Decision ‘08 » 2006

Archive for March, 2006

Wednesday, March 29th, 2006

More Details of the Russian Treachery

There appears to have been no good explanation forthcoming to this point regarding the provision of sensitive U.S. battlefield information to the Iraqi government by the Russians prior to and during the the invasion in 2003:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday she had asked her Russian counterpart for an investigation into a report that […]

4 Comments » - Posted in Iraq, Foreign Affairs by Mark

Wednesday, March 29th, 2006

Specter’s NSA Hearing

Two pieces of Republican legislation are battling it out to see which will be the first to explicitly legalize Bush’s NSA surveillance. Arlen Specter held hearings yesterday to bolster his case that FISA remains the best regime for the job:
Judge [Harold A.] Baker and three other judges who served on the intelligence court testified […]

2 Comments » - Posted in Domestic Affairs, POTUS by Mark

Wednesday, March 29th, 2006

Is Moussaoui Telling The Truth?

There is skepticism in some quarters about the confession of Zacarias Moussaoui to being a part of the 9/11 plot. Eric at Viking Pundit says he’s making it up:
While Moussaoui was clearly up to no good, there’s no evidence he conspired with Richard Reid. Maybe the guy’s figured he can’t get a fair trial […]

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

Wednesday, March 29th, 2006

McCain-Kennedy: Not As Bad As You Think

Leon H takes a comprehensive look at the Secure American and Orderly Immigration Act and finds it surprisingly attractive:
…[a] realistic solution, from a legislative standpoint, is just around the corner, with but a few minor and workable changes within a framework that already enjoys bipartisan support. The responsible thing to do at this juncture is […]

2 Comments » - Posted in Domestic Affairs, RINOs / Chillers, John McCain, Republican Candidates by Mark

Wednesday, March 29th, 2006

An Olmert Victory, Yes, But A Disappointing One

That’s the verdict of JPod over at NRO’s The Corner:
Exit polls say the new party founded by Ariel Sharon did the best, winning around 30 seats. But since last week it was projected to win 40 seats or more, the results have to be a huge disappointment for the party, Kadima, and its head, Ehud […]

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

Tuesday, March 28th, 2006

The Return of Fitzmas?

Jason Leopold at truthout claims that Patrick Fitzgerald is ready to seek indictments against (a) Rove, (b) Hadley, or (c) Rove and Hadley. Grain of salt providers recommend keeping (d) neither Rove nor Hadley in the mix, as well. We await commentary from the great Maguire, but AJ has us covered in the […]

3 Comments » - Posted in PlameGate by Mark

Tuesday, March 28th, 2006

It’s Official: Winner, Olmert

And disengagement seems to be the mood of the Israeli public. Officials are lamenting the lowest turnout ever - at 63.2%, a figure that would have American officials dancing in the streets (60.7% voted in the 2004 election, a number that was considered unusually high). Olmert praised the comatose Sharon and offered a […]

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

Tuesday, March 28th, 2006

The First Five Songs That Come Up When I Shuffle My IPod…

…now!
Bob Dylan - “Most of the Time”
Eliza Gilkyson - “Calling All Angels”
Robert Earl Keen - “The Road Goes On Forever (Long Version)”
Frank Sinatra - “The House I Live In”
Oasis - “Don’t Look Back In Anger”
Because, let’s face it, nothing’s more fascinating than pointless trivia from a complete stranger…

1 Comment » - Posted in Celebrities / Pop Culture / Sports by Mark

Tuesday, March 28th, 2006

Inside Man: The Decision ‘08 Review

The reason for the decline in movie attendance is debatable; some say the movies are worse; others, myself included, think there are simply too many entertainment options today, and after all, a DVD and a decent size TV screen have their charms. What is undeniable, I think, is that the technical level of filmmaking […]

2 Comments » - Posted in The Decision '08 Review, Celebrities / Pop Culture / Sports by Mark

Tuesday, March 28th, 2006

Maguire, Krauthammer, and Fukuyama

(Got a catchy ring to it, doesn’t it?)…I was going to blog on Charles Krauthammer’s column challenging Francis Fukuyama’s account of a speech Krauthammer gave on foreign policy, but then I realized that I wouldn’t be able to top this…so I won’t even try…

3 Comments » - Posted in Iraq, Foreign Affairs by Mark

Tuesday, March 28th, 2006

What’s Behind The Moussaoui Confession?

