Decision ‘08 » 2005

Archive for December, 2005

Monday, December 26th, 2005

Jay Cost Week at RCP

This should be a really interesting week at the RealClearPolitics blog, as astute analyst Jay Cost is guest-blogging all week long. He starts off strong with a lucid, lengthy examination of why 2005 was the year George W. Bush would just as soon forget. Highly recommended…
I’ll be on the road again heading back […]

2 Comments » - Posted in POTUS by Mark

Sunday, December 25th, 2005

Freedom’s Just Another Word…

…for everything to gain. Okay, it makes a better song lyric the other way around, but as 2005 comes to a close, it’s worth remembering the giant steps taken towards freedom in some unlikely locales. Joshua Muravchik does just that in the LA Times as he takes a look at the latest yearly report […]

No Comments » - Posted in POTUS, Radical Islam / GWOT, Iraq, Foreign Affairs by Mark

Sunday, December 25th, 2005

Novak on Robertson

Bob Novak, who knows a thing or two about national security leaks, profiles the FISA court judge who resigned in protest over the NSA eavesdropping story:
Federal District Judge James Robertson, who resigned from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) court in protest over secret wiretaps ordered by President Bush, is regarded in Washington legal circles as […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Domestic Affairs, POTUS, Radical Islam / GWOT by Mark

Sunday, December 25th, 2005

Things Are Looking Up…

…for Bush’s job approval ratings. Yesterday, Rasmussen had him at 50%(!!), and today he comes in at 49%. Merry Christmas, Mister President…

2 Comments » - Posted in POTUS by Mark

Sunday, December 25th, 2005

A Merry Christmas To You All

I hope Santa did not disappoint you (among my gifts were an IPod Nano and the complete third season of the Sopranos (woo-hoo!))…
Our thoughts, of course, are on Iraq this holiday, and Mohammed continues the excellent coverage at Iraq the Model with a more hopeful report than others of late. There are numerous calls […]

2 Comments » - Posted in Iraq by Mark

Saturday, December 24th, 2005

The MinuteMan Comes Out Swinging

The normally soft-spoken (well, soft-written) Tom Maguire has obviously had just about enough of the NY Times and its coverage of Snoopgate:
The NY Times escalates its war on America with its latest revelations about the high-tech capability of the NSA to monitor and data-mine international communications.
…Look - my inner geek is finding this to be […]

6 Comments » - Posted in Domestic Affairs, POTUS, Radical Islam / GWOT, NY Times/Media Watch by Mark

Saturday, December 24th, 2005

All I Want For Christmas is Democracy in Iraq

I hope it goes without saying that all of us, left and right, are concerned for our troops and their families this Christmas. War is an ugly, ugly thing, even when fought for the right reasons. I hope that you and your families have a wonderful holiday and that you will give a […]

4 Comments » - Posted in Navel-Gazing, Iraq by Mark

Saturday, December 24th, 2005

The Little Red Book That Couldn’t

You may recall the ridiculous story making the rounds recently that the big bad feds came a-knockin’ on the door of a college student for checking out Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book. No one with a lick of sense bought it, and predictably, it’s been revealed as a hoax.
More from Eric at Viking Pundit […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots® by Mark

Saturday, December 24th, 2005

More Detail Emerges On Snoopgate

The big story of the day is the new revelation by the author’s of the original big Snoopgate scoop that the NSA program behind the uproar was larger than previously hinted at by the Bush Administration. More interesting to me, though, is the details of the program, and we have still further confirmation (though […]

28 Comments » - Posted in Domestic Affairs, POTUS, Radical Islam / GWOT by Mark

Friday, December 23rd, 2005

Iraqis Take To The Streets in Protest

Talk about your mixed emotions - how great is it that Iraqis feel free to protest in the streets? Yet at the same time, how nice it would be if they didn’t feel the need…
Mohammed of Iraq the Model has the latest on the Iraqi election dispute; there are some grim aspects, to be sure, […]

No Comments » - Posted in Iraq by Mark

Friday, December 23rd, 2005

It’s a Leak-Fest!

