Decision ‘08 » 2006

Archive for July, 2006

Monday, July 31st, 2006

The Four Pillars Of Israel’s Right To Exist

I take it for granted that it Israel’s right to exist is self-evident; I have learned to my chagrin that this is not nearly as universally shared as I would prefer. For those who question it, I present the following (I don’t claim it as complete - if anyone has additional arguments, feel free […]

11 Comments » - Posted in Foreign Affairs by Mark

Monday, July 31st, 2006

Ailing Castro Relinquishes Power (Temporarily?)

From the Associated Press:
Fidel Castro temporarily relinquished his presidential powers to his brother Raul on Monday night and told Cubans he underwent surgery.
The Cuban leader said he had suffered gastrointestinal bleeding, apparently due to stress from recent public appearances in Argentina and Cuba, according to the letter read live on television by his secretary, Carlos […]

5 Comments » - Posted in Foreign Affairs by Mark

Monday, July 31st, 2006

Something Positive, For A Change

Jeez, there’s a lot of ugliness in the air these days. Fortunately, in America, the good always outweighs the bad. There are some folks who do an awful lot of good for other folks who are finalists in the Dr. Pepper Community Service Awards. The 2 organizations with the highest vote totals, as voted on […]

No Comments » - Posted in In Praise Of by Mark

Monday, July 31st, 2006

Hitchens On Gibson

I liked Passion of the Christ, okay, and I was positively thrilled that it was such a phenomenal success, but still, Mel Gibson’s assurances that he wasn’t an anti-Semite kind of look rather weak after his latest drunken tirade, don’t they? But why should I address the subject? Well, because I want to. Rather, I […]

No Comments » - Posted in Celebrities / Pop Culture / Sports by Mark

Monday, July 31st, 2006

Kissinger On Iran

Henry Kissinger believes we must engage Iran, but stand firm against its nuclear threat. He admits it’s a tightrope:
The legacy of the hostage crisis, the decades of isolation and the messianic aspect of the Iranian regime represent huge obstacles to such a diplomacy. If Tehran insists on combining the Persian imperial tradition with contemporary […]

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

Monday, July 31st, 2006

Olmert Hangs Tough: No Cease-Fire

Recognizing that a cease-fire imposed anytime soon would be a huge propaganda victory for Hezbollah, the Israeli Prime Minister responded to Condi’s assertion that a cease-fire is imminent with a flat denial:
Just hours after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said that she had achieved general agreement on terms for a U.N. Security Council cease-fire resolution […]

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

Monday, July 31st, 2006

How To Ruin A Good Article

Just start ranting about how the right ‘politicized’ 9/11:
As Stone’s movie reminds us, in news clips of people around the globe watching in shock, the sympathies of the world were with us. It was not to last. The politicization of 9/11 could not wait. In a climate of fear and flag-waving, with a pre-emptive war […]

4 Comments » - Posted in Radical Islam / GWOT, Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots®, Celebrities / Pop Culture / Sports by Mark

Monday, July 31st, 2006

Half-Empty?

Nay, ’tis half-full, says Michael Barone:
The world seems aswirl. Where do we stand today?
Let’s use the analysis of bestselling author Thomas Barnett, who divides the world into a functioning “Core” (North America, Europe, East Asia, rising China and India) and a nonfunctional “Gap” (the Middle East, most of Africa, part of the Andean chain […]

3 Comments » - Posted in Foreign Affairs by Mark

Monday, July 31st, 2006

Time’s Up?

Condi says this week will be the one:
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said she has achieved general agreement on terms to end hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, and predicted that a ceasefire could take hold this week.
Israel’s defense minister, meanwhile, told the Israeli parliament the army would “expand and strengthen” its ground campaign against Hezbollah […]

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

Sunday, July 30th, 2006

The U.S. Retains The Upper Hand In Security Council…

…but for how long? Nevertheless, for the moment at least, parsing the following reveals some strong U.S. pressure behind the scenes at the UN:
The U.N. Security Council expressed “extreme shock and distress” Sunday at Israel’s attack on the southern Lebanese village of Qana in which more than 60 people were killed.
The statement adopted unanimously by […]

1 Comment » - Posted in Condoleezza Rice, Radical Islam / GWOT, Foreign Affairs, UN/Oil-For-Food, Republican Candidates by Mark

