 3:44PM
"My personal opinion is it was a shameful act for someone to disclose this very important program in a time of war." President Bush said that this morning in discussing last week's NYT plant about the NSA monitoring al Qaeda operatives and al Qaeda sympathizers by way of Presidential order. But he might as well have been speaking about any number of "strategic" leaks by Senate, CIA and other operatives interested in making political hay and embarrassing the United States.
Over the weekend, the media noted that Sen. Harry Reid had been strangely silent about the latest revelations, and we're hearing there was good reason for this: he was attempting to find out if the leak had come from within offices that he had oversight of control over. "We got the impression that he wanted to jump onto this things early on Friday, but he held us all back from talking. We were hearing that he wanted to make sure there wasn't going to be any blowback on him," says a Senate Democratic leadership aide.
Less Waterboarding, More Severe Beatings?
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 2:33PM
In a BloggingHeads.tv segment with Mickey Kaus, Eric Umansky brings up something that's been bugging me for a while: Won't the McCain Amendment simply encourage rendition? This really should give those who've been self-righteously pounding the table on this issue some pause.
Hey, New York Times!
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 1:07PM
Maybe someone at the Grey Lady ought to start reading their NewsMax -- Clinton had been "misusing" intelligence far more than Bush did, and he did not have the excuse of 9-11. Here's a snippet:
...Still, the Times repeatedly insisted on Friday that NSA
surveillance under Bush had been unprecedented, at one point citing
anonymously an alleged former national security official who
claimed: "This is really a sea change. It's almost a mainstay of
this country that the NSA only does foreign searches."
Blair's EU Sellout
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 9:15AM
Today's Telegraph has a superb editorial on Tony Blair's sellout of the British rebate to the EU and France. Without any gains against the French agricultural subsidy, Blair gave up most of the Thatcher-negotiated rebate that now amounts to about 10 billion pounds annually. As the Telegraph points out, Blair's internationalism has never been based on Britain's interests. Here's the money quote:
"Make no mistake: the sums of money involved are immense - £7 billion, the amount Mr Blair has handed away, is roughly the entire police budget for England and Wales. At the last election, Mr Blair claimed Tory plans for a £4 billion tax reduction would mean savage cuts in public services. Never again will he be able to level such an accusation...From now on, every time they are asked where they would find the money for tax cuts, the Tories can reasonably reply: from Brussels."
Will the new Tory leader, David Cameron, have the courage to oppose Blair directly on his giveaway? If he doesn't, he'll go the way of the last several Tory leaders. If Britain's conservatives want to resume acting like conservatives instead of Labor-lite, this is the best place to start.
A Primetime Hit
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 8:58AM
If you missed it, catch the full text of the President's speech.
A Catholic Court? So What
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 8:22AM
Marci Hamilton succinctly debunks the Christopher-Hitchens-popish-conspiracy school of thought about a majority of Catholic justices on the Supreme Court. In the era of cafeteria Catholics, there's no telling how one Catholic will come down on an issue, Hamilton argues.
Travels With Dick
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 8:18AM
Bill Sammon is along for Vice President Cheney's surprise visit to Iraq and Afghanistan.
Much Better Than Nothing
Posted by on 12.19.05 @ 8:09AM
House GOP leaders secured $41.6 billion in spending cuts over the next five years and attached ANWR drilling to the defense bill -- forcing a tough vote for Senate Democrats. Seeing as both pieces of legislation were in dire straits last week, this is very good news.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Re: Last night on Heartland
Posted by on 12.18.05 @ 9:09AM
Peter: Thanks for the kind words. If anyone missed the segment, they can see it here. The media - again leading the Dems by the nose - wants the NSA intelligence program to blow the good news from Iraq off the front pages, which it has done. The president, in his speech tonight, will try to refocus on the astonishing accomplishment of the Iraqi people. But nothing will divert the media from this story.
The Sunday morning talk shows later today will be full of it. The NSA story, I mean.
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