Dana Milbank probably has it right:
Zacarias Moussaoui proved to be about as effective a defense witness as he was a hijacker.
The 9/11 conspirator had planned to fly a hijacked airliner into the White House, but he got arrested before the attack and had to sit it out. Yesterday, fighting the death penalty in an Alexandria […]

4 Comments » - Posted in Radical Islam / GWOT by Mark

Tuesday, March 28th, 2006

Some Good Election Year News

Democrats had better hope the old adage that people vote their pocketbooks is not true (or, to paraphrase James Carville’s memorable wording, that ‘it’s not the economy, stupid!’). Wholesale prices dropped 1.4% in February, durable goods orders increased by 2.6%, and consumer confidence is at its highest level since May, 2002.
Look for a pretty […]

6 Comments » - Posted in 2006 News by Mark

Tuesday, March 28th, 2006

Caspar Weinberger, RIP

It hasn’t been a good week for former Reagan officials, has it? First comes the news of Lyn Nofziger’s passing yesterday, and today, former Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger. No link yet Here’s a short link…

2 Comments » - Posted in Elephants by Mark

Tuesday, March 28th, 2006

A New Chief of Staff

Frankly, it’s overdue:
White House Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr. announced his resignation this morning after nearly 5-1/2 years as President Bush’s top aide. Bush said Card will be replaced by Joshua B. Bolten, the director of the Office of Management and Budget.
Bush made the announcement in the Oval Office at 8:30 a.m. Card […]

12 Comments » - Posted in POTUS by Mark

Tuesday, March 28th, 2006

U.S. Taking Reports of Russian Betrayal Seriously

Condi Rice, Stephen Hadley, and even Ted Kennedy expressed concern on the talk-show circuit this weekend about the allegation that Russia turned over American war plans to Iraq (revealed in yet another captured Iraqi document):
An unclassified Pentagon report last week said a captured April 2, 2003, document from the Iraqi minister of foreign affairs to […]

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

Monday, March 27th, 2006

A Liberal Dilemma

How are advocates of the viewpoint of George Bush as lawless tyrant reacting to the prospect of the government posting tens of thousands of documents online for public perusal and translation reacting? I’m talking, of course, about the Iraqi document project, an endeavor pushed by Pajamas Media that is now making headlines around the […]

4 Comments » - Posted in Pajamas Media, Radical Islam / GWOT, Iraq by Mark

Monday, March 27th, 2006

Does This Mean No Christmas Cards?

Alec Baldin vs. Sean Hannity:
HANNITY: Alec, I wanted to give you an official WABC welcome considering you were supposed to come on my program last week and you didn’t show up. What happened?
BALDWIN: No, I wasn’t supposed to come on your program, Sean Hannity.
HANNITY: No, actually you were supposed to come on the program because […]

5 Comments » - Posted in Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots®, Celebrities / Pop Culture / Sports by Mark

Monday, March 27th, 2006

Giuliani: I’ll Decide After November

Rudy G. signalled a delay on his decision until after the congressional elections to a college crowd:
Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani told a crowd of about 3,000 people at Oklahoma State University that he won’t contemplate a 2008 presidential bid until after November’s elections.
Giuliani, who gained international attention in the aftermath of the 9/11 […]

5 Comments » - Posted in Rudy Giuliani, 2008 News, Republican Candidates by Mark

Monday, March 27th, 2006

Israeli Election A Referendum On Disengagement

And it appears that disengagement is winning:
Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has laid out the choice in stark terms: a vote for his Kadima Party in Tuesday’s election is a vote for an Israeli pullback from much of the West Bank.
Barring an unexpected right-wing surge, Israelis will give a green light to that idea in […]