Thanks to our good friend Clint for recommending this link from Tom Bevan at the RCP blog about yet ANOTHER leak of national security import. I’ve just arrived at my Christmas destination after all day on the road, but no doubt the Left is already up at arms over this latest revelation. Where […]

2 Comments » - Posted in Domestic Affairs, Radical Islam / GWOT by Mark

Friday, December 23rd, 2005

It’s The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

In the spirit of Christmas, I present to you two links from the left, snark-free. Never let it be said that I didn’t do my part for bipartisanship.
Here’s Dan Froomkin with his year-end wrap-up, and Ken Rudin with a look back at those who departed from our earthly home in the year that was […]

No Comments » - Posted in Linky Love by Mark

Friday, December 23rd, 2005

Rumsfeld: Troop Reductions Imminent

Two combat brigades will be sent home in early 2006, according to the Defense Secretary. This is in addition to the reduction of the temporary buildup that accompanied the elections.
Good. We all want the troops home as soon as possible, both pro- and anti-war Americans alike. Our argument is over timing, not […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Iraq by Mark

Friday, December 23rd, 2005

Only A Fool Would Talk Impeachment…

…for the NSA affair after this blistering defense of the legality of the President’s actions by the Justice Department. I’ll save my critics some time: the point is not whether you believe Justice’s justification, or whether the author is toadying up to the administration; rather, just try making an impeachment case to the […]

6 Comments » - Posted in Domestic Affairs, POTUS, Radical Islam / GWOT by Mark

Thursday, December 22nd, 2005

The Wonderful World of Kos

Lots of buzz (just check out Memeorandum) over this Washington Monthly profile of our ol’ buddy Markos Moulitsas Zuniga. Some highlights and lowlights:
The site, which has existed for only around three and a half years, now has 3.7 million readers each week. That’s more than the top 10 opinion magazines—of both left and right—combined, […]

57 Comments » - Posted in Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots® by Mark

Thursday, December 22nd, 2005

Rosett on Kofi’s Tantrum

For more on Kofi’s little fit over that Mercedes, I direct you to the great Claudia Rosett:
Kofi Annan departed his year-end press conference telling reporters: “You have the right to ask all questions you want to ask. I reserve the right to refuse to answer questions I don’t want to answer.”
Clearly. But the questions keep […]

2 Comments » - Posted in UN/Oil-For-Food by Mark

Thursday, December 22nd, 2005

Pot, Meet Goose…

…no, wait, that’s not right…Ryan James is wondering if Mexico is suffering from similar confusion…

No Comments » - Posted in Foreign Affairs by Mark

Thursday, December 22nd, 2005

More Patriot Act Shenannigans

The House did not, as I wrongly predicted, easily pass the six-month extension of the Patriot Act worked out in the Senate compromise; instead, for reasons that aren’t clear to me at the moment, Republican James Sensenbrenner blocked the measure and the House passed a 1-month extension, which now has to go back to the […]

5 Comments » - Posted in Domestic Affairs, Radical Islam / GWOT, Foreign Affairs by Mark

Thursday, December 22nd, 2005

It’s That Time Again…

As we reach the end of 2005, we face the (mostly) entertaining prospect of year-end retrospectives. The Hotline’s Blogometer starts us off in good form with ‘The Year of Blogging Dangerously’…

No Comments » - Posted in Linky Love by Mark

Thursday, December 22nd, 2005

Did Abbas Agree To Pay Stipends To The Families of Terrorists?

An earlier post of mine reported this, but then I drew back, in the absence of any confirmation from ‘major’ media outlets. The Wall Street Journal, however, repeats the allegation in a piece by Tom Gross, former Middle East correspondent for the London Sunday Telegraph and the New York Daily News:
On the very day […]