Sunday, July 30th, 2006

More Fallout From The Disastrous Airstrike On Qana

Israel has called off airstrikes for 48 hours while it investigates:
Israel has agreed to suspend airstrikes on southern Lebanon for 48 hours to investigate a Sunday airstrike that killed more than 60 people in Qana, Lebanon, a U.S. State Department spokesman said.
Spokesman Adam Ereli said the Israelis reserve the right to take action against […]

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

Sunday, July 30th, 2006

Apologies For The Weirdness

You may have seen a fatal error or two if you tried to get on my blog in the last half-hour or so; I was upgrading to the new WordPress, and I missed a few dozen important files the first time around!
Anyway, it should be all good now, so let me know if you notice […]

No Comments » - Posted in Navel-Gazing by Mark

Sunday, July 30th, 2006

Not A Good Thing

To support Israel is not the same as being immune to the tragedy of the current situation, and the latest strike that killed several dozen children is indeed just that: a tragedy. The calls for a ceasefire will grow stronger now, and indeed, Condi was forced to postpone her latest round of negotiations after […]

No Comments » - Posted in Condoleezza Rice, Radical Islam / GWOT, Foreign Affairs, Republican Candidates by Mark

Sunday, July 30th, 2006

The WaPo Endorses Lieberman

Since I criticized the NY Times (wrongly, it seems) for making an endorsement in the Connecticut Senate race, I should be critical of the Washington Post, as well, since it has less of a good reason to get involved. However, since the Washington Post endorses my candidates, I’ll merely link to the endorsement like a […]

2 Comments » - Posted in Election 2006, Joe Lieberman, Democratic Candidates by Mark

Saturday, July 29th, 2006

The Times’ Endorsement Of Lamont Is Up…

…if you care to read it. Basically, it’s a poorly written screed that spends hundreds of words saying one thing: we don’t like George Bush, and since he’s not running, Joe Lieberman is his proxy. Do I lie?
If Mr. Lieberman had once stood up and taken the lead in saying that there were […]

17 Comments » - Posted in The Decision '08 Review, Joe Lieberman, Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots® by Mark

Saturday, July 29th, 2006

The Most Ignorant Thing Written Yet…

…on Israel’s war with Hezbollah comes from Billmon, who beats out a half-dozen prior pieces of his own written from deep inside his anti-Israel cocoon since the outbreak of hostilities:
I don’t even know if Olmert still has hopes of carving out a notional two-kilometer-wide DMZ along the border. I mean, it’s easy enough to say […]

69 Comments » - Posted in Radical Islam / GWOT, Foreign Affairs, Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots® by Mark

Saturday, July 29th, 2006

When Is It Okay For A Progressive To Own Halliburton Stock?

When he’s running against Joe Lieberman, silly:
Defending himself against attack ads from U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman, Ned Lamont admitted he does hold some stock in Halliburton.”I’ve got a mutual fund that I have no control of and it has a little bit of Halliburton stock,” Lamont told the Connecticut Post editorial board Monday.
Well, after all, […]

2 Comments » - Posted in Election 2006, Joe Lieberman, Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots®, Democratic Candidates by Mark

Saturday, July 29th, 2006

Prepare To Be Shocked

The NY Times will endorse Ned Lamont tomorrow:
The New York Times, in an editorial published on Sunday, endorsed Mr. Lamont over Mr. Lieberman, arguing that the senator had offered the nation a “warped version of bipartisanship” in his dealings with President Bush on national security.

And just what the hell is the NY Times doing […]

8 Comments » - Posted in Joe Lieberman, Progressive Nonsense / Nutroots®, Democratic Candidates by Mark

Saturday, July 29th, 2006

Is There Anything More Satisfying Than A Cold Beer And An Elastic Loaf?

Not in my book…

3 Comments » - Posted in Iran by Mark

Saturday, July 29th, 2006

Another Ominous Sign For The GOP

The battleground state of Ohio is not moving in our direction, to say the least:
Republican senators at last week’s Tuesday luncheon meeting were stunned by news from Ohio of the Columbus Dispatch poll showing Sen. Mike DeWine behind his Democratic challenger, Rep. Sherrod Brown, by 8 percentage points.
The GOP senators had taken for granted […]